View allAll Photos Tagged UNESCOWelterbe

Vaults 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

Naumburg (Saale) ist eine Mittelstadt im Süden Sachsen-Anhalts. Naumburg ist Verwaltungssitz des Burgenlandkreises und Mittelpunkt des nördlichsten deutschen Qualitätswein-Anbaugebietes Saale-Unstrut. Die Stadt ist ein Knotenpunkt im deutschen Schienennetz. Sie ist geprägt durch eine reichhaltige, fast 1000-jährige Geschichte, insbesondere als historischer Sitz des Bistums Naumburg. Wahrzeichen ist der Naumburger Dom in der mittelalterlichen Altstadt, der seit dem 1. Juli 2018 zum UNESCO-Weltkulturerbe gehört.

 

de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Naumburg_(Saale)

  

Die Farbglasfester der Liebfrauenkirche wurden von dem französischen Glaskünstler Jacques Le Chevallier (1896 - 1987) geschaffen.

 

Seit 1986 ist die Liebfrauenkirche Teil des UNESCO-Welterbes Römische Baudenkmäler, Dom und Liebfrauenkirche in Trier.

 

Die Geschichte der Liebfrauen-Basilika führt in das Jahr 326 n. Chr. Zum 20-jährigen Regierungsjubiläum machte Kaiser Konstantin große Stiftungen. Unter anderem ließ er an den bedeutendsten Orten der Christenheit Kirchen bauen: die Geburtskirche in Bethlehem, die Grabeskirche in Jerusalem, die 1. Sophienkirche in Konstantinopel, die Peterskirche und die Laterankirche in Rom und eben die Doppelkirchenanlage in Trier, aus der die Hohe Domkirche und die Liebfrauenkirche hervorgegangen sind.

 

Nach den Wechselfällen der Geschichte stand der Erzbischof Theoderich von Wied (1212 - 1242) im Blick auf die Südkirche, die den Titel einer Aula beatae Mariae Virginis trug, vor einem Neuanfang. Die Baufälligkeit der Kirche ließ ihn französischen Baumeistern Gehör schenken, die aus der Champagne kamen, in der gerade die Gotik erfunden worden war. Was sie dem Erzbischof anboten, war eine Kirche im allerfeinsten hochgotischen Stil. Auf der Basis einer zwölfblättrigen Rose (Rosa Mystica) wollten sie eine Kirche bauen, die - vom Kreuz durchwebt - wie ein Juwel in der Sonne funkeln sollte, mit großen, die Heilsgeschichte erzählenden Fenstern, licht und weit und himmelhoch. Zwölf schlanke Säulen sollten das Gewölbe tragen, das, übersät mit leuchtenden Lilien, den Garten des Paradieses vorstellen sollte, in dem Maria und Jesus dargestellt sind. Eine Aula Dei als Liebeserklärung an die Gottesmutter. Der Kurfürst war begeistert. 1227 begannen die unbekannten gotischen Baumeister ihre Arbeit, die sie 33 Jahre an Trier binden sollte. Es entstand im reinsten Stil der Hochgotik der Champagne, als eines der Wunder der Gotik eine der ganz seltenen gotischen Zentralkirchen von außerordentlicher Schönheit und Harmonie.

 

1803 wurde Liebfrauen vom Dom getrennt und trat in eine neue Phase ihrer Geschichte: Sie wurde Pfarrkirche und nahm die Laurentiuspfarrei auf. Als Trier 1944 schwer bombardiert wurde, traf es mit aller Härte auch die Liebfrauenkirche; unter größter Anstrengung wurde sie nach dem Krieg gerettet und wiederhergestellt.

 

Quelle: www.liebfrauen-trier.de/pfarrkirche liebfrauen.htm

Roof work on Großes Heiliges Kreuz (Great Holy Cross), Goslar, Niedersachsen (Lower Saxony), Germany.

 

When we passed this building, we saw two men doing some repairs on the slate roof.

 

Please also note the funny "benches" in front of the house!

 

The house called Great Holy Cross was built in 1254 and was a kind of hostel where poor or weak people and orphans as well as pilgrims and other travellers got a place for the night and some food. In 1650 the hall was divided into little cabins with a bed, a cupboard and a little table for the residents.

