View allAll Photos Tagged UNESCOWelterbe
Stairway and main entrance of the historic building of the Faculty of Law of Universidade de Coimbra (University of Coimbra), Coimbra, Portugal.
The University of Coimbra is one of the oldest universities in continuous operation in the world, the oldest university of Portugal, and one of its largest higher education and research institutions. It has approximately 20,000 students, and hosts one of the largest communities of international students in Portugal, being the most cosmopolitan Portuguese university.
The University was founded in Lisbon in 1290 by Dom Dinis I de Portugal (King Denis I of Portugal), but moved to Coimbra in 1308.
The University has a grandiose Baroque library called Biblioteca Joanina (John's Library) which was founded in the 18th century by Dom João V (King John V). It is full of books from the 15th, 16th and 17th century. Unfortunately, it was forbidden to take photos in there, but there are lots of photos and interesting information on bibliotecajoanina.uc.pt.
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
Central Library building with mosaic tile murals by Juan O'Gorman.
The most elaborate example of O'Gorman's work is the exterior of the Library of the National Autonomous University of Mexico, which he planned and built in the early 1950s. The windowless library featured a tower containing book stacks; the tower was covered with natural-stone mosaics, which symbolically depicted a history of Mexican culture. O'Gorman was born in 1905 and comitted suicide due to failing health, in 1982.
DSCN3826
Lübeck made of marzipan in the marzipan showroom of Niederegger, Hanseatic City of Lübeck, Schleswig-Holstein, Germany.
The Niederegger company is a renowned producer of Lübeck Marzipan and sweets situated in Lübeck, family-owned in the 7th generation since 1806. Café Niederegger in Breite Straße offers a shop, a café and a marzipan showroom, the latter explaining the history of marzipan and Niederegger and showing some impressive pieces of marzipan art.
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.
For the monks, the forge was the only means to earn some money. The forge hammer was driven by a water mill.
The Abbey of Fontenay is a former Cistercian abbey located near the villiage Marmagne in the Arrondissement Montbard (Département of Côte-d'Or). It was founded by Saint Bernard of Clairvaux in 1118 and built in the Romanesque style. It is one of the oldest and most complete Cistercian abbeys in Europe and became a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1981.
I visited Prague for a weekend in January. On my first evening I wandered around and finally found me in front of the tower of the Old Town Hall. Quite famous for the Astronomical Clock. But in my opinion it should be equally famous for the lift inside the tower. And you get a fantastic view of Prague.
All pictures clickable and some more in the set.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Im Januar war ich für ein Wochenende in Prag. An meinem ersten Abend bin ich ein wenig durch die Gegend gelaufen und stand auf mal vor dem Altstädter Rathaus. Das ist bekannt, weil da an der Seite die Astronomische Uhr ist. Ich finde aber, dass auch das Treppenhaus und der Fahrstuhl im Turm mehr als einen Blick wert sind. Außerdem hat man einen schönen Blick über die Stadt.
Alle Bilder anklickbar und noch mehr im Album.
From Cologne to Leipzig: Cologne Cathedral and Cologne Grand Central Station
Cologne Cathedral has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1996 (ref. 0292).
This mural, on all 4 sides of the building, recognized as the largest mural in the world, covering all sides of the Library, based on Aztec and Spanish motifs and UNAM's coat of arms, makes the Central Library Ciudad Universitaria's most iconic building. (built 1953)
O'Gorman incorporates the windows in the center of each floor into his artwork, so that the almost disappear into the design.
Ciudad Universitaria - Mexico City
DSCN3819
Sculpture in the castle garden of Quedlinburg in the Harz mountains, Sachsen-Anhalt (Saxony-Anhalt), Germany.
Quedlinburg is a beautiful medieval town in the north of the Harz mountains. With its many half-timbered houses, the Quedlinburg castle (which later became a house of secular canonesses) and the Romanesque Collegiate Church of St. Servatius it is inscribed in the World Heritage List of the UNESCO.
