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Cockle is the common name for a group of (mostly) small, edible, saltwater clams, marine bivalve molluscs in the family Cardiidae. Various species of cockles live in sandy, sheltered beaches throughout the world. The distinctive rounded shells of cockles are bilaterally symmetrical, and are heart-shaped when viewed from the end. Numerous radial ribs occur in most but not all genera. For an exception, see the genus Laevicardium, the egg cockles, which have very smooth shells.
The mantle has three apertures (inhalant, exhalant, and pedal) for siphoning water and for the foot to protrude. Cockles typically burrow using the foot, and feed by filtering plankton from the surrounding water. Cockles are capable of "jumping" by bending and straightening the foot. As is the case in many bivalves, cockles display gonochorism (the sex of an individual varies according to conditions), and some species reach maturity quickly.
[Wikipedia]
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Registan, (Platz des sandigen Ortes‘) in der usbekischen Stadt Samarkand ist einer der bedeutendsten historischen Orte Mittelasiens. An ihm befinden sich die Ulugbek-Medrese, die Tillakori-Medrese und die Scherdor-Medrese, die zwischen dem 15. und dem 17. Jahrhundert errichtet wurden und zusammen ein herausragendes architektonisches Ensemble bilden.
Samarkand wurde etwa 750 v. Chr. gegründet. Der mongolische Herrscher Timur machte Samarkand zur 1369 zur Hauptstadt seines Großreichs und baute die Stadt zu einer der schönsten und bedeutendsten Metropolen seiner Zeit aus.
Die Altstadt von Samarkand ist Weltkulturerbe der UNESCO.
Holunder-Fingerwurz (Dactylorhiza sambucina) und Katzenpfötchen (Antennaria dioica) im Stora Alvaret.
Öland / Schweden, 21.05.2018
Place du Marché-aux-Cochons-de-Lait (in English: "Suckling Pig Market Square") in the historic centre of Strasbourg, decorated with teddy bears during the Advent season, 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!
Das Islam Xo´ja-Minarett ist mit 46,5 m das zweithöchste in Usbekistan.
Khiva war der Ort an der Seidenstraße, wo sich die Karawanenwege teilten: in Richtung Norden nach Russland und in Richtung Süden nach Persien, die Türkei und Westeuropa.
Die Altstadt von Khiva ist Weltkulturerbe der UNESCO.
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Machines: Fagus Factory commissioned by owner Carl Benscheidt , designed by Walter Gropius and Adolf Meyer, constructed between 1911 and 1913. UNESCO World Heritage, shoe last factory in Alfeld on the Leine, Lower Saxony, Germany, a7R, Zeiss Sonnar FE 1.8/55
07/20/2014
17:47:45
The Val d’Orcia (in English: "Valley of the Orcia") towards the volcanic mountain of Monte Amiata, seen from the elevated town of Pienza, Province of Siena, Tuscany, Italy
Some background information:
Monte Amiata (in English: "Mount Amiata") is the largest of the lava domes in the Amiata lava dome complex located in the southern Tuscany region of Italy. The volcanic mountain is standing at 1,738 metres (5,702 feet) above sea level. Its trachytic lava flow, 5 km (3.1 miles) long and 4 km (2.5 miles) wide, extends to the east. Radiometric dates indicate that the Amiata complex had a major eruptive episode about 300,000 years ago.
For the last time Monte Amiata erupted about 180,000 years ago. During the Holocene no eruptive activity has occurred, but thermal activity including cinnabar mineralization continues at a geothermal field near the town of Bagnore, at the southwestern end of the dome complex. Geysers and hot springs in this area are used for geothermal energy generation and there’s even a geothermal power plant in the town of Piancastagnaio.
The main economical resources of the Amiata region are chestnuts, timber and increasingly also tourism (with ski resorts including the peak area). The lower areas are characterized by olive trees and vines. Other vegetation include beech and fir. In ancient times cinnabar was extracted there.
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.
For the monks, the forge was the only means to earn some money. Meat was very rare in the monks' diet and thus fish were bred in the pond next to the forge.
In the background stand the cloister on the left and the Abbey Church on the right.
