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NemO’s is an Italian street artist, known for his thought-provoking, dark comedy murals inhabited by characteristic human figures.
NemO’s large public pieces are almost always thought-provoking, displaying his critique towards our society’s modern values, selfish aspects of our society, with banal and thoughtless actions, or towards shallow and shock-addicted press and media.
NemO's es un "street artist" italiano, conocido por sus murales de comedia oscura y provocadores de la reflexión, habitados por figuras humanas características.
Las grandes obras públicas de NemO's son casi siempre estimulantes, mostrando su crítica hacia los valores modernos de nuestra sociedad, los aspectos egoístas de nuestra sociedad, con acciones banales e irreflexivas, o hacia medios y prensa poco profundos y adictos al sensacionalismo.
Fanzara (Castellón/ Spain)
Just seven and half kilometers south of Fira, a different side of Santorini emerges, an aspect that harkens back to the picturesque Greek villages of yesteryear. Here, the pace of life is more relaxed; cats stroll in the alleys, families dress up in their Sunday best to go to church, and piano lessons can be heard through the open windows of the cultural society. The main square, with its tall pine trees and quaint little coffee shops, is the focal point for socializing and entertainment. Regardless of the season, its busiest time is noon, when people gather for ouzo or Santorinian beer accompanied by excellent local meze.
This is Pyrgos, the largest preserved village on Santorini and the island’s former capital. Strategically built in the heart of the pre-volcanic hinterland and at the foot of Mt Profitis Ilias, Pyrgos affords panoramic views. Yet, located that bit further from the famous caldera, it has been spared the terraces, balconies, infinity pools and master suites that adorn the glossy covers of tourist magazines the world over. Pyrgos is not swamped by sunset spotters, nor is it the first choice among the hordes of cruise-ship passengers. Its charm is different: more subdued, less picture-perfect, little advertised.
Ask the locals what the difference is between Pyrgos and the rest of the island in terms of social profile, and you’ll get conflicting answers. For some, it’s that the villagers are more cultivated and more united among themselves, while for others, it’s that its location has kept the village relatively untouched – at least for now – by the tourist industry that is flourishing on the island.
It is a fact, however, that on Palm Sunday, as I was going up to the top of the medieval Kasteli (castle), I was overcome with emotion. The historic Church of the Presentation of the Virgin Mary (1660), one of Santorini’s largest and most important places of worship, was welcoming the faithful for the first time after a lengthy restoration: its masterful pulpit and intricate woodcarved altarpiece have been fully restored after centuries of wear and tear.
If you feel inclined to visit Pyrgos, get your climbing shoes on. This is the only way to explore the Pyrgos Kasteli, the best preserved of the five Venetian castles that once adorned the island. Don’t worry about getting lost; just head uphill from the main square and you’ll find it, a fortress hamlet that started life as a monastery and grew in size after the arrival of the Venetians at the beginning of the 13th century.
Αν και πολλοί γνωρίζουν τη Σαντορίνη για το ηφαιστειακό τοπίο της, τα λευκά σπίτια της, το συναρπαστικό ηλιοβασίλεμα της Οίας και τη διάσημη Καλντέρα, ωστόσο οι ομορφιές του νησιού δεν εξαντλούνται εκεί…
Το νησί έχει πολλούς οικισμούς και χωριά το ένα καλύτερο από το άλλο. Ένα από αυτά τα χωριά ο Πύργος που βρίσκεται σε απόσταση περίπου 10 χιλιομέτρων από τα Φηρά, είναι ίσως το ομορφότερο χωριό του νησιού. Ο Πύργος, η παλιά -έως το 1800- πρωτεύουσα του νησιού βρίσκεται στην ενδοχώρα, στο ψηλότερο σημείο της Σαντορίνης, στον Προφήτη Ηλία.
Στο κέντρο του Πύργου βρίσκεται το μεσαιωνικό κάστρο με τα σπίτια αμφιθεατρικά χτισμένα γύρω του. Συνδυάζει τα χαρακτηριστικά της εποχής της ενετοκρατίας, με διάσπαρτες εκκλησίες, αρχοντικά αλλά και χωριατόσπιτα κι έχει χαρακτηριστεί διατηρητέο μνημείο. Το μοναστήρι του Προφήτη Ηλία είναι μια από τις παλαιότερες εκκλησίες της Σαντορίνης και η ανοικοδόμησή του τοποθετείται χρονικά στον 10ο αιώνα.
