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Spišský hrad (Spiš Castle, German: Zipser Burg), municipality Žehra, district Spišská Nová Ves, Košický kraj (Košice region), Slovakia.
Spiš Castle is inscribed in the World Heritage list of the UNESCO as part of the World Heritage Site Levoča, Spišský Hrad and the Associated Cultural Monuments.
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The ruins of Spiš Castle (Slovak: Spišský hrad; Hungarian: Szepesi vár; German: Zipser Burg) in eastern Slovakia form one of the largest castle sites in Central Europe. The castle is situated above the town of Spišské Podhradie and the village of Žehra, in the region known as Spiš (Hungarian: Szepes, German: Zips, Polish: Spisz, Latin: Scepusium). It was included in the UNESCO list of World Heritage Sites in 1993 (together with the adjacent locations of Spišská Kapitula, Spišské Podhradie and Žehra). This is one of the biggest European castles by area (41 426 m²).
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Slovakia holidays May 2016
Central hall of metro station Admiralteyskaya on the Frunzensko-Primorskaya Line (Line 5), Kirchpichnyy Pereulok, 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.
Opened on 28th December 2011, Admiralteyskaya metro station was designed to relieve congestion at the Nevsky Prospekt and Gostiny Dvor stations, as well as to provide a more direct link to the Hermitage and other notable museums. The station’s name originates from the Admiralty building, which is located nearby. Originally, Admiralteyskaya was going to be built on the Nevsko-Vasileostrovskaya Line, however the construction didn't go underway. Although the need for the station was apparent to the Metro planners for over three decades, the actual construction proved to be a difficult process, as the planners feared that the nearby museums and historical buildings would be adversely affected by construction. Determining the location of the exit proved to be a difficult task too. Finally, it was decided that the exit had to be built on the site of an apartment building on Kirpichnyy Pereulok (in English "Kirpichnyy Alley").
The station is connected to the ground with two consecutive escalators. Since it is very difficult to build escalators longer than 125 metres (410 feet), it was determined to build one long escalator with a length of 125 metres to the intermediate level. From this level a shorter escalator of 25 metres (82 feet) leads to the station. The total depth of the station is 86 metres (282 feet) which makes it the deepest metro station in Saint Petersburg.
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 (which you can see on this picture).
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.
This stately half-timbered house was constructed in 1699 und and originally served as water mill. Today, the building houses the Restaurant Wordhaus.
Die Kalon-Moschee wurde 1514 fertiggestellt. Mit einer Grundfläche von 130 m x 80 m ist sie die zweitgrößte Moschee von Usbekistan.
Buchara wurde im 6. Jhdt v. chr. gegründet und profitierte durch seine Lage vom Handel an der Seidenstraße.
Buchara war die erste bedeutende Stadt in Zentralasien, wo sich der Islam durchsetzen konnte.
Buchara ist Weltkulturerbe der UNESCO.
The city hall in Quedlinburg was constructed around 1310. It was remodeled in 1615-16; the Renaissance façade was constructed in this period. Today, it is overgrown by Ivy. It also features flower boxed in the windows; herbs used to be planted in them to improve the air quality in the building. A new wing in the back of the city hall, not visible from the Markt, was added in 1898-1901.
Cusco / Peru
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All images are exclusive property and may not be copied, downloaded, reproduced, transmitted, manipulated or used in any way without expressed, written permission of the photographer.
The World Heritage Site Tejeda on Gran Canaria (Spain) is a lovely, very well kept little village up in the mountains near the center of the island. This is the tower of the local church.
When we visited the place in July 2016, the Jacaranda trees were in full bloom.
Canon EOS 70D, Sigma 17-70mm f/2.8-4 DC Macro OS.
I have 3 albums with photos from the island. This photo belongs to the second, 'natural beauty' album:
Gran Canaria coastal area set .
Gran Canaria - natural beauty (from the mountains).
Las Palmas de Gran Canaria (from the capital).
A walk in Cologne visiting its twelve large romanic churches ("Colonia Romanica") and other points of interest.
Cologne Cathedral (Kölner Dom) is definitely not a romanic church but you can‘t go to Cologne and not take a photo of that UNESCO World Heritage Site (ref. 0292)
Shohizinda ist ein Grabkomplex, der rund um das vermutete Grab eines Weggefährten des Propheten ab dem 7. Jhdt entstanden ist. Da dies das einzige Grab eines Vertrauten des Propheten in Timurs Reich war, ließ er seine engsten Verwandten und Freunde dort begraben. Dank dieser Entwicklung wuchs Shohizinda im 14. Jhdt zu einer Mustersammlung timuridischer Bau- und Handwerkskunst in ihrer höchsten Blüte.
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.
