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Front façade and court yard of the Château d'Azay-le-Rideau, Azay-le-Rideau, Loire Valley, France
Some background information:
Azay-le-Rideau is a commune in the French department of Indre-et-Loire in the Centre-Val de Loire region. It has more than 3,400 residents and is located about 30 km (19 miles) to the southwest of the city of Tours. There are two historic châteaux in the municipal area of Azay-le-Rideau: the Château de l'Islette and the more famous Château d'Azay-le-Rideau. Both belong to the UNESCO Word Heritage Site "The Loire Valley between Sully-sur-Loire and Chalonnes" with its many breathtaking châteaux. Altogether there are more than 400 of them in the Loire region.
Built between 1518 and 1527, the Château d'Azay-le-Rideau is considered one of the foremost examples of early French renaissance architecture. Set on an island in the middle of the Indre river, this picturesque castle has even become one of the most popular of all the châteaux of the Loire valley. The current occupies the site of a former feudal castle. During the 12th century, the local seigneur Rideau d'Azay, a knight in the service of the then French King Philip II Augustus, built a fortress here to protect the Tours to Chinon road where it crossed the river Indre.
However, this original medieval castle fell victim to the rivalry between Burgundian and Armagnac factions during the Hundred Years' War. In 1418, the future King Charles VII passed through Azay-le-Rideau as he fled from Burgundian occupied Paris to the loyal Armagnac stronghold of Bourges. Angered by the insults of the Burgundian troops occupying the town, the dauphin ordered his own army to storm the castle. The 350 soldiers inside were all executed and the castle itself burnt to the ground. For centuries, this fate was commemorated in the town's name of Azay-le-Brûlé (in English: "Azay the Burnt"), which remained in use until the 18th century.
In 1518, the land, together with the ruined castle, was acquired by Gilles Berthelot, the mayor of Tours and treasurer-general of the King's finances under King Charles VII and King Louis XII. Desiring a residence to reflect his wealth and status, Berthelot set about reconstructing the building in a way that would incorporate its medieval past alongside the latest architectural styles of the Italian Renaissance. Although the château's purpose was to be largely residential, defensive fortifications remained important symbols of prestige, and so Berthelot was keen to have them integrated in the architecture of his new castle.
Berthelot's duties meant that he was frequently absent from the château, so the responsibility for supervising the building works fell to his wife, Philippa Lesbahy. These took time, since it was difficult to lay solid foundations in the damp ground of this island in the Indre, and the château had to be raised on stilts driven into the mud. In 1527, the château was still incomplete, when the execution of Jacques de Beaune, (the chief minister in charge of royal finances and cousin to Berthelot) forced Gilles to flee the country. The then French King Francis I confiscated the unfinished building and, in 1535, gave it to Antoine Raffin, one of his knights-at-arms.
In 1583, Raffin's granddaughter Antoinette, a former lady-in-waiting to Margaret of Valois (the then Queen of Navarre and later Queen of France), took up residence in the château. With the help of her husband Guy de Saint-Gelais, she began modernising the décor. The Raffins, and their relations by marriage, the Vassés, retained ownership of the Château d'Azay-le-Rideau until 1787, when it was sold for 300,000 livres to the Marquis Charles de Biencourt, field marshal of King Louis XVI.
After having affiliated to the Third Estate and having committed himself to the ideals of the French Revolution, he was allowed to retain possession of his estate, which was in poor condition at that time. At the beginning of the 1820s, Biencourt undertook some alteration work. But after his death in 1824, it was his son Armand-François-Marie de Biencourt, who accomplished an extensive restoration of the château. This included restoring the old medallions and royal insignia on the staircase (which had been covered up during the French Revolution), extending the courtyard façade and adding a new tower at the east corner.
During the Franco-Prussian War of 1870 to 1871, the Château d'Azay-le-Rideau was once again threatened with destruction. It served as the headquarters for the Prussian troops in the area, but when one night a chandelier fell from the ceiling onto the table where their leader, Prince Friedrich Karl of Prussia, was dining, he suspected an assassination attempt and ordered his soldiers to set fire to the building. Only his officers' assurances that the chandelier had dropped by accident persuaded him to stay his hand and thus saved the château from a second burning.
Following the Prussian troops' retreat, Azay-le-Rideau returned to the Biencourt family. In 1899, financial difficulties forced the young widower Charles-Marie-Christian de Biencourt to sell the château, along with its furniture and 540 hectares of land, to the businessman Achille Arteau. He sold the château‘s contents for profit and as a result, the building was emptied and its artwork and furniture dispersed. In 1905, the estate was purchased by the French state for 250,000 francs and finally became a listed historical monument.
Today, the Château d'Azay-le-Rideau is one of many national monuments under the protection of the Centre des monuments nationaux. It is open to the public and its rooms are re-equipped with interior decoration and furniture, which reflect the influence of the Italian Renaissance. Many of the rooms display 16th- and 17th-century Flemish tapestries and the château also houses a significant collection of artwork. The current gardens were designed in the 19th century by the Biencourts, who laid out a large landscaped park in the English style. To the south and west, the river serves as a water mirror for the château, reflecting the façades and creating an attractive tableau.
Fiaker on the Plaza Virgen. In the background the Palacio Arzobispal, the Archbishop's Palace in Seville and official residence of the Archbishop of the Archdiocese of Seville
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📷 | ПЕТЕРГОФ Peterhof :: rumoto images # 5822
Der heute evangelische Naumburger Dom St. Peter und Paul in Naumburg (Saale) ist die ehemalige Kathedrale des Bistums Naumburg und stammt größtenteils aus der ersten Hälfte des 13. Jahrhunderts. Er gehört zu den bedeutendsten Bauwerken der Spätromanik in Sachsen-Anhalt, ist eine Station an der Straße der Romanik und seit 2018 UNESCO-Weltkulturerbe.
Fahrt von Gudvangen nach Innvik (Tag 5): die Autofähre nach Kaupanger im Hafen von Gudvangen am Ende des Nærøyfjords, ein Seitenarm des Sognefjord.
Das Kloster wurde im 16. Jhdt mit einer Bauzeit von 70 Jahren errichtet. Es gilt als Hauptwerk der "Manuelinik", einer portugiesischen Variante der Spätgotik, die auch Elemente der Renaissance enthält.
Belem ist Weltkulturerbe der UNESCO.
Renowned view of the city of Porto with the Paço Episcopal (in English: "Episcopal Palace") on the left, the Ponte Dom Luís I (in English: "Dom Luís I Bridge") on the right and the Douro river with some Barcos Rabelos (in English: "Rabelo Boats") in the foreground, Porto, Portugal
Some background information:
The Paço Episcopal is the residence of the bishops of Porto. The palace is located on a high elevation, near Porto Cathedral, and dominates the skyline of the city. It is part of the historical centre of Porto, a designated UNESCO World Heritage Site. The original palace was built in the 12th or 13th century, as attested by some architectural vestiges like romanesque-style windows that exist inside the present building. During the 16th and 17th centuries the palace was greatly enlarged.
However, the present palace is the result of a radical rebuilding campaign carried out in the 18th century, which turned it into a baroque bishop’s residence. The building anwered this purpose until the 19th century. During the Siege of Porto of 1832, the bishop fled the city and the palace was used by Pedro IV's troops as stronghold in the battle against Miguel I. Much later, between 1916 and 1956, when the bishops no longer inhabited the palace, the palace served as seat of the Municipality of Porto.
The Ponte Dom Luís I is a double-deck metal arch bridge that spans the river Douro between the city centre of Porto and the municipality Vila Nova de Gaia. At its construction, its 172 metres (564 feet) span was the longest of its type in the world. In 1881, the public work was awarded to the Belgian Société de Willebroek from Brussels. It was to be administered by Théophile Seyrig, a disciple of Gustave Eiffel and author of the project.
In 1886, the bridge was inaugurated. Seyrig had already worked on the Maria Pia bridge with Eiffel, which had been finsished nine years earlier, hence the resemblance of his new bridge to the nearby Maria Pia bridge. Originally and for more than a century, the Ponte Dom Luís I carried road traffic on both decks. Along with other vehicles, electric trams crossed the upper deck between 1908 and 1959, and trolleybuses crossed both decks from 1959 to 1993. In 2003, the upper deck was closed to motor traffic in order to adapt the structure for the metro system, and already two years later, the new metro line D was inaugurated. However, pedestrian traffic is still allowed on both decks.
Porto, also known as Oporto, is the second largest city in Portugal, after Lisbon. It is located along the Douro River estuary in northern Portugal, about 280 km (174 miles) north of Lisbon. With an estimated pospulation of 250,000, Porto’s city center is rather small, compared to its metropolitan area, which has around 1.8 million residents. Porto has one of the oldest European centres. Its core was proclaimed a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 1996, as the "Historic Centre of Porto, Luiz I Bridge and Monastery of Serra do Pilar".
