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Nearing completion in May 2018.
From this angle it looks almost complete, but there's still quite a lot to do on the other side.
I thought if I shot it in sepia it would look like a 1930s cinema.
No such luck!
It will have 11 screens.
Three of the units are already occupied (Nandos, TGI Fridays and Wagamama).
Impact seen on Chinese Tallow trees girdled by volunteers on National Park project to restore native riparian species to Town Creek and associated wetlands. This view is after the project ended with the advent of Covid-19 in March of 2020 marking a year of restoration efforts.
A girder for the new South 216th Street Bridge in SeaTac, WA flies through the air with the greatest of ease thanks to a pair of construction cranes.
The girders for the bridge are 168 feet long, weighing in just under 96 tons each.
In June 2023, contractor crews set six girders for the southern half of the new bridge. Another 10 girders will be set in 2024 after the existing bridge is demolished to make room for the northern half of the new bridge.
Crews are also setting 24 girders immediately north of South 216th Street for a new northbound I-5 flyover ramp that will connect to the new SR 509 Expressway.
The new bridge and flyover ramp are just two improvements that are part of the Puget Sound Gateway Program's SR 509 Completion Project.
The South Stack Lighthouse is built on the summit of a small island off the north-west coast of Holy Island, Anglesey, Wales. It was built in 1809 to warn ships of the dangerous rocks below.
The lighthouse has warned passing ships of the treacherous rock below since its completion in 1809. The 91-foot (28 m)-tall lighthouse on South Stack was designed by Daniel Alexander and the main light is visible to passing vessels for 24 nmi (44 km; 28 mi), and was designed to allow safe passage for ships on the treacherous Dublin–Holyhead–Liverpool sea route. It provides the first beacon along the northern coast of Anglesey for east-bound ships. It is followed by lighthouses, fog horns and other markers at North Stack, Holyhead Breakwater, The Skerries, the Mice, Point Lynas and at the south-east tip of the island Trwyn Du. The lighthouse is operated remotely by Trinity House. It has been visited by the team at Most Haunted.
Visitors can climb to the top of the lighthouse and tour the engine room and exhibition area. The lighthouse is open seasonally.
South Stack (Welsh: Ynys Lawd) is an island situated just off Holy Island on the northwest coast of Anglesey, Wales.
South Stack is an island known as a sea stack. It was formed by the wave erosion of sedimentary rocks that once connected the island to the mainland.
The area is known geologically as the South Stack Formation. Its strata includes sandstones and interbedded shales which have been contorted by large folds and crumples. The folds can be seen in the seacliffs (best viewed from the steps leading down to the lighthouse). Thick beds of pure Holyhead Quartzite, which forms the bulk of Holyhead Mountain, lie above these folded sedimentary rocks. Recent studies suggests the rocks appearance was caused by large scale earth movements which is not a part of the normal sedimentary process; however, this theory remains controversial. Similar evidence of upthrusts can be seen in the cliffs to the south of South Stack.
The geology of South Stack has been chosen as one of the top 100 geosites in the United Kingdom by Geological Society of London, for its display of small-scale folding.
South Stack Lighthouse, which was completed in 1809, is sited 41 metres (135 ft) above the sea on South Stack. Its lamp tower is 28 m (92 ft)-tall and the lighthouse complex covers seven acres (2.8 ha). There are over 390 stone steps and 10 metal steps down to the footbridge.
Originally the only way to cross to the island was in a basket suspended from a hemp cable. In 1828, an iron suspension bridge was built; it was replaced in 1964 with a steel cable truss bridge. However, in 1983 it had to be closed to the public due to safety concerns. After a new aluminium bridge was built, the lighthouse was reopened to the public in 1997. It is now a popular destination, attracting thousands of visitors every year.
The island's cliffs are part of the South Stack Cliffs RSPB reserve which are home to an estimated 8,000 nesting birds during the breeding season. An RSPB visitor centre (with bird hide) is located at Elin's Tower on the mainland. Birds and marine life seen from the centre include choughs, peregrine falcons, and kestrels as well as harbour porpoises, grey seals, Risso's dolphins and bottlenose dolphins.
In 2019, proposals to develop a 35 km2 (14 sq mi) 'West Anglesey Demonstration Zone' tidal energy project at South Stack were submitted under the Transport and Works Act 1992 to the Welsh Government for planning consent. Consent for the project, called Morlais was awarded in December 2021 and construction of the onshore grid connection works took place in 2023.
As the development will come within 500 metres (1,600 ft) of the South Stack SSSI, concerns have been expressed about the visual impact on the Anglesey Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty and the Holyhead Mountain Heritage Coast, along with the resultant impact on the tourism, recreation and fishing sectors. The developers have identified that seabird and mammal populations would be affected within the Holy Island Coast Special Area of Conservation and Special Protection Area along with the North Anglesey Marine Special Area of Conservation. Most notably bottlenose dolphin and harbour porpoise would likely be affected, whilst razorbill and common guillemot will be severely impacted. The RSPB is concerned that the razorbill colony on South Stack could be wiped out.
Part of the Anglesey Coastal Path, which is a 200-kilometre (124 mi) long-distance footpath around the island of Anglesey, passes South Stack. The Cybi Circular Walk around Holyhead Mountain has long and short variants; the short walk is four miles (6.4 km) long and takes around two hours to complete. Travelling from the Breakwater Country Park, other sites along the way are the North Stack Fog Signal station, Caer y Tŵr, and Tŷ Mawr Hut Circles.
South Stack's natural beauty has been used in photography and literature. The cover photo for Roxy Music's Siren album was taken directly below the central span of the bridge on a slope on the south side, by Graham Hughes in August 1975. In 2010, a French comic entitled Les Gardiens des Enfers (The Guardians of Hell) was published. Its story is mainly set in South Stack lighthouse in 1859. The cover and the first pages can be seen on the publisher's website.
The Isle of Anglesey is a county off the north-west coast of Wales. It is named after the island of Anglesey, which makes up 94% of its area, but also includes Holy Island (Ynys Gybi) and some islets and skerries. The county borders Gwynedd across the Menai Strait to the southeast, and is otherwise surrounded by the Irish Sea. Holyhead is the largest town, and the administrative centre is Llangefni. The county is part of the preserved county of Gwynedd.
The Isle of Anglesey is sparsely populated, with an area of 276 square miles (710 km2) and a population of 68,900. After Holyhead (12,103), the largest settlements are Llangefni (5,500) and Amlwch (3,967). The economy of the county is mostly based on agriculture, energy, and tourism, the latter especially on the coast. Holyhead is also a major ferry port for Dublin, Ireland. The county has the second-highest percentage of Welsh speakers in Wales, at 57.2%, and is considered a heartland of the language.
The island of Anglesey, at 676 square kilometres (261 sq mi), is the largest in Wales and the Irish Sea, and the seventh largest in Britain. The northern and eastern coasts of the island are rugged, and the southern and western coasts are generally gentler; the interior is gently undulating. In the north of the island is Llyn Alaw, a reservoir with an area of 1.4 square miles (4 km2). Holy Island has a similar landscape, with a rugged north and west coast and beaches to the east and south. The county is surrounded by smaller islands; several, including South Stack and Puffin Island, are home to seabird colonies. Large parts of the county's coastline have been designated an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty.
The county has many prehistoric monuments, such as Bryn Celli Ddu burial chamber. In the Middle Ages the area was part of the Kingdom of Gwynedd and native Principality of Wales, and the ruling House of Aberffraw maintained courts (Welsh: llysoedd) at Aberffraw and Rhosyr. After Edward I's conquest of Gwynedd he built the castle at Beaumaris, which forms part of the Castles and Town Walls of King Edward in Gwynedd World Heritage Site. The Menai Strait to the mainland is spanned by the Menai Suspension Bridge, designed by Thomas Telford in 1826, and the Britannia Bridge, originally designed by Robert Stephenson in 1850.
The history of the settlement of the local people of Anglesey starts in the Mesolithic period. Anglesey and the UK were uninhabitable until after the previous ice age. It was not until 12,000 years ago that the island of Great Britain became hospitable. The oldest excavated sites on Anglesey include Trwyn Du (Welsh: Black nose) at Aberffraw. The Mesolithic site located at Aberffraw Bay (Porth Terfyn) was buried underneath a Bronze Age 'kerb cairn' which was constructed c. 2,000 BC. The bowl barrow (kerb cairn) covered a material deposited from the early Mesolithic period; the archeological find dates to 7,000 BC. After millennia of hunter-gather civilisation in the British Isles, the first villages were constructed from 4000 BC. Neolithic settlements were built in the form of long houses, on Anglesey is one of the first villages in Wales, it was built at Llanfaethlu. Also an example permanent settlement on Anglesey is of a Bronze Age built burial mound, Bryn Celli Ddu (English: Dark Grove Hill). The mound started as a henge enclosure around 3000 BC and was adapted several times over a millennium.
There are numerous megalithic monuments and menhirs in the county, testifying to the presence of humans in prehistory. Plas Newydd is near one of 28 cromlechs that remain on uplands overlooking the sea. The Welsh Triads claim that the island of Anglesey was once part of the mainland.
After the Neolithic age, the Bronze Age began (c. 2200 BC – 800 BC). Some sites were continually used for thousands of years from original henge enclosures, then during the Iron Age, and also some of these sites were later adapted by Celts into hillforts and finally were in use during the Roman period (c. 100 AD) as roundhouses. Castell Bryn Gwyn (English: White hill castle, also called Bryn Beddau, or the "hill of graves") near Llanidan, Anglesey is an example of a Neolithic site that became a hillfort that was used until the Roman period by the Ordovices, the local tribe who were defeated in battle by a Roman legion (c. 78 AD). Bronze Age monuments were also built throughout the British Isles. During this period, the Mynydd Bach cairn in South-west Anglesey was being used. It is a Beaker period prehistoric funerary monument.
During the Iron Age the Celts built dwellings huts, also known as roundhouses. These were established near the previous settlements. Some huts with walled enclosures were discovered on the banks of the river (Welsh: afon) Gwna near. An example of a well-preserved hut circle is over the Cymyran Strait on Holy Island. The Holyhead Mountain Hut Circles (Welsh: Tŷ Mawr / Cytiau'r Gwyddelod, Big house / "Irishmen's Huts") were inhabited by ancient Celts and were first occupied before the Iron Age, c. 1000 BC. The Anglesey Iron Age began after 500 BC. Archeological research discovered limpet shells which were found from 200 BC on a wall at Tŷ Mawr and Roman-era pottery from the 3rd to 4th centuries AD. Some of these huts were still being used for agricultural purposes as late as the 6th century. The first excavation of Ty Mawr was conducted by William Owen Stanley of Penrhos, Anglesey (son of Baron Stanley of Alderley).
Historically, Anglesey has long been associated with the druids. The Roman conquest of Anglesey began in 60 CE when the Roman general Gaius Suetonius Paulinus, determined to break the power of the druids, attacked the island using his amphibious Batavian contingent as a surprise vanguard assault and then destroyed the shrine and the nemeta (sacred groves). News of Boudica's revolt reached him just after his victory, causing him to withdraw his army before consolidating his conquest. The island was finally brought into the Roman Empire by Gnaeus Julius Agricola, the Roman governor of Britain, in AD 78. During the Roman occupation, the area was notable for the mining of copper. The foundations of Caer Gybi, a fort in Holyhead, are Roman, and the present road from Holyhead to Llanfairpwllgwyngyll was originally a Roman road. The island was grouped by Ptolemy with Ireland ("Hibernia") rather than with Britain ("Albion").
After the Roman departure from Britain in the early 5th century, pirates from Ireland (Picts) colonised Anglesey and the nearby Llŷn Peninsula. In response to this, Cunedda ap Edern, a Gododdin warlord from Scotland, came to the area and began to drive the Irish out. This was continued by his son Einion Yrth ap Cunedda and grandson Cadwallon Lawhir ap Einion; the last Irish invaders were finally defeated in battle in 470.
During the 9th century, King Rhodri Mawr unified Wales and separated the country into at least 3 provinces between his sons. He gave Gwynedd to his son, Anarawd ap Rhodri, who founded the medieval Welsh dynasty, The House of Aberffraw on Anglesey, also his other son Cadell founded House of Dinefwr in Deheubarth, and another son, Merfyn ruled Powys (where the House of Mathrafal emerged). The island had a good defensive position, and so Aberffraw became the site of the royal court (Welsh: Llys) of the Kingdom of Gwynedd. Apart from devastating Danish raids in 853 and 968 in Aberffraw, it remained the capital until the 13th, after Rhodri Mawr had moved his family seat from Caernarfon and built a royal palace at Aberffraw in 873. This is when improvements to the English navy made the location indefensible. Anglesey was also briefly the most southerly possession of the Norwegian Empire.[citation needed]
After the Irish, the island was invaded by Vikings — some raids were noted in famous sagas (see Menai Strait History) such as the Jómsvíkinga— and by Saxons, and Normans, before falling to Edward I of England in the 13th century. The connection with the Vikings can be seen in the name of the island. In ancient times it was called "Maenige" and received the name "Ongulsey" or Angelsoen, from where the current name originates.
Anglesey (with Holy Island) is one of the 13 historic counties of Wales. In medieval times, before the conquest of Wales in 1283, Môn often had periods of temporary independence, when frequently bequeathed to the heirs of kings as a sub-kingdom of Gwynedd, an example of this was Llywelyn ap Iorwerth (Llywelyn I, the Great c. 1200s) who was styled the Prince of Aberffraw. After the Norman invasion of Wales was one of the last times this occurred a few years after 1171, after the death of Owain Gwynedd, when the island was inherited by Rhodri ab Owain Gwynedd, and between 1246 and about 1255 when it was granted to Owain Goch as his share of the kingdom. After the conquest of Wales by Edward I, Anglesey became a county under the terms of the Statute of Rhuddlan of 1284. Hitherto it had been divided into the cantrefi of Aberffraw, Rhosyr and Cemaes.
During 1294 as a rebellion of the former house of Aberffraw, Prince Madog ap Llywelyn had attacked King Edward I's castles in North Wales. As a direct response, Beaumaris Castle was constructed to control Edward's interests in Anglesey, however, by the 1320s the build was abandoned and never complete. The castle was besieged by Owain Glyndŵr in the early 15th century. It was ruinous by 1609, however, the 6th Viscount Bulkeley had purchased the castle from Crown the in 1807 and it has been open to the public under the guardianship of the Crown ever since 1925.
The Shire Hall in Llangefni was completed in 1899. During the First World War, the Presbyterian minister and celebrity preacher John Williams toured the island as part of an effort to recruit young men as volunteers. The island's location made it ideal for monitoring German U-Boats in the Irish Sea, with half a dozen airships based at Mona. German POWs were kept on the island. By the end of the war, some 1,000 of the island's men had died on active service.
In 1936 the NSPCC opened its first branch on Anglesey.
During the Second World War, Anglesey received Italian POWs. The island was designated a reception zone, and was home to evacuee children from Liverpool and Manchester.
In 1971, a 100,000 ton per annum aluminum smelter was opened by Rio Tinto Zinc Corporation and British Insulated Callender's Cables with Kaiser Aluminum and Chemical Corporation as a 30 per cent partner.
In 1974, Anglesey became a district of the new county of Gwynedd. The Local Government (Wales) Act 1994 abolished the 1974 county and the five districts on 1 April 1996, and Anglesey became a separate unitary authority. In 2011, the Welsh Government appointed a panel of commissioners to administer the council, which meant the elected members were not in control. The commissioners remained until an election was held in May 2013, restoring an elected Council. Before the period of direct administration, there had been a majority of independent councillors. Though members did not generally divide along party lines, these were organised into five non-partisan groups on the council, containing a mix of party and independent candidates. The position has been similar since the election, although the Labour Party has formed a governing coalition with the independents.
Brand new council offices were built at Llangefni in the 1990s for the new Isle of Anglesey County Council.
