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Thessaloniki (Greek: Θεσσαλονίκη, often referred to internationally as Thessalonica or Salonica, is the second-largest city in Greece and the capital of the Greek region of Macedonia, the administrative region of Central Macedonia and the Decentralized Administration of Macedonia and Thrace.[3][4] Its honorific title is Συμπρωτεύουσα (Symprotévousa), literally "co-capital",[5] and stands as a reference to its historical status as the Συμβασιλεύουσα (Symvasilévousa) or "co-reigning" city of the Eastern Roman (Byzantine) Empire, alongside Constantinople.[6]
According to the preliminary results of the 2011 census, the municipality of Thessaloniki today has a population of 322,240,[1] while the Thessaloniki Urban Area (the contiguous built up area forming the "City of Thessaloniki") has a population of 790,824.[1] Furthermore, the Thessaloniki Metropolitan Area extends over an area of 1,455.62 km2 (562.02 sq mi) and its population in 2011 reached a total of 1,104,460 inhabitants.[1]
Thessaloniki is Greece's second major economic, industrial, commercial and political centre, and a major transportation hub for the rest of southeastern Europe;[7] its commercial port is also of great importance for Greece and the southeastern European hinterland.[7] The city is renowned for its festivals, events and vibrant cultural life in general,[8] and is considered to be Greece's cultural capital.[8] Events such as the Thessaloniki International Trade Fair and the Thessaloniki International Film Festival are held annually, while the city also hosts the largest bi-annual meeting of the Greek diaspora.[9] Thessaloniki is the 2014 European Youth Capital.[10]
Founded in 315 BC by Cassander of Macedon, Thessaloniki's history spans some 2,300 years. An important metropolis by the Roman period, Thessaloniki was the second largest and wealthiest city of the Byzantine Empire. Thessaloniki is home to numerous notable Byzantine monuments, including the Paleochristian and Byzantine monuments of Thessaloniki, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, as well as several Roman, Ottoman and Sephardic Jewish structures. The city's main university, Aristotle University, is the largest in Greece and the Balkans.[11]
Thessaloniki is a popular tourist destination in Greece. In 2010, Lonely Planet ranked Thessaloniki as the world's fifth-best party city worldwide, comparable to other cities such as Dubai and Montreal.[12] For 2013 National Geographic Magazine included Thessaloniki in its top tourist destinations worldwide,[13] while in 2014 Financial Times FDI magazine (Foreign Direct Investments) declared Thessaloniki as the best mid-sized European city of the future for human capital and lifestyle.
Etymology
All variations of the city's name derive from the original (and current) appellation in Greek: Θεσσαλονίκη (from Θεσσαλός, Thessalos, and Νίκη, Nike), literally translating to "Thessalian Victory". The name of the city came from the name of a princess, Thessalonike of Macedon, half sister of Alexander the Great, so named because of her birth on the day of the Macedonian victory at the Battle of Crocus Field (353/352 BCE).[16]
The alternative name Salonica (or Salonika) derives from the variant form Σαλονίκη (Saloníki) in popular Greek speech, and has given rise to the form of the city's name in several languages. Names in other languages prominent in the city's history include Солѹнь (Solun) in Old Church Slavonic, סלוניקה (Salonika) in Ladino, Selanik (also Selânik) in Turkish (سلانیك in Ottoman Turkish), Solun (also written as Солун) in the local and neighboring South Slavic languages, Салоники (Saloníki) in Russian, and Sãrunã in Aromanian. In local speech, the city's name is typically pronounced with a dark and deep L characteristic of Macedonian Greek accent.[17][18]
The name often appears in writing in the abbreviated form Θεσ/νίκη
History
From antiquity to the Roman Empire
The city was founded around 315 BC by the King Cassander of Macedon, on or near the site of the ancient town of Therma and 26 other local villages.[20] He named it after his wife Thessalonike,[21] a half-sister of Alexander the Great and princess of Macedon as daughter of Philip II. Under the kingdom of Macedon the city retained its own autonomy and parliament[22] and evolved to become the most important city in Macedon.[21]
After the fall of the kingdom of Macedon in 168 BC, Thessalonica became a free city of the Roman Republic under Mark Antony in 41 BC.[21][23] It grew to be an important trade-hub located on the Via Egnatia,[24] the road connecting Dyrrhachium with Byzantium,[25] which facilitated trade between Thessaloniki and great centers of commerce such as Rome and Byzantium.[26] Thessaloniki also lay at the southern end of the main north-south route through the Balkans along the valleys of the Morava and Axios river valleys, thereby linking the Balkans with the rest of Greece.[27] The city later became the capital of one of the four Roman districts of Macedonia.[24] Later it became the capital of all the Greek provinces of the Roman Empire due to the city's importance in the Balkan peninsula. When the Roman Empire was divided into the tetrarchy, Thessaloniki became the administrative capital of one of the four portions of the Empire under Galerius Maximianus Caesar,[28][29] where Galerius commissioned an imperial palace, a new hippodrome, a triumphal arch and a mausoleum among others.[29][30][31]
In 379 when the Roman Prefecture of Illyricum was divided between the East and West Roman Empires, Thessaloniki became the capital of the new Prefecture of Illyricum.[24] In 390 Gothic troops under the Roman Emperor Theodosius I, led a massacre against the inhabitants of Thessalonica, who had risen in revolt against the Germanic soldiers. With the Fall of Rome in 476, Thessaloniki became the second-largest city of the Eastern Roman Empire.[26] Around the time of the Roman Empire Thessaloniki was also an important center for the spread of Christianity; some scholars hold that the First Epistle to the Thessalonians written by Paul the Apostle is the first written book of the New Testament.
Byzantine era and Middle Ages
From the first years of the Byzantine Empire, Thessaloniki was considered the second city in the Empire after Constantinople,[33][34][35] both in terms of wealth and size.[33] with an population of 150,000 in the mid 1100s.[36] The city held this status until it was transferred to Venice in 1423. In the 14th century the city's population exceeded 100,000 to 150,000,[37][38][39] making it larger than London at the time.[40]
During the 6th and 7th centuries the area around Thessaloniki was invaded by Avars and Slavs, who unsuccessfully laid siege to the city several times.[41] Traditional historiography stipulates that many Slavs settled in the hinterland of Thessaloniki,[42] however, this migration was allegedly on a much smaller scale than previously thought.[42][42][43] In the 9th century, the Byzantine Greek missionaries Cyril and Methodius, both natives of the city, created the first literary language of the Slavs, the Glagolic alphabet, most likely based on the Slavic dialect used in the hinterland of their hometown.[44][45][46][47][48]
An Arab naval attack in 904 resulted in the sack of the city.[49] The economic expansion of the city continued through the 12th century as the rule of the Komnenoi emperors expanded Byzantine control to the north. Thessaloniki passed out of Byzantine hands in 1204,[50] when Constantinople was captured by the forces of the Fourth Crusade and incorporated the city and its surrounding territories in the Kingdom of Thessalonica[51] — which then became the largest vassal of the Latin Empire. In 1224, the Kingdom of Thessalonica was overrun by the Despotate of Epirus, a remnant of the former Byzantine Empire, under Theodore Komnenos Doukas who crowned himself Emperor,[52] and the city became the Despotat's capital.[52][53] This era of the Despotate of Epirus is also known as the Empire of Thessalonica.[52][54][55] Following his defeat at Klokotnitsa however in 1230,[52][54] the Empire of Thessalonica became a vassal state of the Second Bulgarian Empire until it was recovered again in 1246, this time by the Nicaean Empire.[52] In 1342,[56] the city saw the rise of the Commune of the Zealots, an anti-aristocratic party formed of sailors and the poor,[57] which is nowadays described as social-revolutionary.[56] The city was practically independent of the rest of the Empire,[56][57][58] as it had its own government, a form of republic.[56] The zealot movement was overthrown in 1350 and the city was reunited with the rest of the Empire.[56]
In 1423, Despot Andronicus, who was in charge of the city, ceded it to the Republic of Venice with the hope that it could be protected from the Ottomans who were besieging the city (there is no evidence to support the oft-repeated story that he sold the city to them). The Venetians held Thessaloniki until it was captured by the Ottoman Sultan Murad II on 29 March 1430.
Ottoman period
When Sultan Murad II captured Thessaloniki and sacked it in 1430, contemporary reports estimated that about one-fifth of the city's population was enslaved.[60] Upon the conquest of Thessaloniki, some of its inhabitants escaped,[61] including intellectuals such as Theodorus Gaza "Thessalonicensis" and Andronicus Callistus.[62] However, the change of sovereignty from the Byzantine Empire to the Ottoman one did not affect the city's prestige as a major imperial city and trading hub.[63][64] Thessaloniki and Smyrna, although smaller in size than Constantinople, were the Ottoman Empire's most important trading hubs.[63] Thessaloniki's importance was mostly in the field of shipping,[63] but also in manufacturing,[64] while most of the city's trade was controlled by ethnic Greeks.[63]
During the Ottoman period, the city's population of mainly Greek Jews and Ottoman Muslims (including those of Turkish and Albanian, as well as Bulgarian Muslim and Greek Muslim convert origin) grew substantially. By 1478 Selânik (سلانیك), as the city came to be known in Ottoman Turkish, had a population of 4,320 Muslims, 6,094 Greek Orthodox and some Catholics, but no Jews. Soon after the turn of the 15th to 16th century, nearly 20,000 Sephardic Jews had immigrated to Greece from Spain following their expulsion by the 1492 Alhambra Decree.[65] By c. 1500, the numbers had grown to 7,986 Greeks, 8,575 Muslims, and 3,770 Jews. By 1519, Sephardic Jews numbered 15,715, 54% of the city's population. Some historians consider the Ottoman regime's invitation to Jewish settlement was a strategy to prevent the ethnic Greek population (Eastern Orthodox Christians) from dominating the city.[38]
Thessaloniki was the capital of the Sanjak of Selanik within the wider Rumeli Eyalet (Balkans)[66] until 1826, and subsequently the capital of Selanik Eyalet (after 1867, the Selanik Vilayet).[67][68] This consisted of the sanjaks of Selanik, Serres and Drama between 1826 and 1912.[69] Thessaloniki was also a Janissary stronghold where novice Janissaries were trained. In June 1826, regular Ottoman soldiers attacked and destroyed the Janissary base in Thessaloniki while also killing over 10,000 Janissaries, an event known as The Auspicious Incident in Ottoman history.[70] From 1870, driven by economic growth, the city's population expanded by 70%, reaching 135,000 in 1917.[71]
The last few decades of Ottoman control over the city were an era of revival, particularly in terms of the city's infrastructure. It was at that time that the Ottoman administration of the city acquired an "official" face with the creation of the Command Post[72] while a number of new public buildings were built in the eclectic style in order to project the European face both of Thessaloniki and the Ottoman Empire.[72][73] The city walls were torn down between 1869 and 1889,[74] efforts for a planned expansion of the city are evident as early as 1879,[75] the first tram service started in 1888[76] and the city streets were illuminated with electric lamp posts in 1908.[77] In 1888 Thessaloniki was connected to Central Europe via rail through Belgrade, Monastir in 1893 and Constantinople in 1896.