Port wine, one of Portugal's most famous exports, is named after Porto, since the metropolitan area, and in particular the cellars of Porto’s quarter Vila Nova de Gaia, were responsible for the packaging, transport, and export of fortified wine. It is typically a sweet red wine, often served with dessert, although it also comes in dry, semi-dry, and white varieties. Famous port wine brands are among others Sandeman, Cockburn’s, Graham’s, Fonseca, Offley, Ferreira and Quinta do Noval.
Proto-Celtic and Celtic people were among the first known inhabitants of the area of Porto. Archaeological findings from the 8th century BC also hint at a Phoenician trading settlement. During the Roman era, the city developed as an important commercial port, primarily in the trade between Olissipona (the modern Lisbon) and Bracara Augusta (the modern Braga).
Following the Muslim invasion of the Iberian Peninsula, Porto fell under Muslim control in 716, but was reconquered by Alfonso I of Asturias in 741. Thus Porto became a border settlement, occasionally invaded and conquered by the Muslim Moors. In 1092, during the so-called Reconquista, the area finally came under Christian rule, initially as part of the Kingdom of León. In 1093, Teresa of León, illegitimate daughter of the king Alfonso VI of Castile, married Henry of Burgundy, bringing the County of Portugal as dowry.
After eventually expanding its current frontiers and conquering additonal territory inhabited by the Moors for centuries, the county became the independent Kingdom of Portugal at the beginning of the 12th century. At that time, Porto also became one of the hubs of the Reconquista led by Afonso I Henriques, the first King of Portugal. In 1370, during the reign of King Ferdinand I, the new, expanded, and reinforced city walls, known as the Muralhas Fernandinas (in English: "Ferdinandine Walls"), were completed.
In 1387, Porto was the site of the marriage of John I of Portugal and Philippa of Lancaster, daughter of John of Gaunt. This marital bond symbolized a long-standing military alliance between Portugal and England. In the 14th and 15th centuries, Porto's shipyards contributed to the development of Portuguese shipbuilding. In 1415, Prince Henry the Navigator embarked from the port of Porto on the conquest of the Moorish port of Ceuta in northern Morocco. This expedition was followed by navigation and exploration along the western coast of Africa, initiating the Portuguese Age of Discovery.
By the 13th century, the wine produced in the nearby Douro valley had already been transported to Porto in so-called barcos rabelos (flat sailing vessels). In 1703, the Methuen Treaty established trade relations between Portugal and England and strengthened both countries‘ military alliance. The production of port wine then gradually passed into the hands of a few English firms.
To counter this dominance, the Portuguese Prime Minister Marquis of Pombal established a monopolistic Portuguese firm, the Douro Wine Company in 1756 to receive all the wines from the Douro valley. He demarcated the region for the production of port, to ensure the wine's quality, which was the first attempt to control wine quality and production in Europe, almost a century ahead of a similar exercise in Bordeaux. The small winegrowers revolted against his strict policies on Shrove Tuesday, burning down the buildings of the Douro Wine Company. The revolt became known as the Revolta dos Borrachos (in English: "Revolt of the Drunkards").
During the 18th and 19th centuries, the city became an important industrial center and hence, its size and population increased. The invasion of the Napoleonic troops in Portugal brought war to the city of Porto. In 1809, when the population fled from the advancing French troops and tried to cross the river Douro over the Ponte das Barcas, the bridge collapsed under the weight of the people and almost 4,000 residents of Porto died in the floods of the Douro river. In the Second Battle of Porto, which took place still in the same year, the French Army was thrown out of the city by Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington, and his Anglo-Portuguese Army.
In 1820, the Liberal Revolution began in Porto. The revolutionaries demanded the return of King John VI of Portugal, who had transferred the royal court to the Portuguese colony of Brazil since the French invasions, and also a constitutional monarchy to be set up in Portugal. But after the new constitution had been accepted in 1822, the new Portuguese King Miguel I rejected this constitution in 1828 and reigned as an anti-liberal, absolutist monarch.
Porto rebelled again and had to undergo a siege of eighteen months by the absolutist army. After successfully resisting the siege in 1833, King Miguel I had to abdicate and the liberal constitution was re-established. However, not bevore 1910, the monarchy was overthrown and Portugal became a republic. In 1919, forces favorable to the restoration of the monarchy launched a counter-revolution in Porto known as the Monarchy of the North. During this time, Porto was the capital of the restored kingdom, but the monarchy was deposed less than a month later and no other monarchist revolution in Portugal happened again.
Today, Porto is the most important industrial city in the country, thanks to its textile, leather goods, metal, food, and chemical industries, its oil refinery as well as the overseas port Porto de Leixões. The university, the art academy, museums, theaters, and the opera also emphasise Porto's status as a major cultural and scientific center. But it’s mainly the export of port wine and its beautiful UNESCO-protected old town, to which Porto ows its appeal to visitors from everywhere.
Detail of find 2. Lachmöwe, Larus Ridibundus, Black-headed gull.
Part of the set "postmortem".
DMC-G2 - P1330837 9.4.2012
Hauptstraße - Dürnstein - UNESCO Weltkulturerbe / UNESCO World Heritage Site - Wachau - Niederösterreich / Lower Austria - Österreich / Austria
Cusco (auch Cuzco, auf Quechua Qusqu oder Qosqo) ist die Hauptstadt der gleichnamigen Region und der Provinz Cusco im Zentrum des peruanischen Andenhochlandes. Sie liegt in 3.416 m Höhe und hat 348,935 Einwohner.
1983 wurde sie in die Liste der UNESCO-Welterbestätten aufgenommen.
La Compañía de Jesús – Die Kirche der Jesuiten wurde von 1552 bis 1668 auf den Grundmauern des Palastes von Huayna Cápac erbaut.
La Compania church The cathedral, Plaza de Armas.
The main square of Cusco. During Inca times, this location marked the very center of the Empire.
La Compañía de Jesús - who became church of the Jesuits was built from 1552 to 1668 on the foundation walls of the palace of Huayna Cápac,
Cusco or Cuzco (pronounced /ˈkuːskoʊ/; in Quechua written Qusqu and pronounced [ˈqosqo]) is a city in southeastern Peru, near the Urubamba Valley (Sacred Valley) of the Andes mountain range. It is the capital of the Cusco Region as well as the Cusco Province. The city has a population of 348,935.
Cusco is the historic capital of the Inca Empire and was declared a World Heritage Site in 1983 by UNESCO.
See where this picture was taken:
loc.alize.us/#/user:doc.holiday41/geo:-13.517415,-71.9790...
View of Ponte Vecchio, a bridge crossing the Arno River in the city of Florence, from Piazzale Michelangelo, Florence, Tuscany, Italy
Some background information:
The Ponte Vecchio (in English: "Old Bridge") is a medieval stone closed-spandrel segmental arch bridge over the Arno River, noted for still having shops built along it, as was once common. Butchers initially occupied the shops, while the present tenants are jewellers, art dealers and souvenir sellers. Ponte Vecchio is one of the city of Florence’s landmarks and part of the UNESCO World Heritage Site covering the historic centre of Florence. As the pedestrian bridge spans the Arno at its narrowest point, it is believed that already in Roman times a bridge existed at the same spot.
The bridge first appears in a document of 996. After being destroyed by a flood in 1117, it was reconstructed in stone but swept away again in 1333. In 1345, it was rebuilt again. The bridge consists of three segmental arches: the main arch has a span of 30 metres (98 feet), while the two side arches each span 27 metres (89 feet). At the central opening of Ponte Vecchio a little loggia is located, covering the bridge’s weathered dedication stone. It is said that the economic concept of bankruptcy originated here: When a money-changer could not pay his debts, the table on which he sold his wares (the "banco") was physically broken ("rotto") by soldiers, and this practice was called "bancorotto" (in English: "broken table"). Not having a table anymore, the merchant of course was not able to sell anything.
With about 400,000 residents in its city centre and more than 1,520,000 in its metropolitan area, Florence is the capital and also the most populous city of the Italian region of Tuscany. The town lies in a basin formed by several hills. The Arno river, three other minor rivers and some streams flow through its metropolitan area. During the Middle Ages the city was a centre of European trade and finance and one of the wealthiest cities of that era. It is also considered the birthplace of the Renaissance, and has been called "the Athens of the Middle Ages". A turbulent political history includes periods of rule by the powerful Medici family and numerous religious and republican revolutions. From 1865 to 1871 Florence was the capital of the recently established Kingdom of Italy.