Warschau ist seit 1596 die Hauptstadt Polens und zugleich die flächenmäßig größte sowie mit über 1,7 Mio. Einwohnern (2013) bevölkerungsreichste Stadt des Landes.
Frontage of an urban villa bordering Viale Vittorio Emanuele II right outside of the city of Siena’s old town walls, Tuscany, Italy
Some background information:
With its about 54,000 residents, the city of Siena is the capital of the province of Siena in Tuscany. Siena is located about 70 km (44 miles) south of the city of Florence and about 180 km (112 miles) north of the Italian capital Rome. The town is situated in the central part of Tuscany, in the middle of a vast hilly landscape between the Arbia river valley (south), the Elsa valley (north), the Chianti hills (north-east), the Montagnola Senese (west) and the Crete Senesi (south-east). The city lies at 322 m above sea level.
Siena, like other Tuscan hill towns, was first settled in the time of the Etruscans (from 900 to 400 BC) when it was inhabited by a tribe called the Saina. The Etruscans were an ethnic group of advanced people who changed the face of central Italy through their use of irrigation to reclaim previously unfarmable land, and their custom of building their settlements in well-defended hill forts. In the time of the Emperor Augustus a Roman town called Saena Julia was founded at the site.
According to local legend, Siena was founded by Senius and Aschius, two sons of Remus and thus nephews of Romulus, after whom Rome was named. Supposedly after their father's murder by Romulus, they fled Rome, taking with them the statue of the she-wolf suckling the infants, thus appropriating that symbol for the town. Additionally they rode white and black horses, giving rise to the Balzana, or coat of arms of Siena with a white band atop a dark band. Some claim the name Siena derives from Senius. Other etymologies derive the name from the Etruscan tribe name Saina.
Under Roman rule Siena did not prosper. It was not sited near any major roads and lacked opportunities for trade. Its insular status meant that Christianity did not penetrate until the 4th century AD, and it was not until the Lombards invaded Siena and the surrounding territory that the town experienced prosperity. After the Lombard occupation, the old Roman roads of Via Aurelia and the Via Cassia passed through areas exposed to Byzantine raids, so the Lombards rerouted much of their trade between the Lombards' northern possessions and Rome along a more secure road through Siena. Siena prospered as a trading post, and the constant streams of pilgrims passing to and from Rome provided a valuable source of income in the centuries to come.
The oldest aristocratic families in Siena date their line to the Lombards' surrender in 774 to Charlemagne. At this point, the city was inundated with a swarm of Frankish overseers who married into the existing Sienese nobility and left a legacy that can be seen in the abbeys they founded throughout Sienese territory. Feudal power waned, however, and by the death of Countess Matilda in 1115 the border territory of the March of Tuscany which had been under the control of her family, the Canossa, broke up into several autonomous regions. This ultimately resulted in the foundation of the Republic of Siena.
The Republic existed for over four hundred years, from the 12th century until the year 1555. During the golden age of Siena before the Black Death in 1348, the city was home to 50,000 people. In the Italian War that lasted from 1551 to 1559, the republic was defeated by the rival Duchy of Florence in alliance with the Spanish crown. After 18 months of resistance, Siena surrendered to Spain on 17th April 1555, marking the end of the republic. However, a republican government of 700 Sienese families in the nearby town of Montalcino resisted until 1559. The new Spanish King Felipe II, owing huge sums to the Medici, ceded it to the Grand Duchy of Tuscany, to which it belonged until the unification of Italy in the 19th century.
In 1798, Siena was shaken by an 8.5 magnitude earthquake and several private as well as public buildings (such as churches) were damaged heavily. In 1799, Napoleon Bonaparte’s forces occupied the town. Not before 1814, the French troops left. However, in World War II, Siena suffered only minor damage. Only the Basilika dell’Osservanza was almost completely destroyed during a US bomb attack on 23rd January 1944.
In 1995, its historic city centre has been declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Siena is also one of the Italy’s most visited tourist attractions as it is considered to be one of Tuscany’s and also Italy’s most beautiful towns. Unlike Florence that is regarded as a prime example of Renaissance architecture, Siena has preserved its medieval appearance and hence, is considered a treasure of Italien Gothic architecture.
Siena is also well-known for its Palio di Siena, a horse race, that is hold on the city’s central plaza Piazza del Campo twice a year. At this race that has a centrality for the town since the Middle Ages, Siena’s 17 urban districts compete with each other. Furthermore, it is noteworthy that the Banca Monte dei Paschi di Siena, Italy’s third biggest bank and also the oldest still existing bank around the world, has still its headquarters in Siena.
