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The Roman castrum of Diana by Irene Becker © All rights reserved
The remains of Diana fortress in north-eastern Serbia.
Djerdap National Park: Day 2
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ⓒRebecca Bugge, All Rights Reserved
Do not use without permission.
This late Roman Republican mausoleum (second half of the first century B.C.) was erected for Caecilia Metella and is now one of the most famous burial monuments in Rome - but we don't know that much about the lady herself, not even the exact dates of her life. She was the daughter of Quintus Caecilius Metellus Creticus who in 69 B.C. was consul. She was married to Marcus Licinius Crassus who might have been the son of Marcus Crassius, one of three members of the 'First Triumvirate' with Julius Caesar and Pompeius.
The exact inspiration for the look of the mausoleum is not known. It has been suggested it is built in Hellenistic style, while others has suggested it is inspired by Etruscan tholos graves.
The mausoleum is now robbed of its original interior. And if you think it looks somewhat like a castle you aren't that far off. The Caetani (the family of pope Boniface VIII) turned into a fortification at the end of the 13th century, known as castrum Caetani. It was later owned by well known families such as the Orsini and the Colonna
Italien / Südtirol - Schloss Prösels
seen from Powder Tower
gesehen vom Pulverturm
Prösels Castle (German: Schloss Prösels; Italian: Castello di Presule) is a castle in the Gothic style which stands on the high plain below the Schlern mountain, in South Tyrol. Prösels is a location within the municipal boundaries of the commune of Völs am Schlern (Fiè allo Sciliar).
History
The castle was first named in a document from 1279, as castrum Presil, whereas the settlement close to the castle compares in 1373 as Bresels. It is believed that the lords of Völs, feudatories of the Bishopric of Brixen, had built the castle here just by 1200. Today the central palace with a Romanesque archway are surviving parts of this first fortress.
In Italian it is sometimes called Castel Colonna, reflecting the fact that around the time of Leonhard II the Völs (Fiè) family started to add the Colonna family name to their own. The reason for this is unclear, although a number of hypotheses have been advanced. According to some the family originated as a branch of the Colonnas who came to Tyrol in the twelfth century; others believe that Leonhard II, fighting alongside Marcantonio Colonna (1535–1584) at the Battle of Lepanto, was affirming his family’s origins in the Colonnas of Tusculum. A third version speculates that Marcantonio adopted Leonhard in order to enable the latter to display his membership of the noble Roman dynasty. Most probably, perhaps, Leonhard II simply requested and obtained the right to add the name Colonna to his own.
The Gothic castle of today was built by Leonhard of Völs (born 1458). He was the administrator of the salt mines of Hall in Tirol, a highly profitable position, furthermore he was married three times to wealthy noblewomen, which enabled him to spend extravagantly on the expansion of his castle. In 1498 Leonhard, thanks to his friendship with the Holy Roman Emperor Maximilian I and Archduke of Austria, became governor of the County of Tyrol. Leonhard showed his gratitude by including the emperor on one of the frescoes in the newly built arcade of his castle.
During the Peasants' War of 1525 the castle was briefly occupied by the revolting subservient farmers, who burnt all the documents in the vain hope of destroying all proof of their debts and tithes. The uprising was squashed and six leaders executed. Leonhard of Völs also instigated the burning of nine local woman for witchcraft. To deflect blame placed on him by his subjects for a high infant mortality rate, Leonhard found nine women, had them tortured and after they confessed burnt at the stake for witchcraft. Most probably the high infant mortality was due to the farmers being starved and very poor owing to Leonhard's very high taxes. The woman confessed that they had "stolen the babies and ridden on their brooms to the Schlern where they had eaten the babies together with the devil." The many local legends about the so-called Schlernhexen (Schlern witches) date back to this time.
The castle remained in the hands of the family until its last member, Felix, Freiherr von Völs, died childless in 1810. For the next 50 years the castle stood empty and nearly fell into ruins. Between 1860 and 1978 the castle changed hands no fewer than 14 times, suffering periods of decay followed by attempted restoration before finally being abandoned to its fate. However, in 1981 the Kuratorium Schloss Prösels (Prösels Castle Curatorship) was formed to restore the building; the work was completed the following year.
Visiting the castle
Guided visits are available during the summer months and during the Christmas holidays, various cultural events are held here including concerts, exhibitions and theatrical performances. Permanent displays include:
A collection of weapons and suits of armour
The "Batzenhäusl" restaurant collection of paintings (The "Batzenhäusl" being the oldest restaurant in the city of Bolzano)
A modern art collection
(Wikipedia)
Das Schloss Prösels liegt in der Gemeinde Völs am Schlern östlich von Bozen in Südtirol. Es ist die Stammburg der Herren von Völs, erstmals im Jahr 1279 urkundlich als „castrum Presil“ genannt, jedoch wahrscheinlich schon um 1200 errichtet. Ihre Blütezeit erlebte die Burg Anfang des 16. Jahrhunderts, als sie Leonhard der Ältere von Völs zu einer prunkvollen, spätgotischen Schlossanlage ausbauen ließ. Nach dem Aussterben der Herren von Völs und etlichen Besitzerwechseln wurde das Schloss im Jahr 1978 vom Kuratorium Schloss Prösels GmbH erworben. Heute finden auf dem Schlossgelände neben den traditionellen Schlossführungen auch zahlreiche kulturelle Veranstaltungen statt, wie z. B. Konzerte, Ausstellungen und Theateraufführungen.
Geographische Lage
Auf dem Weg vom im Talgrund des Eisacktals gelegenen Blumau ins mittelgebirgige Schlerngebiet befindet sich auf der rechten Seite ein markanter Felskopf, auf dem sich das alte Schloss Prösels erhebt. Es liegt in der Ortschaft Prösels, welche zur Gemeinde Völs am Schlern zählt und zwischen den beiden größeren Gemeindefraktionen Völs und Völser Aicha liegt.
Geschichte
Historische Anfänge
Erstmals wird die mittelalterliche Burg („castrum Presil“) in einer Urkunde aus dem Jahre 1279 erwähnt, während die Burgsiedlung im Jahr 1373 als „Bresels“ bezeugt ist. Laut Schneller liegt dem Namen lateinisch praesulis ‚dem Bischof gehörig‘ zugrunde. Erbaut wurde die Burg von den Herren von Völs, welche zunächst den Bischöfen von Brixen dienten. Zuerst wurde die Burg nach der dortigen Kapelle benannt, anschließend jedoch als Burg Prösels oder Burg Völs bezeichnet, da sie sich nicht weit vom Hauptdorf Völs befand. Nachdem der Machtbereich der Bischöfe von Brixen und Trient eingeschränkt wurde, erhielten die Herren von Völs als landesfürstliche Ministerialen die Burg.
Leonhard der Ältere von Völs war der bedeutendste Burgherr. Er nahm in jungen Jahren am Krieg gegen Venedig (1508–1516) teil und bekleidete von 1498 bis zu seinem Tod im Jahre 1530 das Amt des Landeshauptmannes an der Etsch und Burggrafen zu Tirol. Leonhard wirkte vor allem als Gutsverwalter und war mit dem Habsburgerkaiser Maximillian I. eng befreundet. Sein Leben war aber nicht nur durch seine administrativen Aufgaben gekennzeichnet, sondern fand auch in den Völser Hexenprozessen von 1506 und 1510 und dem Bauernaufstand von 1525 einen Höhepunkt. Leonhards größte Hinterlassenschaft stellt aber sicherlich das Schloss selbst dar, das er zum größten Teil erbauen ließ und bis heute fast gänzlich erhalten ist.
Völser Hexenprozesse
Vor 500 Jahren fanden auf Schloss Prösels Hexenprozesse statt, die für ungefähr 30 Menschen mit dem Todesurteil durch Verbrennen endeten. Nicht nur Frauen wurden der Hexerei beschuldigt, auch zwei Männer kosteten die Prozesse das Leben. Den Schuldigen warf man vor, sich dem Teufel unterworfen zu haben. Die Anklageschriften bezichtigten die Angeklagten des Mordes an den eigenen Kindern und beschuldigten sie, auf Besen durch die Luft geritten zu sein und an Teufelstänzen teilgenommen zu haben. Allerdings konnte bis heute nicht einwandfrei geklärt werden, an welcher Stelle die Hexenverbrennungen stattfanden.
Zum Gedenken an den ersten Hexenprozess im südlichen Teil Tirols haben die Gemeinden Völs und Kastelruth 2006 eine Skulptur mit Gedenktafel auf Schloss Prösels angebracht. Am 18. August 2006 wurde das historische Drama Anna Jobstin im Burghof von Schloss Prösels uraufgeführt. Anna Jobstin war die erste Angeklagte in der Hexenverfolgung von 1506.
Kuratorium Schloss Prösels
1978 erwarb das neu gebildete Kuratorium Schloss Prösels die Burg. Dieses Konsortium aus Privatpersonen und den Gemeinden des Schlerngebietes (Kastelruth, Völs) sowie der Gemeinde Tiers ist bis heute der Schlossbesitzer. Nach abgeschlossener Restaurierung der Anlage wird sie seit dem Jahr 1982 als Austragungsort von verschiedenen kulturellen Veranstaltungen und für Führungen genutzt.
Am 5. Juli 2014 trafen sich Ministerpräsident Matteo Renzi und Bundeskanzler Werner Faymann anlässlich einer Tagung auf Schloss Prösels, womit es erstmals zu einer Zusammenkunft eines italienischen und österreichischen Regierungschefs auf Südtiroler Boden kam.
Sehenswertes
Kapelle
Ebenso von Leonhard erbaut wurde die Kapelle auf Schloss Prösels, welche der Heiligen Anna geweiht ist. Durch die Form des Portals und des Netzrippengewölbes erkennt man deutlich, dass die Kapelle aus dem 3. Jahrzehnt des 16. Jahrhunderts stammt. Besonders bemerkenswert am Gebäude ist ohne Zweifel die handwerklich herausragende Ausführung der baulichen Details.
Waffensammlung
Die Waffensammlung des Franz Anton von Kofler kam nach der Restaurierung des Schlosses als Leihgabe der Südtiroler Landesregierung auf die Burg. Die meisten der ausgestellten Objekte stammen aus dem 19. Jahrhundert und kommen unter anderem von den Schlachtfeldern in Solferino und Custoza (Italienische Unabhängigkeitskriege). Aber auch Stücke aus der Zeit Leonhards sind im Waffensaal zu finden. Besonders kurios ist die Rüstung eines Samuraikämpfers aus dem fernen Orient.
Ausstellungsgalerie
Im sogenannten „Tischlerhaus“ auf Schloss Prösels finden seit dem Jahre 1982 in den Sommermonaten immer wieder Kunstausstellungen verschiedener Maler und Bildhauer statt. Jeder Künstler, der im Schloss seitdem zu Gast war, hinterließ jeweils ein Werk seiner Ausstellung. Somit bildete sich im Laufe der Jahre eine umfangreiche Bilder- und Skulpturensammlung, die im Rahmen der Schlossführungen besichtigt werden kann. In den Räumlichkeiten der Burg sind auch Kunstwerke der bekannten Künstlerin Lotte Copì zu finden. Außerdem sind im ehemaligen Wohntrakt der Herren von Völs die 98 verbliebenen Werke der berühmten Batzenhäusl-Sammlung aus Bozen zur Besichtigung ausgestellt.
Pulverturm
Etwas oberhalb von Schloss Prösels befindet sich der geschichtlich eng mit der Anlage verbundene Pulverturm, ein bergfriedartiger Wehrturm.
Kulturelle Darbietungen
Im Sommer werden im Schloss täglich Führungen angeboten. Außerdem finden kulturelle Veranstaltungen mit Musik, Kunst und Theater statt. Das Schloss kann für private Veranstaltungen, wie z. B. Hochzeiten oder sonstige Feiern, für einen Tag angemietet werden.
(Wikipedia)
Castillo de Turégano, Segovia, España.
El primitivo Castrum celtibérico fue aprovechado por los estrategas romanos para completar el sistema de fortificaciones con COLENDA “SEPTEMPUBLICA”,”PETRARIA” y “CAUCA” envolvían el territorio segoviano y dominaban las cuencas de los ríos de Eresma, Cega y Duratón. Del Castrum sólo quedan las torres en parte desmochadas, construidas posiblemente hacia finales del siglo X y de clara tradición árabe.
De planta cuadrada, fueron ejecutadas de fábrica de gruesos de cal y canto, aparecieron traspasadas en su parte inferior por un estrecho pasadizo conocido como “el paso de ronda” y unidas entre sí por tramos realizados en tapial.
El recinto de planta cuadrangular flanqueado por torreones circulares en los ángulos y rematados por hornacinas con la imagen de San Miguel. Como característica en común a lienzos y almenas, se encuentran saeteras del tipo cruz y orbe y palo y orbe. En todo sistema de protección encontramos también, matacanes, buhoneras, acodos, recovecos, balcones amatacanados y estrechas escaleras.
El edificio central se encuentra constituido por la torre del homenaje, cuyo interior se distribuye en estancias, estrechas escaleras, que comunican las distintas salas y una escalera helicoidal que conduce a la base de la torre, donde puede contemplarse el bellísimo paisaje y se palpa el carácter defensivo del castillo. Declarado monumento nacional en 1931, su emplazamiento recuerda la función defensiva por el que fue erigido. En su construcción se han de distinguir distintos conjuntos que lo compone: El Castrum y las torres, la primitiva iglesia de San Miguel, y el traslado de la espadaña a su lugar actual. Muchos autores defendieron la teoría de haberse construido a la par que al castillo, hoy se puede afirmar que la iglesia de San Miguel, de estilo románico, fue ejecutada a finales del siglo XII y a principios del siglo XIII.
En el ala oeste encontramos tres torreones construidos con similares características, sillares de piedra rosa, rematados entre sus lienzos por parapetos, matacanes y gárgolas de una pieza.
La entrada de la iglesia, marcada encima por el escudo episcopal, está defendida por dos torres especiales, polígonas en el primer cuerpo y circulares y circulares en el segundo, corre por ellas una línea de matacanes debajo de un arco abierto que hace las veces de galería, donde puede observarse un arco de crucería.
En ella destacan dos fases constructivas, la primera comprendería las naves laterales y la torre elevada, actualmente embutida dentro del torreón central. De la segunda fase destaca la nave central construida por buena sillería y cubierta con bóveda de cañón apuntada. Las obras que dan lugar al recinto amurallado se encuentran en el siglo XV, siendo emprendidas por Arias Dávila en 1471, continuadas por Arias del Villar y concluidas por Diego Rivera siguiendo el plan por el, trazado por el Prelado Arias Dávila. La última fase de la construcción es la colocación, en 1703, de la espadaña, de estilo barroco y rematada con frontón curvo.
The primitive Celtiberian Castrum was used by the Roman strategists to complete the system of fortifications with COLENDA "SEPTEMPUBLICA", "PETRARIA" and "CAUCA" wrapped around the territory of Segovia and dominated the basins of the rivers of Eresma, Cega and Duratón. Of the Castrum there are only partially towered towers, possibly built towards the end of the 10th century and with a clear Arab tradition.
Of square plant, they were executed of factory of thicknesses of lime and song, they appeared transferred in its inferior part by a narrow passageway known like "the passage of ronda" and united to each other by stretches realized in tapial.
The enclosure of quadrangular plant flanked by circular towers in the angles and topped by niches with the image of San Miguel. As a common characteristic of canvases and battlements, there are cross and orb and arrow and orb bows. In every system of protection we also find, machicolations, buhoneras, layering, recesses, balconies amatacanados and narrow stairs.
The central building is constituted by the keep, whose interior is distributed in rooms, narrow stairs, which connect the different rooms and a helical staircase that leads to the base of the tower, where you can contemplate the beautiful landscape and feel the defensive character of the castle. Declared a national monument in 1931, its location recalls the defensive function by which it was erected. In its construction we have to distinguish different groups that make it up: The Castrum and the towers, the primitive church of San Miguel, and the transfer of the bulrush to its current place. Many authors defended the theory of having built at the same time as the castle, today it can be said that the church of San Miguel, in Romanesque style, was executed at the end of the 12th century and at the beginning of the 13th century.
In the west wing we find three towers built with similar characteristics, rose stone ashlars, topped between their canvases by parapets, machicolations and one piece gargoyles.
The entrance of the church, marked above by the episcopal shield, is defended by two special towers, polygons in the first body and circular and circular in the second, runs through them a line of machicolations under an open arch that serves as gallery, where you can see an archway.
In her they emphasize two constructive phases, first would include the lateral ships and the elevated tower, at the moment embedded within the central tower. Of the second phase highlights the central nave built by good ashlar masonry and covered with pointed barrel vault. The works that give rise to the walled enclosure are in the XV century, being undertaken by Arias Dávila in 1471, continued by Arias del Villar and concluded by Diego Rivera following the plan by him, drawn by the Prelate Arias Dávila. The last phase of construction is the placement, in 1703, of the steeple, baroque style and topped with curved pediment.
Situé dans un paysage de collines, Mirmande est un village perché typique de la Drôme.
Le nom vient de l’ancien français d’origine occitane mirmande (même étymologie que mirande) qui désignait une ville, un village ou une maison fortifiée.
