Bach and Buxtehude memorial plaque inside St. Marienkirche" (St. Mary's Church), Hanseatic City of Lübeck, Schleswig-Holstein, Germany.

Dietrich Buxtehude (1637-1707) was a famous Danish-German organist and composer, today considered one of the most important German composers of the mid-Baroque, who influenced many other composers of that time. In 1668, he succeeded Franz Tunder as the organist of St. Marienkirche in Lübeck. In 1705, young Johann Sebastian Bach visited Lübeck to hear the famous Buxtehude play and to learn from him.

This plaque commemorates Bach's visit in Lübeck. The text below the relief reads:

"1705 kam Joh. Seb. Bach nach Lübeck um den berühmten Dietrich Buxtehude zu behorchen"

which means

"In 1705, Joh. Seb. Bach came to Lübeck to listen to the famous Dietrich Buxtehude"

---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---

Sightseeing tour with Seppo and Merja on 15 September 2013.

Scan of an analog photo taken in September 1987

Built in 90 AD by the Romans, the amphitheatre of Arles held more than 20,000 spectators of bloody gladiator fights and chariot races. In the 5th century after the fall of the Western Empire, the amphitheatre became a shelter for the people of Arles and was transformed into a fortress with four towers while the 3rd row of arches was lost.

Today during the Feria d'Arles in April and in September, bullfights take place in the Arena, attracting crowds of visitors.

Since 1981 the amphitheatre is listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, together with other Roman and medieval buildings of the city.

Die Göttin Isis zwischen Arsinoë II. und Ptolemaios II. - Relief in dem Isistempel (Tempelanlage von Philae auf der Insel Agilkia).

Scan of an analog photo taken in June 2004

Wall decoration of the Capela Palatina (Palatine chapel), Palácio Nacional de Sintra (Sintra National Palast), Sintra, Portugal.

Sintra National Palace belongs to the UNESCO World Heritage Site Cultural Lanscape of Sintra.

----quotation from en.wikipedia.org:----

The Sintra National Palace [...] is the best preserved mediaeval Royal Palace in Portugal, having been inhabited more or less continuously at least from the early 15th up to the late 19th century. It is an important tourist attraction and is part of the Cultural landscape of Sintra, designated World Heritage Site by UNESCO.

The history of the Sintra Palace goes back to the times of Islamic domination, when Sintra had two different castles. [...] Its first historical reference dates from the 10th century [...]. In the 12th century, when the village was conquered by King Afonso Henriques, the King took the residence in his possession. The mixture of Gothic, Manueline and Moorish styles in the present palace is, however, mainly the result of building campaigns in the 15th and early 16th centuries.

Nothing built during Moorish rule or during the reign of the first Portuguese kings survives. The earliest surviving part of the palace is the Royal Chapel, possibly built during the reign of King Dinis I in the early 14th century. Much of the palace dates from the times of King John I, who sponsored a major building campaign starting around 1415.

[...]

The other major building campaign that defined the structure and decoration of the Palace was sponsored by King Manuel I between 1497 and 1530, using the wealth engendered by the exploratory expeditions in this Age of Discoveries. The reign of this King saw the development of a transitional Gothic-Renaissance art style, named Manueline, as well as a kind of revival of Islamic artistic influence (Mudéjar) reflected in the choice of polychromed ceramic tiles (azulejos) as a preferred decorative art form.

[...]

In the following centuries the Palace continued to be inhabited by Kings from time to time, gaining new decoration in the form of paintings, tile panels and furniture. A sad story associated with the Palace is that of the mentally unstable King Afonso VI, who was deposed by his brother Pedro II and forced to live without leaving the Palace from 1676 until his death in 1683.

The ensemble suffered damage after the 1755 Lisbon Earthquake but was restored in the "old fashion", according to contemporary accounts.

[...]

During the 19th century, Sintra became again a favourite spot for the Kings and the Palace of Sintra was frequently inhabited. [...] With the foundation of the Republic, in 1910, the Palace became a National Monument. [...] It has been an important historical tourist attraction ever since.

---end of quotation----

----quotation from en.wikipedia.org about Sintra:----

Sintra [...] is a town within the municipality of Sintra in the Grande Lisboa subregion (Lisbon Region) of Portugal. Owing to its 19th century Romantic architecture and landscapes, becoming a major tourist centre, visited by many day-trippers who travel from the urbanized suburbs and capital of Lisbon.

In addition to the Sintra Mountains and Sintra-Cascais Nature Park, the parishes of the town of Sintra are dotted by royal retreats, estates, castles and buildings from the 8th-9th century, in addition to many buildings completed between the 15th and 19th century, including the Castelo dos Mouros, the Pena National Palace and the Sintra National Palace, resulting in its classification by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site in 1995.

----end of quotation----

Natur und Kultur in Mittelportugal (Nature and Culture in Mid-Portugal), Wikinger-Reisen, September 2011

Love padlocks on a pedestrian bridge near Lennon Wall, Lesser Town (Malá Strana), Prague (Praha), Czech Republic.

The Historic Centre of Prague is inscribed in the World Heritage List of the UNESCO.

Citation from whc.unesco.org/en/list/616

-----------------------------------------------------------

Built between the 11th and 18th centuries, the Old Town, the Lesser Town and the New Town speak of the great architectural and cultural influence enjoyed by this city since the Middle Ages. The many magnificent monuments, such as Hradcani Castle, St Vitus Cathedral, Charles Bridge and numerous churches and palaces, built mostly in the 14th century under the Holy Roman Emperor, Charles IV.

Prague is one of the most beautiful cities in Europe in terms of its setting on both banks of the Vltava River, its townscape of burger houses and palaces punctuated by towers, and its individual buildings.

The Historic Centre represents a supreme manifestation of Medieval urbanism (the New Town of Emperor Charles IV built as the New Jerusalem). The Prague architectural works of the Gothic Period (14th and 15th centuries), of the High Baroque of the 1st half of the 18th century and of the rising modernism after the year 1900, influenced the development of Central Europe, perhaps even all European architecture. Prague represents one of the most prominent world centres of creative life in the field of urbanism and architecture across generations, human mentality and beliefs.

Prague belongs to the group of historic cities which have preserved the structure of their development until the present times. Within the core of Prague, successive stages of growth and changes have respected the original grand-scale urban structure of the Early Middle Ages. This structure was essentially and greatly enlarged with urban activities in the High Gothic period with more additions during the High Baroque period and in the 19th century. It has been saved from any large-scale urban renewal or massive demolitions and thus preserves its overall configuration, pattern and spatial composition.

In the course of the 1100 years of its existence, Prague’s development can be documented in the architectural expression of many historical periods and their styles. The city is rich in outstanding monuments from all periods of its history. Of particular importance are Prague Castle, the Cathedral of St Vitus, Hradćany Square in front of the Castle, the Valdgtejn Palace on the left bank of the river, the Gothic Charles Bridge, the Romanesque Rotunda of the Holy Rood, the Gothic arcaded houses round the Old Town Square, the High Gothic Minorite Church of St James in the Stark Mĕsto, the late 19th century buildings and town plan of the Nave Mĕsto.

As early as the Middle Ages, Prague became one of the leading cultural centres of Christian Europe. The Prague University, founded in 1348, is one of the earliest in Europe. The milieu of the University in the last quarter of the 14th century and the first years of the 15th century contributed among other things to the formation of ideas of the Hussite Movement which represented in fact the first steps of the European Reformation. As a metropolis of culture, Prague is connected with prominent names in art, science and politics, such as Charles IV, Petr Parléř, Jan Hus, Johannes Kepler, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Franz Kafka, Antonín Dvořák, Albert Einstein, Edvard Beneš (co-founder of the League of Nations) and Václav Havel.