Siena’s 17 urban districts, the so-called contrade, are named after animals and do each have an animal symbol. The streets of the particular districts have unique street lamps with the amulets of that particular animal on the street crossings — indicating the boundaries of a contrada. These districts were historically set up to supply troops when Siena fought to defend itself from Florence between the 13th and 15th century. Today, the urban districts are still kept alive by sentiments and a great mutual rivalry that finds its expression in the horse race Palio di Siena. By the way, the street lamp on my picture represents the contrade Aquila (in English: "eagle") in Siena's historic city centre.
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.
Gugelhupf cakes at display in the shop window of a boulangerie café, Strasbourg, Grand Est, France
Some background information:
The Gugelhupf (also known as Kugelhupf, Guglhupf, Gugelhopf, and, in France, as kouglof, kougelhof, or kougelhopf) is a yeast based cake (often with raisins), traditionally baked in a distinctive circular Bundt mold. It is popular in wide regions of Central Europe, including southern Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Croatia, Slovakia, the Czech Republic, Poland and the French Alsace area.
In late Medieval Austria, a Gugelhupf was served at major community events such as weddings, and was decorated with flowers, leaves, candles, and seasonal fruits. The name persisted through the Austro-Hungarian Empire, eventually becoming standardized in Viennese cookbooks as a refined, rich cake, flavored with rosewater and almond. Many regional variations exist, testifying to the widespread popularity of the Gugelhupf tradition.
The old South German name combines the Middle High German words Gugel (see also gugel, a long-pointed hood) derived from Latin cucullus, meaning hood or bonnet, and "Hupf", which literally means "to hop" or "to jump". The Brothers Grimm wrote that the "Hupf" may be a reference to the "jumping" of the dough caused by the yeast, but no firm etymological evidence exists for this. The earliest known Gugelhupf recipe, in Marx Rupolt's 1581 cookbook, describes a "Hat Cake" with the distinctive shape and ornamentation recommendation, suggesting a similarity or intentional imitation of the shape of a medieval hat.
According to a legend, the biblical Magi (resp. the Three Kings) were travelling through the Alsace region on their way back from Bethlehem. Because such a warm welcome was given to them by some locals, the Three Kings baked a cake in the shape of a turban for them. This was the birth of the Gugelhupf. According to another legend, the Gugelhupf derives its origin from Austria. It is said, that the archduchess from Austria, Marie Antoinette, brought the recipe along from her Alpine country, when she came to Versailles to merry Louis-Auguste, heir apparent to the French throne, who later became King Louis XVI.
Howsoever, many French people are firm believers in the Gugelhupf arising from the Alsatian town of Ribeauvillé, where a Gugelhupf festival , the so-called "Fête du Kougelhopf", is celebrated every second Sunday in June.
The classic Gugelhupf is made from a pastry consisting of flour, eggs, milk, butter, almonds, raisins and yeast. After being baked in its special cake mould, it is sometimes covered with icing sugar or a coating. In some regions half of the pastry is coloured with cacao, as is customary with the marble cake.
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.
Blick auf Burg und Schloss Lauenstein im Osterzegbirge.
Schloss Lauenstein geht auf eine um 1200 gegründete Grenzburg zurück. Die Burg brannte 1594 nieder und wurde durch ein Wohnschloss ersetzt. Zwischen 1517 und 1821 residierte hier ein Zweig der bekannten Familie von Bünau, an die heute noch diverse Wappen erinnern. Bis zur Mitte des 19. Jahrhunderts war Schloss Lauenstein auch Mittelpunkt der ausgedehnten gleichnamigen Grundherrschaft, die auch die Zinnlagerstätten in Zinnwald umfasste. Die Bergbaugewinne trugen wesentich zum Einkommen der Lauensteiner Schlossherren bei. Deshalb erinnern diverste Reliefs an diesen Teil der Lauensteiner Wirtschaftsgeschichte. Das Schloss selbst ist seit 1980 als Museum zugänglich und ist zusammen mit der Stadtkirche eine ausgewählte Stätte für die vorgesehene Kandidatur zum UNESCO-Welterbe Montanregion Erzgebirge.
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Besuch der Pfahlbauten am Bodensee (Unteruhldingen), UNESCO-Weltkulturerbe
Visit to the Lake Dwelling Museum (reconstructed neolithic settlement), Lake Constance, Unteruhldingen,Germany.
UNESCO World Heritage since 2011 (ref. 1363),
Photos & Videos taken with a GoPro 3+
Evening road works on Old Nevsky Prospect with the Leningrad Hero City Obelisk on Vosstaniya Square in the background, Saint Petersburg, Russia
Some background information:
Nevsky Prospect is the main street in the city of Saint Petersburg, Russia, named after the 13th-century Russian prince Alexander Nevsky. Planned by Peter the Great as the beginning of the road to Novgorod and Moscow, the avenue runs from the Admiralty to the Moscow Railway Station and, after making a turn at Vosstaniya Square, to the monastery Alexander Nevsky Lavra. The latter stretch of street is usually called the Old Nevsky Prospect, because it was the first part of the avenue that was built.
