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The Zodiacal Light and Milky Way over a tilted headstone, Wilson cemetery, south of Hawker, SA. Lighting from a video light and light painting with a torch. Sigma lens.
Happy Sliders Sunday!
Admired and Awarded on Capturing Colors Group www.flickr.com/groups/capturing_colors/
Singapore.Night HDR. Sight of Financial District. Enjoy, Mario.
Thank you for kind comments, suggestions and favorites.
i stood on la rambla while the sun wrote its hard sentences on closed shutters; a body became a curtain, and an old hand became proof. nothing moved fast. the city simply admitted what time looks like.
Bergen, Norway
One of the main reasons I wanted to visit Bergen was to photograph these houses – Bryggen, a harbour district of Bergen. They are not the easiest of buildings to capture especially from the roadside due to all the table and chairs and bus stops right in front of them, so in my opinion, the other side of the harbour probably produces the better overall image. This one was taken on the only sunny day we had.
The history of the area is very interesting so I make no apologies for lifting the text from the UNESCO World Heritage Convention website… It’s better than anything I could have written!
Bryggen, the old wharf of Bergen, is a reminder of the town’s importance as part of the Hanseatic League’s trading empire from the 14th to the mid-16th century. Many fires, the last in 1955, have ravaged the characteristic wooden houses of Bryggen. Its rebuilding has traditionally followed old patterns and methods, thus leaving its main structure preserved, which is a relic of an ancient wooden urban structure once common in Northern Europe. Today, some 62 buildings remain of this former townscape.
Outstanding Universal Value – a brief synthesis
Bryggen is a historic harbour district in Bergen, one of North Europe’s oldest port cities on the west coast of Norway which was established as a centre for trade by the 12th century. In 1350 the Hanseatic League established a “Hanseatic Office” in Bergen. They gradually acquired ownership of Bryggen and controlled the trade in stockfish from Northern Norway through privileges granted by the Crown. The Hanseatic League established a total of four overseas Hanseatic Offices, Bryggen being the only one preserved today.
Bryggen has been damaged by a number of fires through the centuries and has been rebuilt after every fire, closely following the previous property structure and plan as well as building techniques. Bryggen’s appearance today stems from the time after the fire in 1702. The buildings are made of wood in keeping with vernacular building traditions. The original compact medieval urban structure is preserved with its long narrow rows of buildings facing the harbour, separated by narrow wooden passages. Today, some 62 buildings remain of this former townscape and these contain sufficient elements to demonstrate how this colony of bachelor German merchants lived and worked, and illustrate the use of space in the district. It is characterized by the construction of buildings along the narrow passages running parallel to the docks. The urban units are rows of two- to three-storey buildings signified by the medieval name “gård”. They have gabled facades towards the harbour and lie on either one or both sides of the narrow passages that have the functions of a private courtyard. The houses are built in a combination of traditional timber log construction, and galleries with column and beam construction with horizontal wooden panel cladding. The roofs have original brick tiling or sheets, a result of fast repairs after an explosion during World War II. Towards the back of the gård, there are small fireproof warehouses or storerooms (kjellere) built of stone, for protection of special goods and valuables against fire. This repetitive structure was adapted to the living conditions of the Hanseatic trading post. The German merchants took up winter residence in the small individual wooden houses and the storerooms were used as individual or collective warehouses. A true colony, Bryggen enjoyed quasi-extraterritoriality which continued beyond the departure of the Hanseatic merchants until the creation of a Norwegian trading post in 1754, on the impetus of fishermen and ship owners of German origin. Today, Bryggen is a significant part of the historic wooden city of Bergen.
Criterion (iii): Bryggen bears the traces of social organization and illustrates the use of space in a quarter of Hanseatic merchants that dates back to the 14th century. It is a type of northern “fondaco”, unequalled in the world, where the structures have remained within the cityscape and perpetuate the memory of one of the oldest large trading ports of Northern Europe.
Integrity
Only around a quarter of the original buildings that existed in Bryggen remained after demolitions at the turn of the 19th century and several fires in the 1950s; the property is comprised of these remaining buildings. Notwithstanding, the medieval urban structure is maintained and the buildings include all elements necessary to demonstrate how Bryggen functioned: offices and dwellings at the front, warehouses in the midsection and assembly rooms (“Schøtstuer”), kitchen facilities and fireproof stone cellars at the back.
Bryggen can be experienced as an entity within a larger harmonious urban landscape. It is connected more closely to the areas of small wooden dwellings beyond Bryggen and in the medieval city centre than to the larger 20th century buildings in its close proximity. The risk of fire, excessive numbers of visitors as well as global climate changes with more extreme weather and possibly higher sea levels are some of the potential risks Bryggen faces today.
