View allAll Photos Tagged positioning
Sunrise
Waldhausen, Waldhäuser-Ost, Nordstadt Tübingen
Highest position: #127 on Tuesday, April 7, 2015
bighugelabs.com/scout.php?mode=history&id=16843945857
#115
A day later
Places / Germany / Baden-Wurttemberg / Tübingen (here North town) / Waldhausen
Distance: 250 - mittig 300m - 1500 m am Waldrand
Waldhausen, Waldhäuser-Ost, Nordstadt Tübingen
Vorteil RAW - schöne Ziselierungen -- Advantage RAW - crisp details
here
12 mb
Sämtliche vom Bildsensor erfassten Details bleiben vollständig erhalten.
de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rohdatenformat_(Fotografie)
Raw macht einen riesen Unterschied bei Aufnahmen am Morgen und Abend.
Das JPEG ([ˈdʒeɪpɛɡ]) Bild war nicht zu gebrauchen. Das Geästel der Bäume war verschmiert. Bei raw ist jedes Zweigchen erkennbar.
- Bilddrehungen um 90°, 180° und 270°
- horizontale und vertikale Bildspiegelungen
- Beschneiden von Rändern,... (Bilder, deren Auflösung nicht ein Vielfaches von 16 Pixeln (bzw. 8 Pixel bei Schwarzweißbildern oder Farbbildern ohne Unterabtastung) beträgt, sind problematisch.)
Version 4.38 ( - CURRENT VERSION - ) (Release date: 2014-06-23)
alle diese Operationen verlustfrei auszuführen kann das kostenlose GUI-gestützte IrfanView für Windows.
Die für Bildarchive nützliche Bearbeitung und Anzeige von IPTC-IIM-Standard-Informationen ist mit einem IPTC-Plug-in realisiert.
Mittels eines anderen Plug-ins kann IrfanView JPEGs verlustfrei bearbeiten.
- ideal für Raw konvertierung - schnell und treffsicher - "Lieblingsabstimmungen" können als Filter gespeichert werden.
- als erstes verdopple ich die Grösse und lasse dabei automatisch von Irfan nachschärfen.
Tipp - jede bearbeitete Version wird als neue Zwischendatei mit dem prefix " #11 .... - #99 " gespeichert, um auf eine Vorversion zurückgreifen zu können, falls man doch zuviel "verbessert" hat!
- wichtig die (selektive) Schärfe immer als letzen Bearbeitungsschritt wählen!
Raw makes the difference on low light sceneries! from dusk to dawn!
The JPEG ([ˈdʒeɪpɛɡ]) was not worth to show.
Using IRFAN View as simple and free converting software.
RAW - handheld
Settings: 1/500 ƒ/5.6 ISO 320
58 mm - aka 185 mm
This Protea Cynaroides was in the Public Gardens on Tresco an Isle making up the Scilly Isles. - Tresco enjoys a very sheltered position in the Atlantic and plants will thrive there which would not survive the winters on the mainland.
The best remedy for those who are afraid, lonely or unhappy is to go outside, somewhere where they can be quiet, alone with the heavens, nature and God. Because only then does one feel that all is as it should be and that God wishes to see people happy, amidst the simple Beauty of Nature.
Highest position: 85 on Monday, May 11, 2009
Close-up of the Orion nebula over dunes at White Sands National Park.
For this shot, due to the park closing not that long after it got dark, I had to set up a tracker, simulate the position of Orion, and then go just outside the park and set it up again and continue stacking data from the sky. Hopefully one day when the park opens up again for backcountry camping, I can re-do this image all from one tripod location. However, the perspective is in fact scientifically accurate, with everything taken at a focal length of 300mm — see 3rd image — so this is in fact an accurate representation of what it would look like at that focal length if our eyes were more sensitive!
This nebula is one of the brightest in the sky, and the brightest parts of it are actually visible to the naked eye, even in a suburban area. It’s up in the skies right now! Go out tonight after it gets dark, and you’ll see a faint blur just below the belt of Orion between the “legs”. Though you’ll only be seeing the very brightest part of the nebula, if you take your camera and star tracker to it you will reveal the rest of these details which are larger than a full moon in the sky.
Fun fact: The white “sand” at White Sands isn’t actually sand. It’s a huge pile of naturally-occurring gypsum, the same stuff that is in drywall :)
Southern 4501 passes the position lights at CP Wysor in Dublin as it makes great time with the excursion from Bristol, TN to Radford, VA. Its hard to believe how fast six years of main line steam on the NS has come and gone. Makes you kinda wonder, whats next??? Jun 28, 2015
taken back to the memories of physics classes
a spring extended or contracted will return to it's relaxed position within specific parameters
"Movement!"