Since the 20th century
In the early 20th century, Thessaloniki was in the center of radical activities by various groups; the Bulgarian Internal Macedonian Revolutionary Organization, founded in 1897,[78] and the Greek Macedonian Committee, founded in 1903.[79] In 1903 an anarchist group known as the Boatmen of Thessaloniki planted bombs in several buildings in Thessaloniki, including the Ottoman Bank, with some assistance from the IMRO. The Greek consulate in Ottoman Thessaloniki (now the Museum of the Macedonian Struggle) served as the center of operations for the Greek guerillas. In 1908 the Young Turks movement broke out in the city, sparking the Young Turk Revolution.[80]
The Ottoman Feth-i Bülend being sunk in Thessaloniki in 1912 by a Greek ship during the First Balkan War.
Constantine I of Greece with George I of Greece and the Greek army enter the city.
As the First Balkan War broke out, Greece declared war on the Ottoman Empire and expanded its borders. When Eleftherios Venizelos, Prime Minister at the time, was asked if the Greek army should move towards Thessaloniki or Monastir (now Bitola, Republic of Macedonia), Venizelos replied "Salonique à tout prix!" (Thessaloniki, at all costs!).[81] As both Greece and Bulgaria wanted Thessaloniki, the Ottoman garrison of the city entered negotiations with both armies.[82] On 8 November 1912 (26 October Old Style), the feast day of the city's patron saint, Saint Demetrius, the Greek Army accepted the surrender of the Ottoman garrison at Thessaloniki.[83] The Bulgarian army arrived one day after the surrender of the city to Greece and Tahsin Pasha, ruler of the city, told the Bulgarian officials that "I have only one Thessaloniki, which I have surrendered".[82] After the Second Balkan War, Thessaloniki and the rest of the Greek portion of Macedonia were officially annexed to Greece by the Treaty of Bucharest in 1913.[84] On 18 March 1913 George I of Greece was assassinated in the city by Alexandros Schinas.[85]
In 1915, during World War I, a large Allied expeditionary force established a base at Thessaloniki for operations against pro-German Bulgaria.[86] This culminated in the establishment of the Macedonian Front, also known as the Salonika Front.[87][88] In 1916, pro-Venizelist Greek army officers and civilians, with the support of the Allies, launched an uprising,[89] creating a pro-Allied[90] temporary government by the name of the "Provisional Government of National Defence"[89][91] that controlled the "New Lands" (lands that were gained by Greece in the Balkan Wars, most of Northern Greece including Greek Macedonia, the North Aegean as well as the island of Crete);[89][91] the official government of the King in Athens, the "State of Athens",[89] controlled "Old Greece"[89][91] which were traditionally monarchist. The State of Thessaloniki was disestablished with the unification of the two opposing Greek governments under Venizelos, following the abdication of King Constantine in 1917.[86][91]
The 1st Battalion of the National Defence army marches on its way to the front.
Aerial picture of the Great Fire of 1917.
Most of the old center of the city was destroyed by the Great Thessaloniki Fire of 1917, which started accidentally by an unattended kitchen fire on 18 August 1917.[92] The fire swept through the centre of the city, leaving 72,000 people homeless; according to the Pallis Report, most of them were Jewish (50,000). Many businesses were destroyed, as a result, 70% of the population were unemployed.[92] Also a number of religious structures of the three major faiths were lost. Nearly one-quarter of the total population of approximately 271,157 became homeless.[92] Following the fire the government prohibited quick rebuilding, so it could implement the new redesign of the city according to the European-style urban plan[6] prepared by a group of architects, including the Briton Thomas Mawson, and headed by French architect Ernest Hébrard.[92] Property values fell from 6.5 million Greek drachmas to 750,000.[93]
After the defeat of Greece in the Greco-Turkish War and during the break-up of the Ottoman Empire, a population exchange took place between Greece and Turkey.[90] Over 160,000 ethnic Greeks deported from the former Ottoman Empire were resettled in the city,[90] changing its demographics. Additionally many of the city's Muslims were deported to Turkey, ranging at about 20,000 people.[94]
During World War II Thessaloniki was heavily bombarded by Fascist Italy (with 232 people dead, 871 wounded and over 800 buildings damaged or destroyed in November 1940 alone),[95] and, the Italians having failed to succeed in their invasion of Greece, it fell to the forces of Nazi Germany on 8 April 1941[96] and remained under German occupation until 30 October 1944 when it was liberated by the Greek People's Liberation Army.[97] The Nazis soon forced the Jewish residents into a ghetto near the railroads and on 15 March 1943 began the deportation process of the city's 56,000 Jews to its concentration camps.[98][99] They deported over 43,000 of the city's Jews in concentration camps,[98] where most were killed in the gas chambers. The Germans also deported 11,000 Jews to forced labor camps, where most perished.[100] Only 1,200 Jews live in the city today.
Part of Eleftherias Square during the Axis occupation.
The importance of Thessaloniki to Nazi Germany can be demonstrated by the fact that, initially, Hitler had planned to incorporate it directly in the Third Reich[101] (that is, make it part of Germany) and not have it controlled by a puppet state such as the Hellenic State or an ally of Germany (Thessaloniki had been promised to Yugoslavia as a reward for joining the Axis on 25 March 1941).[102] Having been the first major city in Greece to fall to the occupying forces just two days after the German invasion, it was in Thessaloniki that the first Greek resistance group was formed (under the name «Ελευθερία», Eleftheria, "Freedom")[103] as well as the first anti-Nazi newspaper in an occupied territory anywhere in Europe,[104] also by the name Eleftheria. Thessaloniki was also home to a military camp-converted-concentration camp, known in German as "Konzentrationslager Pavlo Mela" (Pavlos Melas Concentration Camp),[105] where members of the resistance and other non-favourable people towards the German occupation from all over Greece[105] were held either to be killed or sent to concentration camps elsewhere in Europe.[105] In the 1946 monarchy referendum, the majority of the locals voted in favour of a republic, contrary to the rest of Greece.[106]
After the war, Thessaloniki was rebuilt with large-scale development of new infrastructure and industry throughout the 1950s, 1960s and 1970s. Many of its architectural treasures still remain, adding value to the city as a tourist destination, while several early Christian and Byzantine monuments of Thessaloniki were added to the UNESCO World Heritage list in 1988.[107] In 1997, Thessaloniki was celebrated as the European Capital of Culture,[108] sponsoring events across the city and the region. Agency established to oversee the cultural activities of that year 1997 was still in existence by 2010.[109] In 2004 the city hosted a number of the football events as part of the 2004 Summer Olympics.[110]
Today Thessaloniki has become one of the most important trade and business hubs in Southeastern Europe, with its port, the Port of Thessaloniki being one of the largest in the Aegean and facilitating trade throughout the Balkan hinterland.[7] On 26 October 2012 the city celebrated its centennial since its incorporation into Greece.[111] The city also forms one of the largest student centres in Southeastern Europe, is host to the largest student population in Greece and will be the European Youth Capital in 2014
Geography
Geology
Thessaloniki lies on the northern fringe of the Thermaic Gulf on its eastern coast and is bound by Mount Chortiatis on its southeast. Its proximity to imposing mountain ranges, hills and fault lines, especially towards its southeast have historically made the city prone to geological changes.
Since medieval times, Thessaloniki was hit by strong earthquakes, notably in 1759, 1902, 1978 and 1995.[113] On 19–20 June 1978, the city suffered a series of powerful earthquakes, registering 5.5 and 6.5 on the Richter scale.[114][115] The tremors caused considerable damage to a number of buildings and ancient monuments,[114] but the city withstood the catastrophe without any major problems.[115] One apartment building in central Thessaloniki collapsed during the second earthquake, killing many, raising the final death toll to 51.[114][115]
Climate
Thessaloniki's climate is directly affected by the sea it is situated on.[116] The city lies in a transitional climatic zone, so its climate displays characteristics of several climates. According to the Köppen climate classification, it is a humid subtropical climate (Cfa) that borders on a semi-arid climate (BSk), with annual average precipitation of 450 millimetres (18 in) due to the Pindus rain shadow drying the westerly winds. However, the city has a summer precipitation between 20 to 30 millimetres (0.79 to 1.18 in), which borders it close to a hot-summer Mediterranean climate (Csa).