The Florentine dialect forms the base of Standard Italian and it became the language of culture throughout Italy due to the prestige of the masterpieces by Dante Alighieri, Petrarch, Giovanni Boccaccio, Niccolò Machiavelli and Francesco Guicciardini, who were all born in the city. Florence attracts millions of tourists each year, and its historic centre was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1982. The city is noted for its culture, art, architecture and monuments. It contains numerous museums and art galleries, such as the Uffizi Gallery and the Palazzo Pitti. Due to Florence's artistic and architectural heritage, it has been ranked by Forbes as one of the most beautiful cities in the world. Furthermore, Florence is also an important city in Italian fashion, being ranked in the top 15 fashion capitals of the world.
Florence originated as a Roman city. Around 200 BC, the Etruscans initially formed the small settlement of Fiesole, which was destroyed by Lucius Cornelius Sulla in 80 BC in reprisal for supporting the populares faction in Rome. In 59 BC, the present city of Florence was established by Julius Caesar as a settlement for his veteran soldiers. Originally it was named Fluentia, owing to the fact that it was built between two rivers, but its name was later changed to Florentia (in English: "flowering"). Situated along the Via Cassia, the main route between Rome and the north, and within the fertile valley of the Arno, the settlement quickly became an important commercial centre.
In centuries to come, the city was often troubled by warfare between the Ostrogoths and the Byzantines, which may have caused the population to fall to as few as 1,000 people. Peace returned under Lombard rule in the 6th century. In 774, Florence was conquered by Charlemagne and became part of the Duchy of Tuscany, with Lucca as its capital. The population began to grow again and commerce prospered.
Margrave Hugo chose Florence as his residency instead of Lucca at about 1000 AD. The Golden Age of Florentine art began around this time. The city's primary resource was the Arno river, providing power and access for the industry (mainly textile industry), and access to the Mediterranean Sea for international trade. Another great source of strength was its industrious merchant community. The Florentine merchant banking skills became recognised in Europe after they brought decisive financial innovation to medieval fairs, such as bill of exchange and double-entry bookkeeping system.
In 1115, the Republic of Florence originated, when the Florentine people rebelled against the Margraviate of Tuscany upon the death of Matilda of Tuscany, a woman who controlled vast territories that included Florence. The Florentines formed a commune in her successors' place. Subsequently, the early, modern state of the republic was ruled by a council known as the Signoria of Florence. The republic had a checkered history of factions and counter-factions. But in 1434, the Medici faction gained governance of the city under Cosimo de' Medici.
During this first Medici governance, in 1469, Cosimo’s grandson Lorenzo de' Medici assumed the reins of government. Lorenzo was a great patron of the arts, commissioning works by Michelangelo, Leonardo da Vinci and Botticelli. As he was also an accomplished poet and musician himself, he brought composers and singers to Florence too. By contemporary Florentines (and since), he was known as "Lorenzo il Magnifico" (in English: "Lorenzo the Magnificent").
The Medici kept control of Florence until 1494, when Lorenzo’s son Piero II was expelled by the French king Charles VIII, whose army had invaded northern Italy. In 1498, when the Medici were out of power, Niccolò Machiavelli, a diplomat, politician, historian, philosopher, humanist, writer, playwright and poet of the Renaissance period, became secretary to the Second Chancery of the Republic of Florence. His prescriptions for Florence's regeneration under strong leadership have often been seen as a legitimisation of political expediency and even malpractice. In other words, Machiavelli was a political thinker, perhaps most renowned for his political handbook, titled "The Prince", which is about ruling and the exercise of power. Commissioned by the Medici, Machiavelli also wrote the Florentine Histories, the history of the city.
In 1512, Giovanni de' Medici (later Pope Leo X) re-conquered the Republic of Florence. However, Florence repudiated Medici authority for a second time in 1527, during the so-called War of the League of Cognac. But again the Medici re-assumed their rule in 1531 after an 11-month siege of the city. The republican government was disestablished in 1532, when Pope Clement VII appointed Alessandro de' Medici "Duke of the Florentine Republic", making the republic a hereditary monarchy.
In 1569, the Medici became Grand Dukes of Tuscany, ruling for another two centuries. In all Tuscany, only the Republic of Lucca and the Principality of Piombino were independent from Florence. The extinction of the Medici dynasty and the accession in 1737 of Francis Stephen, Duke of Lorraine and husband of Maria Theresa of Austria, led to Tuscany's temporary inclusion in the territories of the Austrian crown. From 1801 to 1807 Florence was the capital of the Napoleonic client state Kingdom of Etruria and from 1808 to the fall of Napoleon in 1814, it was the was the prefecture of the French département of Arno. In 1861, Tuscany became a region of the Kingdom of Italy. In 1865, Florence replaced Turin as Italy's capital, but already six years later, it was superseded by Rome.
After doubling during the 19th century, Florence's population was to triple in the 20th, resulting from growth in tourism, trade, financial services and industry. During World War II the city experienced a year-long German occupation (1943 to 1944) and was declared an open city in late July 1944 as troops of the British 8th Army closed in. The retreating Germans decided to demolish all the bridges along the Arno, making it difficult for troops of the 8th Army to cross. But at the latest moment, the German general was convinced that Ponte Vecchio was not to be destroyed due to its historical value. In November 1966, the Arno flooded parts of the centre, damaging many art treasures.
Today, Florence is known as the "cradle of the Renaissance" for its many Renaissance monuments, churches, and other buildings. 600 years after its completion, the dome, built by Filippo Brunelleschi, is still the largest dome built in brick and mortar in the world. Florence also contains numerous museums and art galleries where some of the world's most important works of art are held. Hence, tourism is, by far, the most important of all industries and most of the Florentine economy relies on the money generated by international arrivals and students studying in the city. The value tourism to the city totalled some 62.5 billion € in 2015 and the number of visitors still increases to the present day.
A visit to Cologne and its outstanding architectural points of interest.
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Cologne Cathedral ("Kölner Dom" or simply "Dom") is one of the largest churches on the planet. Construction started in 1248 on top of the remains of the former cathedral and several other buildings. The place had been occupied by Christian churches from the 4th century onwards. It took until 1880 to finish it completely. However, continuous repairs and replacements of fragile parts are necessary to keep it intact.
It stands 157.22m (515.81ft) tall
Cologne Cathedral was inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1996 (ref. 0292).
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Gross St. Martin was built on top of remains of Roman buildings which date back to the first century. A first church - part of a Benedictinian monastery - was existing in the 10th century, some records make an earlier church possible but there's no definite proof. After a devastating fire in 1150, the existing church was built and consecrated in 1172. Gross St. Martin is one of the twelve large romanic churches ("Colonia Romanica").
The Torre de Belém (in English: "Belém Tower") in the city of Lisbon’s district Belém on the northern bank of the Tejo river (in English: "Tagus river"), Lisbon, Portugal
Some background information:
The Torre de Belém, officially the Tower of Saint Vincent, is a 16th-century fortification located in Lisbon that served as a point of embarkation and disembarkation for Portuguese explorers and as a ceremonial gateway to Lisbon. The tower was finished in 1519 and symbolizes Portugal's maritime and colonial power in early modern Europe. It was built during the height of the Portuguese Renaissance, and is a prominent example of the Portuguese Manueline style, but it also incorporates other architectural styles, such as the minarets, which are inspired by Moorish architecture. The structure was built from lioz limestone and is composed of a bastion and a 30-metre (100 feet) four-storey tower.
Since 1983, the tower has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site, along with the Jerónimos Monastery. It is often portrayed as a symbol of Europe's Age of Discoveries and as a metonym for Portugal or Lisbon, given its landmark status. It has incorrectly been stated that the tower was built in the middle of the Tagus and now sits near the shore because the river was redirected after the 1755 Lisbon earthquake. But in fact, the tower was built on a small island in the Tagus river near the Lisbon shore.
With an estimated population of almost 568,000 within its administrative limits and 2,961,177 within its metropolitan area, Lisbon is the capital and largest city of Portugal. It is mainland Europe's westernmost capital city and the only one along the Atlantic coast. Situated on the northern shore of the Tejo river near its estuary, Lisbon’s port can be called at by ships of any size.
Lisbon is one of the oldest cities in the world and the second-oldest European capital city (after Athens). Although the first fortifications on Lisbon's castle hill are known to be no older than the 2nd century BC, recent archaeological finds have shown that Iron Age people already occupied the site from the 8th to 6th centuries BC. The Phoenicians and later the Carthaginians, are said to have called the place Alis Ubbo and used it as the only major natural harbor on the Iberian Atlantic coast. There are also evidences that Lisbon once was a Greek city, but its Greek name is unknown.