"Position?"
"In front and behind"
"Go to infrared people. Look sharp"
"Maybe they don't show up on infrared atall"
Scene from James Cameron's 1986 movie 'Aliens'.
Thanks to Matthias for the custom Aliens minifigs:
www.eurobricks.com/forum/index.php?s=af1d2a7a9483883bd04c...
IN ENGLISH BELOW THE LINE
Fotografies de la zona de combats de la Batalla del Ebre (1938).
Aquest és un dels bunquers que protegien la Cota 562, excavat l'any 2011. Tots foren rebentats per extreure'n el ferro a la postguerra, i abandonats. Ara, aquest ha estat reconstruit, recuperant la seva fermesa original. Un bunquer entre les oliveres.
Els darrers i dramatics combats de la batalla es produiren en una posició vital per protegir la retirada del exèrcit republicà: Los Raimats, al nord de La Fatarella. Intuint la cabdal importancia d'aquesta posició, els republicans la fortificaren a consciencia, amb moltes trinxeres conectant vuit bunquers de formigó, la majoria per ametralladores però com a mínim un per un canó antitanc. L'assalt final començà el 14 de novembre: les tropes feixistes ocuparen La Fatarella i continuaren cap a Raimats amb molts tancs. El comandant alemany Gustav Trippe va morir allà. Els defensors de la XV Brigada perderen algunes posicións (Cota 554), però aguantaren, mentre la resta del exercit creuava l'Ebre per Flix i Riba-roja.
El 15 de novembre s'incrementà l'atac, amb molta artilleria i aviació. Els tancs T26 dispararen directament contra les troneres dels bunquers per matar els defensors. Això va permetre que la infanteria assaltés les darreres defenses de la Cota 562, morint casi tots els defensors. Riba-roja i Flix varen caure el dia 16, però l'exercit del Ebre no havia estat aniquilat.
La batalla de l'Ebre (25 juliol - 16 novembre de 1938) fou la més important i mortifera de la guerra civil espanyola. Hi ha que també la consideren també la més decisiva, però crec que per desgracia la guerra ja estava decidida de molt abans, com a minim des del trencament del front d'Aragó el 9 de març del mateix any.
Tot i que l'exèrcit republicà creuà l'Ebre el 25 de juliol del 1938 per molts punts entre Mequinensa i Amposta, la major part dels combats de la batalla es donaren a la Terra Alta, a la zona entre Vilalba dels Arcs, La Fatarella, Camposines i Gandesa, a més de la Serra de Pandols.
www.ccma.cat/324/troben-a-la-fatarella-lultim-soldat-repu...
lafinestralectora.cat/ebre-1938/
ca.wikipedia.org/wiki/Batalla_de_l%27Ebre
============================================
This is part of the Ebro battlefield (1938), in Southern Catalonia.
This is one of the bunkers in Hill 562, the key position in the whole sector. All of them where scavenged for iron after the war, and abandoned & buried. But some have been excavated and this one even rebuilt to it's former concrete might. This is Raimats, this is Hill 562.
The last and dramatic combats of the battle took place in a vital position to protect the retreat of the Republican Army: "Los Raimats", north of La Fatarella. Sensing the paramount importance of this position, the Republicans conscientiously fortified it, with many trenches connecting eight concrete bunkers, most armed with machine guns but at least one with an anti-tank gun. The final assault began on November 14: the fascist troops occupied La Fatarella and continued towards Raimats with many tanks. German Commander Gustav Trippe died in the first assault. The defenders of the XV Brigade lost some positions (hill 554, were this bunker stands), but held on, while the rest of the Republican Army crossed the Ebro by Flix and Riba-roja.
On 15th November the attack increased, with much artillery and aviation bombing. T26 tanks fired directly at the bunkers' embrasures, killing the defenders. This allowed the infantry to assault the last defenses of Hill 562, killing almost all the defenders. Riba-roja and Flix fell on the 16th, but the Ebro army had not been annihilated.
The Battle of the Ebro (July 25 - November 16, 1938) was the most important and deadlier of the Spanish Civil War. There are those who also consider it the most decisive, but I think that unfortunately the war was already decided long before, at least since the breaking of the front of Aragon on March 9 of the same year.
The battle began with the greatest offensive made by the Republican forces, when they crossed the river Ebro between Mequinensa and Amposta (especially between Riba-roja and Miravet), and advanced to the line La Pobla de Massaluca -Vilalba dels Arcs -Gandesa - Serra de Pandols . But in just 48 hours, the dazzling advance was stopped short. Then Franco decided to crush the republican forces hill by hill (with massive artillery and bomber barrages), in a battle of attrition identical to the First World War for which the Republicans had no resources or alternative, especially with the river behind them. The main assaults, which lasted from August 10 to October 29, were concentrated in a very small and devastated area: the triangle Vertex Gaeta - Corbera - Camposines.