Winters are relatively dry, with common morning frost. Snowfalls are sporadic, but οccur more or less every winter, but the snow cover does not last for more than a few days. Fog is common, with an average of 193 foggy days in a year.[117] During the coldest winters, temperatures can drop to −10 °C (14 °F).[117] The record minimum temperature in Thessaloniki was −14 °C (7 °F).[118] On average, Thessaloniki experiences frost (sub-zero temperature) 32 days a year.[117] The coldest month of the year in the city is January, with an average 24-hour temperature of 6 °C (43 °F).[119] Wind is also usual in the winter months, with December and January having an average wind speed of 26 km/h (16 mph).[117]
Thessaloniki's summers are hot with rather humid nights.[117] Maximum temperatures usually rise above 30 °C (86 °F),[117] but rarely go over 40 °C (104 °F);[117] the average number of days the temperature is above 32 °C (90 °F) is 32.[117] The maximum recorded temperature in the city was 42 °C (108 °F).[117][118] Rain seldom falls in summer, mainly during thunderstorms. In the summer months Thessaloniki also experiences strong heat waves.[120] The hottest month of the year in the city is July, with an average 24-hour temperature of 26 °C (79 °F).[119] The average wind speed for June and July in Thessaloniki is 20 kilometres per hour (12 mph)
Government
According to the Kallikratis reform, as of 1 January 2011 the Thessaloniki Urban Area (Greek: Πολεοδομικό Συγκρότημα Θεσσαλονίκης) which makes up the "City of Thessaloniki", is made up of six self-governing municipalities (Greek: Δήμοι) and one municipal unit (Greek: Δημοτική ενότητα). The municipalities that are included in the Thessaloniki Urban Area are those of Thessaloniki (the city center and largest in population size), Kalamaria, Neapoli-Sykies, Pavlos Melas, Kordelio-Evosmos, Ampelokipoi-Menemeni, and the municipal unit of Pylaia, part of the municipality of Pylaia-Chortiatis. Prior to the Kallikratis reform, the Thessaloniki Urban Area was made up of twice as many municipalities, considerably smaller in size, which created bureaucratic problems.[123]
Thessaloniki Municipality
The municipality of Thessaloniki (Greek: Δήμος Θεσαλονίκης) is the second most populous in Greece, after Athens, with a population of 322,240[1] people (in 2011) and an area of 17.832 km2 (7 sq mi). The municipality forms the core of the Thessaloniki Urban Area, with its central district (the city center), referred to as the Kentro, meaning 'center' or 'downtown'.
The institution of mayor of Thessaloniki was inaugurated under the Ottoman Empire, in 1912. The first mayor of Thessaloniki was Osman Sait Bey, while the current mayor of the municipality of Thessaloniki is Yiannis Boutaris. In 2011, the municipality of Thessaloniki had a budget of €464.33 million[124] while the budget of 2012 stands at €409.00 million.[125]
According to an article in The New York Times, the way in which the present mayor of Thessaloniki is treating the city's debt and oversized administration problems could be used as an example by Greece's central government for a successful strategy in dealing with these problems.[126]
Other
Thessaloniki is the second largest city in Greece. It is an influential city for the northern parts of the country and is the capital of the region of Central Macedonia and the Thessaloniki regional unit. The Ministry of Macedonia and Thrace is also based in Thessaloniki, being that the city is the de facto capital of the Greek region of Macedonia.
It is customary every year for the Prime Minister of Greece to announce his administration's policies on a number of issues, such as the economy, at the opening night of the Thessaloniki International Trade Fair. In 2010, during the first months of the 2010 Greek debt crisis, the entire cabinet of Greece met in Thessaloniki to discuss the country's future.[127]
In the Hellenic Parliament, the Thessaloniki urban area constitutes a 16-seat constituency. As of the national elections of 17 June 2012 the largest party in Thessaloniki is New Democracy with 27.8%, followed by the Coalition of the Radical Left (27.0%) and the Panhellenic Socialist Movement (10.2%).[128] The table below summarizes the results of the latest elections.
Cityscape
Architecture
Architecture in Thessaloniki is the direct result of the city's position at the centre of all historical developments in the Balkans. Aside from its commercial importance, Thessaloniki was also for many centuries the military and administrative hub of the region, and beyond this the transportation link between Europe and the Levant (Syria, Lebanon, Jordan, and Israel / Palestine). Merchants, traders and refugees from all over Europe settled in the city. The need for commercial and public buildings in this new era of prosperity led to the construction of large edifices in the city center. During this time, the city saw the building of banks, large hotels, theatres, warehouses, and factories. Architects who designed some of the most notable buildings of the city, in the late 19th and early 20th century, include Vitaliano Poselli, Pietro Arrigoni, Xenophon Paionidis, Eli Modiano, Moshé Jacques, Jean Joseph Pleyber, Frederic Charnot, Ernst Ziller, Roubens Max, Levi Ernst, Angelos Siagas and others, using mainly the styles of Eclecticism and Art Nouveau.
The city layout changed after 1870, when the seaside fortifications gave way to extensive piers, and many of the oldest walls of the city were demolished, including those surrounding the White Tower, which today stands as the main landmark of the city. As parts of the early Byzantine walls were demolished, this allowed the city to expand east and west along the coast.[129]
The expansion of Eleftherias Square towards the sea completed the new commercial hub of the city and at the time was considered one of the most vibrant squares of the city. As the city grew, workers moved to the western districts, due to their proximity to factories and industrial activities; while the middle and upper classes gradually moved from the city-center to the eastern suburbs, leaving mainly businesses. In 1917, a devastating fire swept through the city and burned uncontrollably for 32 hours.[71] It destroyed the city's historic center and a large part of its architectural heritage, but paved the way for modern development and allowed Thessaloniki the development of a proper European city center, featuring wider diagonal avenues and monumental squares; which the city initially lacked – much of what was considered to be 'essential' in European architecture.
City Center
After the Great Thessaloniki Fire of 1917, a team of architects and urban planners including Thomas Mawson and Ernest Hebrard, a French architect, chose the Byzantine era as the basis of their (re)building designs for Thessaloniki's city center. The new city plan included axes, diagonal streets and monumental squares, with a street grid that would channel traffic smoothly. The plan of 1917 included provisions for future population expansions and a street and road network that would be, and still is sufficient today.[71] It contained sites for public buildings and provided for the restoration of Byzantine churches and Ottoman mosques.
The Metropolitan Church of Saint Gregory Palamas, designed by Ernst Ziller.
Today the city center of Thessaloniki includes the features designed as part of the plan and forms the point in the city where most of the public buildings, historical sites, entertainment venues and stores are located. The center is characterized by its many historical buildings, arcades, laneways and distinct architectural styles such as Art Nouveau and Art Deco, which can be seen on many of its buildings.
Also called the historic center, it is divided into several districts, of which include Ladadika (where many entertainment venues and tavernas are located), Kapani (were the city's central city market is located), Diagonios, Navarinou, Rotonta, Agia Sofia and Ippodromio (white tower), which are all located around Thessaloniki's most central point, Aristotelous Square.
The west point of the city center is home to Thessaloniki's law courts, its central international railway station and the port, while on its eastern side stands the city's two universities, the Thessaloniki International Exhibition Center, the city's main stadium, its archaeological and Byzantine museums, the new city hall and its central parklands and gardens, namely those of the ΧΑΝΘ/Palios Zoologikos Kipos and Pedio tou Areos. The central road arteries that pass through the city center, designed in the Ernest Hebrard plan, include those of Tsimiski, Egnatia, Nikis, Mitropoleos, Venizelou and St. Demetrius avenues.
Ano Poli
Ano Poli (also called Old Town and literally the Upper Town) is the heritage listed district north of Thessaloniki's city center that was not engulfed by the great fire of 1917 and was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site by ministerial actions of Melina Merkouri, during the 1980s. It consists of Thessaloniki's most traditional part of the city, still featuring small stone paved streets, old squares and homes featuring old Greek and Ottoman architecture.
Ano Poli also, is the highest point in Thessaloniki and as such, is the location of the city's acropolis, its Byzantine fort, the Heptapyrgion, a large portion of the city's remaining walls, and with many of its additional Ottoman and Byzantine structures still standing. The area provides access to the Seich Sou Forest National Park[131] and features amphitheatric views of the whole city and the Thermaic Gulf. On clear days Mount Olympus, at about 100 km (62 mi) away across the gulf, can also be seen towering the horizon.
Southeastern Thessaloniki up until the 1920s was home to the city's most affluent residents and formed the outermost suburbs of the city at the time, with the area close to the Thermaic Gulf coast called Exoches, from the 19th century holiday villas which defined the area. Today southeastern Thessaloniki has in some way become a natural extension of the city center, with the avenues of Megalou Alexandrou, Georgiou Papandreou (Antheon), Vasilissis Olgas Avenue, Delfon, Konstantinou Karamanli (Nea Egnatia) and Papanastasiou passing through it, enclosing an area traditionally called Dépôt (Ντεπώ), from the name of the old tram station, owned by a French company. The area extends to Kalamaria and Pylaia, about 9 km (5.59 mi) from the White Tower in the city centre.
Some of the most notable mansions and villas of the old-era of the city remain along Vasilissis Olgas Avenue. Built for the most wealthy residents and designed by well known architects they are used today as museums, art galleries or remain as private properties. Some of them include Villa Bianca, Villa Ahmet Kapanci, Villa Modiano, Villa Mordoch, Villa Mehmet Kapanci, Hatzilazarou Mansion, Chateau Mon Bonheur (often called red tower) and others.