Anglesey is a low-lying island with low hills spaced evenly over the north. The highest six are Holyhead Mountain, 220 metres (720 ft); Mynydd Bodafon, 178 metres (584 ft); Mynydd Llaneilian, 177 metres (581 ft); Mynydd y Garn, 170 metres (560 ft); Bwrdd Arthur, 164 metres (538 ft); and Mynydd Llwydiarth, 158 metres (518 ft). To the south and south-east, the island is divided from the Welsh mainland by the Menai Strait, which at its narrowest point is about 250 metres (270 yd) wide. In all other directions the island is surrounded by the Irish Sea. At 676 km2 (261 sq mi), it is the 52nd largest island of Europe and just five km2 (1.9 sq mi) smaller than the main island of Singapore.
There are a few natural lakes, mostly in the west, such as Llyn Llywenan, the largest on the island, Llyn Coron, and Cors Cerrig y Daran, but rivers are few and small. There are two large water supply reservoirs operated by Welsh Water. These are Llyn Alaw to the north of the island and Llyn Cefni in the centre of the island, which is fed by the headwaters of the Afon Cefni.
The climate is humid (though less so than neighbouring mountainous Gwynedd) and generally equable thanks to the Gulf Stream. The land is of variable quality and has probably lost some fertility. Anglesey has the northernmost olive grove in Europe and presumably in the world.
The coast of the Isle of Anglesey is more populous than the interior. The largest community is Holyhead, which is located on Holy Island and had a population of 12,103 at the 2021 United Kingdom census. It is followed by Amlwch (3,697), Llanfair-Mathafarn-Eithaf (3,085), and Menai Bridge (3,046), all located on the coast of the island of Anglesey. The largest community in the interior of Anglesey is Llangefni (5,500), the county town; the next-largest is Llanfihangel Ysgeifiog (1,711).
Beaumaris (Welsh: Biwmares) in the east features Beaumaris Castle, built by Edward I during his Bastide campaign in North Wales. Beaumaris is a yachting centre, with boats moored in the bay or off Gallows Point. The village of Newborough (Welsh: Niwbwrch), in the south, created when townsfolk of Llanfaes were relocated for the building of Beaumaris Castle, includes the site of Llys Rhosyr, another court of medieval Welsh princes featuring one of the United Kingdom's oldest courtrooms. The centrally localted Llangefni is the island's administrative centre. The town of Menai Bridge (Welsh: Porthaethwy) in the south-east, expanded to accommodate workers and construction when the first bridge to the mainland was being built. Hitherto Porthaethwy had been one of the main ferry ports for the mainland. A short distance from the town lies Bryn Celli Ddu, a Stone Age burial mound.
Nearby is the village with the longest name in Europe, Llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerychwyrndrobwllllantysiliogogogoch, and Plas Newydd, ancestral home of the Marquesses of Anglesey. The town of Amlwch lies in the north-east of the island and was once largely industrialised, having grown in the 18th century to support a major copper-mining industry at Parys Mountain.
Other settlements include Cemaes, Pentraeth, Gaerwen, Dwyran, Bodedern, Malltraeth and Rhosneigr. The Anglesey Sea Zoo is a local attraction offering looks at local marine wildlife from common lobsters to congers. All fish and crustaceans on display are caught round the island and placed in habitat reconstructions. The zoo also breeds lobsters commercially for food and oysters for pearls, both from local stocks. Sea salt (Halen Môn, from local sea water) is produced in a facility nearby, having formerly been made at the Sea Zoo site.
Landmarks
Anglesey Motor Racing Circuit
Anglesey Sea Zoo near Dwyran
Bays and beaches – Benllech, Cemlyn, Red Wharf, and Rhosneigr
Beaumaris Castle and Gaol
Cribinau – tidal island with 13th-century church
Elin's Tower (Twr Elin) – RSPB reserve and the lighthouse at South Stack (Ynys Lawd) near Holyhead
King Arthur's seat – near Beaumaris
Llanfairpwllgwyngyll, one of the longest place names in the world
Malltraeth – centre for bird life and home of wildlife artist Charles Tunnicliffe
Moelfre – fishing village
Parys Mountain – copper mine dating to the early Bronze Age
Penmon – priory and dovecote
Skerries Lighthouse – at the end of a low piece of submerged land, north-east of Holyhead
Stone Science Museum – privately run fossil museum near Pentraeth
Swtan longhouse and museum – owned by the National Trust and managed by the local community
Working windmill – Llanddeusant
Ynys Llanddwyn (Llanddwyn Island) – tidal island
St Cybi's Church Historic church in Holyhead
Born in Anglesey
Tony Adams – actor (Anglesey, 1940)
Stu Allan – radio and club DJ
John C. Clarke – U.S. state politician (Anglesey, 1831)
Grace Coddington – creative director for US Vogue (Anglesey, 1941)
Charles Allen Duval – artist and writer (Beaumaris, 1810)
Dawn French – actress, writer, comedian (Holyhead, 1957)
Huw Garmon – actor (Anglesey, 1966)
Hugh Griffith – Oscar-winning actor (Marianglas, 1912)
Elen Gwdman – poet (fl. 1609)
Meinir Gwilym – singer and songwriter (Llangristiolus, 1983)
Owain Gwynedd – royal prince (Anglesey, c. 1100)
Hywel Gwynfryn – radio and TV personality (Llangefni, 1942)
Aled Jones – singer and television presenter (Llandegfan, 1970)
John Jones – amateur astronomer (Bryngwyn Bach, Dwyran 1818 – Bangor 1898); a.k.a. Ioan Bryngwyn Bach and Y Seryddwr
William Jones – mathematician (Llanfihangel Tre'r Beirdd, 1675)
Julian Lewis Jones – actor, known for his portrayal of Karl Morris on the Sky 1 comedy Stella (Anglesey, 1968)
John Morris-Jones – grammarian and poet (Llandrygarn, 1864)
Edward Owen – 18th-century artist, notable for letters documenting life in London's art scene
Goronwy Owen – 18th-century poet (Llanfair-Mathafarn-Eithaf, 1723)
Osian Roberts – association football player and manager (Bodffordd)
Tecwyn Roberts – NASA aerospace engineer and Director of Networks at Goddard Space Flight Center (Llanddaniel Fab, 1925)
Hugh Owen Thomas – pioneering orthopaedic surgeon (Anglesey, 1836)
Ifor Owen Thomas – operatic tenor, photographer and artist (Red Wharf Bay, 1892)
Sefnyn – medieval court poet
Owen Tudor – grandfather of Henry Tudor, married the widow of Henry V, which gave the Tudor family a claim on the English throne (Anglesey, c. 1400).
Kyffin Williams – landscape painter (Llangefni, 1918)
William Williams – recipient of the Victoria Cross (Amlwch, 1890)
Andy Whitfield – actor (Amlwch, 1971)
Gareth Williams – employee of Britain's GCHQ signals intelligence agency (Anglesey, 1978)
St. Patrick`s Cathedral, New York.
Roman Catholic cathedral church of the Archdiocese of New York, on 50th Street and 5th Avenue in Manhattan. It was built by the architect James Renwick during the administration of Archbishop John Hughes. Although it was estimated that building the cathedral would take eight years when work began in 1859, the project took much longer because of its interruption by the Civil War.
During construction St. Patrick's Old Cathedral on Prince and Mott streets was destroyed by fire (1866) and then rebuilt and rededicated by John Cardinal McCloskey (1868), who also dedicated the new cathedral on its completion on 25 May 1879; the final cost of construction was $1.9 million. McCloskey appointed William Quinn, vicar of the archdiocese, as the first pastor of the new cathedral.
In 1877, after the completion of this chapel for the Sisters of Loretto in Santa Fe, New Mexico, the good sisters had a problem. With their long habits, they were not comfortable using a ladder to reach the high choir loft. They searched and searched for a carpenter to build a staircase which would not take up too much of the small chapel's space or too much of the space of the choir loft. No one could construct such a staircase.
The sisters turned to prayer for an answer. A nine day novena to St. Joseph, the carpenter-father of Jesus, husband of Mary, to whom the chapel is dedicated. On the ninth day, a carpenter arrived, with just a few simple tools, saying he would build a staircase that would meet their requirements, but that he needed privacy, and tubs of warm water. The only name he gave was Joseph.
After his months of labor and secrecy, the sisters discovered he had gone without leaving a bill, nor was their a bill for the wood at any of the area lumber yards. In the chapel was a completed staircase, one that for a long time defied explanation at how it could exist or support the sisters or their students clambering up and down every day for decades.
There is no obvious central support beam for the staircase. It is simply a spiral helix of two narrowly wound wooden stringers with steps between them and a backing to close off the underside of the stairs. The railing you see on the stairs and in the choir loft was not installed by the carpenter called Joseph, but added by another master craftsman 10 years after the original staircase was done. The sisters were so scared to climb down the steps without a railing that they did so on their hands and knees. I don't blame them!
The mysteries of the staircase include the identity of Joseph, still unknown, the exceptionally unique and masterful design of the tight spiral staircase, unheard of for an itinerant carpenter of the day, and the source of the wood, which appears to be spruce, but to this day exactly where the wood came from is a mystery.
Was it a miracle? Did Joseph the carpenter father of Jesus construct these miraculous stairs? If not, who was that miracle-worker, and where did the wood come from? Some things will never be known.
One thing is known, this Joseph was an answer to the sister's prayers.
5th Avenue & 34th Street, NYC
by navema
The Empire State Building is a 102-story skyscraper located in Midtown Manhattan, New York City, at the intersection of Fifth Avenue and West 34th Street. It has a roof height of 1,250 feet (381 meters), and with its antenna spire included, it stands a total of 1,454 ft (443.2 m) high. Its name is derived from the nickname for New York, the Empire State. It stood as the world's tallest building for 40 years, from its completion in 1931 until construction of the World Trade Center's North Tower was completed in 1972. Following the September 11 attacks in 2001, the Empire State Building was again the tallest building in New York (although it was no longer the tallest in the US or the world). The Empire State Building was once again demoted to second-tallest building in New York on April 30, 2012, when the new One World Trade Center reached a greater height. The Empire State Building is currently the third-tallest completed skyscraper in the United States (after the Willis Tower and Trump International Hotel and Tower, both in Chicago), and the 22nd-tallest in the world (the tallest now is Burj Khalifa, located in Dubai). It is also the fourth-tallest freestanding structure in the Americas.
The site of the Empire State Building was first developed as the John Thompson Farm in the late 18th century. At the time, a stream ran across the site, emptying into Sunfish Pond, located a block away. Beginning in the late 19th century, the block was occupied by the Waldorf-Astoria Hotel, frequented by The Four Hundred, the social elite of New York.
The limestone for the Empire State Building came from the Empire Mill in Sanders, Indiana which is an unincorporated town adjacent to Bloomington, Indiana. The Empire Mill Land office is near State Road 37 and Old State Road 37 just south of Bloomington. Bloomington, Bedford and Oolitic area are known as the limestone capital of the world. It is a point of local pride that the stone for the Empire State building came from there.
The Empire State Building was designed by William F. Lamb from the architectural firm Shreve, Lamb and Harmon, which produced the building drawings in just two weeks, using its earlier designs for the Reynolds Building in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, and the Carew Tower in Cincinnati, Ohio (designed by the architectural firm W. W. Ahlschlager & Associates) as a basis. Every year the staff of the Empire State Building sends a Father's Day card to the staff at the Reynolds Building in Winston-Salem to pay homage to its role as predecessor to the Empire State Building. The building was designed from the top down. The general contractors were The Starrett Brothers and Eken, and the project was financed primarily by John J. Raskob and Pierre S. du Pont. The construction company was chaired by Alfred E. Smith, a former Governor of New York and James Farley's General Builders Supply Corporation supplied the building materials. John W. Bowser was project construction superintendent.
Excavation of the site began on January 22, 1930, and construction on the building itself started symbolically on March 17—St. Patrick's Day—per Al Smith's influence as Empire State, Inc. president. The project involved 3,400 workers, mostly immigrants from Europe, along with hundreds of Mohawk iron workers, many from the Kahnawake reserve near Montreal. According to official accounts, five workers died during the construction. Governor Smith's grandchildren cut the ribbon on May 1, 1931. Lewis Wickes Hine's photography of the construction provides not only invaluable documentation of the construction, but also a glimpse into common day life of workers in that era.
The construction was part of an intense competition in New York for the title of "world's tallest building". Two other projects fighting for the title, 40 Wall Street and the Chrysler Building, were still under construction when work began on the Empire State Building. Each held the title for less than a year, as the Empire State Building surpassed them upon its completion, just 410 days after construction commenced. The project was completed ahead of schedule and under budget. Instead of taking 18 months as anticipated, the construction took just under fifteen. Due to reduced costs during the Depression, the final costs totaled only $24.7 million (372.8 million 2012 dollars) instead of the estimated $43 million. The building was officially opened on May 1, 1931 in dramatic fashion, when United States President Herbert Hoover turned on the building's lights with the push of a button from Washington, D.C. Coincidentally, the first use of tower lights atop the Empire State Building, the following year, was for the purpose of signaling the victory of Franklin D. Roosevelt over Hoover in the presidential election of November 1932.
The Empire State Building rises to 1,250 ft (381 m) at the 102nd floor, and including the 203 ft (62 m) pinnacle, its full height reaches 1,453 ft–89⁄16 in (443.09 m). The building has 85 stories of commercial and office space representing 2,158,000 sq ft (200,500 m2). It has an indoor and outdoor observation deck on the 86th floor. The remaining 16 stories represent the Art Deco tower, which is capped by a 102nd-floor observatory. Atop the tower is the 203 ft (62 m) pinnacle, much of which is covered by broadcast antennas, with a lightning rod at the very top.
The Empire State Building was the first building to have more than 100 floors. It has 6,500 windows and 73 elevators, and there are 1,860 steps from street level to the 102nd floor. It has a total floor area of 2,768,591 sq ft (257,211 m2); the base of the Empire State Building is about 2 acres (8,094 m2). The building houses 1,000 businesses and has its own zip code, 10118. As of 2007, approximately 21,000 employees work in the building each day, making the Empire State Building the second-largest single office complex in America, after the Pentagon. The building was completed in one year and 45 days. Its original 64 elevators are located in a central core; today, the Empire State Building has 73 elevators in all, including service elevators. It takes less than one minute by elevator to get to the 80th floor, which contains a gift shop and an exhibit detailing the building's construction. From there, visitors can take another elevator or climb the stairs to the 86th floor, where an outdoor observation deck is located. The building has 70 mi (113 km) of pipe, 2,500,000 ft (760,000 m) of electrical wire, and about 9,000 faucets. It is heated by low-pressure steam; despite its height, the building only requires between 2 and 3 psi (14 and 21 kPa) of steam pressure for heating. It weighs approximately 370,000 short tons (340,000 t). The exterior of the building was built using Indiana limestone panels.
The Empire State Building cost $40,948,900 to build (equal to roughly $500,000,000 in 2010). Long-term forecasting of the life cycle of the structure was implemented at the design phase to ensure that the building's future intended uses were not restricted by the requirements of previous generations. This is particularly evident in the over-design of the building's electrical system.
Unlike most of today's skyscrapers, the Empire State Building features an art deco design, typical of pre–World War II architecture in New York. The modernistic stainless steel canopies of the entrances on 33rd and 34th Streets lead to two story-high corridors around the elevator core, crossed by stainless steel and glass-enclosed bridges at the second-floor level. The elevator core contains 67 elevators.
The lobby is three stories high and features an aluminum relief of the skyscraper without the antenna, which was not added to the spire until 1952. The north corridor contained eight illuminated panels, created by Roy Sparkia and Renée Nemorov in 1963 in time for the 1964 World's Fair, which depicts the building as the Eighth Wonder of the World, alongside the traditional seven. These panels were eventually moved near a ticketing line for the observation deck.
The building's lobbies and common areas received a $550 million renovation in 2009, which included new air conditioning, waterproofing, and renovating the observation deck; moving the gift shop to the 80th floor. Up until the 1960s, the ceilings in the lobby had a shiny art deco mural inspired by both the sky and the Machine Age, until it was covered with ceiling tiles and fluorescent lighting. Because the original murals, designed by an artist named Leif Neandross, were damaged, reproductions were installed. Over 50 artists and workers used 15,000 square feet of aluminum and 1,300 square feet of 23-carat gold leaf to re-create the mural. Renovations to the lobby alluded to original plans for the building; replacing the clock over the information desk in the Fifth Avenue lobby with an Anemometer, as well as installing two chandeliers originally intended to be part of the building when it first opened.