Although today there are artisans' shops in those little cabins, the building still serves its original social purpose as there are (modern) apartments for old people in a side wing.

 

Goslar is a historic town at the foot of the Harz mountain range. It is part of the UNESCO World Heritage site "Mines of Rammelsberg, Historic Town of Goslar and Upper Harz Water Management System".

 

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

Rammelsberg-Goslar is the largest and longest-lived mining and metallurgical complex in the central European metal-producing region whose role was paramount in the economy of Europe for many centuries. It is a very characteristic form of urban-industrial ensemble which has its most complete and best preserved expression in Europe at Rammelsberg-Goslar.

Rammelsberg lies 1 km south-east of Goslar, in the Harz Mountains. It has been the site of mining for metalliferous ores and metal production (silver, copper, lead, zinc and gold) since as early as the 3rd century BC. The first documentary mention of Rammelsberg is from the beginning of the 11th century. The rich deposits of silver ore there were one of the main reasons for siting an imperial residence at the foot of the Rammelsberg mountain by Emperor Henry II; he held his first Imperial Assembly there in 1009. The town of Goslar grew up around the imperial residence. The town was to play an important role in the economic operations of the Hanseatic League and achieved great prosperity, which reached a peak around 1450. The revenues from mining, metal production, and trade financed the creation of the late medieval townscape of fortifications, churches, public buildings, and richly decorated mine-owners' residences which distinguish the present-day town.

(...)

The town was not significantly damaged in the Second World War and so the historic centre has survived intact, with its original medieval layout and many Gothic, Renaissance and Baroque buildings of high quality.

---end of quotation---

 

Harz weekend June 2012

Love padlocks on Hohenzollernbrücke (Hohenzollern bridge) in Köln (Cologne), Nordrhein-Westfalen (North Rhine-Westphalia), Germany.

 

Hohenzollern bridge is a bridge for railway and pedestrian traffic crossing the river Rhine. The fence between the footpath and the line of rails is almost completely covered with love padlocks.

 

Summer holiday August 2014

"Kabäuschen" (little cabins) 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.

Carriages below 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.

 

Seen from the Giralda (the cathedral's bell tower).

 

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 is one of UNESCO's "World Heritage Sites". It's the famous "Zollverein" colliery in Essen (Germany). In its best days it was known as the most beautiful and most productive coal mines in the world. The buildings of this complex have been designed in the late 1920s in pure Bauhaus style. Architects are Fritz Schupp and Martin Kremmer. In 1986 the mine closed down. 15 years later the preserved structures were registered as part of the world cultural heritage. I took this shot from the escalator which leads to the former coal washing plant. It now hosts the "Ruhr Museum" which documents the natural, industrial and social history of the Ruhr region.

The Nativity of Christ Cathedral (Kristus Piedzimšanas pareizticīgo katedrāle) was designed by Nikolai Chagin in a Neo-Byzantine style and built 1876-1884 under the direction of Robert Pflug, during the period when Latvia was part of the Russian Empire. The cathedral was part of a Tsarist effort to russianize Latvia in the late 19th century. In 1963, during the Soviet period, the cathedral was closed and converted into a planetarium. Newly-independent Latvia restored the cathedral and re-opened it in 1991.

Die Jungsteinzeitsiedlung Chirokitia (Zypern)

Die Domkanzel, ein frühes Werk von Hans Ruprecht Hoffmann, wurde zwischen 1570 und 1572 errichtet. Das Relief der Treppenbrüstung stellt das Jüngste Gericht dar und die Reliefs am Kanzelkorb zeigen die Werke der Barmherzigkeit. Am Sockelfuß sind die Evangelisten dargestellt.

 

Der Bildhauer- und Steinmetzmeister Hans Ruprecht Hoffmann wurde um 1545 vermutlich in Worms geboren, erhielt seine Ausbildung in Mainz und starb 1616 in Trier. Zu seinen Werken in Trier gehören auch der Allerheiligenaltar im Dom und der Petrusbrunnen auf dem Hauptmarkt.

 

Spire of baroque St. Nicholas Church (Kostel sv. Mikuláše), Lesser Town (Malá Strana), Prague (Praha), Czech Republic.