Όλο το χωριό είναι μια πρόκληση για τον επισκέπτη, που έχει την ευκαιρία να ανέβει στο κάστρο, να περιηγηθεί στα σοκάκια με το ξεχωριστό «χρώμα» και να απολαύσει το περίφημο σαντορινιό ηλιοβασίλεμα, κι ας μην είναι στην Οία… Το σίγουρο είναι πως αν επισκεφτείτε τη Σαντορίνη μέσα στα πολλά που πρέπει να δείτε και να κάνετε μην αμελήσετε να βάλετε στο πρόγραμμά σας μια επίσκεψη στον Πύργο! Θα σας μαγέψει…
Και κάποιες δικές μου πληροφορίες ...
Την πρώτη φορά που επισκέφτηκα αυτό το χωριό πριν τέσσερα χρόνια νόμισα ότι το εξερεύνησα καλά, αλλά στην πρόσφατη επίσκεψη μου ξανά πρόσφατα, κατάλαβα ποσο λάθος είχα κάνει και ποσό <<τουριστική>> ήταν εκείνη η πρώτη ματιά, άσχετα αν εγώ πίστευα τότε το αντίθετο.
Το χωριό θέλει και προσφέρει καλή εξερευνηση, Ανεβείτε προς την κορυφή και ακόμα και αν σας δώσει την εντύπωση ότι μέχρι εκεί ήταν..απλά συνεχίστε και θα σας αποκαλύψει πολλά πράγματα. Βέβαια αυτό θα το κάνετε και κατα μήκος του χωριού. Πέρα από τα πολλά γραφικά σημεία το χωριό προσφέρει εξαιρετικές αρχιτεκτονικές λεπτομέρειες. Προσωπικά πιστεύω ότι μια επίσκεψη δεν είναι αρκετή, αν όμως δεν έχετε άλλο χρόνο προτιμήστε απογευματινή ώρα μιας και πιστεύω ότι το φως λειτουργεί καλύτερα τότε.
Elles sont alignées
Sur le bord du rivage
Blanches ou colorées
Ornant le paysage
Souvent en rangs serrés
Telles des petits corons
Abritent les vacanciers
Lors des belles saisons
Les cabines de plages
Ont un aspect charmant
Je les fixe en images
A jamais dans le temps
Edith Urbaniak
Taken at sunset during Fall down in San Diego.
This is a regular 4x3 aspect ratio photo that I squashed down into a pano in photoshop. :) Man, I really need a 12mm fisheye, Hehe. ;-)
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Have a great day ahead everyone. :)
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La iglesia de Santa María de La Antigua se levanta desde al menos el siglo XI en la ciudad de Valladolid. Conserva de fines de la centuria siguiente (siglo XII) una esbelta torre románica rematada con un chapitel apiramidado de teja y un pórtico en el lado norte también románico. El resto del edificio es gótico y neogótico, pues se levantó en el siglo XIV y, tras posteriores añadidos en diferentes estilos, fue intensamente restaurado y reconstruido en la primera mitad del siglo XX, regresando así a su aspecto original.
It depicts seven life-size figures. Aspects of Ketchikan's past.
Chief Johnson, the lumberjack - the fisherman - the miner - the aviator - an elderly woman and an elegant lady.
In this way, prominent Alaska Natives, the logging, fishing and mining industries, the town's historic heavy reliance on air links and - despite its relative isolation - its maintenance as a centre of cosmopolitan fashion are all incorporated into the work.
Perhaps one of the most difficult aspects of our unprecedented global pandemic and the accompanying economic depression is that it puts a brutal chokehold on the hopes and dreams we all lean on to carry us through the day. We just don't know when we will have the freedom to pursue these again!
As a photographer (well, a wanna-be anyway), a lot of mine are built around the freedom to explore and capture our beautiful natural world. To grow my skills and roam ever more boldly in the hopes of capturing the epic and wondrous landscapes around the world. Of course, those wishes were always balanced against the need to perform well in my job (not just that, but to enjoy and be successful in it as well), and to sustain and be there for my family. A delicate balance to fulfillment at the best of times.
