View allAll Photos Tagged irreplaceable
film.
haha of course the one i took 2 seconds before going into the camera store survived, but not the irreplaceable ones
one of six photos (out of a total of 48) that actually, slightly, came out when i brought in my film on this day
Do not let your fire go out, spark by irreplaceable spark in the hopeless swamps of the not-quite, the not-yet, and the not-at-all. Do not let the hero in your soul perish in lonely frustration for the life you deserved and have never been able to reach. The world you desire can be won. It exists.. it is real.. it is possible.. it's yours.
Ayn Rand
5/52
Wow, I can not believe I managed getting through a whole month of this project!
I shot this one day when I had no inspiration and I love how it came out so much. It's supposed to represent a girl who's heart has been ripped out and now there's an irreplaceable hole where it should be.
Idk I hope you enjoy it and the awkward tan placed on my legs.
Feel powerful, loved, indispensable, irreplaceable. Your light shines as brightly as the sun. Nothing is more perfect than you, woman! Be happier, make yourself happier.
taken 12.08.13
Bertrand Goldberg's landmark building in process of being demolished
The Absent Column: vimeo.com/77616076
They don't make pub fronts like this any more. The Midland in Liverpool still promotes the delights of long defunct Walker's Warrington Ales. All that marble must have been expensive and the curved glass is irreplaceable.
On February 12, 2016, President Obama signed a proclamation declaring the Mojave Trails National Monument east of Los Angeles in Southern California.
Mojave Trails National Monument: Spanning 1.6 million acres, more than 350,000 acres of previously congressionally-designated Wilderness, the Mojave Trails National Monument is comprised of a stunning mosaic of rugged mountain ranges, ancient lava flows, and spectacular sand dunes. The monument will protect irreplaceable historic resources including ancient Native American trading routes, World War II-era training camps, and the longest remaining undeveloped stretch of Route 66. Additionally, the area has been a focus of study and research for decades, including geological research and ecological studies on the effects of climate change and land management practices on ecological communities and wildlife.
Photo by Bob Wick, BLM.
"Correr, competir, eu levo isso no sangue, é parte da minha vida."
Ayrton Senna da Silva
"Os dias em que se podia julgar um piloto por sua velocidade e seus reflexos acabaram. Ayrton Senna tinha uma combinação de conhecimento, concentração e força. Quanto a sua capacidade de concentração nas corridas, ele estava dois a três níveis acima do resto de nós - era extraordinário."
Gerhard Berger
_______
Parece ontem… mas, passam 15 anos sobre o desaparecimento de Ayrton Senna da Silva, o maior piloto de todos os tempos.
As saudades ainda são grandes, bem grandes.
Ayrton Senna da Silva (São Paulo, 21 de Março de 1960 – Bolonha, Itália, 1 de Maio de 1994) foi o maior piloto brasileiro de Fórmula 1, de sempre, três vezes campeão mundial, nos anos de 1988, 1990 e 1991. Foi também vice-campeão no controverso campeonato de 1989 e em 1993.
Faleceu em acidente no Autódromo Enzo e Dino Ferrari, em Ímola, durante o Grande Prémio de San Marino de 1994.
Seu excelente desempenho nas fórmulas anteriores (especialmente na Fórmula 3 inglesa em 1983) o levou a estrear na Fórmula 1 no Grande Prémio do Brasil de 1984 pela equipe Toleman-Hart. Logo na sua primeira temporada na categoria máxima, Senna demonstrou rapidamente um talento excepcional levando a pequena equipe inglesa à exaustão e a obter resultados jamais alcançados.
É considerado um dos maiores nomes do esporte brasileiro e um dos maiores pilotos da história do automobilismo
Olha os cotoquinhos aí genteee..... rsrs
Não sei o que tá acontecendo com minhas patinhas, mas quebrei 3 unhas em uma semana... aí cansei de remedar e cotoquei tudo mesmo....
Eu gosto delas cotocas sim, acho meigas e bonitinhas kkk...
Bom, aí se eu corto, eu logo quero usar um nude, é sempre assim...
Escolhi esse nude nada básico.... coisa mais linda gente... ele parece que tem pó de ouro... é mtooo lindo!
Uó de limpar sim, mas vale o esforço!
E lógico que não dá pra ver o nome do esmalte e não lembrar da música da diva Beyoncé né gentennn???
Curte aí:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=2EwViQxSJJQ
"Un saludo para mi ex... que está por ahí comiendo mierda" ; )
An Invaluable Treasure—Mojave Trails National Monument
Spanning 1.6 million acres, the Mojave Trails National Monument comprises a stunning mosaic of rugged mountain ranges, ancient lava flows and fossil beds, and spectacular sand dunes. Rare plants and many native animal species call this timeless landscape home. The monument also contains irreplaceable historical resources, such as World War II training camps and the longest-remaining undeveloped stretch of the iconic Route 66.
A critical travel corridor for millennia, the Mojave Trails area links the Pacific coast to the deserts of the Southwest and beyond. The Mojave Indian Trail is the earliest known route through the area. Native Americans used this route for thousands of years, and early Spanish explorers and traders followed its course as well.
The Mojave Trails National Monument is part of the Bureau of Land Management’s National Conservation Lands and preserves cultural, ecological, and historical legacies for the benefit of present and future generations.
The Holy Grail? I knew these existed at some time or other, but had only seen glimpses of one single solitary pair on the internet.
BTR intended their "Anglers" to compete alongside their better-known Uniroyal rivals, but ultimately these sold relatively poorly.
It was pure luck that I spotted these for sale, and I had to have them for the collection. These will be kept indoors, like the vast majority of my waders - because they are obviously irreplaceable, they are simply too valuable to be exposed to outdoors use.
Good news for the Yeti, though, because he'll be wearing them whenever he comes out from hibernation....
A bear walks the beach in the early morning along Cook Inlet shores. The rising sun shines brightly across the pristine waters. All that glitters isn’t gold, and an industry’s perpetual search for the gluttonous profits of gas and oil may put much of our northern waters into peril. The direct effects won’t be immediately seen by the majority of the world but the losses will be substantial and irreplaceable. #StopArcticDrilling #Bears
More than half of England’s medieval stained glass is held in York Minster’s 128 windows, making the cathedral custodian of some of the most important and irreplaceable art from this period.
Created and installed between 1338 and 1339 at a cost of £67, the Great West Window shows the authority and purpose of the Church through a hierarchy going up the window. The base level features eight Archbishops of York, above who are the Apostles from who the Archbishops derive their power, followed by panels showing the life of Christ and the Virgin – the Annunciation, Nativity, Resurrection and Ascension. The top panels show Mary crowned as Queen and sitting beside Christ in Heaven.
The window is known as ‘the heart of Yorkshire’ due to the shape of its upper stonework, which was completely replaced in 1989-90 due to erosion.
If any of you have ever had the scrumptious Vermont Cheeses which come wrapped in foil-lined wax, you will laugh at this photo! As I was about to toss the shapes which fell from slices of cheddar,
I couldn't help but think of one of my amazing flickr contacts who constructs the most phenomenal art from various plant materials and other occasional cast offs!
Of course there is no way in a million years I could even compare this to one of his original creations, but the thought was there!
I love the inspiration I get from my flickr friends!
"A lesson without pain is meaningless,
for you cannot gain something
without sacrificing something else in return.
But when you have overcome it and made it your own,
you will gain an irreplaceable Fullmetal Heart."
~ Edward Elric ~
The Volkswagen Beetle (officially the Volkswagen Type 1, informally in Germany the Volkswagen Käfer, in Poland the Volkswagen Garbus and in the U.S. the Volkswagen Bug) is a two-door, four passenger, rear-engine economy car manufactured and marketed by German automaker Volkswagen (VW) from 1938 until 2003.
The need for this kind of car, and its functional objectives, was formulated by the leader of Nazi Germany, Adolf Hitler, who wanted a cheap, simple car to be mass-produced for his country's new road network. Hitler contracted Ferdinand Porsche in 1934 to design and build it. Porsche and his team took until 1938 to finalise the design. The influence on Porsche's design of other contemporary cars, such as the Tatra V570 and the work of Josef Ganz remains a subject of dispute. The result was one of the first rear-engined cars since the Brass Era. With 21,529,464 produced, the Beetle is the longest-running and most-manufactured car of a single platform ever made.
Although designed in the 1930s, the Beetle was only produced in significant numbers from 1945 on (mass production had been put on hold during the Second World War) when the model was internally designated the Volkswagen Type 1, and marketed simply as the Volkswagen (or "People's Car"). Later models were designated Volkswagen 1200, 1300, 1500, 1302 or 1303, the former three indicating engine displacement, the latter two derived from the type number. The model became widely known in its home country as the Käfer (German for "beetle") and was later marketed as such in Germany, and as the Volkswagen in other countries. For example, in France it was known as the Coccinelle (French for ladybug).
The original 25 hp Beetle was designed for a top speed around 100 km/h, which would be a viable speed on the Reichsautobahn system. As Autobahn speeds increased in the postwar years, its output was boosted to 36, then 40 hp, the configuration that lasted through 1966 and became the "classic" Volkswagen motor. The Beetle ultimately gave rise to variants, including the Karmann Ghia, Type 2 and external coachbuilders. The Beetle marked a significant trend, led by Volkswagen, Fiat, and Renault, whereby the rear-engine, rear-wheel drive layout increased from 2.6 percent of continental Western Europe's car production in 1946 to 26.6 percent in 1956. The 1948 Citroën 2CV and other European models marked a later trend to front-wheel drive in the European small car market, a trend that would come to dominate that market. In 1974, Volkswagen's own front-wheel drive Golf model succeeded the Beetle. In 1994, Volkswagen unveiled the Concept One, a "retro"-themed concept car with a resemblance to the original Beetle, and in 1998 introduced the "New Beetle", built on the contemporary Golf platform with styling recalling the original Type 1. It remained in production through 2010, being succeeded in 2011 by the more aggressively styled Beetle (A5).
In the 1999 Car of the Century competition, to determine the world's most influential car in the 20th century, the Type 1 came fourth, after the Ford Model T, the Mini, and the Citroën DS.
HISTORY
THE PEOPLES CAR
In April 1934, Adolf Hitler gave the order to Ferdinand Porsche to develop a Volkswagen (literally, "people's car" in German, pronounced [ˈfɔlksvaːɡən]). The epithet Volks- literally, "people's-" had been applied to other Nazi-sponsored consumer goods such as the Volksempfänger ("people's radio").
In May 1934, at a meeting at Berlin’s Kaiserhof Hotel, Chancellor Hitler insisted on a basic vehicle that could transport two adults and three children at 100 km/h while not using more than 7 litres of fuel per 100 km (32 mpg US/39 mpg UK). The engine had to be powerful for sustained cruising on Germany’s new Autobahnen. Everything had to be designed to ensure parts could be quickly and inexpensively exchanged. The engine had to be air-cooled because, as Hitler explained, not every country doctor had his own garage (ethylene glycol antifreeze was only just beginning to be used in high-performance liquid-cooled aircraft engines. In general, radiators filled with water would freeze unless the vehicle was kept in a heated building overnight or drained and refilled each morning).
The "People's Car" would be available to citizens of Nazi Germany through a savings scheme, or Sparkarte (savings booklet), at 990 Reichsmark, about the price of a small motorcycle. (The average weekly income was then around 32RM.)
DEVELOPMENT
Ferdinand Porsche developed the Type 12, or "Auto für Jedermann" (car for everybody) for Zündapp in 1931. Porsche already preferred the flat-four engine, and selected a swing axle rear suspension (invented by Edmund Rumpler), while Zündapp insisted on a water-cooled five-cylinder radial engine. In 1932, three prototypes were running. All of those cars were lost during World War II, the last in a bombing raid in Stuttgart in 1945.
The Zündapp prototypes were followed by the Porsche Type 32, designed in 1933 for NSU Motorenwerke AG, another motorcycle company. The Type 32 was similar in design to the Type 12, but it had a flat-four engine. NSU's exit from car manufacturing resulted in the Type 32 being abandoned at the prototype stage.
Initially designated Type 60 by Porsche, the design team included Erwin Komenda and Karl Rabe. In October 1935, the first two Type 60 prototypes, known as the V1 and V2 (V for Versuchswagen, or "test car"), were ready. In 1936, testing began of three further V3 prototypes, built in Porsche's Stuttgart shop. A batch of thirty W30 development models, produced for Porsche by Daimler-Benz, underwent 2,900,000 km of further testing in 1937. All cars had the distinctive round shape and the air-cooled, rear-mounted engine. Included in this batch was a rollback soft top called the Cabrio Limousine. A further batch of 44 VW38 pre-production cars produced in 1938 introduced split rear windows; both the split window and the dash were retained on production Type 1s until 1953. The VW38 cars were followed by another batch of 50 VW39 cars, completed in July 1939.
The car was designed to be as simple as possible mechanically. The air-cooled 25 hp (19 kW) 995 cc motors' built-in oil cooler and flat-four engine configuration's superior performance was also effective for the German Afrika Korps in Africa's desert heat. The suspension design used compact torsion bars instead of coil or leaf springs. The Beetle is nearly airtight and will briefly float.
THE FACTORY
On 26 May 1938, Hitler laid the cornerstone for the Volkswagen factory in Fallersleben. He gave a speech, in which he named the car Kraft-durch-Freude-Wagen ("Strength Through Joy Car", usually abbreviated to KdF-Wagen). The name refers to Kraft durch Freude ('Strength Through Joy'), the official leisure organization of Nazi Germany. The model village of Stadt des KdF-Wagens was created near Fallersleben in Lower Saxony in 1938 for the benefit of the workers at the newly built factory.
The factory had only produced a handful of cars by the start of the war in 1939; the first volume-produced versions of the car's chassis were military vehicles, the Type 82 Kübelwagen (approximately 52,000 built) and the amphibious Type 166 Schwimmwagen (about 14,000 built).
The first Beetles were produced on a small scale in 1941.
WARTIME PRODUCTION
A handful of KdF-Wagen (Typ 60) were produced primarily for the Nazi elite from 1941 to 1944, but production figures were small because the factories were concentrating on production of the Kübelwagen (Typ 82), the beetle for the Wehrmacht (Typ 82 E), the Schwimmwagen (Typ 166), and a handful of other variants. The factory produced another wartime vehicle: the Kommandeurswagen (Typ 87); a Beetle body mounted on a 4WD Schwimmwagen chassis. The Kommandeurswagen had widened fenders to accommodate its Kronprinz all-terrain tires. 564 Kommandeurswagen were produced up to 1944, when all production was halted because of heavy damage to the factory by Allied air raids. Much of the essential equipment had already been moved to underground bunkers for protection, which let production resume quickly after hostilities ended. Due to gasoline shortages late in the war, a few "Holzbrenner" Beetles were built powered by pyrolysis gas producers located under the front hood.