About 90% done, just need to do running gear and electronics next and get the missing drivers I need.
Last night Ledbetter Architect's Highwood Square housing development won First Prize at the Connecticut Chapter of Associated Builders and Contractors annual awards program.
The award was given to LaRosa Building Group, the general contractor for the project.
Affordable Artist Housing, Hamden, Connecticut (completion 2011).
www.flickr.com/photos/benledbetter-architect/6282896719/i...
www.flickr.com/photos/benledbetter-architect/sets/7215759...
Quick one for the fun of it, right near the end of the "Blue hour".
F10 25s at 18:03 PM. I should have exposed for about 35s (not 25) but the longer you expose, the more light trails and I had the trails I wanted.
Still I think we can see how quickly the blue disappears from the sky. Don't think it's a blue hour in winter. Maybe half an hour.
Captured at 50mm. I haven't tested it 'wider' yet. Will get to that sometime soon.
Idaho Football Stadium Nearing Completion
Production Date: 1971
Source Type: Artist Rendering
Printer, Publisher, Photographer: Associated Press Wirephoto (#eg61545/uiho/1971)
Postmark: Not Applicable
Collection: Steven R. Shook
Remark: This view looks southeast toward Paradise Ridge. The following description is provided with this artist rendering of the new University of Idaho football stadium:
(SX2)MOSCOW, Idaho, June 11 -- NEW VANDAL HOME -- Construction is rapidly nearing completion for the new University of Idaho football stadium. It is being readied for the Vandal's season opener Sept. 11 against Boise State. The structure includes 18,000 bench-type seats on a concrete foundation, a press box and concession stands. Next fall's games will be played on the present grass turf. Officials say they plan to add artificial turf and cover the stadium at a later date. AP WIREPHOTO/eg61545/uiho/1971.
The stadium was indeed covered with a roof and named the Kibbie Dome. Construction of the all wood truss dome took place in ten months starting in 1974, with completion taking place before the fall football season in 1975. In 1976, the American Society of Civil Engineers bestowed their Structural Engineering Achievement Award to the builders of the Kibbie Dome.
Copyright 2016. Some rights reserved. The associated text may not be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without prior written permission of Steven R. Shook.
Der Berg des Friedens (Serie Gedichte von Mao Tse-tung)
Hora míru (Série Básně Mao-Ce-tounga), Lept
The Mountain of Peace (Series Poems by Mao-Tse-toung), etching
Salvador Dalí, vollständig ausgeschriebener Name, Salvador Domènec Felip Jacint Dalí i Domènech, wurde 1904 im spanischen Dorf Figueres, Katalonien, in eine Mittelklassefamilie hineingeboren. Sein Vater, Dalí i Cusí, war ein Staatsbeamter und seine Mutter, Felipa Domènech Ferres, war früher ein Dienstmädchen für ihren zukünftigen Ehemann. Salvador hatte zwei Geschwister, eine jüngere Schwester, Anna María, und einen älteren Bruder, auch Salvador, der im Alter von zwei Jahren starb. Dalí glaubte, die Reinkarnation seines toten Bruders zu sein.
Dalí zeigte bereits in der Kindheit künstlerische Talente. Im Jahre 1921 wurde er in der Madrider Schule der schönen Künste Academia de San Fernando aufgenommen. Hier machte er Bekanntschaft mit seinen zukünftigen Freunden und Kollegen Luis Buñuel und Federico García Lorca. Seine Werke dieser Periode zeigen Elemente des Futurismus, der metaphysischen Malerei und des Kubismus. 1925 fand seine erste Einzelausstellung in der Dalmauer Galerie in Barcelona statt. Ein Jahr später besuchte der Künstler Paris, wo er Pablo Picasso traf, der ihn den Künstlern der Pariser Avantgarde vorstellte. Beeinflusst von Diego Velázquez (der spanische Maler und führende künstlerische Persönlichkeit des Hofes von König Philip IV), wuchs Dalí sein unverwechselbarer Schnurrbart. Im selben Jahr wurde er aus der Madrider Akademie ausgeschlossen. Im Jahr 1929 arbeitete er mit Luis Buñuel an dem Film "Un Chien Andalou" (An Andalusian Dog), der seine offizielle Akzeptanz in der surrealistischen Gruppe markierte.
Im Sommer des gleichen Jahres traf er Gala, seine zukünftige lebenslange Partnerin, die seine Arbeit stark beeinflusste. Während dieser Periode begann Salvador seine "paranoisch-kritische Methode" zu entwickeln, die auf spontanem Zugriff auf das Unterbewusstsein beruhte, was zu solchen charakteristischen Bildern wie dem Lugubrious Game (1929) und The Persistence of Memory (1931) führte. 1932 nahm Dalí an der ersten surrealistischen Ausstellung in den USA teil, was ein triumphierender Erfolg war. Inzwischen brach der spanische Bürgerkrieg aus und Dalí, bekannt für seine extremen Ansichten, machte kein Geheimnis aus seiner Sympathie für die Politik von General Franco, die zu Konflikten mit den anderen Surrealisten führte. 1939 wurde er schließlich aus der surrealistischen Gruppe ausgeschlossen. Ein Jahr später wanderte er mit Gala nach den USA aus, wo er bis 1948 blieb. Dort veröffentlichte er seine Autobiographie "Das geheime Leben von Salvador Dalí" (1942) und arbeitete für die Filmindustrie, beispielsweise für ein Drehbuch für Walt Disney. Nach ihrer Rückkehr nach Spanien ließen sich Dalí und Gala in Katalonien nieder, wo sie den Rest ihres Lebens verbrachten. Zu dieser Zeit begann Dalí in seine Kompositionen mehr religiöse Elemente und optische Täuschungen zu inkludieren, was zu Gemälden wie die Madonna von Port Lligat (1950) und Kreuzigung (1954) führte. Von 1960 bis zur Fertigstellung 1974 arbeitete Dalí an seinem Theater und Museum in Figueres. Er wandte sich auch anderen Projekten zu wie der Werbung (das Logo für Chupa Chups Lutscher) und das Möbeldesign (z. B. ein Sofa in der Form der Lippen der Schauspielerin Mae West). Er schuf auch seine eigene Schmucksammlung und "Dalí" Parfüm.
Dalí benutzte eine breite Palette von Symbolen in seinen surrealistischen Werken, deren bekannteste die schmelzende Uhr ist, die die Relativität der Zeit symbolisiert, wie von Albert Einstein beschrieben. Der Ursprung dieser Idee ist Dalí's Beobachtung eines an einem heißen Sommertag schmelzenden Camembert-Käse zugeschrieben. Andere Symbole beinhalteten einen Elefanten auf schlanken Beinen und kriechenden Ameisen, die, nach Dalí, Tod und Angst symbolisierten. Das waren Empfindungen, die in der Kindheit des Künstlers ihren Ursprung hatten. Als er ein Kind war, hatte er eine Haustier-Fledermaus, die eines Tages starb, und Dalí fand es bedeckt mit Ameisen. Dalís Motive sind aus der Welt der Träume und freien Assoziationen gezogen.
1982 starb Dalís geliebte Frau Gala. Im selben Jahr wurde der Maler Salvador Felipe Jacinto Dalí von König Juan Carlos zum "Marquès de Dalí de Púbol" geadelt.. Im Jahr 1989 starb der zurückgetretene Dalí an Herzversagen in seinem Museum im Galatea Tower. Nach seinen Wünschen wurde er in der Krypta des Museums begraben. In seinem Testament vermachte er sein ganzes Vermögen und seine Werke dem spanischen Staat.
Die oft undurchdringliche Tiefe von Dalís Gemälden steht im Widerspruch zu seinen Skandalen und dem exhibitionistischen öffentlichen Verhalten. Während seines ganzen Lebens weigerte er sich, alle Speisen zu essen, die rot gefärbt waren und trug einen halbrasierten Schnurrbart. Er liebte es, ungewöhnliche Dinge zu tun, nur um die Aufmerksamkeit auf sich selbst zu lenken. Dennoch ist er einer der größten Künstler in Bezug auf die Qualität seiner Werke und wurde zu einem der wichtigsten Pioniere der neuen künstlerischen Trends seiner Zeit.
Salvador Dalí, full name Salvador Domènec Felip Jacint Dalí i Domènech, was born in 1904 in the Spanish village of Figueres, Catalonia to a middle class family. His father, Dalí i Cusí, was a state official and his mother, Felipa Domènech Ferres, was formerly a maid to her future husband. Salvador had two siblings, a younger sister, Anna María, and an older brother, also Salvador, who died at the age of two. Dalí believed himself to be the reincarnation of his dead brother.
Dalí already showed signs of artistic talent in childhood. In 1921 he was accepted into the Madrid school of fine arts Academia de San Fernando. Here he made acquaintance with his future friends and colleagues Luis Buñuel and Federico García Lorca. His works of this period display elements of Futurism, metaphysical painting and Cubism. In 1925 his first one-man exhibition took place in the Dalmau Gallery in Barcelona. A year later the artist visited Paris, where he met Pablo Picasso, who introduced him to the artists of the Paris avant-garde. Influenced by Diego Velázquez (the Spanish painter and leading artistic personality of the court of King Philip IV) Dalí grew his distinctive moustache. In the same year he was expelled from the Madrid Academia. In 1929 he collaborated with Luis Buñuel on the film Un Chien Andalou (An Andalusian Dog), which marked his official accepta
nce into the Surrealist Group.
In the summer of the same year he met Gala, his future lifelong partner, who greatly influenced his work. During this period, Salvador began to develop his “paranoiac-critical method” based on spontaneously accessing the subconscious, which resulted in such characteristic paintings as The Lugubrious Game (1929) and The Persistence of Memory (1931). In 1932 Dalí took part in the first Surrealist exhibition in the USA, which was a triumphant success. In the meanwhile, the Spanish Civil War broke out and Dalí, renowned for his extreme views, made no secret of his sympathy for the policies of General Franco, which resulted in conflicts with the other Surrealists. In 1939 he was finally expelled from the Surrealist Group. A year later he left with Gala for the USA, where they remained until 1948. There he published his autobiography The Secret Life of Salvador Dalí (1942) and worked for the film industry, for example drawing a storyboard for Walt Disney. Following their return to Spain, Dalí and Gala settled in Catalonia, where they spent the rest of their lives. At this time, Dalí began to include in his compositions more religious elements and optical illusions, resulting in paintings such as The Madonna of Port Lligat (1950) and Crucifixion (1954). From 1960 until their completion in 1974, Dalí worked on his theatre and museum in Figueres. He also turned his hand to other projects, such as advertising (the logo for Chupa Chups lollipops) and furniture design (for example a sofa in the shape of actress Mae West’s lips). He also created his own jewellery collection and “Dalí” perfume.
Dalí used a wide range of symbols in his surrealistic works, the most familiar of which is the melting watch, symbolising the relativity of time as described by Albert Einstein. The origin of this idea is ascribed to Dalí’s observation of a Camembert cheese melting on a hot summer’s day. Other symbols included an elephant on slender legs and crawling ants, the latter of which symbolised, according to Dalí, death and fear. These were sensations which had an origin in the artist’s childhood. When he was a child he had a pet bat, which died one day, and Dalí found it covered in ants. Dalí’s motifs are drawn from the world of dreams and free associations.
In 1982 Dalí’s beloved wife Gala died. In the same year the painter was knighted. In 1989 the resigned Dalí died of heart failure in his museum in Galatea Tower. In accordance with his wishes he was buried in the crypt of the museum. In his will he bequeathed all his property and works to the Spanish State.
The often impenetrable depth of Dalí’s paintings contrasts with his scandals and exhibitionistic public behaviour. Throughout his life he refused to eat any food that was red in colour and sported a half-shaven moustache. He was fond of doing unusual things just for the sake of drawing attention to himself. Nonetheless, he is one of the greatest artists in terms of the quality of his works and became one of the most important pioneers of the new artistic trends of his time.
Blessed Be Our Celestial Creation of Cosmic Completion ~*
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Sagrada Família Barcelona, Spain - situation 2017
Construction of the Temple Expiatori de la Sagrada Família began in 1882. The temple is still under construction, with completion expected in 2026. It is perhaps the best known structure of Catalan Modernism, drawing over three million visitors annually. Architect Antoni Gaudi worked on the project until his death in 1926, in full anticipation he would not live to see it finished.
Gaudi was appointed architect in 1883 at 31 years of age, following disagreements between the temple’s promoters and the original architect, Francisco de Paula del Villar y Lozano. He maintained del Villar’s Latin cross plan, typical of Gothic cathedrals, but departed from the Gothic in several significant ways. Most notably, Gaudi developed a system of angled columns and hyperbolical vaults to eliminate the need for flying buttresses. Rather than relying on exterior elements, horizontal loads are transferred through columns on the interior. La Sagrada Familia utilizes three-dimensional forms comprised of ruled surfaces, including hyperboloids, parabolas, helicoids, and conoids. These complex shapes allow for a thinner, finer structure, and are intended to enhance the temple’s acoustics and quality of light. Gaudi used plaster models to develop the design, including a 1:10 scale model of the main nave measuring five meters in height and width by two meters in depth. He also devised a system of strings and weights suspended from a plan of the temple on the ceiling. From this inverted model he derived the necessary angles of the columns, vaults, and arches. This is evident in the slanted columns of the Passion facade, which recall tensile structures but act in compression.
Gaudi embedded religious symbolism in each aspect of La Sagrada Familia, creating a visual representation of Christian beliefs. He designed three iconic facades for the basilica, the Glory, Nativity, and Passion facades, facing south, east, and west, respectively. The sculpting of the Nativity facade recalls smooth, intricate corbelling and was overseen by Gaudi. The Passion Facade is characterized by the work of Josep Maria Subirachs, whose angular sculptures extend the modernist character of the temple. The sculptor Etsuro Sotoo is responsible for the window ornaments and finials, which symbolize the Eucharist. The central nave soars to a height of 45 meters, and is designed to resemble a forest of multi-hued piers in Montjuïc and granite. The piers change in cross section from base to terminus, increasing in number of vertices from polygonal to circular. The slender, bifurcating columns draw the eye upward, where light filters through circular apertures in the vaults. These are finished in Venetian glass tiles of green and gold, articulating the lines of the hyperboloids.
Once completed, La Sagrada Familia will feature eighteen towers. Four bell towers representing the Apostles crown each facade, reaching approximately 100 meters in height. At the north end, a tower representing the Virgin Mary will stand over the apse. The central tower will reach 72 meters in height and symbolize Christ, surrounded by four towers representing the Evangelists. Even as construction continues, older portions are undergoing cleaning and restoration. The temple has relied entirely on private donations since its inception, and has seen many delays due to lack of funding. A particularly significant setback occurred during the Spanish Civil War, when Gaudi’s workshop was destroyed, including much of the documentation he left behind. Subsequent generations of craftsman and architects have relied on the remaining drawings and plaster models to advance the project, adhering to Gaudi’s vision as closely as possible. As a result, the design of the temple is a collaboration spanning centuries. Gaudi himself viewed the project as the collective work of generations. "I will grow old but others will come after me. What must always be conserved is the spirit of the work, but its life has to depend on the generations it is handed down to and with whom it lives and is incarnated."
In recent decades, La Sagrada Familia has adopted contemporary digital design and construction technologies. Architects and craftsmen use Rhinoceros, Cadds5, Catia, and CAM to understand the complex geometries and visualize the building as a whole. Plaster models are still used as a design tool, now generated by a 3-D printer to accelerate the process.
Architect: Antoni Gaudi
Present Chief Architect: Jordi Fauli
Former Chief Architects: Jordi Bonet, Francesc de Paula Quintana i Vidal, Isidre Puig i Boada, Lluís Bonet i Garí, , Francesc de Paula del Villar y Lozano
Deputy Chief Architects: Carles Buxadé, Joan Margarit, Josep Gómez Serrano
Technical Consultants: Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya, Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology
Project Department: Jordi Coll, Andrés de Mesa
Sculptors: Etsuro Sotoo, Josep Maria Subirachs
Stained Glass: Joan Vila-Grau
Area: 4.500 m2
The framework for the 'contemporary glazed entrance pavilion' is visible amidst the development work.