-------------------------------------------------------

End of citation

Berlín. Berlin

__________

es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alte_Nationalgalerie

de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alte_Nationalgalerie

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alte_Nationalgalerie

____________________________________________________

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.

Ceiling inside Real Alcázar de Sevilla (Royal Palace of Seville), Sevilla (Seville), Province of Sevilla (Seville), Andalusia, Spain.

Real Alcazár is one of the best preserved examples of Mudéjar architecture (built under Christian rule, but with strong Islamic influence).

Together with Seville Cathedral and the General Archive of the Indies of Seville it is inscribed in the World Heritage List of the UNESCO.

-----quotation from whc.unesco.org:------

Together the Cathedral, Alcázar and Archivo de Indias as a series, form a remarkable monumental complex in the heart of Seville. They perfectly epitomize the Spanish "Golden Age", incorporating vestiges of Islamic culture, centuries of ecclesiastical power, royal sovereignty and the trading power that Spain acquired through its colonies in the New World.

...

The original nucleus of the Alcázar was constructed in the 10th century as the palace of the Moslem governor, and is used even today as the Spanish royal family's residence in this city, thereby retaining the same purpose for which it was originally intended: as a residence of monarchs and heads of state. Built and rebuilt from the early Middle Ages right up to our times, it consists of a group of palatial buildings and extensive gardens. The Alcázar embraces a rare compendium of cultures where areas of the original Almohad palace - such as the "Patio del Yeso" or the "Jardines del Crucero" - coexist with the Palacio de Pedro I representing Spanish Mudejar art, together with other constructions displaying every cultural style from the Renaissance to the Neoclassical.

----end of quotation-----

-----quotation from en.wikipedia.org:-----

Seville ... is the capital of the autonomous community of Andalusia and the province of Seville, Spain. It is situated on the plain of the River Guadalquivir, with an average elevation of 7 metres (23 ft) above sea level. The inhabitants of the city are known as sevillanos (feminine form: sevillanas) or hispalenses, following the Roman name of the city, Hispalis.

Seville is the fourth largest city of Spain with a municipal population of about 703,000 as of 2011, and a metropolitan population (including satellite towns) of about 1.2 million, making it the 31st most populous municipality in the European Union. Its Old Town is one of the three largest in Europe along with Venice and Genoa (covering almost four square kilometers), which includes three UNESCO World Heritage Sites (the Alcázar palace complex, the Cathedral and the General Archive of the Indies). The Seville harbor, located about 80 km from the Atlantic Ocean, is the only river port in Spain.

-----end of quotation------

Andalusia holiday April 2012

Pinnacle on the roof of one of the houses at the entrance of Parc Güell (Park Güell), Barcelona, autonomous community Catalonia, Spain.

---quotation from en.wikipedia.org about Park Güell:---

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".

---end of quotation---

---quotation from en.wikipedia.org about Antoni Gaudí:---

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.

---end of quotation---

---quotation from en.wikipedia.org about Barcelona:---

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.

---end of quotation---

Costa Brava holiday April 2009.

Two windows, reaching the floor, overlook the park; the walls and ceiling are covered with marble imitation of a pinkish shade, with paintings in Empire style; in the back ground of the room is a rich marble chimney with bronze ornaments and a magnificent clock of French work of the beginning of the 19th century, representing Julius Caesar; between the windows stands a tall mirror; on the writing table is a malachite and bronze ink-stand; the furniture is of walnut wood, ornamented with bronze, in Empire style. By the wall stands a huge china vase from the Imperial Porcelain Factory, painted by Swebach in 1818, and representing the capture of Paris on the 19th of March 1814. www.alexanderpalace.org/tsarskoe/second.html

╟╟╟ ╞╞╞ ╟╟╟ ╞╞╞ ╟╟╟ ╞╞╞ ╟╟╟ ╞╞╞ ╟╟╟ ╞╞╞ ╟╟╟ ╞╞╞ ╟╟╟ ╞╞╞ ╟╟╟ ╞╞╞ ╟╟╟ ╞╞╞ ╟╟╟ ╞╞╞ ╟╟╟ ╞╞╞ ╟╟╟ ╞╞╞ ╟╟╟ ╞╞╞

Catherine Palace, Tsarskoe Selo, Russia

DSCN8781

Stitched from two single shots.

Wikipedia:

El Caracol

To the north of Las Monjas is a cockeyed, round building on a large square platform. It's nicknamed El Caracol ("the snail") because of the stone spiral staircase inside. The structure with its unusual placement on the platform and its round shape (the others are rectangular, in keeping with Maya practice), is theorized to have been a proto-observatory with doors and windows aligned to astronomical events, specifically around the path of Venus as it traverses the heavens.

Gothic main altar of Romanesque Sé Velha de Coimbra (Old Cathedral of Coimbra), Coimbra, Portugal.

The Old Cathedral of Coimbra was built in the 12th century in Romanesque style. It is the only one of the Portuguese Romanesque cathedrals from the Reconquista times to have survived relatively intact without too much remodelling up to the present.

Coimbra is a city at the Rio Mondego in Mid-Portugal with now over 100.000 inhabitants. The first settlement on the site probably was Celtic, later it was Roman, Visigothic and Moorish. In 1064 Coimbra was conquered by the Spanish King Fernando I of Castile. The first king of Portugal, Dom Afonso Henriques, was born here and integrated the city into the Portuguese territory in 1131.

Coimbra was the setting of the forbidden love of Dom Pedro I (Peter I of Portugal, 1357-67) and Dona Inês, a lady at court. The legend of their tragic love is omnipresent and still alive everywhere in Coimbra.

Although it served as the nation's capital during the High Middle Ages, Coimbra is better-known for its university, the Universidade de Coimbra, which is one of the oldest in Europe and the oldest academic institution in the Portuguese-speaking world.

The area around Coimbra University was inscribed in the UNESCO World Heritage list as University of Coimbra – Alta and Sofia in 2013.

Coimbra also is a city of the typical Portuguese music genre Fado. There are two main styles of Fado in Portugal, one is Lisbon Fado and one is Coimbra Fado, also known as Student Fado (Fado de Estudante).

Fado, Urban Popular Song of Portugal was declared as Intangible Cultural Heritage by the UNESCO.

Natur und Kultur in Mittelportugal (Nature and Culture in Mid-Portugal), Wikinger-Reisen, September 2011

Modern lifestyle in old structures: Hard Rock Cafe in a richly painted old house in the Old Town (Staré Město) of Prague (Praha), Czech Republic.

The Historic Centre of Prague is inscribed in the World Heritage List of the UNESCO.

Citation from whc.unesco.org/en/list/616

-----------------------------------------------------------

Built between the 11th and 18th centuries, the Old Town, the Lesser Town and the New Town speak of the great architectural and cultural influence enjoyed by this city since the Middle Ages. The many magnificent monuments, such as Hradcani Castle, St Vitus Cathedral, Charles Bridge and numerous churches and palaces, built mostly in the 14th century under the Holy Roman Emperor, Charles IV.

Prague is one of the most beautiful cities in Europe in terms of its setting on both banks of the Vltava River, its townscape of burger houses and palaces punctuated by towers, and its individual buildings.

The Historic Centre represents a supreme manifestation of Medieval urbanism (the New Town of Emperor Charles IV built as the New Jerusalem). The Prague architectural works of the Gothic Period (14th and 15th centuries), of the High Baroque of the 1st half of the 18th century and of the rising modernism after the year 1900, influenced the development of Central Europe, perhaps even all European architecture. Prague represents one of the most prominent world centres of creative life in the field of urbanism and architecture across generations, human mentality and beliefs.

Prague belongs to the group of historic cities which have preserved the structure of their development until the present times. Within the core of Prague, successive stages of growth and changes have respected the original grand-scale urban structure of the Early Middle Ages. This structure was essentially and greatly enlarged with urban activities in the High Gothic period with more additions during the High Baroque period and in the 19th century. It has been saved from any large-scale urban renewal or massive demolitions and thus preserves its overall configuration, pattern and spatial composition.