The Abbey of Fontenay is a former Cistercian abbey located near the villiage Marmagne in the Arrondissement Montbard (Département of Côte-d'Or). It was founded by Saint Bernard of Clairvaux in 1118 and built in the Romanesque style. It is one of the oldest and most complete Cistercian abbeys in Europe and became a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1981.
Detail of trove 2. Flügel, wing. Lachmöwe, Larus Ridibundus, Black-headed gull.
Part of the set "postmortem".
DMC-G2 - P1330856 9.4.2012
Façade of the Tauride Palace on Shpalernaya Ulitsa (in English: "Tapestry Street"), Saint Petersburg, Russia
Some background information:
The Tauride Palace is a large and historic stately home in the city of Saint Petersburg. It was planned by the architect Ivan Starov and built in the Palladian style between 1783 and 1789. Its orderer was the Empress of Russia Catharine II, most commonly known as Catherine the Great, who gifted her lover Grigory Potemkin with it. Potemkin was a Russian military leader, statesman and nobleman, but his most important role was the one as a favourite of Catharine.
Potemkin’s achievements included the peaceful annexation of Crimea, which was called the Tauric Peninsula at that time. That’s why Potemkin was awarded the second surname Tauricheski and that’s also where the Tauride Palace derives its name from. Shortly before his death in 1791, Potemkin used the palace to host unprecedented festivities and illuminations with the purpose of regaining the Empress's waning affection. Notwithstanding all the expenses, Potemkin failed in his ambition and left for the Romanian city of Iaşi in despair.
After Potemkin had passed away, Catherine II purchased the palace and ordered architect Fyodor Volkov to transform it into her summer townhouse. Volkov was responsible for many improvements in the grounds, including the construction of a theatre in the east wing and a church in the west wing. In the garden, he designed the Admiralty Pavilion, the gardener house and the orangery, as well as the glass-houses, the bridges, and the ironwork fences.
The rather plain exterior appearance of the palace contrasted sharply with the riotous luxuriance of its interiors. The domed hall, one of the largest in Russia, was connected by a 75-meter-long columned gallery with a winter garden. The decoration of every major room – including the Chinese Hall and the Tapestry Parlour – was destroyed after 1799, when Emperor Paul, who detested all the things his mother Catherine liked, gave over the palace to his favourite cavalry regiment to be used as barracks.
In the 19th century, the palace was refurbished by Carlo Rossi and Vasily Stasov as a residence for minor royalty. It was then used to host balls and exhibitions until 1906, when it was transformed into the seat of the first Russian parliament, the Imperial State Duma. Immediately after the February Revolution of 1917, the Tauride Palace housed the Russian Provisional Government and the Petrograd Soviet, in opposite wings of the palace. The abortive Russian Constituent Assembly held its meetings there in 1918, and in the same year the Bolsheviks used the building to hold their 7th Congress, where they first named themselves the Russian Communist Party (resp. the Bolsheviks).
Since the 1990s, the Tauride Palace has been home to the Interparliamentary Assembly of Member Nations of the Commonwealth of Independent States (IPA CIS). On this account, a large glass-covered annex was erected immediately behind the palace, in the Tauride Gardens. Today, the palace is also used for congresses and exhibitions. Unfortunately it is not open to the public out of these special events.
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.
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Bronze statue of Democritus by Léon-Alexandre Delhomme in the courtyard of the Musée des Beaux Arts in Lyon, France.
Corvey / Höxter (Weser Uplands, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany)
Pilgrims queuing in front of a lodging house in the old town of Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port during their pilgrimage to Santiago de Compostela on the Way of St. James, Pays Basque Region, France
Some background information:
With its almost 1,600 residents Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port is a little town in the French part of the Pays Basque. The town is located in the department of Pyrénées-Atlantiques within the region of Nouvelle-Aquitaine. Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port is situated directly at the Spanish border, just 76 km (47 miles) away from the Spanish city of Pamplona and 53 km (33 miles) away from the Atlantic coast.