 

Citation from www.pragueexperience.com:

-------Start of Citation-------

There are three St. Nicholas churches in Prague. Construction of St. Nicholas Church Lesser Town Square began in 1703 on the site of the former Parish Church of St. Nicholas, the records for which date back to 1283.

St. Nicholas Church lies at the centre of the Lesser Town Square (Malostranske namesti) and is the largest of Prague's churches founded by the Jesuits.

The church is the masterpiece of Christoph and Kilian Ignaz Dientzenhofer, a father and son duo who constructed many buildings during the Baroque period. Unfortunately, neither lived to see its completion. The building was finished by Kilian's son-in-law, Anselmo Lurago.

The interior of St. Nicholas Church is decorated with statues, paintings and frescoes by leading artists of the day. Particularly impressive is a fresco of the Celebration of the Holy Trinity by Franz Palko, which fills the 70m high dome.

Over the Baroque organ is a fresco of St. Cecilia, patron saint of music. The organs were played by Mozart in 1787.

The belfry was the last part of St. Nicholas to be built, constructed by Anselmo Lurago in 1751-56. You can climb the tower for a good view over the Lesser Town (Mala Strana), and across the Vltava River to the Old Town.

-------End of Citation-------

 

More information on this church can be found at www.digital-guide.cz.

 

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

The Melngalvju nams (House of Blackheads / Schwarzhäupterhaus) is the house of the brotherhood of unmarried German merchants. Their guild house was constructed in the early 14th century. It was severely damaged by German artillery in 1941 and the remains of the building were demolished by the Soviets in 1948. The building was reconstructed 1995-1999.

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

 

Real Alcázar 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

Die Seiser Alm ist die größte Hochalm Europas. Sie liegt in den Südtiroler Dolomiten in Italien, rund 20 km nordöstlich von Bozen und oberhalb der bekannten Tourismus-Orte Seis am Schlern, Kastelruth und St. Ulrich in Gröden.

es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Castillo_de_Wartburg

de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wartburg

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wartburg

_____

Eisenach, Thüringen

_________

 

es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eisenach

de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eisenach

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eisenach

____________________________________________________

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.

 

The Melngalvju nams (House of Blackheads / Schwarzhäupterhaus) is the house of the brotherhood of unmarried German merchants. Their guild house was constructed in the early 14th century. It was severely damaged by German artillery in 1941 and the remains of the building were demolished by the Soviets in 1948. The building was reconstructed 1995-1999.

 

The St. Peter's Church (Svētā Pētera baznīca) in the back mostly dates from the 15th century. Between 1691 and 1690, some Baroque additions were made, such as the new tower and the western façade. The church was severely damaged in 1941; restoration lasted until 1991.

 

The St. Mary's Cathedral (Toomkirik) is located on the Toompea Hill that overlooks the city of Tallinn. A first wooden church was already present when the Danes invaded in 1219. A Gothic single-aisled stone church was built 1223-1240. It was expanded into the current three-aisled structure in the 14th century. When the Reformation in Estonia was completed in 1561, the cathedral became the main Lutheran church in Estonia.

 

The interior decor was replaced in a Baroque style after a fire in 1684. The new pulpit with figures of the apostles (1686) and the altarpiece (1696) were made by the Estonian sculptor and carver Christian Ackermann. In 1778-79 a new baroque spire was added.

Stained glass window of the Founder's Chapel 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-----

Founder's Chapel (Capela do Fundador)

This square chapel was built between 1426 and 1434 by the architect Huguet on orders of King João I to become the first royal pantheon in Portugal. It gives a perfect synthesis between Flamboyant Gothic and the English Perpendicular style, as Philippa of Lancaster had brought along a few English architects. The chapel consists of three notional bays and a central octagon buttressed by eight piers, adorned with crockets, supporting deeply stilted arches. The joint tomb of king João I and his wife Philippa of Lancaster stands under the star vault of the octagon. Their statues lie in full regalia, with clasped hands (expressing the good relations between Portugal and England) and heads resting on a pillow, under elaborately ornamented baldachins. The coats of arms of the Houses of Aviz and Lancaster are put on top of these baldachins, together with the insignia of the order of the Garter. On the cover plate of the tomb are inscribed in repetition the mottos of the king Por bem (For the better) and of the queen Yl me plet (I am pleased).