Finally, a final offensive on October 30 occupied the ridge of the Serra de Cavalls, making the entire Republican bridgehead unsustainable, which managed, however, to withdraw in an orderly manner until November 16. But the damage was already done, and there were no forces left for a proper defense of Catalonia, which fell three months later. Then, fascist darkness.
lafinestralectora.cat/ebre-1938/
www.youtube.com/watch?v=bxQZ_gKCHtk
With the positioning of the final Lufthansa A380 from Frankfurt to Teruel in Spain for storage on the 14th September 2021, D-AIMH would end A380 operations with the airline & the end of some supersized photos, especially around Frankfurt.
Another photo from the spider in the park. I just like that I got him right at the side of the picture and with this treatment, his tiny hairs stand out more.
Highest Position - Explore #44 | 19.08.2008 (Thank You! :))
This was a casual shot which I walked past, shot it & quickly moved on to the food mall to feed my hungry stomach! Just thought the colours are pretty attractive!
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About
The Southgate along Yarra River in Melbourne
The Shot
Standard 3 exposure shots (+2..0..-2 EV) taken handheld using Sigma DC HSM 10-20mm lens
Photomatix
- Tonemapped generated HDR using detail enhancer option
Photoshop
- Added 1 layer effect of 'curves' to increase the overall contrast
- Added 1 layer mask effect of 'saturation' (reds) to decrease the overall harshness
- Added 1 layer mask effect of 'saturation' (blues & cyans) to slightly increase the ceiling glass
- Used 'unsharp mask' (as always) on the background layer
You
All comments, criticism and tips for improvements are (as always) welcome.
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Sunset at the harbour in Bonavista Newfoundland. This is a long exposure (about 4 minutes) taken at the tail end of sunset.
Best position in Explore (December 14, 2010) is # 220.
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Another Danbo fun shot for all of you my good friends! ;-)
I believe this is a Sedge Frog but there are a few different varieties and as it was siting tight, I couldn't quite see all its markings to be certain. This information is from the Sunshine Coast Council.
The flower is a beautiful big Lotus.
"As a place to start I cast my eye around my own suburban garden. My gaze falls to a tiny pale brown frog, barely more than a centimetre long, sitting silently atop the fronds of a fishbone fern Nephrolepis cordifolia (yes, it's a weed – I have, after all, never claimed to be a good gardener) (image 1). Many coastal residents will be familiar with the high-pitched ‘cr-e-e-e-k’ or ‘cr-e-e-e-k pip’ of the eastern sedge frog Litoria fallax, and that is indeed the delightful little frog that is hiding among the fishbone ferns.
There are a number of physical features that distinguish the eastern sedge frog from superficially similar coastal species, including a dark band between the eye and nostril, a white jaw stripe and usually orange inner thighs as seen in the photo at right (image 2). However, the general body colour can vary widely from fawn to green and multiple combinations of those two colours, likely influenced by temperature and colour of surroundings. Occasionally unusual variations can occur, such as the frog to the right who was living in a shallow black-lined garden pond (image 3). Usually, however, colour variations shown in images 4 – 12 are more typical.
If you live near a pond or lake you have probably heard the cheerful chorus of males throughout spring and summer, which often intensifies before and after rain. During this time, competition between males for prime calling positions on vegetation can become intense and it is not unusual to see two males wrestling and jostling for occupation of the highest spot on emergent vegetation.
Female eastern sedge frogs lay their eggs in a series of small clusters, each containing up to 35 eggs. After 10 – 15 seconds the female will move to a new location and start the process again. Males cup their feet around each cluster to fertilise them after laying. Researchers have recorded females laying as many as nine clusters in the space of 28 minutes. Usually this process results in around 200-300 eggs in multiple clusters but can be result in as many as 1,300 from a single female. After fertilisation, the egg cluster will either adhere to vegetation or sink into the water, where they will hatch after three to five days.
Along with graceful tree frogs Litoria gracilenta, eastern sedge frogs frequently become accidental travellers huddled in banana bunches and other plants and produce. However, while this little frog might be one of our backyard treasures, its arrival in new areas can increase the risk of disease if they are released into other native frog populations."
Mt. Coot-tha Gardens, Brisbane.
Thanks to Fleur Walton for the tip.