In the course of the 1100 years of its existence, Prague’s development can be documented in the architectural expression of many historical periods and their styles. The city is rich in outstanding monuments from all periods of its history. Of particular importance are Prague Castle, the Cathedral of St Vitus, Hradćany Square in front of the Castle, the Valdgtejn Palace on the left bank of the river, the Gothic Charles Bridge, the Romanesque Rotunda of the Holy Rood, the Gothic arcaded houses round the Old Town Square, the High Gothic Minorite Church of St James in the Stark Mĕsto, the late 19th century buildings and town plan of the Nave Mĕsto.

As early as the Middle Ages, Prague became one of the leading cultural centres of Christian Europe. The Prague University, founded in 1348, is one of the earliest in Europe. The milieu of the University in the last quarter of the 14th century and the first years of the 15th century contributed among other things to the formation of ideas of the Hussite Movement which represented in fact the first steps of the European Reformation. As a metropolis of culture, Prague is connected with prominent names in art, science and politics, such as Charles IV, Petr Parléř, Jan Hus, Johannes Kepler, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Franz Kafka, Antonín Dvořák, Albert Einstein, Edvard Beneš (co-founder of the League of Nations) and Václav Havel.

-------------------------------------------------------

End of citation

South portal of the Church of Santa Maria, Mosteiro dos Jerónimos (Hieronymites Monastery), Belém, Lisboa (Lisbon), Portugal.

The Hieronymites Monastery (official name: Mosteiro da Santa Maria de Belém), located near the shore of Rio Tejo (Tagus river), is one of the most prominent monuments of the Manueline style architecture. Along with the predominant Manueline style, there are also elements of the Spanish Plateresque style, and of Renaissance style.

The monastery was built by order of Manuel I. shortly after Vasco da Gama had returned from his first journey to India. The building was financed with the money now rolling in from the overseas trade. Work began in 1502 and ended in 1544 (except for some extensions that were added later).

Up to 1834, the monastery gave home to the order of the Hieronymites (that's where it's got its name from). The building survived the great earthquake of 1755 without larger damage, but was ravaged by Napoleon's troops in the beginning of the 19th century.

In 1983, Mosteiro dos Jerónimos was - together with the nearby Torre de Belém (Bélem tower) - inscribed on the World Heritage List of the UNESCO.

On December 13, 2007, the Treaty of Lisbon was signed at the monastery, laying down the basis for the reform of the European Union.

----quotation from en.wikipedia.org about the South Portal----

The ornate side entrance to the monastery was designed by Juan de Castilho and is considered one of the most significant of his time, but is not, in fact, the main entrance to the building. This shrine-like portal is large, 32 metre high and 12 metre wide, extending two stories. Its ornate features includes an abundance of gables and pinnacles, with many carved figures standing under a baldachin in carved niches, around a statue of Henry the Navigator, standing on a pedestal between the two doors.

The tympanum, above the double door, displays, in half-relief, two scenes from the life of Saint Jerome: on the left, the removal of the thorn from the lion's paw and, on the right, the saints experience in the desert. In the spandrel between these scenes is the coat-of-arms of king Manuel I, while the archivolt and tympanum are covered in Manueline symbols and elements. The Madonna (Santa Maria de Belém) is located on a pedestal on top of the archivolt, surmounted by the archangel Michael, while above the portal there is a cross of the Order of Christ. The portal is harmoniously flanked on each side by a large window with richly decorated mouldings.

----end of quotation----

-----quotation from en.wikipedia.org about Manueline style-----

Several elements appear regularly in these intricately carved stoneworks:

- elements used on ships: the armillary sphere (a navigational instrument and the personal emblem of Manuel I and also symbol of the cosmos), spheres, anchors, anchor chains, ropes and cables.

- elements from the sea, such as shells, pearls and strings of seaweed.

- botanical motifs such as laurel branches, oak leaves, acorns, poppy capsules, corncobs, thistles.

- symbols of Christianity such as the cross of the Order of Christ (former Templar knights), the military order that played a prominent role and helped finance the first voyages of discovery. The cross of this order decorated the sails of the Portuguese ships.

- elements from newly discovered lands (such as the tracery in the Claustro Real in the Monastery of Batalha, suggesting Islamic filigree work, influenced by buildings in India)

- columns carved like twisted strands of rope

- semicircular arches (instead of Gothic pointed arches) of doors and windows, sometimes consisting of three or more convex curves

- multiple pillars

- eight-sided capitals

- lack of symmetry

- conical pinnacles

- bevelled crenellations

- ornate portals with niches or canopies.

----end of quotation-----

Natur und Kultur in Mittelportugal (Nature and Culture in Mid-Portugal), Wikinger-Reisen, September 2011

The Danse Macabre (Dance of Death) attributed to the Lübeck master Bernt Notke (c. 1435 - 1508/1509) depicts the transience of life, the skeletal figures of Death taking along the mighty as well as the feeble ones.

The original painting was 30 meters (98.4 ft) wide, but only two fragments of 6.4 m and 1.15 meters still exist. They were joined and framed in 1843. The original painting showed 24 couples, each consisting of a figure and death claiming it. This image shows about half of the existing fragment. This is probably a contemporary replica of Notke's Lübeck Danse Macabre (1463) which perished in WW II.

The painting is housed at the St. Nicholas' Church (Niguliste kirik), a Gothic church which now serves as a branch of the Eesti Kunstimuuseum (Art Museum of Estonia) that contains mainly ecclesiastical art.

Door to the noria of Pena-Park, Palácio Nacional da Pena (Pena National Palace), Sintra, Portugal.

Pena National Palace is a "romantic fairy tale castle" surrounded by a large Park, the Pena Park. It was built from 1842–1854 by order of Fernando II of Portugal on the site of a former monastery that had been destroyed by the 1755 Lisbon earthquake. It's an intentional mixture of several architectural styles including Neo-Gothic, Neo-Manueline, Islamic and Neo-Renaissance.

The reception of this eclectic building is quite ambivalent: while many people love it, critics decry it as an "early Disneyland".

Pena Palace belongs to the UNESCO World Heritage Site Cultural Lanscape of Sintra.

----quotation from en.wikipedia.org about Sintra:----

Sintra [...] is a town within the municipality of Sintra in the Grande Lisboa subregion (Lisbon Region) of Portugal. Owing to its 19th century Romantic architecture and landscapes, becoming a major tourist centre, visited by many day-trippers who travel from the urbanized suburbs and capital of Lisbon.

In addition to the Sintra Mountains and Sintra-Cascais Nature Park, the parishes of the town of Sintra are dotted by royal retreats, estates, castles and buildings from the 8th-9th century, in addition to many buildings completed between the 15th and 19th century, including the Castelo dos Mouros, the Pena National Palace and the Sintra National Palace, resulting in its classification by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site in 1995.

----end of quotation----

Natur und Kultur in Mittelportugal (Nature and Culture in Mid-Portugal), Wikinger-Reisen, September 2011

Doorway from the Claustro Real (Royal Cloister, or Cloister of King João I) to the Sala do Capítulo (Chapter House) of Mosteiro de Santa Maria da Vitória (Monastery of Saint Mary of Victory), better known as Mosteiro da Batalha (Monastery of Batalha, literally Monastery of the Battle), Batalha, Portugal.

Batalha monastery is inscribed in the World Heritage List of the UNESCO.

---citation from whc.unesco.org---

The Monastery of the Dominicans of Batalha was built to commemorate the victory of the Portuguese over the Castilians at the battle of Aljubarrota in 1385. It was to be the Portuguese monarchy's main building project for the next two centuries. Here a highly original, national Gothic style evolved, profoundly influenced by Manueline art, as demonstrated by its masterpiece, the Royal Cloister.

