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Blenheim Palace, Oxfordshire
Some background information:
Blenheim Palace is a monumental stately home situated in Woodstock, Oxfordshire. It’s the residence of the dukes of Marlborough and the only non-royal as well as non-episcopal country house in England to hold the title of palace. The palace, England's largest one, was built between 1705 and circa 1724 on Queen Anne’s orders for John Churchill, 1st Duke of Marlborough, in recognition of his victory over French forces at the Battle of Blenheim in 1704.
However, it soon became the subject of political infighting, which led to the Duke of Marlborough's exile, the fall from power of his duchess, and irreparable damage to the reputation of its architect Sir John Vanbrugh.
Designed in the rare and short-lived English Baroque style, architectural appreciation of the palace is as divided today as it was in the 1720s. It’s unique in its combined usage as a family home, mausoleum and national monument.
The building of the palace was a minefield of political intrigue by Sarah Churchill, Duchess of Marlborough. Following the palace's completion, it became the home of the Churchill family for the following 300 years, and various members of the family have in that period wrought various changes, in the interiors, park and gardens. At the end of the 19th century the palace and the Churchills were saved from ruin by an American marriage. Thus, the exterior of the palace remains in good repair and exactly as completed.
The palace is also notable as the birthplace and ancestral home of the British Prime Minister Sir Winston Churchill. He was born at Blenheim Palace on the 30th November 1874. Blenheim may never have been Churchill’s home, for the estate and family title passed to his cousin, the 9th Duke, but for five years in the 1890’s Churchill was heir presumptive to the dukedom, and it was always where his roots remained. His birth room, which is set west of the Great Hall in the suite of apartments once allotted to the 1st Duke of Marlborough’s domestic chaplain, is on view to visitors.
It was during the summer of 1908 when the gardens of Blenheim beared upon Winston Churchill: At the Temple of Diana overlooking the lake, he proposed to Miss Clementine Hozier, who was to become his devoted wife.
In the Churchill Exhibition, near the birth room, can be seen a bronze of Sir Winston and Lady Churchill as well as Sir Winston’s painting of the Great Hall at Blenheim. Other interesting exhibits include several of his lively letters, a collection of first day covers commemorating Sir Winston Churchill and many photographs of this great man at Blenheim Palace.
Sir Winston Churchill’s love of Blenheim remained to his dying day and when he passed away in 1965, he chose to be buried beside his parents Lord and Lady Randolph Churchill, in the churchyard at Bladon the tower of which, may be seen from the saloon in Blenheim Palace. When Lady Churchill died in 1977, her remains were laid to rest beside those of her husband, as they would both have wished.
Today the palace is still the home of the Dukes of Marlborough - the present incumbent of the title being John George Vanderbilt Spencer-Churchill, 11th Duke of Marlborough. Like his forebears he lives for part of the year in the palace, with his family occupying the same suite of rooms as the 1st Duke and Duchess.
Blenheim palace, park, and gardens are open to the public. Other than the Winston Churchill exhibition tourist attractions include the butterfly house, a maze, a plant centre, and cafeteria. But the atmosphere is still that of a large country house. Unfortunately visitors are not allowed to take pictures of the palace’s interior.
The gardens:
Blenheim sits in the centre of a large undulating park, a classic example of the English landscape garden movement and style. When John Vanbrugh first cast his eyes over it in 1704, he immediately conceived a typically grandiose plan: Through the park trickled the small River Glyme and Vanbrugh envisaged this marshy brook traversed by the "finest bridge in Europe". Thus the marsh was channeled into three small canal-like streams and traversed by a bridge of huge proportions - so huge it was reported to contain some 30-odd rooms.
Also in the park, completed after the 1st Duke's death, is the Column of Victory. It is 41 metres high and terminates a great avenue of elms leading to the palace, which were planted in the positions of Marlborough's troops at the Battle of Blenheim.
Following the 1st Duke's death the Duchess concentrated most of her considerable energies on the completion of the palace itself, and the park remained relatively unchanged until the arrival of Capability Brown in 1764. The 4th Duke employed Brown, who immediately began an English landscape garden scheme to naturalise and enhance the landscape, with tree planting, and man-made undulations.
However, the feature with which he is forever associated is the lake, a huge stretch of water created by damming the River Glyme and ornamented by a series of cascades where the river flows in and out. The lake was narrowed at the point of Vanbrugh's grand bridge, but the three small canal-like streams trickling underneath it were completely absorbed by one river-like stretch. Brown's great achievement at this point was to actually flood and submerge beneath the water level the lower stories and rooms of the bridge itself, thus reducing its incongruous height and achieving what is regarded by many as the epitome of an English landscape. Brown also grassed over the great parterre and the Great Court. The latter was re-paved in the early 20th century.