LDN Architects, Buro Happold engineers and Interserve Construction. Overall McEwan Hall project cost to be £35m with a completion date in 2017.
www.ed.ac.uk/estatesprojects/central-area/live-capital-pr...
. . . sadly Non-Hindus are not allowed inside the temple complex
__________________________________________
The Jagannath Temple of Puri (Odia: ଜଗନ୍ନାଥ ମନ୍ଦିର) is a famous, sacred Hindu temple dedicated to Jagannath and located on the eastern coast of India, at Puri in the state of Odisha.
The temple is an important pilgrimage destination for many Hindu traditions, particularly worshippers of god Krishna and god Vishnu, and part of the Char Dham pilgrimages that a Hindu is expected to make in one's lifetime.
Even though most Hindu deities that are worshiped are made out of stone or metal, the image of Jagannath is wooden. Every twelve or nineteen years these wooden figures are ceremoniously replaced by using sacred trees, that have to be carved as an exact replica. The reason behind this ceremonial tradition is the highly secret Navakalevara ('New Body' or 'New Embodiment') ceremony, an intricate set of rituals that accompany the renewal of the wooden statues.
The temple was built in the 12th century atop its ruins by the progenitor of the Eastern Ganga dynasty, King Anantavarman Chodaganga Deva. The temple is famous for its annual Rath Yatra, or chariot festival, in which the three main temple deities are hauled on huge and elaborately decorated temple cars. Since medieval times, it is also associated with intense religious fervour.
The temple is sacred to the Vaishnava traditions and saint Ramananda who was closely associated with the temple. It is also of particular significance to the followers of the Gaudiya Vaishnavism whose founder, Chaitanya Mahaprabhu, was attracted to the deity, Jagannath, and lived in Puri for many years.
DEITIES
The central forms of Jagannath, Balabhadra and the goddess Subhadra constitute the trinity of deities sitting on the bejewelled platform or the Ratnabedi in the inner sanctum. The Sudarshan Chakra, deities of Madanmohan, Sridevi and Vishwadhatri are also placed on the Ratnavedi. The deities of Jagannath, Balabhadra, Subhadra and Sudarshan Chakra are made from sacred Neem logs known as Daru Brahma. Depending on the season the deities are adorned in different garbs and jewels. Worship of the deities pre-date the temple structure and may have originated in an ancient tribal shrine.
ORIGINS OF THE TEMPLE
According to the recently discovered copper plates from the Ganga dynasty, the construction of the current Jagannath temple was initiated by the ruler of Kalinga, Anantavarman Chodaganga Dev. The Jaga mohan and the Vimana portions of the temple were built during his reign (1078 - 1148 CE). However, it was only in the year 1174 CE that the Oriya ruler Ananga Bhima Deva rebuilt the temple to give a shape in which it stands today.
Jagannath worship in the temple continued until 1558, when Odisha was attacked by the Afghan general Kalapahad. Subsequently, when Ramachandra Deb established an independent kingdom at Khurda in Orissa, the temple was consecrated and the deities reinstalled.
LEGENDS
Legendary account as found in the Skanda-Purana, Brahma Purana and other Puranas and later Oriya works state that Lord Jagannath was originally worshipped as Lord Neela Madhaba by a Savar king (tribal chief) named Viswavasu. Having heard about the deity, King Indradyumna sent a Brahmin priest, Vidyapati to locate the deity, who was worshipped secretly in a dense forest by Viswavasu. Vidyapati tried his best but could not locate the place. But at last he managed to marry Viswavasu's daughter Lalita. At repeated request of Vidyapti, Viswavasu took his son-in-law blind folded to a cave where Lord Neela Madhaba was worshipped.
Vidyapati was very intelligent. He dropped mustard seeds on the ground on the way. The seeds germinated after a few days, which enabled him to find out the cave later on. On hearing from him, King Indradyumna proceeded immediately to Odra desha Orissa on a pilgrimage to see and worship the Deity. But the deity had disappeared. The king was disappointed. The Deity was hidden in sand. The king was determined not to return without having a darshan of the deity and observed fast unto death at Mount Neela, Then a celestial voice cried 'thou shalt see him.' Afterwards the king performed a horse sacrifice and built a magnificent temple for Vishnu. Sri Narasimha Murti brought by Narada was installed in the temple. During sleep, the king had a vision of Lord Jagannath. Also an astral voice directed him to receive the fragrant tree on the seashore and make idols out of it. Accordingly, the king got the image of Lord Jagannath, Balabhadra, Subhadra and Chakra Sudarshan made out of the wood of the divine tree and installed them in the temple.
INDRADYUMNA´S PRAYER TO LORD BRAHMA
King Indradyumna put up for Jagannath the tallest monument of the world. It was 1,000 cubits high. He invited Lord Brahma, the cosmic creator, consecrate the temple and the images. Brahma came all the way from Heaven for this purpose. Seeing the temple he was immensely pleased with him. Brahma asked Indradyumna as to in what way can he (Brahma) fulfill the king's desire, since was very much pleased with him for his having put the most beautiful Temple for Lord Vishnu. With folded hands, Indradyumna said, "My Lord if you are really pleased with me, kindly bless me with one thing, and it is that I should be issueless and that I should be the last member of my family." In case anybody left alive after him, he would only take pride as the owner of the temple and would not work for the society.
THE EPISODE OF THE LORD´S GRACE DURING A WAR WITH KANCHI
At one time, a king of Kanchi in the down south remarked that the king of Orissa was a chandala (a man of very low caste or status) because, he performs the duties of a sweeper during the Car Festival. When this news reached the ears of the king of Orissa, he led an expedition to Kanchi. Before that, he implored the mercy of Lord Jagannath. The soldiers of Orissa marched towards Kanchi from Cuttack (earlier capital city of Orissa, located on the banks of Mahanadi, at a distance of 30 km from Bhubaneswar. It so happened that when the soldiers, headed by the king Purusottam Dev, reached a place near the Chilika lake, a lady, who was selling curd (yogurt) met him (the king) and presented a golden ring studded with precious gems and submitted. "My Lord, kindly listen to me. A little earlier, two soldiers riding over two horses (white and black in colour), approached me and said we are thirsty give us curds to drink.' I gave them curds. Instead of giving me money, they gave me this ring and said,'the king of Orissa will come here, after some time, on his way to Kanchi. You present it to him and he will pay you the money.' So my Lord, you take it and give me my dues.
It took no time for the king to know that the ring belongs to Lord Jagannath. He was convinced that Jagannath and Balabhadra were proceeding to the battle field ahead of him to help him there. To perpetuate the memory of this great incident, the king founded a village in the Chilika lake area. As the name of the lady was Manika, the name given to the village was Manika Patana. Even to this day, the curds of this village are famous.
LEGEND SURROUNDING THE TEMPLE ORIGIN
The traditional story concerning the origins of the Lord Jagannath temple is that here the original image of Jagannath (a deity form of Vishnu) at the end of Treta yuga manifested near a banyan tree, near seashore in the form of an Indranila nilamani or the Blue Jewel. It was so dazzling that it could grant instant moksha, so the god Dharma or Yama wanted to hide it in the earth, and was successful. In Dvapara Yuga King Indradyumna of Malwa wanted to find that mysterious image and to do so he performed harsh penances to obtain his goal. Vishnu then instructed him to go to the Puri seashore and find a floating log to make an image from its trunk.
The King found the log of wood. He did a yajna from which god Yajna Nrisimha appeared and instructed that Narayana should be made as fourfold expansion, i.e. Paramatma as Vasudeva, his Vyuha as Samkarshana, Yogamaya as Subhadra, and his Vibhava asSudarsana. Vishwakarma appeared in the form of artist and prepared images of Jagannath, Balabhadra and Subhadra from the tree. When this log, radiant with light was seen floating in the sea, Narada told the king to make three idols out of it and place them in a pavilion. Indradyumna got Visvakarma, the architect of Gods, to build a magnificent temple to house the idols and Vishnu himself appeared in the guise of a carpenter to make the idols on condition that he was to be left undisturbed until he finished the work.
But just after two weeks, the Queen became very anxious. She took the carpenter to be dead as no sound came from the temple. Therefore, she requested the king to open the door. Thus, they went to see Vishnu at work at which the latter abandoned his work leaving the idols unfinished. The idol was devoid of any hands. But a divine voice told Indradyumana to install them in the temple. It has also been widely believed that in spite of the idol being without hands, it can watch over the world and be its lord. Thus the idiom.
INVASIONS AND DESECRATIONS OF THE TEMPLE
The temple annals, the Madala Panji records that the Jagannath temple at Puri has been invaded and plundered eighteen times. The invasion by Raktabahu has been considered the first invasion on the temple by the Madalapanji.
RANJIT SINGH´S WILL
Sikh ruler Maharaja Ranjit Singh, had donated massive amounts of gold to the Jagannath temple. In his last will, he also ordered that Koh-i-noor, the most precious and greatest diamond in the world, to be donated to this temple, but the diamond could never actually make its way to the temple because the British, by that time, had annexed the Punjab and all its royal possessions. Thus, claiming that the Koh-i-noor was theirs. It is currently a part of British crown jewels and is located in the Tower of London.
ENTRY AND DARSHAN
Temple has 4 entrances in all directions.Temple security is selective regarding who is allowed entry. Practicing Hindus of non-Indian descent are excluded from premises, as are Hindus of non-Indian origin. Visitors not allowed entry may view the precincts from the roof of the nearby Raghunandan Library and pay their respects to the image of God Jagannath known as Patitapavana at the main entrance to the temple. There is some evidence that this came into force following a series of invasions by foreigners into the temple and surrounding area. Buddhist, and Jain groups are allowed into the temple compound if they are able to prove their Indian ancestry. The temple has slowly started allowing Hindus of non-Indian origin into the area, after an incident in which 3 Balinese Hindus were denied entry, even though Bali is 90% Hindu.
The temple remains open from 5 am to 12 midnight. Unlike many other temples devotees can go behind the idols(go round the idols).All devotees are allowed to go right up to the deities during the Sahana Mela without paying any fees . The Sahana mela or the public darshan is usually following the abakasha puja between around 7 to 8 am in the morning. Special darshan or Parimanik darshan is when devotees on paying 50 Rupees are allowed right up to the deities. Parimanik darshan happens after the dhupa pujas at around 10 am, 1 pm and 8 pm . At all other times devotees can view the deities from some distance for free. The rathyatra occurs every year some time in the month of July. 2 or 6 weeks before Rathyatra (depending upon the year) there is a ritual of Lord undergoing "Bhukaar" (sick) hence the idols are not on "Darshan". Devotees to make a note of this before they plan to visit the lord.
CULTURAL INTEGRITY
Shrikshetra of Puri Jagannath, as is commonly known, can verily be said to be a truthful replica of Indian culture. To understand this culture, one has to have some idea of the history of this land, which again is different from that of other countries of the world.
Starting from Lord Jagannath himself, history has it that he was a tribal deity, adorned by the Sabar people, as a symbol of Narayan. Another legend claims him to be Nilamadhava, an image of Narayana made of blue stone and worshipped by the aboriginals. He was brought to Nilagiri (blue mountain) or Nilachala and installed there as Shri Jagannath in company with Balabhadra and Subhadra. The images made of wood are also claimed to have their distant linkage with the aboriginal system of worshipping wooden poles. To cap it all the Daitapatis, who have a fair share of responsibilities to perform rituals of the Temple, are claimed to be descendants of the aboriginals or hill tribes of Orissa. So we may safely claim that the beginning of the cultural history of Shrikshetra is found in the fusion of Hindu and Tribal Cultures. This has been accepted as a facet of our proud heritage. The three deities came to be claimed as the symbols of Samyak Darshan, Samyak Jnana and Samyak Charita usually regarded as Triratha (of the Jain cult), an assimilation of which leads to Moksha (salvation) or the ultimate bliss...
Jagannath is worshipped as Vishnu or Narayana or Krishna and Lord Balabhadra as Shesha. Simultaneously, the deities are regarded as the bhairava with Vimala (the devi or the consort of Shiva) installed in the campus of the temple. So ultimately we find a fusion of Saivism, Shaktism and Vaishnavism of the Hindu religion with Jainism and up to an extent Buddhism in the culture of Jagannath and the cultural tradition so reverently held together in Shrikshetra.
ACHARYAS AND JAGANNATHA PURI
All of the renowned acharyas including Madhvacharya have been known to visit this kshetra. Adi Shankara established his Govardhana matha here. There is also evidence that Guru Nanak, Kabir, Tulsidas, Ramanujacharya, and Nimbarkacharya had visited this place. Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu of Gaudiya Vaishnavism stayed here for 24 years, establishing that the love of god can be spread by chanting the Hare Krishna mantra. Srimad Vallabhacharya visited Jagannath Puri and performed a 7-day recitation of Srimad Bhagvat. His sitting place is still famous as "baithakji." It confirms his visit to Puri. A famous incident took place when Vallabhachrya visited. There was a discourse being held between the Brahmins and 4 questions were asked. Who is the highest of Gods, What is the highest of mantras, What is the highest scripture and What is the highest service. The discourse went on for many days with many schools of thought. Finally Shri Vallabh said to ask Lord Jagannath to confirm Shri Vallabh's answers. A pen and paper were left in the inner sanctum. After some time, the doors were opened and 4 answers were written. 1) The Son of Devaki (Krishna) is the God of Gods 2) His name is the highest of mantras 3) His song is the highest scripture (Bhagavat Geeta) 4) Service to Him is the Highest service. The king was shocked and declared Shri Vallabh the winner of the discourse. Some of the pandits who participated became jealous of Shri Vallabh and wanted to test Him. The next day was Ekadashi, a fasting day where one must fast from grains. The pandits gave Shri Vallabh rice Prasad of Shri Jagannathji (The temple is famous for this). If Shri Vallabh ate it, He would break His vow of fasting but if He did not take it, He would disrespect Lord Jagannath. Shri Vallabh accepted the prasad in his hand and spent the rest of the day and night explaining slokas of the greatness of Prasad and ate the rice the next morning.
CHAR DHAM
The temple is one of the holiest Hindu Char Dham (four divine sites) sites comprising Rameswaram, Badrinath, Puri and Dwarka. Though the origins are not clearly known, the Advaita school of Hinduism propagated by Sankaracharya, who created Hindu monastic institutions across India, attributes the origin of Char Dham to the seer. The four monasteries lie across the four corners of India and their attendant temples are Badrinath Temple at Badrinath in the North, Jagannath Temple at Puri in the East, Dwarakadheesh Temple at Dwarka in the West and Ramanathaswamy Temple at Rameswaram in the South. Though ideologically the temples are divided between the sects of Hinduism, namely Saivism and Vaishnavism, the Char Dham pilgrimage is an all Hindu affair. There are four abodes in Himalayas called Chota Char Dham (Chota meaning small): Badrinath, Kedarnath, Gangotri and Yamunotri - all of these lie at the foot hills of Himalayas The name Chota was added during the mid of 20th century to differentiate the original Char Dhams. The journey across the four cardinal points in India is considered sacred by Hindus who aspire to visit these temples once in their lifetime. Traditionally the trip starts at the eastern end from Puri, proceeding in clockwise direction in a manner typically followed for circumambulation in Hindu temples.
STRUCTURE
The huge temple complex covers an area of over 37,000 m2, and is surrounded by a high fortified wall. This 6.1 m high wall is known as Meghanada Pacheri. Another wall known as kurma bedha surrounds the main temple. It contains at least 120 temples and shrines. With its sculptural richness and fluidity of the Oriya style of temple architecture, it is one of the most magnificent monuments of India. The temple has four distinct sectional structures, namely -
- Deula, Vimana or Garba griha (Sanctum sanctorum) where the triad deities are lodged on the ratnavedi (Throne of Pearls). In Rekha Deula style;
- Mukhashala (Frontal porch);
- Nata mandir/Natamandapa, which is also known as the Jagamohan (Audience Hall/Dancing Hall), and
- Bhoga Mandapa (Offerings Hall).
The main temple is a curvilinear temple and crowning the top is the 'srichakra' (an eight spoked wheel) of Vishnu. Also known as the "Nilachakra", it is made out of Ashtadhatu and is considered sacrosanct. Among the existing temples in Orissa, the temple of Shri Jagannath is the highest. The temple tower was built on a raised platform of stone and, rising to 65 m above the inner sanctum where the deities reside, dominates the surrounding landscape. The pyramidal roofs of the surrounding temples and adjoining halls, or mandapas, rise in steps toward the tower like a ridge of mountain peaks.