----quotation from whc.unesco.org:----
Quedlinburg, in the Land of Sachsen-Anhalt, was a capital of the East Franconian German Empire at the time of the Saxonian-Ottonian ruling dynasty. It has been a prosperous trading town since the Middle Ages. The number and high quality of the timber-framed buildings make Quedlinburg an exceptional example of a medieval European town. The Collegiate Church of St Servatius is one of the masterpieces of Romanesque architecture. (...)
The importance of Quedlinburg rests on three main elements: the preservation of the medieval street pattern; the wealth of urban vernacular buildings, especially timber-framed houses of the 16th and 17th centuries, and the important Romanesque collegiate church of St Servatius. The original urban layout is remarkably well preserved: it is a classic example of the growth of European medieval towns. The history of the medieval and early modern town is perfectly illustrated by the street pattern of the present-day town. (...)
Situated in a hilly region to the north of the Harz Mountains, the villa Quitilingaburg is first mentioned in 922 in an official document of Henry I (the Fowler), who was elected German King in 919. He built a castle on what became known as the Castle Hill (Burgberg), one of the two sandstone hills that overlook the Harz valley, and this became one of his favourite residences. It became the capital of the East Franconian German Empire and was the place where many important political and religious assemblies and festivals took place. The town owes its wealth and importance during the Middle Ages to Henry I and his successors. German Kings are known to have stayed at Quedlinburg on 69 occasions between 922 and 1207.
On the death of Henry I in 936 his widow Mathilde remained in Quedlinburg at the collegiate church of St Servatius on the Castle Hill, founded by Henry's son and successor Otto I as a collegial establishment for unmarried daughters of the nobility. It was to become one of the most influential foundations of its type in the Holy Roman Empire. From 944 the abbesses (many of whom were members of the Imperial family and were buried in the crypt of the church) had the right to mint coins at Quedlinburg.
----end of quotation----
Harz weekend June 2012
The Long Leg Gate Tower (Pika jala väravatorn) is the main gate that separates the lower town from Toompea Hill. It was built around 1380 and expanded around 1450.
Detail of the choir stalls 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
Nell'area degli scavi archeologici di Pompei è stata portata alla luce l'antica città romana distrutta tragicamente a seguito di una delle eruzioni del vicino vulcano Vesuvio, avvenuta nell'anno 79.
Già alcuni anni prima - nel 62 - un terribile terremoto, premonitore della ben più grave catastrofe che si sarebbe abbattuta sulla città di lì a pochi anni, colpì Pompei e la città di Ercolano nonché altri centri della Campania.
Pompei fu gravemente danneggiata, ma subito cominciò l'opera di ricostruzione. Diciassette anni più tardi, mentre i lavori continuavano a procedere a ritmo sostenuto (ed anche se gli edifici pubblici erano ancora quasi tutti da restaurare), la città e i suoi abitanti vissero una tra le più grandi tragedie della storia antica che oggi, cristallizzata nel tempo e in quell'attimo, è stata riportata in superficie divenendo il secondo sito archeologico più visitato al mondo[1]. La città tornò alla luce nel 1748, grazie agli scavi voluti e finanziati da Carlo di Borbone.
Gli scavi di Pompei, con quelli di Ercolano ed Oplontis, sono riportati nella lista dei patrimoni dell'umanità dell'UNESCO
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Pompeia foi outrora uma cidade do Império Romano situada a 22 quilômetros da cidade de Nápoles, na Itália, no território do atual município de Pompeia. A antiga cidade foi destruída durante uma grande erupção do vulcão Vesúvio em 24 de agosto do ano 79 d.C.
A erupção do vulcão provocou uma intensa chuva de cinzas que sepultou completamente a cidade, que se manteve oculta por 1600 anos antes de ser reencontrada por acaso. Cinzas e lama moldaram os corpos das vítimas, permitindo que fossem encontradas do modo exato em que foram atingidas pela erupção do Vesúvio. Desde então, as escavações proporcionaram um sítio arqueológico extraordinário, que possibilita uma visão detalhada na vida de uma cidade dos tempos da Roma Antiga.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Pompeii is a partly buried Roman town-city near modern Naples in the Italian region of Campania, in the territory of the comune of Pompei. Along with Herculaneum, its sister city, Pompeii was destroyed and completely buried during a long catastrophic eruption of the volcano Mount Vesuvius spanning two days in 79 AD. The eruption buried Pompeii under 4 to 6 meters of ash and pumice, and it was lost for nearly 1,600 years before its accidental rediscovery in 1599. Since then, its excavation has provided an extraordinarily detailed insight into the life of a city at the height of the Roman Empire. Today, this UNESCO World Heritage Site is one of the most popular tourist attractions of Italy, with approximately 2,500,000 visitors every year
Sign of Ferienwohnung "Moni" (Holiday Flat "Moni"), Im Stieg, Quedlinburg in the Harz mountains, Sachsen-Anhalt (Saxony-Anhalt), Germany.