---end of citation---

-----citation from en.wikipedia.org-----

Chapter House (Sala do Capitulo)

The Chapter House reminds the visitors of the military reason for its foundation: two sentinels guard the tombs of two unknown soldiers killed in World War I.

This square room is especially notable for its star vault lacking a central support and spanning a space of 19 square meters. This was such a daring concept at the time that condemned prisoners were used to perform the task. It was completed after two failed attempts. When the last scaffolds were removed, it is said that Huguet spent the night under the vault in order to silence his critics.

The stained-glass Renaissance window in the east wall dates from 1508. It depicts scenes of the Passion and is attributed to the Portuguese painters Master João and Francisco Henriques.

...

Cloister of King John I (Claustro Real)

This cloister was not part of the original project. It was built under the architect Fernão de Évora between 1448 and 1477. Its sober outward appearance is in stark contrast with the Flamboyant Gothic style of the church. The carved tracery decoration in Gothic style (including quatrefoils, fleurs-de-lis and rosettes) by Huguet in the ambulatory forms a successful combination with the Manueline style in the arcade screens, added later by Mateus Fernandes. Two different patterns alternate, one with the cross of the Order of Christ, the other with armillaries.

The colonnettes, supporting these intricate arcade screens, are decorated with spiral motives, armillaries, lotus blossoms, briar branches, pearls and shells and exotic vegetation.

----end of citation----

Natur und Kultur in Mittelportugal (Nature and Culture in Mid-Portugal), Wikinger-Reisen, September 2011

Buoys, used as traffic cones, in the harbour of the Hanseatic Town of Stralsund, district of Vorpommern-Rügen, Mecklenburg-Vorpommern (Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania), Germany.

In the background is the late gothic St. Jakobikirche (Saint James's Church), built in mid-14th century in the Northern German Brick Gothic style. It's the youngest of Stralsund's main churches. Today it is used as "Kulturkirche" (cultural church) for concerts and art exhibitions.

----quotation from en.wikipedia.org:----

The town of Stralsund lies in Northeast Germany in the region of Western Pomerania in the state of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern.

...

The town lies on the sound of Strelasund, a strait of the Baltic Sea. Its geographic proximity to the island of Rügen, whose only fixed link to the mainland, the Strelasund Crossing, runs between Stralsund and the village of Altefähr, has given Stralsund the sobriquet "Gateway to the Island of Rügen" (Tor zur Insel Rügen). Stralsund lies close to the Western Pomerania Lagoon Area National Park.

A municipal forest and three municipal ponds (the Knieperteich, Frankenteich and Moorteich) belong to the Stralsund's town borough . The three ponds and the Strelasund lend the Old Town, the original settlement site and historic centre of the town, a protected island location.

...

The centre of Stralsund has a wealth of historic buildings. Since 1990, large parts of the historic old town have been renovated with private and public capital, and with the support of foundations. As a result of the contempt for historic buildings in East Germany many houses were threatened by ruin. The Old Town in particular, offers a rich variety of historic buildings, with many former merchants' houses, churches, streets and squares. Of more than 800 listed buildings in Stralsund, more than 500 are designated as individual monuments in the Old Town. In twenty years, from the Wende in 1990 to November 2010, 588 of the more than 1,000 old buildings were completely refurbished, including 363 individual monuments. Because of its historical and architectural significance, in 2002 Stralsund's old town together with the old town of Wismar were added to entitled the UNESCO World Cultural Heritage list as the "Historic Centres of Stralsund and Wismar".

----end of quotation----

----quotation from whc.unesco.org:----

The medieval towns of Wismar and Stralsund, on the Baltic coast of northern Germany, were major trading centres of the Hanseatic League in the 14th and 15th centuries. In the 17th and 18th centuries they became Swedish administrative and defensive centres for the German territories. They contributed to the development of the characteristic building types and techniques of Brick Gothic in the Baltic region, as exemplified in several important brick cathedrals, the Town Hall of Stralsund, and the series of houses for residential, commercial and crafts use, representing its evolution over several centuries.

----end of quotation----

Stralsund short trip October 2012

This bell is known as the largest free swinging bell of the world. It weighs not less than 24.000 kg. You can see that the clapper looks new. This is because the old one broke and fell down into the spire just a couple of years ago. (I was ear-witness of this incident because my office is very close to the cathedral). The bell is officially called "St. Petersglocke" ("Bell of St. Peter"). In our local dialect the name is "Decke Pitter" ("Fat Pete"). The bell was made in 1923. Because it received a scissure from the air raids of WW II it is only rung on the hightest feasts of the church year.

In December 2014 we had the opportunity to explore the roofs and the attic storeys of the wonderful cathedral. We even peered into the "Decke Pitter" from its bottom side.

The oldest parts of the world famous Cologne cathedral are from 1248 but the huge church was not finished before 1880. The site is a place of worship for ca. 1.700 years now because the Romans built the first temple in this very place.

Inside of an archway leading to a niche with a colorful roof window inside Palacios Nazaries (Nasrid palaces), Alhambra, Granada, Province of Granada, Andalusia, Spain.

Granada is the capital of the Andalusian Province of Granada, located near the Sierra Nevada mountains. It is a popular tourist destination because of the world famous Alhambra, a palace and fortress from Moorish times.

----quotation from en.wikipedia.org:------

Alhambra (...) is a palace and fortress complex located in Granada, Andalusia, Spain. It was constructed during the mid 14th century by the Amazigh ruler Badess Ben Habuss of the Emirate of Granada in al-Andalus, occupying the top of the hill of the Assabica on the southeastern border of the city of Granada.

The Alhambra's Moorish palaces were built for the last Muslim Emirs in Spain and its court, of the Nasrid dynasty. After the Reconquista (reconquest) by the Reyes Católicos ("Catholic Monarchs") in 1492, some portions were used by the Christian rulers. The Palace of Charles V, built by Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor in 1527, was inserted in the Alhambra within the Nasrid fortifications. After being allowed to fall into disrepair for centuries, the Alhambra was "discovered" in the 19th century by European scholars and travelers, with restorations commencing. It is now one of Spain's major tourist attractions, exhibiting the country's most significant and well known Islamic architecture, together with 16th-century and later Christian building and garden interventions. The Alhambra is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and the inspiration for many songs and stories.

-----end of quotation-----

Andalusia holiday April 2012

Puerta de la Concepción (Door of Conception), Patio de los Naranjos (Courtyard of the Orange Trees), Catedral de Santa María de la Sede (Cathedral of Saint Mary of the See), better known as Catedral de Sevilla (Seville Cathedral), Sevilla (Seville), Province of Sevilla (Seville), Andalusia, Spain.

Seville Cathedral is the largest Gothic cathedral and the third largest church in the world.

Together with the Alcázar and the General Archive of the Indies of Seville it is inscribed in the World Heritage List of the UNESCO.

-----quotation from whc.unesco.org:------

Together the Cathedral, Alcázar and Archivo de Indias as a series, form a remarkable monumental complex in the heart of Seville. They perfectly epitomize the Spanish "Golden Age", incorporating vestiges of Islamic culture, centuries of ecclesiastical power, royal sovereignty and the trading power that Spain acquired through its colonies in the New World.

Founded in 1403 on the site of a former mosque, the Cathedral, built in Gothic and Renaissance style, covers seven centuries of history. With its five naves it is the largest Gothic building in Europe. Its bell tower, the Giralda, was the former minaret of the mosque, a masterpiece of Almohad architecture and now is important example of the cultural syncretism thanks to the top section of the tower, designed in the Renaissance period by Hernán Ruiz. Its "chapter house" is the first known example of the use of the elliptical floor plan in the western world. Ever since its creation, the Cathedral has continued to be used for religious purposes.