Two years into the line's Norfolk Southern ownership, train 24M passes the Penn Central-era signals at White interlocking in Garfield Heights, OH on the Cleveland Line. White was installed to control the east end of the Harvard Connection between the Cleveland Line and the Short Line, and featured PRR position-light signals mounted on NYC-style bracket masts. The trailing locomotive was a new Dash 9 that was delivered from GE unpainted and placed in service still in primer paint due to a motive power shortage.
bighugelabs.com/scout.php?mode=history&id=22807611586
on Explore
Exif data
Camera
Canon PowerShot SX60 HS
Exposure P
Canon Exposure Mode
Program AE
0.005 sec (1/200)
Aperture
f/5.0
Digital Zoom Ratio
2.028169014
Focal Length
14.8 mm + 2.0x converter
aka 150 mm
ISO Speed
500
Exposure Bias
-1/3 EV
#
Highest position: 498 on Saturday, November 7, 2015
#
Highest position: 460 on Monday, October 23, 2023
Highest position: 459 on Monday, October 23, 2023
no groups -first
Early starts are made all the more worthwhile when Barn Owls can be seen.
One of the local owls swoops past my position on a small hillock as it hunts, again successfully on this occasion.
Sunset over the Power Station ~ Costa Mesa ~ Orange County ~ California ~ Tuesday 30th November 2010.
Highest Explore Position #245 ~ On Sunday March 18th 2012.
Click here to see My most interesting images
Purchase some of my images here ~ www.saatchionline.com/art/view/artist/24360/art/1259239 ~ Should you so desire...go on, make me rich..lol...Oh...and if you see any of the images in my stream that you would like and are not there, then let me know and I'll add them to the site for you..:))
You can also buy my WWT cards here (The Otter and the Sunset images) or in the shop at the Wetland Centre in Barnes ~ London ~ www.wwt.org.uk/shop/catalogue.asp?Page=1&CatID=182
I'm still in Colchester so i'll not be able to visit all your wonderful streams until tomorrow..:(
I hope you all have a wonderful Sunday and may the sun shine where ever you may be..:))
Escada do museu do Vaticano.
Vaticans museum's stairs.
EXPLORE. Highest position: 206 on Tuesday, September 9, 2008.
08641 positions the newly delivered former Anglia Mk3's from Norwich at Laira. 68024 brought the train down, and can be seen on the left.
Best position in Explore (December 19, 2010) is # 191.
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Already got my self a Christmas gift!
My new toy, Canon EOS 60D! ;-D
Hope you all get your new toys too this Christmas!
Btw, this is the very first shot I took with my 60D, on P Mode at the Camera Shop. ;-)
Explore highest position #339
Explored 04-May-2014 (Highest Position #1)
- -
The best sunset scene at Senganmon of Kumomi-Izu. That great moment the sun goes down in the cave center hole.
(This is 1 Raw-shot picture not doing the synthesis. Also not HDR.)
雲見・千貫門の洞窟に夕陽が落ちる時。
今年はGW前からぱっとしない天候が続き不安でしたが、待ちに待って好条件の日がやってきました。潮目、雲の感じなどほぼベストの条件で撮ることが出来ました。洞穴からサッと光が差し込んでくる瞬間は何度見ても感動します。
今回のショットは、0.5〜2秒と短めの露出中心で攻めてみました（これは1秒）。
data:
Taken on Apr 27, 2014, 18:13 in Kumomi-Matsuzaki.
Gear: Nikon D7000
Lens: Sigma 10-20mm F3.5 EX DC HSM
Tripod: Manfrotto 055XPROB + #410 head
Shot on Focal @13mm (35mm format @20mm) / iso100 / f13 / Exposure 1 second / with C-PLw filter.
Develop by Lightroom 5, and adjustment by Photoshop CC.
Facebook page: Tommy Tsutsui Photography
private site: 伊豆の海景・風景写真
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Ⓒ Tommy Tsutsui Photography All rights reserved.
You can purchase license for this photo from Getty Images!
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Explored 07-12-2024 Highest position #473
Hughenden Manor
Home of the British Prime Minister, Benjamin Disraeli, who lived here from 1848 to 1881
In 1941, Hughenden Manor was requisitioned by the Air Ministry for top-secret cartography work. It was code-named "Hillside".
Civilian artists, architects and draughtsmen, both male and female, were recruited from all over the country and sent to Hughenden Manor, or Hillside, to produce up-to-date bombing maps.
Hughenden map makers produced maps for targets like Berlin, Hamburg, and Dresden and also for strategic missions like the Dam-Busters raid, the rocket factories at Peenemunde, and the Eagle’s Nest—Hitler's mountain retreat.
Because of these important activities, Hughenden Manor, or "Hillside", was at the top of Hitler's hit list.
It was not until 2005 that National Trust researchers discovered details about the Manor's actual use.
Grade I Listed
www.nationaltrust.org.uk/visit/oxfordshire-buckinghamshir...
www.nationaltrust.org.uk/visit/oxfordshire-buckinghamshir...