The 5th Duke of Marborough was responsible for several other garden follies and novelties such as the swivelling boulder, which would suddenly roll across a path, to supposedly thrill the walker. And the ornamental gardens seen today close to the palace, the Italian as well as the water gardens, are entirely the design of the 9th Duke.
In 1987 UNESCO recognised the palace as a World Heritage Site.
PS: Sorry for my long-term absence. Being busy with work and vacation kept me from updating my own photostream and viewing the ones of my contacts. I’m a bad boy, I know, but now I'll try to do my best to catch up.
de.wikipedia.org/wiki/L%C3%BCbeck
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/L%C3%BCbeck
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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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Scan of an analog photo taken in June 2004
Die älteste Statue auf der Karlsbrücke stellt den heiligen Johannes von Nepomuk dar. Die Plastik des Märtyrers, der angeblich bei König Wenzel IV. in Ungnade gefallen war und im Jahr 1393 von der Karlsbrücke in die Moldau gestürzt wurde, wurde 1683 Johann Brokoff geschaffen.
Download from the Internet
Unfortunately on my visit in 2005 it was quite impossible to take any good photos with an analog camera within this dimly lit but nevertheless very stunning villa which once belonged to Poppea, the wife of Emperor Nero. A good photo docmentation is available on the Spanish Wikipedia entry of Villa Poppea.
Inmitten des Naturparks Schlern – Rosengarten, zwischen dem Nigerpass und St. Zyprian bei Tiers, finden Sie die Plafötsch-Alm. Die Hütte liegt auf 1570 m Meereshöhe, inmitten von Almwiesen und Wäldern direkt unterhalb des beeindruckenden Bergpanoramas des Rosengartens und der Vajolettürme.
Besuch der Pfahlbauten am Bodensee (Unteruhldingen), UNESCO-Weltkulturerbe seit 2011 (ref. 1363).
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+
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Welcome to the Standing Stones of Stenness
Part of the Heart of Neolithic Orkney World Heritage Site
This is one of the earliest stone circles
in Britain. The stones were raised
about 5,000 years ago. Originally
the circle consisted of 11 or 12 stones.
They were surrounded by a wide ditch
crossed by a single causeway. Outside the
ditch ran a substantial outer bank.
At the centre of the circle was a large
hearth. In Neolithic houses, such as
those at Barnhouse and Skara Brae, the
hearth formed a focal point. The hearth
at Stenness may have had a symbolic
role linked to the layout of a house.
It has even been suggested that this
hearth was brought here from a
dwelling at neighboring Barnhouse.
Ceremonial Use
The single entrance and bank created
a central space where access could
be carefully controlled. Although we
cannot say for sure what happened
within the circle, it probably involved
ceremonies and rituals. One can
imagine at special times of year a
large fire illuminating the stones,
with the sounds of people and
musical instruments, and the
smells of food and drink.
+++++
[Text taken from a sign at the site]
Beginnend in der Pfeilerhalle des Taltempels von Chephren der Weg zum Totentempel der Chephren-Pyramide und Großen Sphinx von Gizeh Errichtet wurde der Tempel aus großen Kalksteinblöcken, die mit polierten Granitplatten verkleidet wurden.
Große Orgel/Westorgel (Great organ/western organ) in 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
---quotation from whc.unesco.org:---
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.
---end of quotation---
Sightseeing tour with Ralph on Good Friday 2016.
Blickk auf dan Talkessel der Nekropole Deir el-Bahari mit dem Totentempel der Hatschepsut und links davon dem Totentempel des Mentuhotep II..
Visit 2015, Alfeld, Bauhaus, Fagus, Fagus Werk, Gropius, UNESCO, UNESCO Welterbe, UNESCO World Heritage, Walter Gropius, Welterbe, World Heritage
Kalta Minor ("kurzes Minarett") sollte nach dem Willen des Bauherren Ahmed Amin Khan mit 75 m das höchste Minarett der islamischen Welt werden. Der Bauherr kam bei einem Feldzug ums Leben und sein Nachfolger brach den Weiterbau unvollendet ab. Ihm missfiel auch der Gedanke, dass man bei der geplanten Höhe Einblick in den Haremshof bekommen hätte.
Der Bau wurde bei 29 m eingestellt.
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.
Parish Church of St. James in Avebury, Wiltshire county, England, United Kingdom.
St. James Church was built in Anglo-Saxon style at the end of the 10th century and was modified by the Normans in the 12th and 13th centuries. Further amendments of the building were made in the 15th and 19th centuries. Despite all changes, the church today still shows remains of the original Anglo-Saxon building.