----end of quotation-----

-----quotation from en.wikipedia.org:-----

Seville ... is the capital of the autonomous community of Andalusia and the province of Seville, Spain. It is situated on the plain of the River Guadalquivir, with an average elevation of 7 metres (23 ft) above sea level. The inhabitants of the city are known as sevillanos (feminine form: sevillanas) or hispalenses, following the Roman name of the city, Hispalis.

Seville is the fourth largest city of Spain with a municipal population of about 703,000 as of 2011, and a metropolitan population (including satellite towns) of about 1.2 million, making it the 31st most populous municipality in the European Union. Its Old Town is one of the three largest in Europe along with Venice and Genoa (covering almost four square kilometers), which includes three UNESCO World Heritage Sites (the Alcázar palace complex, the Cathedral and the General Archive of the Indies). The Seville harbor, located about 80 km from the Atlantic Ocean, is the only river port in Spain.

-----end of quotation------

Andalusia holiday April 2012

This residential structure at Pulkveža Brieža iela 2 was designed by Florians fon Viganovskis (1854 - after 1914) in an eclectic historicist style and built in 1883.

Architect of the castle: Johann Conrad Schlaun.

UNESCO Weltkulturerbe / World Heritage Site.

Classic black and white photograph. Leica M3, Summicron 50mm f/2, AgfaPhoto APX 100 Professional film.

Oaxaca - Mexico

Renaissance portal from the 16th century in Jacobiturmstraße, Hanseatic Town of Stralsund, district of Vorpommern-Rügen, Mecklenburg-Vorpommern (Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania), Germany.

----quotation from en.wikipedia.org:----

The town of Stralsund lies in Northeast Germany in the region of Western Pomerania in the state of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern.

...

The town lies on the sound of Strelasund, a strait of the Baltic Sea. Its geographic proximity to the island of Rügen, whose only fixed link to the mainland, the Strelasund Crossing, runs between Stralsund and the village of Altefähr, has given Stralsund the sobriquet "Gateway to the Island of Rügen" (Tor zur Insel Rügen). Stralsund lies close to the Western Pomerania Lagoon Area National Park.

A municipal forest and three municipal ponds (the Knieperteich, Frankenteich and Moorteich) belong to the Stralsund's town borough . The three ponds and the Strelasund lend the Old Town, the original settlement site and historic centre of the town, a protected island location.

...

The centre of Stralsund has a wealth of historic buildings. Since 1990, large parts of the historic old town have been renovated with private and public capital, and with the support of foundations. As a result of the contempt for historic buildings in East Germany many houses were threatened by ruin. The Old Town in particular, offers a rich variety of historic buildings, with many former merchants' houses, churches, streets and squares. Of more than 800 listed buildings in Stralsund, more than 500 are designated as individual monuments in the Old Town. In twenty years, from the Wende in 1990 to November 2010, 588 of the more than 1,000 old buildings were completely refurbished, including 363 individual monuments. Because of its historical and architectural significance, in 2002 Stralsund's old town together with the old town of Wismar were added to entitled the UNESCO World Cultural Heritage list as the "Historic Centres of Stralsund and Wismar".

----end of quotation----

----quotation from whc.unesco.org:----

The medieval towns of Wismar and Stralsund, on the Baltic coast of northern Germany, were major trading centres of the Hanseatic League in the 14th and 15th centuries. In the 17th and 18th centuries they became Swedish administrative and defensive centres for the German territories. They contributed to the development of the characteristic building types and techniques of Brick Gothic in the Baltic region, as exemplified in several important brick cathedrals, the Town Hall of Stralsund, and the series of houses for residential, commercial and crafts use, representing its evolution over several centuries.

----end of quotation----

Stralsund short trip October 2012

Pomegranate ("granada" in Spanish), the heraldic symbol of Granada, on the fountain "Pilar de Carlos V" (Pillar of Charles V), Alhambra, Granada, Province of Granada, Andalusia, Spain.

This pomegranate makes me think of the carnivorous plant "Audrey II" from the "Little Shop of Horrors" :-)

Granada is the capital of the Andalusian Province of Granada, located near the Sierra Nevada mountains. It is a popular tourist destination because of the world famous Alhambra, a palace and fortress from Moorish times.

----quotation from en.wikipedia.org:------

Alhambra (...) is a palace and fortress complex located in Granada, Andalusia, Spain. It was constructed during the mid 14th century by the Amazigh ruler Badess Ben Habuss of the Emirate of Granada in al-Andalus, occupying the top of the hill of the Assabica on the southeastern border of the city of Granada.

The Alhambra's Moorish palaces were built for the last Muslim Emirs in Spain and its court, of the Nasrid dynasty. After the Reconquista (reconquest) by the Reyes Católicos ("Catholic Monarchs") in 1492, some portions were used by the Christian rulers. The Palace of Charles V, built by Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor in 1527, was inserted in the Alhambra within the Nasrid fortifications. After being allowed to fall into disrepair for centuries, the Alhambra was "discovered" in the 19th century by European scholars and travelers, with restorations commencing. It is now one of Spain's major tourist attractions, exhibiting the country's most significant and well known Islamic architecture, together with 16th-century and later Christian building and garden interventions. The Alhambra is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and the inspiration for many songs and stories.

-----end of quotation-----

Andalusia holiday April 2012

Palácio Nacional da Pena (Pena National Palace), Sintra, Portugal.

Seen from the Cruz Alta (High Cross) overlook.

Pena National Palace is a "romantic fairy tale castle" surrounded by a large Park, the Pena Park. It was built from 1842–1854 by order of Fernando II of Portugal on the site of a former monastery that had been destroyed by the 1755 Lisbon earthquake. It's an intentional mixture of several architectural styles including Neo-Gothic, Neo-Manueline, Islamic and Neo-Renaissance.

The reception of this eclectic building is quite ambivalent: while many people love it, critics decry it as an "early Disneyland".

Pena Palace belongs to the UNESCO World Heritage Site Cultural Lanscape of Sintra.

----quotation from en.wikipedia.org about Sintra:----

Sintra [...] is a town within the municipality of Sintra in the Grande Lisboa subregion (Lisbon Region) of Portugal. Owing to its 19th century Romantic architecture and landscapes, becoming a major tourist centre, visited by many day-trippers who travel from the urbanized suburbs and capital of Lisbon.

In addition to the Sintra Mountains and Sintra-Cascais Nature Park, the parishes of the town of Sintra are dotted by royal retreats, estates, castles and buildings from the 8th-9th century, in addition to many buildings completed between the 15th and 19th century, including the Castelo dos Mouros, the Pena National Palace and the Sintra National Palace, resulting in its classification by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site in 1995.

----end of quotation----

Natur und Kultur in Mittelportugal (Nature and Culture in Mid-Portugal), Wikinger-Reisen, September 2011

Most of the church is from the late 15th century, but later epoques have left their significant traces too. A good example are these fan vaultings, conceived by 19th century master architect George Gilbert Scott which replaced an old wooden construction

Facade of Catedral de Santa María de la Sede (Cathedral of Saint Mary of the See), better known as Catedral de Sevilla (Seville Cathedral), Sevilla (Seville), Province of Sevilla (Seville), Andalusia, Spain.

Seville Cathedral is the largest Gothic cathedral and the third largest church in the world.

Together with the Alcázar and the General Archive of the Indies of Seville it is inscribed in the World Heritage List of the UNESCO.

-----quotation from whc.unesco.org:------

Together the Cathedral, Alcázar and Archivo de Indias as a series, form a remarkable monumental complex in the heart of Seville. They perfectly epitomize the Spanish "Golden Age", incorporating vestiges of Islamic culture, centuries of ecclesiastical power, royal sovereignty and the trading power that Spain acquired through its colonies in the New World.