NILA CHAKRA
The Nila Chakra (Blue Discus) is the discus mounted on the top shikhar of the Jagannath Temple. As per custom, everyday a different flag is waved on the Nila Chakra. The flag hoisted on the Nila Cakra is called the Patita Pavana (Purifier of the Fallen) and is equivalent to the image of the deities placed in the sanctum sanctorum .
The Nila Chakra is a disc with eight Navagunjaras carved on the outer circumference, with all facing towards the flagpost above. It is made of alloy of eight metals (Asta-dhatu) and is 3.5 Metres high with a circumference of about 11 metres. During the year 2010, the Nila Chakra was repaired and restored by the Archaeological Survey of India.
The Nila Chakra is distinct from the Sudarshana chakra which has been placed with the deities in the inner sanctorum.
Nila Chakra is the most revered iconic symbol in the Jagannath cult. The Nila Chakra is the only physical object whose markings are used as sacrament and considered sacred in Jagannath worship. It symbolizes protection by Shri Jagannath.
THE SINGHADWARA
The Singahdwara, which in Sanskrit means The Lion Gate, is one of the four gates to the temple and forms the Main entrance. The Singhadwara is so named because two huge statues of crouching lions exist on either side of the entrance. The gate faces east opening on to the Bada Danda or the Grand Road. The Baisi Pahacha or the flight of twenty two steps leads into the temple complex. An idol of Jagannath known as Patitapavana, which in Sanskrit, means the "Saviour of the downtrodden and the fallen" is painted on the right side of the entrance. In ancient times when untouchables were not allowed inside the temple, they could pray to Patita Pavana. The statues of the two guards to the temple Jaya and Vijaya stand on either side of the doorway. Just before the commencement of the Rath Yatra the idols of Jagannath, Balabhadra and Subhadra are taken out of the temple through this gate. On their return from the Gundicha Temple they have to ceremonially placate Goddess Mahalakshmi, whose statue is carved atop the door, for neglecting to take her with them on the Yatra. Only then the Goddess allows them permission to enter the temple. A magnificent sixteen-sided monolithic pillar known as the Arun stambha stands in front of the main gate. This pillar has an idol of Arun, the charioteer of the Sun God Surya, on its top. One significant thing about Arun stambha is that prior it was located in the Konark Sun temple, later, the Maratha guru Brahmachari Gosain brought this pillar from Konark. The Puri Jagannath Temple was also saved by Maratha emperor Shivaji from being plundered at his times from the Mughals.
OTHER ENTRANCES
Apart from the Singhadwara, which is the main entrance to the temple, there are three other entrances facing north, south and west. They are named after the sculptures of animals guarding them. The other entrances are the Hathidwara or the Elephant Gate, the Vyaghradwara or the Tiger Gate and the Ashwadwara or the Horse Gate.
MINOR TEMPLES
There are numerous smaller temples and shrines within the Temple complex where active worship is regularly conducted. The Vimala Temple (Bimala Temple) is considered one of the most important of the Shaktipeeths marks the spot where the goddess Sati's feet fell. It is located near Rohini Kund in the temple complex. Until food offered to Jagannath is offered to Goddess Vimala it is not considered Mahaprasad.
The temple of Mahalakshmi has an important role in rituals of the main temple. It is said that preparation of naivedya as offering for Jagannath is supervised by Mahalakshmi. The Kanchi Ganesh Temple is dedicated to Uchchhishta Ganapati. Tradition says the King of Kanchipuram (Kanchi) in ancient times gifted the idol, when Gajapati Purushottama Deva married Padmavati, the kanchi princess. There are other shrines namely Muktimandap, Surya, Saraswati, Bhuvaneshwari, Narasimha, Rama, Hanuman and Eshaneshwara.
THE MANDAPAS
There are many Mandapas or Pillared halls on raised platforms within the temple complex meant for religious congregations. The most prominent is the Mukti Mandapa the congregation hall of the holy seat of selected learned brahmins. Here important decisions regarding conduct of daily worship and festivals are taken. The Dola Mandapa is noteworthy for a beautifully carved stone Torana or arch which is used for constructing a swing for the annual Dol Yatra festival. During the festival the idol of Dologobinda is placed on the swing. The Snana Bedi is a rectangular stone platform where idols of Jagannath, Balabhadra and Subhadra are placed for ceremonial bathing during the annual Snana Yatra
DAILY FOOD OFFERINGS
Daily offerings are made to the Lord six times a day. These include:
- The offering to the Lord in the morning that forms his breakfast and is called Gopala Vallabha Bhoga. Breakfast consists of seven items i.e. Khua, Lahuni, Sweetened coconut grating, Coconut water, and popcorn sweetened with sugar known as Khai, Curd and Ripe bananas.
- The Sakala Dhupa forms his next offering at about 10 AM. This generally consists of 13 items including the Enduri cake & Mantha puli.
- Bada Sankhudi Bhoga forms the next repast & the offering consists of Pakhala with curd and Kanji payas. The offerings are made in the Bhog Mandapa, about 200 feet from the Ratnabedi. This is called Chatra Bhog and was introduced by Adi Shankaracharya in the 8th century to help pilgrims share the temple food.
- The Madhyanha dhupa forms the next offering at the noon.
- The next offering to the Lord is made in the evening at around 8 PM it is Sandhya Dhupa.
- The last offering to the Lord is called the Bada Simhara Bhoga.
The Mahaprasad of Lord Jagannath are distributed amongst the devotees near the Ratnavedi inside the frame of Phokaria, which is being drawn by the Puja pandas using Muruj, except for the Gopal Ballav Bhog and Bhog Mandap Bhoga which are distributed in the Anabsar Pindi & Bhoga Mandap respectively.
ROSAGHARA
The temple's kitchen is considered as the largest kitchen in the world. Tradition maintains that all food cooked in the temple kitchens are supervised by the Goddess Mahalakshmi, the empress of Srimandir herself. It is said that if the food prepared has any fault in it, a shadow dog appears near the temple kitchen. The temple cooks, or Mahasuaras, take this as a sign of displeasure of Mahalakshmi with the food, which is, then, promptly buried and a new batch cooked. All food is cooked following rules as prescribed by Hindu religious texts, the food cooked is pure vegetarian without using onions and garlic. Cooking is done only in earthen pots with water drawn from two special wells near the kitchen called Ganga and Yamuna. There are a total of 56 varieties of naivedhyas offered to the deities, near Ratnabedi as well as in Bhoga Mandap on five particular Muhurta. The most awaited Prasad is Kotho Bhoga or Abadha, offered at mid-day at around 1 pm, depending upon temple rituals. The food after being offered to Jagannath is distributed in reasonable portions as Mahaprasad, which is considered to be divine by the devotees in the Ananda Bazar (an open market, located to the North-east of the Singhadwara inside the Temple complex).
FESTIVALS
There are elaborate daily worship services. There are many festivals each year attended by millions of people. The most important festival is the Rath Yatra or the Chariot festival in June. This spectacular festival includes a procession of three huge chariots bearing the idols of Jagannath, Balabhadra and Subhadra through the Bada Danda meaning the Grand Avenue of Puri till their final destination the Gundicha Temple. Early European observers told tales of devotees being crushed under the wheels of these chariots, whether by accident or even as a form of meritorious suicide akin to suttee. These reports gave rise to the loan word juggernaut suggesting an immense, unstoppable, threatening entity or process operated by fanatics. Many festivals like Dol Yatra in spring and Jhulan Yatra in monsoon are celebrated by temple every year.Pavitrotsava and Damanaka utsava are celebrated as per panchanga or panjika.There are special ceremonies in the month of Kartika and Pausha.
The annual shodasha dinatmaka or 16 day puja beginning 8 days prior to Mahalaya of Ashwin month for goddess Vimala and ending on Vijayadashami, is of great importance, in which both the utsava murty of lord Madanmohan and Vimala take part.
- Pana Sankranti: Also known or Vishuva Sankranti and Mesha Sankranti: Special rituals are performed at the temple.
RATH YATRA AT PURI
The Jagannath triad are usually worshiped in the sanctum of the temple at Puri, but once during the month of Asadha (Rainy Season of Orissa, usually falling in month of June or July), they are brought out onto the Bada Danda (main street of Puri) and travel (3 km) to the Shri Gundicha Temple, in huge chariots (ratha), allowing the public to have darśana (Holy view). This festival is known as Rath Yatra, meaning the journey (yatra) of the chariots (ratha). The Rathas are huge wheeled wooden structures, which are built anew every year and are pulled by the devotees. The chariot for Jagannath is approximately 45 feet high and 35 feet square and takes about 2 months to construct. The artists and painters of Puri decorate the cars and paint flower petals and other designs on the wheels, the wood-carved charioteer and horses, and the inverted lotuses on the wall behind the throne. The huge chariots of Jagannath pulled during Rath Yatra is the etymological origin of the English word Juggernaut. The Ratha-Yatra is also termed as the Shri Gundicha yatra.
The most significant ritual associated with the Ratha-Yatra is the chhera pahara." During the festival, the Gajapati King wears the outfit of a sweeper and sweeps all around the deities and chariots in the Chera Pahara (sweeping with water) ritual. The Gajapati King cleanses the road before the chariots with a gold-handled broom and sprinkles sandalwood water and powder with utmost devotion. As per the custom, although the Gajapati King has been considered the most exalted person in the Kalingan kingdom, he still renders the menial service to Jagannath. This ritual signified that under the lordship of Jagannath, there is no distinction between the powerful sovereign Gajapati King and the most humble devotee.
Chera pahara is held on two days, on the first day of the Ratha Yatra, when the deities are taken to garden house at Mausi Maa Temple and again on the last day of the festival, when the deities are ceremoniously brought back to the Shri Mandir.
As per another ritual, when the deities are taken out from the Shri Mandir to the Chariots in Pahandi vijay.
In the Ratha Yatra, the three deities are taken from the Jagannath Temple in the chariots to the Gundicha Temple, where they stay for nine days. Thereafter, the deities again ride the chariots back to Shri Mandir in bahuda yatra. On the way back, the three chariots halt at the Mausi Maa Temple and the deities are offered Poda Pitha, a kind of baked cake which are generally consumed by the Odisha people only.
The observance of the Rath Yatra of Jagannath dates back to the period of the Puranas. Vivid descriptions of this festival are found in Brahma Purana, Padma Purana, and Skanda Purana. Kapila Samhita also refers to Rath Yatra. In Moghul period also, King Ramsingh of Jaipur, Rajasthan has been described as organizing the Rath Yatra in the 18th Century. In Orissa, Kings of Mayurbhanj and Parlakhemundi were organizing the Rath Yatra, though the most grand festival in terms of scale and popularity takes place at Puri.
Moreover, Starza notes that the ruling Ganga dynasty instituted the Rath Yatra at the completion of the great temple around 1150 AD. This festival was one of those Hindu festivals that was reported to the Western world very early. Friar Odoric of Pordenone visited India in 1316-1318, some 20 years after Marco Polo had dictated the account of his travels while in a Genoese prison. In his own account of 1321, Odoric reported how the people put the "idols" on chariots, and the King and Queen and all the people drew them from the "church" with song and music.
CHANDAN YATRA
In Akshaya Tritiya every year the Chandan Yatra festival marks the commencement of the construction of the Chariots of the Rath Yatra.
SNANA PURNIMA
On the Purnima of the month of Jyestha the Gods are ceremonially bathed and decorated every year on the occasion of Snana Yatra.
ANAVASARA OR ANASARA
Literally means vacation. Every year, the main idols of Jagannath, Balabhadra, Subhadra & Sudarshan after the holy Snana Yatra on the jyestha purnima, go to a secret altar named Anavasara Ghar where they remain for the next dark fortnight (Krishna paksha). Hence devotees are not allowed to view them. Instead of this devotees go to nearby place Brahmagiri to see their beloved lord in the form of four handed form Alarnath a form of Vishnu. Then people get the first glimpse of lord on the day before Rath Yatra, which is called 'Navayouvana. It is said that the gods fall in fever after taking a huge bath and they are treated by the special servants named, Daitapatis for 15 days. During this period cooked food is not offered to the deities.
NAVA KALEBARA
One of the most grandiloquent events associated with the Lord Jagannath, Naba Kalabera takes place when one lunar month of Ashadha is followed by another lunar month of Aashadha. This can take place in 8, 12 or even 18 years. Literally meaning the “New Body” (Nava = New, Kalevar = Body), the festival is witnessed by as millions of people and the budget for this event exceeds $500,000. The event involves installation of new images in the temple and burial of the old ones in the temple premises at Koili Vaikuntha. The idols that are currently being worshipped in the temple premises were installed in the year 1996. Next ceremony will be held on 2015. More than 3 million devotees are expected to visit the temple during the Nabakalevara of 2015 making it one of the most visited festivals in the world.
NILADRI BIJE
Celebrated on Asadha Trayodashi. Niladri Bije is the concluding day of Ratha yatra. On this day deities return to the ratna bedi. Lord Jagannath offers Rasgulla to goddess Laxmi to enter in to the temple.
GUPTA GUNDICHA
Celebrated for 16 days from Ashwina Krushna dwitiya to Vijayadashami. As per tradition, the idol of Madhaba, along with the idol of Goddess Durga (known as Durgamadhaba), is taken on a tour of the temple premises. The tour within the temple is observed for the first eight days. For the next eight days, the idols are taken outside the temple on a palanquin to the nearby Narayani temple situated in the Dolamandapa lane. After their worship, they are brought back to the temple.
THE NAME PURUSHOTTAMA KSHETRA AND ITS SIGNIFICANCE
Lord Jagannath is the Purushottama as per the scripture, Skanda Purana. In order to teach human beings how to lead a life full of virtue, he has taken the form of Saguna Brahman or Darubrahman. He is the best brother to his siblings, Lord Balabhadra and Devi Subhadra. He is the best husband to goddess Shri. The most noteworthy aspect is still in the month of Margashirsha, on three consecutive days during amavasya he does Shraddha to his parents (Kashyapa-Aditi, Dasharatha-Kaushalya, Vasudeva-Devaki, Nanda-Yashoda), along with the king Indradyumna and queen Gundicha. As a master he enjoys every comfort daily and in various festivals. He grants all wishes to his subjects, and those who surrender before him he takes the utmost care of.
CULTURE AND TRADITION OF PURI
Puri is one of the fascinating littoral districts of Orissa. The Cultural heritage of Puri with its long recorded history has its beginnings in the third century B.C. The monuments, religious sanctity, and way of life of the people with their rich tradition is the cultural heart of Orissa. Indeed, Puri is considered the cultural capital of Orissa. The culture here flourished with its manifold activities.
The District has the happy conglomerate of different religions, sects and faith. In the course of history, Hindu, Buddhist, Jaina, Muslim, Christian, and Sikh are found here in the District.
Chaitanya Mahaprabhu, an incarnation of Lord Krishna, appeared 500 years ago, in the mood of a devotee to taste the sublime emotions of ecstasy by chanting the holy name of Krishna. Stalwart scholars of Puri like Sarvabhauma Bhattacharya (a priest & great Sanskrit pandit) and others followed His teachings. Even kings and ministers of His period became His disciples. Especially King Prataparudra became His great admirer and ardent follower. Thus all cultures and religion became one in Puri after his teachings were given to all with no consideration of caste and creed.
MANAGEMENT
After independence, the State Government, with a view to getting better administrative system, passed " The Puri Shri Jagannath Temple (Administration) Act, 1952. It contained provisions to prepare the Record of Rights and duties of Sevayats and such other persons connected with the system of worship and management of the temple. Subsequently Shri Jagannath Temple Act, 1955 " was enacted to reorganize the management system of the affair of the temple and its properties.
SECURITY
The security at the 12th century Jagannath Temple is increased ahead of Ratha Yatra, the homecoming festival of the deities of Jagannath temple. In the wake of terror alert on 27 June 2012, the security forces were increased to ensure smooth functioning of the crowded Ratha Yatra and Suna Besha.