In English the municipality’s current name means "Saint John at the foot of the pass", which points to its location at the beginning of the mountain pass leading to the hamlet of Roncesvalles in Spain. However, in times past the town also had the name "Santa Maria Cabo el Puente" (in Spanish) resp. "Sainte-Marie du Bout du Pont" (in French). At Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port, the rivers Laurhibar and Nive d’Arnéguy issue into the River Nive.
Although Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port is only a very little town, it is quite bustling, important and well-known. The reason is that the community is a vital place for a rest at the famous Way of St. James. For one thing, it is the first municipality after the three French Ways of St. James Via Podiensis, Via Lemovicensis and Via Turonensis have blended into one Way of St. James, which is named Camino Francés on its further route through Northern Spain. And for another thing, Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port is the last community before the Camino Francés (leading to Santiago de Compostela) crosses the Roncevaux Pass and hence, the mountain range of the Western Pyrenees. That’s why the town is an essential stop and place of recovery for all pilgrims on this route.
Before the settlement was founded in the Middle Ages, there used to be an original town at nearby Saint-Jean-le-Vieux. But in 1177, this town was razed to the ground by the troops of the English King Richard the Lionheart after a siege. Shortly afterwards the Kings of Navarre refounded the municipality on its present site. From that moment on it served as a border fortress of the Kingdom of Navarre. In 1191, Chateau de Mendiguren was built, a stronghold on the hill above the town. Subsequently, Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port became the seat of the sheriff of the Lower Navarre district and in 1329, Philipp of Navarre granted the community market rights.
Between 1512 and 1530, Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port was one of the scenes where the conquering expeditions of the Crown of Aragon against the Kingdom of Navarre took place. Many houses as well as defensive works were destroyed and King Henry II of Navarre decided to transfer the seat of the royal institutions to Saint Palais on safety grounds. However, Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port stayed one of the main towns in the remaining Kingdom of Lower Navarre. In 1589, Lower Navarre passed to France and Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port became the administrative centre of the Basque province of Saint-Jean. In 1625, Chateau de Mendiguren was converted into a fortress but until 1728, the defensive works were again rebuilt by the famous French military engineer Sébastien Le Prestre de Vauban.
If people enter the town from the northeast, they come into the town through Porte Saint-Jacques, a medieval town gate, which is part of the UNESCO World Heritage Site "Routes of Santiago de Compostela in France" since 1998. In Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port’s old town pilgrims can find a lot of low-priced lodging houses and collective accommodations, which offer beds for a night’s rest.
Some of the pilgrims start their journey to Santiago de Compostela in Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port. But most of them come from one of the three French Ways of St. James, which have blended into one way right at the edge of the town. Hence, they might have been on the tramp for weeks when arriving in Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port. However, already on the next day, almost all pilgrims continue their way to Santiago de Compostela as they still have about five weeks of wanderings left. By the way, the scallop is the symbol of the Way of St. James and also the symbol of all the pilgrims on this way. That’s why most of them carry a scallop shell with them. In this context, please note the scallop shells hanging at the fence gate on the right. Most likely they were left by pilgrims, spending the night in this lodging house.
West façade of the Cathedral of Our Lady of Strasbourg, seen from Rue Mercière, Strasbourg, Grand Est, France
Some background information:
The Cathedral of Our Lady of Strasbourg (in French: "Cathédrale Notre-Dame de Strasbourg"), also known as Strasbourg Minster, is a Roman Catholic cathedral in Strasbourg, the largest city in the historical region of Alsace. Although considerable parts of it are still in Romanesque architecture, it is widely considered to be among the finest examples of high Gothic architecture. The historic city centre of Strasbourg, the Grande Île (in English: "Grand Island") and thereby also the 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.
At 142 metres (466 feet), it was the world's tallest building from 1647 to 1874, when it was surpassed by St. Nikolai's Church in the German city of Hamburg. Today it is still the sixth-tallest church in the world and the highest extant structure built entirely in the Middle Ages. Described by Victor Hugo as a "gigantic and delicate marvel", and by Johann Wolfgang von Goethe as a "sublimely towering, wide-spreading tree of God", the cathedral is visible far across the plains of Alsace and can be seen from as far off as the Vosges Mountains or the Black Forest on the other side of the Rhine. Sandstone from the Vosges used in construction gives the cathedral its characteristic pink hue.