As a part of Stonehenge, Avebury and Associated Sites, Avebury is inscribed in the World Heritage List of the UNESCO. Although the village of Avebury itself is not the core subject of the inscription, it lies within the boundary of the World Heritage Site and thus is protected together with the prehistoric monuments.
---quotation from whc.unesco.org about Stonehenge, Avebury and Associated Sites:---
The World Heritage property Stonehenge, Avebury and Associated Sites is internationally important for its complexes of outstanding prehistoric monuments. Stonehenge is the most architecturally sophisticated prehistoric stone circle in the world, while Avebury is the largest. Together with inter-related monuments, and their associated landscapes, they demonstrate Neolithic and Bronze Age ceremonial and mortuary practices resulting from around 2000 years of continuous use and monument building between circa 3700 and 1600 BC. As such they represent a unique embodiment of our collective heritage.
The World Heritage property comprises two areas of Chalkland in southern Britain within which complexes of Neolithic and Bronze Age ceremonial and funerary monuments and associated sites were built. Each area contains a focal stone circle and henge and many other major monuments. (...) At Avebury they include Windmill Hill, the West Kennet Long Barrow, the Sanctuary, Silbury Hill, the West Kennet and Beckhampton Avenues, the West Kennet Palisaded Enclosures, and important barrows. (...)
At Avebury, the massive Henge, containing the largest prehistoric stone circle in the world, and Silbury Hill, the largest prehistoric mound in Europe, demonstrate the outstanding engineering skills which were used to create masterpieces of earthen and megalithic architecture.
There is an exceptional survival of prehistoric monuments and sites within the World Heritage property including settlements, burial grounds, and large constructions of earth and stone. Today, together with their settings, they form landscapes without parallel. These complexes would have been of major significance to those who created them, as is apparent by the huge investment of time and effort they represent. They provide an insight into the mortuary and ceremonial practices of the period, and are evidence of prehistoric technology, architecture and astronomy. The careful siting of monuments in relation to the landscape helps us to further understand the Neolithic and Bronze Age.
---end of quotation---
Wales and South England holiday July 2015
de.wikipedia.org/wiki/L%C3%BCbeck
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/L%C3%BCbeck
____________________________________________________
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.
If you would like to use an image, please leave a comment to that effect or contact me via Flickrmail.
Warschau ist seit 1596 die Hauptstadt Polens und zugleich die flächenmäßig größte sowie mit über 1,7 Mio. Einwohnern (2013) bevölkerungsreichste Stadt des Landes.
Eine der Arkaden (Riwaq), die den Großen Hof (Sahn) der Muhammad-Ali-Moschee (Alabastermoschee) umgeben (Alt-Kairo).
Die Mezquita ist eine mittelalterliche Moschee mit einer christlichen Kathedrale in der Mitte.
Seine architektonische Weltgeltung besitzt das Bauwerk als ehemalige Hauptmoschee aus der Epoche des maurischen Spaniens Die Moschee wurde durch die Emire und Kalifen von Córdoba in mehreren Bauabschnitten immer wieder erweitert. Das Bauwerk gehört mit ca. 23.000 m² zu den größten ehemaligen Moscheebauten weltweit. Im 16. Jahrhundert wurde ein gotisches Kirchenschiff in die Halle hineingebaut und das Minarett durch einen Glockenturm ersetzt. Seit damals wurde das Gebäude auch "Moschee-Kathedrale" genannt.
Das beeindruckendste Merkmal der Gebetshalle sind die übereinander liegenden Hufeisenbögen, die auf 856 Säulen aus Jaspis, Onyx, Marmor und Granit ruhen.
Die Hauptachse der im 16. Jahrhundert mitten in die Gebetshalle hineingebauten Kirche liegt quer zu derjenigen der Moschee und weist nach Ostnordost. Es ist eine Basilika in der Form eines lateinischen Kreuzes mit Vierungskuppel. Der Kirchenbau erstreckt sich über zehn Schiffe und zwölf Joche des Moscheegewölbes, ist also etwa halb so lang, wie die Moschee breit, und ein Drittel so breit, wie die Gebetshalle lang ist.
Bei einem Besuch der Baustelle in Córdoba soll Karl V. 1526 gesagt haben: „Ich wusste nicht, um was es sich hier handelt. Denn wenn ich es gewusst hätte, hätte ich nicht erlaubt, dass man Hand an das alte Gebäude legt. Denn ihr erbaut, was es andernorts schon gibt, und habt dafür etwas zerstört, was einmalig in der Welt war“.
Die Mezquita ist Weltkulturerbe der UNESCO.
Vaults of Heiligen-Geist-Hospital (Hospital of the Holy Spirit) in Hanseatic City of Lübeck, Schleswig-Holstein, Germany.