The chief sights include Stroganov Palace, the huge neoclassical Kazan Cathedral, the Elisseeff Emporium (a famous Art Noveau food hall), half a dozen 18th-century churches, a monument to Catherine the Great, Gostiny Dvor (an enormous 18th-century shopping mall), the Russian National Library, the Anichkov Bridge with its horse statues (across Fontanka River), and the Art Noveau Singer House (a great book store, also known as Dom Knigi).
The feverish life of the avenue was described by Nikolai Gogol in his story "Nevsky Prospect". Fyodor Dostoevsky often employed the Nevsky Prospect as a setting within his works, such as "Crime and Punishment" and "The Double: A Petersburg Poem". The café-restaurant where the famous writers of the 19th century Golden Age of the Russian literature frequented still remains as "Literary Cafe" on Nevsky Prospect.
During the early Soviet years (1918 to 1944) the name of Nevsky Prospect was changed, first to "Proletkult Street" in honor of that Soviet artistic organization Prolekult. Following the demise of Proletkult the name was changed again, this time to "Avenue of the 25th of October", alluding to the day of the October Revolution.
Today the Nevsky functions as the main thoroughfare in Saint Petersburg. The majority of the city's shopping and nightlife are located on or right off the Nevsky Prospekt. The street is served by numerous subway stations of Saint Petersburg Metro, such as Admiralteyskaya, Nevsky Prospekt, Gostiny Dvor, Mayakovskaya, Ploshchad Vosstaniya and Ploshchad Alexandra Nevskogo.
Vosstaniya Square is a major square in the central business district of Saint Petersburg, Russia. The square lies at the crossing of Nevsky Prospekt, Ligovsky Prospekt, Vosstaniya Street and Goncharnaya Street, in front of the Moskovsky Rail Terminal, which is the northern terminus of the line connecting the city with Moscow. The square is also home to the metro station Ploshchad Vosstaniya and a main hub for marshrutkas, taxis, buses, trolleybuses and trams.
The Leningrad Hero City Obelisk is a monument in the shape of an obelisk located in Vosstaniya Square. It was installed on Victory Day of May 1985 to commemorate the fortieth anniversary of the Red Army's victory in the German-Soviet War. The monument was designed by architects Vladimir Lukyanov and A. I. Alymov. The Hero-City Obelisk is pentahedral in shape. Its cross section has the shape of a star. In its lower part, the Obelisk is encircled with a bronze wreath covering the joint of the two monoliths. The monument is decorated with bronze high reliefs devoted to the heroic defence of Leningrad while a gold star shines on its top. After the Alexander Column, it is the highest stone monument in Saint Petersburg.
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.
A Happy Easter 2019 to all of you! Have some great holidays together with your families and friends!
Peru
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The artist Sir James Thornhill (1675-1734) designed the entire "Painted Hall" of the Royal Naval College. And he even painted every single square inch of the huge paintings all by himself which took about 19 years.
Want to see the entire Greenwich album? Go here:
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Curious to have a look at some of my other albums? Here's the link:
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Vauban Tower (in French: "Tour Vauban") at "Le Sillon", Camaret-sur-Mer, Brittany, France
Some background information:
Since its foundation, the harbour town of Camaret-sur-Mer in the Breton department of Finistère is defined as a port of refuge. "Le Sillon" (in English: "The groove"), a pier which stretches out into the sea, protects ships and boats from the northwestern winds by its shape and its central position.
Camaret-sur-Mer has about 2,500 residents and is located at the western end of the Crozon Peninsula. The alignment of Lagatjar within the municipal area proves that it was already an important place in the megalithic era. Lagatjar once comprised more than 600 menhirs, of which 75 are remaining. In the late Middle Ages Camaret was a major harbour town and a stopover for many tall ships. To protect these ships from pirate attacks Pope Paul II issued a bull in 1470, by which he declared all attackers excommunicated.
In the 17th century, due to the maritime war against Great Britain, King Louis XIV of France, tried to strengthen the defensibility of important harbour towns like Saint-Malo, Lorient, Morlaix, Brest and also Camaret. Responsible for the construction of defence works was Sébastien Le Prestre de Vauban, who planned the Vauban Tower in this regard to protect the bay of Camaret. Today some of Vauban’s defence works – including the Vauban Tower at Camaret-sur-Mer – are part of the UNESCO World Heritage Site "Fortifications of Vauban".
The 18m-high polygonal defensive tower has three levels and is flanked by walls, a guardhouse and a gun battery which can hold eleven cannons as well as a cannonball foundry added in the French Revolution period. The tower is also known as Tour dorée (in English: "Golden Tower"). Next to the Vauban Tower the chapel Notre Dame de Rocammadour is located. The whole place is an area of outstanding cultural and natural beauty from which numerous artists draw their inspiration.