This octagon is surrounded by an ambulatory with complex vaulting. At the south wall stand from left to right in a row of recessed arches the tombs of their for sons : prince Dom Pedro, Henry the Navigator (under a baldachin), Dom João and Dom Fernando (also called Infante Santo). Dom Fernando died in Fez as a prisoner of the Moors. The three tombs on the west wall are copies of the originals of King Afonso V (1433–1481), John II (1445–1495) (empty because the soldiers of Masséna have thrown away the bones) and his son, Dom Afonso (who died through an accident at the age of seventeen).

----end of citation----

 

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

Old music book in the window of a music store in Hlavsova street, Old Town (Staré Město), 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

Prayer hall inside the Mezquita Catedral de Córdoba (Mosque Cathedral of Córdoba), full name Catedral de Nuestra Señora de la Asunción (Cathedral of Our Lady of the Assumption), Córdoba, Province of Córdoba, Andalusia, Spain.

 

The Mosque Cathedral of Córdoba shows the many religious changes Córdoba has seen over the centuries. The site on which the Mezquita stands has long been a sacred space – it was host to a Roman temple and a Visigothic cathedral before the mosque was constructed in the 8th century. Finally, a cathedral was added inside the mosque by the Christian conquerors in the early 13th century.

Today the mosque/cathedral is 179 m long and 134 m wide. It has a base of 23000 m² and is one of the largest sacred buildings in the world.

The most important room of the mosque is the large prayer hall which takes 2/3 of the whole area and is decorated with double horse-shoe arches carried by 856 columns of jasper, onyx, marble, and granite. The mosque also has richly gilded prayer niches. The mihrab is a masterpiece of architectural art, with geometric and flowing designs of plants.

After the conquest of Córdoba by the Catholic Kings in the 13th century, a Renaissance cathedral nave was built right in the middle of the expansive structure of the mosque.

 

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

 

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

Cordoba's period of greatest glory began in the 8th century after the Moorish conquest, when some 300 mosques and innumerable palaces and public buildings were built to rival the splendours of Constantinople, Damascus and Baghdad. In the 13th century, under Ferdinand III, the Saint, Cordoba's Great Mosque was turned into a cathedral and new defensive structures, particularly the Alcázar de los Reyes Cristianos and the Torre Fortaleza de la Calahorra, were erected.

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

 

Andalusia holiday April 2012

Fresco "Majestas Domini" (Christ in Majesty) on the northern wall of the church hall of Heiligen-Geist-Hospital (Hospital of the Holy Spirit) in Hanseatic City of Lübeck, Schleswig-Holstein, Germany.

 

Christ in Majesty shows Jesus in a mandorla, surrounded by the symbols of the four evangelists, from left to right, top to bottom: Matthew (angel/man), John (eagle), Mark (lion) and Luke (ox/calf).

 

Below it is the Allerheiligenaltar (Altarpiece of All Saints) from about 1500.

 

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.

Our cruise from Kiel to the North Cape.

Visit to Bergen, Norway.

Manueline Panteão de D. Duarte (pantheon of King Duarte), better known as Capelas Imperfeitas (Unfinished Chapels) 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-----

Unfinished Chapels (Capelas Imperfeitas)

As Capelas Imperfeitas (The Unfinished Chapels) remain as a testimony of the fact that the monastery was never actually finished. They form a separate octagonal structure tacked on the choir of the church (via a retrochoir) and only accessible from the outside. It was commissioned in 1437 by King Duarte I as a second royal mausoleum for himself and his descendants. But he and his queen Leonor of Aragon are the only ones buried here. The original design, begun by Huguet, was altered by successive architects, especially Mateus Fernandes (who is buried inside the church). The octagonal rotunda has seven radiating hexagonal chapels. In the corners of the chapels stand the massive unfinished buttresses, that were intended to support the vault. These pillars, designed by Diogo Boitac, are decorated with Manueline motives carved in stone.