Appelé Mirmanda au xiie siècle, Castrum Mirimandae au xiiie siècle Mirimanda et Miremande au xvie siècle et enfin Mirmande au xviie siècle.
Mentionné dès 1238, le village est une ancienne propriété des Adhémar qui le cédèrent à l'évêque de Valence. Tout au long du Moyen Âge, un péage était établi à Mirmande sur le halage des navires remontant le Rhône, halage exclusivement humain jusqu’à la fin du xve siècle. Au milieu du xive siècle, le bourg se développe et un deuxième rempart, encore visible aujourd'hui, le délimite. Le xviie siècle voit le village s'agrandir hors les murs, mais c'est au xixe siècle que Mirmande se développe avec la sériciculture (élevage du ver à soie) qui fait vivre près de 3 000 personnes.
Avec le déclin de cette économie, le village connaît des heures difficiles : le xxe siècle voit l'abandon et l'écroulement partiel de l'église Sainte-Foy. Par ailleurs, une loi exonérant d'impôts les maisons sans toit, de nombreux propriétaires qui ont quitté le village font découvrir les maisons qu'ils y possèdent encore, de sorte qu'elles tombent rapidement en ruine. Lorsqu'elles sont rachetées, le prix est fixé en fonction du nombre de tuiles restées sur le toit.
Le village renaît grâce aux nombreux artistes qui s'y installent plus ou moins durablement. André Lhote (1885-1962), peintre cubiste et écrivain, contribue au renouveau de Mirmande (voir ci-dessous « Personnalités liées au village »).
Aujourd'hui Mirmande compte 504 habitants qui logent à l'intérieur mais aussi, et surtout, à l'extérieur du village.
fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mirmande
_______________________________________
Set in a landscape of hills, Mirmande is a typical hilltop village of the Drôme.
The name comes from the old French original Occitan mirmande (same etymology as mirande) which designated a town, a village or a fortified house.
The village was called Mirmanda in the twelfth century, Castrum Mirimandae in the thirteenth century, Mirimanda and Miremande in the sixteenth century and finally Mirmande in the seventeenth century.
First mentioned in 1238, the village is an old property of Adhemar, which gave way to the bishop of Valencia. Throughout the Middle Ages, a toll was established in Mirmande on hauling-up the Rhone, exclusively human hauling until the late fifteenth century. In the middle of the fourteenth century, the town is growing and a second wall, still visible today, delimits it. The seventeenth century saw the village grow outside the walls, but in the nineteenth century Mirmande grows with sericulture (rearing of silkworms) which supports nearly 3000 people.
With the decline of the economy, the village is experiencing difficult times: the twentieth century saw the abandonment and collapse part of the Sainte-Foy church. Moreover, a law exempting from taxes the houses without roofs, many homeowners who have left the village the discovery of the homes they still own it, so they quickly fall into ruin. When purchased, the price is fixed according to the number of tiles remained on the roof.
The village is reborn thanks to the many artists who settled there more or less permanently. Andre Lhote (1885-1962), cubist painter and writer, contributes to the renewal of Mirmande (see below "village-related Personalities").
Today Mirmande has 504 inhabitants who stay inside but also, and especially, outside the village.
Translated from:
From the rooftop of Tollbodgaten 22 in Tønsberg, this photograph captures the ethereal beauty of a misty morning. Slottsfjelltårnet rises through the haze, flanked by Slottsfjellskolen to the left, as soft light filters through the fog, painting the town in pastel tones. The rainbow-like arc formed by the mist adds a magical touch to the historical skyline. A quiet moment where nature and architecture meet in harmony.
Fun Fact
Slottsfjelltårnet was built in 1888 and stands on the ruins of Tunsberghus fortress, which dates back to the Middle Ages. It’s one of Tønsberg’s most iconic landmarks and offers panoramic views of Norway’s oldest city.
ⓒRebecca Bugge, All Rights Reserved
Do not use without permission.
Via Appia (Antica), the Appian way, was one of the most important roads in Ancient Rome, going from Rome to Brindisi in southern Italy. Here the view is completed by a mausoleum, a quite friendly dog (not a stray) - and lets just ignore the garbage bins...
The late Roman Republican mausoleum (second half of the first century B.C.) was erected for Caecilia Metella and is now one of the most famous burial monuments in Rome - but we don't know that much about the lady herself, not even the exact dates of her life. She was the daughter of Quintus Caecilius Metellus Creticus who in 69 B.C. was consul. She was married to Marcus Licinius Crassus who might have been the son of Marcus Crassius, one of three members of the 'First Triumvirate' with Julius Caesar and Pompeius.
The exact inspiration for the look of the mausoleum is not known. It has been suggested it is built in Hellenistic style, while others has suggested it is inspired by Etruscan tholos graves.
The mausoleum is now robbed of its original interior. And if you think it looks somewhat like a castle you aren't that far off. The Caetani (the family of pope Boniface VIII) turned into a fortification at the end of the 13th century, known as castrum Caetani. It was later owned by well known families such as the Orsini and the Colonna
IL CAMPANILE SOLITARIO.
Il colle di San Martino sovrastante l’abitato di Artegna risulta insediato in epoca romana; la sua posizione dominante la pianura friulana si prestava ad essere un’antica postazione di vedetta della strada di origine romana diretta al Norico.
Castrum Artenia è uno dei castelli longobardi ricordati da Paolo Diacono nella Historia Langobardorum, che alcuni studiosi localizzano in cima al colle nell’area ora occupata dalla chiesetta di San Martino. Esso è ciò che resta di un complesso difensivo molto più vasto che occupava tutta la sommità del colle e di cui rimangono ancora tracce nella parte alta.
Note tratte dal sito:
www.archeocartafvg.it/portfolio-articoli/artegna-ud-caste...
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THE SOLITARY BELL TOWER.
The hill of San Martino overlooking the town of Artegna was settled in Roman times; its dominant position over the Friulian plain was suitable for being an ancient lookout post on the Roman road to Noricum.
Castrum Artenia is one of the Lombard castles mentioned by Paolo Diacono in the Historia Langobardorum, which some scholars locate at the top of the hill in the area now occupied by the small church of San Martino. It is what remains of a much larger defensive complex that occupied the entire top of the hill and of which traces still remain in the upper part.
CANON EOS 600D con ob. SIGMA 10-20 f./4-5,6 EX DC HSM
Italien / Südtirol - Schloss Prösels
Prösels Castle (German: Schloss Prösels; Italian: Castello di Presule) is a castle in the Gothic style which stands on the high plain below the Schlern mountain, in South Tyrol. Prösels is a location within the municipal boundaries of the commune of Völs am Schlern (Fiè allo Sciliar).
History
The castle was first named in a document from 1279, as castrum Presil, whereas the settlement close to the castle compares in 1373 as Bresels. It is believed that the lords of Völs, feudatories of the Bishopric of Brixen, had built the castle here just by 1200. Today the central palace with a Romanesque archway are surviving parts of this first fortress.
In Italian it is sometimes called Castel Colonna, reflecting the fact that around the time of Leonhard II the Völs (Fiè) family started to add the Colonna family name to their own. The reason for this is unclear, although a number of hypotheses have been advanced. According to some the family originated as a branch of the Colonnas who came to Tyrol in the twelfth century; others believe that Leonhard II, fighting alongside Marcantonio Colonna (1535–1584) at the Battle of Lepanto, was affirming his family’s origins in the Colonnas of Tusculum. A third version speculates that Marcantonio adopted Leonhard in order to enable the latter to display his membership of the noble Roman dynasty. Most probably, perhaps, Leonhard II simply requested and obtained the right to add the name Colonna to his own.
The Gothic castle of today was built by Leonhard of Völs (born 1458). He was the administrator of the salt mines of Hall in Tirol, a highly profitable position, furthermore he was married three times to wealthy noblewomen, which enabled him to spend extravagantly on the expansion of his castle. In 1498 Leonhard, thanks to his friendship with the Holy Roman Emperor Maximilian I and Archduke of Austria, became governor of the County of Tyrol. Leonhard showed his gratitude by including the emperor on one of the frescoes in the newly built arcade of his castle.
During the Peasants' War of 1525 the castle was briefly occupied by the revolting subservient farmers, who burnt all the documents in the vain hope of destroying all proof of their debts and tithes. The uprising was squashed and six leaders executed. Leonhard of Völs also instigated the burning of nine local woman for witchcraft. To deflect blame placed on him by his subjects for a high infant mortality rate, Leonhard found nine women, had them tortured and after they confessed burnt at the stake for witchcraft. Most probably the high infant mortality was due to the farmers being starved and very poor owing to Leonhard's very high taxes. The woman confessed that they had "stolen the babies and ridden on their brooms to the Schlern where they had eaten the babies together with the devil." The many local legends about the so-called Schlernhexen (Schlern witches) date back to this time.
The castle remained in the hands of the family until its last member, Felix, Freiherr von Völs, died childless in 1810. For the next 50 years the castle stood empty and nearly fell into ruins. Between 1860 and 1978 the castle changed hands no fewer than 14 times, suffering periods of decay followed by attempted restoration before finally being abandoned to its fate. However, in 1981 the Kuratorium Schloss Prösels (Prösels Castle Curatorship) was formed to restore the building; the work was completed the following year.
Visiting the castle
Guided visits are available during the summer months and during the Christmas holidays, various cultural events are held here including concerts, exhibitions and theatrical performances. Permanent displays include:
A collection of weapons and suits of armour
The "Batzenhäusl" restaurant collection of paintings (The "Batzenhäusl" being the oldest restaurant in the city of Bolzano)
A modern art collection
(Wikipedia)
Das Schloss Prösels liegt in der Gemeinde Völs am Schlern östlich von Bozen in Südtirol. Es ist die Stammburg der Herren von Völs, erstmals im Jahr 1279 urkundlich als „castrum Presil“ genannt, jedoch wahrscheinlich schon um 1200 errichtet. Ihre Blütezeit erlebte die Burg Anfang des 16. Jahrhunderts, als sie Leonhard der Ältere von Völs zu einer prunkvollen, spätgotischen Schlossanlage ausbauen ließ. Nach dem Aussterben der Herren von Völs und etlichen Besitzerwechseln wurde das Schloss im Jahr 1978 vom Kuratorium Schloss Prösels GmbH erworben. Heute finden auf dem Schlossgelände neben den traditionellen Schlossführungen auch zahlreiche kulturelle Veranstaltungen statt, wie z. B. Konzerte, Ausstellungen und Theateraufführungen.
Geographische Lage
Auf dem Weg vom im Talgrund des Eisacktals gelegenen Blumau ins mittelgebirgige Schlerngebiet befindet sich auf der rechten Seite ein markanter Felskopf, auf dem sich das alte Schloss Prösels erhebt. Es liegt in der Ortschaft Prösels, welche zur Gemeinde Völs am Schlern zählt und zwischen den beiden größeren Gemeindefraktionen Völs und Völser Aicha liegt.
Geschichte
Historische Anfänge
Erstmals wird die mittelalterliche Burg („castrum Presil“) in einer Urkunde aus dem Jahre 1279 erwähnt, während die Burgsiedlung im Jahr 1373 als „Bresels“ bezeugt ist. Laut Schneller liegt dem Namen lateinisch praesulis ‚dem Bischof gehörig‘ zugrunde. Erbaut wurde die Burg von den Herren von Völs, welche zunächst den Bischöfen von Brixen dienten. Zuerst wurde die Burg nach der dortigen Kapelle benannt, anschließend jedoch als Burg Prösels oder Burg Völs bezeichnet, da sie sich nicht weit vom Hauptdorf Völs befand. Nachdem der Machtbereich der Bischöfe von Brixen und Trient eingeschränkt wurde, erhielten die Herren von Völs als landesfürstliche Ministerialen die Burg.
Leonhard der Ältere von Völs war der bedeutendste Burgherr. Er nahm in jungen Jahren am Krieg gegen Venedig (1508–1516) teil und bekleidete von 1498 bis zu seinem Tod im Jahre 1530 das Amt des Landeshauptmannes an der Etsch und Burggrafen zu Tirol. Leonhard wirkte vor allem als Gutsverwalter und war mit dem Habsburgerkaiser Maximillian I. eng befreundet. Sein Leben war aber nicht nur durch seine administrativen Aufgaben gekennzeichnet, sondern fand auch in den Völser Hexenprozessen von 1506 und 1510 und dem Bauernaufstand von 1525 einen Höhepunkt. Leonhards größte Hinterlassenschaft stellt aber sicherlich das Schloss selbst dar, das er zum größten Teil erbauen ließ und bis heute fast gänzlich erhalten ist.
Völser Hexenprozesse
Vor 500 Jahren fanden auf Schloss Prösels Hexenprozesse statt, die für ungefähr 30 Menschen mit dem Todesurteil durch Verbrennen endeten. Nicht nur Frauen wurden der Hexerei beschuldigt, auch zwei Männer kosteten die Prozesse das Leben. Den Schuldigen warf man vor, sich dem Teufel unterworfen zu haben. Die Anklageschriften bezichtigten die Angeklagten des Mordes an den eigenen Kindern und beschuldigten sie, auf Besen durch die Luft geritten zu sein und an Teufelstänzen teilgenommen zu haben. Allerdings konnte bis heute nicht einwandfrei geklärt werden, an welcher Stelle die Hexenverbrennungen stattfanden.
Zum Gedenken an den ersten Hexenprozess im südlichen Teil Tirols haben die Gemeinden Völs und Kastelruth 2006 eine Skulptur mit Gedenktafel auf Schloss Prösels angebracht. Am 18. August 2006 wurde das historische Drama Anna Jobstin im Burghof von Schloss Prösels uraufgeführt. Anna Jobstin war die erste Angeklagte in der Hexenverfolgung von 1506.
Kuratorium Schloss Prösels
1978 erwarb das neu gebildete Kuratorium Schloss Prösels die Burg. Dieses Konsortium aus Privatpersonen und den Gemeinden des Schlerngebietes (Kastelruth, Völs) sowie der Gemeinde Tiers ist bis heute der Schlossbesitzer. Nach abgeschlossener Restaurierung der Anlage wird sie seit dem Jahr 1982 als Austragungsort von verschiedenen kulturellen Veranstaltungen und für Führungen genutzt.
Am 5. Juli 2014 trafen sich Ministerpräsident Matteo Renzi und Bundeskanzler Werner Faymann anlässlich einer Tagung auf Schloss Prösels, womit es erstmals zu einer Zusammenkunft eines italienischen und österreichischen Regierungschefs auf Südtiroler Boden kam.
Sehenswertes
Kapelle
Ebenso von Leonhard erbaut wurde die Kapelle auf Schloss Prösels, welche der Heiligen Anna geweiht ist. Durch die Form des Portals und des Netzrippengewölbes erkennt man deutlich, dass die Kapelle aus dem 3. Jahrzehnt des 16. Jahrhunderts stammt. Besonders bemerkenswert am Gebäude ist ohne Zweifel die handwerklich herausragende Ausführung der baulichen Details.
Waffensammlung
Die Waffensammlung des Franz Anton von Kofler kam nach der Restaurierung des Schlosses als Leihgabe der Südtiroler Landesregierung auf die Burg. Die meisten der ausgestellten Objekte stammen aus dem 19. Jahrhundert und kommen unter anderem von den Schlachtfeldern in Solferino und Custoza (Italienische Unabhängigkeitskriege). Aber auch Stücke aus der Zeit Leonhards sind im Waffensaal zu finden. Besonders kurios ist die Rüstung eines Samuraikämpfers aus dem fernen Orient.
Ausstellungsgalerie
Im sogenannten „Tischlerhaus“ auf Schloss Prösels finden seit dem Jahre 1982 in den Sommermonaten immer wieder Kunstausstellungen verschiedener Maler und Bildhauer statt. Jeder Künstler, der im Schloss seitdem zu Gast war, hinterließ jeweils ein Werk seiner Ausstellung. Somit bildete sich im Laufe der Jahre eine umfangreiche Bilder- und Skulpturensammlung, die im Rahmen der Schlossführungen besichtigt werden kann. In den Räumlichkeiten der Burg sind auch Kunstwerke der bekannten Künstlerin Lotte Copì zu finden. Außerdem sind im ehemaligen Wohntrakt der Herren von Völs die 98 verbliebenen Werke der berühmten Batzenhäusl-Sammlung aus Bozen zur Besichtigung ausgestellt.
Pulverturm
Etwas oberhalb von Schloss Prösels befindet sich der geschichtlich eng mit der Anlage verbundene Pulverturm, ein bergfriedartiger Wehrturm.
Kulturelle Darbietungen
Im Sommer werden im Schloss täglich Führungen angeboten. Außerdem finden kulturelle Veranstaltungen mit Musik, Kunst und Theater statt. Das Schloss kann für private Veranstaltungen, wie z. B. Hochzeiten oder sonstige Feiern, für einen Tag angemietet werden.
(Wikipedia)
Sighișoara (German: Schäßburg, Latin: Castrum Sex) is one of the oldest towns of the historic region of Transylvania,Romania.
The city played an important strategic and commercial role at the edges of Central Europe for several centuries. Sighișoara became one of the most important cities of Transylvania, with artisans from throughout the Holy Roman Empire visiting the settlement. The German artisans and craftsmen dominated the urban economy(beginning with the 13th century), as well as building the fortifications protecting it. It is estimated that during the 16th and 17th centuries Sighișoara had as many as 15 guilds and 20 handicraft branches.