Under Roman rule, starting around 205 BC, the city was initially called Olisipo. In 48 BC, the town was granted Roman municipal rights and subsequently became known as Colonia Felicitas Iulia, growing into a larger town in the province of Lusitania. From 409 AD, barbarian tribes advanced onto the Iberian Peninsula from Gaul. During the late antique migration period, Alans, Suebi, Vandals, and Visigoths tried to occupy Lisbon.
In 719, Lisbon was conquered by Muslim Moors and later became part of the Emirate of Córdoba. The city, now known as al-Ushbuna, experienced its first major boom. During the Caliphate of Córdoba, the city was one of the most important ports, while Christian Galicians and Leonese repeatedly attempted to seize it. In 844, Vikings ravaged Lisbon and its surroundings.
In the 11th century, Lisbon was part of the Moorish Emirate of the Aftasids from Badajoz. Starting in 1093, Count Raymond of Armous, a younger son of Duke William I of Burgundy, was given rule over Galicia by King Alfonso VI of León. From there, he launched campaigns against the Moors in the south, temporarily managing to occupy Lisbon.
At the beginning of the 11th century, the south of the Iberian Peninsula was still under Moorish control. But in 1147, in the course of the so-called Reconquista, the Siege of Lisbon led to the city's final capture by the Portuguese under Alfonso I. In 1255, Lisbon became the capital city of the new Portuguese territory and in 1290, the first Portuguese university was founded in the town. During the last centuries of the Middle Ages, Lisbon expanded substantially and became an important trading post with both Northern European and Mediterranean cities.
When the Spaniards had expelled the Jews from Spanish territory, many of them fled to Lisbon. But even in Portugal they either had to convert to Christianity or leave. In 1506, an anti-semitic movement among the Old Christians of Lisbon culminated in a massacre lasting four days in which some 1,000 to 4,000 New Christian residents, converted descendants of Sephardic Jews, are estimated to have been killed.
Most of the Portuguese expeditions of the Age of Discovery set out from Lisbon during the period from the end of the 15th century to the beginning of the 17th century, including Vasco da Gama's expedition to India in 1498. In the 16th century, Lisbon’s golden era began: The city was the European hub of commerce between Africa, India, the Far East and later, Brazil, and acquired great riches by exploiting the trade of spices, slaves, sugar, textiles and other goods. This period also saw the rise of the exuberant Manueline style in architecture, which left its mark in many 16th-century monuments, including the Belém Tower and the Jerónimos Monastery.
The succession crisis of 1580 initiated a sixty-year period of dual monarchy in Portugal and Spain under the Spanish Habsburgs. In 1589, Lisbon was the target of an incursion by the English Armada led by Francis Drake. The Portuguese Restoration War, which began with a coup d'état organised by the nobility and bourgeoisie in Lisbon in 1640 amd ended with the Treaty of Lisbon in 1668, restored Portuguese independence.
In the early 18th century, gold from Brazil allowed King John V to sponsor the building of several Baroque churches and theatres in the city. Prior to the 18th century, Lisbon had experienced several significant earthquakes: eight in the 14th century, five in the 16th century, and three in the 17th century. But the earthquake of 1755 was the most davastating one. It destroyed 85 percent of the city's structures, including the Ribeira Palace and the hospital Real de Todos os Santos. An an estimated 30,000 to 40,000 Lisbon residents of a total population estimated of 200,000 to 275,000 wer killed. And in the coastal areas north of Lisbon even more people were killed by the following tsunami.
This catastrophic event shocked the whole of Europe and left a deep impression on its collective psyche. However, the city was rebuilt quickly and largely according to the plans of prime minister Sebastião José de Carvalho e Melo, the 1st Marquis of Pombal. He decided to demolish what remained after the earthquake and rebuild the city centre in accordance with principles of modern urban design. It was reconstructed in an open rectangular plan with two great squares: the Praça do Rossio and the Praça do Comércio.
In the first years of the 19th century, Portugal was invaded by the troops of Napoléon Bonaparte, forcing Queen Maria I and Prince-Regent John to flee temporarily to Brazil. By the time the new King John VI returned to Lisbon, many of the buildings and properties were pillaged, sacked or destroyed by the invaders. The development of industry and commerce determined the growth of the city and Lisbon grew farther from the Tejo river.
In 1911, Lisbon refounded its university after centuries of inactivity. In the 20th century, the city was also the site of three revolutions. The first ond of 1910 brought an end to the Portuguese monarchy and established the highly unstable and corrupt Portuguese First Republic. The second one of 1926 ended the first republic and firmly established the Portuguese Second Republic. And the third revolution of 1974, the so-called Carnation Revolution, put an end to the right-wing regime and reformed the country to what it is still today, the Portuguese Third Republic.
Modern Lisbon is the political centre of the country and hosts the government, the National Assembly, the Supreme Court of Justice and the Armed Forces. It is also the residence of the head of state and the centre of Portuguese diplomacy, with ambassadors from 86 countries residing in the city, as well as representations from Taiwan and Palestine. About 2.96 million people, who live in the Lisbon metropolitan area (representing almost 28 % of the Portugal's population), make Lisbon the third largest metropolitan area in the Iberian Peninsula after Madrid and Barcelona.
The interior of the Colonnade of the famous spa town Mariánské Lázně, West Bohemia, Czech Republic
Some background information:
The neo-Baroque Colonnade of Mariánské Lázně was built between 1888 and 1889. Its construction was commissioned by the Abbot of Teplá Abbey and built on a site of a former spa building that was known as the "Kursaal". Construction work was undertaken by a local builder named Johann Koenig according to the plans of Viennese architects Miksch and Niedzielský. Their cast iron construction was made at the ironworks in Blansko and brought to Mariánské Lázně in pieces by train.
The Colonnade is an icon that could be said to represent the Czech spas. It is a precious example of a period building common to the Czech and other European spa towns, many of which were destroyed, deteriorated over time or were modernized at some point. But the Colonnade of Mariánské Lázně survived. Its structure underwent a renovation between 1973 and 1981. The cycle of ceiling frescos inside represents the desire of man to fly and is the work of the Czech artist Josef Vyleťal.
Mariánské Lázně (in German: "Marienbad") is a famous spa town in the Czech Republic. It has more than 12,000 permanent residents and is located in the Cheb District of the Karlovy Vary Region, just 15 km (9.3 miles) away from the German border. Most of the town's buildings come from its Golden Era in the second half of the 19th century, when many celebrities and leading European rulers came to enjoy the curative carbon dioxide springs.
The town centre with the spa cultural landscape is well preserved and protected by law as an urban monument reservation. In 2021, Mariánské Lázně became part of the transnational UNESCO World Heritage Site with the name "Great Spa Towns of Europe". It honours both the springs and the well-preserved architectural testimony of famous spa towns in Europe from the 18th to the early 20th century. In addition to Mariánské Lázně, the following spa towns were included in this new UNESCO Word Heritage Site: Karlovy Vary and Františkovy Lázně (both in the Czech Republic as well), Baden-Baden, Bad Kissingen and Bad Ems (all three in Germany), Baden bei Wien (in Austria), Montecatini Terme (in Italy), Vichy (in France), Spa (in Belgium) and Bath (in the United Kingdom).
In the 12th century, German settlers were called into this region by the Bohemian rulers from the Přemyslid dynasty. Although the town itself is only about two hundred years old, the locality has been inhabited much longer. The first written record dates back to 1273, when there was the village of Úšovice. The springs of Mariánské Lázně first appear in a document dating from 1341, where they are called "the Auschowitzer springs" belonging to Teplá Abbey.
It was only through the efforts of Josef Nehr, the abbey's physician, who from 1779 until his death in 1820 worked hard to demonstrate the curative properties of the springs. Thanks to his work, the waters were used for medicinal purposes for the first time. The name Marienbad first appeared in 1786. In 1818 it became a watering-place and in 1868, Marienbad received its charter as a town.
Between 1870 and 1914, Marienbad experienced a second period of growth, the town's Golden Era. In 1872 the town got a railway connection with the town of Cheb and thus with the whole Austro-Hungarian Empire and the rest of Europe. In the following years, many new hotels, colonnades and other buildings were constructed or rebuilt from older houses.
Soon, Marienbad became one of the top European spas, popular with notable figures and rulers who often returned there. At that time, about 20,000 visitors were on a health cure there every year. But it was also a popular resort and vacation venue for European rabbis and their Hasidic followers, whose needs were accommodated with kosher restaurants, religious prayer services, and so on.
Between both World Wars, the town remained a popular destination. After World War II, the ethnic German population of the town was forcibly expelled according to the Potsdam agreement. Thereby, the town was emptied of the majority of its population. After the communist coup-d'état in 1948, it was also sealed off from most of its foreign visitors. However, to replace the Germans, Czech people, mainly from Central Bohemia, were settled in Mariánské Lázně (which was the town’s new name from that point on).