Founded in 1403 on the site of a former mosque, the Cathedral, built in Gothic and Renaissance style, covers seven centuries of history. With its five naves it is the largest Gothic building in Europe. Its bell tower, the Giralda, was the former minaret of the mosque, a masterpiece of Almohad architecture and now is important example of the cultural syncretism thanks to the top section of the tower, designed in the Renaissance period by Hernán Ruiz. Its "chapter house" is the first known example of the use of the elliptical floor plan in the western world. Ever since its creation, the Cathedral has continued to be used for religious purposes.

----end of quotation-----

-----quotation from en.wikipedia.org:-----

Seville ... is the capital of the autonomous community of Andalusia and the province of Seville, Spain. It is situated on the plain of the River Guadalquivir, with an average elevation of 7 metres (23 ft) above sea level. The inhabitants of the city are known as sevillanos (feminine form: sevillanas) or hispalenses, following the Roman name of the city, Hispalis.

Seville is the fourth largest city of Spain with a municipal population of about 703,000 as of 2011, and a metropolitan population (including satellite towns) of about 1.2 million, making it the 31st most populous municipality in the European Union. Its Old Town is one of the three largest in Europe along with Venice and Genoa (covering almost four square kilometers), which includes three UNESCO World Heritage Sites (the Alcázar palace complex, the Cathedral and the General Archive of the Indies). The Seville harbor, located about 80 km from the Atlantic Ocean, is the only river port in Spain.

-----end of quotation------

Andalusia holiday April 2012

Parts of Stralsund, Strelasund sound, island Rügen and Rügen bridge, seen from the tower of St. Marienkirche (St. Mary's Church), Hanseatic Town of Stralsund, district of Vorpommern-Rügen, Mecklenburg-Vorpommern (Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania), Germany.

St. Marienkirche is a late gothic church which was built in the Northern German Brick Gothic style. The 104 m high tower is open for the public and offers a great view of Stralsund and its surroundings, including Strelasund sound and the island Rügen.

----quotation from en.wikipedia.org:----

The town of Stralsund lies in Northeast Germany in the region of Western Pomerania in the state of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern.

...

The town lies on the sound of Strelasund, a strait of the Baltic Sea. Its geographic proximity to the island of Rügen, whose only fixed link to the mainland, the Strelasund Crossing, runs between Stralsund and the village of Altefähr, has given Stralsund the sobriquet "Gateway to the Island of Rügen" (Tor zur Insel Rügen). Stralsund lies close to the Western Pomerania Lagoon Area National Park.

A municipal forest and three municipal ponds (the Knieperteich, Frankenteich and Moorteich) belong to the Stralsund's town borough . The three ponds and the Strelasund lend the Old Town, the original settlement site and historic centre of the town, a protected island location.

...

The centre of Stralsund has a wealth of historic buildings. Since 1990, large parts of the historic old town have been renovated with private and public capital, and with the support of foundations. As a result of the contempt for historic buildings in East Germany many houses were threatened by ruin. The Old Town in particular, offers a rich variety of historic buildings, with many former merchants' houses, churches, streets and squares. Of more than 800 listed buildings in Stralsund, more than 500 are designated as individual monuments in the Old Town. In twenty years, from the Wende in 1990 to November 2010, 588 of the more than 1,000 old buildings were completely refurbished, including 363 individual monuments. Because of its historical and architectural significance, in 2002 Stralsund's old town together with the old town of Wismar were added to entitled the UNESCO World Cultural Heritage list as the "Historic Centres of Stralsund and Wismar".

----end of quotation----

----quotation from whc.unesco.org:----

The medieval towns of Wismar and Stralsund, on the Baltic coast of northern Germany, were major trading centres of the Hanseatic League in the 14th and 15th centuries. In the 17th and 18th centuries they became Swedish administrative and defensive centres for the German territories. They contributed to the development of the characteristic building types and techniques of Brick Gothic in the Baltic region, as exemplified in several important brick cathedrals, the Town Hall of Stralsund, and the series of houses for residential, commercial and crafts use, representing its evolution over several centuries.

----end of quotation----

Stralsund short trip October 2012

Vaults and keystone of St. Marienkirche" (St. Mary's Church), Hanseatic City of Lübeck, Schleswig-Holstein, Germany.

---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---

Sightseeing tour with Seppo and Merja on 15 September 2013.

Blick auf dem Stevns Klint (Unesco-Weltnaturerbe) von der alten Kirche von Højerup (Gamle Kirke), Seeland/Dänemark.

Cliffs of Stevns (Unesco World Heritage) seen from the church of Højerup (Gamle Kirke), Zealand / Denmark.

Fagus Factory commissioned by owner Carl Benscheidt , designed by Walter Gropius and Adolf Meyer, constructed between 1911 and 1913. UNESCO World Heritage, shoe last factory in Alfeld on the Leine, Lower Saxony, Germany, Sonnar FE 55mm F1.8 ZA

Itinerary of Bedřich of Donín (Bedřich z Donína, Friedrich von Donin) from the beginning of the 17th century, Strahov Library, Strahov Monastery (Strahovský klášter), full name Royal canon monastery of the Premonstratensians of Strahov (Královská kanonie premonstrátů na Strahově), Castle District (Hradčany), Prague (Praha), Czech Republic.

Strahov Monastery is a Premonstratensian abbey founded in 1149 by Bishop Jindřich Zdík, Bishop John of Prague, and Prince Vladislav II. It is famous because of its library with two grandiose halls called Theological Hall and Philosophical Hall. One of its most famous exhibits is the so-called Strahov Evangeliary (Evangeliář strahovský) from the 9th century.

The Historic Centre of Prague is inscribed in the World Heritage List of the UNESCO.

Citation from whc.unesco.org/en/list/616

-----------------------------------------------------------

Built between the 11th and 18th centuries, the Old Town, the Lesser Town and the New Town speak of the great architectural and cultural influence enjoyed by this city since the Middle Ages. The many magnificent monuments, such as Hradcani Castle, St Vitus Cathedral, Charles Bridge and numerous churches and palaces, built mostly in the 14th century under the Holy Roman Emperor, Charles IV.

Prague is one of the most beautiful cities in Europe in terms of its setting on both banks of the Vltava River, its townscape of burger houses and palaces punctuated by towers, and its individual buildings.

The Historic Centre represents a supreme manifestation of Medieval urbanism (the New Town of Emperor Charles IV built as the New Jerusalem). The Prague architectural works of the Gothic Period (14th and 15th centuries), of the High Baroque of the 1st half of the 18th century and of the rising modernism after the year 1900, influenced the development of Central Europe, perhaps even all European architecture. Prague represents one of the most prominent world centres of creative life in the field of urbanism and architecture across generations, human mentality and beliefs.

Prague belongs to the group of historic cities which have preserved the structure of their development until the present times. Within the core of Prague, successive stages of growth and changes have respected the original grand-scale urban structure of the Early Middle Ages. This structure was essentially and greatly enlarged with urban activities in the High Gothic period with more additions during the High Baroque period and in the 19th century. It has been saved from any large-scale urban renewal or massive demolitions and thus preserves its overall configuration, pattern and spatial composition.

In the course of the 1100 years of its existence, Prague’s development can be documented in the architectural expression of many historical periods and their styles. The city is rich in outstanding monuments from all periods of its history. Of particular importance are Prague Castle, the Cathedral of St Vitus, Hradćany Square in front of the Castle, the Valdgtejn Palace on the left bank of the river, the Gothic Charles Bridge, the Romanesque Rotunda of the Holy Rood, the Gothic arcaded houses round the Old Town Square, the High Gothic Minorite Church of St James in the Stark Mĕsto, the late 19th century buildings and town plan of the Nave Mĕsto.