But now? I find myself needing to tamp down thinking about the future and try to concentrate fully on the now. I don't know when the next trip will be. I don't know if I'll be able to afford it even when the possibilities arise again. It has caused me to rethink my approach to fulfillment and happiness. To lean on hopes that are too precarious and too distant to power ones daily actions is to try harnessing butterflies. Not going to get you far.
Now I am learning to modulate my expectations and alter my approach to life. Perhaps I had the luxury to count on dreams that could be readily fulfilled. Most of the world does not. In some sense, this pandemic is the great equalizer, we are all captive to the here and now. In many other very real ways of course, it further exacerbates the tremendous inequalities around us, and I am acutely aware of that.But I am also made more aware of the happiness and delight that exist around me every day. Blasting the music while I work on photos. Enjoying the magnificent extended spring weather on my nightly walk. Soaking up the laughter of family games around the table. So much to be grateful for! And a reminder of how much I may have taken for granted in the past. I hope I can take this for an opportunity to slow down and introspect, and maybe to grow up a bit. And one day, one glorious day to look forward to, I'll be back in the mountains breathing in the scent of pine.
So how does all this bullshit relate to the image here? Well, in better times I had an extended business trip in Europe and I decided that instead of hanging around Munich, I'd catch a train to one of the most exotic landscapes on the planet - the Dolomites of Northern Italy. Having seen many glorious images from there I came in with high hopes of capturing something truly exceptional! Nature decided not to play along this time, but instead to gift me with three glorious days of sunshine - and not a single cloud for hundreds of miles. Literally, nothing but blue skies. This was rather disappointing, but I still found it to be an incredible location, and on my last afternoon just before returning to the train station in Bolzano, I found a few clouds around Lago di Carezza (Karersee). They disappeared just before sunset naturally, but it was better than nothing! Unfortunately the lake level was rather low limiting the potential compositions. But it was a magnificent warm spring day and a nice finale to my quick trip through this exquisite landscape.
Tossa de Mar, La Selva, Girona (Spain).
ENGLISH
I suppose that this one would be the aspect of Tossa when Ava Gardner fell in love with this town and Spain in 1951. The filming of “Pandora and the flying Dutchman” meant the beginning of the tourist boom of the Costa Brava, and then all Spain too.
***
Tossa de Mar is a holiday resort located in Catalonia on the Costa Brava, about 95 kilometres north of Barcelona and 100 kilometres south of the French border. It is accessible through Girona airport, some distance north.
There is ample evidence of settlements dating back to the Neolithic period, and it is believed that the area has been continuously populated since that time. Between the 4th century BC and the 1st century BC appeared the first Iberian settlements, followed shortly after by the Romans in the 1st century.
In 966 Tossa is ceded by Count Miró of Barcelona to the Abbey of Ripoll. Some two centuries latter, in 1187 Tossa is granted its charter by the Abbot of Ripoll, coinciding with the building of a church atop Mount Guardí, the remnants of which can still be seen today.
Sometime in the 12th century the mediaeval town was walled off and a castle was built on the highest point of Mt. Guardí, this castle was to be subsequently replaced by a wind mill, and this in turn by a lighthouse which is still operational.
By the year 1500 the first houses were built extra-muros to accommodate population growth. This process was greatly accelerated during the 17th and 18th centuries, shaping an urban configuration which was to remain practically unchanged until the arrival of mass tourism in the 1950s.
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CASTELLANO
Yo supongo que éste sería el aspecto de Tossa cuando Ava Gardner se enamoró de este pueblo y de España en 1951. El rodaje de la película "Pandora y el Holandés Errante" significó el inicio del boom turístico de la Costa Brava, y del de toda España en consecuencia.
***
Tossa de Mar, también llamado Tossa, es un municipio de 5.260 habitantes (INE 2005) perteneciente a la provincia de Gerona, Cataluña (España). Situada en la comarca de La Selva, su ubicación en la Costa Brava hace que sea un destino turístico importante.
En la bahía de Tossa, posee un recinto amurallado románico, la Vila Vella, en un pequeño promontorio en plena playa con siete torres circulares, se estima su origen en el siglo XII para evitar los ataques de piratas. En su interior los restos de una iglesia y el palacio del gobernador del siglo XIV. Cerca del recinto se encuentran los hallazgos arqueológicos de lo que fuera una villa romana del siglo IV, la villa romana de Els Ametllers. Posee un museo municipal dentro del propio recinto con colecciones arqueológicas, de pintura local y extranjera, escultura y vidrio.