Archaeological excavations have proved that the site of the current cathedral was used for several successive religious buildings, starting from the Roman period (when a Roman sanctuary occupied the site) up to the building that is there today. It is known that a cathedral was erected by bishop Saint Arbogast at the end of the seventh century, on the base of a temple dedicated to the Virgin Mary, but nothing remains of it today. In the eighth century, the first cathedral was replaced by a more important building that would be completed under the reign of Charles the Great. It was certainly in this building that the Oaths of Strasbourg were pronounced in 842. Excavations carried out recently reveal that this Carolingian cathedral had three naves and three apses.
In 1015, bishop Werner von Habsburg laid the first stone of a new cathedral on the ruins of the Carolingian basilica. He then constructed a cathedral in the Romanesque style of architecture. That cathedral burned to the ground in 1176 because at that time the naves were covered with a wooden framework. After that disaster, bishop Heinrich von Hasenburg decided to construct a new cathedral, to be more beautiful than that of Basel, which was just being finished. Construction of the new cathedral began on the foundations of the preceding structure, and did not end until centuries later. Werner's cathedral's crypt, which had not burned, was kept and expanded westwards.
The cathedral was built from 1176 to 1505. The construction began with the choir and the north transept in a Romanesque style. But in 1225, a team coming from the city of Chartres revolutionized the construction by suggesting a Gothic architecture style. Like the city of Strasbourg, the cathedral connects German and French cultural influences, while the eastern structures, e.g. the choir and south portal, still have very Romanesque features, with more emphasis placed on walls than on windows. Above all, the famous west front, decorated with thousands of figures, is a masterpiece of the Gothic era. The tower is one of the first to rely substantially on craftsmanship, with the final appearance being one with a high degree of linearity captured in stone.
As already mentioned, the cathedral’s octagonal north tower was completed in 1439, while the planned south tower was never built. As a result, the church has a characteristic asymmetrical form and is now the premier landmark of Alsace. In 1505, architect Jakob von Landshut and sculptor Hans von Aachen finished rebuilding the Saint-Lawrence portal outside the northern transept in a markedly post-Gothic, early-Renaissance style. By doing that the main constructional measures on the cathedral were completed.
In 1524, the City Council assigned the cathedral to the Protestant Lutheran faith, while the building suffered some damage from iconoclastic assaults. In 1539, the world's first documented Christmas tree was set up inside Strasbourg Minster. After the annexation of the city by Louis XIV of France in 1681, the cathedral was returned to the Catholics and its inside redesigned according to the Catholic liturgy of the Counter-Reformation.
In April 1794, the Enragés (in English: "the enraged ones"), a small number of firebrands, who regarded themselves as defenders of the lower class during the French Revolution and who ruled the city at that time, started planning to tear the spire down, on the grounds that it hurt the principle of equality. The tower was saved, however, when in May of the same year citizens of Strasbourg crowned it with a giant tin Phrygian cap of the kind the Enragés themselves wore. In the Franco-Prussian War (1870 to 1871), during the Siege of Strasbourg, the cathedral was hit by Prussian artillery and the metal cross on the spire was bent. The crossing domes's roof was pierced and it was subsequently reconstructed in a grander, Romanesque revival style by the Notre-Dame workshop's longtime chief architect, Gustave Klotz.
During World War II, the cathedral was seen as a symbol for both warring parties. Adolf Hitler, who visited it on 28th June 1940, intended to transform the church into a monument to the Unknown Soldier. On 1st March 1941, the French general Leclerc made the "oath of Kufra", stating he would "rest the weapons only when our beautiful colours fly again on Strasbourg's cathedral". On 11th August 1944, the cathedral was hit by British and American bombs during the air raids on Strasbourg's city centre. It was heavily damaged, just as Palais Rohan and Sainte-Madeleine Church in its neighbourhood. The repairs to war damage weren’t completed until the early 1990s. In 2000, an Al-Qaeda plot to bomb the adjacent Christmas market was prevented by French and German police.