As early as the Middle Ages, Prague became one of the leading cultural centres of Christian Europe. The Prague University, founded in 1348, is one of the earliest in Europe. The milieu of the University in the last quarter of the 14th century and the first years of the 15th century contributed among other things to the formation of ideas of the Hussite Movement which represented in fact the first steps of the European Reformation. As a metropolis of culture, Prague is connected with prominent names in art, science and politics, such as Charles IV, Petr Parléř, Jan Hus, Johannes Kepler, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Franz Kafka, Antonín Dvořák, Albert Einstein, Edvard Beneš (co-founder of the League of Nations) and Václav Havel.

-------------------------------------------------------

End of citation

Tower of 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

Alter Markt (Old Market) and Mühlenstraße (Mill Street), Hanseatic Town of Stralsund, district of Vorpommern-Rügen, Mecklenburg-Vorpommern (Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania), Germany.

On the right side you see the Ratsapotheke ("Council's Pharmacy", in yellow) and Wulflamhaus (Wulflam House, the brick gabled house to the right of Ratsapotheke).

The gabled house of Alter Mark no. 6 (Ratsapotheke) originally was built in Brick Gothic style in the 14th century, but was redesigned in Baroque style in the 17th century. During restoring work in the 20th century, parts of the old gothic building were reconstructed, but the gable still shows Baroque elements.

Wulflamhaus (Alter Markt no. 5) is a 14th century gabled house in Northern German Brick Gothic style, situated opposite of Stralsund's town hall. It was built by the rich citizen, councilman and mayor Bertram Wulflam and is one of the best preserved late gothic residential houses of Northern Germany. Today it houses a restaurant.

----quotation from en.wikipedia.org:----

The town of Stralsund lies in Northeast Germany in the region of Western Pomerania in the state of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern.

...

The town lies on the sound of Strelasund, a strait of the Baltic Sea. Its geographic proximity to the island of Rügen, whose only fixed link to the mainland, the Strelasund Crossing, runs between Stralsund and the village of Altefähr, has given Stralsund the sobriquet "Gateway to the Island of Rügen" (Tor zur Insel Rügen). Stralsund lies close to the Western Pomerania Lagoon Area National Park.

A municipal forest and three municipal ponds (the Knieperteich, Frankenteich and Moorteich) belong to the Stralsund's town borough . The three ponds and the Strelasund lend the Old Town, the original settlement site and historic centre of the town, a protected island location.

...

The centre of Stralsund has a wealth of historic buildings. Since 1990, large parts of the historic old town have been renovated with private and public capital, and with the support of foundations. As a result of the contempt for historic buildings in East Germany many houses were threatened by ruin. The Old Town in particular, offers a rich variety of historic buildings, with many former merchants' houses, churches, streets and squares. Of more than 800 listed buildings in Stralsund, more than 500 are designated as individual monuments in the Old Town. In twenty years, from the Wende in 1990 to November 2010, 588 of the more than 1,000 old buildings were completely refurbished, including 363 individual monuments. Because of its historical and architectural significance, in 2002 Stralsund's old town together with the old town of Wismar were added to entitled the UNESCO World Cultural Heritage list as the "Historic Centres of Stralsund and Wismar".

----end of quotation----

----quotation from whc.unesco.org:----

The medieval towns of Wismar and Stralsund, on the Baltic coast of northern Germany, were major trading centres of the Hanseatic League in the 14th and 15th centuries. In the 17th and 18th centuries they became Swedish administrative and defensive centres for the German territories. They contributed to the development of the characteristic building types and techniques of Brick Gothic in the Baltic region, as exemplified in several important brick cathedrals, the Town Hall of Stralsund, and the series of houses for residential, commercial and crafts use, representing its evolution over several centuries.

----end of quotation----

Stralsund short trip October 2012

South portal of the Church of Santa Maria, Mosteiro dos Jerónimos (Hieronymites Monastery), Belém, Lisboa (Lisbon), Portugal.

The Hieronymites Monastery (official name: Mosteiro da Santa Maria de Belém), located near the shore of Rio Tejo (Tagus river), is one of the most prominent monuments of the Manueline style architecture. Along with the predominant Manueline style, there are also elements of the Spanish Plateresque style, and of Renaissance style.

The monastery was built by order of Manuel I. shortly after Vasco da Gama had returned from his first journey to India. The building was financed with the money now rolling in from the overseas trade. Work began in 1502 and ended in 1544 (except for some extensions that were added later).

Up to 1834, the monastery gave home to the order of the Hieronymites (that's where it's got its name from). The building survived the great earthquake of 1755 without larger damage, but was ravaged by Napoleon's troops in the beginning of the 19th century.

In 1983, Mosteiro dos Jerónimos was - together with the nearby Torre de Belém (Bélem tower) - inscribed on the World Heritage List of the UNESCO.

On December 13, 2007, the Treaty of Lisbon was signed at the monastery, laying down the basis for the reform of the European Union.

----quotation from en.wikipedia.org about the South Portal----

The ornate side entrance to the monastery was designed by Juan de Castilho and is considered one of the most significant of his time, but is not, in fact, the main entrance to the building. This shrine-like portal is large, 32 metre high and 12 metre wide, extending two stories. Its ornate features includes an abundance of gables and pinnacles, with many carved figures standing under a baldachin in carved niches, around a statue of Henry the Navigator, standing on a pedestal between the two doors.

The tympanum, above the double door, displays, in half-relief, two scenes from the life of Saint Jerome: on the left, the removal of the thorn from the lion's paw and, on the right, the saints experience in the desert. In the spandrel between these scenes is the coat-of-arms of king Manuel I, while the archivolt and tympanum are covered in Manueline symbols and elements. The Madonna (Santa Maria de Belém) is located on a pedestal on top of the archivolt, surmounted by the archangel Michael, while above the portal there is a cross of the Order of Christ. The portal is harmoniously flanked on each side by a large window with richly decorated mouldings.

----end of quotation----

-----quotation from en.wikipedia.org about Manueline style-----

Several elements appear regularly in these intricately carved stoneworks:

- elements used on ships: the armillary sphere (a navigational instrument and the personal emblem of Manuel I and also symbol of the cosmos), spheres, anchors, anchor chains, ropes and cables.

- elements from the sea, such as shells, pearls and strings of seaweed.

- botanical motifs such as laurel branches, oak leaves, acorns, poppy capsules, corncobs, thistles.

- symbols of Christianity such as the cross of the Order of Christ (former Templar knights), the military order that played a prominent role and helped finance the first voyages of discovery. The cross of this order decorated the sails of the Portuguese ships.

- elements from newly discovered lands (such as the tracery in the Claustro Real in the Monastery of Batalha, suggesting Islamic filigree work, influenced by buildings in India)

- columns carved like twisted strands of rope

- semicircular arches (instead of Gothic pointed arches) of doors and windows, sometimes consisting of three or more convex curves

- multiple pillars

- eight-sided capitals

- lack of symmetry

- conical pinnacles

- bevelled crenellations

- ornate portals with niches or canopies.

----end of quotation-----

Natur und Kultur in Mittelportugal (Nature and Culture in Mid-Portugal), Wikinger-Reisen, September 2011

Baumkronenpfad

Sony Alpha 7R, Voigtländer VME Close-Focus Adapter, Zeiss Planar 50mm f2.0

Late Gothic Burgtor (Castle Gate, or Citadel Gate), Hanseatic City of Lübeck, Schleswig-Holstein, Germany.

---quotation from en.wikipedia.org:---

The Burgtor, built 1444 in late Gothic style, was the northern city gate of Hanseatic Lübeck, now in Germany. It is one of two towered gates remaining from the medieval fortifications, the other being the more famous Holstentor.

The Baroque helmet-like roof was added in 1685.

---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---

July 2009.