En los años 50, Ava Gardner y James Mason llegaron a la pequeña localidad para rodar "Pandora y el holandés errante" y eso le dio cierta fama al pueblo, en cuyo filme se bautizó "Esperanza".
Marc Chagall la bautizó con el nombre de "Paraíso azul" en 1933.
The South-East side of the Rion – Antirion bridge, aka the Charilaos Trikoupis bridge, Greece. A 348 ft (106 m) long ship is seen under the bridge on a course crossing the strait; it is a ferry boat weighing 1,800 tons.
The bridge was the longest multi-span cable-stayed bridge in the world with its 7,388 ft (2,252 m) continuous and fully suspended deck when constructed (in 1997–2004). The foundations lay on a seabed reaching 213 ft (65 m) of depth and they have a 295 ft (90 m) diameter. During the 7-year long construction no serious accidents were reported, no single drop of blood was shed. The bridge is a landmark of Greece in the 21st century and is named after the late Prime Minister Ch. Trikoupis who spoke in the Parliament about the need for such a bridge in March 1889!
#AB_FAV_ABOUT_ENERGY_⛽️
Might of the sea.
Cape Of Good Hope...Southern Tip Of South Africa.
I LOVE THE SEA!!! Under ALL circumstances, whether wild or calm...
What might here, SPECTACULAR, thunderingly beautiful and somehow frightening!
I grew up by and with the sea and NEVER underestimate it! This here is still the Atlantic Ocean.
'Cape of Good Hope' named thus because of the great optimism engendered by the opening of a sea route to India and the East.
I wish you all a very good day and thank you for all your kind words, time, comments and likes.
Very much appreciated. Magda, (*_*)
For more : www.indigo2photography.com
IT IS STRICTLY FORBIDDEN (BY LAW!!!) TO USE ANY OF MY image or TEXT on websites, blogs or any other media without my explicit permission. © All rights reserved
Sea, waves, might, power, energy, spray, rocks, cliff, colour, horizontal NikonD7200, "Magda indigo"
We stopped briefly near Achnahaird beach to check the view across to some of the Assynt hills.
Cùl Mòr, Stac Pollaidh, Cùl Beag and the mass of the various peaks of Coigach (on the right) all standing proud in the skyline.
A key aspect in creating great wildlife images is centered around your ability to control the background in your frame. Not only do they enhance the overall look and feel of your image, but it can also do the exact opposite. Keep an eye out as we will be sharing a post on 5 Tips to Improving your Wildlife Images! Image taken by Jari Peltomäki, an ORYX photo tour partner.
Muchos vuelvepiedras ( Arenaria interpres) inician la muda postnupcial recién llegados a sus cuarteles de invierno.
Es un momento dedicado, la muda de las plumas de vuelo modifica completamente el aspecto alar y por ende la sustentación, impulsión, rozamiento y estabilidad del vuelo. Basta con ver la silueta del ala de este ejemplar en vuelo.
anamorphic aspect ratio of Victoria Harbour HK
Flickr: www.flickr.com/photos/lowtec/
This shot of the Warwick AWP is likely my most favourite elevator shot of all elevators that I have photographed. It is still proudly wearing the old company "colours" and showing them off very well in black & white, and even more so in colour. I'll leave that for another time. The only thing that could make this a much better image is an awesome Alberta sky. Sadly, they don't exist as much in the winter like they do in summer.
Ive been tagged by Kitty Sanchez to say sixteen aspect of me. I just realize this is not as easy as i thought.
Aqui voy:
1. Me registre en flickr por celos. Mi novio estaba entregado a la fotografía y quería acercarme a el de alguna manera. A la final me enamoré de todo lo que he aprendido en cuanto a la fotografía y la gente que he conocido aquí.
2. Me encanta llorar, es la mejor manera de desahogarse. Lloro fácilmente, cuando me emociono por algo.
3. Soy extremadamente tímida, aunque los que me conocen lo ponen en duda.
4. Le tengo miedo a la soledad, a la oscuridad y al fracaso.
5. Para mi prevalece el romanticismo siempre. Me encantan las películas y canciones de amor.
6. Me molesta quedar como tonta. Soy muy insegura.
7. Me encanta manejar por la autopista sin tráfico con los vidrios abajo y con música alta, aunque en estos tiempos sea peligroso.