WIKIPEDIA
Με αφορμή τη συμπλήρωση των 36 ετών από τον θάνατο της Μαρίας Κάλλας (16 Σεπτεμβρίου 1977), η Εθνική Λυρική Σκηνή τίμησε την κορυφαία Ελληνίδα υψίφωνο με μια σειρά μουσικών δρώμενων στο κέντρο της Αθήνας, την Κυριακή 15 Σεπτεμβρίου 2013.
The National Opera honors Maria CallasDue to the completion of 36 years from the death of Maria Callas (16 September 1977), the National Opera honored Leading Greek soprano with a series of music events in central Athens, Sunday, Sept. 15, 2013.
The SR 509 Completion Project in the SeaTac/Des Moines, area includes a new Veteran's Drive tunnel under I-5.
Here, the beginnings of the eastbound tunnel emerge from under the northbound lanes of I-5.
Eventually, workers will excavate a second tunnel next to this one that will carry westbound traffic. After that side of the tunnel is done, we'll begin excavation on the other side, under the southbound lanes.
The SR 509 Completion Project is part of the Puget Sound Gateway Program which completes critical missing links in Washington state's highway and freight network.
Gilded roof bosses in the 15th century Galilee porch which serves as the main entrance to the cathedral through the arches of the west facade.
Peterborough Cathedral is one of England's finest buildings, an almost complete Romanesque church on an impressive scale sitting behind one of the most unique and eccentric Gothic facades found anywhere in medieval Europe. The church we see today is little altered since its completion in the 13th century aside from inevitable 19th century restorations and the serious depradations of Civil War damage in the mid 17th century.
The bulk of the church is 12th century Norman, retaining even its apse (a rarity in England) and even the original flat wooden ceilings of nave and transept. The nave ceiling retains its early medieval painted decoration with an assortment of figures set within lozenge shaped panels (mostly overpainted in the 18th and 19th centuries but the overall effect is preserved). The 13th century west facade is the most dramatic and memorable feature of the building, with three vast Gothic arches forming a giant porch in front of the building, a unique design, flanked by small spires and intended to be surmounted by two pinnacled towers rising just behind the facade, though only that on the north side was finished (and originally surmounted by a wooden spire which was removed c1800). The central tower is a surprisingly squat structure of 14th century date (with a striking vaulted ceiling within) and along with its counterpart at the west end makes surprisingly little presence on the city's skyline for such an enormous building. The final addition to the church prior to the Reformation is the ambulatory around the apse, a superb example of late medieval perpendicular with a stunning fan-vaulted ceiling.
Given the vast scale of the building it is perhaps surprising to learn that it has only had cathedral status since 1541, prior to that it had been simply Peterborough Abbey, but it was one of the most well endowed monastic houses in the country, as witnessed by the architecture. It was once the burial place of two queens, Katherine of Aragon lies on the north side of the choir and Mary Queen of Scots was originally interred here before her son James I had her body moved to the more prestigious surroundings of Westminster.
Sadly the cathedral suffered miserably during the Civil War when Parliamentarian troops ransacked the church and former monastic buildings in an orgy of destruction, much of which was overseen by Cromwell himself in person (which helps explain its thoroughness). Tombs and monuments were brutally defaced, and nearly all the original furnishings and woodwork were destroyed, along with every bit of stained glass in all the vast windows (only the merest fragments remain today in the high windows of the apse). Worse still, the delightful cloisters on the south side, once famed for the beauty of their painted windows, were demolished leaving only their outer walls and some tantalising reminders of their former richness. The magnificent 13th century Lady Chapel attached to the north transept (an unusual arrangement, similar to that at Ely) was another major casualty, demolished immediately after the war so that its materials could be sold in order to raise funds for the restoration of the cathedral following the Cromwellian rampage.
In the following centuries much was done to repair the building and bring it back into order. There were major restorations during the 19th century, which included the dismantling and rebuilding of the central tower (following the same design and reusing original material) owing to impending structural failure in the crossing piers.
What we see today is thus a marvel of architecture, a church of great beauty, but a somewhat hollow one owing to the misfortunes of history. One therefore doesn't find at Peterborough the same clutter of the centuries that other cathedrals often possess (in terms of tombs and furnishings) and there are few windows of real note, but for the grandeur of its architecture it is one of the very finest churches we have.
For more history see the link below:-
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Quoting Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum | Concorde, Fox Alpha, Air France:
The first supersonic airliner to enter service, the Concorde flew thousands of passengers across the Atlantic at twice the speed of sound for over 25 years. Designed and built by Aérospatiale of France and the British Aviation Corporation, the graceful Concorde was a stunning technological achievement that could not overcome serious economic problems.
In 1976 Air France and British Airways jointly inaugurated Concorde service to destinations around the globe. Carrying up to 100 passengers in great comfort, the Concorde catered to first class passengers for whom speed was critical. It could cross the Atlantic in fewer than four hours - half the time of a conventional jet airliner. However its high operating costs resulted in very high fares that limited the number of passengers who could afford to fly it. These problems and a shrinking market eventually forced the reduction of service until all Concordes were retired in 2003.
In 1989, Air France signed a letter of agreement to donate a Concorde to the National Air and Space Museum upon the aircraft's retirement. On June 12, 2003, Air France honored that agreement, donating Concorde F-BVFA to the Museum upon the completion of its last flight. This aircraft was the first Air France Concorde to open service to Rio de Janeiro, Washington, D.C., and New York and had flown 17,824 hours.
Gift of Air France.
Manufacturer:
Societe Nationale Industrielle Aerospatiale
Dimensions:
Wingspan: 25.56 m (83 ft 10 in)
Length: 61.66 m (202 ft 3 in)
Height: 11.3 m (37 ft 1 in)
Weight, empty: 79,265 kg (174,750 lb)
Weight, gross: 181,435 kg (400,000 lb)
Top speed: 2,179 km/h (1350 mph)
Engine: Four Rolls-Royce/SNECMA Olympus 593 Mk 602, 17,259 kg (38,050 lb) thrust each
Manufacturer: Société Nationale Industrielle Aérospatiale, Paris, France, and British Aircraft Corporation, London, United Kingdom
Physical Description:
Aircaft Serial Number: 205. Including four (4) engines, bearing respectively the serial number: CBE066, CBE062, CBE086 and CBE085.
Also included, aircraft plaque: "AIR FRANCE Lorsque viendra le jour d'exposer Concorde dans un musee, la Smithsonian Institution a dores et deja choisi, pour le Musee de l'Air et de l'Espace de Washington, un appariel portant le couleurs d'Air France."
Launch Lake Wallis at completion of the hull (1940/41); she was brought around from the beach on a cradle and launched near the main Tuncurry wharf. The tug assisting is believed to be the Forster; Henry Miles (with hat) on deck and Harry Avery (braces) assisting.
Other images of the Lake Wallis can be found in the Album Lake Wallis
The ferry Lake Wallis operated out of Forster for a long period and was well-known to both holidaymakers and schoolchildren as she plied the waters of Wallis Lake.
UPDATED OCTOBER 2018
Lake Wallis built by Harry Avery
Recent information supplied by Peter Emmerson, son of Albert CARL Emmerson, indicates that his father had the Lake Wallis built specifically for use on Wallis Lake by John Wright & Co. Ltd's chief shipwright, Harry Avery. Commenced circa 1940 and launched circa 1941/2 she was built prior to the time when Wright's shipyard was contracted to building a large number of vessels for the US Army and the Australian Army. While the timbers used in construction are unknown, the planking was of White Beech (Gmelina leichhardtii) sourced from the Comboyne Plateau.
From the images provided by Peter Emmerson it is clear that the hull was completed with timber frame to allow later finishing as a ferry; she was taken by cradle further upstream to an area adjacent to the Tuncurry coal-loader.
Albert CARL Emmerson fits out the Lake Wallis
It appears likely that Carl Emmerson bought the hull only and fitted her with steering gear and a 2 cyl. J2 Kelvin Diesel with petrol assist start. Petrol and spark plugs was used ignite the chamber and thus assist the flywheel to turn; this was an essential component of the starting procedure in cold weather. Carl fitted out the launch with anything that was available. In 1943, equipment and components were unavailable with invasion by Japanese forces appearing almost inevitable. Carl's innovative approach included using the steering wheel of an old Dodge truck. The new launch, named the Lake Wallis replaced his previous launch the ex-cream boat Dorrie May.
Carl Emmerson obtained a Special Lease to build a wharf on Wallis Lake and operated the Lake Wallis as the official mail boat, passenger ferry, delivery launch and later for excursionists. Carl operated his launch service at 9 am Monday, Wednesday and Friday (3h return trip). From Forster the launch travelled to Green Point (Lach Fraser’s dairy); then South to Charlotte Bay Creek then NW to Whoota; then to Coomba Park (Beddington’s) then to Sointu's wharf (John Sointu and Ida Niemi) on the SW side of Wallis Island and finally back to Forster. On the other days he operated his bus service to Elizabeth Beach, Booti Booti, Charlottte Bay and back to Forster. Carl also delivered boxes of butter from the Cape Hawke Co-operative Butter factory in Tuncurry to stores in Forster, three days a week.
Carl Emmerson starts tourist trips around Wallis lake
After the War, when people were again able to travel, Carl commenced a tourist operation taking visitors around the extensive Wallis Lake. His wife, Mollie, acted as deckhand and morning tea maker - pleasing everyone with her home-made shortbread biscuits.
In 1967 Carl sold his entire operation (including the Lake Wallis, the Special Lease, the established tourist route and wharf facilities to Stan Croad.
Stan Croad
The Master of the Lake Wallis from 1967 was Stan Croad, both a ferryman and film operator at the Regent Theatre in Forster. Stanley Osbourne Croad was born in Kempsey in 1912 and moved to Forster around 1937 when the Regent Theatre opened and he commenced work as film operator.
Prior to purchase of the Lake Wallis he operated a launch - name unknown. In 1944, newspaper reports show that Stan had secured a contract to transport schoolchildren from areas around Wallis Lake to Forster. In 1946 he sought a Special Lease from the Lands Board Office to operate his launch service, “carrying school children to and from school per motor launch, and conducting scenic tours of Wallis Lakes” - as indicated by this notice in the Northern Champion.
“It is notified in the Government Gazette of 19th and 26th September and 3rd and 10th October, 1947, that application has been made by Stanley Osbourne Croad, for Special Lease No. 47/37, Land District of Taree, for Jetty, containing about 2 perches below high water mark of Wallis Lake at Forster, between portions 297 and 343 and south of and adjoining the area applied for as Special Lease 46/62 (The Northern Champion (Taree, NSW: 1913 - 1954 Sat 11 Oct 1947).
Croad operated from Emmerson's Lease 38/21 post 1967 but the precise details of his earlier operation is unknown: According to Carl's son, Peter, the relationship between Carl Emmerson and Stan Croad was not a happy one. It was Stan Croad who replaced the Kelvin J2 diesel with the more powerful Lister diesel motor.
In 1975 the Wallis Lake was registered to carry 39 persons and provide life-saving devices for 18 persons. She was described only as 29 ft 3 inches long and only licenced to travel on CAPE HAWKE HARBOUR – Smooth Water only. Graeme Andrews recorded her dimensions as 9 ft 10 inches breadth and 5.3 tonnes.
AFLOAT MAGAZINE ARTICLE
The best description of Stan’s operation was published in the magazine AFLOAT. It was written by Graeme and Winsome Andrews in 1976. Excerpts are included below:
“Stan Croad of Forster is a throw-back. In 1976 he is probably the last of the travelling storemen who once could be seen on most of Australia’s waterways. These water-borne carriers could be found on any river. They brought stores and religion. They collected produce outbound and replaced it with passengers inbound.
Stan still does something like that. Along with his tourist passengers he carries beer, bread, mail and vegetables and at various wharves around the lake he is met by the locals. Meanwhile his passengers watch the process with interest, probably unaware of just what they are watching.
Stan’s small well-deck ferry Lake Wallis is one of the last of the small working craft of the Forster area, her lineage goes back to the time when Forster was a thriving coastal shipping port. The days of the small ferry are numbered as Forster’s population is increasing and new waterfront businesses are growing, along with bigger, faster and more obvious cruise boats. Stan reckons he will not be able to compete but he and his little boat might last long enough, particularly as her shallow draft allows her to reach places out of bounds to bigger craft.
In 1976 only one other boat competed with Stan for the tourist trade. The ex-river milk boat Sun with her liquor license and great size carried a different load to Stan and their paths rarely crossed. [In 2016 Sun is based in Brooklyn on the Hawkesbury River and services Dangar Island and the settlements such as Little Wobby.]
Stan collects his goods and passengers from almost the heart of Forster. The trip is advertised as starting at 0900hrs but Lake Wallis and her amiable Master are no longer young and not in any hurry. The ferry seems to have been built about 1944. She carries up to 38 passengers with a crew of one. A Lister diesel can give her about eight knots but six or seven will do her unless the wind and the lake look like whipping up. When we travelled with Stan he was contemplating buying a newer and bigger boat but was bothered that this would mean he would have to increase his prices.
At about 0920 the Lister rumbles into life and Lake Wallis moves away from her berth with perhaps 20 adults with a dozen or so kids. Passengers and crew are seated low in the hull. She is like an old private launch with the engine covered by a large flat-topped box, slap in the middle of the boat.
Nearing the Forster - Tuncurry Bridge the launch swings sharply to port and skirts a steep sand island where kids are sliding down the sand dune to end up with a great splash. The launch crosses the next channel past low-lying Cockatoo Island towards the ‘Cut’ which is the entrance to the Wallamba River. A considerable tidal outflow can be felt there and the Lister picks up a few revs to cope. Stan has done this many times but he still keeps his ship’s head lined up on the various official and local knowledge navigation markers and piles.
Along the top of Wallis Island the ferry plods. In the area between Regatta Island and Wallis Island the local people once held picnic regattas. Paddle steamers, early motor launches and sail craft of all types – private and commercial- competed in picnic races while the families ashore tucked into the goodies and egged on the contestants.
At Coomba, a hamlet on the western shores of Wallis Lake, a small jetty pokes out from the shore. Here a cluster of people await their purchases. A run-down public toilet attracts some sighs of relief from some of the intrepid passengers. Coomba was to be a glamour development but something went wrong and the 20 or so homes house retirees in considerable peace. Stores and money change hands and Lake Wallis backs carefully out into the channel and heads onwards.
On the south-western end of Wallis Island is a grand and remarkable two-storey house. It is obviously old and apparently houses a Finnish family who have crops, cattle and the obligatory sauna. Their ‘wharf’ consists of the remains of the steam paddle lighter, or ‘drogher’ Queen. About 40 m long by 10 or 12 m wide, this craft is a wooden boat enthusiast’s dream. Much of the exposed timber remains showing grown timbers and adzed wood working. Stores and monies change hands and off we go again.
Out in the middle of the lake the Lister’s muted growl suddenly fades into silence. Skipper Croad puts down his microphone, takes off his Captain’s hat and replaces it with a chef’s hat. A white apron mysteriously appears, while from a large white locker, good china cups and saucers appear. Within a few minutes Stan is passing around, via the ladies, cups of very hot tea or coffee, biscuits for those that want them and scones for those who prefer. The children get cold soft drinks and or cordial.
As the boat drifts Stan tells us more about the lake, his boat and of the locals. Fifteen minutes after ‘Tea-Oh!’ the diesel awakes, tea remnants disappear into the locker, the tablecloth leaves the top of the engine box and we press on somewhat refreshed and impressed.
The homeward, northward run takes us into shallows. Clumps of weeds slide past close to the hull and Stan keeps his eyes on his marks. He tells us about ‘The Step’. Between the mainland at Wallis Point and Wallis Island is a sand bank known as ‘The Step’. Here the incoming tide rolls over the edge of the Stockyards Channel and forms a sand ‘lip’. Here it is that deeper-draft vessels baulk but the little launch slides up and over, the Lister going flat out. All aboard feel the bow then the rest of the boat lift and then drop as we bump into deeper water. Lake Wallis has nearly completed her run.
She swings to starboard off the rarely-used airfield on Wallis Island and heads down Breckenridge Channel. Past Godwin Island Stan swings to starboard and eases in towards his pile berth. Lake Wallis’s stem settles into the low-tide shore-line mud as Stan secures his berthing lines before waving us ashore over a plank that is strong enough but makes one wonder anyway. Stan makes his personal farewell to every person leaving and then, as we straggle away, turns to and cleans up his place of work.