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.
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.
Die dreizehnte Station des Kreuzweges in Dom. Geschaffen zwischen 1893 und 1898 vom niederländischen Künstler Wilhelm Mengelberg.
The thirteenth Station of the 'Way of the Cross‘ inside the Cathedral. Created 1893-1898 by the Dutch artist Wilhelm Mengelberg.
Manche / Lower Normandy / France
[EXPLORE - 2013-12-27]
Album of France (the north): www.flickr.com/photos/tabliniumcarlson/albums/72157713208...
The Smolny Convent at the eastern end of Shpalernaya Street in Saint Petersburg’s city centre, Saint Petersburg, Russia
Some background information:
The Smolny Convent or Smolny Convent of the Resurrection, is a large building complex in the city of Saint Petersburg, that was originally intended for a convent. It is located on Ploschad Rastrelli, on the bank of the River Neva, and consists of a cathedral and the buildings surrounding it.
The name "Smolny" derives from the location. In the early days of St. Petersburg a tar factory was located on the convent’s spot ("smola" meaning "tar" in Russian). The tar was processed for use in shipbuilding and maintenance. As a result, the locale was called "smolny".
This Russian Orthodox Smolny convent was built to house Elizabeth, the daughter of Peter the Great. After she was disallowed succession to the throne, she opted to become a nun. However, when her imperial predecessor, Ivan VI, was overthrown during a coup d'état (carried out by the royal guards in 1741), Elizabeth decided against entering monastic life and accepted the offer of the Russian throne. Work on the convent continued with her royal patronage.
The convent's cathedral, a blue-and-white building, is considered to be one of the architectural masterpieces of the Italian architect Francesco Bartolomeo Rastrelli, who also redesigned the Winter Palace, and created the Grand Catherine Palace) in Tsarskoye Selo, the Grand Palace in Peterhof and many other major St. Petersburg landmarks. The cathedral is the centerpiece of the convent, built by Rastrelli between 1748 and 1764. The projected bell-tower was to become the tallest building in St. Petersburg and, at the time, in all of Russia. Elizabeth's death in 1762 prevented Rastrelli from completing this grand design.
When Catherine II assumed the throne, it was found that the new Empress strongly disapproved of the baroque style, and funding that had supported the construction of the convent rapidly ran out. Rastrelli was unable to build the huge bell-tower he had planned and unable to finish the interior of the cathedral. The building was only finished in 1835 by Vasily Stasov with the addition of a neo-classical interior to suit the changed architectural tastes at the time. The cathedral was consecrated on 22 July 1835. Its main altar was dedicated to the Resurrection and the two side altars were dedicated to St. Mary Magdalene and Righteous Elizabeth.
The church was closed by the Soviet authorities in 1923. It was looted and allowed to decay until 1982, when it became a concert hall. In April 2015, Smolny Cathedral was returned to the Russian Orthodox Church, and is now converted back to its original purpose as a church, while the faculties of sociology, political science and international relations of the Saint Petersburg State University are located in some of the buildings surrounding the cathedral.
In close proximity to the convent the Smolny Institute is located, which was chosen by Vladimir Lenin as Bolshevik headquarters in 1917 during the October Revolution. Subsequently, the Smolny Institute became the headquarters of the local Communist Party and also effectively the city hall. After 1991, the historic building was used as the seat of the city mayor and city administration. Today, it is the official residence of the governor of Saint Peterburg and also houses a museum dedicated to Lenin.
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 Alcázar von Sevilla ist der mittelalterliche Königspalast von Sevilla. Die Anlage hat eine lange, bis in maurische Zeit zurückreichende Baugeschichte und wird bis heute von der spanischen Königsfamilie als offizielle Residenz genutzt, wenn sich diese in Sevilla aufhält.