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hughenden_Manor#:~:text=In%201947%2....
The North Front
Christmas 2024
my workshop on my Facebook just like ;-) Clic Here
my 500px Clic Here
Origins
Although there are no historical records that deal directly with the founding of Venice,[10] tradition and the available evidence have led several historians to agree that the original population of Venice consisted of refugees from Roman cities near Venice such as Padua, Aquileia, Treviso, Altino and Concordia (modern Portogruaro) and from the undefended countryside, who were fleeing successive waves of Germanic and Hun invasions.[11] Some late Roman sources reveal the existence of fishermen on the islands in the original marshy lagoons. They were referred to as incolae lacunae ("lagoon dwellers"). The traditional founding is identified with the dedication of the first church, that of San Giacomo at the islet of Rialto (Rivoalto, "High Shore"), which is said to have been at the stroke of noon on 25 March 421.[12][13]
The last and most enduring immigration into the north of the Italian peninsula was that of the Lombards in 568, leaving the Eastern Roman Empire a small strip of coast in the current Veneto, including Venice. The Roman/Byzantine territory was organized as the Exarchate of Ravenna, administered from that ancient port and overseen by a viceroy (the Exarch) appointed by the Emperor in Constantinople, but Ravenna and Venice were connected only by sea routes and with the Venetians' isolated position came increasing autonomy. New ports were built, including those at Malamocco and Torcello in the Venetian lagoon. The tribuni maiores, the earliest central standing governing committee of the islands in the Lagoon, dated from c. 568.[14]
The traditional first doge of Venice, Paolo Lucio Anafesto, was actually Exarch Paul, and his successor, Marcello Tegalliano, Paul's magister militum (General; literally, "Master of Soldiers.") In 726 the soldiers and citizens of the Exarchate rose in a rebellion over the iconoclastic controversy at the urging of Pope Gregory II. The Exarch was murdered and many officials put to flight in the chaos. At about this time, the people of the lagoon elected their own leader for the first time, although the relationship of this ascent to the uprisings is not clear. Ursus would become the first of 117 "doges" (doge is the Venetian dialect development of the Latin dux ("leader"); the corresponding word in English is duke, in standard Italian duce.) Whatever his original views, Ursus supported Emperor Leo's successful military expedition to recover Ravenna, sending both men and ships. In recognition, Venice was "granted numerous privileges and concessions" and Ursus, who had personally taken the field, was confirmed by Leo as dux[15] and given the added title of hypatus (Greek for "Consul".)[16]
In 751, the Lombard King Aistulf conquered most of the Exarchate of Ravenna, leaving Venice a lonely and increasingly autonomous Byzantine outpost. During this period, the seat of the local Byzantine governor (the "duke/dux", later "doge"), was situated in Malamocco. Settlement on the islands in the lagoon probably increased in correspondence with the Lombard conquest of other Byzantine territories as refugees sought asylum in the lagoon city. In 775/776, the episcopal seat of Olivolo (Helipolis) was created. During the reign of duke Agnello Particiaco (811–827), the ducal seat was moved from Malamocco to the highly protected Rialto, the current location of Venice. The monastery of St. Zachary and the first ducal palace and basilica of St. Mark, as well as a walled defense (civitatis murus) between Olivolo and Rialto, were subsequently built here. Winged lions, which may be seen throughout Venice, are a symbol for St. Mark.
Charlemagne sought to subdue the city to his own rule. He ordered the Pope to expel the Venetians from the Pentapolis along the Adriatic coast,[17] and Charlemagne's own son Pepin of Italy, king of the Lombards under the authority of his father, embarked on a siege of Venice itself. This, however, proved a costly failure. The siege lasted six months, with Pepin's army ravaged by the diseases of the local swamps and eventually forced to withdraw. A few months later, Pepin himself died, apparently as a result of a disease contracted there. In the aftermath, an agreement between Charlemagne and Nicephorus in 814 recognized Venice as Byzantine territory and granted the city trading rights along the Adriatic coast.
In 828, the new city's prestige was raised by the acquisition of the claimed relics of St. Mark the Evangelist from Alexandria, which were placed in the new basilica. The patriarchal seat was also moved to Rialto. As the community continued to develop and as Byzantine power waned, it led to the growth of autonomy and eventual independence.[18]
Expansion
Piazza San Marco in Venice, with St Mark's Campanile and Basilica in the background
These Horses of Saint Mark are a replica of the Triumphal Quadriga captured in Constantinople in 1204 and carried to Venice as a trophy.