Heiligen-Geist-Hospital is one of the oldest and best preserved civil hospitals of the Middle Age. It is furthermore one of the earliest institutions of social welfare in Europe and belongs to the most significant monumental architecture of the Middle Age.
It was a combination of wealth and piety that brought the mercantile patricians and other wealthy citizens of Lübeck to establish a lot of foundations and institutions for social welfare.
The building of the Heiligen-Geist-Hospital began in 1280, 4 years after the great fire of Lübeck, and was ready in 1286. It has been modified later several times.
The complex consists of a hospital church, an elongate hospital hall (called long house), some auxiliary buildings around a small courtyard and two citizens’ houses.
In the beginning, the patients / residents only had one bed each, and the beds simply were laid out in 4 lines across the long house of the hospital.
Not before 1820 there were built really small cabins of about 4 m² for the residents. These cabins were made out of wood and were open at the top. They are called “Kabäuschen” in German. The last residents moved out of the “Kabäuschen” not before 1970, and they did it only reluctantly.
From 1973 to 1976 a part of the complex was converted into a modern old people’s home for 85 people. The church hall has been restored from 1977-1984. Today, the historic rooms of the church hall and the long house are regularly used for a very famous artisan market in Christmas time, and for other exhibitions and touristic activities.
The church hall of Heiligen-Geist-Hospital is filled with precious artwork. Vaults and walls are covered with frescoes, the windows are made of stained glass. There are two altarpieces, a pulpit, many wooden sculptures of Saints and a richly decorated rood screen, its balustrade showing in 23 painted wooden panels the legend of Saint Elisabeth of Hungary.
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
---quotation from whc.unesco.org:---
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.
---end of quotation---
July 2009.
Reading man, detail of Marienaltar (Altar of St. Mary) inside Marientidenkapelle (Lady Chapel) of St. Marienkirche" (St. Mary's Church), Hanseatic City of Lübeck, Schleswig-Holstein, Germany.
When I saw this detail first, I wondered if they already had sunglasses in the middle age and if this was a blind man. But it isn't, the man is wearing "normal" glasses. But as they were made of silver they got black through the years.
This is a detail of the so-called "Antwerpener Marienaltar" (Antwerp Altar of St. Mary) or "Antwerpener Marienretabel" (Antwerp Retable of St. Mary) from 1518.
---quotation from en.wikipedia.org/wiki/St._Mary's_Church,_L%c3%bcbeck about Marienaltar:---
Accompanied by scenes from her life, the death of Mary is shown in the centre of the carved festive day side of the double winged altar. The painted second consecration (to be seen during Lent) shows scenes from the life of Jesus and of Mary. If the altar is completely closed (these days during the Holy Week), the Annunciation can be seen.
---end of quotation---
---quotation from en.wikipedia.org/wiki/St._Mary's_Church,_L%c3%bcbeck about St. Marienkirche:---
The Lutheran Marienkirche (St. Mary's church) in Lübeck (German: Lübecker Marienkirche or officially St. Marien zu Lübeck: St. Mary's of Lübeck) was constructed between 1250 and 1350. For many years it has been a symbol of the power and prosperity of the old Hanseatic city, and as Germany's third largest church it remains the tallest building of the old part of Lübeck. It is larger than Lübeck Cathedral. Along with the city, the church has been listed by UNESCO as of cultural significance.
It is a model for the brick Gothic style of northern Germany, reflected in approximately 70 churches in the Baltic Area. In Lübeck, the high-rising Gothic style of France was adapted to north German brick. At 38.5 meters (125 ft) the church has the highest brick vault in the world. Taking the weather vanes into account, the towers are 124.95 meters (406 ft) and 124.75 meters (405.5 ft) high.
St. Mary's is located in the merchant's borough, which stretches from the docks of the River Trave all the way up to the church itself. It is the main church of the local council and the people of Lübeck, and was erected near the market and town hall. (...)
On the night of Palm Sunday from 28 to 29 March 1942, the church was almost completely burnt out during an Allied bombing raid along with about a fifth of Lübeck city centre, including the Lübeck Cathedral and St. Peter's Church. (...) Reconstruction began in 1947, and, in 12 years, the majority was complete.
---end of quotation---
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
---quotation from whc.unesco.org:---
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.
---end of quotation---
August 2007.
Casa Rocca Piccola, Valletta, Malta.
My museum collection : www.flickr.com/photos/9619972@N08/collections/72157702215...
Orpheus: sculpture by Antonio Canova at the Museo Correr in Venice, Italy.
My museum collection : www.flickr.com/photos/9619972@N08/collections/72157702215...
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.
---quotation from en.wikipedia.org:---
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).
---end of quotation---
Slovakia holidays May 2016
Haidplatz in the old town of Regensburg, Bavaria.