On 18th June 1694, the tower proved its defensibility in the Battle of Camaret. Vauban himself was in command of the garrison at Vauban Tower when they repelled an Anglo-Dutch attack. The battery, which was only armed with nine 24-pounder cannons and three mortars at that time, put several British vessels out of action. On land, a charge by French dragoons scattered the British troops that had landed, and the local militia helped to complete the victory.
In the 19th century, fishing of sardines produced some wealth in the town of Camaret-sur-Mer. The waterside promenade was enhanced and more and more two-storey buildings were built. However, at the beginning of the 20th century, the distribution of sardines in the area decreased and therefore the local fishermen had to find a different way to earn their bread and butter. The solution was lobstering and the haul of langoustines. But Camaret-sur-Mer also became a major location of shipyards for fishing smacks. In the middle of the 20th century, not less than ten shipyards satisfied the demand for vessels for lobstering. Today, Camaret-sur-Mer is still a fishing port, but its harbour hosts many yachts now too. Besides, it is also a place popular among visitors from far and wide.
Different front doors at the Royal Crescent, Bath, Somerset
Some background information:
The Royal Crescent is a street of 30 terraced houses laid out in a sweeping crescent in the city of Bath. Designed by the architect John Wood the Younger and built between 1767 and 1774, it is among the greatest examples of Georgian architecture to be found in the United Kingdom. That’s why it is also a Grade I listed building. Although some changes have been made to the various interiors over the years, the Georgian stone facade remains much as it was when it was first built.
Many notable people have either lived or stayed in the Royal Crescent since it was first built over 230 years ago, and some are commemorated on special plaques attached to the relevant buildings. Today the Royal Crescent includes a hotel and a Georgian house museum, while some of the houses have been converted into flats and offices. It is a popular location for the makers of films and television programmes, and a major tourist attraction in its own right.
John Wood designed the great curved façade with Ionic columns on a rusticated ground floor. The 114 columns are 76 cm (30 inches) in diameter reaching 14.3 m (47 feet), each with an entablature 1.5 m (5 feet) deep. The central house (now the Royal Crescent Hotel) boasts two sets of coupled columns.
Each original purchaser bought a length of the facade, and then employed his own architect to build a house behind the façade to his own specifications. Hence what can appear to be two houses is occasionally just one. This system of town planning is betrayed at the rear and can be seen from the road behind the Crescent: While the front is uniform and symmetrical, the rear is a mixture of differing roof heights, juxtapositions and fenestration. This kin d of architecture, described as "Queen Anne fronts and Mary-Anne backs", occurs repeatedly in Bath.
In front of the Royal Crescent is a ha-ha, a ditch on which the inner side is vertical and faced with stone, with the outer face sloped and turfed, making an effective but invisible partition between the lower and upper lawns. The ha-ha is designed so as not to interrupt the view from Royal Victoria Park, and to be invisible until seen from close by. It is not known whether it was contemporary with the building of the Royal Crescent, however it is known that when it was first created, it was deeper than it is at present. The railings between the crescent and the lawn are included in the Heritage at Risk Register produced by English Heritage and were restored in 2011.
Among the TV productions and films which were shot at the Royal Crescent are a TV edition of Jane Austen's "Persuasion" from 2007 and the film "The Dutchess" from 2008, starring Keira Knightley.
The Royal Crescent is located in the centre of the city of Bath, UNESCO World Heritage Site largely because of its complete Georgian architecture.
The different front doors of the Royal Crescent caught my eyes because It strikes me how people act out their individuality even if living in a setting of great uniformity.
With its roughly 84,000 residents Bath is a city in the ceremonial county of Somerset in South West England. It is situated 97 miles (156 km) west of London and 13 miles (21 km) south-east of Bristol.
The city was first established as a spa with the Latin name "Aquae Sulis" by the Romans around 60 AD, about 20 years after they had arrived in Britain. But archaeological evidence shows that the site of the Roman Baths' main spring was already treated as a shrine by the Iron Age Britons long before the Romans arrived.
In the Elizabethan era the baths were improved and the city began to attract the aristocracy. In 1590 Bath was granted city status by Queen Elizabeth I. During the Stuart period several areas of the city underwent development, and this increased during Georgian times in response to the increasing number of visitors to the spa and resort town who required accommodation. The architects John Wood the elder and his son John Wood the younger laid out the new quarters in streets and squares, the identical facades of which gave an impression of palatial scale and classical decorum. Throughout the whole city the creamy gold and rather expensive Bath Stone was used for construction.