Because of the Ottoman invasions, in the 14th-15th century the town was fortified, wall and towers were raised to surround city and were subsequently consolidated. Sighișoara became one of the strongest fortresses of Transylvania
Most of the 164 houses in the city having at least 300 years old, are considered historical monuments : the City Square, with its rectangular plan, was once inhabited by noble families of the city, though it has undergone to many transformations over time.
Sighișoara is a popular tourist destination for its well-preserved walled old town, which is also listed by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site. The main Citadel's attractions are certainly the towers.
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Many Thanks to the +5,470,000 visitors of my photographic stream
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© Ioan C. Bacivarov
All the photos on this gallery are protected by the international laws of copyright and they are not for being used on any site, blog or forum, transmitted or manipulated without the explicit written permission of the author. Thank you in advance
Please view my most interesting photos on flickriver stream: www.flickriver.com/photos/ioan_bacivarov/
Many thanks for yours visits and comments!
Sighișoara (German: Schäßburg, Latin: Castrum Sex) is one of the oldest towns of the historic region of Transylvania,Romania.
The city played an important strategic and commercial role at the edges of Central Europe for several centuries. Sighișoara became one of the most important cities of Transylvania, with artisans from throughout the Holy Roman Empire visiting the settlement. The German artisans and craftsmen dominated the urban economy(beginning with the 13th century), as well as building the fortifications protecting it. It is estimated that during the 16th and 17th centuries Sighișoara had as many as 15 guilds and 20 handicraft branches.
Because of the Ottoman invasions, in the 14th-15th century the town was fortified, wall and towers were raised to surround city and were subsequently consolidated. Sighișoara became one of the strongest fortresses of Transylvania
Most of the 164 houses in the city having at least 300 years old, are considered historical monuments : the City Square, with its rectangular plan, was once inhabited by noble families of the city, though it has undergone to many transformations over time.
Sighișoara is a popular tourist destination for its well-preserved walled old town, which is also listed by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site. The main Citadel's attractions are certainly the towers.
=========================================
Many Thanks to the +5,570,000 visitors of my photographic stream
==============================================
© Ioan C. Bacivarov
All the photos on this gallery are protected by the international laws of copyright and they are not for being used on any site, blog or forum, transmitted or manipulated without the explicit written permission of the author. Thank you in advance
Please view my most interesting photos on flickriver stream: www.flickriver.com/photos/ioan_bacivarov/
Many thanks for yours visits and comments!
In Roman times the Castrum was called Artemisium, and the name was changed in 592 when Pope Gregorius Magnus ordered the remains of St. Agatha to be moved to Rome. In medieval times the castle was at the head of the whole area, and under the Lombards it was a garrison of the Dukedom of Benevento. Oral tradition tells the legend of Captain Agatone, Lord of Sant'Agata, killed by his barber who did not like his lord to exact the "ius primae noctis".
In the 11th century the castle was under the Normans, and Abagelardus tried to organize a rebellion against Duke Robert Giuscard, who in retaliation sieged Sant'Agata in 1079. In 1086 the lord of the castle was Guiscard's son, Roger of Altavilla, and in 1133 the Norman king Roger II took it under his rule. In the 15th century the parish church was built and the castle was transformed into a stately dwelling.
Castelnuovo Cilento, Salerno, Italy
Castrum Novum
The ancient city of Castrum Novum was built in the Middle Ages.
«The medieval village of Castelnuovo was part of the fief of the Agnello family from Senerchia. The current toponym, adding Cilento, was adopted in 1861, after the Italian unification.
Castelnuovo is a town located on a hill above the plain of river Alento, next to the town of Vallo della Lucania and the Ancient Greek city of Velia. It is part of Cilento and is included into its national park.
The municipality borders with Ascea, Casal Velino, Ceraso, Salento and Vallo della Lucania. It counts the hamlets (frazioni) of Velina (formerly known as Casalvelino Scalo), Vallo Scalo (shared with Casal Velino) and the rural locality of Salicuneta»
wikipedia.org
Les tours de Castillon sont un site archéologique situé à Paradou (Bouches-du-Rhône) sur la chaîne de la Pène (massif des Alpilles). Le site a été habité entre le IIe siècle av. J.-C. et le XVe siècle, avec un maximum de population entre les XIIIe et XIVe siècles. Il a ensuite été abandonné par ses habitants qui sont allés peupler le nouveau village à quelques centaines de mètres plus au nord, dénommé aujourd'hui Paradou.
Des fouilles archéologiques récentes ont permis de reconstituer l'histoire de cet oppidum. Le site peut être visité aujourd'hui. On y observe la présence de trois tours encore debout datant du Moyen Âge et qui marquaient les limites de la ville ancienne. Le rempart a disparu dans sa quasi-totalité. Des fouilles archéologiques y ont été menées entre 1986 et 1990 et ont révélé l'existence de cet oppidum très détérioré par le temps et les fouilles clandestines1.
Histoire
Antiquité
Le site des tours de Castillon a dominé durant des siècles une vaste étendue marécageuse, dénommée les marais des Baux et dont il constituait la frontière nord. Son emplacement par rapport à ce marais n'est pas anodin. Il se situe au-dessus d'un point de franchissement des marais, le pont Saint-Jean2, sur le chaînon de collines de La Pène, à 41 mètres d'altitude.
Propriété des seigneurs des Baux au Moyen Âge, le site est habité depuis bien plus longtemps2. Les premières traces d'occupation semblent remonter au IIe siècle av. J.-C.1, même si des tessons retrouvés pourraient être plus anciens de deux à trois siècles. L'oppidum n'est fortifié qu'à partir du IIe siècle av. J.-C., période à laquelle il s'entoure d'un mur en brique crue sur un socle de pierres sèches large de 1,50 mètre3. Le parement en grand appareil est postérieur à ce premier rempart mais date approximativement de la même période ou au plus tard de la période augustéenne1. Contre le rempart, des cases à brique crues sur solin de pierres sont appuyées. Le rempart a beaucoup souffert. Ses blocs ont été prélevés au Moyen Âge pour permettre la construction de divers ouvrages. On considère qu'il devait se trouver deux portes au castrum, au nord et au sud, même s'il n'a pas été possible d'en apporter la preuve à ce jour4. Les pierres utilisées viennent probablement des Alpilles. Il s'agit d'un calcaire burdigalien typique des Baux ou du Montpaon4. Le premier rempart devait être en briques crues, comme le mur des maisons du castrum, tandis que le second rempart, de moindre qualité, était fait d'adobes.
Il existe des traces d'un incendie qui a probablement détruit le village entre la fin du IIe et le début du Ier siècle. Toujours est-il que, s'il a sans doute été inhabité à ce moment, le site compte à nouveau une certaine population au début de l'époque romaine1.
Une chaussée antique a été repérée par des vues aériennes mais n'a pas encore été datée, même si on peut sans doute l'estimer d'époque romaine4.
Moyen Âge
Quartier d'habitation médiéval.
À l'origine propriété de l'abbaye de Montmajour, le site des Tours de Castillon devient possession du seigneur des Baux entre le XIe siècle et le XIIe siècle5. Le site permet de par sa position d'être en communication permanente avec le château des Baux et de contrôler la voie de communication traversant le marais des Baux et menant à la plaine de la Crau. Les sources écrites mentionnent le château au XIIe siècle. Aux XIIIe et XIVe siècles, un rempart enserre la colline. Les angles sont dans un premier état occupés par des tours carrées renforcées par la suite par des tours curvilignes et des lices en avant6. Un petit quartier d'habitation a été fouillé entre 1986 et 1990. Dans cette zone, l'habitat prend de l'ampleur au XIVe siècle et subit de nombreuses modifications durant son occupation. Des silos, des caves et des citernes ont été identifiées. L'abandon est opéré progressivement dans les dernières années du XIVe siècle7.
Nécropole
La nécropole découverte sur le versant sud-est du site des tours de Castillon, regardant vers les marais des Baux, a révélé la présence de cinq corps sans doute datés du Moyen Âge. Seuls les sexes de trois de ces corps ont pu être identifiés : il s'agit de deux hommes et d'une femme. Les corps étaient à l'intérieur de sépultures en decubitus dorsal, les bras en adduction et les jambes en extension. Ce sont tous des adultes, entre 21 et 45 ans et ils mesurent entre 1,61 cm et 1,73 cm, ce qui constituent des tailles élevées8.
Provence (/prəˈvɒ̃s/, US: /proʊ-/; French: [pʁɔvɑ̃s]; Provençal: Provença in classical norm or Prouvènço in Mistralian norm, pronounced [pʀuˈvɛnsɔ]) is a geographical region and historical province of southeastern France, which extends from the left bank of the lower Rhône to the west to the Italian border to the east, and is bordered by the Mediterranean Sea to the south.[1] It largely corresponds with the modern administrative region of Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur and includes the departments of Var, Bouches-du-Rhône, Alpes-de-Haute-Provence, as well as parts of Alpes-Maritimes and Vaucluse.[2] The largest city of the region is Marseille.
The Romans made the region the first Roman province beyond the Alps and called it Provincia Romana, which evolved into the present name. Until 1481 it was ruled by the Counts of Provence from their capital in Aix-en-Provence, then became a province of the Kings of France.[2] While it has been part of France for more than five hundred years, it still retains a distinct cultural and linguistic identity, particularly in the interior of the region.[3]
History
Main article: History of Provence
See also: Lower Burgundy
Prehistoric Provence
The entrance to the Cosquer Cave, decorated with paintings of auks, bison, seals and outlines of hands dating to 27,000 to 19,000 BC, is located 37 meters under the surface of the Calanque de Morgiou near Cassis.
A bronze-age dolmen (2500 to 900 BC) near Draguignan
The coast of Provence has some of the earliest known sites of human habitation in Europe. Primitive stone tools dating back 1 to 1.05 million years BC have been found in the Grotte du Vallonnet near Roquebrune-Cap-Martin, between Monaco and Menton.[4] More sophisticated tools, worked on both sides of the stone and dating to 600,000 BC, were found in the Cave of Escale at Saint Estėve-Janson, and tools from 400,000 BC and some of the first fireplaces in Europe were found at Terra Amata in Nice.[5] Tools dating to the Middle Paleolithic (300,000 BC) and Upper Paleolithic (30,000–10,000 BC) were discovered in the Observatory Cave, in the Jardin Exotique of Monaco.[6]
The Paleolithic period in Provence saw great changes in the climate. Two ice ages came and went, the sea level changed dramatically. At the beginning of the Paleolithic, the sea level in western Provence was 150 meters higher than today. By the end of the Paleolithic, it had dropped to 100 to 150 metres below the sea level today. The cave dwellings of the early inhabitants of Provence were regularly flooded by the rising sea or left far from the sea and swept away by erosion.[7]
The changes in the sea level led to one of the most remarkable discoveries of signs of early man in Provence. In 1985, a diver named Henri Cosquer discovered the mouth of a submarine cave 37 metres below the surface of the Calanque de Morgiou near Marseille. The entrance led to a cave above sea level. Inside, the walls of the Cosquer Cave are decorated with drawings of bison, seals, auks, horses and outlines of human hands, dating to between 27,000 and 19,000 BC.[8]
The end of the Paleolithic and beginning of the Neolithic period saw the sea settle at its present level, a warming of the climate and the retreat of the forests. The disappearance of the forests and the deer and other easily hunted game meant that the inhabitants of Provence had to survive on rabbits, snails and wild sheep. In about 6000 BC, the Castelnovian people, living around Châteauneuf-les-Martigues, were among the first people in Europe to domesticate wild sheep, and to cease moving constantly from place to place. Once they settled in one place they were able to develop new industries. Inspired by pottery from the eastern Mediterranean, in about 6000 BC they created the first pottery made in France.[7]
Around 6000 BC, a wave of new settlers from the east, the Chasséens, arrived in Provence. They were farmers and warriors, and gradually displaced the earlier pastoral people from their lands. They were followed about 2500 BC by another wave of people, also farmers, known as the Courronniens, who arrived by sea and settled along the coast of what is now the Bouches-du-Rhône.[7] Traces of these early civilisations can be found in many parts of Provence. A Neolithic site dating to about 6,000 BC was discovered in Marseille near the Saint-Charles railway station. and a dolmen from the Bronze Age (2500–900 BC) can be found near Draguignan.
Ligures and Celts in Provence
Between the 10th and 4th century BC, the Ligures were found in Provence from Massilia as far as modern Liguria. They were of uncertain origin; they may have been the descendants of the indigenous Neolithic peoples.[9] Strabo distinctly states they were not of Celtic origin and a different race from the Gauls.[10] They did not have their own alphabet, but their language remains in place names in Provence ending in the suffixes -asc, -osc. -inc, -ates, and -auni.[9] The ancient geographer Posidonios wrote of them: "Their country is savage and dry. The soil is so rocky that you cannot plant anything without striking stones. The men compensate for the lack of wheat by hunting... They climb the mountains like goats."[11] They were also warlike; they invaded Italy and went as far as Rome in the 4th century BC, and they later aided the passage of Hannibal, on his way to attack Rome (218 BC). Traces of the Ligures remain today in the dolmens and other megaliths found in eastern Provence, in the primitive stone shelters called 'Bories' found in the Luberon and Comtat, and in the rock carvings in the Valley of Marvels near Mont Bégo in the Alpes-Maritimes, at an altitude of 2,000 meters.[12]
Between the 8th and 5th centuries BC, tribes of Celtic peoples, probably coming from Central Europe, also began moving into Provence. They had weapons made of iron, which allowed them to easily defeat the local tribes, who were still armed with bronze weapons. One tribe, called the Segobriga, settled near modern-day Marseille. The Caturiges, Tricastins, and Cavares settled to the west of the Durance river.[13]
Celts and Ligurians spread throughout the area and the Celto-Ligures eventually shared the territory of Provence, each tribe in its own alpine valley or settlement along a river, each with its own king and dynasty. They built hilltop forts and settlements, later given the Latin name oppida. Today the traces 165 oppida are found in the Var, and as many as 285 in the Alpes-Maritimes.[12] They worshipped various aspects of nature, establishing sacred woods at Sainte-Baume and Gemenos, and healing springs at Glanum and Vernègues. Later, in the 5th and 4th centuries BC, the different tribes formed confederations; the Voconces in the area from the Isère to the Vaucluse; the Cavares in the Comtat; and the Salyens, from the Rhône river to the Var. The tribes began to trade their local products, iron, silver, alabaster, marble, gold, resin, wax, honey and cheese; with their neighbours, first by trading routes along the Rhône river, and later Etruscan traders visited the coast. Etruscan amphorae from the 7th and 6th centuries BC have been found in Marseille, Cassis, and in hilltop oppida in the region.[12]
Greeks in Provence
Main article: Greeks in pre-Roman Gaul
Remains of the ancient harbour of Massalia, near the Old Port of Marseille
Traders from the island of Rhodes were visiting the coast of Provence in the 7th century BC. Rhodes pottery from that century has been found in Marseille, near Martigues and Istres, and at Mont Garou and Evenos near Toulon. The traders from Rhodes gave their names to the ancient town of Rhodanousia (Ancient Greek: 'Ροδανουσίαν) (now Trinquetaille, across the Rhône river from Arles), and to the main river of Provence, the Rhodanos, today known as the Rhône.[14]
The first permanent Greek settlement was Massalia, established at modern-day Marseille in about 600 BC by colonists coming from Phocaea (now Foça, on the Aegean coast of Asia Minor). A second wave of colonists arrived in about 540 BC, when Phocaea was destroyed by the Persians.[15]
Massalia became one of the major trading ports of the ancient world. At its height, in the 4th century BC, it had a population of about 6,000 inhabitants, living on about fifty hectares surrounded by a wall. It was governed as an aristocratic republic, by an assembly of the 600 wealthiest citizens. It had a large temple of the cult of Apollo of Delphi on a hilltop overlooking the port, and a temple of the cult of Artemis of Ephesus at the other end of the city. The Drachma coins minted in Massalia were found in all parts of Ligurian-Celtic Gaul. Traders from Massalia ventured inland deep into France on the Rivers Durance and Rhône, and established overland trade routes deep into Gaul, and to Switzerland and Burgundy, and as far north as the Baltic Sea. They exported their own products; local wine, salted pork and fish, aromatic and medicinal plants, coral and cork.[15]
The Massalians also established a series of small colonies and trading posts along the coast; which later became towns; they founded Citharista (La Ciotat); Tauroeis (Le Brusc); Olbia (near Hyères); Pergantion (Breganson); Caccabaria (Cavalaire); Athenopolis (Saint-Tropez); Antipolis (Antibes); Nikaia (Nice), and Monoicos (Monaco). They established inland towns at Glanum (Saint-Remy) and Mastrabala (Saint-Blaise.)