8. No me gusta la playa, me da sueño. Voy únicamente por presión social.
9. Quisiera vivir en otro país.
10. Sueño todos los días con tener hijos, y les tengo los nombres desde hace muchos años.
11. Tengo problemas para dormir, me cuesta hasta una hora o más quedarme dormida.
12. Necesito con urgencia ir a un psicólogo.
13. Tengo problemas para recibir órdenes, no me gustan, soy rebelde y me gusta la confrontación, peleo con todo el mundo, pero aun así me quieren.
14. No creo en la fidelidad absoluta.
15. Me encanta cantar! Lo hago terrible, pero lo hago... canto hasta los comerciales!
16. Me encanta leer el horóscopo, y cada vez que conozco a alguien pregunto por su signo zodiacal!
__________________________________________________________________
Kitty, I try my best to translate it:
1. I sing in flickr by jealousy. My boyfriend was into photography and I just wanted to get close to him. In the end I really liked everything here, i've learned so much about photography and the people i met here.
2. I love to cry, is the best way to let off all my feelings. I cry easily, even more if I get excited about something.
3. Im extremely shy, although everyone i know don’t believe it.
4. Im so afraid of loneliness, darkness and failure.
5. For me romance is always first. I really enjoy movies and love songs.
6. It bothers me looks like a fool. I'm very insecure.
7. I love driving on the freeway without traffic with the windows down and music loud.
8. I dont like the beach, it makes me sleepy. I just go there by social pressure.
9. I would like to live in another country.
10. I dream with having children, and i already have their names :)
11. I have sleeping troubles. It takes me an hour or more to fall asleep.
12. I need urgently a psychologist.
13. I have trouble receiving orders, I dont like it, im rebel, I argue a LOT.
14. I do not believe in absolute fidelity.
15. I love to sing! I do it terrible, but i do ... i can sing even the tv ads!
16. I love to read horoscopes, and every time i met someone im interested to know about their zodiac sign!
L'aspect néoclassique actuel remonte aux travaux effectués de 1781 à 1801 par Ferdinando Fuga qui est également l'auteur du grand dôme qui émerge du corps principal du bâtiment et des dômes plus petits qui couvrent les plafonds des nefs latérales.
The current neoclassical aspect dates back to the works carried out from 1781 to 1801 by Ferdinando Fuga who is also the author of the large dome which emerges from the main body of the building and of the smaller domes which cover the ceilings of the side aisles.
On our recent trip to Hereford we paid a visit to the Cathedral. Also saw the “mappa mundi” an ancient map of the world…believed to be the world’s oldest. Actually it is more a representation of all the major religious centres of Christianity.
2 of 2 showing aspects of the sea around the Orkney isles.
I have to acknowledge the fantastic seascapes of David Baker, a photographer based in southern England who produces the most beautiful images of the shore - always in the place where the sea meets the land. This photograph though by no means expresses what he achieves.
Taken from the vantage of high cliffs looking down onto part and fully submerged rocks where the northern Atlantic waves crash around.
Yesnaby, West Mainland, Orkney, UK
A high aspect ratio wing is most efficient for long distance gliding. With bones that lock into place in the extended wings, this lasyan albatross uses a horizontal lift component to bank sharply to the right and head out to sea. At sea it will have an oscillating glide path as it rises on orographic lift off wave faces then gravity accelerates into the wave troughs to glide for thousands of miles across the Pacific. The aerodynamics of mōlī (Phoebastria immutabilis) flight are fascinating. But it is the seemingly effortless, calm beauty and aerial grace that keeps me enviously watching for hours.
This signal is showing the Ks 1 clear aspect
Ks 1: Reduced Speed: this means not always that a train is routed to a diverging track. The reason for speed limit can be a reduced breaking distance or overlap!
These are some drawings of some basic German railway signal aspects.
(As far as I know I've drawn the correctly, but if not let me know!)
This signal is showing the Sh 1 shunting aspect
Ks-Signals: Shunting allowed, Maximum speed during shunting is 25 kph.
These are some drawings of some basic German railway signal aspects.
(As far as I know I've drawn the correctly, but if not let me know!)
This is showing the Ks 1 + Zs 3v proceed reduced speed aspect
These are some drawings of some basic German railway signal aspects.
(As far as I know I've drawn the correctly, but if not let me know!)