Quedlinburg is a beautiful medieval town in the north of the Harz mountains. With its many half-timbered houses, the Quedlinburg castle (which later became a house of secular canonesses) and the Romanesque Collegiate Church of St. Servatius it is inscribed in the World Heritage List of the UNESCO.
----quotation from whc.unesco.org:----
Quedlinburg, in the Land of Sachsen-Anhalt, was a capital of the East Franconian German Empire at the time of the Saxonian-Ottonian ruling dynasty. It has been a prosperous trading town since the Middle Ages. The number and high quality of the timber-framed buildings make Quedlinburg an exceptional example of a medieval European town. The Collegiate Church of St Servatius is one of the masterpieces of Romanesque architecture. (...)
The importance of Quedlinburg rests on three main elements: the preservation of the medieval street pattern; the wealth of urban vernacular buildings, especially timber-framed houses of the 16th and 17th centuries, and the important Romanesque collegiate church of St Servatius. The original urban layout is remarkably well preserved: it is a classic example of the growth of European medieval towns. The history of the medieval and early modern town is perfectly illustrated by the street pattern of the present-day town. (...)
Situated in a hilly region to the north of the Harz Mountains, the villa Quitilingaburg is first mentioned in 922 in an official document of Henry I (the Fowler), who was elected German King in 919. He built a castle on what became known as the Castle Hill (Burgberg), one of the two sandstone hills that overlook the Harz valley, and this became one of his favourite residences. It became the capital of the East Franconian German Empire and was the place where many important political and religious assemblies and festivals took place. The town owes its wealth and importance during the Middle Ages to Henry I and his successors. German Kings are known to have stayed at Quedlinburg on 69 occasions between 922 and 1207.
On the death of Henry I in 936 his widow Mathilde remained in Quedlinburg at the collegiate church of St Servatius on the Castle Hill, founded by Henry's son and successor Otto I as a collegial establishment for unmarried daughters of the nobility. It was to become one of the most influential foundations of its type in the Holy Roman Empire. From 944 the abbesses (many of whom were members of the Imperial family and were buried in the crypt of the church) had the right to mint coins at Quedlinburg.
----end of quotation----
Harz weekend June 2012
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.
Visita micamara.es/alemania/ para saber mas de Alemania y de mas lugares que quiero compartir y he viajado.
My brother's little moose (as a true German soccer fan with a scarf and hat in black-red-gold) traveled with us through Prague and absolutely wanted to get a photo of his own, too.
This is at the banks of Vltava river, in Smetanovo nábřeží (Smetana Embankment), 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
Protestant Kostol Najsvätejšej Trojice (Church of the Holy Trinity), also simply called Drevený artikulárny kostol v Kežmarku (wooden articular church in Kežmarok), Kežmarok, Prešovský kraj (Prešov Region), Slovakia.
---quotation from en.wikipedia.org:---
The Wooden articular church in Kežmarok (Slovak: Drevený artikulárny kostol v Kežmarku) is a wooden church in Kežmarok, Slovakia. The local Lutherans built it during a period of religious persecution, when they were allowed to erect only wooden churches. That is why even nails were made exclusively of wood. The construction was financially supported by Protestants from various countries, including Sweden and Denmark.