Some background information:
Haidplatz is a central square in Regensburg. Its name harks back to the German word "Heide", which means "grassland". In fact the triangular place was built on a grassland in the west of the former Roman fortress Castra Regina.
In the Middle Ages the Haidplatz was the stage for knights’ tournaments. The dominating building is the early Gothic one on the right, which was built in 1250. It's named "Golden Cross" and used to be the castellated house of the patrician family Weltenburger. In the 16th century it functioned as an inn, hosting many princes and emperors. The most famous of them was Holy Roman Emperor Carl V from the House of Habsburg, who lodged there in three different years. During his last stay, he met Barbara Blomberg, the eighteen-year-old daughter of a girdle maker, with whom he had a love affair and who subsequently gave birth to a son. The child of Carl V and Barbara Blomberg was Don Juan d'Austria, the later victor of the Battle of Lepanto. Today the "Golden Cross" still serves as a hotel and café.
In the centre of the square you can see the baroque fountain of Lady Justice, which was built in 1656. Another noteworthy building is the yellow house on the right in front of the "Golden Cross". It’s called the "Thon-Diemer-Palais", because it used to be the home of the merchant family Thon-Diemer.
Regensburg with its population of about 140.000 inhabitants is located at the confluence of the rivers Danube and Regen at the northernmost bend in the Danube. It’s the captial of the Bavarian administrative region Upper Palatinate. The large medieval center of the city is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
The first settlements in Regensburg date to the Stone Age. The Celtic name Radasbona was the oldest name given to a settlement near the present city. Around AD 90 the Romans built a small fort in what would now be the suburbs.
In 179 the Roman fort Castra Regina ("fortress by the river Regen") was built for Legio III Italica during the reign of Emperor Marcus Aurelius. It was an important camp, which corresponded to what is today the core of Regensburg's old town.
In the early 6th century Regensburg was the seat of the Agilolfing ruling family and in 843 it became the seat of the Eastern Frankish ruler, Louis II the German. From about 530 to the first half of the 13th century Regensburg was the capital of Bavaria. From 1135 to 1146 a bridge across the Danube, the so-called "Steinerne Brücke", was built. This stone bridge opened major international trade routes between Northern Europe and Venice, and its construction started Regensburg's golden age as a city of wealthy trading families. Regensburg became the cultural center of southern Germany and was celebrated for its gold work and fabrics.
In 1245 Regensburg became a Free Imperial City and was a trade center before the shifting of trade routes in the late Middle Ages. In 1486 Regensburg became part of the Duchy of Bavaria, but its independence was restored by the Holy Roman Emperor in 1496.
From 1663 to 1806 the city was the permanent seat of the Reichstag of the Holy Roman Empire. But in 1803 Regensburg lost its status as a free city. It was handed over to the Archbishop of Mainz and Archchancellor of the Holy Roman Empire Carl von Dalberg in compensation for Mainz, which had become French under the terms of the Treaty of Lunéville in 1801. But already in 1810 Dalberg ceded Regensburg to the Kingdom of Bavaria.
Regensburg had little damage from the strategic bombing during World War II and therefore the nearly intact medieval city center is listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. One of the few losses but definitely the most important cultural one was the devastation of the Romanesque church of Obermünster, which was destroyed in an air raid during March 1945 and never rebuilt.
Cloister of Kloster Walkenried (Walkenried Abbey), Göttingen district, southern Harz region, Niedersachsen (Lower Saxony), Germany.
Kloster Walkenried was the third Cistercian abbey on German territory, founded in 1127. Being experts in water technology, the Cistercian monks put great effort into cultivation and land development, and were also very active in mining, smelting and charcoal works.
Since the Cistercian monks of Walkenried are regarded as the "fathers of the Upper Harz Water Regale", Kloster Walkenried is part of the UNESCO Cultural World Heritage Site Mines of Rammelsberg, Historic Town of Goslar and Upper Harz Water Management System.
The Gothic church from 1290 used to be one of the largest churches in Northern Germany but was greatly damaged in the 17th to 19th centuries so today there are only some ruins remaining.
The Gothic claustral buildings, however, including the chapter house, the lay brothers' room, the lavatorium and the partially two-bayed cloister, are well preserved and today house a museum.
Harz short trip April/May 2018.
de.wikipedia.org/wiki/L%C3%BCbeck
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/L%C3%BCbeck
____________________________________________________
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.
If you would like to use an image, please leave a comment to that effect or contact me via Flickrmail.
La cattedrale di Santa Maria Assunta è il duomo di Siena. Costruita in stile Romanico-Gotico italiano, è una delle più significative chiese realizzate in questo stile in Italia.