In the latter half of the 18th century citizens of this continent rose up in armed revolt because they were unhappy with their government, specifically being oppressed by said government without any recourse. It wasn't that these citizens thought this was the best method for changing government; it was their only method for changing government.
Following the successful conclusion of the revolt, each of the former colonies sent representatives to the First Continental Congress to create a new government, a loose confederation with a weak, centralized government and strong state governments. It didn't take long to realize that this arrangement was not working, so the states sent representatives to Philadelphia for the Second Continental Congress to attempt to make necessary changes to improve the government. What came of this was something completely unintended.
In 1787, members of this Congress voted to accept a new form of government, with strong, federal powers and a unique method for the people to select the head of this government. What they did was truly amazing because they realized that if the citizens of a country are unhappy with the current government, the best way of changing that government is not in armed revolt, but in the ballot booth.
Today, I did my part.
P.S. I am reminded of a quote from President Bill Clinton delivered in an Oval Office address to the nation on September 15,1994, following the first successful democratic election in Haiti's history. "[W]hen you start a democracy, the most important election is the second election." It refers to the fact that a democracy isn't a democracy until it is proven that there can be a successful, and peaceful, transition from one leader to the next. We don't get many things right in this country, but this we do, and have done 42 times in our past. Go us!
España - Almería - Vélez Blanco - Castillo
www.youtube.com/watch?v=1HKA4sX7fgU
***
ENGLISH
Castillo de Vélez-Blanco is located in the municipality of Vélez-Blanco, province of Almería, in the autonomous community of Andalusia, Spain. It was built by Governor of Murcia, Pedro Fajardo, 1st Marquis of los Vélez, following his appointment as Marqués. He set the headquarters of his new dominion by undertaking the construction of the local castle on the remains of an ancient and important Islamic citadel. It is situated on a hill overlooking the town. An important aspect of this castle is its huge tower, Torre del Homenaje, which is over 65 feet (20 m) high, an emblematic element of the castle and a symbol of the power over the dominion. The stone structure, had wooden stairs, which could be removed in case of danger isolating the upper level as a last defense. There is a vast number of decorative elements topping its battlements. The building has been restored in stages during the second half of the 20th century, including the floors of the towers. In 1931, it was listed as a Bien de Interés Cultural monument.
***
ESPAÑOL
El castillo de Vélez-Blanco está situado en el municipio español de Vélez-Blanco, en la provincia de Almería, Andalucía y es un ejemplo emblemático de la arquitectura del Renacimiento Español, conjugando el aspecto militar con el palaciego.
Fue mandado construir por el Adelantado de Murcia, Pedro Fajardo y Chacón, tras su nombramiento como Marqués de los Vélez concedido por los Reyes Católicos.
Cuando Pedro Fajardo se instaló en Vélez-Blanco, fijó allí la sede de su nuevo señorío y emprendió la construcción de su castillo-palacio sobre los restos de una antigua e importante alcazaba islámica que se levantaba en el cerro que domina la villa. En esos momentos existía una prohibición real de construir nuevas fortalezas para evitar la acumulación masiva de poder por parte de la nobleza, que podría debilitar a la monarquía. Para eludir esta prohibición, Don Pedro Fajardo argumentó que solo estaba rehabilitando la antigua alcazaba musulmana que allí existía.
En 1506 se comenzaron las obras del nuevo castillo sobre los restos de la antigua fortaleza, que fue destruida casi en su totalidad, conservando solo algunos lienzos de muralla y el aljibe que se encuentra bajo el patio. Las obras, en las que se invirtieron 80.000 ducados, finalizaron en 1515.
Se baraja, como autor de la obra, el arquitecto italiano Francisco Florentino, con la colaboración de Martín Milanés y la supervisión de Francisco Salazar, alcaide del castillo entre 1503 y 1511. En la construcción participaron maestros canteros y carpinteros vascos.
La construcción se inició con una primera fase de estructura gótica, que pronto se cambió a otra de estilo renacentista, símbolo de los nuevos tiempos y de una nobleza más culta que rompe con la vieja tradición medieval y muestra el espíritu de los tiempos modernos. Así, frente al gótico oficial seguido por la monarquía y por la Iglesia, este castillo-palacio representa un claro ejemplo del avance del humanismo emprendido por la nobleza, que en Andalucía se corresponde con otro gran ejemplo de avance arquitectónico como es el vecino Castillo de la Calahorra de la provincia de Granada.