In 1987 the City of Bath was inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. It has a variety of theatres, museums, and other cultural and sporting venues, which have helped to make it a major centre for tourism, with over one million staying visitors and 3.8 million day visitors to the city each year. Bath has two universities and several schools and colleges. There is a large service sector, growing communication technologies and creative industries, providing employment for the population of Bath and its surrounding area.
Die Seiser Alm ist die größte Hochalm Europas. Sie liegt in den Südtiroler Dolomiten in Italien, rund 20 km nordöstlich von Bozen und oberhalb der bekannten Tourismus-Orte Seis am Schlern, Kastelruth und St. Ulrich in Gröden.
The tower of St. Peter's Church (Svētā Pētera baznīca) offers an exquisite view of Riga. Cruise ships reach the center of Riga from the Baltic Sea on the Daugava river.
In view is the Riga Cathedral (Rīgas Doms).
Breite Straße (Broad Street) and inneres Breites Tor (inner Broad Gate), Goslar, Niedersachsen (Lower Saxony), Germany.
Goslar is a historic town at the foot of the Harz mountain range. It is part of the UNESCO World Heritage site "Mines of Rammelsberg, Historic Town of Goslar and Upper Harz Water Management System".
---quotation from whc.unesco.org:---
Rammelsberg-Goslar is the largest and longest-lived mining and metallurgical complex in the central European metal-producing region whose role was paramount in the economy of Europe for many centuries. It is a very characteristic form of urban-industrial ensemble which has its most complete and best preserved expression in Europe at Rammelsberg-Goslar.
Rammelsberg lies 1 km south-east of Goslar, in the Harz Mountains. It has been the site of mining for metalliferous ores and metal production (silver, copper, lead, zinc and gold) since as early as the 3rd century BC. The first documentary mention of Rammelsberg is from the beginning of the 11th century. The rich deposits of silver ore there were one of the main reasons for siting an imperial residence at the foot of the Rammelsberg mountain by Emperor Henry II; he held his first Imperial Assembly there in 1009. The town of Goslar grew up around the imperial residence. The town was to play an important role in the economic operations of the Hanseatic League and achieved great prosperity, which reached a peak around 1450. The revenues from mining, metal production, and trade financed the creation of the late medieval townscape of fortifications, churches, public buildings, and richly decorated mine-owners' residences which distinguish the present-day town.
(...)
The town was not significantly damaged in the Second World War and so the historic centre has survived intact, with its original medieval layout and many Gothic, Renaissance and Baroque buildings of high quality.
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Harz weekend June 2012
Das Mausoleum Gur Emir ist die Begräbnisstätte Timurs. Das Mausoleum wurde zu Lebzeiten Timurs für seinen, unerwartet verstorbenen, designierten Nachfolger Mohammed Sultan Anfang des 15. Jhdts errichtet. Timur wollte eigentlich nicht in Samarkand begraben werden, aber im Thronfolgekrieg bestand der Sieger Khalil Sultan für seine eigene Legitimation auf ein Grab Timurs in Samarkand.
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.
Visit 2015, Alfeld, Bauhaus, Fagus, Fagus Werk, Gropius, UNESCO, UNESCO Welterbe, UNESCO World Heritage, Walter Gropius, Welterbe, World Heritage
de.wikipedia.org/wiki/L%C3%BCbeck
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/L%C3%BCbeck
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Copyright Notice
Please do not use my images without my permission This includes blogging them without my consent. All my photos are my copyright and may not be used or reproduced in any way without my express permission.
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This impressive work of art pays tribute to the famous architect Christopher Wren (1632-1723). He was the builder who designed the complex of the Royal Hospital for Seamen at Greenwich (later known as Royal Naval College). Wren's draft of the Hospital (College) edifices is an important part of the painting of which you only see a smaller detail here. It has been created by artist Sir James Thornhill (1675-1734). He worked not less than 19 years on the decoration of the Hospital's (College's) "Painted Hall" since he painted every single square inch of the huge paintings himself, not leaving anything to assistents.
If you want to see my entire Greenwich album you can go here:
www.flickr.com/photos/wwwuppertal/albums/72177720316970534
Curious to have a look at some of my other albums? Here's the link:
www.flickr.com/photos/wwwuppertal/albums/with/72177720316...
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.
Empty street in the little town of San Quirico d’Orcia in the Val d’Orcia (In English: "Valley oft he Orcia"), Province of Siena, Tuscany, Italy
Some background information:
San Quirico d'Orcia is a municipality of about 2,500 inhabitants in the Province of Siena in the Italian region of Tuscany, located about 80 kilometres (50 miles) southeast of Florence and about 35 kilometres (22 miles) southeast of Siena inside the Val d‘Orcia landscape. It is named in honor of Saint Quiricus. Located on the Via Francigena, San Quirico d'Orcia borders the municipalities of Castiglione d'Orcia, Montalcino and Pienza.