Patio de los Naranjos (Courtyard of the Orange Trees) with fountain and Puerta del Perdón (Door of Forgiveness), Catedral de Santa María de la Sede (Cathedral of Saint Mary of the See), better known as Catedral de Sevilla (Seville Cathedral), Sevilla (Seville), Province of Sevilla (Seville), Andalusia, Spain.

Seville Cathedral is the largest Gothic cathedral and the third largest church in the world.

Together with the Alcázar and the General Archive of the Indies of Seville it is inscribed in the World Heritage List of the UNESCO.

-----quotation from whc.unesco.org:------

Together the Cathedral, Alcázar and Archivo de Indias as a series, form a remarkable monumental complex in the heart of Seville. They perfectly epitomize the Spanish "Golden Age", incorporating vestiges of Islamic culture, centuries of ecclesiastical power, royal sovereignty and the trading power that Spain acquired through its colonies in the New World.

Founded in 1403 on the site of a former mosque, the Cathedral, built in Gothic and Renaissance style, covers seven centuries of history. With its five naves it is the largest Gothic building in Europe. Its bell tower, the Giralda, was the former minaret of the mosque, a masterpiece of Almohad architecture and now is important example of the cultural syncretism thanks to the top section of the tower, designed in the Renaissance period by Hernán Ruiz. Its "chapter house" is the first known example of the use of the elliptical floor plan in the western world. Ever since its creation, the Cathedral has continued to be used for religious purposes.

----end of quotation-----

-----quotation from en.wikipedia.org:-----

Seville ... is the capital of the autonomous community of Andalusia and the province of Seville, Spain. It is situated on the plain of the River Guadalquivir, with an average elevation of 7 metres (23 ft) above sea level. The inhabitants of the city are known as sevillanos (feminine form: sevillanas) or hispalenses, following the Roman name of the city, Hispalis.

Seville is the fourth largest city of Spain with a municipal population of about 703,000 as of 2011, and a metropolitan population (including satellite towns) of about 1.2 million, making it the 31st most populous municipality in the European Union. Its Old Town is one of the three largest in Europe along with Venice and Genoa (covering almost four square kilometers), which includes three UNESCO World Heritage Sites (the Alcázar palace complex, the Cathedral and the General Archive of the Indies). The Seville harbor, located about 80 km from the Atlantic Ocean, is the only river port in Spain.

-----end of quotation------

Andalusia holiday April 2012

Archbishops's Palace (Arcibiskupství Pražské), Hradčanské náměstí (Castle square), Castle District (Hradčany), Prague (Praha), Czech Republic.

The sculptures in the foreground belong to the entrance of Prague Castle (Pražský hrad) and show struggling giants. They are copies of the originals that were made by Ignác František Platzer (Ignaz Franz Platzer), k.u.k. court sculptor of the Bohemian Late Baroque.

The Historic Centre of Prague is inscribed in the World Heritage List of the UNESCO.

Citation from whc.unesco.org/en/list/616

-----------------------------------------------------------

Built between the 11th and 18th centuries, the Old Town, the Lesser Town and the New Town speak of the great architectural and cultural influence enjoyed by this city since the Middle Ages. The many magnificent monuments, such as Hradcani Castle, St Vitus Cathedral, Charles Bridge and numerous churches and palaces, built mostly in the 14th century under the Holy Roman Emperor, Charles IV.

Prague is one of the most beautiful cities in Europe in terms of its setting on both banks of the Vltava River, its townscape of burger houses and palaces punctuated by towers, and its individual buildings.

The Historic Centre represents a supreme manifestation of Medieval urbanism (the New Town of Emperor Charles IV built as the New Jerusalem). The Prague architectural works of the Gothic Period (14th and 15th centuries), of the High Baroque of the 1st half of the 18th century and of the rising modernism after the year 1900, influenced the development of Central Europe, perhaps even all European architecture. Prague represents one of the most prominent world centres of creative life in the field of urbanism and architecture across generations, human mentality and beliefs.

Prague belongs to the group of historic cities which have preserved the structure of their development until the present times. Within the core of Prague, successive stages of growth and changes have respected the original grand-scale urban structure of the Early Middle Ages. This structure was essentially and greatly enlarged with urban activities in the High Gothic period with more additions during the High Baroque period and in the 19th century. It has been saved from any large-scale urban renewal or massive demolitions and thus preserves its overall configuration, pattern and spatial composition.

In the course of the 1100 years of its existence, Prague’s development can be documented in the architectural expression of many historical periods and their styles. The city is rich in outstanding monuments from all periods of its history. Of particular importance are Prague Castle, the Cathedral of St Vitus, Hradćany Square in front of the Castle, the Valdgtejn Palace on the left bank of the river, the Gothic Charles Bridge, the Romanesque Rotunda of the Holy Rood, the Gothic arcaded houses round the Old Town Square, the High Gothic Minorite Church of St James in the Stark Mĕsto, the late 19th century buildings and town plan of the Nave Mĕsto.

As early as the Middle Ages, Prague became one of the leading cultural centres of Christian Europe. The Prague University, founded in 1348, is one of the earliest in Europe. The milieu of the University in the last quarter of the 14th century and the first years of the 15th century contributed among other things to the formation of ideas of the Hussite Movement which represented in fact the first steps of the European Reformation. As a metropolis of culture, Prague is connected with prominent names in art, science and politics, such as Charles IV, Petr Parléř, Jan Hus, Johannes Kepler, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Franz Kafka, Antonín Dvořák, Albert Einstein, Edvard Beneš (co-founder of the League of Nations) and Václav Havel.

-------------------------------------------------------

End of citation

Das Neue Museum wurde 1841 bis 1859 nach Plänen Friedrich August Stülers als zweites Museum auf der Spreeinsel errichtet.

Nachdem Bombeneinschläge das Museum im Zweiten Weltkrieg schwer beschädigten, wurde es seit 2003 unter der Leitung des britischen Architekten David Chipperfield wiederhergestellt. Unter Beachtung hoher denkmalpflegerischer Auflagen galt es, dem seit 1999 zum UNESCO-Welterbe gehörenden Bau wieder authentischen Glanz zu verleihen.

Diese Herausforderung meisterte der Architekt mit Bravour, indem er Museumstorso in die Architektursprache unserer Zeit einbettete. Behutsam nahm er – gemäß des an der Charta von Venedig ausgerichteten Restaurierungskonzepts – den Bestand des Gebäudes in seinen unterschiedlichen Erhaltungszuständen auf, Fehlstellen wurden repariert und ergänzt. So wird das Erhaltene in seiner historischen Schönheit zur Geltung gebracht, während die Neubauteile das Verlorene reflektieren, ohne es zu imitieren, und die üppige Fülle von Stülers spätem Klassizismus tritt in einen reizvollen Dialog mit der strengen Formensprache Chipperfields.

Built from 1841 to 1859, the Neues Museum was designed by Friedrich August Stüler as the second museum on the island in the River Spree.

The museum was badly damaged after suffering a series of hits in the aerial bombardment of the Second World War and underwent reconstruction from 2003, overseen by the British architect David Chipperfield.

The aim was to restore the building (listed as a UNESCO World Cultural Heritage Site since 1999) to its original glory while at the same time taking strict conservation requirements into account. The architect met these challenges by brilliantly anchoring the main body of the museum in the architectural idiom of the present day.

By adhering to the concept of restoration laid down by the Venice Charter, he carefully incorporated into his designs each of the building’s individual parts, some still largely in tact, others substantially damaged. Missing sections were repaired and at times supplemented with new parts.

The inherent qualities of preserved sections are thus accentuated, while the newly constructed parts reflect the losses incurred in the original, without necessarily imitating them. The result is that the resplendent richness of Stüler’s late classicism and historicism is now brought into a charming dialogue with Chipperfield’s own strict language of forms.

Quelle: www.neues-museum.de/architektur.php

My Son - Vietnam

All rights reserved - Copyright © Joerg Reichel

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.