The portal rises to a monumental fifteen metres. It was originally built in Gothic style, but was transformed beyond recognition by Mateus Fernandes into a masterpiece of Manueline style (completed in 1509). It is completely decorated into a lacework of sumptuous and stylized Manueline motives : armillary, spheres, winged angels, ropes, circles, tree stumps, clover-shaped arches and florid projections. This homage of King Manuel I to his predecessor King D. Duarte mentions his motto Leauté faray tam yaserei (I will always be loyal). This motto is then repeated more than two hundred times in the arches, vaults and pillars of the chapels.

The Renaissance loggia, added at about 1533, was probably meant for musicians. It is ascribed to the architect João de Castilho.

----end of citation----

 

-----citation 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 citation-----

 

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

Capital in the church ruins 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.

Huê - 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.

Venedig Venice Venezia en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Venice

 

Italia 3 Album

www.flickr.com/photos/arjuna/sets/72157627437241642/

 

Venedig ( italienisch : Venezia [venɛttsja] ( hören ) , [ 1 ] Venetian : Venexia [venɛsja] ; ( Latein : Venetia )) ist eine Stadt im Nordosten von Italien gelegen an einer Gruppe von 118 kleinen Inseln, die durch Kanäle getrennt und verbunden durch Brücken. [ 2 ] Es wird in der sumpfigen befindet Lagune von Venedig , die sich entlang der Küste zwischen den Mündungen der streckt Po und Piave Rivers. Venedig ist für die Schönheit seiner Umgebung, seiner Architektur und seinen Kunstwerken bekannt. [ 2 ] Die Stadt ist in ihrer Gesamtheit als börsennotiertes Weltkulturerbe , zusammen mit seiner Lagune. [ 2 ]

  

Baroque St. Nicholas Church (Kostel sv. Mikuláše), Lesser Town (Malá Strana), Prague (Praha), Czech Republic.

 

Citation from www.pragueexperience.com:

-------Start of Citation-------

There are three St. Nicholas churches in Prague. Construction of St. Nicholas Church Lesser Town Square began in 1703 on the site of the former Parish Church of St. Nicholas, the records for which date back to 1283.

St. Nicholas Church lies at the centre of the Lesser Town Square (Malostranske namesti) and is the largest of Prague's churches founded by the Jesuits.

The church is the masterpiece of Christoph and Kilian Ignaz Dientzenhofer, a father and son duo who constructed many buildings during the Baroque period. Unfortunately, neither lived to see its completion. The building was finished by Kilian's son-in-law, Anselmo Lurago.

The interior of St. Nicholas Church is decorated with statues, paintings and frescoes by leading artists of the day. Particularly impressive is a fresco of the Celebration of the Holy Trinity by Franz Palko, which fills the 70m high dome.

Over the Baroque organ is a fresco of St. Cecilia, patron saint of music. The organs were played by Mozart in 1787.

The belfry was the last part of St. Nicholas to be built, constructed by Anselmo Lurago in 1751-56. You can climb the tower for a good view over the Lesser Town (Mala Strana), and across the Vltava River to the Old Town.

-------End of Citation-------

 

More information on this church can be found at www.digital-guide.cz.

 

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

Illuminated Manuscript for private use from the 15th/16th 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

Venedig Venice Venezia en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Venice

 

Italia 3 Album

www.flickr.com/photos/arjuna/sets/72157627437241642/

 

Venedig ( italienisch : Venezia [venɛttsja] ( hören ) , [ 1 ] Venetian : Venexia [venɛsja] ; ( Latein : Venetia )) ist eine Stadt im Nordosten von Italien gelegen an einer Gruppe von 118 kleinen Inseln, die durch Kanäle getrennt und verbunden durch Brücken. [ 2 ] Es wird in der sumpfigen befindet Lagune von Venedig , die sich entlang der Küste zwischen den Mündungen der streckt Po und Piave Rivers. Venedig ist für die Schönheit seiner Umgebung, seiner Architektur und seinen Kunstwerken bekannt. [ 2 ] Die Stadt ist in ihrer Gesamtheit als börsennotiertes Weltkulturerbe , zusammen mit seiner Lagune. [ 2 ]