The settlement was already inhabited by the Etruscans, who were a powerful and wealthy civilization of ancient Italy between 800 and 500 BC. In the 8th century, San Quirico was first mentioned in a document. In the 13th century, it entered under control of Siena. Until the 15th century its town walls were extended and enhanced by the Sienese governers. But after the defeat of the Republic of Siena in 1559, the Florentine family Medici took control of the whole area. In 1677, San Quirico was enfeoffed cardinal Flavia Chigi by Grand Duke Cosimo III de' Medici and after the cardinal’s death, the town was governed by members of the cardinal’s own noble family Zondadari Chigi.
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.
Die zum Kirche beherbergt die bedeutendste Sammlung byzantinischer Fresken in Zypern. Fresken aus dem 12. bis 14. Jhdt.
Spiral stairs leading up to the organ loft of the Große Orgel/Westorgel (great organ/western organ) of St. Jakobikirche (St.James's Church), Hanseatic City of Lübeck, Schleswig-Holstein, Germany.
St. Jakobi is a three naved hall church in brick gothic style from around 1300. It is the church of the seamen (with the PAMIR International Seafaring Memorial) and a pilgrimage church (situated at the intersection of three historical pilgrimage routes). St. Jakobi also is famous for its three historical organs. As St. Jakobi is one of the few churches of Lübeck that was not destroyed during the British air raid on Palm Sunday 1942 in Word War II, its organs are the only remaining historical organs in Lübeck.
The old city center of Lübeck is in great parts inscribed in the World Heritage List of the UNESCO. A plan of the inscribed zones can be found here: whc.unesco.org/download.cfm?id_document=102311
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Lübeck – the former capital and Queen City of the Hanseatic League – was founded in the 12th century and prospered until the 16th century as the major trading centre for northern Europe. It has remained a centre for maritime commerce to this day, particularly with the Nordic countries. Despite the damage it suffered during the Second World War, the basic structure of the old city, consisting mainly of 15th- and 16th-century patrician residences, public monuments (the famous Holstentor brick gate), churches and salt storehouses, remains unaltered.
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Sightseeing tour with Ralph on Good Friday 2016.
es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Palacio_de_la_Orangerie
de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Orangerieschloss_(Potsdam)
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Orangery_Palace
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Copyright Notice
Please do not use my images without my permission This includes blogging them without my consent. All my photos are my copyright and may not be used or reproduced in any way without my express permission.
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Michaelsberg Abbey, Bamberg, Franconia (Bavaria)
Some background information:
Michaelsberg Abbey is a former Benedictine monastery in the city of Bamberg and still one of the city’s landmarks. It was founded in 1015 after the creation of the Bishopric of Bamberg by Emperor Henry II. The monks for the new establishment were drawn from Amorbach Abbey and Fulda Abbey. The abbot answered directly to the bishop of Bamberg, and to no-one else. Michaelsberg Abbey flourished under Bishop Otto (1061 to 1139), whose burial in the abbey church and subsequent canonisation in 1189, together with the papal protection granted to the abbey in 1251, was of enormous advantage in increasing the independence of the abbey from the bishops. The award to the abbots of the pontificalia had taken place some time before 1185. The abbey's financial status rested securely upon its great ownership of lands in 441 places in the bishopric.
In 1435 the abbey came into conflict with the townspeople of Bamberg and was plundered. It also suffered during the German Peasants' War of 1525, the Franconian Margrave War in the 1550s and from an occupation of several years' duration by the Swedish army during the Thirty Years' War. In the 17th and 18th centuries the abbey recovered and enjoyed a new period of prosperity.
By the time of the Bavarian Secularisation of 1802 the abbey still owned substantial property in Bamberg itself as well as estates in no fewer than 141 places in the surrounding area. On 30 November 1802 Bavarian troops confiscated the abbey's assets. Valuable books were removed to the library of the Bavarian court. The 24 monks then resident were obliged to leave the monastery. The abbey buildings passed into the possession of the city of Bamberg, who by popular request transferred into them the old almshouses from the city centre, which nowadays are still located there. However the former abbey church remained in use as the church of St Michael. It is basically a Romanesque house of prayer, which was damaged by a fire in 1610 and therefore had to be complemented with parts of the building in the Renaissance and Baroque period.
As you can see from my photo, wine is grown at the slopes of Michaelsberg Abbey. It’s Silvaner, a type of grape which was always connected with the wine-growing region of Franconia.
Bamberg is a town with more than 70,000 residents, located in Upper Franconia. First mentioned in 902, it became a separate diocese in 1007. Its cathedral was already consecrated in 1012.