From the 9th to the 12th century, Venice developed into a city state (an Italian thalassocracy or Repubblica Marinara, the other three being Genoa, Pisa, and Amalfi). Its strategic position at the head of the Adriatic made Venetian naval and commercial power almost invulnerable. With the elimination of pirates along the Dalmatian coast, the city became a flourishing trade center between Western Europe and the rest of the world (especially the Byzantine Empire and the Islamic world).
The Republic of Venice seized a number of places on the eastern shores of the Adriatic before 1200, mostly for commercial reasons, because pirates based there were a menace to trade. The Doge already carried the titles of Duke of Dalmatia and Duke of Istria. Later mainland possessions, which extended across Lake Garda as far west as the Adda River, were known as the "Terraferma", and were acquired partly as a buffer against belligerent neighbours, partly to guarantee Alpine trade routes, and partly to ensure the supply of mainland wheat, on which the city depended. In building its maritime commercial empire, the Republic dominated the trade in salt,[19] acquired control of most of the islands in the Aegean, including Cyprus and Crete, and became a major power-broker in the Near East. By the standards of the time, Venice's stewardship of its mainland territories was relatively enlightened and the citizens of such towns as Bergamo, Brescia and Verona rallied to the defence of Venetian sovereignty when it was threatened by invaders.
Venice remained closely associated with Constantinople, being twice granted trading privileges in the Eastern Roman Empire, through the so-called Golden Bulls or 'chrysobulls' in return for aiding the Eastern Empire to resist Norman and Turkish incursions. In the first chrysobull, Venice acknowledged its homage to the Empire but not in the second, reflecting the decline of Byzantium and the rise of Venice's power.[20][21]
Venice became an imperial power following the Fourth Crusade, which, having veered off course, culminated in 1204 by capturing and sacking Constantinople and establishing the Latin Empire. As a result of this conquest, considerable Byzantine plunder was brought back to Venice. This plunder included the gilt bronze horses from the Hippodrome of Constantinople, which were originally placed above the entrance to St Mark's cathedral in Venice, although the originals have been replaced with replicas and are now stored within the basilica. Following the fall of Constantinople, the former Roman Empire was partitioned among the Latin crusaders and the Venetians. Venice subsequently carved out a sphere of influence in the Mediterranean known as the Duchy of the Archipelago, and captured Crete.[22]
The seizure of Constantinople would ultimately prove as decisive a factor in ending the Byzantine Empire as the loss of the Anatolian themes after Manzikert. Although the Byzantines recovered control of the ravaged city a half century later, the Byzantine Empire was terminally weakened, and existed as a ghost of its old self until Sultan Mehmet The Conqueror took the city in 1453.
View of San Giorgio Maggiore Island from St. Mark's Campanile
Situated on the Adriatic Sea, Venice always traded extensively with the Byzantine Empire and the Muslim world. By the late 13th century, Venice was the most prosperous city in all of Europe. At the peak of its power and wealth, it had 36,000 sailors operating 3,300 ships, dominating Mediterranean commerce. During this time, Venice's leading families vied with each other to build the grandest palaces and support the work of the greatest and most talented artists. The city was governed by the Great Council, which was made up of members of the noble families of Venice. The Great Council appointed all public officials and elected a Senate of 200 to 300 individuals. Since this group was too large for efficient administration, a Council of Ten (also called the Ducal Council or the Signoria), controlled much of the administration of the city. One member of the great council was elected "Doge", or duke, the ceremonial head of the city, who normally held the title until his death.
The Venetian governmental structure was similar in some ways to the republican system of ancient Rome, with an elected chief executive (the Doge), a senate-like assembly of nobles, and a mass of citizens with limited political power, who originally had the power to grant or withhold their approval of each newly elected Doge. Church and various private properties were tied to military service, although there was no knight tenure within the city itself. The Cavalieri di San Marco was the only order of chivalry ever instituted in Venice, and no citizen could accept or join a foreign order without the government's consent. Venice remained a republic throughout its independent period, and politics and the military were kept separate, except when on occasion the Doge personally headed the military. War was regarded as a continuation of commerce by other means (hence, the city's early production of large numbers of mercenaries for service elsewhere, and later its reliance on foreign mercenaries when the ruling class was preoccupied with commerce).
Francesco Guardi, The Grand Canal, 1760 (Art Institute of Chicago)
The chief executive was the Doge, who theoretically held his elective office for life. In practice, several Doges were forced by pressure from their oligarchical peers to resign the office and retire into monastic seclusion when they were felt to have been discredited by perceived political failure.
Although the people of Venice generally remained orthodox Roman Catholics, the state of Venice was notable for its freedom from religious fanaticism and it enacted not a single execution for religious heresy during the Counter-Reformation. This apparent lack of zeal contributed to Venice's frequent conflicts with the Papacy. In this context, the writings of the Anglican Divine, William Bedell, are particularly illuminating. Venice was threatened with the interdict on a number of occasions and twice suffered its imposition. The second, most famous, occasion was in 1606, by order of Pope Paul V.