The most famous citizen of Massalia was the mathematician, astronomer and navigator Pytheas. Pytheas made mathematical instruments which allowed him to establish almost exactly the latitude of Marseille, and he was the first scientist to observe that the tides were connected with the phases of the moon. Between 330 and 320 BC he organised an expedition by ship into the Atlantic and as far north as England, and to visit Iceland, Shetland, and Norway. He was the first scientist to describe drift ice and the midnight sun. Though he hoped to establish a sea trading route for tin from Cornwall, his trip was not a commercial success, and it was not repeated. The Massalians found it cheaper and simpler to trade with Northern Europe over land routes.[16]
Roman Provence (2nd century BC to 5th century AD)
Triumphal Arch of Orange, first century AD
The Roman arena at Arles (2nd century AD)
The baptistery of Fréjus Cathedral (5th century) is still in use
In the 2nd century BC the people of Massalia appealed to Rome for help against the Ligures. Roman legions entered Provence three times; first in 181 BC the Romans suppressed Ligurian uprisings near Genoa; in 154 BC the Roman Consul Optimus defeated the Oxybii and the Deciates, who were attacking Antibes; and in 125 BC, the Romans put down an uprising of a confederation of Celtic tribes.[17] After this battle, the Romans decided to establish permanent settlements in Provence. In 122 BC, next to the Celtic town of Entremont, the Romans built a new town, Aquae Sextiae, later called Aix-en-Provence. In 118 BC they founded Narbo (Narbonne).
The Roman general Gaius Marius crushed the last serious resistance in 102 BC by defeating the Cimbri and the Teutons. He then began building roads to facilitate troop movements and commerce between Rome, Spain and Northern Europe; one from the coast inland to Apt and Tarascon, and the other along the coast from Italy to Spain, passing through Fréjus and Aix-en-Provence.
In 49 BC, Massalia had the misfortune to choose the wrong side in the power struggle between Pompey and Julius Caesar. Pompey was defeated, and Massalia lost its territories and political influence. Roman veterans, in the meantime, populated two new towns, Arles and Fréjus, at the sites of older Greek settlements.
In 8 BC the Emperor Augustus built a triumphal monument at La Turbie to commemorate the pacification of the region, and he began to Romanize Provence politically and culturally. Roman engineers and architects built monuments, theatres, baths, villas, fora, arenas and aqueducts, many of which still exist. (See Architecture of Provence.) Roman towns were built at Cavaillon; Orange; Arles; Fréjus; Glanum (outside Saint-Rémy-de-Provence); Carpentras; Vaison-la-Romaine; Nîmes; Vernègues; Saint-Chamas and Cimiez (above Nice). The Roman province, which was called Gallia Narbonensis, for its capital, Narbo (modern Narbonne), extended from Italy to Spain, from the Alps to the Pyrenees.
The Pax Romana in Provence lasted until the middle of the 3rd century. Germanic tribes invaded Provence in 257 and 275. At the beginning the 4th century, the court of Roman Emperor Constantine (280–337) was forced to take refuge in Arles. By the end of the 5th century, Roman power in Provence had vanished, and an age of invasions, wars, and chaos began.
Arrival of Christianity (3rd–6th centuries)
There are many legends about the earliest Christians in Provence, but they are difficult to verify. It is documented that there were organised churches and bishops in the Roman towns of Provence as early as the 3rd and 4th centuries; in Arles in 254; Marseille in 314; Orange, Vaison and Apt in 314; Cavaillon, Digne, Embrun, Gap, and Fréjus at the end of the 4th century; Aix-en-Provence in 408; Carpentras, Avignon, Riez, Cimiez (today part of Nice) and Vence in 439; Antibes in 442; Toulon in 451; Senez in 406, Saint-Paul-Trois-Châteaux in 517; and Glandèves in 541.[18] The oldest Christian structure still surviving in Provence is the baptistery of the cathedral in Fréjus, dating from the 5th century. At about the same time, in the 5th century, the first two monasteries in Provence were founded; Lérins, on an island near Cannes; and Saint-Victor in Marseille.
Germanic invasions, Merovingians and Carolingians (5th–9th centuries)
King Boson and San Stephen (fragment of fresco at Charlieu Abbey)
Beginning in the second half of the 5th century, as Roman power waned, successive waves of Germanic tribes entered Provence; first the Visigoths (480); then the Ostrogoths; then the Burgundians; finally, the Franks in the 6th century. Arab invaders and Berber pirates came from North Africa to the Coast of Provence in the beginning of the 7th century.
During the late 7th and early 8th century, Provence was formally subject to the Frankish kings of the Merovingian dynasty, but it was in fact ruled by its own regional nobility of Gallo-Roman stock, who ruled themselves according to Roman, not Frankish law. Actually, the region enjoyed a prestige that the northern Franks hadn't, but the local aristocracy feared Charles Martel's expansionist ambitions.[19] In 737 Charles Martel headed down the Rhône Valley after subduing Burgundy. Charles attacked Avignon and Arles, garrisoned by the Umayyads. He came back in 739 to capture for a second time Avignon and chase the duke Maurontus to his stronghold of Marseille.[19] The city was brought to heel and the duke had to flee to an island. The region was thereafter under the rule of Carolingian Kings, descended from Charles Martel; and then was part of the empire of Charlemagne (742–814).
In 879, after the death of the Carolingian ruler Charles the Bald, Boso of Provence, (also known as Boson), his brother-in-law, broke away from the Carolingian kingdom of Louis III and was elected the first ruler of an independent state of Provence.
The Counts of Provence (9th–13th centuries)
The Catalan Ramon Berenguer I, Count of Provence, in the Castle in Fos, painted by Marià Fortuny (Reial Acadèmia Catalana de Belles Arts de Sant Jordi, on deposit at the Palace of the Generalitat of Catalonia, Barcelona).
The Coat of Arms of Ramon Berenguer III, Count of Barcelona and his descendants, who as Counts of Provence ruled Provence from 1112 until 1246
Coat of Arms of the Counts of Provence of the House of Valois-Anjou, who ruled Provence from 1246 until it became part of France in 1486
Three different dynasties of Counts ruled Provence during the Middle Ages, and Provence became a prize in the complex rivalries between the Catalan rulers of Barcelona, the Kings of Burgundy, the German rulers of the Holy Roman Empire, and the Angevin Kings of France.[clarification needed]
The Bosonids (879–1112) were the descendants of the first King of Provence, Boson. His son, Louis the Blind (890–928) lost his sight trying to win the throne of Italy, after which his cousin, Hugh of Italy (died 947) became the Duke of Provence and the Count of Vienne. Hugh moved the capital of Provence from Vienne to Arles and made Provence a fief of Rudolph II of Burgundy.
In the 9th century, Arab pirates (called Saracens by the French) and then the Normans invaded Provence. The Normans pillaged the region and then left, but the Saracens built castles and began raiding towns and holding local residents for ransom. Early in 973, the Saracens captured Maieul, the Abbot of the Monastery at Cluny, and held him for ransom. The ransom was paid and the abbot was released, but the people of Provence, led by Count William I rose up and defeated the Saracens near their most powerful fortress Fraxinet (La Garde-Freinet) at the Battle of Tourtour. The Saracens who were not killed at the battle were baptised and enslaved, and the remaining Saracens in Provence fled the region. Meanwhile, the dynastic quarrels continued. A war between Rudolph III of Burgundy and his rival, the German Emperor Conrad the Salic in 1032 led to Provence becoming a fiefdom of the Holy Roman Empire, which it remained until 1246.
In 1112, the last descendant of Boson, Douce I, Countess of Provence, married the Catalan Ramon Berenguer III, Count of Barcelona, who as a result became Raymond Berenguer I, Count of Provence. He ruled Provence from 1112 until 1131, and his descendants, the Catalan counts ruled in Provence until 1246. In 1125, Provence was divided; the part of Provence north and west of the Durance river went to the Count of Toulouse, while the lands between the Durance and the Mediterranean, and from the Rhône river to the Alps, belonged to the Counts of Provence. The capital of Provence was moved from Arles to Aix-en-Provence, and later to Brignoles.[20]
The Church of Saint Trophime in Arles (12th century)
Under the Catalan counts, the 12th century saw the construction of important cathedrals and abbeys in Provence, in a harmonious new style, the romanesque, which united the Gallo-Roman style of the Rhône Valley with the Lombard style of the Alps. Aix Cathedral was built on the site of the old Roman forum, and then rebuilt in the gothic style in the 13th and 14th centuries. The Church of St. Trophime in Arles was a landmark of Romanesque architecture, built between the 12th and the 15th centuries. A vast fortress-like monastery, Montmajour Abbey, was built on an island just north of Arles, and became a major destination for medieval pilgrims.
In the 12th century three Cistercian monasteries were built in remote parts of Provence, far from the political intrigues of the cities. Sénanque Abbey was the first, established in the Luberon 1148 and 1178. Le Thoronet Abbey was founded in a remote valley near Draguignan in 1160. Silvacane Abbey, on the Durance river at La Roque-d'Anthéron, was founded in 1175.
In the 13th century, the French kings started to use marriage to extend their influence into the south of France. One son of King Louis VIII of France "the Lion", Alphonse, Count of Poitou, married the heiress of the Count of Toulouse, Joan. Another, Louis IX "the Saint" of France or Saint Louis (1214–1270), married Marguerite of Provence. Then, in 1246, Charles, Count of Anjou, the youngest son of Louis VIII, married the heiress of Provence, Beatrice. Provence's fortunes became tied to the Angevin Dynasty and the Kingdom of Naples.[21]
The Popes in Avignon (14th century)
Main article: Avignon papacy
The façade of the Palais des Papes.
In 1309, Pope Clement V, who was originally from Bordeaux, moved the Roman Catholic Papacy to Avignon.[22] From 1309 until 1377, seven Popes reigned in Avignon before the Schism between the Roman and Avignon churches, which led to the creation of rival popes in both places. After that three Antipopes reigned in Avignon until 1423, when the Papacy finally returned to Rome. Between 1334 and 1363 the old and new Papal Palaces of Avignon were built by Popes Benedict XII and Clement VI respectively; together the Palais des Papes was the largest gothic palace in Europe.[23]
The 14th century was a terrible time in Provence, and all of Europe: the population of Provence had been about 400,000 people; the Black Plague (1348–1350) killed fifteen thousand people in Arles, half the population of the city, and greatly reduced the population of the whole region. The defeat of the French Army during the Hundred Years' War forced the cities of Provence to build walls and towers to defend themselves against armies of former soldiers who ravaged the countryside.
The Angevin rulers of Provence also had a difficult time. An assembly of nobles, religious leaders, and town leaders of Provence was organised to resist the authority of Queen Joan I of Naples (1343–1382). She was murdered in 1382 by her cousin and heir, Charles of Durazzo, who started a new war, leading to the separation of Nice, Puget-Théniers and Barcelonnette from Provence in 1388, and their attachment to the County of Savoy. From 1388 up to 1526, the area acquired by the Savoy was known as Terres Neuves de Provence; after 1526 it officially took on the name County of Nice.
Good King René, the last ruler of Provence
Detail of the Burning Bush triptych by Nicolas Froment, showing René and his wife Jeanne de Laval
The Chateau of René in Tarascon (15th century)
The 15th century saw a series of wars between the Kings of Aragon and the Counts of Provence. In 1423 the army of Alphonse of Aragon captured Marseille, and in 1443 they captured Naples, and forced its ruler, King René I of Naples, to flee. He eventually settled in one of his remaining territories, Provence.
History and legend has given René the title "Good King René of Provence", though he only lived in Provence in the last ten years of his life, from 1470 to 1480, and his political policies of territorial expansion were costly and unsuccessful. Provence benefitted from population growth and economic expansion, and René was a generous patron of the arts, sponsoring painters Nicolas Froment, Louis Bréa, and other masters. He also completed one of the finest castles in Provence at Tarascon, on the Rhône river.
When René died in 1480, his title passed to his nephew Charles du Maine. One year later, in 1481, when Charles died, the title passed to Louis XI of France. Provence was legally incorporated into the French royal domain in 1486.
1486 to 1789
Soon after Provence became part of France, it became involved in the Wars of Religion that swept the country in the 16th century. Between 1493 and 1501, many Jews were expelled from their homes and sought sanctuary in the region of Avignon, which was still under the direct rule of the Pope. In 1545, the Parliament of Aix-en-Provence ordered the destruction of the villages of Lourmarin, Mérindol, Cabriéres in the Luberon, because their inhabitants were Vaudois, of Italian Piedmontese origin, and were not considered sufficiently orthodox Catholics. Most of Provence remained strongly Catholic, with only one enclave of Protestants, the principality of Orange, Vaucluse, an enclave ruled by Prince William of the House of Orange-Nassau of the Netherlands, which was created in 1544 and was not incorporated into France until 1673. An army of the Catholic League laid siege to the Protestant city of Mėnerbes in the Vaucluse between 1573 and 1578. The wars did not stop until the end of the 16th century, with the consolidation of power in Provence by the House of Bourbon kings.
View of Toulon Harbour around 1750, by Joseph Vernet.
The semi-independent Parliament of Provence in Aix and some of the cities of Provence, particularly Marseille, continued to rebel against the authority of the Bourbon king. After uprisings in 1630–31 and 1648–1652, the young King Louis XIV had two large forts, fort St. Jean and Fort St. Nicholas, built at the harbour entrance to control the city's unruly population.
At the beginning of the 17th century, Cardinal Richelieu began to build a naval arsenal and dockyard at Toulon to serve as a base for a new French Mediterranean fleet. The base was greatly enlarged by Jean-Baptiste Colbert, the minister of Louis XIV, who also commissioned his chief military engineer Vauban to strengthen the fortifications around the city.
At the beginning of the 17th century, Provence had a population of about 450,000 people.[24] It was predominantly rural, devoted to raising wheat, wine, and olives, with small industries for tanning, pottery, perfume-making, and ship and boat building. Provençal quilts, made from the mid-17th century onwards, were successfully exported to England, Spain, Italy, Germany and Holland.[25] There was considerable commerce along the coast, and up and down the Rhône river. The cities: Marseille, Toulon, Avignon and Aix-en-Provence, saw the construction of boulevards and richly decorated private houses.
Marseille in 1754, by Vernet
At the beginning of the 18th century, Provence suffered from the economic malaise of the end of the reign of Louis XIV. The plague struck the region between 1720 and 1722, beginning in Marseille, killing some 40,000 people. Still, by the end of the century, many artisanal industries began to flourish; making perfumes in Grasse; olive oil in Aix and the Alpilles; textiles in Orange, Avignon and Tarascon; and faience pottery in Marseille, Apt, Aubagne, and Moustiers-Sainte-Marie. Many immigrants arrived from Liguria and the Piedmont in Italy. By the end of the 18th century, Marseille had a population of 120,000 people, making it the third largest city in France.[24]
During the French Revolution
Main article: French Revolution
Though most of Provence, with the exception of Marseille, Aix and Avignon, was rural, conservative and largely royalist, it did produce some memorable figures in the French Revolution; Honoré Gabriel Riqueti, comte de Mirabeau from Aix, who tried to moderate the Revolution, and turn France into a constitutional monarchy like England; the Marquis de Sade from Lacoste in the Luberon, who was a Deputy from the far left in the National Assembly; Charles Barbaroux from Marseille, who sent a battalion of volunteers to Paris to fight in the French Revolutionary Army; and Emmanuel-Joseph Sieyès (1748–1836), an abbé, essayist and political leader, who was one of the chief theorists of the French Revolution, French Consulate, and First French Empire, and who, in 1799, was the instigator of the coup d'état of 18 Brumaire, which brought Napoleon to power.
La Marseillaise 1792
Provence also produced the most memorable song of the period, the La Marseillaise. Though the song was originally written by a citizen of Strasbourg, Claude Joseph Rouget de Lisle in 1792, and it was originally a war song for the revolutionary Army of the Rhine, it became famous when it sung on the streets of Paris by the volunteers from Marseille, who had heard it when it was sung in Marseille by a young volunteer from Montpellier named François Mireur. It became the most popular song of the Revolution, and in 1879 became the national anthem of France.
The Revolution was as violent and bloody in Provence as it was in other parts of France. On 30 April 1790, Fort Saint-Nicolas in Marseille was besieged, and many of the soldiers inside were massacred. On 17 October 1791 a massacre of royalists and religious figures took place in the ice storage rooms (glaciere) of the prison of the Palace of the Popes in Avignon.
When the radical Montagnards seized power from the Girondins in May 1793, a real counter-revolution broke out in Avignon, Marseille and Toulon. A revolutionary army under General Carteaux recaptured Marseille in August 1793 and renamed it "City without a Name" (Ville sans Nom.) In Toulon, the opponents of the Revolution handed the city to a British and Spanish fleet on 28 August 1793. A Revolutionary Army laid siege to the British positions for four months (see the Siege of Toulon), and finally, thanks to the enterprise of the young commander of artillery, Napoleon Bonaparte, defeated the British and drove them out in December 1793. About 15,000 royalists escaped with the British fleet, but five to eight hundred of the 7,000 who remained were shot on the Champ de Mars, and Toulon was renamed "Port la Montagne".
The fall of the Montagnards in July 1794 was followed by a new White Terror aimed at the revolutionaries. Calm was only restored by the rise of Napoleon to power in 1795.
Under Napoleon
Napoleon restored the belongings and power of the families of the old regime in Provence. The British fleet of Admiral Horatio Nelson blockaded Toulon, and almost all maritime commerce was stopped, causing hardship and poverty. When Napoleon was defeated, his fall was celebrated in Provence. When he escaped from Elba on 1 March 1815, and landed at Golfe-Juan, he detoured to avoid the cities of Provence, which were hostile to him, and therefore directed his small force directly to the northeast of it.[26]
19th century
Marseille in 1825
Provence enjoyed prosperity in the 19th century; the ports of Marseille and Toulon connected Provence with the expanding French Empire in North Africa and the Orient, especially after the opening of the Suez Canal in 1869.