Stan Croad and his comfortable little launch provided one of the best-value tourist dollars the Grey Wanderers have ever had. More than 30 years later we sometimes talk of him, wondering what became of him. Perhaps one of Afloat’s amazing knowledgeable readers can complete the tale?
A more recent publication by the Coomba Progress Association describes Stan as follows:
“For many years people in Coomba had relied for mail delivery on the services of men like Stan Croad, who had operated excellent ferry services, and delivered so cheerfully and willingly not only their basic needs, but would even shop and bring back a grocery order without charging for this extra service.
Stan Croad sold his operation in 1978 to William and Noni Coombe who only ran the Lake Wallis for a couple of times when they replaced her with the younger and larger vessel - Amaroo. Matt Coombe, William Coombe's son noted "This paved the way for bigger and better vessels, all given the prestigious name of ‘Amaroo’" Manning-Great Lakes Focus BLOG 1st June 2010
Stan died in 1994.
Acknowledgements: We would like to thank Graeme and Winsome Andrews for their contribution and AFLOAT magazine for allowing us to extract a large part of the material in Tea and Scones on Lake Wallis in 1976
Image Source: Peter Emmerson
All Images in this photostream are Copyright - Great Lakes Manning River Shipping and/or their individual owners as may be stated above and may not be downloaded, reproduced, or used in any way without prior written approval.
GREAT LAKES MANNING RIVER SHIPPING, NSW - Flick Group --> Alphabetical Boat Index --> Boat builders Index --> Tags List
Bathroom reno from Sept. 14 (demolition day ) to Dec. 2 (substantial completion date).
Painting took place on day 18. Walls are done in Aura "Storm" by Benjamin Moore, in matte finish. Oak window frame and baseboards are painted "Cloud White" in pearl finish, also by BM.
Painters will return once more, to finish their job.
Estimated completion date for this reno is Oct. 28, due mainly to the length of time that it takes for the vanity top & shower glass to be cut to fit.
To see the reno work in sequence, and 5 "before" pix, click on my "FOLLOW THE BATHROOM RENO" album.
completion of my skeletonized pegasus/unicorn girl. she finally has wings!
blogged: anastasiahandmade.blogspot.com/2012/01/dolls-are-fun-for-...
The Cathedral of the Holy Wisdom of God or Saint Sophia Cathedral in Harbin is a former Russian Orthodox church located in central Harbin City, Heilongjiang, China. St. Sophia Orthodox Cathedral was built in 1907 after the completion of the Trans-Siberian Railway in 1903, which connected Vladivostok to northeast China. The Russian No.4 Army Division arrived in this region just after Russia's loss to the Japanese in the Russo-Japanese War (1904–1905). St. Sophia Church was built and completed of timber in March 1907 as part of a plan to reconsolidate the confidence of the army by building an imposing spiritual symbol. In 1921, Harbin had a population of 300,000, including 100,000 Russians. The church was expanded and renovated from September 23, 1923, when a ceremony was held to celebrate the laying of the cornerstone, to its completion on November 25, 1932, after nine years. The present-day St. Sophia Church was hailed as a monumental work of art and the largest Orthodox church in the Far East. It stands at 53.3 meters (175 ft) tall, occupies an area of 721 square meters (0.18 acres), and is the perfect example of Russian Revival architecture. The main structure is laid out like a cross with the main hall topped with a huge, green-tipped dome. Under the bright sun, the church, and the square area it stands on look quite like Red Square in Moscow. Following the establishment of the People's Republic of China (PRC) in mainland China in 1949 by the victorious Communists, who ended all Christian missionary work, treaties were signed between the Soviet and Chinese governments that provided for the turning over of Russian churches to Chinese control. The cathedral was thus closed from the period of the Great Leap Forward (1958–61) through the Cultural Revolution (1966–76). Although the cathedral's sturdy structure withstood its intended destruction during the Cultural Revolution, its empty hull became a warehouse for a nearby state-run department store, its windows were bricked up and saplings grew from the roof. Prefabricated concrete high-rises boxed the church in on all four sides, coming within yards of its walls, making the cathedral inaccessible and invisible from the street. For decades it remained the invisible center of the city, surrounded by decorative material stalls, an auto body shop, a pen factory, and apartments for city government employees, until the Beijing government designated the cathedral a national cultural heritage site in 1996 as part of a nationwide campaign to protect historical sites. Following its designation in 1996 as a national cultural heritage site, a newspaper article about the "hidden" cathedral prompted donations from locals to restore the church. Local corporations, individual businesses as well as workers from nearby department stores donated money to restore the cathedral and renovate the square. A total of 12,000,000 yuan (approximately $1.5 million US) was eventually gathered and the cathedral regained its visibility in 1997, as the surrounding buildings were torn down. The restoration was the culmination of the Harbin municipal government's attempt to turn the city's colonial era structures into tourist attractions by restoring and granting them landmark status.
"The Chesapeake and Ohio Canal, abbreviated as the C&O Canal and occasionally called the "Grand Old Ditch," operated from 1831 until 1924 along the Potomac River between Washington, D.C. and Cumberland, Maryland. It replaced the Potomac Canal, which shut down completely in 1828, and could operate during months in which the water level was too low for the former canal. The canal's principal cargo was coal from the Allegheny Mountains.
Construction on the 184.5-mile (296.9 km) canal began in 1828 and ended in 1850 with the completion of a 50-mile (80 km) stretch to Cumberland, although the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad had already reached Cumberland in 1842. Rising and falling over an elevation change of 605 feet (184 meters), it required the construction of 74 canal locks, 11 aqueducts to cross major streams, more than 240 culverts to cross smaller streams, and the 3,118 ft (950 m) Paw Paw Tunnel. A planned section to the Ohio River at Pittsburgh was never built.
The canalway is now maintained as the Chesapeake and Ohio Canal National Historical Park, with a trail that follows the old towpath.
Georgetown is a historic neighborhood, and commercial and entertainment district located in Northwest Washington, D.C., situated along the Potomac River. Founded in 1751 in the Province of Maryland, the port of Georgetown predated the establishment of the federal district and the City of Washington by 40 years. Georgetown remained a separate municipality until 1871 when the United States Congress created a new consolidated government for the whole District of Columbia. A separate act, passed in 1895, specifically repealed Georgetown's remaining local ordinances and renamed Georgetown's streets to conform with those in the City of Washington.
The primary commercial corridors of Georgetown are the intersection of Wisconsin Avenue and M Street, which contain high-end shops, bars, restaurants, and the Georgetown Park enclosed shopping mall. The Washington Harbour waterfront restaurants are located to the south on K Street, between 30th and 31st Streets.
Georgetown is home to the main campus of Georgetown University and numerous other landmarks, such as the Volta Bureau and the Old Stone House, the oldest house in Washington. The embassies of Cameroon, France, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Mongolia, Sweden, Thailand, Ukraine and Venezuela are located in Georgetown.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia, also known as just Washington or simply D.C., is the capital city and federal district of the United States. It is located on the east bank of the Potomac River, which forms its southwestern and southern border with the U.S. state of Virginia, and it shares a land border with the U.S. state of Maryland on its other sides. The city was named for George Washington, a Founding Father and the first president of the United States, and the federal district is named after Columbia, the female personification of the nation. As the seat of the U.S. federal government and several international organizations, the city is an important world political capital. It is one of the most visited cities in the U.S. with over 20 million annual visitors as of 2016.
The U.S. Constitution provides for a federal district under the exclusive jurisdiction of Congress; the district is not a part of any U.S. state (nor is it one itself). The signing of the Residence Act on July 16, 1790, approved the creation of the capital district located along the Potomac River near the country's East Coast. The City of Washington was founded in 1791, and Congress held its first session there in 1800. In 1801, the territory, formerly part of Maryland and Virginia (including the settlements of Georgetown and Alexandria), officially became recognized as the federal district. In 1846, Congress returned the land originally ceded by Virginia, including the city of Alexandria; in 1871, it created a single municipal government for the remaining portion of the district. There have been efforts to make the city into a state since the 1880s, a movement that has gained momentum in recent years, and a statehood bill passed the House of Representatives in 2021.
The city is divided into quadrants centered on the Capitol, and there are as many as 131 neighborhoods. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 689,545, which makes it the 23rd most populous city in the U.S. as of 2020, the third most populous city in the Mid-Atlantic, and gives it a population larger than that of two U.S. states: Wyoming and Vermont. Commuters from the surrounding Maryland and Virginia suburbs raise the city's daytime population to more than one million during the workweek. Washington's metropolitan area, the country's sixth largest (including parts of Maryland, Virginia and West Virginia), had a 2020 estimated population of 6.3 million residents; and over 54 million people live within 250 mi (400 km) of the District.
The three branches of the U.S. federal government are centered in the district: Congress (legislative), the president (executive), and the Supreme Court (judicial). Washington is home to many national monuments and museums, primarily situated on or around the National Mall. The city hosts 177 foreign embassies as well as the headquarters of many international organizations, trade unions, non-profits, lobbying groups, and professional associations, including the World Bank Group, the International Monetary Fund, the Organization of American States, AARP, the National Geographic Society, the American Red Cross, and others.
A locally elected mayor and a 13-member council have governed the district since 1973. Congress maintains supreme authority over the city and may overturn local laws. The District of Columbia does not have representation in Congress, although D.C. residents elect a single at-large congressional delegate to the House of Representatives who has no vote. District voters choose three presidential electors in accordance with the Twenty-third Amendment to the United States Constitution, ratified in 1961." - info from Wikipedia.
The fall of 2022 I did my 3rd major cycling tour. I began my adventure in Montreal, Canada and finished in Savannah, GA. This tour took me through the oldest parts of Quebec and the 13 original US states. During this adventure I cycled 7,126 km over the course of 2.5 months and took more than 68,000 photos. As with my previous tours, a major focus was to photograph historic architecture.
Now on Instagram.
March 27, 2020- New York City, NY- Governor Andrew Cuomo delivering a press briefing on coronavirus at Jacob Javits Convention Center , where a make-shift hospital is nearing completion. (Darren McGee- Office of Governor Andrew M. Cuomo)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
History
Name: USS S-30
Builder: Union Iron Works
Laid down: 1 April 1918
Launched: 21 November 1918
Commissioned: 29 October 1920
Decommissioned: 9 October 1945
Struck: 24 October 1945
Fate: Sold for scrap
General characteristics
Class and type: S-class submarine
Displacement:
854 long tons (868 t) surfaced
1,062 long tons (1,079 t) submerged
Length: 219 ft 3 in (66.83 m)
Beam: 20 ft 8 in (6.30 m)
Draft: 15 ft 11 in (4.85 m)
Speed:
14.5 knots (16.7 mph; 26.9 km/h) surfaced
11 knots (13 mph; 20 km/h) submerged
Complement: 38 officers and men
Armament:
1 × 4 in (102 mm) deck gun
4 × 21 in (533 mm) torpedo tubes
Service record
Operations: World War II
Victories: 2 battle stars
USS S-30 (SS-135) was an S-class submarine of the United States Navy during World War II.
S-30 was laid down on 1 April 1918 by the Union Iron Works at San Francisco, California. She was launched on 21 November 1918 sponsored by Mrs. Edward S. Stalnaker, and commissioned on 29 October 1920 with Lieutenant Commander Stuart E. Bray in command.
Service history
Based at San Pedro, California, with her home yard at Mare Island, S-30 conducted tests and exercises off the California coast into the summer of 1921. Then, on 15 August, she was placed in ordinary. Recommissioned in full on 14 February 1922, she was ordered to New London, Connecticut, where she was placed in ordinary again on 21 June for engine alterations by the prime contractor, the Electric Boat Company.
Trials and exercises off the southern New England coast followed her recommissioning in full on 21 November; and, in January 1923, she moved south to the Caribbean Sea to participate in winter maneuvers and Fleet Problem I, conducted to test the defenses of the Panama Canal Zone. In April, she returned to California and resumed operations off that coast with her division, Submarine Division (SubDiv) 16. During the winter of 1924, she again participated in fleet exercises and problems in the Canal Zone and in the Caribbean and, in the winter of 1925, she prepared for transfer to the Asiatic Fleet.
S-30 departed Mare Island, with her division, in mid-April. During May, she conducted exercises and underwent upkeep in the Hawaiian Islands; and, on 16 June, she continued on to the Philippines. On 12 July, she arrived at the Submarine Base, Cavite, Luzon, whence she operated until 1932. Her division rotated between exercises and patrols in the Philippines during the winter and operations off the China coast during the summer. In 1932, her division was ordered back to the eastern Pacific Ocean; and, on 2 May, she departed Manila for Pearl Harbor, her home port until transferred back to the East Coast in 1937.
Sailing from Pearl Harbor on 19 May 1937, S-30 arrived at New London on 8 August. For the next year and one-half, she trained along the Atlantic Ocean seaboard. Then, in May 1939, she was placed in commission, in reserve. On 1 September 1940, she was returned to full commission.
World War II
As World War II began its second year, German U-boats were raiding shipping in the western Atlantic and the Caribbean. The American S-boats, designed in World War I, were assigned to Submarines, Patrol Force (Submarines, Atlantic Fleet after February 1941) and were carrying out multipurpose missions which involved training and development of tactical skills.
First, Second, and Third (Defensive) War Patrols
S-30, homeported at New London, operated along the mid-Atlantic and northeast coasts into the spring of 1941. She then served briefly in the Bermuda area; returned to New London; and, in early July, proceeded to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, for overhaul. In September, she emerged from the yard; returned to New England; and resumed submarine and antisubmarine warfare training operations.
She continued those duties in the Long Island Sound, Narragansett Bay, Casco Bay, and Placentia Bay areas, until after the United States officially entered the war. With 1942, however defensive patrols were added to her duties, and her division, SubDiv 52, was reassigned to the Panama Canal Zone. Departing New London on 31 January, she hunted for enemy submarines along her route which took her via Bermuda and Mona Passage into the Caribbean Sea. On 16 February, she arrived at Coco Solo, whence she conducted two defensive patrols in the western approaches to the canal, from 10–31 March and from 14 April to 13 May, before she was ordered to California to prepare for service in the Aleutian Islands. Into July, she underwent repairs at San Diego, California; and, at mid-month, she started for Alaska. While en route, engine trouble forced her into Mare Island, and, on 1 August, she headed north again.
Fourth War Patrol (First Offensive)
On 12 August, S-30 departed the submarine base at Dutch Harbor, Unalaska, on her first offensive war patrol. Moving through fog, she arrived off Attu Island on 16 August; sighted only the hazy outline of Cape Wrangell; and continued on to patrol across the anticipated Japanese shipping lanes between that island and the northern Kuril Islands. On the afternoon of 7 September, she was attacked by three enemy destroyers some ten miles north of the cape and, in that two and one-half hour encounter, gained her first close experience with Japanese depth charges. Three days later, she turned for home.
Fifth War Patrol
On 24 September, S-30 got underway for her fifth war patrol, her second in the Aleutians. A cracked cylinder in her port engine forced her back to Dutch Harbor on 27 September; and, on 30 September, she again moved west. On 3 October, she entered her patrol area and commenced hunting enemy ships along traffic lanes west of Kiska; but, by 9 October, additional engineering casualties, cracks, and leaks had developed and forced her to return to Unalaska. From there, the submarine was ordered to San Diego for an overhaul. During her yard period, she received a fathometer, a new distilling unit, and more up-to-date radar equipment. Then, from mid-February 1943 into March, she provided training services to the West Coast Sound School. On 16 March, she sailed for Dutch Harbor.
Sixth War Patrol
Following the submarine's arrival in the Aleutians on 21 March, air compressor failure and malfunctioning of her fathometer delayed her departure until 13 April. She then headed for Attu. On 15 April, she crossed the 180th meridian and, keeping Dutch Harbor dates, arrived at her destination on 17 April. For the next few days, she reconnoitered and, when possible photographed the island's principal coves, bays, and harbors. On 26 April, she was ordered to the east of 176°E and south of 52°40'N, where she remained until after an Allied strike against Attu. The next afternoon, she returned to the island but was unable to determine the extent of damage inflicted.