Venetian ambassadors sent home still-extant secret reports of the politics and rumours of European courts, providing fascinating information to modern historians.
The newly invented German printing press spread rapidly throughout Europe in the 15th century, and Venice was quick to adopt it. By 1482, Venice was the printing capital of the world, and the leading printer was Aldus Manutius, who invented the concept of paperback books that could be carried in a saddlebag. His Aldine Editions included translations of nearly all the known Greek manuscripts of the era.[23]
Decline
The Grand Canal in Venice
Venice's long decline started in the 15th century, when it first made an unsuccessful attempt to hold Thessalonica against the Ottomans (1423–1430). It also sent ships to help defend Constantinople against the besieging Turks (1453). After Constantinople fell to Sultan Mehmet II he declared war on Venice. The war lasted thirty years and cost Venice much of its eastern Mediterranean possessions. Next, Christopher Columbus discovered the New World. Then Portugal found a sea route to India, destroying Venice's land route monopoly. France, England and the Dutch Republic followed them. Venice's oared galleys were at a disadvantage when it came to traversing the great oceans, and therefore Venice was left behind in the race for colonies.
The Black Death devastated Venice in 1348 and once again between 1575 and 1577.[24] In three years the plague killed some 50,000 people.[25] In 1630, the plague killed a third of Venice's 150,000 citizens.[26] Venice began to lose its position as a center of international trade during the later part of the Renaissance as Portugal became Europe's principal intermediary in the trade with the East, striking at the very foundation of Venice's great wealth, while France and Spain fought for hegemony over Italy in the Italian Wars, marginalising its political influence. However, the Venetian empire was a major exporter of agricultural products and, until the mid-18th century, a significant manufacturing center.
Modern age[edit source | editbeta]
A map of the sestiere of San Marco
The Republic lost independence when Napoleon Bonaparte conquered Venice on 12 May 1797 during the First Coalition. The French conqueror brought to an end the most fascinating century of its history: during the 18th century, Venice became perhaps the most elegant and refined city in Europe, greatly influencing art, architecture and literature. Napoleon was seen as something of a liberator by the city's Jewish population, although it can be argued they had lived with fewer restrictions in Venice. He removed the gates of the Ghetto and ended the restrictions on when and where Jews could live and travel in the city.
Venice became Austrian territory when Napoleon signed the Treaty of Campo Formio on 12 October 1797. The Austrians took control of the city on 18 January 1798. It was taken from Austria by the Treaty of Pressburg in 1805 and became part of Napoleon's Kingdom of Italy, but was returned to Austria following Napoleon's defeat in 1814, when it became part of the Austrian-held Kingdom of Lombardy-Venetia. In 1848–1849, a revolt briefly reestablished the Venetian Republic under Daniele Manin. In 1866, following the Third Italian War of Independence, Venice, along with the rest of the Veneto, became part of the newly created Kingdom of Italy.
During the Second World War, the historic city was largely free from attack, the only aggressive effort of note being Operation Bowler, a successful Royal Air Force precision strike on the German naval operations there in March 1945. The targets were destroyed with virtually no architectural damage done the city itself.[27] However the industrial areas in Mestre and Marghera and the railway lines to Padua, Trieste and Trento were repeatedly bombed.[28] On 29 April 1945, New Zealand troops under Freyberg reached Venice and relieved the city and the mainland, which were already in partisan hands.[29]
Subsidence[edit source | editbeta]
Further information: Acqua alta
Acqua alta or high water in Venice.
Venice and surroundings in false colour, from Terra. The picture is oriented with North at the top.
Foundations
The buildings of Venice are constructed on closely spaced wooden piles. Most of these piles are still intact after centuries of submersion. The foundations rest on the piles, and buildings of brick or stone sit above these footings. The piles penetrate a softer layer of sand and mud until they reach a much harder layer of compressed clay.
Submerged by water, in oxygen-poor conditions, wood does not decay as rapidly as on the surface.
Most of these piles were made from trunks of alder trees,[30] a wood noted for its water resistance.[31] The alder came from the westernmost part of today's Slovenia (resulting in the barren land of the Kras region), in two regions of Croatia, Lika and Gorski kotar (resulting in the barren slopes of Velebit) and south of Montenegro.[citation needed] Leonid Grigoriev has stated that Russian larch was imported to build some of Venice's foundations.[32] Larch is also used in the production of Venice turpentine.[33]
History[edit source | editbeta]
The city is often threatened by flood tides pushing in from the Adriatic between autumn and early spring. Six hundred years ago, Venetians protected themselves from land-based attacks by diverting all the major rivers flowing into the lagoon and thus preventing sediment from filling the area around the city. This created an ever-deeper lagoon environment.