Venedig ist die Hauptstadt des Veneto Region . Im Jahr 2009 gab es 270.098 Personen mit Wohnsitz in Venedig Gemeinde (die Bevölkerung von 272.000 Einwohnern umfasst die Bevölkerung des ganzen Comune von Venezia; rund 60.000 [ 3 ] in der historischen Altstadt von Venedig ( Centro storico ); 176.000 in Terraferma (das Festland ), vor allem in der großen Ortsteile von Mestre und Marghera , 31.000 leben auf anderen Inseln in der Lagune). Zusammen mitPadua und Treviso , die Stadt ist in der Padua-Treviso-Venedig Metropolitan Area (PATREVE) enthalten, mit einer Gesamtbevölkerung von 1.600.000. PATREVE nur eine statistische Stadtgebiet ohne Maß an Autonomie.

 

Puebla - Mexico

  

All my photos are under full copyright. All rights are reserved.

If you are interested in my photos, please contact me via flickr-mail.

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/W%c3%bcrzburg_Residence

 

www.schloesser.bayern.de/englisch/palace/objects/wu_res.htm

 

Würzburg Residenz: The vast complex on the eastern edge of the town was commissioned by two prince-bishops, the brothers Johann Philipp Franz and Friedrich Karl von Schönborn. Its construction between 1720 and 1744 was supervised by several architects, including Johann Lukas von Hildebrandt and Maximilian von Welsch. Although much of it destroyed during WWII, it has been completely rebuilt as it was before the war. However, it is associated mainly with the name of Balthasar Neumann, the creator of its famous Baroque staircase. Its main sights are:

~~~Hofkirche: The church interior is richly decorated with paintings, sculptures and stucco ornaments. The altars were painted by Giovanni Battista Tiepolo.