POST-WAR PRODUCTION AND BOOM
In occupied Germany, the Allies followed the Morgenthau plan to remove all German war potential by complete or partial pastoralization. As part of this, in the Industrial plans for Germany, the rules for which industry Germany was to be allowed to retain were set out. German car production was set at a maximum of 10% of the 1936 car production numbers.
Mass production of civilian VW cars did not start until post-war occupation. The Volkswagen factory was handed over by the Americans to British control in 1945; it was to be dismantled and shipped to Britain. Thankfully for Volkswagen, no British car manufacturer was interested in the factory; an official report included the phrases "the vehicle does not meet the fundamental technical requirement of a motor-car ... it is quite unattractive to the average buyer ... To build the car commercially would be a completely uneconomic enterprise." The factory survived by producing cars for the British Army instead. Allied dismantling policy changed in late 1946 to mid-1947, although heavy industry continued to be dismantled until 1951. In March 1947, Herbert Hoover helped change policy by stating
There is the illusion that the New Germany left after the annexations can be reduced to a "pastoral state". It cannot be done unless we exterminate or move 25,000,000 people out of it.
The re-opening of the factory is largely accredited to British Army officer Major Ivan Hirst. Hirst was ordered to take control of the heavily bombed factory, which the Americans had captured. His first task was to remove an unexploded bomb that had fallen through the roof and lodged itself between some pieces of irreplaceable production equipment; if the bomb had exploded, the Beetle's fate would have been sealed. Knowing Germany needed jobs and the British Army needed vehicles. Hirst persuaded the British military to order 20,000 cars, and by March 1946 the factory was producing 1,000 cars a month (in Army khaki, under the name Volkswagen Type 1), which Hirst said "was the limit set by the availability of materials". During this period, the car reverted to its original name of Volkswagen and the town was renamed Wolfsburg. The first 1,785 Type 1s were made in 1945.
After World War II, it was officially designated the Volkswagen Type 1, but was more commonly known as the Beetle.Following the British Army-led restart of production and Hirst's establishment of sales network and exports to Netherlands, former Opel manager (and formerly a detractor of the Volkswagen) Heinz Nordhoff was appointed director of the Volkswagen factory in 1949. Under Nordhoff, production increased dramatically over the following decade, with the one-millionth car coming off the assembly line by 1955. During this post-war period, the Beetle had superior performance in its category with a top speed of 115 km/h and 0–100 km/h in 27.5 seconds with fuel consumption of 6.7 l/100 km (36 mpg) for the standard 25 kW (34 hp) engine. This was far superior to the Citroën 2CV, which was aimed at a low speed/poor road rural peasant market, and Morris Minor, designed for a market with no motorways / freeways; it was even competitive with more advanced small city cars like the Austin Mini.
In Small Wonder, Walter Henry Nelson wrote:
"The engine fires up immediately without a choke. It has tolerable road-handling and is economical to maintain. Although a small car, the engine has great elasticity and gave the feeling of better output than its small nominal size."
There were other, less-numerous models, as well. The Hebmüller cabriolet (officially Type 14A), a sporty two-seater, was built between 1949 and 1953; it numbered 696. The Type 18A, a fixed-top cabriolet, was produced by Austro-Tatra as a police and fire unit; 203 were assembled between January 1950 and March 1953.
The chassis became a technological and parts donor to Volkswagen Type 2 (also known as Bulli) and external coachbuilders like Rometsch, Dannenhauer & Stauss, Wilhelm Karmann, Enzmann, Beutler, Ghia-Aigle, Hebmüller & Söhne, Drews, Wendler.
On 17 February 1972, when Beetle No. 15,007,034 was produced, Beetle production surpassed that of the previous record holder, the Ford Model T. By 1973, total production was over 16 million, and by 23 June 1992, over 21 million had been produced.
DECLINE
Though extremely successful in the 1960s, the Beetle was increasingly faced with stiff competition from more modern designs globally. The Japanese had refined rear-wheel-drive, water-cooled, front-engine small cars including the Datsun 510 and Toyota Corona, whose sales in the North American market grew rapidly at the expense of Volkswagen in the late 1960s. Honda introduced the N600, based on the space-efficient transverse-engine, front-wheel-drive layout of the original Austin Mini, to the North American market in late 1969, and upgraded the model to the Honda Civic in 1972. The Japanese "big three" would soon dominate compact auto sales in North America. In 1971 Ford introduced its Pinto, which had some market impact as a low cost alternative. As the 1960s came to a close, Volkswagen faced increasingly stiff competition from European cars as well. The Beetle was faced with competition from new designs like the Fiat 127 and Renault 5, and more robust designs based on the Austin Mini layout such as the Superminis. German competitors, Ford and Opel also enjoyed strong sales of modern smaller cars like the Ford Escort and Opel Kadett. Volkswagen's attempts to boost the power of their air-cooled motor to meet the demands of higher highway speeds in the late 1960s, then comply with new pollution control regulations, caused problems for reliability and fuel efficiency that impaired the reputation of the aging design. Safety issues with the Beetle came under increasing scrutiny, culminating in the 1972 release of a rather scathing report. During the early 1970s, sales of the Beetle in Europe and North America plummeted.
There were other models introduced to supplement the Beetle in the VW product line throughout the 1960s; the Type 3, Type 4, and the NSU-based and larger K70. None of these models, aimed at more upscale markets, achieved the level of success as the Beetle. The over-reliance on a single model, now in decline, meant that Volkswagen was in financial crisis by 1974. It needed German government funding to produce the Beetle's replacement.
Production lines at Wolfsburg switched to the new water-cooled, front-engined, front-wheel drive Golf designed by Giorgetto Giugiaro in 1974, sold in North America at the time as the "Rabbit". The Golf would eventually become Volkswagen's most successful model since the Beetle. The Golf would be periodically redesigned over its lifetime, entering its seventh generation in 2012, with only a few components carried over between generations, while the Beetle had only minor refinements of its original design.
The Golf did not kill Beetle production, nor did the smaller Polo which was launched a year later. Production of the Beetle continued in smaller numbers at other German factories until 19 January 1978, when mainstream production shifted to Brazil and Mexico: markets where low operating cost was an important factor. However, this shift in production did not completely end sales of the Beetle in Europe, although after this date sales of the Beetle in Europe were very low. Beetle sedans were produced for U.S. markets until July 1977 and for European markets until 1985, with private companies continuing to import cars produced in Mexico after 1985. The Beetle convertible/Cabriolet ended production (as 1979 models) as of January 31, 1980.
The last Beetle was produced in Puebla, Mexico, in July 2003. The final batch of 3,000 Beetles were sold as 2004 models and badged as the Última Edición, with whitewall tires, a host of previously discontinued chrome trim, and the choice of two special paint colors taken from the New Beetle. Production in Brazil ended in 1986, then started again in 1993 and continued until 1996.
The Beetle outlasted most other cars which had adopted the rear air-cooled engine layout such as those by Subaru, Fiat, and General Motors. Porsche's 356 series which originally used some Volkswagen sourced parts, continued to use the classic rear engine layout (which later became water-cooled) in the Porsche 911 996 series, which remains competitive in the second decade of the 21st century.
WORLDWIDE END OF PRODUCTION
By 2002, over 21 million Type 1s had been produced, but by 2003, annual production had dropped to 30,000 from a peak of 1.3 million in 1971. VW announced the end of production in June 2003, citing decreasing demand, and the final original Type 1 VW Beetle (No. 21,529,464) rolled off the production line at Puebla, Mexico, on 30 July 2003 65 years after its original launch. This last Beetle, nicknamed El Rey (Spanish for "The King" after a legendary Mexican song by José Alfredo Jiménez) was delivered to the company's museum in Wolfsburg, Germany.
To celebrate the occasion, Volkswagen marketed a final special series of 3,000 Beetles marketed as "Última Edición" (Final Edition) in light blue (Aquarius Blue) or beige (Harvest Moon Beige). Each car included the 1.6 engine, whitewall tires, a CD player with four speakers, chrome bumpers, trim, hub caps and exterior mirrors, a Wolfsburg emblem above the front trunk's handle, chrome glove box badge, body coloured wheels, tinted glass, a rear parcel shelf, and VW Última Edición plaque.
A mariachi band serenaded production of the last car. In Mexico, there was an advertising campaign as a goodbye for the Beetle. In one of the ads was a very small parking space on the street, and many big cars tried to use it, but could not. After a while, a sign appears in that parking space saying: "Es increíble que un auto tan pequeño deje un vacío tan grande" (It is incredible that a car so small can leave such a large void). Another depicted the rear end of a 1954 Beetle (the year Volkswagen was established in Mexico) in the left side of the ad, reading "Erase una vez..." (Once upon a time...) and the last 2003 Beetle in the right side, reading "Fin" (The end). There were other ads with the same nostalgic tone.
- Engine: Fuel-injected (Bosch Digifant) four-cylinder horizontally opposed, 1,584 cc, 50 hp (37 kW), 98.1 N·m (72.4 lb·ft) @ 2,200 rpm, three-way catalytic converter
- Rated fuel mileage: 32.5 mpg-US (7.2 L/100 km; 39.0 mpg-imp)
- Max cruising speed: 130 km/h
- Brakes: front disc, rear drum
- Passengers: Five
- Tank: 40 L (11 US gal; 9 imp gal)
- Colours: Aquarius blue, Harvest Moon beige.
PROTOTYPES
DIESEL
In 1951, Volkswagen prototyped a 1.3 L diesel engine. Volkswagen made only two of these air-cooled boxer diesel engines (not turbocharged), and installed one engine in a Type 1 and another in a Type 2. The diesel Beetle was time tested on the Nürburgring and achieved 0–100 km/h in 60 seconds.
DESIGN
The Beetle featured a rear-located, rear-wheel drive, air-cooled four-cylinder, boxer engine in a two-door bodywork featuring a flat front windscreen, accommodating four passengers and providing luggage storage under the front bonnet and behind the rear seat – and offering a coefficient of drag of 0.41; to this relatively good CD, the also streamlined rear of car was of help. The bodywork attached with eighteen bolts to its nearly flat chassis which featured a central structural tunnel. Front and rear suspension featured torsion bars along with front stabilizer bar – providing independent suspension at all wheels. Certain initial features were subsequently revised, including mechanical drum brakes, split-window rear windows, mechanical direction-indicators and the non-synchronized gearbox. Other features, including its distinctive overall shape, endured.
Its engine, transmission, and cylinder heads were constructed of light alloy. An engine oil cooler (located in the engine fan's shroud) ensured optimal engine operating temperature and long engine life, optimized by a thermostat that bypassed the oil cooler when the engine was cold. Later models of the carburetor featured an automatic choke. Engine intake air passed through a metallic filter, while heavier particles were captured by an oil bath. After 1960, steering featured a hydraulic damper that absorbed steering irregularities.
Indicative of the car's utilitarian design, the interior featured painted metal surfaces, a metal dash consolidating instruments in a single, circular binnacle, adjustable front seats, a fold-down rear seat, optional swing-out rear windows, front windows with pivoting vent windows, heating via air-to-air exchange manifolds operating off the engine's heat, and a windshield washer system that eschewed the complexity and cost of an additional electric pump and instead received its pressurization from the car's spare tire (located in the front luggage compartment) which was accordingly overinflated to accommodate the washer function.
Throughout its production, VW marketed the Beetle with a four-speed manual transmission. From 1961 (and almost exclusively in Europe), VW offered an optional version of the Saxomat semi-automatic transmission: a regular 4-speed manual transaxle coupled to an electromagnetic clutch with a centrifugal clutch used for idle. Subsequently (beginning in 1967 in Europe and 1968 in the United States), VW offered an optional semi-automatic transmission (marketed as Automatic Stick Shift and also called AutoStick[citation needed]), which was a 3-speed manual coupled to an electro-pneumatic clutch and torque converter.
While the overall appearance of the Beetle changed little over its life span, it received over 78,000 incremental changes during its production.
EVOLUTION AND DESIGN CHANGES
BEETLE CABRIOLET
It was in 1948 that Wilhelm Karmann first bought a VW Beetle sedan and converted it into a four-seated convertible. The Beetle Cabriolet began production in 1949 by Karmann in Osnabrück. After successfully presenting it at VW in Wolfsburg, production started in 1949.
The convertible was more than a Beetle with a folding top. To compensate for the strength lost in removing the roof, the sills were reinforced with welded U-channel rails, a transverse beam was fitted below the front edge of the rear seat cushion, and the side cowl-panels below the instrument panel were double-wall. In addition, the lower corners of the door apertures had welded-in curved gussets, and the doors had secondary alignment wedges at the B-pillar.
The top was cabriolet-style with a full inner headliner hiding the folding mechanism and crossbars. In between the two top layers was 25 mm of insulation. The rear window was tempered safety glass, and after 1968, heated. Due to the thickness of the top, it remained quite tall when folded. To enable the driver to see over the lowered top, the inside rearview was mounted on an offset pivot. By twisting the mirror 180 degrees on a longitudinal axis, the mirror glass would raise approximately 5.1 cm.
The convertible was generally more lavishly equipped than the sedan with dual rear ashtrays, twin map pockets, a visor vanity mirror on the passenger side, rear stone shields, and through 1969, wheel trim rings. Many of these items did not become available on other Beetles until the advent of the optional "L" (Luxus) Package of 1970.
After a number of stylistic and technical alterations made to the Karmann cabriolet, (corresponding to the many changes VW made to the Beetle throughout its history), the last of 331,847 cabriolets came off the production line on 10 January 1980.
1950–1959 MODELS
During this period, a myriad of changes were made throughout the vehicle beginning with the availability of hydraulic brakes and a folding fabric sunroof in 1950. The rear window of the VW Beetle evolved from a divided or "split" oval, to a singular oval. The change occurred between October 1952 and March 1953. Beetles built during this time were known as a "Zwitter", or "hybrid", as they used the split-window bodyshell with oval-model chrome trim, vent windows and dashboard.