In 1604, to defray the cost of flood relief, Venice introduced what could be considered the first example of a 'stamp tax'. When the revenue fell short of expectations in 1608, Venice introduced paper with the superscription 'AQ' and imprinted instructions, which was to be used for 'letters to officials'. At first, this was to be a temporary tax, but it remained in effect until the fall of the Republic in 1797. Shortly after the introduction of the tax, Spain produced similar paper for general taxation purposes, and the practice spread to other countries.
During the 20th century, when many artesian wells were sunk into the periphery of the lagoon to draw water for local industry, Venice began to subside. It was realised that extraction of water from the aquifer was the cause. The sinking has slowed markedly since artesian wells were banned in the 1960s. However, the city is still threatened by more frequent low-level floods (called Acqua alta, "high water") that creep to a height of several centimetres over its quays, regularly following certain tides. In many old houses, the former staircases used to unload goods are now flooded, rendering the former ground floor uninhabitable.
Some recent studies have suggested that the city is no longer sinking,[34][35] but this is not yet certain; therefore, a state of alert has not been revoked. In May 2003, the Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi inaugurated the MOSE project (Modulo Sperimentale Elettromeccanico), an experimental model for evaluating the performance of hollow floatable gates; the idea is to fix a series of 78 hollow pontoons to the sea bed across the three entrances to the lagoon. When tides are predicted to rise above 110 centimetres, the pontoons will be filled with air, causing them to float and block the incoming water from the Adriatic Sea. This engineering work is due to be completed by 2014.[36]
Geography
Sestieri of Venice:
Cannaregio
Castello
Dorsoduro
San Marco
San Polo
Santa Croce
The historical city is divided into six areas or "sestiere" (while the whole comune (municipality) is divided into 6 boroughs of which one is composed of all 6 sestiere). These are Cannaregio, San Polo, Dorsoduro (including the Giudecca and Isola Sacca Fisola), Santa Croce, San Marco (including San Giorgio Maggiore) and Castello (including San Pietro di Castello and Sant'Elena). Each sestiere was administered by a procurator and his staff. Nowadays each sestiere is a statistic and historical area without any degree of autonomy.
These districts consist of parishes – initially seventy in 1033, but reduced under Napoleon and now numbering just thirty-eight. These parishes predate the sestieri, which were created in about 1170.
Other islands of the Venetian Lagoon do not form part of any of the sestieri, having historically enjoyed a considerable degree of autonomy.
Each sestiere has its own house numbering system. Each house has a unique number in the district, from one to several thousand, generally numbered from one corner of the area to another, but not usually in a readily understandable manner.
Climate
According to the Köppen climate classification, Venice has a Humid subtropical climate (Cfa), with cool winters and very warm summers. The 24-hour average in January is 2.5 °C (36.5 °F), and for July this figure is 22.7 °C (72.9 °F). Precipitation is spread relatively evenly throughout the year, and averages 801 millimetres (31.5 in).
Explored! #49 - highest position yet =)
Slept in a bit on Friday after getting up and checking the weather at 5:30. It was pretty much the same as Thursday so we decided there was no point going out and taking practically identical photos.
We went kayaking on Okarito Lagoon which was pretty cool except I managed to get myself completely soaked and Dad laughed at me. We saw Godwits, Pipers, Spoonbills, a blue heron and a couple of white herons. Dad and I were sharing a kayak and right as we were nearly back to shore managed to get stuck! It wasn't that bad though because a white heron was standing in the water maybe three or four metres away from us so that was awesome. We got unstuck after a little bit and returned to shore. I was so glad of a shower then!
After lunch Bee and I packed up our stuff and packed it into her car and set off. We had a break in Hokitika for a while and then drove as far as Kumara Junction before Bee remembered that we forgot to get petrol and the needle was on E. Luckily we weren't too far away from Hokitika so were able to drive back and fill up the tank.
We didn't stop again until Arthur's Pass for a quick toilet break and also made friends with four Keas who were hanging out by the carpark.
From there we drove on until we reached Castle Hill which has totally amazing limestone rock formations. It's near Flock Hill Station which was used in The Lion, The Witch & The Wardrobe. Both Bee and I got a bit carried away with our cameras and when we got back to the car realised just how long we'd been there.
She dropped me home about ten and I was very glad of being able to go to my own bed and have a nice long sleep. Speaking of bed, that's where I'm headed right now because I have yet another early start tomorrow because I have a plane to catch and a course to go to (and my Viking Essay to finish off).