En el siglo XVIII, aunque el castillo todavía mantenía gran parte de su riqueza decorativa y representaba un símbolo de poder territorial, comenzaron a permitirse el empleo de materiales del castillo en otras edificaciones. Un ejemplo es la construcción de la iglesia en Vélez Rubio, en la que se reutilizaron los cañones de bronce para campanas, y las antiguas cubiertas de plomo de los tejados del castillo.
Esta destrucción se agudizó en el siglo XIX con la Guerra de la Independencia Española debido a la invasión francesa y la guerra de la independencia. A partir de ese momento fue sometido a toda clase de saqueos y expolios, alterando su distribución interior y utilizándose como vivienda por indigentes.
A comienzos del siglo XX se despertó el interés por el castillo dentro y fuera de nuestras fronteras, especialmente por coleccionistas. Ante este interés y el estado de abandono general, a partir de 1904 iniciaron sus propietarios el vaciado de sus elementos de valor, siendo vendido por el XVI marqués de los Vélez, Joaquín Álvarez de Toledo y Caro, su patio renacentista en ese mismo año al anticuario francés J. Goldberg, quien pasó primero a Marsella elementos que pertenecían al patio, arcos, columnas, marcos de puertas y ventanas esculpidas en mármol, junto con otros objetos como el artesonado de uno de los salones y dos puertas y luego a París, donde fueron vendidos al banquero alemán George Blumenthal en 1920. Este banquero trasladó el material a Nueva York donde pasó a formar parte de su residencia, sita en la esquina de Park Avenue con la Calle 70. Era un momento en el que en Estados Unidos estaba en auge la moda de la arquitectura renacentista.
En 1945 y tras la muerte de este propietario es cedido al Museo Metropolitano de Nueva York, donde más tarde quedó montado tal como puede verse en la actualidad. La disposición en Nueva York no coincide exactamente con la original, ya que para adaptarlo al espacio del museo hubo que realizar algunas modificaciones.
En junio de 1931 el castillo es declarado Monumento Nacional, pero a pesar de eso, el iniciado proceso de abandono y destrucción prosiguió junto con el arraigado lamento popular por la pérdida del patio.
Las primeras intervenciones de mantenimiento y restauración fueron llevadas a cabo por Francisco Prieto Moreno y su hijo Joaquín Prieto Moreno entre la década de los 60 y los 80. Se hicieron desescombros, se construyó la rampa de acceso y algunos forjados ya que en esos momentos el edificio no tenía ningún tipo de cubierta. Estos últimos más adelante serán derribados porque según los nuevos técnicos estaban mal ubicados.
En 1982 los arquitectos Juan Antonio Molina Serrano y Juan Antonio Sánchez Morales toman la dirección de las obras rompiendo con las líneas de restauración seguidas hasta el momento. En una primera fase se intervendrá sobre la Torre del Homenaje y anexos, y en una segunda sobre el patio de honor. Esta última a su vez se desarrollará en dos fases.
Las obras de restauración del patio de honor y anexos se iniciaron en 1994 y se concluyeron en 1998. Tienen como finalidad facilitar el uso del castillo para fines turísticos y actividades culturales. Se recuperaron los volúmenes originales del patio y de las habitaciones vinculadas a él. También se repusieron los forjados desaparecidos que conforman el patio, con una estructura vertical de pilares metálicos de tubo de acero con el fin de servir de eje de anclaje de las piezas que se ejecutaron en la futura decoración.
En 2005, la Junta de Andalucía adquirió por tres millones de euros el castillo al marqués de Valverde, Salvador Ferrandis Álvarez de Toledo, cuya familia había mantenido la propiedad desde el siglo XVI.
De aspecto de espléndida mansión más que de castillo, es singular y característico por el geométrico mosaico de piedras blancas y grises engastadas en su fachada a modo de tablero de ajedrez. Sus bellos y cuidados jardines, salpicados de estanques, fuentes y esculturas me invitaron a un relajante, confortable y meditativo paseo
The aspects of things that are most important to us
are hidden because of their simplicity and familiarity*
*Prof. L. Wittgenstein
Combined aspects of two mocs:
Luke Skybuilder (www.flickr.com/photos/102383334@N04/51741850138/in/datepo...
Hedu88
rebrickable.com/mocs/MOC-50535/Hedu88/modifiedmercenary-s...