In April–July 1859, Napoleon III made a secret agreement with Cavour, Prime Minister of Piedmont, for France to assist in expelling Austria from the Italian Peninsula and bringing about a united Italy, in exchange for Piedmont ceding Savoy and the Nice region to France. He went to war with Austria in 1859 and won a victory at Solferino, which resulted in Austria ceding Lombardy to France. France immediately ceded Lombardy to Piedmont, and, in return, Napoleon received Savoy and Nice in 1860, and Roquebrune-Cap-Martin and Menton in 1861.
The railroad connected Paris with Marseille (1848) and then with Toulon and Nice (1864). Nice, Antibes and Hyères became popular winter resorts for European royalty, including Queen Victoria. Under Napoleon III, Marseille grew to a population of 250,000, including a very large Italian community. Toulon had a population of 80,000. The large cities like Marseille and Toulon saw the building of churches, opera houses, grand boulevards, and parks.
After the fall of Louis Napoleon following the defeat in the Franco-Prussian War barricades went up in the streets of Marseille (23 March 1871) and the Communards, led by Gaston Cremieux and following the lead of the Paris Commune, took control of the city. The Commune was crushed by the army and Cremieux was executed on 30 November 1871. Though Provence was generally conservative, it often elected reformist leaders; Prime Minister Léon Gambetta was the son of a Marseille grocer, and future prime minister Georges Clemenceau was elected deputy from the Var in 1885.
The second half of the 19th century saw a revival of the Provençal language and culture, particularly traditional rural values. driven by a movement of writers and poets called the Felibrige, led by poet Frédéric Mistral. Mistral achieved literary success with his novel Miréio (Mireille in French); he was awarded the Nobel Prize for literature in 1904.
20th century
Between World War I and World War II, Provence was bitterly divided between the more conservative rural areas and the more radical big cities. There were widespread strikes in Marseille in 1919, and riots in Toulon in 1935.
After the defeat of France by Germany in June 1940, France was divided into an occupied zone and unoccupied zone, with Provence in the unoccupied zone. Parts of eastern Provence were occupied by Italian soldiers. Collaboration and passive resistance gradually gave way to more active resistance, particularly after Nazi Germany invaded the Soviet Union in June 1941 and the Communist Party became active in the resistance. Jean Moulin, the deputy of Charles de Gaulle, the leader of the Free France resistance movement, was parachuted into Eygalières, in the Bouches-du-Rhône on 2 January 1942 to unite the diverse resistance movements in all of France against the Germans.
In November 1942, following Allied landings in North Africa (Operation Torch), the Germans occupied all of Provence (Operation Attila) and then headed for Toulon (Case Anton). The French fleet at Toulon sabotaged its own ships to keep them from falling into German hands.
The Germans began a systematic rounding-up of French Jews and refugees from Nice and Marseille. Many thousands were taken to concentration camps, and few survived. A large quarter around the port of Marseille was emptied of inhabitants and dynamited, so it would not serve as a base for the resistance. Nonetheless, the resistance grew stronger; the leader of the pro-German militia, the Milice, in Marseille was assassinated in April 1943.
On 15 August 1944, two months after the Allied landings in Normandy (Operation Overlord), the Seventh United States Army under General Alexander Patch, with a Free French corps under General Jean de Lattre de Tassigny, landed on the coast of the Var between St. Raphael and Cavalaire (Operation Dragoon). The American forces moved north toward Manosque, Sisteron and Gap, while the French First Armored Division under General Vigier liberated Brignoles, Salon, Arles, and Avignon. The Germans in Toulon resisted until 27 August, and Marseille was not liberated until 25 August.
After the end of the War, Provence faced an enormous task of repair and reconstruction, particularly of the ports and railroads destroyed during the war. As part of this effort, the first modern concrete apartment block, the Unité d'Habitation of Corbusier, was built in Marseille in 1947–52. In 1962, Provence absorbed a large number of French citizens who left Algeria after its independence. Since that time, large North African communities settled in and around the big cities, particularly Marseille and Toulon.
In the 1940s, Provence underwent a cultural renewal, with the founding of the Avignon Festival of theatre (1947), the reopening of the Cannes Film Festival (begun in 1939), and many other major events. With the building of new highways, particularly the Paris Marseille autoroute which opened in 1970, Provence became destination for mass tourism from all over Europe. Many Europeans, particularly from Britain, bought summer houses in Provence. The arrival of the TGV high-speed trains shortened the trip from Paris to Marseille to less than four hours.
At the end of the 20th century, and the beginning of the 21st century, the residents of Provence were struggling to reconcile economic development and population growth with their desire to preserve the landscape and culture that make Provence unique.
Extent and geography
The Roman Province of Gallia Narbonensis around 58 BC
The original Roman province was called Gallia Transalpina, then Gallia Narbonensis, or simply Provincia Nostra ('Our Province') or Provincia. It extended from the Alps to the Pyrenees and north to the Vaucluse, with its capital in Narbo Martius (present-day Narbonne).
Borders
In the 15th century the Conté of Provence was bounded by the Var river on the east, the Rhône river to the west, with the Mediterranean to the south, and a northern border that roughly followed the Durance river.
The Comtat Venaissin, a territory which included Avignon, and the principality of Orange were both papal states, ruled by the Pope from the 13th century until the French Revolution. At the end of the 14th century, another piece of Provence along the Italian border, including Nice and the lower Alps, was detached from Provence and attached to the lands of the Duke of Savoy. The lower Alps were re-attached to France after the Treaty of Utrecht in 1713, but Nice did not return to France until 1860, during the reign of Napoleon III.[27]
The administrative region of Provence-Alpes-Cote d'Azur was created in 1982. It included Provence, plus the territory of the Comtat Venaissin around Avignon, the eastern portion of the Dauphiné, and the former county of Nice.
Rivers
The Rhône at Avignon
The Rhône river, on the western border of Provence, is one of the major rivers of France, and has been a highway of commerce and communications between inland France and the Mediterranean for centuries. It rises as the effluent of the Rhône Glacier in Valais, Switzerland, in the Saint-Gotthard massif, at an altitude of 1753 m. It is joined by the river Saône at Lyon. Along the Rhône Valley, it is joined on the right bank by Cévennes rivers Eyrieux, Ardèche, Cèze and Gardon or Gard, on the left Alps bank by rivers Isère, Drôme, Ouvèze and Durance. At Arles, the Rhône divides itself in two arms, forming the Camargue delta, with all branches flowing into the Mediterranean Sea. One arm is called the "Grand Rhône"; the other one is the "Petit Rhône".
The Gorge du Verdon.
The Durance river, a tributary of the Rhône, has its source in the Alps near Briançon. It flows south-west through Embrun, Sisteron, Manosque, Cavaillon, and Avignon, where it meets the Rhône.
The Verdon River is a tributary of the Durance, rising at an altitude of 2,400 metres in the southwestern Alps near Barcelonette, and flowing southwest for 175 kilometres through the Alpes-de-Haute-Provence and Var (départements) before it reaches the Durance at near Vinon-sur-Verdon, south of Manosque. The Verdon is best known for its canyon, the Verdon Gorge. This limestone canyon, also called the 'Grand Canyon of Verdon', 20 kilometres in length and more than 300 metres deep, is a popular climbing and sight-seeing area.
The Var River rises near the Col de la Cayolle (2,326 m/7,631 ft) in the Maritime Alps and flows generally southeast for 120 kilometres (75 mi) into the Mediterranean between Nice and Saint-Laurent-du-Var. Before Nice was returned to France in 1860, the Var marked the eastern border of France along the Mediterranean. The Var is the unique case in France of a river giving a name to a department, but not flowing through that department (due to subsequent adjustments to the department's boundaries).
The Camargue
With an area of over 930 km2 (360 mi2), the Camargue is Western Europe's largest river delta (technically an island, as it is wholly surrounded by water). It is a vast plain comprising large brine lagoons or étangs, cut off from the sea by sandbars and encircled by reed-covered marshes which are in turn surrounded by a large cultivated area.
The Camargue is home to more than 400 species of birds, the brine ponds providing one of the few European habitats for the greater flamingo. The marshes are also a prime habitat for many species of insects, notably (and notoriously) some of the most ferocious mosquitoes to be found anywhere in France. It is also famous for bulls and the Camargue horse.
Mountains
Vallon de Mollières, Mercantour National Park.
Alpilles landscape near Le Destet.
By considering the Maritime Alps, along the border with Italy, as a part of the cultural Provence, they constitute the highest elevations of the region (the Punta dell'Argentera has an elevation of 3,297 m). They form the border between the French département Alpes-Maritimes and the Italian province of Cuneo. Mercantour National Park is located in the Maritime Alps. On the other hand, if the département Hautes Alpes is also considered as part of the modern Provence, then the alpin Écrins mountains represent the highest elevations of the region with the Barre des Écrins culminating at 4102m.
View of Mont Ventoux from Mirabel-aux-Baronnies.
Outside of the Maritime Alps, Mont Ventoux (Occitan: Ventor in classical norm or Ventour in Mistralian norm), at 1,909 metres (6,263 ft), is the highest peak in Provence. It is located some 20 km north-east of Carpentras, Vaucluse. On the north side, the mountain borders the Drôme département. It is nicknamed the "Giant of Provence", or "The Bald Mountain". Although geologically part of the Alps, is often considered to be separate from them, due to the lack of mountains of a similar height nearby. It stands alone to the west of the Luberon range, and just to the east of the Dentelles de Montmirail, its foothills. The top of the mountain is bare limestone without vegetation or trees. The white limestone on the mountain's barren peak means it appears from a distance to be snow-capped all year round (its snow cover actually lasts from December to April).
The Alpilles are a chain of small mountains located about 20 kilometres (12 mi) south of Avignon. Although they are not particularly high – only some 387 metres (1,270 ft) at their highest point – the Alpilles stand out since they rise abruptly from the plain of the Rhône valley. The range is about 25 km long by about 8 to 10 km wide, running in an east–west direction between the Rhône and Durance rivers. The landscape of the Alpilles is one of arid limestone peaks separated by dry valleys.
Mont Sainte-Victoire, painted by Paul Cézanne
Montagne Sainte-Victoire is probably the best-known mountain in Provence, thanks to the painter Paul Cézanne, who could see it from his home, and painted it frequently. It is a limestone mountain ridge which extends over 18 kilometres between the départements of Bouches-du-Rhône and Var. Its highest point is the Pic des mouches at 1,011 m.
The massif des Maures
The Massif des Maures (Mountains of the Moors) is a small chain of mountains that lies along the coast of the Mediterranean in the Var Department between Hyères et Fréjus. Its highest point is the signal de la Sauvette, 780 metres high. The name is a souvenir of the Moors (Maures in Old French), Arabs and Berbers from North Africa, who settled on the coast of Provence in the 9th and 10th centuries.
The massif des Maures extends about sixty kilometres along the coast, and reaches inland about thirty kilometres. On the north it is bordered by a depression which is followed by the routes nationales 97 and 7 and the railroad line between Toulon and Nice. On the south it ends abruptly at the Mediterranean, forming a broken and abrupt coastline.
The peninsula of Saint-Tropez is part of the Massif des Maures, along with the peninsula of Giens and the islands offshore of Hyères; Porquerolles, Port-Cros, and île du Levant. Cape Sicié, west of Toulon, as well as the massif of Tanneron, belong geologically to the massif des Maures.
The Calanques
Calanque de Sugiton
The Calanques, also known as the Massif des Calanques, are a dramatic feature of the Provence coast, a 20-km long series of narrow inlets in the cliffs of the coastline between Marseille on the west and Cassis on the east. The highest peak in the massif is Mont Puget, 565 metres high.
The best known calanques of the Massif des Calanques include the Calanque de Sormiou, the Calanque de Morgiou, the Calanque d'En-Vau, the Calanque de Port-Pin and the Calanque de Sugiton.
Calanques are remains of ancient river mouths formed mostly during Tertiary. Later, during quaternary glaciations, as glaciers swept by, they further deepened those valleys which would eventually (at the end of the last glaciation) be invaded with sea and become calanques.
The Garrigue, typical landscape of Provence
The Cosquer cave is an underwater grotto in the Calanque de Morgiou, 37 metres (121 ft) underwater, that was inhabited during Paleolithic era, when the sea level was much lower than today. Its walls are covered with paintings and engravings dating back to between 27,000 and 19,000 BC, depicting animals such as bison, ibex, and horses, as well as sea mammals such as seals, and at least one bird, the auk.
Landscapes
The Garrigue is the typical landscape of Provence; it is a type of low, soft-leaved scrubland or chaparral found on limestone soils around the Mediterranean Basin, generally near the seacoast, where the climate is moderate, but where there are annual summer drought conditions.[28] Juniper and stunted holm oaks are the typical trees; aromatic lime-tolerant shrubs such as lavender, sage, rosemary, wild thyme and Artemisia are common garrigue plants. The open landscape of the garrigue is punctuated by dense thickets of Kermes oak.
Climate
Mistral wind blowing near Marseille. In the center is the Château d'If
Sisteron – la Baume rock
Forcalquier Cathedral
Most of Provence has a Mediterranean climate, characterised by hot, dry summers, mild winters, little snow, and abundant sunshine. Within Provence there are micro-climates and local variations, ranging from the Alpine climate inland from Nice to the continental climate in the northern Vaucluse. The winds of Provence are an important feature of the climate, particularly the mistral, a cold, dry wind which, especially in the winter, blows down the Rhône Valley to the Bouches-du-Rhône and the Var Departments, and often reaches over one hundred kilometres an hour.
Bouches-du-Rhône
Marseille, in the Bouches-du-Rhône, has an average of 59 days of rain a year, though when it does rain the rain is often torrential; the average annual rainfall is 544.4 mm. It snows an average of 2.3 days a year, and the snow rarely remains long. Marseille has an average of 2835.5 hours of sunshine a year. The average minimum temperature in January is 2.3 °C., and the average maximum temperature in July is 29.3 °C. The mistral blows an average of one hundred days a year.[29]
The Var
Toulon and the Department of the Var (which includes St. Tropez and Hyères) have a climate slightly warmer, dryer and sunnier than Nice and the Alpes-Maritime, but also less sheltered from the wind. Toulon has an average of 2899.3 hours of sunshine a year, making it the sunniest city in metropolitan France,[30] The average maximum daily temperature in August is 29.1 °C., and the average daily minimum temperature in January is 5.8 °C. The average annual rainfall is 665 mm, with the most rain from October to November. Strong winds blow an average of 118 days a year in Toulon, compared with 76 days at Fréjus further east. The strongest Mistral wind recorded in Toulon was 130 kilometres an hour.[31]
Alpes-Maritimes
Nice and the Alpes-Maritimes Department are sheltered by the Alps, and are the most protected part of the Mediterranean coast. The winds in this department are usually gentle, blowing from the sea to the land, though sometimes the Mistral blows strongly from the northwest, or, turned by the mountains, from the east. In 1956 a mistral wind from the northwest reached the speed of 180 kilometres an hour at Nice airport. Sometimes in summer the scirocco brings high temperatures and reddish desert sand from Africa. (See Winds of Provence.)
Rainfall is infrequent – 63 days a year, but can be torrential, particularly in September, when storms and rain are caused by the difference between the colder air inland and the warm Mediterranean water temperature (20–24 degrees C.). The average annual rainfall in Nice is 767 mm, more than in Paris, but concentrated in fewer days.
Snow is extremely rare, usually falling once every ten years. 1956 was a very exceptional year, when 20 centimetres of snow blanketed the coast. In January 1985 the coast between Cannes and Menton received 30 to 40 centimetres of snow. In the mountains, the snow is present from November to May
Nice has an annual average of 2694 hours of sunshine. The average maximum daily temperature in Nice in August is 28 °C., and the average minimum daily temperature in January is 6 °C.[32]
Alpes-de-Haute-Provence
The Department of Alpes-de-Haute-Provence has a Mediterranean climate in the lower valleys under one thousand metres in altitude and an alpine climate in the high valleys, such as the valleys of the Blanche, the Haut Verdon and the Ubaye, which are over 2500 metres high. The alpine climate in the higher mountains is moderated by the warmer air from the Mediterranean.
Haute-Provence has unusually high summer temperatures for its altitude and latitude (44 degrees north). The average summer temperature is 22 to 23 °C. at an altitude of 400 metres, and 18 to 19 °C. at the altitude of 1000 metres; and the winter average temperature is 4 to 5 °C. at 400 metres and 0 C. at 1000 metres. The lower valleys have 50 days of freezing temperatures a year, more in the higher valleys. Sometimes the temperatures in the high valleys can reach −30 °C. Because of this combination of high mountains and Mediterranean air, it is not unusual that the region frequently has some of the lowest winter temperatures and some of the hottest summer temperatures in France.
Rainfall in Haute-Provence is infrequent – 60 to 80 days a year – but can be torrential; 650 to 900 mm. a year in the foothills and plateaus of the southwest, and in the valley of the Ubaye; and 900 to 1500 mm. in the mountains. Most rainfall comes in the autumn, in brief and intense storms; from mid-June to mid-August, rain falls during brief but violent thunderstorms. Thunder can be heard 30 to 40 days a year.