Nel luogo dove sorge la cattedrale, sarebbe sorto il castrum romano. Ancora nel Medioevo il toponimo era Piano Sancte Mariae e in questo luogo, tra l'attuale costruzione e la piazza che la circonda su due lati, sono stati effettuati degli scavi che hanno suffragato l'ipotesi di uno sviluppo dell'area in periodo longobardo e franco.
Si parla[senza fonte] di un accastellamento con quattro torri, di cui una sarebbe diventata la torre campanaria attuale. Questo edificio sarebbe stato fino al 913 la residenza del vescovo ed avrebbe contenuto una chiesa rivolta verso est, cioè verso l'attuale battistero. Nel XII secolo questa chiesa fu inglobata nella costruzione romanica che andava diventando la cattedrale, con la facciata rivolta a sud, cioè verso l'attuale "Facciatone", la facciata incompiuta del "duomo nuovo".
Finestra gotica sul fianco del duomoÈ tradizione, suffragata anche da deduzioni storiche[senza fonte], che il Duomo sia stato consacrato il 18 novembre 1179. Ci sono però opinioni contrastanti e notizie storiche che smentiscono questa datazione.[senza fonte] Infatti, solo nel XIII secolo (1229) il Duomo sarebbe stato trasformato in basilica, con la facciata rivolta ad ovest, verso l'ospedale di Santa Maria della Scala. I lavori vennero terminati solo alla fine del secolo successivo.
La cupola fu completata nel 1263 e il Rosso padellaio vi appose la "mela". La sua altezza è di 48 metri, inclusa la croce. L'attuale sistemazione dell'apice della cupola stessa è del 1667.
L'"Operaio del Duomo" che sovrintendeva all'amministrazione dei lavori era sempre scelto tra i canonici ma, dal 1258 agli inizi del Trecento, fu scelto tra i monaci dell'abbazia cistercense di San Galgano. Questi si erano segnalati come abili amministratori, tanto che lo stesso Comune di Siena gli aveva affidato gli uffici di Gabella e di Biccherna (gli uffici "entrate" e "uscite" della Repubblica di Siena).
Furono i monaci a chiamare Nicola Pisano e suo figlio Giovanni per i lavori. Giovanni lavorò alla facciata in quel periodo, utilizzando nella parte inferiore i rivestimenti marmorei (provenienti dalle vicine cave di Vallerano, comune di Murlo) che vediamo ancora oggi. Nicola creò il pulpito, terminato nel 1268.
La figura (forse derivata da Cimabue) del Cristo in croce, con le gambe avvitate, i piedi sovrapposti e trapassati da un unico chiodo e le braccia "ad ipsilon" è diventata un classico dell'iconografia. Sembra anche essere stata copiata da parte degli artisti che realizzarono gli affreschi scoperti di recente nella cripta sottostante il Duomo.
Nel 1313 viene terminato il campanile, alto circa 77 metri. Nel 1316 l'edificio venne ampliato sotto la direzione di Camaino di Crescentino, padre dello scultore Tino di Camaino.
Con Siena al massimo del suo splendore, dovette sembrare che il duomo fosse comunque troppo piccolo per la città. Si pensò quindi di ampliarlo in modo tale che l'attuale navata centrale diventasse solo il transetto e la facciata tornasse ad essere orientata a sud, in posizione molto più avanzata rispetto all'antico edificio. Il progetto fu affidato a Lando di Pietro (o "Lando di Piero") dopo la delibera del Consiglio Generale della Campana del 23 agosto 1339. I lavori passarono in seguito sotto la supervisione dello scultore ed architetto Giovanni di Agostino.
A causa della peste del 1348 e di alcuni crolli strutturali, nel giugno del 1357 si decise di interrompere i lavori, lasciando nell'attuale piazza Iacopo della Quercia i segni del fallimento: basamenti per le colonne e incastonamenti di queste nell'edificio dell'attuale Museo dell'Opera Metropolitana del Duomo, oltre alla facciata incompiuta (il "facciatone") dal quale è possibile oggi godere di un notevole panorama sulla città.
Dopo qualche anno, si affidarono di nuovo i lavori al capomastro Domenico di Agostino, fratello di Giovanni, morto nel 1366. Nel 1376, la costruzione della parte superiore della facciata venne affidata a Giovanni di Cecco (detto "Giovannino della Pietra"). Nel 1382 vennero alzate le volte della navata centrale e quest'anno può essere considerato quello di completamento del Duomo.
Nel 1870 un incendio distrusse la cupola estera in legno e parte della copertura lignea della navata che vennero ripristinate.
A Catedral de Siena ou Duomo di Siena, é a catedral medieval de Siena, na Itália.