1953 models received a redesigned instrument panel. The one-piece “Pope's Nose” combination license plate/brake light was replaced by a smaller flat-bottomed license plate light. The brake light function was transferred to new heart-shaped lamps located in the top of the taillight housings.
In 1954, Volkswagen added 2 mm to the cylinder bore, increasing the displacement from 1,131 (1100) cc to 1,192 (1200) cc. This coincided with upgrades to various key components including a redesign of the crankshaft. This increased power from 30 hp (22 kW; 30 PS) to 36 hp (27 kW; 36 PS) and improved the engine's free revving abilities without compromising torque at lower engine speeds. At the same time, compression ratios were progressively raised as, little by little, the octane ratings of available fuel was raised in major markets during the 1950s and 1960s.
In 1955, the separate brake lights were discontinued and were combined into a new larger taillight housing. The traditional VW semaphore turn signals were replaced by conventional flashing directional indicator lamps for North America.
For 1956, the Beetle received what would become one of its more distinctive features, a set of twin chrome tailpipes. Models for North America gained taller bumper guards and tubular overrider bars.
For 1958, the Beetle received a revised instrument panel, and a larger rectangular rear window replaced the previous oval design.
1960–1969 MODELS
1960 models received a front sway bar along with a hydraulic steering damper.
For 1961, significant technical advances occurred in the form of a new engine and transmission. The engine remained at 1200cc but the power increased to 40 hp (30 kW; 41 PS) primarily due to an increase in compression ratio to 7.1:1. The carburetor received an electric automatic choke and the transmission was now synchronized on all forward gears. The traditional semaphore turns signals were replaced by conventional flashing directional indicators worldwide.
For 1962, the Beetle received a mechanical fuel level gauge in place of the former fuel tap. At the rear, larger tail lights were introduced incorporating a separate amber turn signal section to meet new European standards (these turn signals remained red in the US market until 1973). The former hand-pump style windscreen washer was replaced by a new design using compressed air. A Schrader valve located on the washer fluid tank allowed the system to be charged at a filling station to the recommended 35 psi (2.4 bar).
1964 models could be identified by a widened light housing on the engine lid over the rear license plate.
The largest change to date for the Beetle was in 1965: the majority of the body stampings were revised, which allowed for significantly larger windows. The windshield increased in area by 11% and was now slightly curved, rather than flat. Door windows increased accordingly by 6% (and door vent window edges were canted slightly back), rear side windows 17.5%, and the rear window 19.5%. The result was a more open, airy, modern look.
For 1966, the big news was an optional new 1300cc 50 hp (37 kW; 51 PS) engine in lieu of the previous 1200cc engine that had been the sole engine since 1954. Models so equipped carried a "1300" badge on the engine lid. The 1300cc engine was standard for North America.
For 1967, a yet-again larger-displacement engine was made available: 1500cc, 53 hp (40 kW; 54 PS) at 4,200 rpm. 1200 and 1300 engines continued to be available, as many markets based their taxation on engine size. 1500cc Beetles were equipped with front disc brakes and were identified with a "VW 1500" badge on the engine lid. North America received the 1500 engine as standard equipment, but did not receive front disc brakes. These models were identified by a "Volkswagen" badge on the engine lid.
The rear suspension was significantly revised including a widened track, softer torsion bars and the addition of a unique Z-configuration equalizing torsion spring. On US, UK and Ireland models, the generator output was increased from 180 to 360 watts, and the entire electrical system was upgraded from 6 volts to 12 volts. The clutch disc also increased in size and changes were made to the flywheel. New equipment included a driver's armrest on the door and locking buttons on both doors. Safety improvements included two-speed windscreen wipers, reversing lights (in some markets), and a driver's side mirror. In accord with the newly enacted US Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard 108, North American models received a dual-circuit brake system, the clear glass headlamp covers were deleted; the headlamps were brought forward to the leading edge of the front fenders, and the sealed-beam units were exposed and surrounded by chrome bezels.
1968 was a year of major change. The most noticeable of which were the new larger, higher mounted C-section bumpers. At the rear, new larger taillamps were adopted and were able to accommodate backup lamps, which were previously separate bumper-mounted units. Beetles worldwide received the '67 North American style vertical headlamp placement, but with replaceable-bulb headlamps compliant with ECE regulations rather than the US sealed beams. Other improvements were a new outside gas filler with spring-loaded flap, eliminating the need to open the trunk to refuel. The fuel gauge was integrated with the speedometer and was now electrically-actuated rather than cable-operated. The windscreen washer was now pressured by the spare tire, which was to be maintained at a pressure of 42 psi (2.9 bar). A pressure valve in the connecting hose closed airflow to the fluid reservoir if spare tire pressure fell below 30 psi (2.1 bar), which was above the recommended pressures for the road tires. A ventilation system was introduced, which drew fresh air into the cabin from louvres on the front decklid. For improved shifting, the shift lever was shortened, stiffened and moved rearward by
78 mm.
A number of safety improvements were made in order to comply with new American safety regulations: these included trigger-operated outside door handles, a secondary front hood latch, collapsing steering column, soft vent window latches, rotary glove compartment latch and instrument panel knobs labeled with pictographs. US models received a padded instrument panel that was optional in other markets. To meet North American head restraint requirements, VW developed the industry's first high-back bucket seat.
A new 3-speed semi-automatic gear box with torque converter and vacuum-operated clutch became available mid-production year. The semi-automatic models received a vastly improved semi-trailing-arm rear suspension (also known as "Independent Rear Suspension" although the earlier swing axle Beetles were also independent) and eliminated the need for the equalizing torsion spring. This new rear suspension layout would eventually become an option on later models. Beetles equipped with the automatic were identified with a "VW Automatic" badge on the engine lid and a matching decal in the rear window. In North America, the badging and decal were later revised to read, "Automatic Stick Shift".
For 1969, the only exterior change was the fuel filler flap no longer had a finger indentation due to a new interior-mounted fuel door release. For North America, the Beetle received a heated rear window, day/night mirror and the semi-trailing, independent rear-arm suspension as standard equipment.
1970–1979 MODELS
In 1970, A new "L" (Luxus) Package was introduced including, among other items, twin map pockets, dual rear ashtrays, full carpeting, a passenger-side visor vanity mirror, and rubber bumper moldings. The optional 1500 cc engine now came with an engine lid having two rows of cooling louvers, while the convertible's engine lid gained two additional sets for a total of four. For North America, the 1500 cc engine was enlarged to 1600 cc engine and produced 57 hp (43 kW; 58 PS)
For 1971, for the first time there were two Beetles, the familiar standard Beetle and a new larger version that was different from the windscreen forward. All Beetles received an engine upgrade: the optional 1500 cc engine was replaced by a 1600 cc version with twin-port cylinder heads and a larger, relocated oil cooler. The new engine produced 60 hp (45 kW; 61 PS). The ventilation system was improved with the original dash-top vents augmented by a second pair aimed directly at the driver and passenger. For the first time the system was a flow-through design with crescent-shaped air exits fitted behind the rear quarter windows. Airflow could be increased via an optional 2-speed fan. The standard Beetle was now badged as the VW 1300; when equipped with the 1600 engine, it was badged 1300 S, to avoided confusion with the Type 3, which wore VW 1600 badges.
The new larger Beetle was sold as the 1302/1302 S, offering nearly 50% increased luggage capacity. A new MacPherson strut front suspension was incorporated, similar to what was used in the Type 4, and the front track was widened. The new suspension layout allowed the spare tire to be positioned flat under the trunk floor, although the car had to be lengthened slightly to accomplish this. This also allowed a reduction in turning radius. To gain additional trunk volume, the under-dash panel was lowered, allowing the fuel tank to be shifted rearward. From the windscreen back the big Beetle was identical to its smaller progenitor, except for having the semi-trailing arm rear suspension as standard equipment. Overall, the big Beetle was 50 mm longer in length and 35 mm wider and rode on a 20 mm longer wheelbase than the standard model. Both Beetles were available with or without the L Package. The convertible was now based on the 1302 body. In North America, the 1302 was marketed as the Super Beetle and came only with the L Package and 1600 cc engine. While it lacked the front disc brakes that normally accompanied the larger motor, it was fitted with brake drums that were slightly larger than the standard Beetle. With the Super Beetle being sold as the premium model in North America, the standard Beetle, while retaining the same 1600 cc engine, was stripped of many of its earlier features in order to reduce the selling price. Bright window and running board moldings disappeared, along with the day/night mirror, horn ring, map pocket, locking glove box and miscellaneous other items.
1972 models had an 11% larger rear window 40 mm taller, larger front brakes[citation needed] and the convertible engine lid with four rows of louvres was now used on all Beetles. Inside the vehicle, a four-spoke energy-absorbing steering wheel was introduced, the windshield wiper/washer knob was replaced in favor of a steering column stalk, and intermittent wipers were a new option available in selected markets. An engine compartment socket for the proprietary VW Diagnosis system was also introduced. The rear luggage area was fitted with a folding parcel shelf. A limited-edition Commemorative model was launched in celebration of the Beetle's passing the record of the Ford Model T as the world's most-produced automobile. The Commemorative Beetle was a 1302 LS finished in a special Marathon Blue Metallic paint and unique 4.5 x 15 styled steel wheels. In the U.S., it was marketed as the Super Beetle Baja Champion SE.
1973 models featured significantly-enlarged "elephant foot" taillamps mounted in reshaped rear fenders. In the engine bay, the oil-bath air cleaner gave way to a dry element filter, and the generator was replaced with an alternator. The 1302/Super became the 1303 with a new taller wrap-around windscreen. The changes to the cowl and windshield resulted in slight redesign of the front hood. The instrument panel, formerly shared with the standard Beetle, was all-new and incorporated a raised speedometer pod, rocker-style switches and side-window defrosters. The limited-edition GSR (Gelb-Schwarz Rennen) was a 1303 S available only in Saturn Yellow paint equipped with special 140 mm wide sport wheels fitted with 175/70-15 Pirelli Cinturato CN36 high-performance radial tires. Front and rear deck lids were finished in matte black, as was all exterior trim with the exception of the chrome headlamp bezels. Inside were corduroy and leatherette high-bolstered sport seats and a small diameter three-spoke steering wheel with padded leather rim and a small red VW logo on the bottom spoke. In North America, the GSR was sold as the Super Beetle Sports Bug. The North American model had body-color deck lids and was available in Marathon Blue Metallic in addition to Saturn Yellow. In some markets, the sport wheels (in both 4.5-inch and 5.5-inch widths), sport steering wheel and sport seats became available as stand-alone options.
For 1974, North American models received newly required 8.0 km/h impact bumpers mounted on self-restoring energy absorbers, which added approximately 25 mm to the car's overall length. On the Super Beetle, the steering knuckle, and consequently the lower attachment point of the strut, was redesigned to improve handling and stability in the event of a tire blowout. A limited-edition Big Beetle was introduced based on the 1303 LS. Available in unique metallic paint colors, the car featured styled-steel 5.5 in (140 mm) wide sport wheels wrapped in 175/70-15 tires, corduroy seat inserts, upgraded loop-pile carpet, wood-look instrument panel trim and a padded steering wheel with bright accents. In the North American market, a limited-edition Sun Bug was introduced as a standard Beetle or Super Beetle. Both were finished in metallic gold and featured styled-steel 4.5 in (110 mm)-wide sport wheels. Inside were brown corduroy and leatherette seats, loop-pile carpet, and padded four-spoke deluxe steering wheel. The Super Beetle Sun Bug included a sliding-steel sunroof.
In 1975, front turn indicators were moved from the top of the front fenders down into the bumper. At the rear, the license plate light housing was now molded of plastic with a ribbed top surface. To comply with tightening emission standards, the 1600 cc engine in Japanese and North American markets received Bosch L-Jetronic fuel injection, a derivative of the Bosch D-Jetronic system formerly used in the VW Type 3 and Type 4. The injected engine received a new muffler and in California a catalytic converter. This necessitated a bulge in the rear apron under the rear bumper and replaced the distinctive twin "pea shooter" tailpipes with a single offset pipe, making injected models identifiable at a glance. 5 mph (8.0 km/h) bumper-equipped North American models retained fender-top front indicators. The 1303 received rack and pinion steering. In North America, the 1303/Super Beetle sedan was moved upmarket and was now christened La Grande Bug. Similar to the Big Beetle of 1974, La Grande Bug was available in blue or green metallic paint in the U.S. and blue, green or gold metallic in Canada and was equipped with the same features as the 1974 Sun Bug. Mid-year, the Love Bug was introduced for North America: based on the standard Beetle, it was available only in Phoenix Red or Ravenna Green (both colors shared with the VW-Porsche 914) with all exterior trim finished in matte black. A price leader, the Love Bug retailed for less than a standard Beetle. The "Volkswagen" script on the engine lid of all North American Beetles was replaced with a "Fuel Injection" badge.
In 1976, the 1303/La Grande Bug was discontinued, with the larger body continuing only in convertible form. To make up for the loss in North American markets, the standard Beetle was upgraded, regaining some of the features that were removed in 1971. In addition, the 2-speed ventilation fan was included, previously available in North America only on the larger Beetle. The automatic stickshift option was discontinued as well.
1977 models received new front seats with separate head restraints. This was the final model year for the Beetle sedan in North America. The convertible was offered in a Champagne Edition in triple white with the padded deluxe steering wheel, burled elm-grain dash trim and (110 mm wide sport wheels. Approximately 1,000 Champagne Editions were produced.
WIKIPEDIA
Raphoe, County Donegal, Ireland
Raphoe Castle or "Bishop's Palace" is a ruined 17th-century castle in the ancient town of Raphoe. The castle was built in 1636 by the Bishop of Raphoe, John Leslie from stone from a ruined round tower. Leslie was laid siege to within the castle during the Irish Rebellion of 1641 until he was relieved by the Lagganeer army.
Leslie was laid siege again during the Cromwellian conquest of Ireland, with the castle surrendering in 1650 and was damaged by supporters of King James II in 1689 during the Williamite War. A century later in 1798 the castle was attacked again, this time by the United Irishmen three of whom were killed during the Irish Rebellion of 1798. During 1838 Raphoe Castle was finally destroyed by a fire that was said to be accidental from coals that fell out of a fire in an upper room. It has sadly remained in this condition ever since ☹
It’s such a shame to see this castle with such grandeur & history tied to it, just withering away in the wind & rain nowadays. Why this important irreplaceable castle has not been preserved has me baffled? Yet grants are continually being dished out for modern community projects like parks & flower beds etc It’s such a shame that these historical monuments aren’t being prioritised first. When these historical buildings are soon gone for good, I bet opinions will change but it will be too late by then.....