Most of southeastern Thessaloniki is characterized by its modern architecture and apartment buildings, home to the middle-class and more than half of the municipality of Thessaloniki population. Today this area of the city is also home to 3 of the city's main football stadiums, the Thessaloniki Concert Hall, the Posidonio aquatic and athletic complex, the Naval Command post of Northern Greece and the old royal palace (called Palataki), located on the most westerly point of Karabournaki cape. The municipality of Kalamaria is also located in southeastern Thessaloniki and has become this part of the city's most sought after areas, with many open spaces and home to high end bars, cafés and entertainment venues, most notably on Plastira street, along the coast
Northwestern Thessaloniki had always been associated with industry and the working class because as the city grew during the 1920s, many workers had moved there, due to its proximity near factories and industrial activities. Today many factories and industries have been moved further out west and the area is experiencing rapid growth as does the southeast. Many factories in this area have been converted to cultural centres, while past military grounds that are being surrounded by densely built neighborhoods are awaiting transformation into parklands.
Northwest Thessaloniki forms the main entry point into the city of Thessaloniki with the avenues of Monastiriou, Lagkada and 26is Octovriou passing through it, as well as the extension of the A1 motorway, feeding into Thessaloniki's city center. The area is home to the Macedonia InterCity Bus Terminal (KTEL), the Zeitenlik Allied memorial military cemetery and to large entertainment venues of the city, such as Milos, Fix, Vilka (which are housed in converted old factories). Northwestern Thessaloniki is also home to Moni Lazariston, located in Stavroupoli, which today forms one of the most important cultural centers for the city.
To read more please click :-
The former Manatees On The Bay bar in Gulfport FL has become the latest addition to the Caddy’s portfolio, gaining a new mural in the process.
Bohemian Switzerland (Czech: České Švýcarsko; German: Böhmische Schweiz), also known as Czech Switzerland, is a picturesque region in the north-western Czech Republic. It lies on the Czech side of the Elbe Sandstone Mountains north of Děčín on both sides of the Elbe River. It extends eastward into the Lusatian Mountains and westward into the Ore Mountains. Its highest elevation is the mountain Děčínský Sněžník at 726m above sea level. It has been a protected area (as ChKO Labske Piskovce) since 1972.
The region along the right side of the Elbe became a national park on January 1, 2000, the České Švýcarsko National Park. The National Park is adjacent to the Saxon Switzerland National Park (Sächsische Schweiz) in Germany.
(Wikipedia)
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Planned to spend an October evening & morning in České Švýcarsko national park aiming for a few decent shots of the Pravčická brána stone arch - however the weather was against it. Next time! :-)
EXPLORED ON 15 AUGUST 2009 - # 242
“Beauty's sister is vanity, and its daughter lust.”
Vanity is one of man's most treasured values. It makes us so silly, we don't even realize. I think Vanity is the only thing that makes us crave for the attention and approval of those we don't even care about. Yet, why are we humans so affected by it?
This was shot in the Singapore Zoological Gardens. A beautifully vain bird, who was proud of its crown. But the most alluring part of it, was that it had a beautiful grace to accompany it. I was totally mersmerized.
Photograph © Kausthub Desikachar
Photographed with a Canon EOS 5D Mark II, and Canon EF 70-200mm F2.8 IS USM L Lens, and Canon EF 2X Extender with Sigma DG UV Filter. Handheld.
ISO 400. Shot at 400mm, at F5.6 at 1/60s.
Please do not reproduce in any form without prior written consent from the copyright holder. Please contact the photographer through Flickrmail, to inquire about licensing arrangements.
Italien / Südtirol - Seiser Alm und Schlern
Sunset
Sonnenuntergang
Seiser Alm (Italian: Alpe di Siusi, Ladin: Mont Sëuc) is a Dolomite plateau and the largest high-altitude Alpine meadow (German: Alm) in Europe. Located in Italy's South Tyrol province in the Dolomites mountain range, it is a major tourist attraction, notably for skiing and hiking.
Geography
It is located in the western part of the Dolomites and has an altitude between 1,680 m a.s.l. and 2,350 m a.s.l.; it extends for 52 km² between Val Gardena to the north, the Sassolungo Group to the north-east and the Sciliar massif to the south-east, which with its unmistakable profile is one of the most famous symbols of all the Dolomites. Given the vastness of the area, from here it is possible to admire a large number of mountain groups: among others, the Sella Group, the Rosengarten group and the Marmolada.
It is an alp, it is an area where pasture is practiced, the largest in Europe, divided into numerous plots reserved to grazing or from which the farmers get hay for their farms located downstream.
The eastern part has been included since 1975 in the Sciliar natural park.
Surrounding peaks
The alp offers a panoramic view which includes (from north, in a clockwise direction): Peitlerkofel (Sass de Putia, 2,873 m), the Odle and the Puez groups (3,025 m), the Gran Cir, the Sella group (3,152 m), Langkofel (Sassolungo, 3,181 m) and Plattkofel (Sassopiatto, 2,995 m), the Marmolada (3.343 m), the Pala group (Pale di San Martino, 3,192 m), the Vajolet Towers (2,821 m) the Rosengarten group (Catinaccio, 2,981 m) with the peak of the Kesselkogel (Catinaccio d'Antermoia, 3,002 m) and the Schlern (Sciliar, 2,450 m).
(Wikipedia)
The Schlern (German pronunciation: [ʃlɛrn]; Italian: Sciliar [ʃiˈljar]; Ladin: Sciliër; 2,563 m) is a mountain of the Dolomites in South Tyrol, Italy. The peak at the north west end of the mountain (left, in the image at right) was first ascended in July 1880 by Johann Santner. It is named the Santner Spitze in his honour.
The Schlern dominates the villages of Seis am Schlern and Völs am Schlern, and the summit can be reached following the circular route marked with the number 1 from both villages.
At 1,700 metres (5,577 ft), there is the Schlernboden inn and on the summit plateau is the Schlernhaus inn 2,457 metres (8,061 ft), both open from 1 June to 15 October. The highest summit is the Petz with 2,564 metres (8,412 ft).
The Schlern is sung of in the Bozner Bergsteigerlied as one of South Tyrol's landmarks. Its characteristic profile appears on the Der Schlern - Zeitschrift für Südtiroler Landeskunde (Magazine for South Tyrolean Regional Studies) and the logo pressed into Loacker's wafer biscuits.
(Wikipedia)
Die Seiser Alm (italienisch Alpe di Siusi, ladinisch Mont Sëuc) 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.
Geographie
Die Seiser Alm hat eine Größe von 56 km², befindet sich auf einer Höhe von 1680 m s.l.m. bis 2350 m s.l.m., und ist eines der größten geschlossenen Hochplateaus in den Alpen. Der Schlern, die Roterdspitze und die Rosszähne grenzen die Seiser Alm nach Südwesten hin ab. Nach Südosten schließt sich das markante Bergmassiv der Langkofelgruppe an. Nach Norden hin fällt die Seiser Alm hinter den Randerhebungen Puflatsch und Pizberg nach Gröden hin ab. Im Westen sinkt das Gelände über das vorgelagerte Schlerngebiet Richtung Eisacktal.
Die Besiedlung der Seiser Alm gliedert sich in zwei Ortszonen: das touristisch stark erschlossene Compatsch (auch Kompatsch, 1850 m s.l.m.) am äußersten Westrand der Hochfläche sowie Saltria (1680 m s.l.m.), das 5 km östlich unterhalb des Plattkofels liegt.
Im Süden gelegene Teile der Alm sind zusammen mit großen Flächen in der Schlerngruppe und im Rosengarten als Naturpark Schlern-Rosengarten ausgewiesen. Des Weiteren bestehen die zwei geschützten Biotope Col da Fil und Gran Paluch.
Von Seis am Schlern ist der Zugang nach Compatsch mit regelmäßig verkehrenden Bussen und einer modernen Umlauf-Gondelbahn möglich, die ihrerseits durch einen Busdienst an das Gebiet um Kastelruth und Völs angebunden ist. Eine weitere Gondelbahn verkehrt von St. Ulrich in Gröden. Saisonweise werden auch Linienbusse von Monte Pana nach Saltria eingesetzt. Mit privaten Fahrzeugen ist eine Zufahrt zur Seiser Alm nur in den Abend- und Nachtstunden gestattet. Das Gebiet ist touristisch intensiv erschlossen.
Geschichte
Die Nutzung der Hochalm reicht weit zurück. Um 1600 beschreibt Marx Sittich von Wolkenstein in seiner Tiroler Landesbeschreibung die Seiser Alm wie folgt:
„Es ligt auch ab den dorf Castelreudt die allerschonische und grosse alm, so man nit jr gleichen in landt findt, und man eine teische meil [deutsche Meile] wegs von dorf hinauf ist, genant die Seysser Almb, darauf man jarlichen in sumber in die 1.500 kie [Kühe] und bey 600 ogsen [Ochsen] erhalten und nichgest [nicht weniger als] in die 1.800 futer hey [Fuder Heu] herab gefiert werten und auch etliche heuter zendten [hundert Zentner] schmalz und käs gemacht werten. So solten auch bey 400 heythillen [Heustädel] darauf stein und 100 kaserthillen [Schwaigen] und umb Jacobi [25. Juli] bey 4 oder 5 wochen bey 4.000 man und weib daroben ligen und arbeyten tain in hey und das kroffigist [kräftigste] und peste hey, so man in landt findt, ist.“
Sommer
Im Sommer lädt das Gebiet zu Wanderungen und Bergtouren ein. Im Frühjahr 2006 wurde der Hans-und-Paula-Steger-Weg fertiggestellt. Dieser Weg führt in Ost-West-Richtung von Compatsch nach Saltria und ist mit Informationstafeln gestaltet, die Einblicke in Landschaft und Kultur der Seiser Alm und Südtirols geben.
Winter
Das Wintersportgebiet verfügt über 60 km Abfahrtspisten überwiegend im leichten und mittleren Schwierigkeitsgrad, zahlreiche Liftanlagen und einen Funpark. Darüber hinaus wird ein Loipennetz von fast 60 km angeboten. Weitere auf der Seiser Alm praktizierbare Wintersportarten sind das Rodeln und das Schlittschuhlaufen. Zudem verfügt die Seiser Alm über zwei Skischulen mit mehr als 50 Skilehrern für Ski-, Snowboard- und Langlaufkurse.