After the return of democracy in 1989 much effort was put into restoring the town into its original character. Today, Mariánské Lázně is still a popular spa town and holiday resort thanks to its location among the green mountains of the Slavkovský les and the Český les, several sport facilities and the proximity to the other two famous Czech spa towns Karlovy Vary and Františkovy Lázně.
By the way, among Mariánské Lázně’s most notable visitors were the British King Edward VII, the Austrian Emperor Franz Joseph I, the Russian Czar Nicholas II, the German writer Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, the Polish composer Frédéric Chopin, the German composer Richard Wagner, the Austrian composer Johann Strauss (son), the German philospher Friedrich Nietzsche, the Austrian psychoanalyst Sigmund Freud, the American author Mark Twain, the American inventor Thomas Edison, the Swedish innovater Alfred Nobel, the Czech autor Franz Kafka, the British Prime Minister Winston Churchill and the American WW II general George S. Patton, to name just a few.
Grand cascade of Peterhof Palace, the so-called "Russian Versailles", with the Grand Palace and its church in the background, Petergof, Saint Petersburg, Russia
Some background information:
Peterhof Palace is a series of palaces and gardens located in Petergof, Saint Petersburg, Russia, laid out on the orders of Peter the Great. These palaces and gardens are sometimes referred to as the "Russian Versailles". Along with the city centre of Saint Petersburg, the palace ensemble is recognized as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Peterhof Palace is located about 30 km (18.6 miles) southwest of Saint Petersburg’s city centre on the southern shore of the Gulf of Finland, the eastern part of the Baltic Sea. Coming from Saint Petersburg, it is best reachable by using one of the Meteor hydrofoil boats that bring visitors from the pier in the city centre by the mouth of the Neva River right to the pier of the palace.
Peter the Great first mentions the Peterhof site in his journal in 1705, during the Great Northern War, as a good place to construct a landing for use in travelling to and from the island fortress of Kronstadt. In 1714, he began construction of the Monplaisir Palace based on his own sketches of the palace that he wanted close to the shoreline. It was meant to be Peter's Summer Palace that he would use on his way going to and coming from Europe through the harbour at Kronstadt. On the walls of this seacoast palace hung hundreds of paintings that Peter brought from Europe and allowed to weather Russian winters and the dampness of the sea without heat. In the seaward corner of Peter’s Monplaisir Palace, where he made his maritime study, he could see Kronstadt Island to the left and Saint Petersburg to the right.
However, Monplaisir Palace soon appeared to be not formidable and royal enough. Hence, Peter expanded his plans to include a vaster royal château of palaces and gardens further inland, on the model of Versailles. The initial design of the palace and its garden was done by the French architect Jean-Baptiste Le Blond. Each of the tsars after Peter expanded on the inland palaces and gardens of Peterhof, but the major contributions by Peter the Great were completed by 1725. However, originally in the early 1700s, Peterhof appeared quite different from today. Many of the fountains had not yet been installed. The entire Alexandrine Park and the Upper Gardens didn't exist. The latter was used to grow vegetables, and its ponds, then numbering only three, for farming fish. The Samson Fountain and its massive pedestal had not yet been installed in the Sea Channel, and the channel itself was used as a grand marine entrance into the complex.
Perhaps the most important change augmenting Peter's design was the elevation of the Grand Palace to central status and prominence. The Grand Palace was originally called simply "Upper", and was hardly larger than any of the other structures of the complex. The addition of wings, undertaken between 1745 and 1755, was one of the many projects commissioned from the Italian architect Bartolomeo Rastrelli by Elizabeth of Russia. Likewise, the Grand Cascade was more sparsely decorated when initially built. But the augmentation of Peterhof's original fountains and the addition of new ones continued well into the 19th century.
In 1941, Peterhof was captured by German troops and held until 1944. The occupying forces of the German Army largely destroyed Peterhof. Many of the fountains were devastated, and the palace was partially exploded and left to burn. Restoration work began almost immediately after the end of the war and continues to this day. As early as 1944, right after the Soviet Army had re-captured Peterhof, its name was changed to "Petrodvorets" as a result of wartime anti-German sentiment and propaganda. But in 1997, the original name was restored by the post-Soviet government of Russia and in 2003, Saint Petersburg celebrated the Peterhof’s 300th anniversary.
Today, Peterhof is the most popular museum site throughout Russia. In 2017, it was visited by 5.3 million tourists, with one day in June, where nearly 50,000 visitors went to see the series of palaces and its gardens. However, this number was close to the site’s capacity limit and also on 4th August 2018, the day we were there, I felt a bit like walking through the Oktoberfest, being surrounded by incredible crowds of people. Not to get me wrong: I didn’t expect to be all alone there. But never before did I see so many people visiting a palace complex at the same time.
Petergof is a municipal town in Petrodvortsovy District of the federal city of Saint Petersburg. It is located on the southern shore of the Gulf of Finland and has more than 73,000 residents. Next to Peterhof Palaces and Gardens, the town also hosts two campuses of the Saint Petersburg State University, as well as Russia’s oldest and today also last remaining watch factory.
Saint Petersburg (in Russian: Санкт-Петербу́рг) is Russia's second-largest city after Moscow, with currently 5.3 million inhabitants, part of the Saint Petersburg agglomeration with a population of 6.2 million (2015). An important Russian port on the Baltic Sea, it has a status of a federal city. Saint Petersburg is also the fourth-largest city in Europe, only excelled by Istanbul, London and Moscow. Other famous European cities like Paris, Berlin, Rome and Madrid are smaller. Furthermore, Saint Petersburg is the world’s northernmost megapolis and called "The Venice of the North", due to its many channels that traverse the city.
Situated on the Neva River, at the head of the Gulf of Finland on the Baltic Sea, it was founded by Tsar Peter the Great on 27th May 1703. On 1st September 1914, the name was changed from Saint Petersburg to Petrograd, on 26 January 1924 to Leningrad, and on 7 September 1991 back to Saint Petersburg. Between 1713 and 1728 and again between 1732 and 1918, Saint Petersburg was the capital of Imperial Russia. In 1918, the central government bodies moved to Moscow, which is located about 625 kilometres (388 miles) to the south-east.
Saint Petersburg is also the cultural capital of Russia. "The Historic Centre of Saint Petersburg and Related Groups of Monuments" constitute a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Saint Petersburg is home to the Hermitage, one of the largest art museums in the world. Many foreign consulates, international corporations, banks and businesses have offices in Saint Petersburg. The multinational Gazprom company has its headquarters in the newly erected Lakhta Center.
Glass museum, Murano, Venice, Italy.
My museum collection : www.flickr.com/photos/9619972@N08/collections/72157702215...
Archäologische Stätte Mykene / Nordtor
Mykene auf den Peloponnes / GRIECHENLAND /
Mykene ist eine der bedeutendsten archäologischen Stätten in Griechenland. Sie liegt in der Region Argolis im Osten des Peloponnes.
A Christmas decoration on a façade in Petite France, a quarter in the historic centre of the city of Strasbourg, Grand Est, France
Some background information:
Strasbourg’s Christmas market is the oldest one in France and also one of the oldest in Europe. It dates back to 1570, when it took place for the first time. The city proudly calls itself "capitale de Noël" (in English: "the capital of Christmas") and this self-designation is quite justified, although a few other European cities (like Nuremberg or Dresden, both in Germany) have a say in that matter too. Howsoever, more than three million visitors each Advent season try to find the magic of Christmas in Strasbourg. But truth be told: For me it was impossible to find while being wedged in the crowds.
About 300 stalls, which are spread all over the historic city centre, offer everything the heart desires – from Christmas decoration to handiworks to Christmassy delicacies. And even many shops are completely geared to Christmas. Both the streets and the facades of the old houses are beautifully decorated, many of them with all kinds of teddy bears – brown bears as well as polar bears. I couldn’t find out why, but I’ve heard of a tale that might or might not have anything to do with it:
In the 9th century, Richardis, who was canonised in 1049, was the wife of Emperor Charles the Fat, and hence the Holy Roman Empress. After a falling-out with her husband, she became the first abbess of Andlau Abbey and was widely known for her piety. Legend says that while she was wandering through the forest, she was visited by an angel, who ordered her to found a convent in a certain spot, which a bear would indicate to her. At the banks of the river, she saw a bear scratching in the dirt. There she built Andlau Abbey near the city of Strasbourg.
An alternative legend recounts that Richardis found the mother bear grieving over her dead cub in the forest. When Richardis held the cub, it returned to life. After the working of this miracle, both mother and cub remained devoted to the saint for the rest of their lives. By the way, today Saint Richardis, who is always pictured together with a bear, is the patroness of the Alsace region.