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The Revenant Sisterhood’s primary war fleet is composed of immensely powerful yet irreplaceable battle walkers, discovered amidst the military ruins of the old world. Their desiccated mainframes and ancient radiation-saturated nuclear reactors necessitated the development of the Holy Symbiote, fallen sisters whose partially disembodied spirits could pilot the machines, while withstanding their poisonous emanations… for a time.
The development of the Apostle, the first such machine ever to be manufactured in the modern age, marks a watershed moment in the history of the Sisterhood. A lightweight frame constructed of a composite of demon bone and steel means it can be driven by conventional diesel engines, and therefore conventional pilots. At last, the Matriarch is within reach of a vast machine army.
For the time being, the Apostle has been tasked with escort duty, providing much needed support to long-range battle walker rearmament convoys, but it may yet see a general combat role in the near future.
The Sunset
The sunset glistens upon the land,
with people standing hand in hand,
the beauty that it brings to them,
the magic that it sings to them.
The sunset shines upon the ground,
with people standing, staring, astound,
the colors soaking into them,
the art evoking heart in them.
The sunset of life and love,
the sunset soaring in the heavens like a dove,
the sunset fills us up with mystery,
the sunset with an irreplaceable history.
Bette Kayley Jones
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All rights reserved. Copyright © Carlos Incote. All my images are protected under international authors copyright laws and may not be downloaded, reproduced, copied, transmitted or manipulated without my written explicit permission.
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the pimp chronicles
Pub: XIII
8/7/10
DISCLAIMER: In this writing I talk mostly about how much I love Chloe. If that bores you, (aka. you have a penis?), feel free to talk about these killer tones!
I thought I made it crystal clear to Chloé that I loved her. She wouldn’t actually ever doubt something so fundamental to our relationship, would she?
After all, I do tell Chloé that I love her many times every single day. It’s that kind of love that doesn’t go away and so bona fide in how feels to me that it would be a dirty stinkin’ crime not to let fuckin’ the kid know, right? If I can tell all you assholes how I feel about her, you better snap yourself into a slim jim that I tell her too. I'd be a real fuckup to keep this all a secret.
Well, Chloé recently had an public temper tantrum a month or two ago. After Little Miss Diablo’s cries became whimpers and my yelling subsided, Daddy Dearest sat down next to her bed to talk. I immediately got this question:
“Daddy, do you still love me even though I was bad?”
My jaw almost dropped. This is the first time as I can recall hat she seriously questioned that.
Well of course I made it very known to her that our love never goes away, no. matter. what.
And I will NEVER forget that look on her face after I immediately squashed the tiny bit of doubt that slipped into her tiny mind. Never forget. As soon as the first word of reassurance came out of my mouth, the corners of her mouth went right to the most innocent and happy smile she ever sported. You could just feel the relief as she wiped her eyes that were still wet from crying. Then she moved over to me and hugged me real tight and said something just like this:
“Oh Daddy! Our love never goes away, EVER EVER! Right Daddy?”
But this time when she asked “Right Daddy?”, it was rhetorical, as it always is when she asks that.
You know when thinking about this experience now, I can’t help but think of it as my daughter’s heart somehow fell on the floor. How does a heart leave the body and fall on the floor without a visable open wound you ask? The fuck if I know.
But I seized this moment motherfucker. With her heart so fragile and open as to be just laying on the carpet among her toys, I was given the opportunity to crush it or even kick it if I wanted to prove the point of how mad I was. Or even accidentally step on it? Any wrong move and I would have caused irreplaceable damage to her entire being forever!
Good thing I'm not a fucking dumbshit. I VERY carefully picked it up and placed it back in her chest. I sew up her heart so super tight that there's no way it could fall out again. I locked that heart inside her the way only a strong Daddy can do it. I performed successful open heart surgery on my kid right on the spot.
Are there conditions for the love of your children? If your kid let’s say turned out to be gay when they grew up, would you be okay with such a notion? Or a drug addict? Or in fact just thinks your precious Jesus is a fictional piece of shit so they decided to worship Satan instead.
Could these scenarios or any situation occur that would cause you to turn your back on your children? Is your love truly unconditional? And if not, how do feel about that?
€Θnάịм ₮ђú ૭$
雲海月光下, 20121020
人的一生中，能有幾次能能見識到這壯觀的景色，很幸運的，我見識到了，月光伴隨著繁星，對著我這邊的一棵樹招着手，說著，去吧，成為不可被取代的存在吧！！
This is the Moon. Oct. 20th, 2012.
How many times do you witness the epic? I was so lucky to be there. The stars are together with the Moon. They wave their hands toward to a tree. They say, "Go!! Go on!!! Become someone who is irreplaceable.!!""
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The Postcard
A postcard published by Neurdein et Cie of Paris.
Medieval craftsmen must have realised when they were carefully carving the chimères that few people would ever get close enough to them to appreciate their skill and artistry.
The card was posted in Paris on Thursday the 19th. July 1906 to:
Miss Enid Fryer,
'Dunkeld',
Sydenham Park Road,
London S.E.
England.
The message on the divided back of the card was as follows:
"Paris.
I thought you would like
a card from here, it is a
very uncommon one, and
needs explaining.
I will tell you all about it
when I see you, and you
will find it most interesting.
The heat is very great here,
and most tiring to get about
in - still we have done lots.
Remember us to your parents
and brothers - tell Emily that
I do hope she is a good girl.
Love to you from
R. Sellor".
The Notre-Dame Fire
On the 15th. April 2019, fire broke out in the attic beneath the cathedral's roof at 18:18. At 18:20 the fire alarm sounded and guards evacuated the cathedral. A guard was sent to investigate, but to the wrong location – the attic of the adjoining sacristy – where he found no fire. About fifteen minutes later the error was discovered, but by the time guards had climbed the three hundred steps to the cathedral attic the fire was well advanced.
The alarm system was not designed to automatically notify the fire brigade, which was summoned at 18:51 after the guards had returned. Firefighters arrived within ten minutes.
Fighting the Notre-Dame Fire
More than 400 firefighters were engaged. A hundred government employees along with police and municipal workers moved precious artefacts to safety via a human chain.
The fire was primarily fought from inside the structure, which was more dangerous for personnel, but reduced potential damage to the cathedral - applying water from outside risked deflecting flames and hot gases (at temperatures up to 800 °C) inwards. Deluge guns were used at lower-than-usual pressures to minimise damage to the cathedral and its contents. Water was supplied by pump-boat from the Seine.
Aerial firefighting was not used because water dropped from heights could have caused structural damage, and heated stone can crack if suddenly cooled. Helicopters were also not used because of dangerous updrafts, but drones were used for visual and thermal imaging, and robots for visual imaging and directing water streams. Molten lead falling from the roof posed a special hazard for firefighters.
By 18:52, smoke was visible from the outside; flames appeared within the next ten minutes. The spire of the cathedral collapsed at 19:50, creating a draft that slammed all the doors and sent a fireball through the attic. Firefighters then retreated from within the attic.
Shortly before the spire fell, the fire had spread to the wooden framework inside the north tower, which supported eight very large bells. Had the bells fallen, it was thought that the damage done as they fell could have collapsed the towers, and with them the entire cathedral.
At 20:30, firefighters abandoned attempts to extinguish the roof and concentrated on saving the towers, fighting from within and between the towers. By 21:45 the fire was under control.
Adjacent apartment buildings were evacuated due to concern about possible collapse, but on the 19th. April the fire brigade ruled out that risk. One firefighter and two police officers were injured.
Damage to Notre-Dame
Most of the wood/metal roof and the spire of the cathedral was destroyed, with about one third of the roof remaining. The remnants of the roof and spire fell atop the stone vault underneath, which forms the ceiling of the cathedral's interior. Some sections of this vaulting collapsed in turn, allowing debris from the burning roof to fall to the marble floor below, but most sections remained intact due to the use of rib vaulting, greatly reducing damage to the cathedral's interior and objects within.
The cathedral contained a large number of artworks, religious relics, and other irreplaceable treasures, including a crown of thorns said to be the one Jesus wore at his crucifixion. Other items were a purported piece of the cross on which Jesus was crucified, the Tunic of St. Louis, a pipe organ by Aristide Cavaillé-Coll, and the 14th.-century Virgin of Paris statue.
Some artwork had been removed in preparation for the renovations, and most of the cathedral's sacred relics were held in the adjoining sacristy, which the fire did not reach; all the cathedral's relics survived. Many valuables that were not removed also survived.
Lead joints in some of the 19th.-century stained-glass windows melted, but the three major rose windows, dating back to the 13th. century, were undamaged. Several pews were destroyed, and the vaulted arches were blackened by smoke, though the cathedral's main cross and altar survived, along with the statues surrounding it.
Some paintings, apparently only smoke-damaged, are expected to be transported to the Louvre for restoration. The rooster-shaped reliquary atop the spire was found damaged but intact among the debris. The three pipe organs were not significantly damaged. The largest of the cathedral's bells, the bourdon, was also not damaged. The liturgical treasury of the cathedral and the "Grands Mays" paintings were moved to safety.
Environmental Damage
Airparif said that winds rapidly dispersed the smoke, carrying it away aloft along the Seine corridor. It did not find elevated levels of particulate air pollution at monitoring stations nearby. The Paris police stated that there was no danger from breathing the air around the fire.
The burned-down roof had been covered with over 400 metric tons of lead. Settling dust substantially raised surface lead levels in some places nearby, notably the cordoned-off area and places left open during the fire. Wet cleaning for surfaces and blood tests for children and pregnant women were recommended in the immediate area.
People working on the cathedral after the fire did not initially take the lead precautions required for their own protection; materials leaving the site were decontaminated, but some clothing was not, and some precautions were not correctly followed; as a result, the worksite failed some inspections and was temporarily shut down.
There was also more widespread contamination; testing, clean-up, and public health advisories were delayed for months, and the neighbourhood was not decontaminated for four months, prompting widespread criticism.
Reactions to the Notre-Dame Fire
President of France Emmanuel Macron, postponing a speech to address the Yellow Vests Movement planned for that evening, went to Notre-Dame and gave a brief address there. Numerous world religious and government leaders extended condolences.
Through the night of the fire and into the next day, people gathered along the Seine to hold vigils, sing and pray.
White tarpaulins over metal beams were quickly rigged to protect the interior from the elements. Nettings protect the de-stabilised exterior.
The following Sunday at Saint-Eustache Church, the Archbishop of Paris, Michel Aupetit, honoured the firefighters with the presentation of a book of scriptures saved from the fire.
Investigation Into The Notre-Dame Fire
On the 16th. April, the Paris prosecutor said that there was no evidence of a deliberate act.
The fire has been compared to the similar 1992 Windsor Castle fire and the Uppark fire, among others, and has raised old questions about the safety of similar structures and the techniques used to restore them. Renovation works increase the risk of fire, and a police source reported that they are looking into whether such work had caused this incident.
The renovations presented a fire risk from sparks, short-circuits, and heat from welding (roof repairs involved cutting, and welding lead sheets resting on timber). Normally, no electrical installations were allowed in the roof space due to the extreme fire risk.
The roof framing was of very dry timber, often powdery with age. After the fire, the architect responsible for fire safety at the cathedral acknowledged that the rate at which fire might spread had been underestimated, and experts said it was well known that a fire in the roof would be almost impossible to control.
Of the firms working on the restoration, a Europe Echafaudage team was the only one working there on the day of the fire; the company said no soldering or welding was underway before the fire. The scaffolding was receiving electrical supply for temporary elevators and lighting.
The roofers, Le Bras Frères, said it had followed procedure, and that none of its personnel were on site when the fire broke out. Time-lapse images taken by a camera installed by them showed smoke first rising from the base of the spire.
On the 25th. April, the structure was considered safe enough for investigators to enter. They unofficially stated that they were considering theories involving malfunction of electric bell-ringing apparatus, and cigarette ends discovered on the renovation scaffolding.
Le Bras Frères confirmed its workers had smoked cigarettes, contrary to regulations, but denied that a cigarette butt could have started the fire. The Paris prosecutor's office announced on the 26th. June that no evidence had been found to suggest a criminal motive.
The security employee monitoring the alarm system was new on the job, and was on a second eight-hour shift that day because his relief had not arrived. Additionally, the fire security system used confusing terminology in its referencing parts of the cathedral, which contributed to the initial confusion as to the location of the fire.
As of September, five months after the fire, investigators thought the cause of the fire was more likely an electrical fault than a cigarette. Determining the exact place in which the fire started was expected to take a great deal more time and work. By the 15th. April 2020, investigators stated:
"We believe the fire to have been
started by either a cigarette or a
short circuit in the electrical system".
Reconstruction of Notre-Dame Cathedral
On the night of the fire Macron said that the cathedral, which is owned by the state, would be rebuilt, and launched an international fundraising campaign. France's cathedrals have been owned by the state since 1905, and are not privately insured.
The heritage conservation organisation Fondation du Patrimoine estimated the damage in the hundreds of millions of euros, but losses from the fire are not expected to substantially impact the private insurance industry.
European art insurers stated that the cost would be similar to ongoing renovations at the Palace of Westminster in London, which currently is estimated to be around €7 billion.
This cost does not include damage to any of the artwork or artefacts within the cathedral. Any pieces on loan from other museums would have been insured, but the works owned by the cathedral would not have been insurable.
While Macron hoped the cathedral could be restored in time for the 2024 Paris Summer Olympics, architects expect the work could take from twenty to forty years, as any new structure would need to balance restoring the look of the original building, using wood and stone sourced from the same regions used in the original construction, with the structural reinforcement required for preventing a similar disaster in the future.
There is discussion of whether to reconstruct the cathedral in modified form. Rebuilding the roof with titanium sheets and steel trusses has been suggested; other options include rebuilding in the original lead and wood, or rebuilding with modern materials not visible from the outside (like the reinforced concrete trusses at Reims Cathedral).
Another option would be to use a combination of restored old elements and newly designed ones. Chartres Cathedral was rebuilt with wrought iron trusses and copper sheeting after an 1836 fire.
French prime minister Édouard Philippe announced an architectural design competition for a new spire that would be:
"Adapted to the techniques
and the challenges of our era."