(Wikipedia)
Der 2563 m hohe Schlern (italienisch Sciliar, ladinisch Sciliër) ist ein Berg in den Südtiroler Dolomiten in Italien. Trotz seiner verhältnismäßig geringen Höhe gilt der stockartige Westpfeiler der Dolomiten aufgrund seiner charakteristischen Form als Wahrzeichen Südtirols.
Der Berg ist der Namensgeber der umliegenden Gebirgsgruppe, der Schlerngruppe. Der Schlern trägt selbst eine Hochfläche, deren frühe weidewirtschaftliche Nutzung durch urgeschichtliche Funde bezeugt ist, und überragt die Seiser Alm, die größte Hochweide Europas, sowie die Mittelgebirgsterrassen des Schlerngebiets um Kastelruth und Völs. 1974 wurde der Schlern mit einigen angrenzenden Flächen in einem Naturpark unter Schutz gestellt, der seit 2003 zum Naturpark Schlern-Rosengarten erweitert ist.
In der Südtiroler Sagenwelt gilt er als Heimat der Schlernhexen. Die seit 1920 publizierte landeskundliche Zeitschrift Der Schlern ist nach dem Berg benannt.
Topographie
Der Burgstall (2515 m) bildet den Nordrand des Berges, seine höchste Erhebung ist der Petz (2563 m), der den Gabels Mull (2390 m) und den Jungschlern (2280 m) überragt. Hinter dem Petz erhebt sich mit dem Mahlknechtstein (2550 m) eine markante Kleinformation. Vorgelagert befinden sich die beiden Türme der Santnerspitze (2413 m) und der Euringerspitze (2394 m). Diese auch einfach Santner und Euringer genannten Gipfel waren früher als Schlernzacken, Paarlspitzen oder Badlspitzen bekannt. Der Santner führte zudem noch den Namen Tuiflspitz, ladinisch Piza dl Malang.
Schutzhütten
Auf dem Schlern eröffnete die Sektion Bozen des Deutschen und Österreichischen Alpenvereins am 22. August 1885 ein Schutzhaus, das 1903 mit dem daneben stehenden Gasthaus zu den Schlernhäusern vereinigt wurde (heute im Besitz des Club Alpino Italiano). 1969 errichtete die Sektion Bozen des Alpenvereins Südtirol die Schlernbödelehütte.
Etymologie
Der im 16. Jahrhundert als Schlernkhofl bzw. auf dem Schalern bezeugte Bergname ist sicher vordeutschen und vorrömischen Ursprungs.
Eine Deutung führt ihn auf das Etym *sala mit der Bedeutung „Bach, Graben, Kanal“ zurück. Bei der mittelalterlichen Eindeutschung des Namens wurde die Grundform mit dem Suffix -en verbunden, dessen e im Bairischen schon früh ausfiel, so dass die Lautung Salérn entstand (Oswald von Wolkenstein schreibt noch Saleren). Wegen Bewahrung der vordeutschen Betonung schrumpfte die erste Silbe schließlich zu Sl-, was durch Palatalisierung zur Lautung Schl- führte. Ursprünglich galt der Name wohl für den Schlerngraben und den Schlernbach; nach ihnen dürfte der Gebirgsstock zunächst Schlernkofel (siehe die Schreibung aus dem 16. Jahrhundert.), dann Schlern genannt worden sein.
Eine andere Theorie postuliert einen Zusammenhang mit der indogermanischen Wurzel *skel mit der Bedeutung „schneiden“. Der Name Schlern nimmt demnach auf die charakteristischen, senkrecht abgeschnitten erscheinenden Felswände des Bergmassivs Bezug.
Geologie
Das Schlern-Massiv besteht vorwiegend aus Sedimentgesteinen der Mittleren Trias. Die gebankten Dolomite der Rosengarten-Formation und Rosszähne-Formation entstanden zu einem großen Teil an etwa 30 Grad steilen Abhängen einer Karbonatplattform, im zentralen Plattformbereich auch als flachliegende Sedimente. Zwischen der Rosengarten-Formation und der Rosszähne-Formation finden sich Vulkanite, die im Ladinium entstanden sind. Überlagert werden diese Formationen von der Schlernplateau-Formation, die unter anderen von Dolomit- und Kalkbänken gebildet wird. Die höchsten Teile des Schlernplateaus werden von Gesteinen des Hauptdolomits der Oberen Trias aufgebaut.
Erstbesteigungen
1880 Santnerspitze (Ostseite, Schwierigkeitsgrad III.) – Johann Santner allein
1884 Euringerspitze (Südwand, III.) – Gustav Euringer und G. Battista Bernhard
1908 Jungschlern (Nordkante, III.) – Paul Mayr und Ernst Hofer
1912 Burgstall (Ostwanddurchquerung, III.) – Max Reinstaller, Heindl Tomasi
1912 Mull (Nordostflanke, II.) – Paul Mayr, Hermann Kofler, Hans Kiene und Pius Wachtler
1929 Schlernkind (IV.) – Fidel Bernard, Hans Leitgeb, Georg Harm, Edi Hermann und Luis Gasser
(Wikipedia)
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or…. press L to enlarge;
clicca sulla piccola icona per attivare lo slideshow: sulla facciata principale del photostream, in alto a destra c'è un piccolo rettangolo (rappresenta il monitor) con dentro un piccolo triangolo nero;
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www.worldphoto.org/sony-world-photography-awards/winners-...
www.fotografidigitali.it/gallery/2726/opere-italiane-segn...
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The cemetery of Taormina has something singular, it contains stories that you do not imagine, when I go to visit my dear departed, I invariably extend the tour "of visits" to the old part, with the various niches located on a long "outdoor tunnel" with tombstones arranged on two wings facing each other, narrow and high, where people, entire families, stories of lives suddenly broken ... because many of these people-families perished under the bombing of Allies of Taormina on 9 July 1943 (the day of the Patron Saint San Pancrazio, who, for not having prevented such bombings on his feast day, was punished for many years, and was no longer celebrated; only recently the recurrence as patron saint has returned); I then go to find the grave of the German photographer Baron Wilhelm von Gloeden, who lies not far from his studio assistant, the photographer Gaetano D’Agata, who was also my great-grandfather; but ... almost as if it were an act of devotion ... I always go, invariably to lay a bouquet of flowers on the tomb of a Jewish family (I also take my children there, they must know and remember): there lies a mother with his three children, they, at the end of the ultimatum of the racial laws in the fascist period, decided to take their own lives all together, closely tied with a rope between them ... in the waters of Taormina, in that of Mazzarò beach.
For several years now, on the occasion of the anniversary for "the day of remembrance" of January 27, I recall on Flickr the tragedy that struck this unfortunate family; until recently I knew nothing about them, except the facts that led to their death: they took all four of them rowing on a boat, until they reached the bay of Mazzarò, they all tied themselves together, they stones in the pockets to weigh themselves down, and thus tied, were thrown into the deep waters near a rock off the coast called "Scogghia Longa" (translated from the Sicilian, High Rock).
Finally, after much research, I was able to find traces of their past lives, it was enlightening to find an online article of the site
"NewSicilia.it", which I report here (in addition to the link), also reporting some discrepancies that appeared in the article on the names and surnames, because it would be necessary to understand who made the mistake, if in transcribing the article, or who recorded the names on the tombstone, for example on the tomb one reads "Lindenfeld Elconorr", while the article talks about "Lindelfeld Eleonor", even the surname is slightly different, where is the mistake?
here the article, the Autor is Aurora Circià:
"Taormina, racial laws and suicide at sea: the story of the Kuerschner family"
TAORMINA - The extreme choice of suicide to escape those who wanted to have the will to decide their death. This is what the Kuerschner family did 81 years ago.
It was March 11, 1939 when 73-year-old Eleonor Lindelfeld and her three children Arthur, Eugene and Renèe, rented a rowboat in Mazzarò to get away from the shore and, offshore, put an end to their lives. They did this by throwing themselves into the water together, weighing their clothes with stones to make sure they wouldn't come back to the surface.
The "fault" of the Kuerschner family? Being Jewish.
For a few weeks, mother and children had been guests in the Flora hotel in Taormina. They tried to escape the racial laws and escape the cruelty of the Nazi and Fascist regimes. Right in their room, following the discovery of the tragic act made by the four, the police at the time claimed to have found a letter according to which the mother and children would have chosen suicide because they were tired of life because they were alone and without friends. A version denied by the letter dated 2 March 1939, which Arthur, a radio journalist expelled from Nazi Germany, had sent to a dear friend, to whom he had entrusted the real reasons for the painful decision taken by the family: "Today the time has come: we all four we will die voluntarily-involuntarily. The deep sea will welcome us more kindly than all the high governments of the countries around us. We will fill our pockets with stones, so as not to return to the surface. Our decision was made half a year ago. It was made easier for us by the awareness of having always led an honest life and happy to work, sometimes crowned with successes and never having done any harm to anyone ”.
The Kuerschners had moved to Germany after the end of the First World War, which Arthur had fought with the rank of captain on the Italian front: a feat that had earned him decorations and medals. In Berlin, having become a German citizen, Arthur had held an official role in the government radio station for 15 years. His life and that of his whole family were, however, turned upside down by the arrival of Adolf Hitler. Racial hatred, in fact, forced them to move to Austria, where they obtained citizenship. In 1938, however, the Austrian country also came under the aegis of the Nazi leader. It was at that point that the Hungarian Jewish family retreated to Italy, where Eugene had already found a job, active in the world of German cinema until the advent of Hitler.