Der Alcázar wurde ursprünglich als maurisches Fort angelegt und später mehrfach erweitert. Der Palast ist eines der am besten erhaltenen Beispiele für die Mudéjar-Architektur, die unter christlicher Herrschaft entstandenen Bauten mit islamischem Einfluss. Spätere Monarchen erweiterten den Alcázar, wodurch noch weitere Baustile Eingang in den Komplex fanden. So entstanden z. B. unter den Katholischen Königen, Karl V. und Philipp II. Bauten mit gotischen Elementen, die in starkem Kontrast zu der dominierenden Mudéjar-Architektur stehen.
Der Real Alcazar ist Weltkulturerbe der UNESCO.
Leonardo Da Vinci’s atelier in the Château du Clos Lucé with a copy of Leonardo’s painting "Saint John the Baptist" in the background, Amboise, Loire Valley, France
Some background information:
The Château du Clos Lucé, formerly called Manoir du Cloux, is a large château located in the center of Amboise, in the French department of Indre-et-Loire. The mansion in situated in the Val de Loire in the former Touraine region, about 23 km (14 miles) to the east of the city of Tours. Built by Étienne le Loup in the middle of the 15th century, the palace has known several famous owners such as the French king Charles VIII and Leonardo da Vinci. Clos Lucé is just 500 metres from the royal Château d'Amboise, to which it is connected by an underground passageway.
The house was erected on a Gallo-Roman foundation. It was organized around an octagonal tower. Around the spiral staircase inside the tower two buildings were annexed that had two floors each. The elegant facade made with pink bricks and whites stones was typical for the 15th century. Formally called Manoir de Cloux, the building was property of the Chateau D’Amboise, and the lands of Lucé were affiliated to the castle as of the 14th century. At the beginning, the manor was surrounded by fortifications of which only one – the watchtower – has remained.
In 1490, the château was acquired by the French King Charles VIII, who paid 3500 gold ecus and immediately transformed the medieval stronghold into a more comfortable and habitable home. He also built a chapel for his wife, Anne of Brittany, who lived at Clos-Lucé until she moved to the Château Royal de Blois. From then on, the palace was the summer residence of the French kings for about 200 years.
In 1516, the 64-year-old Leonardo da Vinci left Rome and travelled through Italy, armed with his sketchbooks and three of his most famous paintings: "Mona Lisa", "The Virgin and Child with St. Anne" and "Saint John the Baptist". At that time, the French King Francis I offered da Vinci a pension of 700 gold ecus, the guarantee of buying all his artworks and the allowance to live and work at Château du Clos Lucé for the rest of his life.
Leonardo da Vinci accepted, became the first painter, engineer and architect of the king and was quite was enthusiastic and productive during his years at Clos Lucé. He worked on numerous projects, organized feasts for the court of Amboise, and even conceived the famous "Double Spiral Staircase" of the Château de Chambord. In 1519, Leonardo da Vinci passed away in his bed-champer at Clos Lucé. According to rumours he died in the king’s arms but those rumours are unverified. Leonardo da Vinci bequested all his books, drawings, sketches and manuscripts to his beloved apprentice, Francesco Melzi.
Da Vinci was buried in the nearby Chapel of St. Florentin. This chapel was originally located approximately 100 metres northeast of the Chapel of St. Hubert that lays within the stone fortifications of the royal Château d'Amboise, where his remains were brought to in 1874.
After Leonardo's death, Louise of Savoy took over the château again. However, this did not last too long as Philibert Babou of the Bourdaisière and his wife succeed her in 1523. The Chateau was then inhabited by Michel de Gast, who was the guards captain under King Henri III. In 1632, the marriage of Antoine d’Amboise and Michel de Gast’s granddaughter brought the Chateau back in the hands of House Amboise.
During the French Revolution the castle was miraculously spared and remained in the Amboise family. In 1855, the Château du Clos Lucé became the property of the Saint-Bris family. Since 1862, it has been a classified monument historique and hence, a French national heritage site. In 1954, both house and gardens were opened to the public by Hubert and Agnès Saint Bris. And in the 1960s a major restoration was completed.
In today’s gardens, many of Leonardo da Vinci’s inventions are displayed and hence brought to life. While walking through the extensive gardens, visitors can meet Leonardo the engineer, Leonardo the visionary and also Leonardo the painter and architect.
By the way, since 2000, the Château du Clos Lucé belongs 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.