The spire replacement project has gathered a variety of designs and some controversy, particularly its legal exemption from environmental and heritage rules. After the design competition was announced, the French senate amended the government's restoration bill to require the roof to be restored to how it was before the fire.
On the 16th. July, 95 days after the fire, the law that will govern the restoration of the cathedral was finally approved by the French parliament. It recognises its UNESCO World Heritage Site status and the need to respect existing international charters and practices, to:
"Preserve the historic, artistic and architectural
history of the monument, and to limit any
derogations to the existing heritage, planning,
environmental and construction codes to a
minimum".
On the 15th. April 2020, Germany offered to restore some of the large clerestory windows located far above eye level with three expert tradesmen who specialize in rebuilding cathedrals. Monika Grütters, Germany's Commissioner for Culture was quoted as saying that her country would shoulder the costs.
As of the 30th. November all of the tangled scaffolding was removed from the spire area, and was therefore no longer a threat to the building.
The world will now have to wait for Notre-Dame de Paris to be restored to its former magnificence.
The Dundee Whisky Fire
So what else happened on the day that the card was posted?
Well, on the 19th. July 1906, a bonded warehouse full of whisky caught fire in Dundee.
The fire sent rivers of burning whisky through the city, and flaming alcohol rained down on surrounding streets and buildings when large vats exploded.
All pictures in may photostream are Copyright © 2011 Lélia Valduga, all rights reserved.
Gift, in Rio Grande do Sul, Rio Grande do Sul is the woman, according to the traditionalist movement gaucho, and partner is the pawn.
The term "Gift" has the meaning of something precious, valuable, irreplaceable for the Gaucho. It is a form of courtesy used by men to talk to women.
model:MONACO ROYALE VANESSA PERRIN
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The monthly series
According to the statements of the Venetian historian Carlo Ridolfi (1648), a series of paintings representing the twelve months was sent to Rudolf in Prague: It is very likely that the works exhibited here are just those which belonged to the Emperor. The paintings correspond to the refined taste of an aristocratic authority: The high decorative value, the grandiosity of the iconographic program and sizeable dimensions suggest that they were intended for a great room.
In the inventory of the Archduke Leopold Wilhelm are to be found the twelve paintings recorded as works of the young Bassano: almost all are signed and have been created by Leandro towards the end of the nineties of the 16th century. The series has been preserved almost completely, and so we can still enjoy the unity of style and content. September and October are located in Prague, December is not yet reappeared. The image representing July was cut into two parts, probably for decorative considerations, but both fragments are preserved in Vienna.
The lovely hills surrounding Bassano provides the ambience in which take place the field works characterizing the respective month. The winter months of January, February and March, however - they represent a break in the rural task list - show other subjects: the return from the hunt, the carnival and a market scene. Each month is also provided with the corresponding sign of the zodiac, which appears in the middle of the clouds. The composition, wrapped in a dusky light, develops as parallel image into the landscape: the horizon forms the bluish massive of the mountain - probably the Monte Grappa - where the eye can rest.
Leandro describes the activities of the figures with great precision and carefulness in the reproduction of the details, from the working tools, en passant, the objects up to the clothes, so that the paintings in addition also represent a considerable documentary value. The artist intends to entertain the viewer in a pleasant manner and to dispel. Probably recognized some people themselves in the episodes again: for instance, in the richly-dressed lady who had served herself crops, or in the landlord who controls with his steward the works and the harvest. The monthly cycle, which has its roots in the fertile iconographic tradition of the Middle Ages, acquires in the interpretation of Leandros the character of a lively illustrated calendar, which is aimed at an aristocratic clientele.
The family of painters Bassano
Bassano, a small city, situated on the slopes of Monte Grappa in the northern Veneto, gave the family of painters Da Ponte not only the nickname, but also the fundamental inspirations for the art of the head of family Jacopo and his sons.
Jacopo Bassano was primarily active in the province, far away from the urban artists' centers, and is now considered one of the great masters of Venetian painting of the Cinquecento to the side of Titian, Veronese and Tintoretto. His fame he owes, i.a., the invention of a subject type, linking the pastoral scenes with biblical or allegorical motifs: for this reason he realized completely new and original compositions, enjoying such great popularity that the heirs of Jacopo continued to produce such paintings until the middle of the Seicento and beyond. Leandro, after Francesco the most gifted of the sons, was an irreplaceable support for the father in the workshop operation. With its vibrant and brilliant colors, he continued the fame of the Bassano family into the new century and has been, as a consequence, very successful, especially in the field of portraiture.
Die Malerfamilie Bassano
Bassano, eine kleine, an den Hängen des Monte Grappa im nördlichen Veneto gelegene Stadt, gab der Malerfamilie Da Ponte nicht nur den Beinamen, sondern auch grundlegende Anregungen für die Kunst des Familienoberhauptes Jacopo und seiner Söhne.
Jacopo Bassano war vornehmlich in der Provinz aktiv, weit entfernt von den städtischen Künstlerzentren, und gilt heute als einer der großen Meister der venezianischen Malerei des Cinquecento an der Seite von Tizian, Veronese und Tintoretto. Seinen Ruhm verdankt er unter anderem der Erfindung eines Sujettypus, der die Pastoralszenen mit biblischen oder allegorischen Motiven verknüpfte: Er realisierte damit völlig neuartige und originelle Kompositionen, die so große Beliebtheit genossen, dass die Erben Jacopos derartige Gemälde bis über die Mitte des Seicento hinaus weiterproduzierten. Leandro, nach Francesco der begabteste der Söhne, war für den Vater im Werkstattbetrieb eine unersetzliche Stütze. Mit seiner lebendigen und brillanten Farbgebung setzte er den Ruhm der Familie Bassano bis ins neue Jahrhundert fort und war in der Folge vor allem auf dem Gebiet der Portraitmalerei sehr erfolgreich.
Die Monatsserie
Gemäß den Aussagen des venezianischen Historikers Carlo Ridolfi (1648) wurde eine die zwölf Monate darstellende Gemäldeserie an Rudolf II. nach Prag gesandt: Es ist sehr wahrscheinlich, dass die hier ausgestellten Werke eben jene sind, die dem Kaiser gehörten. Die Gemälde entsprechen dem raffinierten Geschmack eines aristokratischen Auftraggebers: Der hohe dekorative Wert, die Grandiosität des ikonographischen Programms und die ansehnlichen Dimensionen lassen vermuten, dass sie für einen großen Raum gedacht waren.
Im Inventar des Erzherzogs Leopold Wilhelm finden sich die zwölf Gemälde als Werke des jungen Bassano verzeichnet: Fast alle sind signiert und wurden von Leandro gegen Ende der neunziger Jahre des 16. Jahrhunderts geschaffen. Die Serie ist fast zur Gänze erhalten geblieben, und so können wir uns auch heute noch an der Einheit von Stil und Inhalt erfreuen. Der September und der Oktober befinden sich in Prag; der Dezember ist noch nicht wieder aufgetaucht. Das Bild, das den Juli darstellt, wurde in zwei Teile geschnitten, wohl aus dekorativen Überlegungen, aber beide Fragmente sind in Wien erhalten.
Die liebliche Hügellandschaft um Bassano liefert das Ambiente, in dem sich die den jeweiligen Monat charakterisierenden Landarbeiten abspielen. Die Wintermonate Januar, Februar und März hingegen - sie stellen eine Ruhepause in der ländlichen Arbeit dar - zeigen andere Sujets: die Rückkehr von der Jagd, den Karneval und eine Marktszene. Jeder Monat ist zudem mit dem entsprechenden Tierkreiszeichen versehen, das inmitten der Wolken erscheint. Die Komposition, in ein dämmriges Licht gehüllt, entwickelt sich bildparallel in die Landschaft hinein: Den Horizont bildet das bläuliche Massive des Gebirges - wahrscheinlich der Monte Grappa -, wo das Auge Ruhe findet.
Leandro beschreibt die Tätigkeiten der Figuren mit großer Präzision und Sorgfalt in der Wiedergabe der Details, von den Arbeitswerkzeugen über die Gegenstände bis hin zur Kleidung, sodaß die Gemälde zusätzlich auch einen beträchtlichen dokumentarischen Wert repräsentieren. Der Künstler beabsichtigt, den Betrachter in angenehmer Weise zu unterhalten und zu zerstreuen. Wahrscheinlich erkannte sich so mancher in den Episoden wieder: Etwa in der reich gekleideten Dame, die sich Feldfrüchte vorlegen läßt, oder im Grundherrn, der zusammen mit seinem Gutsverwalter die Arbeiten und die Ernte kontrolliert. Der Monatszyklus, der seine Wurzeln in der fruchtbaren ikonographischen Tradition des Mittelalters hat, nimmt in der Interpretation Leandros den Charakter eines lebendig illustrierten Kalenders an, der sich an ein aristokratisches Publikum richtet.
Hot Air Ballooning Cappadocia:
A must do in Cappadocia is take a balloon ride in order to see the sights from a vantage point like no other. On this 1-hour flight at sunrise you will experience the changing colors and the unique landscapes that scatter the region.
Enjoy a unique hot air balloon flight over the fairy chimneys and rock cut churches. This exhilarating experience in Cappadocia is one of the best places around the world to fly with hot air balloons.
www.britannica.com/place/Cappadocia/media/94094/229210
CAPPADOCIA WORLD HERITAGE LIST :
www.whc.unesco.org/en/list/357
In a spectacular landscape, entirely sculpted by erosion, the Göreme valley and its surroundings contain rock-hewn sanctuaries that provide unique evidence of Byzantine art in the post-Iconoclastic period. Dwellings, troglodyte villages and underground towns – the remains of a traditional human habitat dating back to the 4th century – can also be seen there.
Brief synthesis
Located on the central Anatolia plateau within a volcanic landscape sculpted by erosion to form a succession of mountain ridges, valleys and pinnacles known as “fairy chimneys” or hoodoos, Göreme National Park and the Rock Sites of Cappadocia cover the region between the cities of Nevşehir, Ürgüp and Avanos, the sites of Karain, Karlık, Yeşilöz, Soğanlı and the subterranean cities of Kaymaklı and Derinkuyu. The area is bounded on the south and east by ranges of extinct volcanoes with Erciyes Dağ (3916 m) at one end and Hasan Dağ (3253 m) at the other. The density of its rock-hewn cells, churches, troglodyte villages and subterranean cities within the rock formations make it one of the world's most striking and largest cave-dwelling complexes. Though interesting from a geological and ethnological point of view, the incomparable beauty of the decor of the Christian sanctuaries makes Cappadocia one of the leading examples of the post-iconoclastic Byzantine art period.
It is believed that the first signs of monastic activity in Cappadocia date back to the 4th century at which time small anchorite communities, acting on the teachings of Basileios the Great, Bishop of Kayseri, began inhabiting cells hewn in the rock. In later periods, in order to resist Arab invasions, they began banding together into troglodyte villages or subterranean towns such as Kaymakli or Derinkuyu which served as places of refuge.
Cappadocian monasticism was already well established in the iconoclastic period (725-842) as illustrated by the decoration of many sanctuaries which kept a strict minimum of symbols (most often sculpted or tempera painted crosses). However, after 842 many rupestral churches were dug in Cappadocia and richly decorated with brightly coloured figurative painting. Those in the Göreme Valley include Tokalı Kilise and El Nazar Kilise (10th century), St. Barbara Kilise and Saklı Kilise (11th century) and Elmalı Kilise and Karanlık Kilise (end of the 12th – beginning of the 13th century).
Criterion (i): Owing to their quality and density, the rupestral sanctuaries of Cappadocia constitute a unique artistic achievement offering irreplaceable testimony to the post-iconoclastic Byzantine art period.
Criterion (iii): The rupestral dwellings, villages, convents and churches retain the fossilized image of a province of the Byzantine Empire between the 4th century and the arrival of the Seljuk Turks (1071). Thus, they are the essential vestiges of a civilization which has disappeared.
Criterion (v): Cappadocia is an outstanding example of a traditional human settlement which has become vulnerable under the combined effects of natural erosion and, more recently, tourism.
Criterion (vii): In a spectacular landscape dramatically demonstrating erosional forces, the Göreme Valley and its surroundings provide a globally renowned and accessible display of hoodoo landforms and other erosional features, which are of great beauty, and which interact with the cultural elements of the landscape.
Integrity
Göreme National Park and the Rock Sites of Cappadocia, having been extensively used and modified by man for centuries, is a landscape of harmony combining human interaction and settlement with dramatic natural landforms. There has been some earthquake damage to some of the cones and the pillars, but this is seen as a naturally occurring phenomenon. Overuse by tourists and some vandalism have been reported and some incompatible structures have been introduced.
The erosional processes that formed the distinctive conical rock structures will continue to create new fairy chimneys and rock pillars, however due to the rate of this process, the natural values of the property may still be threatened by unsustainable use. The cultural features, including rock-hewn churches and related cultural structures, mainly at risk of being undermined by erosion and other negative natural processes coupled with mass tourism and development pressures, can never be replaced. threats Some of the churches mentioned by early scholars such as C. Texier, H.G. Rott and Guillaume de Jerphanion are no longer extant.
Authenticity
The property meets the conditions of authenticity as its values and their attributes, including its historical setting, form, design, material and workmanship adequately reflect the cultural and natural values recognized in the inscription criteria.
Given the technical difficulties of building in this region, where it is a matter of hewing out structures within the natural rock, creating architecture by the removal of material rather than by putting it together to form the elements of a building, the underlying morphological structure and the difficulties inherent in the handling of the material inhibited the creative impulses of the builders. This conditioning of human effort by natural conditions persisted almost unchanged through successive periods and civilizations, influencing the cultural attitudes and technical skills of each succeeding generation.
Protection and management requirements
The World Heritage property Göreme National Park and the Rock Sites of Cappadocia is subject to legal protection in accordance with both the Protection of Cultural and Natural Resources Act No. 2863 and the National Parks Act No. 2873. The entire territory between the cities of Nevşehir, Ürgüp and Avanos is designated as a National Park under the Act No. 2873. In addition, natural, archaeological, urban, and mixed archaeological and natural conservation areas, two underground towns, five troglodyte villages, and more than 200 individual rock-hewn churches, some of which contain numerous frescoes, have been entered into the register of immovable monuments and sites according to the Act No. 2863.