In Italy, Eugene worked as a producer and supervisor on two films: “But it's not a serious thing” (1936), directed by Mario Camerini and the screenplay by Ercole Pattie and Mario Soldati, with Assia Noris and Vittorio De Sica; and “È tornato carnevale” (1937) directed by Raffaello Materazzo, with Armando Falconi and Mario Pisu.
Not even in Italy, however, the Kuerschner family was safe: the decree law of 7 September 1938 n.1381, in fact, provided that the foreign Jews present in the national territory would leave the country by 12 March 1939. It was thus that, on the eve of that ultimatum, mother and children put an end to their lives. The news of their tragic death was reported in the New York Times edition of March 23, 1939 by the Rome correspondent of the American newspaper.
Eleonor Lindelfeld, Arthur, Eugene and Renèe Kuerschner are buried in the non-Catholic section of the Taormina cemetery. On the plaque placed for their memory is engraved: “Under the rose garden we rest, we were placed there when the sad days correan for us poor Jews. We were welcomed to this golden island, we left our future at home. Tremendous is for the mother to choose death for himself and for her. The four of us went by boat, then one after the other we dived into the water. When they found us, the ropes still encircled the body ”.
post Scriptum
- the photo with the inscription "6,000,000 were few" I saw it made many years ago with a black spray can, next to the street name "alley of the Jews" of Taormina, when I was a 16 year old boy, the writing was from me made in post-production, to bring back what I saw in the image;
- see the story by Massimo Gramellini, Italian journalist, writer and TV presenter, who tells of what happens a few kilometers from the borders of Italy, of which I report the link (At 01:20:09 - on a total of the broadcast lasting 01:24:35 - Gramellini in memory of the "day of remembrance of January 27", to remember the victims of the Shoa: Gramellini tells of a tragic event (an event that is a symbol of who knows what unknown tragedies) 400 km from the border Italian, happened to "Ali the crazy".
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Il cimitero di Taormina ha qualcosa di singolare, vi sono racchiuse al suo interno storie che non ti immagini, quando vado a trovare i miei cari defunti, immancabilmente allargo il giro “delle visite” alla parte vecchia, coi vari loculi situati su di un lungo "tunnel all'aperto" con le lapidi disposte su due ali tra loro affacciate, strette ed alte, ove giacciono persone, intere famiglie, storie di vite spezzate all'improvviso...perchè moltissime di queste persone-famiglie perirono sotto i bombardamenti avvenuti a Taormina, da parte degli aerei Alleati, il 9 luglio 1943 (giorno del Santo Patrono San Pancrazio, il quale santo, per non aver impedito, proprio il giorno della sua festa tali bombardamenti, per tantissimi anni fu messo in castigo, e non fu più festeggiato; solo da poco si è tornati a celebrarne la ricorrenza come Santo Patrono); vado poi a trovare la tomba del fotografo tedesco, il barone Wilhelm von Gloeden, che giace a poca distanza dal suo aiutante di studio, il fotografo siciliano Gaetano D’Agata, il quale era pure il mio bisnonno; ma…quasi fosse un atto di devozione...vado sempre, immancabilmente a deporre un mazzolino di fiori sulla tomba di una famiglia di ebrei (ci porto anche i miei figli, loro devono sapere, e ricordare): li giace una madre insieme ai suoi tre figli, essi, allo scadere dell'ultimatum delle le leggi razziali nel periodo fascista, decisero di togliersi la vita tutti insieme, strettamente legati con una corda tra loro... nelle acque di Taormina, in quel di Mazzarò.
Sono diversi anni che, in occasione della ricorrenza per “il giorno della memoria” del 27 gennaio, rievoco su Flickr la tragedia che colpì questa sventurata famiglia; fino a poco tempo fa nulla sapevo di loro, tranne i fatti che portarono alla loro morte: si portarono tutti e quattro remando su di una barca, fino a giungere al largo della baia di Mazzarò, si legarono tutti tra di loro, si misero delle pietre nelle tasche per appesantirsi, e così legati, si gettarono nelle profonde acque in prossimità di uno scoglio al largo detto "Scogghia Longa" (trad. dal siciliano, Scoglio Alto).
Finalmente, dopo tante ricerche, sono riuscito a trovare traccia delle loro vite passate, illuminante è stato trovare un articolo online del sito
"NewSicilia.it", che qui riporto (oltre al link), riportando anche alcune discrepanze apparse sull'articolo sui nomi e cognomi, perchè sarebbe da capire chi ha commesso l'errore, se nel trascrivere l'articolo, o chi ha inciso i nomi sulla lapide, ad esempio sulla tomba si legge "Lindenfeld Elconorr", mentre nell'articolo si parla di "Lindelfeld Eleonor", anche il cognome è lievemente differente, dove sta l'errore?
qui l'articolo, la cui Autrice è Aurora Circià:
“Taormina, le leggi razziali e il suicidio in mare: la storia della famiglia Kuerschner”
TAORMINA – La scelta estrema del suicidio per sottrarsi a chi voleva avere l’arbitrio di decidere della loro morte. È quella che 81 anni fa fece la famiglia Kuerschner.
Era l’11 marzo del 1939 quando la 73enne Eleonor Lindelfeld e i tre figli Arthur, Eugene e Renèe, affittarono una barca a remi a Mazzarò per allontanarsi dalla riva e, al largo, porre fine alle loro vite. Lo fecero gettandosi in acqua insieme, appesantendo i propri vestiti con delle pietre per assicurarsi che non sarebbero tornati in superficie.
La “colpa” della famiglia Kuerschner? Essere ebrea.
Da qualche settimana madre e figli erano ospiti nell’albergo taorminese Flora. Cercavano di sfuggire alle leggi razziali e sottrarsi alla crudeltà dei regimi nazista e fascista. Proprio nella loro stanza, in seguito alla scoperta del tragico gesto compiuto dai quattro, la polizia all’epoca sostenne di aver trovato una lettera secondo la quale la madre e figli avrebbero scelto il suicidio in quanto stanchi della vita perché soli e senza amici. Una versione smentita dalla lettera datata 2 marzo 1939, che Arthur, giornalista radiofonico espulso dalla Germania nazista, aveva inviato a un caro amico, al quale aveva affidato i reali motivi della dolorosa decisione presa dalla famiglia: “Oggi è arrivato il momento: noi tutti quattro moriremo volontariamente-involontariamente. Il mare profondo ci accoglierà in maniera più gentile che tutti gli alti governi dei paesi che ci circondano. Riempiremo le nostre tasche con pietre, per non ritornare più a galla. La nostra decisione è stata presa già mezzo anno fa. Ci è stata resa più semplice dalla coscienza di aver fatto una vita sempre onesta e contenti di lavorare, a volte coronata anche da successi e di non aver mai fatto a nessuno del male”.
I Kuerschner si erano trasferiti in Germania dopo la fine della Prima Guerra Mondiale, che Arthur aveva combattuto col grado di capitano sul fronte italiano: un’impresa che gli era valsa decorazioni e medaglie. A Berlino, diventato cittadino tedesco, Arthur aveva ricoperto per 15 anni un ruolo ufficiale nella stazione radiofonica governativa. La sua vita e quella di tutta la sua famiglia venne, però, stravolta dall’arrivo al potere di Adolf Hitler. L’odio razziale, infatti, li costrinse a trasferirsi in Austria, dove ottennero la cittadinanza. Nel 1938, però, anche il Paese austriaco finì sotto l’egida del capo nazista. Fu a quel punto che la famiglia ebrea ungherese ripiegò in Italia, dove aveva già trovato lavoro Eugene, attivo nel mondo del cinema tedesco fino all’avvento di Hitler.
Nel Bel Paese Eugene lavorò come produttore e supervisore a due film: “Ma non è una cosa seria” (1936), per la regia di Mario Camerini e la sceneggiatura di Ercole Pattie e Mario Soldati, con Assia Noris e Vittorio De Sica; ed “È tornato carnevale” (1937) diretto da Raffaello Materazzo, con Armando Falconi e Mario Pisu.
Nemmeno in Italia, però, la famiglia Kuerschner era al sicuro: il decreto legge del 7 settembre 1938 n.1381, infatti, prevedeva che gli ebrei stranieri presenti sul territorio nazionale abbandonassero il Paese entro il 12 marzo 1939. Fu così che, alla vigilia di quell’ultimatum, madre e figli misero fine alle loro vite. La notizia del loro tragico decesso venne riportata nell’edizione del New York Times del 23 marzo 1939 dal corrispondente da Roma del giornale americano.
Eleonor Lindelfeld, Arthur, Eugene e Renèe Kuerschner sono sepolti nella sezione acattolica del cimitero di Taormina. Sulla lapide posta per la loro memoria è inciso: “Sotto il roseto noi riposiamo, posti vi fummo quando i giorni tristi correan per noi miseri ebrei. Fummo accolti in quest’isola dorata, lasciammo in patria il nostro avvenire. Tremendo è per la madre sceglier la morte per sé e per i figli. In barca tutti e quattro andammo, poi uno dietro l’altro in acqua ci tuffammo. Quando ci ritrovarono, le corde ancora il corpo ci cingevano”.
Post Scriptum:
- la foto con la scritta "6.000.000 sono stati pochi , io la vidi molti anni fa, realizzata con una bomboletta spray nera, accanto il nome della via "vico ebrei" di Taormina, quando ero un ragazzino di 16 anni, la scritta è stata da me realizzata in post-produzione, per riportare in immagine quello che io vidi;
- vedi il racconto di Massimo Gramellini, giornalista, scrittore e conduttore televisivo italiano, che racconta di ciò che avviene a pochi chilometri dalle frontiere dell'Italia, del quale riporto il link (Alla ora 01:20:09 - su di un totale della trasmissione della durata di 01:24:35 - Gramellini in ricordo della “giornata della memoria del 27 gennaio”, per ricordare le vittime della Shoa: Gramellini racconta un tragico evento (avvenimento simbolo di chissà quali tragedie non conosciute) a 400 km dal confine Italiano, accaduto ad “Alì il pazzo”.