~~~Treppenhaus: The largest fresco in the world adorns the vault of the staircase by Giovanni Battista Tiepolo. For many years the staircase appeared on a Deutschmark bill.

~~~Kaisersaal: The centerpiece of the palace, emperor's chamber which testifies the close relationship between Würzburg and the Holy Roman Empire.

 

Tomb of Inês de Castro depicting the Last Judgement, Mosteiro de Alcobaça (Alcobaça Monastery), full name Real Abadia de Santa Maria de Alcobaça (Royal Abbey of Saint Mary of Alcobaça), Alcobaça, Portugal.

 

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

The Alcobaça Monastery (Portuguese: Mosteiro de Santa Maria de Alcobaça) is a Mediaeval Roman Catholic Monastery located in the town of Alcobaça, in central Portugal. It was founded by the first Portuguese King, Afonso Henriques, in 1153, and maintained a close association with the Kings of Portugal throughout its history.

The church and monastery were the first Gothic buildings in Portugal, and, together with the Monastery of Santa Cruz in Coimbra, it was one of the most important of the mediaeval monasteries in Portugal. Due to its artistic and historical importance, it was listed by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site in 1989.

...

Art and architecture

The Alcobaça Monastery was built following an early Gothic style, and represents the arrival of this style in Portugal. The church and other main buildings were constructed from 1178 until the end of the 13th century. The church was consecrated in 1252. Following the precepts of the Order of Cistercians, the original monastic buildings were built under clean architectonic lines, without any decoration apart from some capital sculpture and a statue of the Virgin Mary.

...

Royal tombs

In the transept of the church are located the tombs of King Pedro I and his mistress, Ines de Castro, assassinated, in 1355, under the orders of Peter's father, King Afonso IV. After becoming King, Pedro ordered the remains of his beloved to be transferred to her tomb in Alcobaça and, according to a popular legend, made her be crowned as Queen of Portugal and ordered court members to pay her homage by kissing her decomposing hand.

This pair of Royal tombs in Alcobaça, of unknown authorship, are among the best works of gothic sculpture in Portugal. The tombs are supported by lions, in the case of the King, and half-men half-beasts, in the case of Ines, and both carry the recumbent figures of the deceased assisted by a group of angels. The sides of Pedro's tomb are magnificently decorated with reliefs showing scenes from Saint Bartholomew's life, as well as scenes from Pedro and Ines' life. Her tomb is decorated with scenes from the life of Christ, including the Crucifixion and with the Last Judgement.

----end of citation----

 

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

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

By virtue of its magnificent dimensions, the clarity of the architectural style, the beauty of the material used and the care with which it was built, the Cistercian Monastery of Santa Maria d'Alcobaça is a masterpiece of Gothic Cistercian art. It bears witness to the spread of an aesthetic style that developed in Burgundy at the time of St Bernard and to the survival of the ascetic ideal which characterized the order's early establishments such as Fontenay. The tombs of Dom Pedro and Doña Inés de Castro are among the most beautiful of Gothic funerary sculptures.

The monastery is also an outstanding example of a great Cistercian establishment with a unique infrastructure of hydraulic systems and functional buildings. Deservedly renowned, the 18th-century kitchen adds to the interest of the group of monastic buildings from the medieval period (cloister and lavabo, chapter room, parlour, dormitory, the monks' room and the refectory).

----end of citation----

 

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

Archäologische Stätte Mykene.

Mykene auf den Peloponnes / GRIECHENLAND /

Mykene ist eine der bedeutendsten archäologischen Stätten in Griechenland. Sie liegt in der Region Arglos im Osten des Peloponnes.

 

Mykene - Grab des Agamemnon

Theological Hall, 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

Door of the Sala dos Árabes (Arab Room), 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

A vegetable stall at the Green Market in Bamberg, Franconia (Bavaria)

 

Some background information:

 

The Green Market is a strung-out place in Bamberg with mainly baroque domestic architecture. It owes its name to the green vegetable, which has always been sold here. The appearance of the place is characterized by the Jesuit church St Martin and the Neptune Fountain from 1698, which is also called “Fork Man” in the vernacular because of the trident, which Neptune holds in one of his hands.

 

St Martin was consecrated in 1693 after a construction period of seven years. It was planned by Georg and Ludwig Dientzenhofer, two brothers, who became famous architects of German Baroque.

 

The church stands on the spot of a former Carmelite abbey, which was built in 1248. In 1611 the Jesuits took over the monastery, but already dismantled it a few decades later because the Carmelite church faced east, which wasn’t in accordance with the wishes of the Jesuits. After the abolishment of the Jesuit Order by pope Clemens XIV. In 1773 and the Bavarian Secularisation at the beginning of the 19th century, St Martin became the parish church of Bamberg’s so called lower town, which it still is to the present day.

 

Bamberg is a town with more than 70,000 residents, located in Upper Franconia. First mentioned in 902, it became a separate diocese in 1007. Its cathedral was already consecrated in 1012.

 

Besides its beautiful old town, Bamberg is also known for its eight breweries and its famous smoked beer. Since 1993 the old town is listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, primarily because of its authentic medieval and also baroque appearance. Bamberg’s core city has more than 1,200 buildings of historic importance.

Hallstatt ist eine Gemeinde mit 794 Einwohnern (Stand 1. Jänner 2012) im Salzkammergut im Bundesland Oberösterreich in Österreich und liegt am Hallstätter See. Zusammen mit dem Dachstein und dem Inneren Salzkammergut gehört es zum UNESCO-Welterbe. Nach Funden in einem ausgedehnten Gräberfeld oberhalb des Ortes wird ein Zeitabschnitt der älteren Eisenzeit als Hallstattzeit bezeichnet. Die Gemeinde liegt im Gerichtsbezirk Bad Ischl.

de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hallstatt

Album Österreich Austria Österreich Rakusko oesterreich autriche avusturya loweraustria www.flickr.com/photos/arjuna/sets/72157630001948036/

 

Aile 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.

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

 

The wall is over and over decorated with azulejos, the typical Portuguese ceramic tileworks.

 

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

Baroque Morzin Palace, Neruda street (Nerudova), Lesser Town (Malá Strana), Prague (Praha), Czech Republic.

 

Morzin Palace was built by architect Jan Blažej Santini-Aichl between 1713 and 1714.

Two moors - symbol of the Morzin family - are carrying the balcony of Morzin Palace on their shoulders. Touching their big toes is said to bring good luck.

Today Morzin Palace houses the Romanian Embassy.

 

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

Sign of Prague Marionette Theatre, playing W.A. Mozart's opera "Don Giovanni" twice a day. Old Town (Staré Město), 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

1 2 ••• 61 62 64 66 67 ••• 79 80