The town of Amboise is located on the banks of the Loire River in the administrative region of Centre-Val de Loire and has more than 12,500 residents. In pre-Roman times there used to be a Gallic oppidum on the site, which was taken over by the Romans later. Today, Amboise is mainly renowned for its beautiful old town, but also for its altogether three châteaus: the Château royal d'Amboise, the Château Château du Clos Lucé (the former residence of Leonardo da Vinci) and the Château Gaillard.
A forth château, the Château de Chanteloup was destroyed by an act of incendiarism in 1823 and never rebuild. Only a part of the garden and some of its features have survived, of which the most important is the Pagoda of Chanteloup. But both region and town are also renowned for their cuisine. How about a poultry ballotine, a slice of Sainte Maure goat cheese or rillettes de canard together with a glass of sweet white wine from the Tourraine wine-growing region? That’s French art de vivre, to enjoy without any moderation.
Fahrt von Gudvangen nach Innvik (Tag 5) auf der Autofähre Gudvangen - Kaupanger im Nærøyfjord bei Bakka vor der schmalsten Stelle des Fjords
I not only captured dead birds, also living ones.
Klasse: Vögel (Aves)
Ordnung: Regenpfeiferartige (Charadriiformes)
Familie: Regenpfeifer (Charadriidae)
Gattung: Kiebitze (Vanellus)
Art: Kiebitz
Part of Forlorn Places - Forsaken Buildings.
DMC-G2 - P1330904 9.4.2012
Corvey / Höxter (Weser Uplands, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany)
Platform edge at metro station Avtovo on the Kirovsko-Vyborgskaya Line (Line 1), Avtovo district, Saint Petersburg, Russia
Some background information:
The Saint Petersburg Metro is the underground railway system of the city of Saint Petersburg. It has been open since 15th November 1955. Formerly known as the V.I. Lenin Order of Lenin Leningrad Metropoliten, the system exhibits many typical Soviet designs and features exquisite decorations and artwork making it one of the most attractive and elegant metros in the world, maybe only excelled by the Moscow Metro. Due to the city's unique geology, the Saint Petersburg Metro is also one of the deepest metro systems in the world and the deepest by the average depth of all the stations. The system's deepest station, Admiralteyskaya, is located 86 metres below ground. Serving 2.1 million passengers daily (resp. 763.1 million passengers per year), the Saint Petersburg Metro is the 19th busiest metro system in the world.
Avtovo is a station on the Kirovsko-Vyborgskaya Line of the Saint Petersburg Metro. Designed by architect Yevgenii Levinson, it opened as part of the first Leningrad Metro line on 15th November 1955. In 2014, the British newspaper "The Guardian" included it on its list of the twelve most beautiful metro stations in the world.
Avtovo's unique and highly ornate design features columns faced with ornamental glass manufactured at the Lomonosov factory. Although the original plan envisaged using glass on all of the columns in the station, white marble was substituted on some due to time constraints. This marble was supposed to be temporary, but it has never been replaced. The walls are faced with white marble and adorned on the north side by a row of ornamental ventilation grilles. At the end of the platform a mosaic by V.A. Voronetskiy and A.K. Sokolov commemorates the Leningrad Blockade (1941 to 1944) during the Second World War.
Unlike the other stations on the first line, Avtovo is a shallow-level station, located just 12 metres below ground level and constructed using the cut and cover method. It belongs to the shallow column class of underground stations. Avtovo has as its entrance vestibule a large Neoclassical building with a domed cupola, located on the east side of Prospekt Stachek.
In Saint Petersburg’s history, the question of building an underground transport system arose several times, the first time in 1820, when the idea was hatched to build an underground road in a tunnel. By the end of the 19th century, certain interested parties began discussing the possibility of opening the Russian Empire's first metropolitan railway system. Almost all pre-revolutionary designs featured the concept of an elevated metro system, similar to the Paris or Vienna metros. However, as was later discovered through the experience of operating open (ground-level) metro lines in the city, such schemes would likely have resulted in a poor metro service. Unfortunately, at the time, Russian engineers did not have sufficient expertise or technical resources for the construction of deep underground tunnels through the bedrock located far beneath St Petersburg. Hence, it was finally Moscow that got the first underground railway system in the Soviet Union in 1935.