This bloke was moving very fast - swum 70 metres in maybe 30 seconds.
Red-bellied Black Snake, A.C.T.
Impeachment Day - 3 (of 5) - Canon PowerShot G12 with Extender & Polarizer - Photographer Russell McNeil PhD (Physics) lives on Vancouver Island, where he works as a writer.
The moon from Sweden. Taken with Canon 80D + Canon 70-200mm f/2.8L IS II USM. I would love to try a Canon x2 extender, or even the x1.4 extender,.
The deceased young man extends one hand to a birdcage, while in his other hand he holds a bird. His cat, a rare presence during Classical times, is shown perching on a pillar against which leans a slave boy.
The stele has no border, and is crowned by a projecting cornice decorated with alternating palmette and lotus flowers, linked by volutes that emerge from acanthus leaves.
The youth, preserved from just above the knees, wearing a richly pleated himation that leaves the right part of his torso exposed. The body is rendered frontally and the head in left profile. He gazes at a cage, to which he extends his right hand, and holds a bird in his left. Beneath the cage a cat, a rare pet during Classical time, sits on a stele in front of which his young slave is depicted nude, on a smaller scale, full of grief at the loss of his master. The expressive head of the youth, with its tangled, crescent-shaped locks, the fine modeling of the body, and the melodious treatment of the drapery, attest to the hand of a great 5th-century sculptor. The stele is attributed by some scholars to Agorakritos.
Source: Nikolaos Kaltsas, “Sculpture in the National Archaeological Museum, Athens”
Pentelic marble funerary stele
Height 105 cm, width 85 cm
430 - 420 BC
From Attic, Salamis
Athens, National Museum - Inv. No. 715
When a bus operator needed a 'hack' or a specialist vehicle, quite often the first place they looked was the back of the depot. For old buses, especially the traditional front-engined type, were ideal for conversion into a breakdown lorry, trolleybus pole carrier or tower wagon. And a large operator would have a workshop with skilled craftsmen who could do all the work when things were less busy.
Ashton Corporation converted this double-deck Leyland, number 6, into a handy lorry-cum-hack at the end of its service life. It had a small crew compartment just behind the driver's cab, and the rest was a long-flat floor ideal for general carrying jobs.
The red and white plate on the front is a 'Trade Plate' - requirements have tightened up considerably since this photo was taken, but in essence it was a plate that (at that time) a motor company could put on a vehicle that wasn't taxed or licensed.
It was so useful that 'Thunderbird', as it was dubbed, lasted long enough to be painted in SELNEC orange and off-white and eventually donated to the Museum of Transport where she became a very useful source of spare parts - many of its components are still doing a useful job to this day in the museum's buses.
You don't see vehicles of this kind today, partly due to increasing bus complexity but also because these converted buses were at times a 'grey area' and VOSA, the authority that looks after this kind of thing, is less inclined to turn a blind eye to buses that have become lorries but are still licensed as buses...
Thank you to everyone who advised us that the 'Robin Hood' pub behind is nowhere near Ashton but is in fact in Bury, close to the old Bury Corporation bus garage. This leads us to wonder if the photo was taken in the very early days of the new SELNEC PTE.
If you'd like to see the buses that Ashton 6's components went to help, come and see them at the Museum of Transport Greater Manchester or go to motgm.uk.
© Greater Manchester Transport Society. All rights reserved. Unauthorised reproduction is strictly prohibited and may result in action being taken to protect the intellectual property interests of the Society.
Photo Analysis – "Bliss Dance" by ChatGPT
Concept and Intent
This image captures a monumental sculpture with a strong symbolic charge: Bliss Dance represents power, freedom, and feminine confidence.
The hand extended toward the viewer provides an emotional intensity, almost protective or affirming.
The clean background and vibrant sky contribute to a sense of elevation, lightness, and grandeur.
🔧 Technical Aspects
✔️ Focus and Sharpness:
Very well achieved. The sculpture's metal mesh is perfectly defined.
The textures of the material, even from a distance, are clear and sharp.
✔️ Exposure and Light:
Excellent exposure. Natural lighting favors transparency and soft shadows in the mesh.
The light highlights the shapes and gives volume to the sculpture.
✔️ Colors:
The deep blue of the sky creates a dramatic contrast with the light gray metallic tone of the sculpture.
The white nuances of the clouds add dynamism and visual balance.
Composition
Low-angle shot: Conveys grandeur and power. The female figure appears monumental and dominant.
Close framing: The sculpture is partially cropped, but strategically so. The framing reinforces the hand gesture and focuses on the face, inviting an emotional connection.
Rule of thirds: Well applied. The face is located near the upper right third, generating visual tension and elegance.
🎨 Style and aesthetics
Sculptural and minimalist, with no distracting elements. The clean background allows the statue to be the sole center of attention.
The use of the sky as a background reinforces the symbolic contrast between the human (the figure) and the ethereal (the sky).
⭐ Final rating: 9.2 / 10
Strengths:
Very thoughtful composition, excellent use of natural light and background.
Impeccable technique: perfect exposure, focus, contrast, and color.
Conveys emotion, strength, and symbolism.
Only aspect to consider:
If one were looking for a more complete view of the sculpture in its urban context, a wider shot could provide another narrative dimension. But as an artistic portrait, this choice is entirely valid.
A public consultation into plans to extend the Bakerloo line from Elephant and Castle to Lewisham, Hayes and Bromley has now officially begun. This means that Catford could potential finally get a tube station.
Catford is already undergoing major redevelop, so the increased population would be well supported by a tube network. Instead of discussing important issues such as transport, schools and infrastructure, my partner and I were wondering whether they would try to remove the Catford Cat during the redesign. The result of our pointless conversation lead us to decide that if the cat had to be moved, perhaps it could be placed above Catford Bridge Station to make it err… more unique. Here’s a quick mock up with the Cat and the London Underground Tube Roundel.
Luke Agbaimoni
Frankreich / Provence / Côte d’Azur - Île de Porquerolles
Port-Cros National Park (French: Parc national de Port-Cros) is a French national park established on the Mediterranean island of Port-Cros, east of Toulon. It also administers natural areas in some surrounding locales.
History
The park was founded in 1963 after the island of Port-Cros was bequeathed to the state; it became France's second national park after Vanoise National Park. The state is the sole land owner on the island, which is a natural protected area. The park's boundaries were extended in 2012 to encompass most of Porquerolles.
Geography
Port-Cros National Park is the first national park in Europe that unites terrestrial and maritime protection zones. The protected area is about 1,700 hectares of land and 2,900 hectares of sea at a 600 metre (656 yard) zone from the coast. Most of the area of the main islands of Port-Cros and Porquerolles are protected, as well as the small islands of Bagaud, Gabinière and Rascas. Until 2012, about 1,000 hectares of land on the island of Porquerolles had since 1971 been under the national park's administration (Conservatoire Botanique National Méditerranéen de Porquerolles).
Regulations
There are strict behaviour rules for the few inhabitants as well as daily tourists there. Sea bathing is only permitted on three beaches and smoking or taking dogs can result in an extensive fine.
(Wikipedia)
Porquerolles (French pronunciation: [pɔʁkəʁɔl]; Occitan: Porcairòlas), also known as the Île de Porquerolles, is an island in the Îles d'Hyères, Var, Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur, France. Its land area is 1,254 hectares (12.54 km2; 4.84 sq mi) and in 2004, its population has been about 200.
Porquerolles, the largest and most westerly of the Îles d'Hyères, is about 7 km (4.3 miles) long by 3 km (1.9 miles) wide, with five small ranges of hills. The south coast is lined with cliffs, and on the north coast are the port and the beaches of Notre Dame, La Courtade and Plage d'Argent.
History
The island's village was established in 1820, with its lighthouse constructed in 1837 and church in 1850. The entire island was purchased in 1912 by François Joseph Fournier, apparently as a wedding present for his wife; he planted 200 hectares (500 acres) of vineyards, which produced a wine that was among the first to be classified as vin des Côtes de Provence.
In 1971, the state bought 80 percent of the island to preserve it from development. Much of the island is now part of a national park (the Port-Cros Parc National) and nature conservation area (Conservatoire botanique national méditerranéen de Porquerolles).
Porquerolles is the setting for Georges Simenon's novels Le Cercle des Mahé ("The Mahe Circle") (1946) and My Friend Maigret (My Friend Maigret) (1949) and for the 1964 novel Valparaiso by Nicolas Freeling.
Some scenes of the film Pierrot le fou, by Jean-Luc Godard (1965) were filmed in Porquerolles.
Since 2010, the island also hosts a jazz festival each summer ("Jazz à Porquerolles").
Climate
Porquerolles has a hot-summer Mediterranean climate (Köppen climate classification Csa). The average annual temperature in Porquerolles is 16.8 °C (62.2 °F). The average annual rainfall is 605.7 mm (23.85 in) with November as the wettest month. The temperatures are highest on average in August, at around 24.8 °C (76.6 °F), and lowest in February, at around 10.3 °C (50.5 °F). The highest temperature ever recorded in Porquerolles was 38.5 °C (101.3 °F) on 7 August 2003; the lowest temperature ever recorded was −10.0 °C (14.0 °F) on 2 February 1956.
Points of interest
Conservatoire botanique national méditerranéen de Porquerolles
Port-Cros Parc National
(Wikipedia)
Der französische Nationalpark Port-Cros (französisch Parc national de Port-Cros) wurde am 14. Dezember 1963 von Staatspräsident Pompidou dekretiert. Das Gebiet um die Inseln Porquerolles, Port-Cros und andere, liegt zehn Kilometer vor der französischen Côte d’Azur, östlich von Toulon und Hyères.