The only stone part of the church is its sacristy, originally built in 1593 as a pub outside the city walls. In the 17th century, the Roman Catholic dynasty of Habsburgs persecuted Protestantism in the Habsburg Monarchy, which included territory of present Slovakia at that time. The number of churches was limited to one in each free royal town, Kežmarok being one of them. The construction material had to be the cheapest possible (wood at that time) and a church had to be completed in 365 days. Furthermore, the site of a new Protestant church had to be chosen by a royal commission. In Kežmarok, a royal commission deliberately chose an ancient pub as a place of worship, in order to humiliate the local Protestant community. The pub was subsequently incorporated into a hastily constructed religious building as a sacristy.
The oldest parts are an epitaph from 1688 and a Renaissance baptistery from 1690. They are the only remaining parts of the first church. The second wooden church, erected in the Baroque style in 1717, completely replaced the first building. It has the shape of an equal-armed Greek cross. The space can accommodate 1,541 worshipers. According to a legend, circular windows were made by Swedish sailors contributing to the construction. The organ, completed in 1729, is known for its perfect sound despite having only wooden pipes.
The church has been protected by the state as an important historical monument since 1892. In 1985, the Slovak National Council (parliament) proclaimed it a National Historical Monument. An expensive reconstruction followed in the 1990s.
The church is one of only five Lutheran wooden churches remaining in Slovakia. The others are situated in Hronsek, Istebné, Leštiny, and Svätý Kríž near Liptovská Mara.
---end of quotation---
Together with 7 other wooden churches, the articular church of Kežmarok is inscribed in the UNESCO World Heritage list as "Wooden Churches of the Slovak part of the Carpathian Mountain Area".
---quotation from whc.unesco.org about the World Heritage Site "Wooden Churches of the Slovak part of the Carpathian Mountain Area":---
The wooden churches of the Slovak part of Carpathian Mountain Area, illustrate the coexistence of different religious faiths within a small territory of central Europe. The series of eight properties includes Roman Catholic, Protestant and Greek Orthodox churches that were built between the 16th and 18th centuries, most of them in quite isolated villages, using wood as the main material and traditional construction techniques. Within the framework of their common features, the churches exhibit some typological variations, in accordance with the correspondent faith, expressed in their plans, interior spaces and external appearance. The churches also bear testimony to the development of major architectural and artistic trends during the period of construction and its interpretation and adaptation to a specific geographical and cultural context. Interiors are decorated with wall and ceiling paintings and works of art that enrich the cultural significance of the properties.
---end of quotation---
Slovakia holidays May 2016
Rhine river with Gothic Ratsturm (council tower) of the historical Rathaus (town hall), Romanesque Groß Sankt Martin (Great Saint Martin Church) and Gothic Kölner Dom (Cologne Cathedral), official name Hohe Domkirche St. Peter und Maria (High Cathedral of Sts. Peter and Mary), Köln (Cologne), Nordrhein-Westfalen (North Rhine-Westphalia), Germany.
Cologne Cathedral is inscribed in the World Heritage List of the UNESCO.
------quotation from whc.unesco.org/en/list/292:------
Begun in 1248, the construction of this Gothic masterpiece took place in several stages and was not completed until 1880. Over seven centuries, successive builders were inspired by the same faith and a spirit of absolute fidelity to the original plans. Apart from its exceptional intrinsic value and the artistic masterpieces it contains, Cologne Cathedral testifies to the enduring strength of European Christianity.
(...)
Cologne Cathedral is a High Gothic five-aisled basilica, with a projecting transept and a two-tower facade. The construction is totally unified. The western section, begun in 1330, changes in style, but this is not perceptible in the overall building. The 19th-century work followed the medieval forms and techniques faithfully. The original liturgical appointments of the choir are still extant to a considerable degree. These include the high altar on an enormous monolithic slab of black marble, the carved-oak choir stalls (1308-11), the painted choir screens (1332-40), the 14 statues on the pillars in the choir (1270-90), and the stained-glass windows, the largest extant cycle of 14th-century windows in Europe. There is an outstanding series of tombs of 12 archbishops between 976 and 1612.
(...)
During World War II the cathedral suffered tremendous damage during air-raids: no fewer than fourteen heavy bombs reduced it to a pitiful state. Restoration and reconstruction work rendered the chevet usable in time for the centenary celebrations in 1948, but the remainder of the building was not restored fully until 1956.