In 1938 the question of building a metro for Saint Petersburg (by then renamed to Leningrad), resurfaced again. The initial project was designed by the Moscow institute 'Metrogiprotrans', but on 21st January 1941, "Construction Directorate № 5 of the People's Commissariat" was founded as a body to specifically oversee the design and construction of the Leningrad Metro. By April 1941, 34 shafts for the initial phase of construction had been finished. During the Second World War construction works were frozen due to severe lack of available funding, manpower and equipment. At this time, many of the metro construction workers were employed in the construction and repair of railheads and other objects vital to the besieged city.
In 1946 Lenmetroproyekt was created, to finish the construction of the metro first phase. A new version of the metro project, devised by specialists, identified two new solutions to the problems to be encountered during the metro construction. Firstly, stations were to be built at a level slightly raised above that of normal track so as to prevent drainage directly into them, whilst the average tunnel width was to be reduced from the 6 metres (20 feet) standard of the Moscow Metro to 5.5 metres (18 feet).
On 3rd September 1947, construction in the Leningrad subway began again and eight years later, on 7 October 1955, the electricity was turned on in the metro l. On 15th November 1955, the subway grand opening was held, with the first seven stations being put into public use. These stations later became part of the Kirovsko-Vyborgskaya Line, connecting the Moscow Rail Terminal in the city centre with the Kirovsky industrial zone in the southwest. Subsequent development included lines under the Neva River in 1958, and the construction of the Vyborgsky Radius in the mid-1970s to reach the new housing developments in the north. In 1978, the line was extended past the city limits into the Leningrad Oblast.
By the time of the USSR's collapse, the Leningrad Metro comprised 54 stations and 94.2 kilometres (58.5 miles) of track. But development even continued in the modern, post-Soviet period. Today, the Saint Petersburg metro comprises five lines with altogether 69 stations and 118,6 kilometres (74 miles) of track. However, the present state is not meant to be the end of the story. Plans have been made to extend the Saint Petersburg Metro to nine lines with altogether 126 stations and 190 kilometres (118 miles) of track. But delays due to the difficult geology of the city's underground and to the insufficient funding have cut down these plans to 17 new stations and one new depot until 2025. At the same time, there are several short and mid-term projects on station upgrades, including escalator replacements and lighting upgrades.
On 3rd April 2017, a terrorist bombing caused an explosion on a train between Sennaya Ploshchad and Tekhnologicheski Institut stations, on the Line 2. 14 people died and over 50 sustained injuries, while Russian president Vladimir Putin was in the city, when the attack happened. On the same day, Russia's National anti-terrorist unit defused another explosive device at Ploshchad Vosstaniya station.
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. Furthermore, 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.
Details from the azulejo tiled lateral wall of the Chapel das Almas (in English: "Chapel of the Souls"), Porto, Portugal
Some background information:
The Capela de Santa Catarina, which is also known as the Capela das Almas, is a chapel located in the shopping street Rua de Santa Catarina, in the city of Porto’s quarter Santo Ildefonso. It is particularly noted for the blue azulejo tiles on its exterior walls.
The chapel had its origins in an old wooden chapel built in praise of Saint Catherine. The construction of the present building began at the end of the 18th century, when the Brotherhood of Souls and Wounds of Saint Francis moved from the Monastery of Santa Clara to the former wooden chapel on this spot. This led to an increase in popularity of the cult of Saint Catherine and to the decision to build a new chapel. The chapel has two sections, one lower than the other, and underwent expansion and restoration works in 1801.
Today, the Capela das Almas is a major tourist attraction in Porto, mainly due to its beautiful exterior. In former times, the neoclassical exterior surfaces of the chapel were plastered and painted white without tiles. But since 1929, they are tiled with 15,947 azulejo tiles that cover around 360 square metres of wall. These tiles represent the lives of Saint Francis of Assisi and Saint Catherine, notably his death and her martyrdom.
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.