Legal protection, management and monitoring of the Göreme National Park and the Rock Sites of Cappadocia fall within the scope of national and regional governmental administrations. The Nevşehir and Kayseri Regional Conservation Councils are responsible for keeping the register of monuments and sites, including carrying out all tasks related to the legal protection of monuments and listed buildings and the approval to carry out any restoration-related works. They also evaluate regional and conservation area plans prepared by the responsible national and/or local (i.e. municipal) authorities.
Studies for revision and updating of the existing land use and conservation plan (Göreme National Park Long-term Development Plan) of 1981 were completed in 2003. The major planning decisions proposed were that natural conservation areas are to be protected as they were declared in 1976. Minor adjustments in the peripheral areas of settlements and spatial developments of towns located in the natural conservation sites including Göreme, Ortahisar, Çavuşin, Ürgüp and Mustafapaşa will be strictly controlled. In other words, the Plan proposes to confine the physical growth of these towns to recently established zones. Hotel developments will take into account the set limits for room capacities. Furthermore, the plan also suggested that local authorities should be advised to review land use decisions for areas that have been reserved for tourism developments in the town plans.
Preparation of conservation area plans for the urban and/or mixed urban-archaeological conservation sites within the historic sections of Göreme are in place and provide zoning criteria and the rules and guidelines to be used in the maintenance and restoration of listed buildings and other buildings which are not registered, but which are located within the historic zones. Similar planning studies for the towns of Ortahisar and Uçhisar are in place. Once finalised, a conservation area plan for the urban conservation area in Ürgüp will be in place. All relevant plans are kept up to date on a continuing basis.
Appropriate facilities aimed at improving the understanding of the World Heritage property have been completed for the subterranean towns of Kaymaklı and Derinkuyu, and are required for Göreme and Paşabağı.
Monuments in danger due to erosion, including the El Nazar, Elmalı, and Meryemana (Virgin Mary) churches, have been listed as monuments requiring priority action. Specific measures for their protection, restoration and maintenance are required at the site level.
While conservation plans and protection measures are in place for individual sites, it is recognised by the principal parties responsible for site management that an integrated Regional Plan for the Cappadocia Cultural and Tourism Conservation and Development Area is required to protect the World Heritage values of the property. Adequate financial, political and technical support is also required to secure the management of the propert
www.nationalgeographic.com/travel/world-heritage/cappadocia/
My first real go at watercoloring these. In Scotland we have a series of archeological features built between 500-4,000 years before Christ. We treasure these as the irreplaceable historical artifacts they are. Nah, we leave them out in fields where they offer shelter to sheep and cows.
Just to be clear then, anywhere up to 6,000 years ago a bunch of folks, who had way better things to do (finding enough to eat), set about moving around, and erecting, the biggest pieces of stone they could find. It is amazing to stand in the wind and snow and put your hands on something that was put there by other hands, 300 generations or so ago. And they are everywhere. Which doesn't mean they are always easy to get to or easy to find, but well worth the effort - hail, horizontal rain, or snow.
The New York Public Library
Libraries are the memory of humankind, irreplaceable repositories of documents of human thought and action. The New York Public Library is such a memory bank par excellence, one of the great knowledge institutions of the world, its myriad collections ranking with those of the British Library, the Library of Congress, and the Bibliothèque nationale de France. Virtually all of the Library's many collections and services are freely available to all comers. In fact, the Library has but one criterion for admission: curiosity.
The New York Public Library comprises simultaneously a set of scholarly research collections and a network of community libraries, and its intellectual and cultural range is both global and local, while singularly attuned to New York City. That combination lends to the Library an extraordinary richness. It is special also in being historically a privately managed, nonprofit corporation with a public mission, operating with both private and public financing in a century-old, still evolving private-public partnership. The research collections (for reference only, and organized as The Research Libraries, with four major centers) resemble the holdings of the great national and university libraries, and the community circulating libraries (organized as The Branch Libraries) resemble classic American municipal libraries.
All these features, taken together, make The New York Public Library a unique and complex institution, wonderful to use but not always easy to grasp. A useful way to understand the Library is to consider its beginnings and subsequent evolution. It has been very much a creature of time and place, bearing the imprint of its origins but always, like any living organism, coping with struggles and problems while adapting to an ever changing environment.
München - Frauenkirche
The Frauenkirche (Full name: German: Dom zu Unserer Lieben Frau, Bavarian: Dom zu Unsra Liabm Frau, lit. 'Cathedral of Our Dear Lady') is a church in Munich, Bavaria, Germany, that serves as the cathedral of the Archdiocese of Munich and Freising and seat of its Archbishop. It is a landmark and is considered a symbol of the Bavarian capital city. Although called "Münchner Dom" (Munich Cathedral) on its website and URL, the church is referred to as "Frauenkirche" by locals. It is the biggest hall church in the world.
Because of local height limits, the church towers are widely visible. As a result of the narrow outcome of a local plebiscite, city administration prohibits buildings with a height exceeding 99 m in the city center. Since November 2004, this prohibition has been provisionally extended outward, and consequently, no buildings may be built in the city over the aforementioned height. The south tower, which is open to those wishing to climb the stairs or use the elevator, offers a unique view of Munich and the nearby Alps since the completion of its renovation in 2022.
History
A late Romanesque church was added next to the town's first ring of walls in the 12th century. This new church served as a second city parish following the older, Alter Peter church. The late Gothic cathedral visible today, which replaced the Romanesque church, was commissioned by Duke Sigismund and the people of Munich, and built in the 15th century.
The cathedral was erected in only 20 years' time by Jörg von Halsbach. Because there was not a nearby stone quarry and for other financial reasons, brick was chosen as building material. Construction began in 1468, and when the cash resources were exhausted in 1479, Pope Sixtus IV granted an indulgence.
The two towers, which are both just over 98 meters (323 feet) tall, were completed in 1488, and the church was consecrated in 1494. There were plans for tall, open-work spires typical of the Gothic style, but given the financial difficulties of the time, the plans could not be realized. The towers remained unfinished until 1525.
German historian Hartmann Schedel printed a view of Munich including the unfinished towers in his famous Nuremberg Chronicle, also known as Schedel's World Chronicle. Finally, because rainwater was regularly penetrating the temporary roofing in the tower's ceilings, the towers were completed in 1525, albeit using a more budget-friendly design. This new design may have been modelled after the Dome of the Rock in Jerusalem, which itself was modelled from late Byzantine architecture and erroneously considered to be Solomon's original temple. The resulting domes atop each tower contributed to making the church a distinctive Munich landmark.
The building has a volume of about 200,000 m³, and originally had the capacity to house 20,000 standing people. Later, pews for ordinary people were introduced. Considering late fifteenth-century Munich had only 13,000 inhabitants and an already established parish church in Alter Peter, it is quite remarkable that a second church of this magnitude was erected in the city.
In 1919, Eugen Leviné, leader of a short-lived Bavarian Socialist Republic, had the Frauenkirche declared a "revolutionary temple."
The cathedral suffered severe damage during the later stages of World War II. After Allied forces' air raids, the church roof collapsed, one of the towers suffered severe damage, and the majority of the church's irreplaceable historical artifacts held inside were lost—either destroyed by bomb raids themselves, or removed with the debris in the aftermath. A multi-stage restoration effort began soon after the war. The final stage of restoration was completed in 1994.
Architecture
The Frauenkirche was constructed from red brick in the late Gothic style within only 20 years. The building is designed very plainly, without rich Gothic ornamentation and with its buttresses moved into and hidden in the interior. This, together with the two towers' special design (battered upwards, etc.), makes the construction, mighty anyway, look even more enormous and gives it a near-modern appearance according to the principle of "less is more".
The Late Gothic brick building with chapels surrounding the apse is 109 metres (358 ft) long, 40 metres (130 ft) wide, and 37 metres (121 ft) high. Contrary to a widespread legend that says the two towers with their characteristic domes are exactly one meter different in height, they are almost equal: the north tower is 98.57 metres (323.4 ft) while the south tower is only 98.45 metres (323.0 ft), 12 centimetres (4.7 in) less. The original design called for pointed spires to top the towers, much like Cologne Cathedral, but those were never built because of lack of money. Instead, the two domes were constructed during the Renaissance and do not match the architectural style of the building; however they have become a distinctive landmark of Munich. With an enclosed space of about 200,000 m³, with 150,000 m³ up to the height of the vault, it is the second among the largest hall churches in general and the second among the largest brick churches north of the Alps (after St. Mary's Church in Gdańsk).
In accordance with a law passed in 2004, no buildings within Munich city limits may be built taller than the Frauenkirche towers.
Interior
Catholic Mass is held regularly in the cathedral, which still serves as a parish church.
It is among the largest hall churches in southern Germany. The hall is divided into 3 sectors (the main nave and two side aisles of equal height (31 metres (102 ft)) by a double row of 22 pillars (11 at either side, 22 metres (72 ft)) that help enclose the space. These are voluminous, but appear quite slim because of their impressive height and the building's height-to-width ratio. The arches were designed by Heinrich von Straubing.
From the main portal the view seems to be only the rows of columns with no windows and translucent "walls" between the vaults through which the light seems to shine. The spatial effect of the church is connected with a legend about a footprint in a square tile at the entrance to the nave, the so-called "devil's footstep".
A rich collection of 14th to 18th century artwork of notable artists like Peter Candid, Erasmus Grasser, Jan Polack, Hans Leinberger, Hans Krumpper and Ignaz Günther decorates the interior of the cathedral again since the last restoration. The Gothic nave, several of the Gothic stained-glass windows, some of them made for the previous church, and the tomb monument of Louis IV, Holy Roman Emperor are major attractions. For the daily choral prayers Erasmus Grasser created in 1495–1502 the choir stalls with busts of apostles and prophets and small statues which survived the alterations of the Baroque period and the Gothic Revival, but burned in World War II, only the figures had been relocated and preserved. Therefore, the Frauenkirche still has the largest surviving ensemble of characters from the Late Gothic in Germany. The optical end of the sanctuary is formed by a column on which stands the St. Mary statue by Roman Anton Boos, which he executed in 1780 for the sounding board of the former pulpit. The former high altar painting completed by Peter Candid in 1620 has been moved to the north wall entrance of the sacristy and depicts the Assumption of Mary into heaven.
Teufelstritt, or Devil's Footstep and perpetual wind
Much of the interior was destroyed during World War II. An attraction that survived is the Teufelstritt, or Devil's Footstep, at the entrance. This is a black mark resembling a footprint, which according to legend was where the devil stood when he curiously regarded and ridiculed the 'windowless' church that Halsbach had built. (In baroque times the high altar obscured the one window at the very end of the church, that visitors can see now when standing in the entrance hall.)
In another version of the legend, the devil made a deal with the builder to finance construction of the church on the condition that it contain no windows. The clever builder, however, tricked the devil by positioning columns so that the windows were not visible from the spot where the devil stood in the foyer. When the devil discovered that he had been tricked, he could not enter the already consecrated church. The devil could only stand in the foyer and stomp his foot furiously, which left the dark footprint that remains visible in the church's entrance today.
Legend also says the devil then rushed outside and manifested his evil spirit in the wind that furiously rages around the church.
Another version of that part of the legend has it that the devil came riding on the wind to see the church under construction. Having completely lost his temper, he stormed away, forgetting the wind, which will continue to blow around the church until the day the devil comes back to reclaim it.
Organs
The current organs were built in 1993–1994 by Georg Jann. The Great Organ (1994)[13] on the west gallery has 95 stops (140 ranks, 7,165 pipes), which can be played from two four-manual general consoles (a tracker console behind the Rückpositiv division, and a second movable electric console on the lower choir gallery). The Choir Organ (1993)[14] is located on a gallery in the right nave, near the altar stairs. It has 36 stops (53 ranks) and can be played from a three-manual tracker console, as well as from the two main consoles on the west gallery. Both organs together contain 131 stops (193 ranks, 9,833 pipes) and are the largest organ ensemble in Munich.
Bells
Both towers contain ten bells cast in the 14th, 15th, 17th and 21st centuries. Their combination is unique and incomparable in Europe. The heaviest bell called Susanna or Salveglocke is one of the biggest bells in Bavaria. It was cast in 1490 by Hans Ernst by order of Albrecht IV.
Other
In the church's north tower, since the mid-1980s, was a radio relay station of the German foreign intelligence service BND and another secret service. The relay station was removed in 2018.
(Wikipedia)
Die Frauenkirche, offiziell der Dom zu Unserer Lieben Frau, kurz auch der Münchner Dom, ist ein spätgotisches Kirchengebäude in der Münchner Altstadt und zählt zu den Wahrzeichen der bayerischen Landeshauptstadt München. Seit 1821 dient das Bauwerk als Kathedralkirche des Erzbischofs von München und Freising.
Der dreischiffige Backsteinbau mit umlaufendem Kapellenkranz wurde 1468 von Jörg von Halspach begonnen und 1494 geweiht. Er ist 109 m lang und 40 m breit, das Mauerwerk des Kirchenschiffs etwa 37 m hoch. Entgegen einer weit verbreiteten Legende, die besagt, dass die beiden Türme mit ihren charakteristischen Hauben sich um genau einen Meter in der Höhe unterscheiden, sind diese fast gleich hoch: Der Nordturm misst 98,57 Meter, der Südturm 98,45 Meter. Da die Stadtverwaltung im Stadtzentrum innerhalb des Mittleren Rings keine Gebäude mit einer Höhe von über 100 Metern erlaubt und auch außerhalb dieses Rings seit einem entsprechenden Bürgerentscheid im November 2004 vorläufig keine höheren Gebäude im Stadtgebiet mehr gebaut werden dürfen, sind die Türme weithin sichtbar. Die Turmstube des Südturms kann per Aufzug besucht werden, wobei allerdings zunächst 86 Stufen über eine Wendeltreppe zu bewältigen sind. Der Nordturm ist nicht öffentlich zugänglich.
Die Kirche ist eine der beiden größten Hallenkirchen überhaupt und eine der drei größten Backsteinkirchen nördlich der Alpen. Die Grundfläche von Langhaus und Chor beträgt 3.548 m². Vom Hauptportal aus erscheinen die Säulenreihen wie durchlichtete Wände. Sie stützen die Sterngewölbe des Kirchenschiffs. Zur Raumwirkung der Kirche gibt es eine Legende, die mit einem „Fußabdruck“ in einer quadratischen Bodenplatte im Eingangsbereich des Kirchenschiffs verbunden ist, dem sogenannten Teufelstritt. Von der einst reichen Ausstattung des Innenraums zeugt noch das bedeutende Grabmal Ludwigs des Bayern von Hans Krumpper.