Strasbourg is the capital and largest city of the Grand Est region of France and also the capital of the Bas-Rhin département. Furthermore it is the official seat of the European Parliament. Today the inner city of Strasbourg has about 276,170 inhabitants, while its metropolitan area has about 780,000 residents, making it the ninth largest metropolitan area in France. Strasbourg is located very close to the border with Germany in the historic region of Alsace. This strategically important position as a borderland was responsible for both region and city being an apple of discord between France and Germany for many centuries.
But although Strasbourg was violently disputed throughout history, it has also always been a cultural bridge between France and Germany, especially through the University of Strasbourg, currently the second largest in France, and the coexistence of Catholic and Protestant culture.
The historic city centre of Strasbourg, the Grande Île (in English: "Grand Island") and thereby also the old quarter La Petite France with the Ponts Couverts as well as the famous Cathedral of Our Lady of Strasbourg, was classified a World Heritage Site by the UNESCO as early as 1988. It was the first time such an honour was placed on an entire city centre. By the way, the cathedral is widely considered to be among the finest examples of high Gothic architecture.
Strasbourg is situated on the eastern border of France with Germany. This border is formed by the Rhine, which also forms the eastern border of the modern city, facing across the river to the German town Kehl. The historic core of Strasbourg however lies on the Grande Île in the river Ill, which here flows parallel to the Rhine. The natural courses of the two rivers eventually join some distance downstream of Strasbourg, although several artificial waterways now connect them within the city.
Strasbourg is one of the de facto capitals of the European Union (alongside Brussels and Luxembourg), as it is the seat of several European institutions, such as the Council of Europe (with its European Court of Human Rights, its European Directorate for the Quality of Medicines and its European Audiovisual Observatory) and the Eurocorps, as well as the European Parliament and the European Ombudsman of the European Union. The city is also the seat of the Central Commission for Navigation on the Rhine and the International Institute of Human Rights.
The Roman camp of Argentoratum, from which the city of Strasbourg grew, was first mentioned in 12 BC. Between 362 and 1262, Strasbourg was governed by the bishops of Strasbourg. In 1262, the citizens violently rebelled against the bishop's rule and Strasbourg became a free imperial city within the Holy Roman Empire of German Nation. In 1349, Strasbourg was the site of one of the worst pogroms of the Middle Ages, when over a thousand Jews were publicly burned to death. In the early 16th century the town was one of the first German cities to embrace the protestant, Lutheran faith. Because of this, it became a centre of humanistic learning and book printing. The first newspaper in Europe was printed in Strasbourg.
In 1681, the city was annexed by the French king Louis XIV, who took profit from the chaos following the Thirty Years' War in Germany. But France still kept treating the Alsace region as a de facto foreign province until the outbreak of the French Revolution in 1789. The customs barrier alongside the Vosges mountains continued to exist while there still wasn’t any customs barrier between Germany and the Alsace region. Furthermore the town kept striking German coins until 1708. From 1770 to 1771, Johann Wolfgang von Goethe studied in Strasbourg. At this time the town was an important hub of the so-called "Sturm und Drang" movement in German literature.
In 1792, Claude Joseph Rouget de Lisle composed the Marseillaise in Strasbourg, the French national anthem, right after the French declaration of war against Austria. In the years 1805, 1806 and 1809, Napoleon Bonaparte sojourned in Strasbourg, together with his first wife Joséphine de Beauharnais. They used Palais Rohan as their domicile and Joséphine re-decorated several rooms according to her own taste and the fashion of the time.
After the Franco-Prussian War that lasted from 1870 to 1871, the city became German again, until 1918, when it reverted to France after the end of World War I. When France was defeated by Germany in 1940 in the course of World War II, the city and its still predominantly German-speaking population came under German control again. However, since the end of 1944, when Strasbourg was taken by Allied forces, it is again a French town. As a concession to the German-speaking section of the city’s residents, the street signs in Strasbourg are all bilingual.
Besides being one of the de facto capitals of the European Union, Strasbourg is an important economic centre of manufacturing and engineering, as well as a hub of road, rail and river transportation. However, tourism also plays a major role in the town’s economy of today. Many tourists from all Europe, the US and Asia crowd Strasbourg’s streets at all seasons of the year, going sightseeing through this beautiful romantic historic city with its many old half-timbered houses.
A Merry Christmas 2022 to all of you! Have a great festive season together with your families and friends!
The Colonnade of the famous spa town Mariánské Lázně with the Singing Fountain in the foreground, West Bohemia, Czech Republic
Some background information:
The neo-Baroque Colonnade of Mariánské Lázně was built between 1888 and 1889. Its construction was commissioned by the Abbot of Teplá Abbey and built on a site of a former spa building that was known as the "Kursaal". Construction work was undertaken by a local builder named Johann Koenig according to the plans of Viennese architects Miksch and Niedzielský. Their cast iron construction was made at the ironworks in Blansko and brought to Mariánské Lázně in pieces by train.
The Colonnade is an icon that could be said to represent the Czech spas. It is a precious example of a period building common to the Czech and other European spa towns, many of which were destroyed, deteriorated over time or were modernized at some point. But the Colonnade of Mariánské Lázně survived. Its structure underwent a renovation between 1973 and 1981. The cycle of ceiling frescos inside represents the desire of man to fly and is the work of the Czech artist Josef Vyleťal.
Mariánské Lázně (in German: "Marienbad") is a famous spa town in the Czech Republic. It has more than 12,000 permanent residents and is located in the Cheb District of the Karlovy Vary Region, just 15 km (9.3 miles) away from the German border. Most of the town's buildings come from its Golden Era in the second half of the 19th century, when many celebrities and leading European rulers came to enjoy the curative carbon dioxide springs.
The town centre with the spa cultural landscape is well preserved and protected by law as an urban monument reservation. In 2021, Mariánské Lázně became part of the transnational UNESCO World Heritage Site with the name "Great Spa Towns of Europe". It honours both the springs and the well-preserved architectural testimony of famous spa towns in Europe from the 18th to the early 20th century. In addition to Mariánské Lázně, the following spa towns were included in this new UNESCO Word Heritage Site: Karlovy Vary and Františkovy Lázně (both in the Czech Republic as well), Baden-Baden, Bad Kissingen and Bad Ems (all three in Germany), Baden bei Wien (in Austria), Montecatini Terme (in Italy), Vichy (in France), Spa (in Belgium) and Bath (in the United Kingdom).
In the 12th century, German settlers were called into this region by the Bohemian rulers from the Přemyslid dynasty. Although the town itself is only about two hundred years old, the locality has been inhabited much longer. The first written record dates back to 1273, when there was the village of Úšovice. The springs of Mariánské Lázně first appear in a document dating from 1341, where they are called "the Auschowitzer springs" belonging to Teplá Abbey.
It was only through the efforts of Josef Nehr, the abbey's physician, who from 1779 until his death in 1820 worked hard to demonstrate the curative properties of the springs. Thanks to his work, the waters were used for medicinal purposes for the first time. The name Marienbad first appeared in 1786. In 1818 it became a watering-place and in 1868, Marienbad received its charter as a town.
Between 1870 and 1914, Marienbad experienced a second period of growth, the town's Golden Era. In 1872 the town got a railway connection with the town of Cheb and thus with the whole Austro-Hungarian Empire and the rest of Europe. In the following years, many new hotels, colonnades and other buildings were constructed or rebuilt from older houses.
Soon, Marienbad became one of the top European spas, popular with notable figures and rulers who often returned there. At that time, about 20,000 visitors were on a health cure there every year. But it was also a popular resort and vacation venue for European rabbis and their Hasidic followers, whose needs were accommodated with kosher restaurants, religious prayer services, and so on.
Between both World Wars, the town remained a popular destination. After World War II, the ethnic German population of the town was forcibly expelled according to the Potsdam agreement. Thereby, the town was emptied of the majority of its population. After the communist coup-d'état in 1948, it was also sealed off from most of its foreign visitors. However, to replace the Germans, Czech people, mainly from Central Bohemia, were settled in Mariánské Lázně (which was the town’s new name from that point on).
After the return of democracy in 1989 much effort was put into restoring the town into its original character. Today, Mariánské Lázně is still a popular spa town and holiday resort thanks to its location among the green mountains of the Slavkovský les and the Český les, several sport facilities and the proximity to the other two famous Czech spa towns Karlovy Vary and Františkovy Lázně.
By the way, among Mariánské Lázně’s most notable visitors were the British King Edward VII, the Austrian Emperor Franz Joseph I, the Russian Czar Nicholas II, the German writer Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, the Polish composer Frédéric Chopin, the German composer Richard Wagner, the Austrian composer Johann Strauss (son), the German philospher Friedrich Nietzsche, the Austrian psychoanalyst Sigmund Freud, the American author Mark Twain, the American inventor Thomas Edison, the Swedish innovater Alfred Nobel, the Czech autor Franz Kafka, the British Prime Minister Winston Churchill and the American WW II general George S. Patton, to name just a few.