Snow falls in the mountains from November to May, and in midwinter can be found down to altitude of 1000–1200 metres on the shady side of the mountains and 1300 to 1600 metres on the sunny side. Snowfalls are usually fairly light, and melt rapidly.
The Mistral (wind) is a feature of the climate in the western part of the Department, blowing from the north and the northwest, bringing clear and dry weather. The eastern part of the department is more protected from the Mistral. The Marin (wind) comes from the south, bringing warm air, clouds and rain.
Haute-Provence is one of the sunniest regions of France, with an average of between 2550 and 2650 hours of sunshine annually in the north of the department, and 2700 to 2800 hours in the southwest. The clear nights and sunny days cause a sharp difference between nighttime and daytime temperatures. Because of the clear nights, the region is home of important observatories, such as the Observatory of Haute-Provence in Saint-Michel-Observatoire near of Forcalquier.[33]
The Vaucluse
The Vaucluse is the meeting point of three of the four different climatic zones of France; it has a Mediterranean climate in the south, an alpine climate in the northeast, around the mountains of Vaucluse and the massif of the Baronnies; and a continental climate in the northwest. The close proximity of these three different climates tends to moderate all of them, and the Mediterranean climate usually prevails.
Orange in the Vaucluse has 2595 hours of sunshine a year. It rains an average of 80 days a year, for a total of 693.4 mm a year. The maximum average temperature in July is 29.6 °C., and the average minimum temperature in January is 1.3 °C. There are an average of 110 days of strong winds a year.[34]
Language and literature
Scientists, scholars and prophets
Pytheas (4th century BCE) was a geographer and mathematician who lived in the Greek colony of Massalia, which became Marseille. He conducted an expedition by sea north around England to Iceland, and was the first to describe the midnight sun and polar regions.
Petrarch (1304–1374) was an Italian poet and scholar, considered the father of humanism and one of the first great figures of Italian literature. He spent much of his early life in Avignon and Carpentras as an official at the Papal court in Avignon, and wrote a famous account of his ascent of Mount Ventoux near Aix-en-Provence.
Nostradamus (1503–1566), a Renaissance apothecary and reputed clairvoyant best known for his alleged prophecies of great world events, was born in Saint-Remy-de-Provence and lived and died in Salon-de-Provence.
Occitan literature
Main articles: Occitan language and Occitan literature
Raimbaut de Vaqueiras, from a collection of troubadour songs, BNF Richelieu Manuscrits Français 854, Bibliothèque Nationale Française, Paris.
Historically the language spoken in Provence was Provençal, a dialect of the Occitan language, also known as langue d'oc, and closely related to Catalan. There are several regional variations: vivaro-alpin, spoken in the Alps; and the provençal variations of south, including the maritime, the rhoadanien (in the Rhône Valley) and the niçois (in Nice). Niçois is the archaic form of provençal closest to the original language of the troubadours, and is sometimes to said to be literary language of its own.[35]
Provençal was widely spoken in Provence until the beginning of the 20th century, when the French government launched an intensive and largely successful effort to replace regional languages with French. Today Provençal is taught in schools and universities in the region, but is spoken regularly by a small number of people, probably less than five hundred thousand, mostly elderly.
Writers and poets in the Occitan language
"Folquet de Marselha" in a 13th-century chansonnier. Depicted in his episcopal robes
The golden age of Provençal literature, more correctly called Occitan literature, was the 11th century and the 12th century, when the troubadours broke away from classical Latin literature and composed romances and love songs in their own vernacular language. Among the most famous troubadours was Folquet de Marselha, whose love songs became famous all over Europe, and who was praised by Dante in his Divine Comedy. In his later years, Folquet gave up poetry to become the Abbot of Le Thoronet Abbey, and then Bishop of Toulouse, where he fiercely persecuted the Cathars.
In the middle of the 19th century, there was a literary movement to revive the language, called the Félibrige, led by the poet Frédéric Mistral (1830–1914), who shared the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1904.
Provençal writers and poets who wrote in Occitan include:
Raimbaut de Vaqueiras (1180–1207)
Louis Bellaud (1543–1588)
Théodore Aubanel (1829–1886)
Joseph d'Arbaud (1874–1950)
Robert Lafont (1923–2009)
French authors
Alphonse Daudet
Colette
Alphonse Daudet (1840–1897) was the best-known French writer from Provence in the 19th century, though he lived mostly in Paris and Champrosay. He was best known for his Lettres de mon moulin (eng: Letters from my Mill) (1869) and the Tartarin de Tarascon trilogy (1872, 1885, 1890). His story L'Arlésienne (1872) was made into a three-act play with music by Bizet.[36]
Marcel Pagnol (1895–1970), born in Aubagne, is known both as a filmmaker and for his stories of his childhood, Le Château de la Mere, La Gloire de mon Pere, and Le Temps des secrets. He was the first filmmaker to become a member of the Académie française in 1946.
Colette (Sidonie-Gabrielle Colette) (1873–1954), although she was not from Provence, became particularly attached to Saint-Tropez. After World War II, she headed a committee which saw that the village, badly damaged by the war, was restored to its original beauty and character
Jean Giono (1895–1970), born in Manosque, wrote about peasant life in Provence, inspired by his imagination and by his vision of Ancient Greece.
Paul Arène (1843–1896), born in Sisteron, wrote about life and the countryside around his home town.
Emigrés, exiles, and expatriates
In the 19th and 20th centuries, the climate and lifestyle of Provence attracted writers almost as much as it attracted painters. It was particularly popular among British, American and Russian writers in the 1920s and 1930s.
Edith Wharton (1862–1937), bought Castel Sainte-Claire in 1927, on the site of a former convent in the hills above Hyères, where she lived during the winters and springs until her death in 1937.
F. Scott Fitzgerald (1896–1940) and his wife Zelda first visited the Riviera in 1924, stopping at Hyères, Cannes and Monte Carlo, eventually staying at St. Raphaël, where he wrote much of The Great Gatsby and began Tender is the Night.
Ivan Bunin (1870–1953), the first Russian writer to win the Nobel Prize for Literature, went to France after the Russian Revolution, set several of his short stories on the Côte d'Azur, and had a house in Grasse.
Somerset Maugham (1874–1965) bought a house, the Villa Mauresque, in Saint-Jean-Cap-Ferrat in 1928, and, except for the years of World War II, spent much of his time there until his death.
Other English-speaking writers who live in or have written about Provence include:
Peter Mayle
Carol Drinkwater
John Lanchester
Willa Cather
Charles Spurgeon (who spent long periods in Menton)
Katherine Mansfield
Lawrence Durrell
Music
Music written about Provence includes:
The saxophone concerto Tableaux de Provence (Pictures of Provence) composed by Paule Maurice.
The opera Mireille by Charles Gounod after Frédéric Mistral's poem Mireio.
Georges Bizet, 'L'Arlésienne' incidental music to play by Alphonse Daudet.
Darius Milhaud, 'Suite Provençale'
Two song settings of Vladimir Nabokov's poem "Provence" in Russian and English versions by composers Ivan Barbotin and James DeMars on the 2011 contemporary classical album Troika.[37]
The piece "Suite Provencale", written for symphonic band by Jan Van der Roost.
Painters
The 14th-century ceiling of the cloister of Fréjus Cathedral is decorated with paintings of animals, people and mythical creatures
Triptych of the Burning Bush, by Nicolas Froment, in Aix Cathedral (15th century)
Artists have been painting in Provence since prehistoric times; paintings of bisons, seals, auks and horses dating to between 27,000 and 19,000 BC were found in the Cosquer Cave near Marseille.[38]
The 14th-century wooden ceiling of the cloister of Fréjus Cathedral has a remarkable series of paintings of biblical scenes, fantastic animals, and scenes from daily life, painted between 1350 and 1360. They include paintings of a fallen angel with the wings of a bat, a demon with the tail of a serpent, angels playing instruments, a tiger, an elephant, an ostrich, domestic and wild animals, a mermaid, a dragon, a centaur, a butcher, a knight, and a juggler.[39]
Nicolas Froment (1435–1486) was the most important painter of Provence during the Renaissance, best known for his triptych of the Burning Bush (c. 1476), commissioned by King René I of Naples. The painting shows a combination of Moses, the Burning Bush, and the Virgin Mary "who gave birth but remained a virgin", just as the bush of Moses "-burned with fire, and the bush was not consumed". This is the explication according to a plaque in the cathedral. A more likely reason for the juxtaposition is that in 1400 a shepherd, or shepherds, discovered a miraculous statue of the Virgin and Child inside another burning bush (thorn bush specifically), in the village of L'Epine in the present day department of La Marne. The site and statue were later visited by the "Bon Roi René". The wings of the triptych show King René with Mary Magdalene, St. Anthony and St. Maurice on one side, and Queen Jeanne de Laval, with Saint Catherine, John the Evangelist, and Saint Nicholas on the other.[40]
Louis Bréa (1450–1523) was a 15th-century painter, born in Nice, whose work is found in churches from Genoa to Antibes. His Retable of Saint-Nicholas (1500) is found in Monaco, and his Retable de Notre-Dame-de-Rosaire (1515) is found in Antibes.
Pierre Paul Puget (1620–1694), born in Marseille, was a painter of portraits and religious scenes, but was better known for his sculptures, found in Toulon Cathedral, outside the city hall of Toulon, and in the Louvre. There is a mountain named for him near Marseille, and a square in Toulon.
Paul Cézanne, L'Estaque, 1883–1885
Vincent van Gogh, Cafe Terrace at Night, September 1888
Paul Signac, The Port of Saint-Tropez, oil on canvas, 1901
In the 19th and 20th centuries, many of the most famous painters in the world converged on Provence, drawn by the climate and the clarity of the light. The special quality of the light is partly a result of the Mistral wind, which removes dust from the atmosphere, greatly increasing visibility.
Adolphe Monticelli (1824–1886) was born in Marseille, moved to Paris in 1846 and returned to Marseille in 1870. His work influenced Vincent van Gogh who greatly admired him.[41]
Paul Cézanne (1839–1906) was born in Aix-en-Provence, and lived and worked there most of his life. The local landscapes, particularly Montagne Sainte-Victoire, featured often in his work. He also painted frequently at L'Estaque.
Vincent van Gogh (1853–1890) liv
Tuscan terracotta Amphorae for wine fermentation and maturation at Castrum Morisci, Moresco, le Marche, Italy
CastelBrando,
former Castrum Costae, is a medieval castle situated on a dolomite limestone rock at an elevation of 370 m (1,210 ft) above sea level, overlooking the villages of Cison di Valmarino and Valmareno, Northern Italy. The name CastelBrando is due to the name Brandolini, the ancient family from Forlì, who were the Lords of the castle.
History
CastelBrando was originally built in the Roman age as a defensive fortress in order to protect the important lines of communication which connected Northern Italy to the countries on the other side of the Alps. Originally there was a garrison here protecting the territory between the Piave and the Livenza rivers in order to facilitate the safe construction of the pre-alpine part of the Via Claudia Augusta, an important Roman road, which linked the valley of the Po River with Rhaetia (modern Austria). The original castrum, dating from 46 AD is still visible today. A recent archaeological excavation has uncovered a 3 m (9.8 ft) diameter bread-oven within the castrum, dating from the same period. The original Roman baths have also been excavated, as have the original pipes of the aqueduct which supplied water from three nearby natural springs. These springs still provide water for the castle today.[5] During the European Migration Period the fortress became an important defensive position against barbarian invasions. Over the centuries the castle has been subject to numerous enlargements and renovations. During the 13th century the castle was substantially enlarged while under the ownership of the Da Camino family, who lived there from 1233 to 1335. Their architectural additions included surrounding the castle with imposing Guelph-Ghibelline style battlements and building a central tower. Gherardo III da Camino, the great Italian feudal lord and military leader was born in the castle in 1240.
The Castle's ownership then passed over to the Republic of Venice, which awarded the Castle's fiefdom first to Marin Faliero and then to the condottieri Giovanni Brandolino and Erasmo da Narni, better known as "Gattamelata". After the fall of Venetian Republic in 1797, it was passed down through the family of Giovanni Brandolino and became the property of the Brandolini Counts, an ancient family from Forlì. In the first half of the 16th century Antonio Maria Brandolini (1476–1522), commissioned skilled engineers to enlarge the central part of the castle in Sansovino style, adding Venetian Gothic double and triple mullioned windows. In 1700 the Brandolini family commissioned Ottavio Scotti, architect and Count of Treviso, to design and build an extension to the southern part of the castle. Part of these works included the building of a castle chapel, the Church of San Martino. The chapel was decorated internally with frescoes painted by Egidio Dall'Oglio (18th century).
During World War I, the castle was invaded by Imperial Austrian forces and used as a military hospital. The Brandolini family abandoned their home and escaped to their Solighetto villa near Pieve di Soligo. After 10 years of restoration work, financed by Count Girolamo IV Brandolini (1870–1935), the castle was re-opened as a place of residence in 1929. In 1959 the castle was sold by the Brandolini family to the Salesian fathers, who altered its structure to use it as a monastery and as a centre for spiritual studies. In 1997 CastelBrando was purchased by Quaternary Investments SpA, who started an expansive renovation program in order to convert it into a hotel and museum.
For more informations:
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/CastelBrando
For a movie:
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Castillo de Turégano, Segovia, España.
El primitivo Castrum celtibérico fue aprovechado por los estrategas romanos para completar el sistema de fortificaciones con COLENDA “SEPTEMPUBLICA”,”PETRARIA” y “CAUCA” envolvían el territorio segoviano y dominaban las cuencas de los ríos de Eresma, Cega y Duratón. Del Castrum sólo quedan las torres en parte desmochadas, construidas posiblemente hacia finales del siglo X y de clara tradición árabe.
De planta cuadrada, fueron ejecutadas de fábrica de gruesos de cal y canto, aparecieron traspasadas en su parte inferior por un estrecho pasadizo conocido como “el paso de ronda” y unidas entre sí por tramos realizados en tapial.
El recinto de planta cuadrangular flanqueado por torreones circulares en los ángulos y rematados por hornacinas con la imagen de San Miguel. Como característica en común a lienzos y almenas, se encuentran saeteras del tipo cruz y orbe y palo y orbe. En todo sistema de protección encontramos también, matacanes, buhoneras, acodos, recovecos, balcones amatacanados y estrechas escaleras.
El edificio central se encuentra constituido por la torre del homenaje, cuyo interior se distribuye en estancias, estrechas escaleras, que comunican las distintas salas y una escalera helicoidal que conduce a la base de la torre, donde puede contemplarse el bellísimo paisaje y se palpa el carácter defensivo del castillo. Declarado monumento nacional en 1931, su emplazamiento recuerda la función defensiva por el que fue erigido. En su construcción se han de distinguir distintos conjuntos que lo compone: El Castrum y las torres, la primitiva iglesia de San Miguel, y el traslado de la espadaña a su lugar actual. Muchos autores defendieron la teoría de haberse construido a la par que al castillo, hoy se puede afirmar que la iglesia de San Miguel, de estilo románico, fue ejecutada a finales del siglo XII y a principios del siglo XIII.
En el ala oeste encontramos tres torreones construidos con similares características, sillares de piedra rosa, rematados entre sus lienzos por parapetos, matacanes y gárgolas de una pieza.
La entrada de la iglesia, marcada encima por el escudo episcopal, está defendida por dos torres especiales, polígonas en el primer cuerpo y circulares y circulares en el segundo, corre por ellas una línea de matacanes debajo de un arco abierto que hace las veces de galería, donde puede observarse un arco de crucería.
En ella destacan dos fases constructivas, la primera comprendería las naves laterales y la torre elevada, actualmente embutida dentro del torreón central. De la segunda fase destaca la nave central construida por buena sillería y cubierta con bóveda de cañón apuntada. Las obras que dan lugar al recinto amurallado se encuentran en el siglo XV, siendo emprendidas por Arias Dávila en 1471, continuadas por Arias del Villar y concluidas por Diego Rivera siguiendo el plan por el, trazado por el Prelado Arias Dávila. La última fase de la construcción es la colocación, en 1703, de la espadaña, de estilo barroco y rematada con frontón curvo.
The primitive Celtiberian Castrum was used by the Roman strategists to complete the system of fortifications with COLENDA "SEPTEMPUBLICA", "PETRARIA" and "CAUCA" wrapped around the territory of Segovia and dominated the basins of the rivers of Eresma, Cega and Duratón. Of the Castrum there are only partially towered towers, possibly built towards the end of the 10th century and with a clear Arab tradition.
Of square plant, they were executed of factory of thicknesses of lime and song, they appeared transferred in its inferior part by a narrow passageway known like "the passage of ronda" and united to each other by stretches realized in tapial.
The enclosure of quadrangular plant flanked by circular towers in the angles and topped by niches with the image of San Miguel. As a common characteristic of canvases and battlements, there are cross and orb and arrow and orb bows. In every system of protection we also find, machicolations, buhoneras, layering, recesses, balconies amatacanados and narrow stairs.