Geschichte
Vorgängerbauten
Im 13. Jahrhundert errichteten die Wittelsbacher an der Stelle der heutigen Frauenkirche, damals am Rand der ummauerten Stadt, eine Marienkapelle. Diese bekam auf ihr Betreiben hin am 24. November 1271 durch den Freisinger Bischof Konrad II. das Pfarrrecht. Damit bestätigte Konrad aber eigentlich nur noch formal die von den Wittelsbachern geschaffenen Tatsachen. Die spätromanische dreischiffige Basilika hatte im Westen eine Doppelturmfassade mit Vorhalle und im Osten einen Chor. Ludwig der Bayer ließ den Chor im Stil der Gotik erneuern und stiftete dort ein Hochgrab für seine 1322 verstorbene Frau Beatrix von Schlesien-Schweidnitz, in dem 1347 auch er beigesetzt wurde. Seither diente die Kirche als Grablege der Münchner Linie der Wittelsbacher. In den etwa 200 Jahren ihres Bestehens wurde die Kirche durch die wohlhabenden Patrizierfamilien der Pfarrei reich mit Altären, Glasgemälden und Pfründen ausgestattet, die später auch auf die neue Kirche übertragen wurden.
Bau der spätgotischen Kirche
Zum Grund des Neubaus gibt es mehrere Sagen, so, dass etwa Herzog Sigismund auf einer Jagd auf München sah und meinte, die Stadt brauche eine Kirche, die von weitem von ihr künde. Eine andere Erzählung spricht davon, dass während einer Messe in der alten Kirche ein Mädchen zusammengebrochen und gestorben sei, da man sie nicht aus der vollen Kirche schaffen konnte. Daraufhin habe der Herzog geschworen, eine neue und geräumigere Kirche zu bauen, damit so etwas nicht mehr passieren könnte. Eine ausführlichere Erzählung berichtet ähnliches: Im voll besetzten Vorgängerbau gab es eines Tages einen blinden Feueralarm. Das schönste Mädchen Münchens wurde in der Panik der aus der Kirche fliehenden Menschen zu Tode getreten. Herzog Sigismund war in seiner Jugend in ein Mädchen niederen Standes verliebt. Sie lehnte eine Ehe aber aus Angst ab, wie Agnes Bernauer behandelt zu werden, die wegen ihres niedrigen Standes von ihrem Schwiegervater Herzog Ernst grausam getötet worden war. Weil das in der Kirche verunglückte Mädchen Herzog Sigismund an seine unglückliche Liebe erinnerte und nicht sinnlos gestorben sein sollte, stiftete er in Gedenken an das Mädchen die Frauenkirche.
Tatsächlich aber gaben wahrscheinlich das Bevölkerungswachstum und das gestiegene Selbstbewusstsein der Münchner Bürger sowie ihr Repräsentationswille den Ausschlag zum Neubau. Dieser wurde von Jörg von Halsbach (auch Jörg Halspach oder Jörg Ganghofer) ausgeführt, der gleichzeitig (1470) das alte Münchner Rathaus erbaute. Er entschied sich für einen schlichten Bau mit einfachem Bildprogramm. Der Stadtrat hatte dem zugestimmt, da er ein Baumeister war, der sich aus Kosten- und Materialgründen für einen Ziegelsteinbau aussprach, nachdem es keinen nahegelegenen Steinbruch gab.
Am 9. Februar 1468 wurde von Herzog Sigismund und Bischof Tulbeck der Grundstein zur neuen Marienkirche gelegt, 1472 wurde die alte Kirche abgerissen. Der Bau schritt vergleichsweise zügig voran. Der riesige Dachstuhl wurde noch vor der Auswölbung des Baus von Meister Heinrich von Straubing aufgesetzt. Zimmermeister Heinrich benötigte für den Dachstuhl 147 schwerbeladene Bauholzflöße, davon 49 Zimmer- und 43 Schnittholzflöße mit zusammen etwa 630 Festmeter Rundholz. Die Türme wurden, abgesehen von den Turmspitzen, bereits 1488 fertiggestellt. Man war also nach nur 20 Jahren fertig geworden, was im Vergleich zu anderen großen Kirchen eine sehr kurze Bauzeit war. Kurz nach der Fertigstellung verstarb Jörg von Halsbach und wurde in der Kirche begraben.
Zur Finanzierung des Baus konnte die Kirche zuerst auf die schon reichlich vorhandenen Stiftungen der alten Kirche zurückgreifen, indem sie z. B. Grund und Gebäude verkaufte. Als die Mittel im Jahr 1479 erschöpft waren, gewährte Papst Sixtus IV. einen vollständigen Ablass denjenigen, die in den Jahren 1480 bis 1482 jeweils in der Woche von Sonntag Laetare bis Judica nach München pilgerten, dort ihre Sünden beichteten und einen Wochenlohn spendeten. Die so eingenommenen Gelder, über 15000 rheinische Gulden, wurden zur Finanzierung des Baus eingesetzt. Die Einweihung des Gotteshauses, das als letztes Hauptwerk in der Tradition der spätgotischen bayerischen Stadtpfarrkirchen mit ihrem schlichten, verhaltenen Stil gilt, erfolgte wahrscheinlich am 14. April 1494 durch den Freisinger Fürstbischof Sixtus von Tannberg oder einen Vertreter. Sixtus hatte sich lange gegen die Zusammenlegung der Stifte Ilmmünster und Schliersee gewehrt (siehe unten) und war deswegen dem Neubau nicht gewogen. Die Seitenaltäre waren schon vor der Weihe in die Kirche gebracht und neu geweiht worden (der Katharinenaltar der Goldschmiede wurde z. B. schon 1471 wieder liturgisch verwendet), damit die Messe dort gefeiert werden konnte. Die Türme wurden erst um 1525 mit dem Aufsetzen der charakteristischen „Welschen Hauben“, vollendet, nachdem einige Jahre zuvor, während des Landshuter Erbfolgekrieges, Kanonen auf den haubenlosen Türmen aufgestellt gewesen waren, die der Verteidigung Münchens dienen sollten.
Um die Marienkirche gegenüber der alten Pfarrkirche St. Peter aufzuwerten, gründete Herzog Albrecht IV. 1492/95 das Kollegiatstift Zu Unserer Lieben Frau durch Vereinigung der Stifte Ilmmünster und Schliersee, die auch Reliquien der neuen Nebenpatrone mitbrachten, die heiligen Arsacius aus Ilmmünster und Sixtus aus Schliersee. Bei der Überführung von Arsatius kam es zu schweren Auseinandersetzungen mit der heimischen Bevölkerung, die „ihren“ Heiligen nicht weggeben wollte.
Zum Zeitpunkt der Weihe waren auch die Fenster unter Verwendung alter Teile als Stiftung der Wittelsbacher und die wichtigsten Altarretabel fertiggestellt. 1502 wurde das Chorgestühl durch Erasmus Grasser fertig gestellt. Im 16. Jahrhundert kamen neue Stiftungen hinzu.
Frühe Neuzeit
Im Zuge der Reformation wurden die Reliquien des im Jahr 1523 heiliggesprochenen Benno von Meißen 1576 aus Meißen gerettet, da diese dort sonst vernichtet worden wären. Die Gebeine wurden nach München in die Neue Veste überführt. Dies sah das Haus Wittelsbach als persönlichen Triumph im Kampf gegen die Protestation an. 1580 schließlich kamen die Reliquien in die Frauenkirche. Es kam zu einer großen Verehrung, die zu einer vom Hofe betriebenen Neuausstattung ab dem Jahr 1601 führte. Der Raum wurde barockisiert und neu ausgemalt. 1604 wurde vom Bildhauer Hans Krumpper der Bennobogen geschaffen, ein Triumphbogen am Eingang zum Chor, der fünf Altäre überspannte, darunter den des heiligen Benno. Ein Triumphkreuz schloss den Bogen an der Spitze ab. 1620 kam der monumentale Hochaltar, der die Himmelfahrt Mariens darstellte und ein Werk Peter Candids war, hinzu. Das Grabmal von 1622 für Ludwig den Bayern aus schwarzem poliertem Kalkstein und Bronze, unter anderem geschmückt mit Bronzefiguren von einem nicht realisierten Grabmal für Albrecht V., wurde in der Geschichte mehrmals versetzt und stammt von Hans Krumpper. Nach und nach wurden im 17. und 18. Jahrhundert alle Altäre mit neuen Gemälden und Retabeln ausgestattet. 1770/72 fertigte Ignaz Günther neue Türflügel und neue Reliefs fürs Chorgestühl. 1780 kam schließlich noch eine Kanzel von Roman Anton Boos hinzu.
19. Jahrhundert
Von 1801 bis 1927 bildete die Helmstange des nördlichen Turms der Frauenkirche den Nullpunkt für die erste bayerische Landesvermessung nach dem bayerischen Soldner-Koordinatensystem.
Im Zuge der Säkularisation in Bayern 1802/1803 wurde das Stift aufgehoben und wurden Teile der Ausstattung zerstört oder vom bayerischen Staat beschlagnahmt. Jedoch wurde München in der darauffolgenden Reorganisation der Kirchenverwaltung Erzbischofssitz, seither ist die als Pfarrkirche errichtete Frauenkirche auch Kathedrale.
Im Jahr 1821 wurde die Fürstengruft vergrößert, was eine Höherlegung des Altarraumes bedeutete. Für das Äußere gab es Pläne von Ludwig Lange und Matthias Berger, die Kuppelhauben der beiden Kirchtürme zu ersetzen, entweder durch neogotische Achteckspitzhelme oder durch ebenfalls veränderte Renaissancehauben. Beides blieb unausgeführt. Jedoch kam es zu einer konsequenten Regotisierung des Inneren der Kirche. Der von 1858 bis 1868 andauernden neogotischen Purifizierung des Domes, bei der ein Großteil der bisherigen Renaissance- und Barockausstattung entfernt wurde, fiel im Jahr 1858 als eine der ersten Maßnahmen der Bennobogen zum Opfer. Die radikale Regotisierungsmaßnahme wurde ab dem Jahr 1858 zunächst durch den Architekten Matthias Berger begonnen und nach einem Streit mit dem zuständigen Bauausschuss dann seit 1863 durch Ludwig Foltz weitergeführt, bis zu dessen Tod im Jahr 1867. Die Regotisierungsmaßnahme war aus kunstgeschichtlicher und denkmalpflegerischer Sicht ein historistischer Kahlschlag, dem wichtige Kunstwerke der vorherigen Epochen zum Opfer fielen. Sie entsprach jedoch der europaweit von den Vorstellungen Eugène Viollet-le-Ducs geprägten Restaurierungspraxis des 19. Jahrhunderts. Zudem sah man damals die Gotik als den kirchlichsten aller Stile an. Die Ausstattung der Frauenkirche wurde deswegen in einer überreichen Neogotik ausgeführt, die verschiedene Zeitstufen der Gotik vermischte. Der Hochaltar des Spätmanierismus des flämischen Malers Peter Candid wurde durch einen neogotischen Flügelaltar (Fertigung von Anselm Sickinger nach einem Entwurf von Matthias Berger) mit reichem Gesprenge und Flügelbildern des Malers Moritz von Schwind ersetzt, der das Marienleben thematisierte. Ebenfalls wurden auch alle Seitenaltäre ausgetauscht. Eine neue Kanzel von Anselm Sickinger, die mit einem reich verzierten Schalldeckel bekrönt wurde, ersetzte die Kanzel mit der Schalldeckelfigur von Roman Anton Boos. Das Gewölbe wurde als Sternenhimmel farbig ausgemalt. Veranlasst hatte die Umgestaltung der Kirche Erzbischof Gregor von Scherr.
20. Jahrhundert
In den Jahren 1930 bis 1932 wurde die neogotische Ausstattung einer umfassenden Restaurierungsmaßnahme unterzogen. Dabei veränderte man die Farbgestaltung der Wände und Gewölbe, während die Ausstattung aber weiterhin beibehalten wurde. Im Zweiten Weltkrieg wurde die Frauenkirche durch Luftangriffe 1943 bis 1945 schwer beschädigt, das Hallengewölbe stürzte teilweise ein und Teile der Einrichtung wurden zerstört. Die neogotische Ausstattung wurde während der Kriegszeit nicht aus der Kirche geborgen, da ihr nicht die historische Bedeutung mittelalterlicher Originale zugesprochen wurde. Erst als die ersten schweren Schäden eingetreten waren, versuchte man wenigstens die Schwindschen Flügelbilder zu bergen, die allerdings beim folgenden Bombenangriff vernichtet wurden. Nach dem Ende des Krieges waren von der neogotischen Ausstattung noch ein Großteil der Seitenaltäre erhalten, dennoch wurden sie bei den Aufräumarbeiten zersägt und weggeräumt. Ebenso geschah es auch mit dem originalen gotischen Chorgestühl, von dem man nur die Plastiken des Erasmus Grasser barg und nach dem Krieg wiederverwendete.
Beim Wiederaufbau wurde das original-gotische Achsfenster mit reichem Maßwerk ausgebaut und an die südliche Polygonseite gesetzt. An seine Stelle rückte man das sogenannte Scharfzandtfenster, dessen gotische Glasgemälde erhalten geblieben waren, in die Mitte des Chores, um mit einem schlichten Hochaltar keine Leere entstehen zu lassen.[10] Dem Geschmack der Nachkriegsjahre entsprechend erfolgte der Wiederaufbau der Kirche in den Jahren 1948 bis 1955 (1. Phase, nach C. Th. Horn) erst in nüchterner und schmuckloser Form. Bis zum Jahr 1957 baute man die beiden Grüfte aus und gestaltete sie neu.
In den Jahren 1971 bis 1972 gestaltete man nach den Vorgaben des Zweiten Vatikanischen Konzils den Altarbereich um und senkte ihn ab. In den Jahren 1980 bis 1981 wurde der Innenraum neu gefasst und die Gewölberippen in einem Ockerton gestrichen. In den Jahren nach 1984 wurden im Kirchendach wieder die ursprünglichen Schleppgauben eingebaut, auf die man in der ersten Aufbauphase verzichtet hatte. Die ca. 120 Epitaphien vom ehemaligen Friedhof der Salvatorkirche an den Außenmauern der Frauenkirche wurden 1982/83 mit Acrylharz konserviert. Viele stammen von reichen Münchner Familien und sind mehrere Jahrhunderte alt.