Authenticity
The Hanseatic period at Bryggen ended long ago, but the Hanseatic heritage is documented through buildings, archives and artefacts which are well preserved for posterity. There are also series of architectural surveys of the buildings from 1900 onwards.
The preservation of the buildings commenced on a larger scale in the 1960s and had made major progress by 1979, the year of inscription on the World Heritage List. Some buildings at the back were moved in 1965 to create an open area for fire emergencies, but no further changes have been made to the urban structure since. The solutions and methods chosen have been well documented, and limiting the replacement of original materials has been an objective. Bryggen is built of wood, which is subject to rot, insect attack and ageing. Since 2000, there has been an increased focus on maintaining original methods and building materials in the restoration, with careful consideration given to the choice of material, paint, plugs, nails, etc. and the use of original tools as far as possible.
As the activity at Bryggen decreased after 1900, the buildings became derelict. However, from the 1960s the former trading in stockfish and commodities was gradually replaced by small arts and crafts businesses. An increase in the number of visitors has led to the establishment of restaurants and tourist businesses. This has resulted in inevitable changes in the spirit of the place, particularly along the front facades, whereas the atmosphere of the Hanseatic period can still be sensed in the more secluded area further back.
Protection and management requirements
Bryggen, including its cultural deposits, is listed pursuant to the Norwegian Cultural Heritage Act and is also protected through the Norwegian Planning and Building Act. The adopted protection plan includes an extensive area that functions as a buffer zone. Bryggen is privately owned and the majority of the buildings are owned by the Bryggen Foundation, which was established in 1962 with the objective of preserving Bryggen. The remaining owners have established a separate association to secure their interests. The stakeholders at Bryggen collaborate in different constellations of owners and authorities.
"The Bryggen Project" was established formally in 2000. This is an extensive and long-term project for monitoring, safeguarding and restoring Bryggen, including both archaeological deposits and standing buildings.
Bryggen is managed according to a management plan that is revised regularly. A fire protection system with detection and suppression has been installed and is continually being improved. Climate conditions are a key issue and measures have been taken to prepare for future changes. Possible impacts resulting from tourism are monitored.
Lesser Yellowlegs is a graceful wading avian that scours shallow mud flats for tiny worms, snails and fish.
Rufous Hummingbird / Selasphorus rufus
www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Rufous_Hummingbird/overview
ORDER: Caprimulgiformes
FAMILY: Trochilidae
Colorado Springs, CO
One of my newest hummingbird flowers ...
Lucifer Montbretia (Crocosmia)
I always love finding these beautiful red toadstools and there were plenty of them at the summit of Mt.Macedon.
Baby Thor leans on the family Thor for thupport. After all, even a hammer is only as strong as his family. I hope my hammer shots have been a hit with you all. And, I hope you all could handle them.
Stepcote Street, Exeter. This street is one of the oldest surviving parts of Exeter, located in the West Quarter. Its name comes from the Old English word for steep, rather than from step, and cote for enclosure. In 1270 it was referred to as Styppecotehyll, and had become Stepcote Hill by 1588, according to a deed.
The hill had been used as the main route into Exeter from the river since Roman times, and it was used by strings of pack horses and weary travellers. The entrance to the street is flanked by St Mary Steps Church on the left, and a pair of timber framed houses that date from about 1500, on the right. (‘Exeter Memories”. Copyright 2016 David Cornforth)
Shots from Balloons over Waikato back in March this year.
The breeze was a bit fresh this morning for ballooning!
Echinops bannaticus (blue globe thistle) is a clump-forming perennial with upright, grey, woolly stems and spiny, hairy, grey-green divided leaves. Spherical blue-grey to blue flowerheads, up to 5cm across, are produced in mid- and late summer
Another lovely tree along the shore of Lake Kussharo.
Hokkaido, Japan
I wrote a blog post about my trip to Hokkaido if you'd like to know more about the trip. As well, if you'd like, take a look at all my images from two trips to Japan .
Photography is a great uniter of countries, cultures, neighborhoods, families and friends. I’ve started a group named Photo-Phactory. Please share your best images with me.
Admiration for the Bill Withers song, the movie "Flash Dance", and Bruce Springsteen's Blinded by the Light incorporated by reference to alternative titles.
"Lean on me
When you're not strong
And I'll be your friend
I'll help you carry on..."
--Bill Withers Lean on Me
Happy Mono Monday!
A new piece of artwork at Maghull North Station celebrating the work of Moss Side Hospital on whose former site the new Merseyrail Station stands. My blog posting refers at:- tonyrobertson.mycouncillor.org.uk/2018/12/07/maghull-nort...