A Catedral em si foi originalmente projetada e construída entre 1215 e 1263 no local de uma estrutura antiga. Tem a forma de uma cruz Latina, um cúpula e uma torre de sinos. A lanterna, no topo da cúpula, foi adicionada por Gian Lorenzo Bernini. O exterior e o interior são feitos de mármore preto e branco, as cores simbólicas de Siena, derivadas dos lendários cavalos dos fundadores da cidade, Senius e Aschius.
A fachada da Catedral foi construída em dois estágios. A parte inferior foi iniciada em 1284 e construída em estilo da Toscana, por Giovanni Pisano. A exuberante fachada representa profetas, filósofos e apóstolos. Em 1288, a janela em forma de rosa, um vitral redondo colocado em um limite quadrado foi instalado na área do coro, a partir de desenhos de Duccio. O trabalho na parte superior da fachada foram iniciados em 1376 por Giovanni di Cecco, a partir de um projeto inspirado na Catedral de Orvieto. A porta central de bronze é recente e data de 1958. Foi criada por Enrico Manfrini.
No canto esquerdo da fachada há uma inscrição do século XIV, marcando o túmulo de Giovanni Pisano. Ao lado está uma coluna com a loba amamentando Rômulo e Remo, símbolos de Siena. Conta a lenda que Senius e Aschius, filhos de Remo, fundaram Siena.
The Cathedral of Siena (Italian: Duomo di Siena), dedicated from its earliest days as a Roman Catholic Marian church and now to Santa Maria Assunta (Most Holy Mary of Assumption), is a medieval church in Siena, central Italy.
The cathedral itself was originally designed and completed between 1215 and 1263 on the site of an earlier structure. It has the form of a Latin cross with a slightly projecting transept, a dome and a bell tower. The dome rises from an octagonal base with supporting columns. The lantern atop the dome was added by Gian Lorenzo Bernini. The nave is separated from the two aisles by semicircular arches. The exterior and interior are constructed of white and greenish-black marble in alternating stripes, with addition of red marble on the façade. Black and white are the symbolic colors of Siena, etiologically linked to black and white horses of the legendary city's founders, Senius and Aschius.
The origins of the first structure are obscure and shrouded in legend. There was a 9th century church with bishop's palace at the present location. In December 1058 a synod was held in this church resulting in the election of pope Nicholas II and the deposition of the antipope Benedict X.
In 1196 the cathedral masons’ guild, the Opera di Santa Maria, was put in charge of the construction of a new cathedral. By 1215 there were already daily masses said in the new church. There are records from 1226 onwards of the transport of black and white marble, probably for the construction of the façade and the bell tower. The vaults and the transept were constructed in 1259-1260. In 1259 Manuello di Ranieri and his son Parri carved some wooden choir stalls, which were replaced about 100 years later and have now disappeared. In 1264, Rosso Padellaio was paid for the copper sphere on top of the dome.
A second massive addition was planned in 1339. It would have more than doubled the size of the structure by means of an entirely new nave and two aisles ranged perpendicular to the existing nave and centred on the high altar. The construction was begun under the direction of Giovanni di Agostino, better known as a sculptor. Construction was halted by the Black Death in 1348. Basic errors in the construction were already evident by then, however, and the work was never resumed. The outer walls, remains of this extension, can now be seen to the south of the Duomo. The floor of the uncompleted nave now serves as a parking lot and museum, and, though unfinished, the remains are testament to Sienese power, ambition, and artistic achievement.
Underneath the choir of the Duomo, a narthex containing important late-13th century frescoes (probably about 1280) was found and excavated in 1999-2003. The frescoes depict scenes from the Old Testament and the life of Christ. This was part of the entrance of an earlier church. But when the baptistry was built, this under-church was filled with rubble. The narthex is now open to the public.
The façade of this cathedral was built in two stages. The lower part in polychrome marble was begun around 1284. It is built in Tuscan Gothic style by Giovanni Pisano, replete with gargoyles. Giovanni Pisano worked on the lower levels until 1296, when he suddenly left Siena. At that time, between 1270 and 1285, the nave of the church had been raised and a higher façade became necessary. Work at the façade continued for another fifteen years and was then stopped. Meanwhile in 1288, the rose window, a large circular stained-glass window, was installed in the choir, based on designs by Duccio di Buoninsegna.
The three portals, surmounted by lunettes and Gothic pediments, were designed by Giovanni Pisano. The columns between the portals are richly decorated with acanthus scrolls, allegorical figures and biblical scenes.
Work on the upper part of the façade only resumed in 1376 under the direction of Giovanni di Cecco, working on a new elaborate design, inspired by the Orvieto Cathedral. It was to be erected much higher than foreseen, because the nave had, once again, been raised. The division of the upper part does not match the division of the lower part. The pinnacles of the upper part do not continue over the columns flanking the central portal. The weight of the elegant side towers was reduced by adding windows.