Der Marlygarten ist ein Gartenbereich im Potsdamer Park Sanssouci. Er wurde 1715 für Friedrich Wilhelm I. als Küchengarten angelegt und vom König „Marly“ genannt. Bei Aufenthalten der königlichen Familie soll Kronprinz Friedrich, der spätere Friedrich der Große, den damals gerodeten, nördlich des Gartens liegenden Bornstedter Höhenzug als Standort für sein Sommerschloss Sanssouci ausgewählt haben.
Nach Friedrich Wilhelms I. Tod wurde der Marlygarten weiter als Küchengarten genutzt. Erst durch den Bau der Friedenskirche unter Friedrich Wilhelm IV. erhielt er eine andere Funktion und wurde in den 1840er-Jahren durch Peter Joseph Lenné und Gustav Meyer in einen Landschaftsgarten umgestaltet.
Der Marlygarten steht als Einzeldenkmal unter Denkmalschutz und gehört als Teil des Parks Sanssouci seit 1990 zum Welterbe der UNESCO.
View of Vasilyevsky Island on the left (with the Old Saint Petersburg Stock Exchange and the two Rostral columns) and Petrogradsky Island on the right from the middle of River Neva at sunset, Saint Petersburg, Russia
Some background information:
The Old Saint Petersburg Stock Exchange and the Rostral Columns, located on the spit of Vasilyevsky Island, are significant examples of Greek Revival architecture. Designed by the French architect Thomas de Thomon, and inspired by the Greek Temple of Hera at Paestum, the stock exchange was constructed between 1805 and 1810. The Rostral columns erected on either side of the Stock Exchange were completed shortly afterwards, in 1811.
The Stock Exchange was founded by an edict of Peter the Great, ordering the establishment of a stock exchange for his capital city, inspired by the stock exchange in Amsterdam. The area was developed over six years, from 1783 to 1789, to a design by Giacomo Quarenghi. A range of buildings was constructed on the shores of the Bolshaya Neva River, including the main building of the Academy of Sciences and the concave portion of the northern warehouse. These buildings enclosed the left and right sides of the tip of the spit, the projected location of the Stock Exchange building. Its construction began in 1783, but was suspended in 1787.
The project restarted in 1805, overseen by the architect Thomas de Thomon, but by 1810 work had again stalled due to the upheavals of the Napoleonic Wars. The architectural ensemble was finally completed between 1826 and 1832 with the construction of the southern and northern warehouses as well as the customs buildings to the design of the Italian architect Giovanni Luchini. Following the Russian Revolution in 1917 and the establishment of a Communist economic system, the building ceased to function as a stock exchange. In 1939 it was assigned to house the growing collection of the Central Naval Museum, which traced its founding to Peter the Great's creation of a "Model Chamber" in 1709.
In 2010 work began on moving the naval museum to a new location in the renovated "Kryukov barracks". The Old Stock Exchange building was transferred from federal ownership back to the city of Saint Petersburg in 2011, and plans were considered to use it for the trading of oil commodities. These plans were eventually abandoned in 2013 and the municipal authorities began to consider other uses, including as an exhibition hall, a conference hall, or a concert hall. In December 2013, it was announced that the exchange will be transferred to the State Hermitage Museum. The Hermitage's director declared that the building will be used to house the museum's heraldry collection.
Opposite the exchange building on the Neva, de Thomon designed a semicircular overlook with circular ramps descending to a jetty projecting into the river. This formal approach has been framed by two rostral columns centered on the portico of the Stock Exchange. The Doric columns sit on a granite plinth and are constructed of brick coated with a deep terra cotta red stucco and decorated with bronze anchors and four pairs of bronze ship prows.
Seated marble figures decorate the base of each column each representing the major rivers of Russia: the Volga and Dnieper at the northern Rostral Column, the Neva and Volkhov at the southern one. The Rostral Columns were originally intended to serve as beacons and originally were topped by a light in the form of a Greek brazier and lit by oil. The braziers have been removed and the tops of the columns refitted with gas torches that continue to be lit on ceremonial occasions.
Saint Petersburg (in Russian: Санкт-Петербу́рг) is Russia's second-largest city after Moscow, with currently 5.3 million inhabitants, part of the Saint Petersburg agglomeration with a population of 6.2 million (2015). An important Russian port on the Baltic Sea, it has a status of a federal city. Saint Petersburg is also the fourth-largest city in Europe, only excelled by Istanbul, London and Moscow. Other famous European cities like Paris, Berlin, Rome and Madrid are smaller. Furthermore, Saint Petersburg is the world’s northernmost megapolis and called "The Venice of the North", due to its many channels that traverse the city.
Situated on the Neva River, at the head of the Gulf of Finland on the Baltic Sea, it was founded by Tsar Peter the Great on 27th May 1703. On 1st September 1914, the name was changed from Saint Petersburg to Petrograd, on 26 January 1924 to Leningrad, and on 7 September 1991 back to Saint Petersburg. Between 1713 and 1728 and again between 1732 and 1918, Saint Petersburg was the capital of Imperial Russia. In 1918, the central government bodies moved to Moscow, which is located about 625 kilometres (388 miles) to the south-east.
Saint Petersburg is also the cultural capital of Russia. Today, the city is inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage list as an area with 36 historical architectural complexes and around 4000 outstanding individual monuments of architecture, history and culture. It has 221 museums, 2,000 libraries, more than 80 theaters, 100 concert organizations, 45 galleries and exhibition halls, 62 cinemas and around 80 other cultural establishments. Saint Petersburg is home to the Hermitage, one of the largest art museums in the world. Every year the city hosts around 100 festivals and various competitions of art and culture, including more than 50 international ones. In 2017, the city was visited by 7.2 million tourists and it is expected that in the years ahead the number of tourists will still be on the rise.
Der Turm, ein Dodekagon (zwölfseitig), wurde im 13 Jhd. im Auftrag vom Gouverneur Abū l-ʿUlāʾ errichtet. Es war ein militärischer Turm, zur Verteidigung der Stadt. Errichtet wurde er teilweise in der aus Marokko stammenden Stampflehmtechnik .
The tower, a dodecagon (twelve-sided), was built in the 13th century on behalf of the governor Abu l-'Ulā'. It was a military tower, to defend the city. It was built partly in the rammed earth technique. (originating in Morocco)
König Diniz ließ seine Gemächer auf den Fundamenten eines Maurenpalastes aus dem 10. Jhdt anlegen und João I. begann Anfang des 15. Jahrhunderts mit dem Bau seiner Sommerresidenz. Manuel I. ließ diesen Bau erweitern und verändern, unter João III. wurden die Räume im 16. Jahrhundert im Stil der Renaissance eingerichtet. Die markanten, weithin sichtbaren konischen Küchenschornsteine wurden erst nach dem Erdbeben von 1755 errichtet.
Die Stadt Sintra gehört zum Welltkulturerbe der UNESCO.
Peterhof Gardens with the Samson Fountain and the Samsonovskiy Canal in the centre, seen from Peterhof Palace, Petergof, Saint Petersburg, Russia
Some background information:
Peterhof Palace is a series of palaces and gardens located in Petergof, Saint Petersburg, Russia, laid out on the orders of Peter the Great. These palaces and gardens are sometimes referred to as the "Russian Versailles". Along with the city centre of Saint Petersburg, the palace ensemble is recognized as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Peterhof Palace is located about 30 km (18.6 miles) southwest of Saint Petersburg’s city centre on the southern shore of the Gulf of Finland, the eastern part of the Baltic Sea. Coming from Saint Petersburg, it is best reachable by using one of the Meteor hydrofoil boats that bring visitors from the pier in the city centre by the mouth of the Neva River right to the pier of the palace.
Peter the Great first mentions the Peterhof site in his journal in 1705, during the Great Northern War, as a good place to construct a landing for use in travelling to and from the island fortress of Kronstadt. In 1714, he began construction of the Monplaisir Palace based on his own sketches of the palace that he wanted close to the shoreline. It was meant to be Peter's Summer Palace that he would use on his way going to and coming from Europe through the harbour at Kronstadt. On the walls of this seacoast palace hung hundreds of paintings that Peter brought from Europe and allowed to weather Russian winters and the dampness of the sea without heat. In the seaward corner of Peter’s Monplaisir Palace, where he made his maritime study, he could see Kronstadt Island to the left and Saint Petersburg to the right.