The central building is constituted by the keep, whose interior is distributed in rooms, narrow stairs, which connect the different rooms and a helical staircase that leads to the base of the tower, where you can contemplate the beautiful landscape and feel the defensive character of the castle. Declared a national monument in 1931, its location recalls the defensive function by which it was erected. In its construction we have to distinguish different groups that make it up: The Castrum and the towers, the primitive church of San Miguel, and the transfer of the bulrush to its current place. Many authors defended the theory of having built at the same time as the castle, today it can be said that the church of San Miguel, in Romanesque style, was executed at the end of the 12th century and at the beginning of the 13th century.
In the west wing we find three towers built with similar characteristics, rose stone ashlars, topped between their canvases by parapets, machicolations and one piece gargoyles.
The entrance of the church, marked above by the episcopal shield, is defended by two special towers, polygons in the first body and circular and circular in the second, runs through them a line of machicolations under an open arch that serves as gallery, where you can see an archway.
In her they emphasize two constructive phases, first would include the lateral ships and the elevated tower, at the moment embedded within the central tower. Of the second phase highlights the central nave built by good ashlar masonry and covered with pointed barrel vault. The works that give rise to the walled enclosure are in the XV century, being undertaken by Arias Dávila in 1471, continued by Arias del Villar and concluded by Diego Rivera following the plan by him, drawn by the Prelate Arias Dávila. The last phase of construction is the placement, in 1703, of the steeple, baroque style and topped with curved pediment.
keine kommentarlosen FAVS!
NO FAVS, thanks!
die edle Dame versteckt ihr heiliges Smartphone ;)
(hier ist der Titel richtig, Klaus ;))
Eines meiner Lieblingsmittelalterfeste ist das Fest von Castrum Cernedum, mittelalterlichen Tag in Erinnerung an die Schenkung des Lehns vom Patriarchen von Aquileia Marquard an Francesco aus Cernedum (Cergneu) im Jahr 1371. Die Burg wurde dann 1511 bei einem Erdbeben (hier relativ häufig) und auch infolge einer Revolte stark beschädigt und daher verlassen, jetzt besteht sie als Ruine.
Google Maps spinnt immer noch total, der Ort heißt doch CERGNEU und nicht Gergneu! :(
Mein Hauptreiseziel steht endlich fest, yuhu!! Und JA, es ist das, wovon ich seit Jahren träume!! :D Es wird ein teurer Urlaub (teilweise im fast Luxus-Hotel), aber es wird sich zweifellos lohnen! :D Wozu lebt man denn sonst? :)
Burg Cergneu / castello di Cergneu
Castrum Cernedum Burg Cergneu
la nobile dama nasconde il suo sacro smartphone ;)
Una delle mie feste medievali preferite è la rievocazione storica di Cergneu, Castrum Cernedum:
Nel 1371 il Patriarca di Aquileia Marquardo conferma a Francesco di Cergneu l’investitura del feudo al quale si aggiungerà, un secolo dopo, il castello di Brazzacco.Il castello rimarrà abitato almeno fino al 1511 quando, a seguito di un violento sisma e della violenta rivolta del giovedì grasso, venne gravemente danneggiato e quindi abbandonato.
Verso metà giugno in località Cergneu a Nimis (Ud) rivivono quei giorni accompagnati dai cantastorie e libagioni alla tavola dei Nobili di Cernedum riccamente imbandita
Google Maps è fuori, mica si chiama Gergneu! :(
Queso elaborado de modo artesanal con leche cruda de ovejas, de coagulación enzimática, mediante el empleo de coagulante vegetal.
En su aspecto externo presenta una forma rectangular con la corteza un poco rugosa, delgada y lavada con baños de aceite de oliva virgen, totalmente comestible.
En el interior presenta una pasta con una cremosidad media, pequeños ojos y color marfil.
Su olor es ligero, con pequeños recuerdos a oveja, pero nunca desagradable.
En boca es fundente, con sabor pronunciado y con personalidad, con toques lácticos equilibrados entre sal y acidez, con pequeños toques amargos y grasos en el retrogusto muy agradable.
El queso se presenta en formato rectangular con un peso aproximado de 3,400 Kg.
Este queso lo elaboran los hermanos Cesáreo y José María Sánchez López propietarios de la quesería Castrum-Erat, ubicada en el municipio español de Castuera, perteneciente a la provincia de Badajoz (comunidad autónoma de Extremadura).
Truc...Machin...Chose...
Soufflet De Vigneron
Cet objet servait pour le soutirage et le transvasement de tonneau à tonneau.
CastelBrando,
former Castrum Costae, is a medieval castle situated on a dolomite limestone rock at an elevation of 370 m (1,210 ft) above sea level, overlooking the villages of Cison di Valmarino and Valmareno, Northern Italy. The name CastelBrando is due to the name Brandolini, the ancient family from Forlì, who were the Lords of the castle.
History
CastelBrando was originally built in the Roman age as a defensive fortress in order to protect the important lines of communication which connected Northern Italy to the countries on the other side of the Alps. Originally there was a garrison here protecting the territory between the Piave and the Livenza rivers in order to facilitate the safe construction of the pre-alpine part of the Via Claudia Augusta, an important Roman road, which linked the valley of the Po River with Rhaetia (modern Austria). The original castrum, dating from 46 AD is still visible today. A recent archaeological excavation has uncovered a 3 m (9.8 ft) diameter bread-oven within the castrum, dating from the same period. The original Roman baths have also been excavated, as have the original pipes of the aqueduct which supplied water from three nearby natural springs. These springs still provide water for the castle today. During the European Migration Period the fortress became an important defensive position against barbarian invasions. Over the centuries the castle has been subject to numerous enlargements and renovations. During the 13th century the castle was substantially enlarged while under the ownership of the Da Camino family, who lived there from 1233 to 1335. Their architectural additions included surrounding the castle with imposing Guelph-Ghibelline style battlements and building a central tower. Gherardo III da Camino, the great Italian feudal lord and military leader was born in the castle in 1240.
The Castle's ownership then passed over to the Republic of Venice, which awarded the Castle's fiefdom first to Marin Faliero and then to the condottieri Giovanni Brandolino and Erasmo da Narni, better known as "Gattamelata". After the fall of Venetian Republic in 1797, it was passed down through the family of Giovanni Brandolino and became the property of the Brandolini Counts, an ancient family from Forlì. In the first half of the 16th century Antonio Maria Brandolini (1476–1522), commissioned skilled engineers to enlarge the central part of the castle in Sansovino style, adding Venetian Gothic double and triple mullioned windows. In 1700 the Brandolini family commissioned Ottavio Scotti, architect and Count of Treviso, to design and build an extension to the southern part of the castle. Part of these works included the building of a castle chapel, the Church of San Martino. The chapel was decorated internally with frescoes painted by Egidio Dall'Oglio (18th century).
During World War I, the castle was invaded by Imperial Austrian forces and used as a military hospital. The Brandolini family abandoned their home and escaped to their Solighetto villa near Pieve di Soligo. After 10 years of restoration work, financed by Count Girolamo IV Brandolini (1870–1935), the castle was re-opened as a place of residence in 1929. In 1959 the castle was sold by the Brandolini family to the Salesian fathers, who altered its structure to use it as a monastery and as a centre for spiritual studies. In 1997 CastelBrando was purchased by Quaternary Investments SpA, who started an expansive renovation program in order to convert it into a hotel and museum.
For more informations:
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/CastelBrando
For a movie:
*******************************************************************************
“It is an illusion that photos are made with the camera…
they are made with the eye, heart and head.”
[Henry Cartier Bresson]
*******************************************************************************
Please don't use any of my images on websites, blogs or other media without my explicit written permission.
© All rights reserved
CastelBrando,
former Castrum Costae, is a medieval castle situated on a dolomite limestone rock at an elevation of 370 m (1,210 ft) above sea level, overlooking the villages of Cison di Valmarino and Valmareno, Northern Italy. The name CastelBrando is due to the name Brandolini, the ancient family from Forlì, who were the Lords of the castle.
History
CastelBrando was originally built in the Roman age as a defensive fortress in order to protect the important lines of communication which connected Northern Italy to the countries on the other side of the Alps. Originally there was a garrison here protecting the territory between the Piave and the Livenza rivers in order to facilitate the safe construction of the pre-alpine part of the Via Claudia Augusta, an important Roman road, which linked the valley of the Po River with Rhaetia (modern Austria). The original castrum, dating from 46 AD is still visible today. A recent archaeological excavation has uncovered a 3 m (9.8 ft) diameter bread-oven within the castrum, dating from the same period. The original Roman baths have also been excavated, as have the original pipes of the aqueduct which supplied water from three nearby natural springs. These springs still provide water for the castle today. During the European Migration Period the fortress became an important defensive position against barbarian invasions. Over the centuries the castle has been subject to numerous enlargements and renovations. During the 13th century the castle was substantially enlarged while under the ownership of the Da Camino family, who lived there from 1233 to 1335. Their architectural additions included surrounding the castle with imposing Guelph-Ghibelline style battlements and building a central tower. Gherardo III da Camino, the great Italian feudal lord and military leader was born in the castle in 1240.
The Castle's ownership then passed over to the Republic of Venice, which awarded the Castle's fiefdom first to Marin Faliero and then to the condottieri Giovanni Brandolino and Erasmo da Narni, better known as "Gattamelata". After the fall of Venetian Republic in 1797, it was passed down through the family of Giovanni Brandolino and became the property of the Brandolini Counts, an ancient family from Forlì. In the first half of the 16th century Antonio Maria Brandolini (1476–1522), commissioned skilled engineers to enlarge the central part of the castle in Sansovino style, adding Venetian Gothic double and triple mullioned windows. In 1700 the Brandolini family commissioned Ottavio Scotti, architect and Count of Treviso, to design and build an extension to the southern part of the castle. Part of these works included the building of a castle chapel, the Church of San Martino. The chapel was decorated internally with frescoes painted by Egidio Dall'Oglio (18th century).
During World War I, the castle was invaded by Imperial Austrian forces and used as a military hospital. The Brandolini family abandoned their home and escaped to their Solighetto villa near Pieve di Soligo. After 10 years of restoration work, financed by Count Girolamo IV Brandolini (1870–1935), the castle was re-opened as a place of residence in 1929. In 1959 the castle was sold by the Brandolini family to the Salesian fathers, who altered its structure to use it as a monastery and as a centre for spiritual studies. In 1997 CastelBrando was purchased by Quaternary Investments SpA, who started an expansive renovation program in order to convert it into a hotel and museum.
For more informations:
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/CastelBrando
For a movie:
*******************************************************************************
“It is an illusion that photos are made with the camera…
they are made with the eye, heart and head.”
[Henry Cartier Bresson]
*******************************************************************************
Please don't use any of my images on websites, blogs or other media without my explicit written permission.
© All rights reserved
Vestiges Porte Nord
La porte nord est une simple ouverture pratiquée dans l'épaisseur du mur d'enceinte d'une hauteur de 6,50 m avec un couloir d'une longueur totale de 3,30 m.
Tout comme celui du mur d'enceinte attenant, le couronnement de la porte a disparu.
Bagnara di Romagna, castrum medievale perfettamente conservato, si trova al confine fra le province di Bologna e di Ravenna. Nel tempo appartenne a un'infinità di rissosi e prepotenti Signori: Manfredi, Ordelaffi, da Polenta, Visconti, Sforza, Malatesta, Estensi, Colleoni, ecc..., oltre che alla Santa Sede. Nel 1482 il papa Sisto IV ne fece dono (insieme con le città di Forlì e di Imola) al nipote Girolamo Riario, in occasione delle sue nozze con Caterina Sforza, figlia di Galeazzo Maria. Furono i Riario Sforza a completare la ricostruzione della rocca (sorta sui resti di un castello edificato nel 1354 da Bernabò Visconti, distrutto nel 1428), ad adattarla alla difesa dalle nuove artiglierie e ad abbellirla con l'elegante loggiato che percorre gran parte delle cortine murarie. Ucciso Girolamo Riario nel 1488, la rocca fu tenuta dalla vedova Caterina fino al 1499, quando Bagnara venne presa da Cesare Borgia. Caduto anche il Valentino, la fortezza tornò alla Santa Sede, fino all'occupazione francese del 1797. Passò poi al Regno d'Italia, e nel 1868 venne acquistata dal Comune.
Quatre castrums sur le même circuit : Quertinheux, Surdespine, Tour Régine, Cabaret.
Monument historique
Eléments protégés : Quatre châteaux (ruines) : classement par arrêté du 31 octobre 1905
Historique :
Les châteaux comprennent une tour, une cour étroite et quelques bâtiments adossés pouvant contenir une ou deux salles avec une citerne. Ce peu d'importance des constructions fait penser qu'ils étaient plutôt destinés à être le signe d'une suzeraineté que de véritables forteresses. Suzeraineté peut-être partagée par quatre co-seigneurs. Leur force résidait dans leur situation inaccessible, la construction étant ordinaire. Les chaines, arcs et piédroits de baies sont seuls en pierre de taille, le reste étant en moellons. Le plus au sud est planté sur un piton rocheux. La tour ronde servant de donjon s'élevait de quatre étages percés d'archères. Trois étaient séparés par des planchers et le quatrième couvert par une voûte qui portait le dallage supérieur. Il ne reste que les naissances des nervures. La salle contigüe est entourée d'arcades en ogives sur lesquelles passe le chemin de ronde. Des trois châteaux suivants, le second et le plus en ruine. Le donjon était carré et la cour à l'ouest assez vaste. Le troisième édifice présente une tour ronde semblable à celle du premier. Le quatrième, le plus au nord, avec une tour carrée, s'élève sur la pointe extrême de la ligne de faîte. Les bâtiments présentent des traces de chemin de ronde et des divisions intérieures. Ces constructions semblent remonter au 13e siècle. La base des tours est peut-être plus ancienne.
Périodes de construction : 12e siècle, 13e siècle, 16e siècle
Sighișoara (German: Schäßburg, Latin: Castrum Sex) is one of the oldest towns of the historic region of Transylvania,Romania.
The city played an important strategic and commercial role at the edges of Central Europe for several centuries. Sighișoara became one of the most important cities of Transylvania, with artisans from throughout the Holy Roman Empire visiting the settlement. The German artisans and craftsmen dominated the urban economy(beginning with the 13th century), as well as building the fortifications protecting it. It is estimated that during the 16th and 17th centuries Sighișoara had as many as 15 guilds and 20 handicraft branches.
Because of the Ottoman invasions, in the 14th-15th century the town was fortified, wall and towers were raised to surround city and were subsequently consolidated. Sighișoara became one of the strongest fortresses of Transylvania
Most of the 164 houses in the city having at least 300 years old, are considered historical monuments : the City Square, with its rectangular plan, was once inhabited by noble families of the city, though it has undergone to many transformations over time.
Sighișoara is a popular tourist destination for its well-preserved walled old town, which is also listed by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site. The main Citadel's attractions are certainly the towers.
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© Ioan C. Bacivarov
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Quatre castrums sur le même circuit : Quertinheux, Surdespine, Tour Régine, Cabaret.
Monument historique
Eléments protégés : Quatre châteaux (ruines) : classement par arrêté du 31 octobre 1905
Historique :
Les châteaux comprennent une tour, une cour étroite et quelques bâtiments adossés pouvant contenir une ou deux salles avec une citerne. Ce peu d'importance des constructions fait penser qu'ils étaient plutôt destinés à être le signe d'une suzeraineté que de véritables forteresses. Suzeraineté peut-être partagée par quatre co-seigneurs. Leur force résidait dans leur situation inaccessible, la construction étant ordinaire. Les chaines, arcs et piédroits de baies sont seuls en pierre de taille, le reste étant en moellons. Le plus au sud est planté sur un piton rocheux. La tour ronde servant de donjon s'élevait de quatre étages percés d'archères. Trois étaient séparés par des planchers et le quatrième couvert par une voûte qui portait le dallage supérieur. Il ne reste que les naissances des nervures. La salle contigüe est entourée d'arcades en ogives sur lesquelles passe le chemin de ronde. Des trois châteaux suivants, le second et le plus en ruine. Le donjon était carré et la cour à l'ouest assez vaste. Le troisième édifice présente une tour ronde semblable à celle du premier. Le quatrième, le plus au nord, avec une tour carrée, s'élève sur la pointe extrême de la ligne de faîte. Les bâtiments présentent des traces de chemin de ronde et des divisions intérieures. Ces constructions semblent remonter au 13e siècle. La base des tours est peut-être plus ancienne.
Périodes de construction : 12e siècle, 13e siècle, 16e siècle
sculpture "Mann vom Castrum" by Eberhard Linke
Mainz, Ministerium des Inneren
Ecke Breidenbacherstraße / Acker
Höhe des Legionärs 300 cm
Bronze, 1985/86
Enceinte ouest du castrum, face à la cour, au sud de la chapelle dont on voit sur la droite un pan de mur. Elle est traversée par trois ouvertures qui donnent sur la maison Laurent Vincent, première maison du village en contrebas du château, et qui pouvaient être utilisées comme meurtrières notamment celle de droite qui est orientée sur le chemin d’accès. On voit qu'une partie de l'enceinte est construite en arête de poisson. En haut, les vestiges des trous d'ancrage peuvent suggérer la présence d'un chemin de ronde en bois amovible.