The statues of the lavish façade were sculpted by Giovanni Pisano and assistants. They represent prophets, philosophers and apostles. The half-length statues of the patriarchs in the niches around the rose window are the work of other sculptors. Almost all the sculptures on view are copies. The originals are kept in the "Crypt of the Statues" in the Museo dell'Opera del Duomo.
The bronze central door is recent and dates from 1958. It was made by Enrico Manfrini. The scenes on the door represent the Glorification of the Virgin. The three large mosaics on the gables of the façade were made in Venice in 1878. The large central mosaic, the Coronation of the Virgin, is the work of Luigi Mussini. The smaller mosaics on each side, Nativity of Jesus and Presentation of Mary in the Temple, were made by Alessandro Franchi.
On the left corner pier of the façade, a 14th century inscription can be found, marking the grave of Giovanni Pisano. Next to the façade stands a column with the she-wolf breast-feeding Romulus and Remus, symbol of Siena (and also of the contrade Lupa). According to legend, Senius and Aschius, sons of Remus, founded Siena. They had stolen the statue of the she-wolf from the Temple of Apollo in Rome.
Museum
Archäologische Stätte Mykene.
Mykene auf den Peloponnes / GRIECHENLAND /
Goldmaske des Agamemmon ( Original im Achäologisches Nationalmuseum Athen )
Die von Heinrich schliemannin Mykene entdeckte
Totenmaske ( ca.1650 v. Chr. ) wird dem legendären König Agamemnon zugeschrieben.
Colonnaded footpath with sloping columns, carrying the road above, in Parc Güell (Park Güell), Barcelona, autonomous community Catalonia, Spain.
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Park Güell (Catalan: Parc Güell...) is a garden complex with architectural elements situated on the hill of El Carmel in the Gràcia district of Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain. It was designed by the Catalan architect Antoni Gaudí and built in the years 1900 to 1914. It has an extension of 17.18 ha (0.1718 km²), which makes it one of the largest architectural works in south Europe. It is part of the UNESCO World Heritage Site "Works of Antoni Gaudí".
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Antoni Gaudí i Cornet (...25 June 1852 – 10 June 1926) was a Spanish Catalan architect and figurehead of Catalan Modernism. Gaudí's works reflect his highly individual and distinctive style and are largely concentrated in the Catalan capital of Barcelona, notably his magnum opus, the Sagrada Família.
Much of Gaudí's work was marked by his big passions in life: architecture, nature, religion. Gaudí studied every detail of his creations, integrating into his architecture a series of crafts in which he was skilled: ceramics, stained glass, wrought ironwork forging and carpentry. He introduced new techniques in the treatment of materials, such as trencadís, made of waste ceramic pieces.
After a few years under the influence of neo-Gothic art and Oriental techniques, Gaudí became part of the Catalan Modernista movement which was reaching its peak in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. His work transcended mainstream Modernisme, culminating in an organic style inspired by nature. Gaudí rarely drew detailed plans of his works, instead preferring to create them as three-dimensional scale models and molding the details as he was conceiving them.
Gaudí’s work enjoys widespread international appeal and many studies are devoted to understanding his architecture. Today, his work finds admirers among architects and the general public alike. His masterpiece, the still-uncompleted Sagrada Família, is one of the most visited monuments in Spain. Between 1984 and 2005, seven of his works were declared World Heritage Sites by UNESCO.
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Barcelona (...) is the capital of Catalonia and the second largest city in Spain, after Madrid, with a population of 1,620,943 within its administrative limits on a land area of 101.4 km² (39 sq mi). The urban area of Barcelona extends beyond the administrative city limits with a population of around 4.5 million within an area of 803 km² (310 sq mi), being the sixth-most populous urban area in the European Union after Paris, London, the Ruhr, Madrid and Milan. About five million people live in the Barcelona metropolitan area. It is also the largest metropolis on the Mediterranean Sea. It is located on the Mediterranean coast between the mouths of the rivers Llobregat and Besòs and is bounded to the west by the Serra de Collserola ridge (512 metres (1,680 ft)).
Founded as a Roman city, Barcelona became the capital of the County of Barcelona. After merging with the Kingdom of Aragon, Barcelona became the most important city of the Crown of Aragon. Besieged several times during its history, Barcelona has a rich cultural heritage and is today an important cultural centre and a major tourist destination. Particularly renowned are the architectural works of Antoni Gaudí and Lluís Domènech i Montaner, which have been designated UNESCO World Heritage Sites. The headquarters of the Union for the Mediterranean is located in Barcelona. The city is known for hosting the 1992 Summer Olympics as well as world-class conferences and expositions and also many international sport tournaments.
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Costa Brava holiday April 2009.