However, Monplaisir Palace soon appeared to be not formidable and royal enough. Hence, Peter expanded his plans to include a vaster royal château of palaces and gardens further inland, on the model of Versailles. The initial design of the palace and its garden was done by the French architect Jean-Baptiste Le Blond. Each of the tsars after Peter expanded on the inland palaces and gardens of Peterhof, but the major contributions by Peter the Great were completed by 1725. However, originally in the early 1700s, Peterhof appeared quite different from today. Many of the fountains had not yet been installed. The entire Alexandrine Park and the Upper Gardens didn't exist. The latter was used to grow vegetables, and its ponds, then numbering only three, for farming fish. The Samson Fountain and its massive pedestal had not yet been installed in the Sea Channel, and the channel itself was used as a grand marine entrance into the complex.
Perhaps the most important change augmenting Peter's design was the elevation of the Grand Palace to central status and prominence. The Grand Palace was originally called simply "Upper", and was hardly larger than any of the other structures of the complex. The addition of wings, undertaken between 1745 and 1755, was one of the many projects commissioned from the Italian architect Bartolomeo Rastrelli by Elizabeth of Russia. Likewise, the Grand Cascade was more sparsely decorated when initially built. But the augmentation of Peterhof's original fountains and the addition of new ones continued well into the 19th century.
In 1941, Peterhof was captured by German troops and held until 1944. The occupying forces of the German Army largely destroyed Peterhof. Many of the fountains were devastated, and the palace was partially exploded and left to burn. Restoration work began almost immediately after the end of the war and continues to this day. As early as 1944, right after the Soviet Army had re-captured Peterhof, its name was changed to "Petrodvorets" as a result of wartime anti-German sentiment and propaganda. But in 1997, the original name was restored by the post-Soviet government of Russia and in 2003, Saint Petersburg celebrated the Peterhof’s 300th anniversary.
Today, Peterhof is the most popular museum site throughout Russia. In 2017, it was visited by 5.3 million tourists, with one day in June, where nearly 50,000 visitors went to see the series of palaces and its gardens. However, this number was close to the site’s capacity limit and also on 4th August 2018, the day we were there, I felt a bit like walking through the Oktoberfest, being surrounded by incredible crowds of people. Not to get me wrong: I didn’t expect to be all alone there. But never before did I see so many people visiting a palace complex at the same time.
Petergof is a municipal town in Petrodvortsovy District of the federal city of Saint Petersburg. It is located on the southern shore of the Gulf of Finland and has more than 73,000 residents. Next to Peterhof Palaces and Gardens, the town also hosts two campuses of the Saint Petersburg State University, as well as Russia’s oldest and today also last remaining watch factory.
Saint Petersburg (in Russian: Санкт-Петербу́рг) is Russia's second-largest city after Moscow, with currently 5.3 million inhabitants, part of the Saint Petersburg agglomeration with a population of 6.2 million (2015). An important Russian port on the Baltic Sea, it has a status of a federal city. Saint Petersburg is also the fourth-largest city in Europe, only excelled by Istanbul, London and Moscow. Other famous European cities like Paris, Berlin, Rome and Madrid are smaller. Furthermore, Saint Petersburg is the world’s northernmost megapolis and called "The Venice of the North", due to its many channels that traverse the city.
Situated on the Neva River, at the head of the Gulf of Finland on the Baltic Sea, it was founded by Tsar Peter the Great on 27th May 1703. On 1st September 1914, the name was changed from Saint Petersburg to Petrograd, on 26 January 1924 to Leningrad, and on 7 September 1991 back to Saint Petersburg. Between 1713 and 1728 and again between 1732 and 1918, Saint Petersburg was the capital of Imperial Russia. In 1918, the central government bodies moved to Moscow, which is located about 625 kilometres (388 miles) to the south-east.
Saint Petersburg is also the cultural capital of Russia. Today, the city is inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage list as an area with 36 historical architectural complexes and around 4000 outstanding individual monuments of architecture, history and culture. It has 221 museums, 2,000 libraries, more than 80 theaters, 100 concert organizations, 45 galleries and exhibition halls, 62 cinemas and around 80 other cultural establishments. Saint Petersburg is home to the Hermitage, one of the largest art museums in the world. Every year the city hosts around 100 festivals and various competitions of art and culture, including more than 50 international ones. In 2017, the city was visited by 7.2 million tourists and it is expected that in the years ahead the number of tourists will still be on the rise.
Ein Rast in der Messnerhütte, Tiers, Südtirol lohne sich immer. Weiter geht es dann zur Kölner Hütte, zum Tschager Joch, nach Vaiolet, zum Grasleitenpass und durchs Tschamintal wieder zurück.
A rural villa in the Val d’Orcia (in English: "Valley of the Orcia"), Province of Siena, Tuscany, Italy
Some background information:
We passed this rural villa on the road between the little towns of San Quirico d’Orcia and Pienza. I photographed it, because I regarded it as typical and very beautiful too. However, at that time I had no idea what I was exactly photographing. Back home again I found out by googling, that this place was one of the filming locations of Ridley Scott’s film "Gladiator" with Russell Crowe in the leading role. You may remember the scene in which the gladiator (who was called "the Spaniard") comes home to his rural family seat in Spain to find his family miurdered by Roman soldiers. He was running up a row of cypress trees that led to his country house just to find out that he was coming too late. This scene was shot here.
The Val d'Orcia, or Valdorcia, is a region of Tuscany, central Italy, which extends from the hills south of Siena to Monte Amiata. Its endless gentle, cultivated rolling hills, which are covered with grain or sunflowers in the summer and vineyards, olive groves, cypresses, beech or chestnut trees all year round alternate with medieval habitations, rural villas and castles boasting impervious towers – all of which is diffused in a tranquilly-isolated nature. This is the scenario that is laid out before the eyes of the visitor to Val d’Orcia.
In 2004, the Val d'Orcia was added to the UNESCO list of World Heritage Sites. According to UNESCO the valley is an exceptional exemplar of the way in which a natural setting was redesigned during the Renaissance (in the 14th and 15th centuries), reflecting the ideals of good governance in the Italian city-state. Additionally, these splendid localities were celebrated by the painters of the Sienese School, which flourished between the 13th and 15th centuries.
The Val d‘Orcia is often described as the perfect combination of nature and culture, but it is also an ecosystem which bears witness oft he rural population that has cultivated and farmed the ground since the Middle Ages. However, also five-million years of geological history have left their mark on this territory that, today, is abundant in plant and animal species. Even the deposits of lava from volcanoes no longer active – such as Mounts Radicofani and Amiata – have contributed to the delineations and details of the area; the lava, hardened, gave form to those dark stones known as trachytes.
The valley is not only traversed by the river Orcia, but also by the rivers Asso, Formone, Vellora and Vivo. Furthermore the historic road Via Francigena and the Roman road Via Cassia pass through valley that covers and area of altogether 61,188 hectare (151,200 acres). Occasionally the landscape is broken by gullies and picturesque towns and villages such as Montalcino, San Quirico, Pienza, Castiglione and Radicofani. In the northwest the Val d’Orcia borders the Crete Senesi landscape while in the northeast it is flanked by the Val di Chiania.
Until 1250, the Val d’Orcia was under the rule of the noble family Aldobrandeschi, but subsequently noble families of the nearby town of Siena took control of the valley. They were attracted by the continuous transit of men and commerce along the fundamental pathways Via Francigena and Via Cassia. The most notable of these families was the family Piccolomini, which also provided several popes, among them the famous Pius II. It was him who commissioned to transform the little village of Corsignano into the town of Pienza and hence into a place which he thought is the "ideal town". However, after the mid-1500s, Val d’Orcia became a valuable part of the Grand Duchy of Tuscany and thereby of the Florentine orbit – solely for its agricultural aspect. Thus, it was the family Medici that improved the valley’s infrastructure in the years that followed.
Within the Val d'Orcia is a strip of land following the Orcia river that is used as a wine-growing area between the DOCG zones of Brunello di Montalcino and Vino Nobile di Montepulciano. Here the Sangiovese and Trebbiano-based wines are produced under the Orcia Denominazione di origine controllata (DOC) status. The DOC red wine is composed of at least 60 percent Sangiovese with other local varieties, such as Abrusco, permitted to fill in the remainder of the blend. The dry white wine and Vin Santo style DOC wines are composed of at least 50 percent Trebbiano with other local varieties filling out the rest of the blend. All grapes destined for DOC wine production are limited to a maximum harvest yield of 10 tonnes/hectare with the finished wines required to have a minimum alcohol level of at least 12 percent.
But the region is also very rich in other high quality local products such as the "Pecorino" cheese of Pienza (a typical cheese made with sheep's milk), the genuine olive oil, saffron, mushrooms, (including truffles), sweet chestnuts, honey and a lot of other specialties.
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