Italien / Südtirol - Schloss Prösels
Prösels Castle (German: Schloss Prösels; Italian: Castello di Presule) is a castle in the Gothic style which stands on the high plain below the Schlern mountain, in South Tyrol. Prösels is a location within the municipal boundaries of the commune of Völs am Schlern (Fiè allo Sciliar).
History
The castle was first named in a document from 1279, as castrum Presil, whereas the settlement close to the castle compares in 1373 as Bresels. It is believed that the lords of Völs, feudatories of the Bishopric of Brixen, had built the castle here just by 1200. Today the central palace with a Romanesque archway are surviving parts of this first fortress.
In Italian it is sometimes called Castel Colonna, reflecting the fact that around the time of Leonhard II the Völs (Fiè) family started to add the Colonna family name to their own. The reason for this is unclear, although a number of hypotheses have been advanced. According to some the family originated as a branch of the Colonnas who came to Tyrol in the twelfth century; others believe that Leonhard II, fighting alongside Marcantonio Colonna (1535–1584) at the Battle of Lepanto, was affirming his family’s origins in the Colonnas of Tusculum. A third version speculates that Marcantonio adopted Leonhard in order to enable the latter to display his membership of the noble Roman dynasty. Most probably, perhaps, Leonhard II simply requested and obtained the right to add the name Colonna to his own.
The Gothic castle of today was built by Leonhard of Völs (born 1458). He was the administrator of the salt mines of Hall in Tirol, a highly profitable position, furthermore he was married three times to wealthy noblewomen, which enabled him to spend extravagantly on the expansion of his castle. In 1498 Leonhard, thanks to his friendship with the Holy Roman Emperor Maximilian I and Archduke of Austria, became governor of the County of Tyrol. Leonhard showed his gratitude by including the emperor on one of the frescoes in the newly built arcade of his castle.
During the Peasants' War of 1525 the castle was briefly occupied by the revolting subservient farmers, who burnt all the documents in the vain hope of destroying all proof of their debts and tithes. The uprising was squashed and six leaders executed. Leonhard of Völs also instigated the burning of nine local woman for witchcraft. To deflect blame placed on him by his subjects for a high infant mortality rate, Leonhard found nine women, had them tortured and after they confessed burnt at the stake for witchcraft. Most probably the high infant mortality was due to the farmers being starved and very poor owing to Leonhard's very high taxes. The woman confessed that they had "stolen the babies and ridden on their brooms to the Schlern where they had eaten the babies together with the devil." The many local legends about the so-called Schlernhexen (Schlern witches) date back to this time.
The castle remained in the hands of the family until its last member, Felix, Freiherr von Völs, died childless in 1810. For the next 50 years the castle stood empty and nearly fell into ruins. Between 1860 and 1978 the castle changed hands no fewer than 14 times, suffering periods of decay followed by attempted restoration before finally being abandoned to its fate. However, in 1981 the Kuratorium Schloss Prösels (Prösels Castle Curatorship) was formed to restore the building; the work was completed the following year.
Visiting the castle
Guided visits are available during the summer months and during the Christmas holidays, various cultural events are held here including concerts, exhibitions and theatrical performances. Permanent displays include:
A collection of weapons and suits of armour
The "Batzenhäusl" restaurant collection of paintings (The "Batzenhäusl" being the oldest restaurant in the city of Bolzano)
A modern art collection
(Wikipedia)
Das Schloss Prösels liegt in der Gemeinde Völs am Schlern östlich von Bozen in Südtirol. Es ist die Stammburg der Herren von Völs, erstmals im Jahr 1279 urkundlich als „castrum Presil“ genannt, jedoch wahrscheinlich schon um 1200 errichtet. Ihre Blütezeit erlebte die Burg Anfang des 16. Jahrhunderts, als sie Leonhard der Ältere von Völs zu einer prunkvollen, spätgotischen Schlossanlage ausbauen ließ. Nach dem Aussterben der Herren von Völs und etlichen Besitzerwechseln wurde das Schloss im Jahr 1978 vom Kuratorium Schloss Prösels GmbH erworben. Heute finden auf dem Schlossgelände neben den traditionellen Schlossführungen auch zahlreiche kulturelle Veranstaltungen statt, wie z. B. Konzerte, Ausstellungen und Theateraufführungen.
Geographische Lage
Auf dem Weg vom im Talgrund des Eisacktals gelegenen Blumau ins mittelgebirgige Schlerngebiet befindet sich auf der rechten Seite ein markanter Felskopf, auf dem sich das alte Schloss Prösels erhebt. Es liegt in der Ortschaft Prösels, welche zur Gemeinde Völs am Schlern zählt und zwischen den beiden größeren Gemeindefraktionen Völs und Völser Aicha liegt.
Geschichte
Historische Anfänge
Erstmals wird die mittelalterliche Burg („castrum Presil“) in einer Urkunde aus dem Jahre 1279 erwähnt, während die Burgsiedlung im Jahr 1373 als „Bresels“ bezeugt ist. Laut Schneller liegt dem Namen lateinisch praesulis ‚dem Bischof gehörig‘ zugrunde. Erbaut wurde die Burg von den Herren von Völs, welche zunächst den Bischöfen von Brixen dienten. Zuerst wurde die Burg nach der dortigen Kapelle benannt, anschließend jedoch als Burg Prösels oder Burg Völs bezeichnet, da sie sich nicht weit vom Hauptdorf Völs befand. Nachdem der Machtbereich der Bischöfe von Brixen und Trient eingeschränkt wurde, erhielten die Herren von Völs als landesfürstliche Ministerialen die Burg.
Leonhard der Ältere von Völs war der bedeutendste Burgherr. Er nahm in jungen Jahren am Krieg gegen Venedig (1508–1516) teil und bekleidete von 1498 bis zu seinem Tod im Jahre 1530 das Amt des Landeshauptmannes an der Etsch und Burggrafen zu Tirol. Leonhard wirkte vor allem als Gutsverwalter und war mit dem Habsburgerkaiser Maximillian I. eng befreundet. Sein Leben war aber nicht nur durch seine administrativen Aufgaben gekennzeichnet, sondern fand auch in den Völser Hexenprozessen von 1506 und 1510 und dem Bauernaufstand von 1525 einen Höhepunkt. Leonhards größte Hinterlassenschaft stellt aber sicherlich das Schloss selbst dar, das er zum größten Teil erbauen ließ und bis heute fast gänzlich erhalten ist.
Völser Hexenprozesse
Vor 500 Jahren fanden auf Schloss Prösels Hexenprozesse statt, die für ungefähr 30 Menschen mit dem Todesurteil durch Verbrennen endeten. Nicht nur Frauen wurden der Hexerei beschuldigt, auch zwei Männer kosteten die Prozesse das Leben. Den Schuldigen warf man vor, sich dem Teufel unterworfen zu haben. Die Anklageschriften bezichtigten die Angeklagten des Mordes an den eigenen Kindern und beschuldigten sie, auf Besen durch die Luft geritten zu sein und an Teufelstänzen teilgenommen zu haben. Allerdings konnte bis heute nicht einwandfrei geklärt werden, an welcher Stelle die Hexenverbrennungen stattfanden.
Zum Gedenken an den ersten Hexenprozess im südlichen Teil Tirols haben die Gemeinden Völs und Kastelruth 2006 eine Skulptur mit Gedenktafel auf Schloss Prösels angebracht. Am 18. August 2006 wurde das historische Drama Anna Jobstin im Burghof von Schloss Prösels uraufgeführt. Anna Jobstin war die erste Angeklagte in der Hexenverfolgung von 1506.
Kuratorium Schloss Prösels
1978 erwarb das neu gebildete Kuratorium Schloss Prösels die Burg. Dieses Konsortium aus Privatpersonen und den Gemeinden des Schlerngebietes (Kastelruth, Völs) sowie der Gemeinde Tiers ist bis heute der Schlossbesitzer. Nach abgeschlossener Restaurierung der Anlage wird sie seit dem Jahr 1982 als Austragungsort von verschiedenen kulturellen Veranstaltungen und für Führungen genutzt.
Am 5. Juli 2014 trafen sich Ministerpräsident Matteo Renzi und Bundeskanzler Werner Faymann anlässlich einer Tagung auf Schloss Prösels, womit es erstmals zu einer Zusammenkunft eines italienischen und österreichischen Regierungschefs auf Südtiroler Boden kam.
Sehenswertes
Kapelle
Ebenso von Leonhard erbaut wurde die Kapelle auf Schloss Prösels, welche der Heiligen Anna geweiht ist. Durch die Form des Portals und des Netzrippengewölbes erkennt man deutlich, dass die Kapelle aus dem 3. Jahrzehnt des 16. Jahrhunderts stammt. Besonders bemerkenswert am Gebäude ist ohne Zweifel die handwerklich herausragende Ausführung der baulichen Details.
Waffensammlung
Die Waffensammlung des Franz Anton von Kofler kam nach der Restaurierung des Schlosses als Leihgabe der Südtiroler Landesregierung auf die Burg. Die meisten der ausgestellten Objekte stammen aus dem 19. Jahrhundert und kommen unter anderem von den Schlachtfeldern in Solferino und Custoza (Italienische Unabhängigkeitskriege). Aber auch Stücke aus der Zeit Leonhards sind im Waffensaal zu finden. Besonders kurios ist die Rüstung eines Samuraikämpfers aus dem fernen Orient.
Ausstellungsgalerie
Im sogenannten „Tischlerhaus“ auf Schloss Prösels finden seit dem Jahre 1982 in den Sommermonaten immer wieder Kunstausstellungen verschiedener Maler und Bildhauer statt. Jeder Künstler, der im Schloss seitdem zu Gast war, hinterließ jeweils ein Werk seiner Ausstellung. Somit bildete sich im Laufe der Jahre eine umfangreiche Bilder- und Skulpturensammlung, die im Rahmen der Schlossführungen besichtigt werden kann. In den Räumlichkeiten der Burg sind auch Kunstwerke der bekannten Künstlerin Lotte Copì zu finden. Außerdem sind im ehemaligen Wohntrakt der Herren von Völs die 98 verbliebenen Werke der berühmten Batzenhäusl-Sammlung aus Bozen zur Besichtigung ausgestellt.
Pulverturm
Etwas oberhalb von Schloss Prösels befindet sich der geschichtlich eng mit der Anlage verbundene Pulverturm, ein bergfriedartiger Wehrturm.
Kulturelle Darbietungen
Im Sommer werden im Schloss täglich Führungen angeboten. Außerdem finden kulturelle Veranstaltungen mit Musik, Kunst und Theater statt. Das Schloss kann für private Veranstaltungen, wie z. B. Hochzeiten oder sonstige Feiern, für einen Tag angemietet werden.
(Wikipedia)
Domaine viticole
Le Castrum de Pommiers est un ancien bourg castral fondé au XIIIe siècle en Gironde. Mentionné dès 1274 comme « castrum de Pomeriis », il a connu cinq siècles d’activité avant d’être transformé en domaine viticole au XIXe siècle.
www.gironde-tourisme.com/degustation/chateau-des-seigneur...
www.facebook.com/people/Vignoble-Famille-PIVA/61559152803...
Castillo de Turégano, Segovia, España.
El primitivo Castrum celtibérico fue aprovechado por los estrategas romanos para completar el sistema de fortificaciones con COLENDA “SEPTEMPUBLICA”,”PETRARIA” y “CAUCA” envolvían el territorio segoviano y dominaban las cuencas de los ríos de Eresma, Cega y Duratón. Del Castrum sólo quedan las torres en parte desmochadas, construidas posiblemente hacia finales del siglo X y de clara tradición árabe.
De planta cuadrada, fueron ejecutadas de fábrica de gruesos de cal y canto, aparecieron traspasadas en su parte inferior por un estrecho pasadizo conocido como “el paso de ronda” y unidas entre sí por tramos realizados en tapial.
El recinto de planta cuadrangular flanqueado por torreones circulares en los ángulos y rematados por hornacinas con la imagen de San Miguel. Como característica en común a lienzos y almenas, se encuentran saeteras del tipo cruz y orbe y palo y orbe. En todo sistema de protección encontramos también, matacanes, buhoneras, acodos, recovecos, balcones amatacanados y estrechas escaleras.
El edificio central se encuentra constituido por la torre del homenaje, cuyo interior se distribuye en estancias, estrechas escaleras, que comunican las distintas salas y una escalera helicoidal que conduce a la base de la torre, donde puede contemplarse el bellísimo paisaje y se palpa el carácter defensivo del castillo. Declarado monumento nacional en 1931, su emplazamiento recuerda la función defensiva por el que fue erigido. En su construcción se han de distinguir distintos conjuntos que lo compone: El Castrum y las torres, la primitiva iglesia de San Miguel, y el traslado de la espadaña a su lugar actual. Muchos autores defendieron la teoría de haberse construido a la par que al castillo, hoy se puede afirmar que la iglesia de San Miguel, de estilo románico, fue ejecutada a finales del siglo XII y a principios del siglo XIII.
En el ala oeste encontramos tres torreones construidos con similares características, sillares de piedra rosa, rematados entre sus lienzos por parapetos, matacanes y gárgolas de una pieza.
La entrada de la iglesia, marcada encima por el escudo episcopal, está defendida por dos torres especiales, polígonas en el primer cuerpo y circulares y circulares en el segundo, corre por ellas una línea de matacanes debajo de un arco abierto que hace las veces de galería, donde puede observarse un arco de crucería.
En ella destacan dos fases constructivas, la primera comprendería las naves laterales y la torre elevada, actualmente embutida dentro del torreón central. De la segunda fase destaca la nave central construida por buena sillería y cubierta con bóveda de cañón apuntada. Las obras que dan lugar al recinto amurallado se encuentran en el siglo XV, siendo emprendidas por Arias Dávila en 1471, continuadas por Arias del Villar y concluidas por Diego Rivera siguiendo el plan por el, trazado por el Prelado Arias Dávila. La última fase de la construcción es la colocación, en 1703, de la espadaña, de estilo barroco y rematada con frontón curvo.
The primitive Celtiberian Castrum was used by the Roman strategists to complete the system of fortifications with COLENDA "SEPTEMPUBLICA", "PETRARIA" and "CAUCA" wrapped around the territory of Segovia and dominated the basins of the rivers of Eresma, Cega and Duratón. Of the Castrum there are only partially towered towers, possibly built towards the end of the 10th century and with a clear Arab tradition.
Of square plant, they were executed of factory of thicknesses of lime and song, they appeared transferred in its inferior part by a narrow passageway known like "the passage of ronda" and united to each other by stretches realized in tapial.
The enclosure of quadrangular plant flanked by circular towers in the angles and topped by niches with the image of San Miguel. As a common characteristic of canvases and battlements, there are cross and orb and arrow and orb bows. In every system of protection we also find, machicolations, buhoneras, layering, recesses, balconies amatacanados and narrow stairs.
The central building is constituted by the keep, whose interior is distributed in rooms, narrow stairs, which connect the different rooms and a helical staircase that leads to the base of the tower, where you can contemplate the beautiful landscape and feel the defensive character of the castle. Declared a national monument in 1931, its location recalls the defensive function by which it was erected. In its construction we have to distinguish different groups that make it up: The Castrum and the towers, the primitive church of San Miguel, and the transfer of the bulrush to its current place. Many authors defended the theory of having built at the same time as the castle, today it can be said that the church of San Miguel, in Romanesque style, was executed at the end of the 12th century and at the beginning of the 13th century.
In the west wing we find three towers built with similar characteristics, rose stone ashlars, topped between their canvases by parapets, machicolations and one piece gargoyles.
The entrance of the church, marked above by the episcopal shield, is defended by two special towers, polygons in the first body and circular and circular in the second, runs through them a line of machicolations under an open arch that serves as gallery, where you can see an archway.
In her they emphasize two constructive phases, first would include the lateral ships and the elevated tower, at the moment embedded within the central tower. Of the second phase highlights the central nave built by good ashlar masonry and covered with pointed barrel vault. The works that give rise to the walled enclosure are in the XV century, being undertaken by Arias Dávila in 1471, continued by Arias del Villar and concluded by Diego Rivera following the plan by him, drawn by the Prelate Arias Dávila. The last phase of construction is the placement, in 1703, of the steeple, baroque style and topped with curved pediment.
Sighișoara (German: Schäßburg, Latin: Castrum Sex) is one of the oldest towns of the historic region of Transylvania,Romania.
The city played an important strategic and commercial role at the edges of Central Europe for several centuries. Sighișoara became one of the most important cities of Transylvania, with artisans from throughout the Holy Roman Empire visiting the settlement. The German artisans and craftsmen dominated the urban economy(beginning with the 13th century), as well as building the fortifications protecting it. It is estimated that during the 16th and 17th centuries Sighișoara had as many as 15 guilds and 20 handicraft branches.
Because of the Ottoman invasions, in the 14th-15th century the town was fortified, wall and towers were raised to surround city and were subsequently consolidated. Sighișoara became one of the strongest fortresses of Transylvania
Most of the 164 houses in the city having at least 300 years old, are considered historical monuments : the City Square, with its rectangular plan, was once inhabited by noble families of the city, though it has undergone to many transformations over time.
Sighișoara is a popular tourist destination for its well-preserved walled old town, which is also listed by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site. The main Citadel's attractions are certainly the towers.
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