------end of quotation------
Summer holiday August 2014
Podium in Bürgerschaftssaal (Hall of the City Council) in Lübeck Rathaus (town hall), Hanseatic City of Lübeck, Schleswig-Holstein, Germany.
The podium shows Lübeck's silhouette with the famous "seven towers": St. Jacob, St. Mary, St. Peter, St. Giles and the Dom (cathedral).
The town hall of Lübeck is one of the largest and most significant town halls of Germany. It was a model for many other town halls in the Baltic Sea region.
Over the years, Lübeck town hall was extended several times. The largest part was built in brick gothic style, but some parts were also built with sandstone in Renaissance style.
The old city center of Lübeck is in great parts inscribed in the World Heritage List of the UNESCO. A plan of the inscribed zones can be found here: whc.unesco.org/download.cfm?id_document=102311
---quotation from whc.unesco.org:---
Lübeck – the former capital and Queen City of the Hanseatic League – was founded in the 12th century and prospered until the 16th century as the major trading centre for northern Europe. It has remained a centre for maritime commerce to this day, particularly with the Nordic countries. Despite the damage it suffered during the Second World War, the basic structure of the old city, consisting mainly of 15th- and 16th-century patrician residences, public monuments (the famous Holstentor brick gate), churches and salt storehouses, remains unaltered.
---end of quotation---
Sightseeing tour with Ralph on Good Friday 2016.
The Saules Akmens (Sun Stone building, right) was constructed 2002-2004. It was designed by architects Victor Valgums (Zenico Project) and Alvis Zlaugotnis (Tectum). It is 91 meters high (122 meters at the tip) and has 27 stories and serves as Latvian headquarters of Swedbank.
Z-Towers (left) is a residential highrise with 336 units currently under construction. Construction began in 2008 and is projected to be completed in 2015. The higher of the two towers will reach a hight of 123 meters which will make it the tallest building in Latvia (the other tower will be 117 meters). The project was designed by NRJA, Uldis Lukševics (Tadao & Lukševics), and Helmut Jahn.
The tower of St. Peter's Church (Svētā Pētera baznīca) offers an exquisite view of Riga. In view is the Daugava river which joins the Baltic just a few miles from here.
Summer Palace ◊ 颐和园
Beijing
Over 60 stores extend from North Palace Gate entrance into a street about 300 meters (328.1 yards) in length. Along the Back Lake, the street design imitates the ancient style of shops on the banks of rivers in Suzhou City, Jiangsu Province, that is, taking the running water of Back Lake as the street and its banks as a market. The area served as an entertainment place where Emperors and concubines could feel as if they were strolling on a commercial street. When the royals went there, eunuchs and maids of honor would playact as peddlers, customers and shop assistants to mimic market activities.
Built during the reign of Qianlong (1711-1799), it was burned down by Anglo-French allied force in 1860. In 1986, it was rebuilt and in 1990 it was opened to the public. Today's market includes stores such as dyers, souvenir shops, drugstores, banks, shoe stores, teashops, and hockshops, with clerks dressed in Qing Dynasty (1644-1911) costumes. www.travelchinaguide.com/attraction/beijing/summer/suzhou...
03.31 1100
Altar crucifix 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
Musicians on Charles Bridge (Karlův most), Prague (Praha), Czech Republic.
Charles Bridge (formerly called Stone Bridge or just Prague Bridge) crosses the Vltava river and connects the quarters Old Town (Staré Město) and Lesser Town (Malá Strana). It is protected by three bridge towers (one on the Old Town side, the others on the Lesser Town side) and is decorated by an alley of 30 statues and statuaries, most of them in baroque style. Charles Bridge is one of the most famous sites of Prague.
Seen from the Old Town Bridge Tower (Staroměstská mostecká věž), Old Town (Staré Město).
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
Hiking tour from Queimadas to Caldeirão Verde ("Green cauldron") and (somewhere near) Caldeirão do Inferno ("Cauldron of hell"), island of Madeira, Portugal.
This region of Madeira is part of the UNESCO World Heritage Site Laurisilva of Madeira.