Seventh War Patrol
On 2 May, S-30 departed the area; returned to Dutch Harbor for refit; and, on 24 May, sailed west again, this time for the northern Kurils. On 31 May (Dutch Harbor date), she entered her assigned area; and, on 5 June, off the Kamchatka peninsula, she attacked her first target, a large sampan. Her guns set the enemy vessel on fire; but, as it burned, a Japanese destroyer appeared on the horizon and began closing the surfaced submarine at high speed. Three minutes later, the destroyer opened fire on the diving S-boat.
S-30 commenced an approach on the destroyer, but just as she reached firing bearing, she lost depth control. A few seconds later, depth charging started. In the next 20 minutes, 33 "ashcans" were dropped by the destroyer. Others followed sporadically over the next five hours. S-30 was then able to clear the area. On 6 June, the ship's force repaired all minor damage and commenced efforts to remove two torpedoes which had been crushed in the number-three and number-four tubes. The one in the latter tube was removed on 7 June, but the one in the number-three tube remained until the completion of the patrol.
On 8 June, S-30 headed down the Paramushiro coast; approached Onekotan; then transited Onekotan Strait and set a course for Araito. During the next two days, she sighted four targets but was able to close only the last two, merchantmen in column, contacted on 10 June (the 11th local date). Fog closed in rapidly as she made her approach; then blanketed the area as she launched three torpedoes. Two explosions were heard, but nothing could be seen. Post-war examination of Japanese records revealed that she had sunk Jinbu Maru, a 5228-ton cargo ship.
During the ensuing depth charging, S-30 began to move out of the area. Within two and one-half hours, she had left the pinging of the searchers behind and had resumed her own hunting. On 12 June, she retransited Onekotan Strait. The following day, she fired on a convoy, but missed. On 14 June, she departed the area; and, on 22 June, she returned to Dutch Harbor to begin extracting the damaged torpedo and commence refitting.
Eighth War Patrol
On 5 July, S-30 got underway on her eighth war patrol, which took her back to the Kurils and into the Sea of Okhotsk. She patrolled on both sides of the island chain and across the traffic lanes leading to Soya Strait and to Yokosuka. She took periscope pictures of facilities on various islands. She sighted several targets, but was unable to close on most and was unsuccessful on those she attacked. On 20 July, she attacked what appeared to be an inter-island steamer, but which turned straight down the torpedo track and dropped six depth charges in quick succession. S-30 went deep, reloaded and prepared to reattack. The target, however, was lost in the fog.
S-30 continued her patrol. A week later, she sent three torpedoes against a Japanese merchantman estimated at 7000 tons. Two hits, breaking-up noises, and distant depth charging were reported by the sound operator, but the damage went unverified. Four days later, she attacked another cargoman under similar circumstances. One torpedo was reported to have hit. Screw noises from the target stopped, breaking-up noises were heard, and periscope observation showed no ship at the site of the attack. But any damage which might have been inflicted was never verified.
Ninth War Patrol
S-30 left the Kurils behind and headed east on 7 August. Two days later, she arrived in Massacre Bay, Attu, whence she conducted her last war patrol. On that patrol, from 26 August to 23 September, she again hunted in the shipping lanes along the eastern and western sides of the Kurils. Again, several targets were lost in fog; nevertheless, she took pictures of the islands. Then, in mid-September, she added a new dimension to her activities and attempted to shell the enemy garrison on Matsuwa. Fog had interfered with an earlier attempt to bombard that post, but cleared off early on the morning of 15 September (local date) as she neared the firing point with her crew at battle stations. But, when the order to fire was given, the gun failed to respond. A new firing pin was a fraction of an inch too short, and the effort had to be abandoned.
Retirement
The following day, S-30 was ordered home. En route, on 17 September she was sighted and bombed by a Japanese patrol plane. Failure of the port motor at that moment caused anxiety; but the submarine escaped serious damage. On 23 September, she arrived at Dutch Harbor. Within the week, she headed south to San Diego, where, with others of her class, she provided training services for the West Coast Sound School for the remainder of World War II. In mid-September 1945, she proceeded to Mare Island, where she was decommissioned on 9 October. Fifteen days later, her name was struck from the Naval Vessel Register, and, in December 1946, she was sold and delivered to the Salco Iron and Metal Company, San Francisco, for scrapping.
S-30 was awarded two battle stars for her World War II service.
References
This article incorporates text from the public domain Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships. The entry can be found here.
Ulmer history(ies): The Ulmer and their Münster
New window with an enlarged view: Ulmer stories
© City of Ulm (further pictures you can see by clicking on the link at the end of page!)
Whether of obsession or out of aesthetic sensitivity: the cathedral tower was 161.53 meters high, as Ulm on 31 March 1890 celebrated its completion. Half a century later, on 17 December 1944, laid Allied bombers waste to the city of Ulm. But the Minster withstood the firestorm almost undamaged. The city was allowed to keep its most important identity marker. And what does the cathedral mean to the people of Ulm today? Of course, it forms an essential basis of their self- consciousness. Their primordial fear, the Minster may fall over once, even going so far as to occasionally donate something for the preservation of this building.
New window with an enlarged view: Münster 1
As is known, the Gothic cathedral has the highest spire in Christendom. This applies, however, only since it was brought to its present height in 1890.
Even before that this church had been a Rekordbau (record structure) . In 1488, exactly 111 years after the foundation stone was laid, noted the well-traveled Ulmer Dominican friar Felix Fabri the special advantages which the Ulmer Münster "ahead of all parish churches throughout Christendom" has.
First, it is the largest parish church in general, and larger than many episcopal Dome. Then it was the most beautiful of all the churches, because of the light, which can penetrate into every corner thanks to the architecture. Third, the cathedral has more altars than any other parish churches, namely 51. And they would, along with the concomitant clergy - sometimes up to five per altar -, exclusively funded by Ulmer citizens. So many clergymen do not exist it in any analogous parish church. Anyhow, the joy to donate of the citizens in Ulm was greater than anywhere else, and this permits, that the position of the pastor of Ulm was comparable with that of a bishop.
The 30th June 1377
New window with an enlarged view: Foundation stone laid Münster
© City of Ulm
Relief of the foundation stone
The Ulmer Münster, as claimed Fabri 1488 was better attended than all the other churches in the whole of Christendom: Despite its size prevails in it on feast days "a dense crowd to the corner of the altar", and usually would take there at Easter time more than 15 000 people the sacrament. There would be no such parish in which every day so many children are baptized - an average of five. Accordingly it was with confession and communion, and with the burials on the two cemeteries. In his list of superlatives Fabri has informed us about the real meaning of the Ulm Minster: It was and is the largest citizens church. Its construction was not financed by any ecclesiastical or secular princes, but by the citizens.
100 gold pieces
The initial relief that contains this text and is embedded in one of the south-eastern nave pillars and outside at the Bride portal into the church wall, and shows those former Mayor (Altbürgermeister) Lutz Krafft. Together with his wife, he literally saddled the first cathedral-builder, Heinrich II Parler, the construction project on his shoulders. The relief also shows how according to the then planning status the cathedral should look like: A hall church with three equal towers.
To these arid data Fabri provides the story: After an immense pit was dug, gathered on 30 June 1377 all of Ulm on the site. Former Mayor Lutz Krafft and some of the chief men of the city went down into the pit. With a crane the great foundation stone was lowered. This one Krafft covered with 100 gold pieces. His example was followed by the patricians and the people.
What had the Ulmer moved to this mammoth project? On the one hand, Fabri points to a safety aspects: the former parish church was located outside the city walls, in what is now Old Cemetery. To visit , meant an increased risk for city dwellers during the frequent military events.
Gates older than the cathedral
New window with an enlarged view: Bride portal Münster
© City of Ulm
The bride portal of the cathedral to the north
But money did not matter, too, because the donations of Ulm flowed to the within the city situated monasteries, their service for salvation literally was closer. Moreover, a role will have played that the old parish church was on Reichenauer terrain and thus the Reichenau monks had the right to the parish tithes.
After the construction decision for the new parish church was taken, the old - although only shortly before modified - or rebuilt - was removed. "On the shoulders", should have tranported the Ulmer the stones in the city. In fact, all the components of the old church have been incorporated into the cathedral, for example, the around 1360 created bride portal as well as the northern side portals, one of which bears the date 1356. And quite normal stone blocks of the old church can be found in the brick masonry of the choir.
Today, one can hardly imagine that the Ulmer of the late 14th Century began a construction project of which they knew they would not live long enough to see its completion. Could they have imagined that this work would develop a momentum of its own, the result should differ thoroughly from the original plans? Finally, the relatively simple hall church on the above-mentioned establishment relief no longer has much to do with the imposing building that is pictured in the 1493 published Schedel's World Chronicle and practically nothing at all with the "mountain city ", which today rises from the old town.
The European dimension
New window with an enlarged view: steeples of Europe
© City of Ulm
From left: Vienna, 136.70 m , Cologne, 157 meters , Ulm 161.53 m, 142 m Strasbourg, Freiburg 116 m
The construction of the cathedral was thus a process with an uncertain outcome. Architects of international renown, who worked in several European cultural centers have contributed to it: Michael and Heinrich III. Parler had already helped build in Prague on Karlsdom, and Heinrich III. later went to the Opera del Duomo in Milan. Members of the Parler family initiated the Dombauhütten (cathedral masonry works) in Prague, Strasbourg, Vienna and Ulm. Ulrich von Ensingen that followed the Parlern in Ulm and here planned the colossal main tower, was also found in Strasbourg and in Esslingen, his son Matthäus Ensinger learned in Strasbourg. Before he came to Ulm, he directed the construction of the Bern Cathedral and the Esslinger Frauenkirche.
Matthew Böblinger also worked in Esslingen, before he presented a new plan for the main tower in Ulm. This should be a model for the completion of the tower four centuries later. Böblinger but had the misfortune that during his time as a cathedral builder the insufficient foundation of the main tower gave way.
Panic among the sermon
New window with an enlarged view: Lobby Main Tower
© City of Ulm
Looking through the lobby of the main tower
The misfortune that Sunday of the year 1492, when two stones fell from the vault in the church, described the shoemaker and chronicler Sebastian Fischer, who incidentally made by hand and some awkward the most original drawings of the Cathedral.
Fischer's mother had then attented the midday sermon. "Since the Leut fled blocking system of the churches (people fled out of church), because they thought that the Münster wanted to fall over"; he says. "But the stones Hetten niemants affected (nobody was affected). "Whether the builder actually had to flee as Fischer adds, is controversial because Böblinger is still three years later on record in the hut books of the Cathedral.
This lowering of the tower was always stated as the reason why the building was not brought out much more over the 1494 completed square wreath. Although Böblinger had already begun with the next section, which has an octagonal floor plan. But was stopped after five meters, and then protected with a pyramidal temporary roof.
Böblinger's successor Burkhard Engelberg is considered as the savior of the Cathedral. By dividing the still relatively new side aisles, he prevented that the tensions tore the church apart.
Iconoclasm
New window with an enlarged view: the choir stalls
© City of Ulm
Men's side of the choir stalls by Jörg Syrlin the Elder, 1468-1474
Good two decades later, in November 1530, the Ulmer avowed in a referendum to Protestantism. The equipment of the church with its over 50 altars stood in stark contrast to the new doctrine. The result was the "Iconoclasm" of the year 1531, which is not to be misunderstood as a wild orgy of destruction. Rather, the Council urged the owners of the altars, to remove them from the cathedral. Some might not have been interested in the then unfashionable Gothic art works anymore and they burned as "old G'lomp" (old junk).
The choir stalls the Council put under his protection. This unique work of art, with its depictions of Greek and Roman artists, scholars and Sibyls breathing the spirit of humanism, emerged from 1468 to 1474 in the workshop of the Ulmer master carpenter Syrlin Jörg the Elder. What for needs a citizens church choir stalls? There probably the many priests of the private altars will have taken place. Maybe Ulm wanted but also compete with the cathedral chapter in Constance, which had just accorded itself such a choir.
Huge Torso
New window with an enlarged view: South Munster
© City of Ulm
South of Münster Jacob Geiger, 2 Half of the 17th century
In 1543, ie 166 years after construction began, the Council had suspended the work on the cathedral, "to prevent the costs". But even as a torso, it was considered the most powerful church in Germany - even if the Strasbourg Cathedral was higher.
The fate not to have been completed, the Ulmer Münster shared with a number of other medieval cathedrals, such as those of Cologne, Regensburg, Bremen and Meißen. This fact allows the construction to appear in a different light: It was probably not only static and financial reasons, but rather the changed Zeitgeist (spirit of the times): One wanted on the threshold of the Renaissance no more money invest in the completion of a building in the style of the now outdated Gothic.
Only the nationalism of the 19th Century and the awakening enthusiasm for the Middle Ages raised the completion of these buildings - especially the Cologne Cathedral - to a national matter. In Ulm, however, it was first of all a question to preserve the cathedral, in the meantime become dilapidated, before the collapse. It was also reflected about the expansion of the main tower.
The ship wobbles
New window with an enlarged view: View of the Ulmer Münster
© City of Ulm
The Minster 2007 - in full size with the town as a partner
1844, the builder's hut was reopened . The nave, which fluctuated with every storm had to be stabilized. To these purpose, minster builder Ferdinand Thrän between 1856-1870 stretched the 18-meter-wide, mad of stone, and yet so delicate flying buttresses over the aisles. Then the two choir towers were built, which were completed in 1880.
The expansion of the main tower should be based on the plans of Matthew Böblinger. But Minster architect August von Beyer stretched the tower by ten meters compared with the original plan, which had 151 meters provided. Why? Wanted the Ulmer the Cologne Cathedral with its 157 meters put in the shadow of their minster?
This still entertained suspicion was reported already during the extension work of Cologne, but was strongly rejected in Ulm. The Ulmer tower, so the counter-argument, had yet in the Middle Ages been created more powerful as the towers of Cologne. As another reason for the heightening the perspective is invoked: To make the proportions of the tower for the observer on the cathedral square appear more harmonious, Beyer had not only the height corrected to the top but also the relationship between the two sections of the new part for the benefit of the upper one changed.
www.ulm.de/ulmer_geschichte_die_ulmer_und_ihr_muenster.42...
A pair of Foremost Delta 3 vehicles just days away from testing.
GVWR: 59,300 lb.
Payload: 30,000 lb,
Power: 325 HP
Torque: 1095 ft-lb.
Maximum fording depth: 4.5 ft.
Maximum grade: 50%.
Since taking delivery of their first Boeing 737 MAX back in mid-2021, almost 4 years on and Ryanair have almost finished taking delivery of their initial batch of 200 examples. Even with deliveries almost complete of the type, Boeing 737-800s remain the dominant aircraft within Ryanair as a whole, operating in all but one of their operating subsidiaries and are in the process of being fitted with Split-Scimitar winglets.
Deliveries of the original batch of 200 Boeing 737 MAX 8-200s, a higher capacity version of the ubiquitous Boeing 737 MAX 8 will conclude with Ryanair in late-2025 and will be the largest operator of the type, surpassing India's Akasa Air and the United States Allegiant Air who are taking delivery of their first examples.
This will not be the end of new deliveries for Ryanair however; mid-2023 saw Ryanair place a large order for 150 Boeing 737 MAX 10s alongside options for a further 150 examples. Even with the Boeing 737 MAX 10 having not been certified at time of writing, Ryanair are expected to take delivery of the longest version of the Boeing 737 MAX by 2027.
Currently, Ryanair Group operates 584 Boeing 737s, which includes one Boeing 737-700 (operated by Buzz), 410 Boeing 737-800s (59 with Buzz, 205 with Ryanair, 15 with Ryanair UK and 131 with Malta Air) and 173 Boeing 737 MAX 8-200s (14 with Buzz, 116 with Ryanair and 43 with Malta Air). Ryanair Group have 37 Boeing 737 MAX 8-200s and 150 Boeing 737 MAX 10s on-order.
India Golf Golf is one of 116 Boeing 737 MAX 8-200s operated by Ryanair, delivered new to the low-cost carrier on 28th February 2023 and she is powered by 2 CFM International LEAP-1B27 engines.
Boeing 737-8-200 MAX EI-IGG lifts off from Runway 18 at Birmingham (BHX) on FR671 to Dublin-Collinstown (DUB).