Im Vorfeld des 500-jährigen Weihejubiläums der Kirche im Jahr 1994 wurden ab dem Jahr 1989 die Türme und der Innenraum restauriert. Von der ursprünglichen Ausstattung sind einzig die Glasgemälde der Chorfenster und einzelne Gemälde und Skulpturen erhalten, die durch andere Stücke, die nach der Purifizierung in das Diözesanmuseum Freising verbracht worden waren, ergänzt wurden. So ist das Kircheninnere seit der durchgreifenden Restaurierung von 1989 bis 1994 heute wieder reicher ausgestattet als in den ersten Jahrzehnten nach dem Krieg.
Architektur und Ausstattung
Typus
Das Bauwerk ist eine nahezu ausschließlich aus Backstein errichtete spätgotische, dreischiffige Hallenkirche mit polygonalem Umgangschor, stabilisiert durch Seitenkapellen an Längsseiten und Chorumgang. Die Gesimse, die das Bauwerk gliedern, bestehen aus Pollinger Kalktuff. Sie ist die letzte und gleichzeitig größte Hallenkirche, die in den Residenzstädten der Wittelsbacher errichtet wurde.
Die Kirche ist in sich geschlossen und von außen schlicht gehalten – das bei den meisten gotischen Kirchen übliche Strebewerk verlegte Jörg von Halsbach in den Innenraum. Die einzelnen Pfeiler sind als durchgängiges Mauerwerk ausgeführt und fungieren als Trennwände der Seitenkapellen. Nach dem gleichen Prinzip ist die Statik der Danziger Marienkirche und der Kathedrale von Albi konstruiert, beide ebenfalls Backsteinarchitektur. Die Türme wirken mächtig und ziehen den Blick auf sich, da sie den First des Schiffes deutlich überragen. Ihre viereckigen Basen verjüngen sich nach oben leicht bis auf die Höhe des Dachfirsts. Dort gehen sie in Oktogone über und werden von den sogenannten Welschen Hauben abgeschlossen, die aber erst 1525 aufgesetzt wurden. Man betrachtete sie eine Zeit lang als Produkt der frühen Renaissance, doch gehen die ‚Zwiebelhauben‘ möglicherweise auf den vermeintlichen Tempel Salomos in Jerusalem zurück. Dieser ist jedoch in Wahrheit der Felsendom, den man zu dieser Zeit für den antiken Tempel hielt; indem man dessen Dachform kopierte, wollte man den Gläubigen einen Hinweis auf das Himmlische Jerusalem geben. Bekannt wurden Bilder des Felsendoms im Reich durch die Holzschnitte in dem Werk Peregrinatio in terram sanctam von Bernhard von Breidenbach aus dem Jahr 1486 und durch die Schedelsche Weltchronik von 1493.
Außengestaltung
Fassade
Das Äußere des Gebäudes weist im Vergleich zu in Bruchstein errichteten Kirchen der Gotik wenig Verzierung auf. Sogar im Vergleich mit der Backsteingotik des Ostseeraums sind Wandgestaltung und Gesamtstruktur einfach und klar. An den Ecken der Türme ist einfachstes Blendmaßwerk in Form von Drei- und Vierpässen angebracht, Reliefs aus Formziegeln findet man an den Seitenschiffaußenwänden. Aber gerade diese würdevolle Schlichtheit lässt den Bau gewaltiger und imposanter erscheinen, als dies eine üppige Verzierung leisten könnte. Pablo de la Riestra schreibt in dem Zusammenhang: „In der Tat hat eine Verdichtung des Entwurfs stattgefunden. Der Verzicht auf formalen Reichtum lief nicht auf ästhetische Verarmung hinaus; ganz im Gegenteil erhöhte sich dadurch die ungeheure Macht, die diese Architektur ausstrahlt. Diese Vorgehensweise ähnelt in gewisser Hinsicht der Moderne des 20. Jahrhunderts, die mit dem Motto ‚weniger ist mehr‘ antrat.“ Den umfangreichsten, aber gleichermaßen dezenten Zierrat bilden die Tuffsteinfriese, das lang umlaufende, welches das Schleppdach über dem Kapellenkranz vom übrigen Dach des Kirchenschiffs trennt, sowie diejenigen der Geschossgliederung der Türme.
Wie die Backsteinkirchen des Ostseeraums und die der südfranzösischen Gotik tragen die Fassaden der Münchener Frauenkirche kaum Figurenschmuck. Hier konzentriert er sich räumlich auf die Sandsteinportale und inhaltlich auf zwei Motive, die an allen Eingängen wiederkehren, nämlich die Gottesmutter und Christus als Schmerzensmann. Die Figuren sind an den Türen auf Konsolen angebracht.
Unten an den Außenwänden sind im Norden, Osten und Süden zahlreiche Epitaphe angebracht. Sie erinnern an den Friedhof, der die Kirche umgab. Aus Gründen der Hygiene sollte der Friedhof verlegt werden, aber mehrmals wehrten sich die Bürger erfolgreich dagegen. Seit 1773 durfte jedoch nur noch in Familiengräbern beerdigt werden und 1800 erfolgte die Pflasterung. An der Wand sind die noch erhaltenen steinernen Epitaphien der wohlhabenderen Bürger angebracht. Sie sind teilweise figürlich geschmückt, manche Texte sind kaum oder gar nicht mehr lesbar. 1984/85 wurden sie mit Hilfe der Messerschmitt Stiftung konserviert. Einer der erhaltenen Grabsteine ist z. B. der des Cosmas Damian Asam.
Portale
Die Kirche hat fünf Portale, das Hauptportal zwischen den Westtürmen und jeweils zwei Portale an den Längsseiten des Kirchenschiffs. Alle sind von Kielbögen umrahmt. Die von Westportal und Südostportal tragen Krabben. Die Tympana über den beiden Nordportalen sind mit Maßwerk bedeckt. Sämtliche Türflügel wurden 1772 von Ignaz Günther geschaffen.
Hauptportal
Das Hauptportal ist der Mutter Gottes geweiht. Der Kielbogen mit Krabben mündet in einer Kreuzblume. Den figürlichen Schmuck bilden die beiden Figuren von Christus als Schmerzensmann und von Maria. Sie stammen noch aus der alten Kirche und entstanden um 1330/40. Die Türflügel wurden nach dem Zweiten Weltkrieg vereinfacht rekonstruiert. Sie zeigen in einem Medaillon im oberen Teil der Tür, der tympanonartig ausgeführt ist, im Relief Maria als unbefleckt Empfangene und als apokalyptische Frau. Der Rest der Tür ist mit verschiedenen Motiven verziert, die unter anderem Bezug auf den dargestellten Heiligen nehmen, bzw. auf die Bereiche der Kirche, die man durch sie erreicht. Die zwei Seiten der Türflügel werden durch ionische Säulen begrenzt. Diesem Schema folgen die anderen Türen auch, nur werden die jeweiligen Heiligen, nach denen das Portal genannt wird, im Medaillon ergänzt. Rechts der Tür befinden sich der Aufgang zum Südturm und ein Relief mit der Ölbergszene (Jesus betet, während seine Jünger schlafen). Dieses Relief diente als Asylzeichen (s. Hausmarke) für Verfolgte.
Südwestportal
Die südwestliche Tür ist dem hl. Arsacius von Mailand geweiht, einem Nebenpatron der Kirche und Patron des Stifts Ilmmünster, der seine Reliquien 1492/95 bei der Zusammenlegung mit dem Stift Schliersee „mitbrachte“. Als Figurenschmuck dient an diesem Portal eine Verkündigungsszene. Auf der linken Seite steht der Engel, der sein Ave spricht; rechts empfängt Maria diese Worte. Ansonsten ist es das schlichteste der Portale. Die Figuren sind Kopien. Die Originale von etwa 1400 sind heute im Freisinger Dommuseum zu sehen.
Brautportal und Grundstein
Das südöstliche Tor wird „Brautportal“ oder „Donatusportal“ genannt. Früher hieß es auch „Schrannentor“. Zeitweise war es der meistbenutzte Eingang, da es dem Schrannenmarkt (Kornmarkt) zugewandt ist, dem heutigen Marienplatz. Geweiht ist es dem hl. Donatus von Arezzo, dem Mitpatron des Meißner Doms, aus dem die Reliquien des hl. Benno übertragen wurden. Möglicherweise wegen seiner verkehrsgünstigen Lage bekam es als einziges der Kirchenportale ein reich profiliertes gotisches Gewände mit kleinteiligem Figurenschmuck in zwei Archivolten, entstanden um 1480 und 1860 ergänzt. Die Gewändefigürchen sind im äußeren Ring weibliche Heilige und im inneren männliche. Im äußeren Archivolt ist außerdem eine Verkündigung dargestellt. Der Engel, der auf der linken Seite steht, stammt allerdings nicht aus der Zeit des Kirchenbaus, sondern wurde 1896 geschaffen. An den Portalseiten sind Darstellungen der Gottesmutter und des Schmerzensmanns zu sehen, die um 1430 entstanden. Rechts des Portals befindet sich eine Votivtafel mit der Grundsteinlegungsinschrift von 1468.
Bennoportal
Im Nordosten hat das Schiff zwei Sakristei-anbauten: Die ehemalige gotische Sakristei unter dem nördlichsten Chorfenster beherbergt heute einen Gebetsraum, die Sakramentskapelle. Westlich schließt die im Barock errichtete heutige Sakristei an, nach dem benachbarten Portal Bennosakristei genannt. Dieses Bennoportal ist dem Stadt- und Landespatron Benno von Meißen geweiht, dessen Reliquien im Zuge der Gegenreformation nach München kamen.
Nordwestportal
Das nordwestliche Portal ist dem hl. Sixtus geweiht. Dieser Papst und Märtyrer ist der Patron des Stifts Schliersee und seit der Gründung des Stifts unserer lieben Frau Mitpatron der Kirche. Die Figuren, die das Portal ehemals schmückten, sind nicht mehr bekannt, jedoch könnte ein Steinbildnis des Erlösers in der Sakramentskapelle ursprünglich hier gestanden haben. Links neben dem Portal befindet sich ein interessantes Detail. Ein Asylzeichen (Kreuzkopfschaft mit gestürztem Dreiecksfuß (s. Hausmarke), wie am Hauptportal), das Verfolgten Schutz signalisierte. Diese Praxis geriet lange Zeit in Vergessenheit, ist aber in letzter Zeit wieder präsent geworden, indem die Kirche Personen aufgenommen hat, die abgeschoben werden sollten. Gegenüber dem Portal steht das Bennobrünnlein, ein Werk Josef Henselmanns von 1972, das den alten, im Krieg zerstörten Brunnen ersetzte.
Orgeln
Der Dom verfügt über insgesamt vier Orgeln, die von Georg Jann aus Allkofen (Laberweinting/Niederbayern) erbaut wurden.
Auf der Westempore befindet sich die Hauptorgel mit 95 Registern aus dem Jahr 1994 (mit zwei viermanualigen Spieltischen: einem mechanischen Spieltisch hinter dem Rückpositiv, und einem beweglichen elektrischen Spieltisch auf der unteren Chorempore). Im südlichen Seitenschiff auf Höhe des Chores steht die Chororgel (Andreasorgel) mit 36 Registern aus dem Jahr 1993. Sie ist sowohl vom dreimanualigen mechanischen Spielschrank als auch von den beiden viermanualigen Spieltischen der Hauptorgel aus spielbar.
Beide Orgeln mit insgesamt 131 Registern und 9833 Pfeifen bilden die größte Orgelanlage in München und zählen zu den größten Orgeln in Deutschland.
In der Sakramentskapelle steht eine 2-manualige Orgel, die 1985 erbaut wurde und elf Register (ausschließlich mit Holzpfeifen) umfasst. Außerdem verfügt der Dom über ein Truhenpositiv mit fünf Registern aus dem Jahr 1981.
Glocken
Das Münchener Domgeläut stellt aufgrund der noch erhaltenen fünf mittelalterlichen und zwei barocken Kirchenglocken eines der wertvollsten historischen Glockenensembles Deutschlands dar. Die große, rund acht Tonnen schwere Salveglocke zählt zu den größten Kirchenglocken Bayerns und gilt europaweit als eine der klangschönsten Glocken des Mittelalters.
Reliquien
In der Frauenkirche werden in einer Seitenkapelle die Reliquien des hl. Bischofs Benno von Meißen aufbewahrt, der als Schutzpatron der Stadt München verehrt wird. Der Schrein wird alljährlich bei der Vesper am Fest des hl. Benno im Juni in einer Prozession durch den Dom getragen.
Sonstiges
Die Kirche ist in der Bayerischen Denkmalliste als Baudenkmal eingetragen unter der Nummer D-1-62-000-1808. 1994 gab die Deutsche Bundespost anlässlich des 500-jährigen Jubiläums eine Sonderbriefmarke im Wert von 100 Pfennig heraus.
2024 wurde im Archiv des Deutschen Museums eine 4 × 4 cm große Fotografie der Frauenkirche entdeckt. Die Aufnahme (Salzpapier-Negativ) wurde von Franz von Kobell angefertigt und ist auf das Jahr 1837 datiert. Es handelt sich somit um das älteste Foto Deutschlands.
Im Nordturm der Frauenkirche befinden sich zahlreiche fernmeldetechnische Anlagen. Eine früher vom BND genutzte Relaisfunkstelle wurde zwischenzeitlich entfernt.
Aus dem Münchner Dom werden regelmäßig Gottesdienste live übertragen: Montag bis Freitag jeweils um 18:00 Uhr, und am Sonntag um 10:00 Uhr als Video-Livestream über die Website des Erzbistums München und Freising. Das Münchner Kirchenradio überträgt auf DAB+ im Ballungsraum München.
(Wikipedia)
On February 12, 2016, President Obama signed a proclamation declaring the Mojave Trails National Monument east of Los Angeles in Southern California.
Mojave Trails National Monument: Spanning 1.6 million acres, more than 350,000 acres of previously congressionally-designated Wilderness, the Mojave Trails National Monument is comprised of a stunning mosaic of rugged mountain ranges, ancient lava flows, and spectacular sand dunes. The monument will protect irreplaceable historic resources including ancient Native American trading routes, World War II-era training camps, and the longest remaining undeveloped stretch of Route 66. Additionally, the area has been a focus of study and research for decades, including geological research and ecological studies on the effects of climate change and land management practices on ecological communities and wildlife.
Photo by Bob Wick, BLM.