Madeira is a Portuguese island in the Atlantic ocean, approximately 1000 km (620 mi) southwest of Lisbon and 700 km (435 mi) west of the Moroccan coast. Situated in a hot spot area, Madeira is of volcanic origin, formed during several eruptive phases, the last of which ended around 6500 years ago. Madeira is a very mountainous island. With an extent of only 57 km (35 mi) from west to east and 22 km (14 mi) from north to south, and with the highest mountain having an elevation of 1862 m (6109 ft), the terrain of the island is mostly very rocky and steep, except for the high plateau Paul da Serra.
Madeira is also known as the "island of flowers", although most of the popular "typical" Madeiran flowers (like the bird of paradise flower, the hydrangea, the agapanthus and others) are neither endemic nor native. Some of the genuine Madeiran plants are the "Pride of Madeira" (Echium candicans), Canary Islands Juniper (Juniperus cedrus) and the laurel forests of Madeira (the latter one being listed as UNESCO World Heritage).
Madeira is permeated by artificially built water channels called levadas, which distribute the water from the wetter northern half of the island to the agricultural regions of the south. The levadas, mostly built by prisoners or slaves, were cut into the side of the mountains, partly running through tunnels, and enabled for example the cultivation of sugar cane which was the source of the Madeiran wealth during the 15th to 17th century.
Today most of the levadas are still in use, not only for irrigation but also for hydroelectricity. Running across the whole island, they provide a wide network of walking paths, making even extremely remote regions of the island accessible to pedestrians, which is one of the reasons for Madeira's popularity as a hiking paradise.
Madeira hiking holiday July 2013.
"When the Hungarian Princess Kinga married the Polish Prince Boleslaus the Chaste, she received as dowry one of the salt mines in the Marmaros region, and she cast her engagement ring into the mine. The ring miraculously travelled to Wieliczka together with the salt deposits, and was found in the first block of white gold dug in Wieliczka." - from www.kopalnia.pl/
A stepped gable house in Glockengießerstraße (bell founders' street), Hanseatic City of Lübeck, Schleswig-Holstein, Germany.
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 2017.
Ceiling of Philosophical 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
"Das Stift Melk, offiziell Abtei Melk (lateinisch Abbatia SS. App. Petri et Pauli apud Melk), ist eine Abtei der Benediktiner im Bundesland Niederösterreich in der Stadt Melk am rechten Ufer der Donau. Der heutige Barockbau wurde in den Jahren 1702–1746 von Jakob Prandtauer errichtet. Als Wahrzeichen der Wachau gehört es zum UNESCO-Welterbe. Es wurde als „sinnbildlichstes und dominantestes Barockgebäude“ beschrieben.[1] Weiters beherbergt es das Stiftsgymnasium Melk, die älteste noch bestehende Schule Österreichs." Wikipedia.
Visita micamara.es/alemania/ para saber mas de Alemania y de mas lugares que quiero compartir y he viajado.
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.
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 ]
This apartment building at Elizabetes iela 21a was designed by Mārtiņš Nukša (1878-1942) and constructed in 1910.
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 ]
The house at Kuninga tänav 1, known as Bishop House, was a merchant house built in a Gothic style. Its existence was mentioned in a document from 1339. The facade features lovely blind windows with pointed arches.
It is a so-called "father and son house" as a gate building with a half gable was added to the left of the main building.
The Riga Cathedral (Rīgas Doms) today is the main Lutheran church in Riga. Construction began in 1211 so the basic architecture is Gothic. A number of remodeling projects over the centuries left their stylistic marks on the cathedral. Of note is the famous organ which was built in 1884 by the Orgelbaufirma Walcker, using the Baroque organ prospect from 1601. The Baroque pulpit of the Riga Cathedral was created in 1641.
Cloister of Silence of 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.
...
Cloister of Silence
The cloister of the monastery was built during the reign of, and sponsored by, King Dinis I. It is one of the largest mediaeval Cistercian cloisters in Europe. Its columns are decorated by capitals with animal and vegetal motifs. The builder was the Portuguese architect Domingo Domingues. The Gothic Fountain Hall has an elegant early renaissance water basin inside, decorated with renaissance motifs including the coat-of-arms of the monastery and reliefs of gryphs. The second floor of the cloister, in manueline style as revealed by its typical twisted columns, was built in the early 16th century.
----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