Besides its beautiful old town, Bamberg is also known for its eight breweries and its famous smoked beer. Since 1993 the old town is listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, primarily because of its authentic medieval and also baroque appearance. Bamberg’s core city has more than 1,200 buildings of historic importance.
If you want to see the entire Greenwich album you may go here:
www.flickr.com/photos/wwwuppertal/albums/72177720316970534
Curious to have a look at some of my other albums? Here's the link:
www.flickr.com/photos/wwwuppertal/albums/with/72177720316...
Municipal House (Obecní dům), Náměstí Republiky, Prague (Czech Republic)
Some background information:
Obecní dům is not only a major civic landmark and concert hall, but also an architecturally and politically very important building.
Around 1900 the building was commissioned by the city on an odd-shaped lot. Two architectural competitions were arranged but unfortunately both were unsuccessful. Thereafter the job was simply given to architects Osvald Polívka and Antonín Balšánek. Construction started in 1905 and Obecní dům opened its doors in 1912.
The Art Nouveau structure is an artifact of the Czech nationalism of that time and carries a wealth of ornaments by some of the leading Czech artists of their day. The main facade features a large ceramic half-dome mosaic above the entry. It’s called "Homage to Prague" and was created by Karel Špillar.
On either side this mosaic are allegorical sculpture groups representing "The Degradation of the People" and "The Resurrection of the People" by Ladislav Šaloun, while the remainder of the rich decoration was made by Josef Mařatka, František Úprka and others, with light stands designed by Karel Novák. The interior of the building includes murals by famous Czech Art Nouveau artists like Alfons Mucha and Max Švabinský.
The concert hall inside the Municipal House is named Smetana Hall in honour of the famous Czech composer Bedřich Smetana. On 28th October 1918 the independent state of Czechoslovakia was proclaimed in Smetana Hall. Nowadays Obecní dům also includes a very beautiful Art Nouveau café and a restaurant just as beautiful. But be mindful of the high prices before you decide on having a lunch, dinner or just a cup of coffee there. ;-)
Want to see the entire Greenwich album? Go here:
www.flickr.com/photos/wwwuppertal/albums/72177720316970534
Curious to have a look at some of my other albums? Here's the link:
www.flickr.com/photos/wwwuppertal/albums/with/72177720316...
"The Dancing House or Dancing Building or Ginger & Fred (Czech: Tančící dům) is the nickname given to the Nationale-Nederlanden building in downtown Prague, Czech Republic at Rašínovo nábřeží 80, 120 00 Praha 2. It was designed by Croatian-Czech architect Vlado Milunić in co-operation with Canadian-American architect Frank Gehry on a vacant riverfront plot (where the previous building had been destroyed during the Bombing of Prague in 1945). The building was designed in 1992 and completed in 1996.
The very non-traditional design was controversial at the time. Czech president Václav Havel, who lived for decades next to the site, had supported it, hoping that the building would become a center of cultural activity.
Originally named Fred and Ginger (after Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers – the house resembles a pair of dancers) the house stands out among the Baroque, Gothic and Art Nouveau buildings for which Prague is famous. Others have nicknamed it "Drunk House"." Wikipedia
All pictures clickable and some more in the set.
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"Das Tanzende Haus (tschechisch Tančící dům) ist der Spitzname eines 1996 verwirklichten Bürogebäudes in der tschechischen Hauptstadt Prag.
Es wurde vom im ehemaligen Jugoslawien (Zagreb) geborenen tschechischen Architekten Vlado Milunić, in Kooperation mit dem kanadischen Architekten Frank Gehry entworfen und direkt am Ufer der Moldau (Rašínovo nábřeží 80, 120 00 Praha 2) errichtet.
Das Gebäude ist inspiriert von einem rationalen Dialog zwischen einem totalitären, statisch vertikalen Konzept auf der einen Seite und einem dynamischen, im gesellschaftlichen Umbruch begriffenen auf der anderen. Zudem erinnert es an eine Tänzerin im gläsernen Faltenkleid, die sich grazil an den Herrn mit Hut schmiegt. Aus diesem Grund wird es oft auch Ginger und Fred (nach Ginger Rogers und Fred Astaire) genannt.
Der dekonstruktivistische Bau führte bei seiner Fertigstellung im Juli 1996 zu einer leidenschaftlich geführten, hitzigen Diskussion, die seither jedoch weitgehend abflaute. Unterstützt wurde das Projekt durch den ehemaligen tschechischen Präsidenten Václav Havel, der über Jahrzehnte in der Nähe des zunächst brach liegenden Grundstücks wohnte (das Gebäude, das sich dort befand, wurde bei einem Bombenangriff 1945 zerstört). Er erhoffte sich vom ursprünglich als Kulturzentrum geplanten Gebäude neue kulturelle Aktivität." Wikipedia
Alles anklickbar und noch mehr Bilder im Album.