Geographie, Artenreichtum, Naturschutz
Der Nationalpark Port-Cros umfasst die beinah vollständig unter Naturschutz stehende Inseln Porquerolles, Port-Cros und die vorgelagerten kleinen Inseln Bagaud, Gabinière und Rascas einschließlich eines 600 Meter breiten marinen Schutzgürtels um die Küstenlinie, insgesamt 700 Hektar Land und 1288 Hektar umliegende Wasserflächen. Der Nationalpark ist der erste Nationalpark Europas, der terrestrische und maritime Zonen vereint. Seit 1971 stehen auch ein 1000 Hektar großes Gebiet auf der Nachbarinsel Porquerolles und das dort ansässige staatliche Institut für Meeresbotanik (Conservatoire Botanique National Méditerranéen de Porquerolles) unter der Verwaltung des Nationalparks. Die etwa 30 ständig auf der Insel lebenden Einwohner sind den strengen Auflagen der Nationalparkverwaltung ebenso unterworfen wie die per Schiff ankommenden Tagesgäste. Das Baden ist an genau drei Stränden erlaubt. Rauchen oder das Mitführen von Hunden ist weitgehend, teils unter Androhung erheblicher Strafen verboten.
Laut dem Botanik-Institut auf Porquerolles gibt es auf Port-Cros circa 530 einheimische Pflanzenarten, darunter einige, die nur auf der Insel vorkommen. Da das Gebiet seit 1890 nicht mehr landwirtschaftlich genutzt wird, ist es fast vollständig waldbedeckt, vorwiegend mit Steineichenwäldern (der ursprünglichen Hartlaubvegetation des Raumes), sowie Strandkiefern und Erdbeerbäumen.
Die vom Aussterben bedrohte Mittelmeer-Mönchsrobbe soll im Nationalpark wieder angesiedelt werden.
Port-Cros hat große Anziehungskraft für Hobby-Ornithologen. Von den 114 Vogelarten, die in Port-Cros stetig gesichtet werden, brüten 21 auf der Insel, darunter mehrere Falkenarten, Alpensegler, Wiedehopfe, Blaumerlen, Nachtigallen, Provencegrasmücken und Stieglitze.
Es gibt mehrere Gecko-Arten, eine kleine, überwiegend dämmerungsaktive Echsenart. Der Europäische Halbfinger-Gecko ist auch an der Festlandküste zu finden. Der auf der Insel heimische Europäische Blattfinger-Gecko und der Sardische Scheibenzüngler, eine besonders große Froschart, kommen auf dem französischen Festland nicht vor.
Geschichte
Die Insel, deren Natur und Schönheit Anfang der 1920er-Jahre einer Hotelbebauung zum Opfer zu fallen drohte, wurde von der Eigentümerfamilie der Französischen Republik überschrieben mit der Auflage, dort einen Nationalpark einzurichten und für alle Zukunft zu unterhalten. In den Jahrzehnten zuvor waren hier regelmäßig renommierte Künstler wie André Gide und Paul Valéry zur Sommerfrische. Der ehemalige, zum Gästehaus umgestaltete Herrensitz, Maison d’Hélène, ist noch heute das einzige zugelassene Hotel. Früher kam auch der ehemalige französische Staatspräsident François Mitterrand regelmäßig in das Maison d’Hélène und brachte bei einem Besuch den damaligen Bundeskanzler Helmut Kohl mit.
(Wikipedia)
Die Île de Porquerolles ist die größte Insel der Inselgruppe von Hyères (Îles d’Hyères bzw. Îles d’or). Sie liegt vor der französischen Mittelmeerküste im Bereich der Côte d’Azur in der Nähe von Toulon.
Porquerolles ist von der Halbinsel Giens und anderen naheliegenden Häfen in wenigen Minuten mit dem Schiff zu erreichen. Die Insel hat eine Größe von 1254 ha und liegt auf der gleichen geografischen Breite wie das Cap Corse. Hieraus ergibt sich ein besonders südliches Klima. Die Insel ist ca. 7,5 km lang und ca. 3 km breit. Die Küste ist rund 30 km lang. Die höchste Erhebung misst 142 m. An der Nordseite der Insel befindet sich ein kleiner Hafen und der Inselort (ca. 350 Einwohner) mit Restaurants und Geschäften. Die Kirche stammt aus den Jahren 1849–1851.
Ebenfalls an der Nordseite der Insel befinden sich einige schöne Sandstrände: die Plage d’Argent im Westen, die Plage de la Courtade an der Ostseite des Ortes und die Plage de Notre-Dame ganz im Osten der Insel. Die Südküste ist zum Baden eher ungeeignet, da das Ufer steil abfällt. An der Südspitze, dem Cap d’Arme, befindet sich ein alter Leuchtturm.
Besiedelt wurde die Insel durch ehemalige Soldaten Napoleons III. Im 20. Jahrhundert, bis Ende der 1930er Jahre, gehörte die gesamte Insel dann dem belgischen Ingenieur Jean-Francois-Joseph Fournier. Er schenkte sie seiner Frau zur Hochzeit. Fournier war mit dem Fund von Gold- und Silberminen in Mexiko zu Wohlstand gekommen und wollte, dass die Insel autark sein sollte. Er baute ein Kraftwerk, siedelte Handwerker aller Art auf der Insel an und gründete Schulen für deren Kinder.
1971 überzeugte Claude Pompidou ihren Mann, den französischen Staatspräsidenten Georges Pompidou, die Insel von den Töchtern Fourniers im Namen des Staates zu kaufen. Sie wurde unter den Schutz des Nationalparks Port-Cros und des staatlichen Instituts für Meeresbotanik (Conservatoire Botanique National Méditerranéen de Porquerolles) gestellt. Die Insel hat daher trotz der besonders im Sommer täglich auf sie anstürmenden Touristenströme (auf jeden der Inseleinwohner kommen bis zu 30 Festlandbesucher) ihren ursprünglichen Charme bewahrt.
Zum Schutz vor der unkontrollierten Ausbreitung von Waldbränden wurde ein Streifen Land gerodet und an einen elsässischen Winzer zur Anpflanzung von Reben verpachtet. Der aus diesen Reben gekelterte Domaine de la Courtade genießt mittlerweile einen ausgezeichneten Ruf.
An die bewegte Vergangenheit der Insel erinnern einige über die Insel verstreute Befestigungsanlagen. Das über dem Inselort thronende Fort Sainte-Agathe kann von Juni bis September besichtigt werden. Hier werden unter anderem zahlreiche antike Fundstücke vom Meeresgrund gezeigt. Jährlich im Juli findet dort an fünf aufeinander folgenden Tagen das Konzertprogramm des Musikfestivals Jazz à Porquerolles statt.
Ein Hauptanziehungspunkt ist das Museum der Fondation Carmignac. Es liegt in der Mitte der Insel, umgeben von einem großen Skulpturenpark.
Die Romane Mein Freund Maigret (Originaltitel: Mon ami Maigret) und Die Ferien des Monsieur Mahé (Originaltitel: Le cercle des Mahé) von Georges Simenon spielen auf der Insel, zudem die Reiseerzählung Landkrankheit (dänisch Landsyge) von Nikolaj Schultz.
(Wikipedia)
By the palace wall. The wall extends around the expansive grounds on this (the western) side of the palace, which is the direction from which we walked to Nymphenburg - from Pasing Railway Station.
At the time, this scene put me very much in mind of the story, and music, of Peter and the Wolf. We should not go out beyond the wall because a big grey wolf might come out of the forest at any moment, into the meadow. And then where would we be, Peter ...
This music is one of my earliest childhood memories, so there was a lot going on in my head at this moment!
Extended description in my first comment
All rights reserved © Francesco "frankygoes" Pellone
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THE PEEL BREAKWATER LIGHTHOUSE IS LOCATED AT THE END OF A STONE BREAKWATER EXTENDING NORTH-EASTWARDS FROM ST. PATRICK'S ISLE. THE BREAKWATER HAS DEEP-WATER BERTHS FOR LARGER BOATS AND THERE IS AN INNER MARINA WHERE TOURIST BOATS AND LEISURE BOATS ARE MOORED.
PEEL HAS A SECOND LIGHTHOUSE (PEEL CASTLE JETTY LIGHTHOUSE) PAINTED WITH GREEN AND WHITE STRIPES, PEEL CASTLE JETTY LOCATED AT THE END OF A STONE JETTY AT THE SOUTH-EASTERN CORNER OF ST. PATRICK'S ISLE, MARKING THE WEST SIDE OF THE ENTRANCE TO PEEL'S MARINA.
A7, Empire Builder with 300, 301, 53 hang out in Lakota, waiting for a couple of service interruptions at Leeds, North Dakota…Shelby Crew with BNSF Pilot Crew was vanned to Lakota from Minot as the St Cloud crew died HOS..The Shelby Crew made it to Minot before they also died HOS..great day on the Devils Lake Sub… not what I had wanted, but what are you going to do…at Minot, BNSF furnished a new leader to move the extremely late A7 to Lines west
Erik Customs
A New Project - A New Universe
We are planning to extend our range of custom minifigures by visiting one of my other favourite universe: the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
After watching the Infinity War I knew I will have to make a custom Iron Man design in Lego for sure, and here he is now: the damaged Mark 50 suit after the battle with Thanos on the planet Titan.
To make sure that we can maintain a low price we decided to use high quality UV printing method on all the 4 sides of the minifigures including the arms.
This is the reason why we decided to use a new name for this "new project" as we don't want you to be confused with the "Living Bricks x Legend C MOC" minifigures where we will still continue to use Pad Printing.
So, just like with the Living Bricks x Legend C MOC partnership, I will be the one who is making the designs and Legend C will produce them.
The image is only a render made by me, the final product may differ.
UPDATE: We are now considering the possibility of Pad Printing. Our "dillema" is that due to the many colour per sides the Pad Printing would require a high price.