U.S. Customs and Border Protection Deputy Commissioner Kevin K. McAleenan, right, testifies before the House Committee on Homeland Security in a hearing focused on closing pathways for terrorists enter the U.S. in Washington, D.C., September 14, 2016. Also pictured, from left, are TSA Deputy Administrator Huban Gowadia, USCIS Director León Rodriguez, I&A Under Secretary Francis Taylor and ICE Deputy Director Daniel Ragsdale. CBP Photo by Glenn Fawcett

Governor Moore Testifys for the Serve Act by Joe Andrucyk at House Appropriations Committee Hearing Room, Room 130, House Office Building, 6 Bladen Street, Annapolis MD 21401

Rep. Cummings testified before the legislature’s Education Committee on a proposal she introduced to establish a statewide Literacy Advisory Commission to advocate on behalf of students and to promote literacy across Connecticut. The commission would be made up entirely of volunteers, and include representatives from each district reference group as defined by the State Department of Education, a member with expertise in literacy in special education, a member with expertise in English as a second language (ESL) or English language learners, a member with expertise in preschool or school readiness and a member of the Department of Education, among others.

U.S. Customs and Border Protection Deputy Commissioner Kevin K. McAleenan tis greeted by committee members as he prepares to testify before the House Committee on Homeland Security in a hearing focused on closing pathways for terrorists enter the U.S. in Washington, D.C., September 14, 2016. CBP Photo by Glenn Fawcett

091316: Chief of the USBP, Mark A. Morgan testifies at his first hearing as United States Border Patrol Chief with U.S. Customs and Border Protection. His testimony was presented at the Cannon House Office building before the House Homeland Security Committee, Border and Maritme Security Subcommittee on interior checkpoints and defense-in-depth.

Photographer: Donna Burton

Copyright © Joel Lawson All rights reserved.

Photographer Erin McCann testifies regarding harassment of photographers at Washington DC's Union Station, and her long record of seeking consistent management policies at the station. More at the excellent GreaterGreater Washington blog:

greatergreaterwashington.org/post.cgi?id=1066

Additional details on my blog:

lightboxdc.blogspot.com/2008/07/norton-schools-union-stat...

Update: Sometime around New Year's Eve, a friend alerted me to the fact this story was *the* top story on FOX5's website for the entire year (eclipsing even the Jonas Brothers). During the heat of the coverage, someone with FOX5 had informed me their web stats were "unbelievable" and "through the roof." Photographers are now more than hobbyists and professionals, they are becoming a well-connected and increasingly unified community.

The Church of St George (Romansh: Sogn Gieri), dating back to the High Middle Ages, belongs to the church parishes of Bonaduz and Rhäzüns. It is decorated throughout with Gothic frescoes by the Waltensburger and Rhäzüns masters. The visitor experiences the Middle Ages here in the truest sense of the word. The depictions on the choir and nave walls of the Romanesque church are a ”biblia paupera”. The pictures recount events from the Old and, above all, from the New Testament. The Waltensburger frescoes testify to a courtly culture, which is also documented by the knightly epics and Minnesang. Representations of torture in the legend of St George stand in contrast to elegant saints and courageous knights. There is no other interior throughout the Canton of Graubünden whose walls tell us so much about what was important in the Middle Ages.

It is considered the richest example of a completely decorated church interior of the Middle Ages in Switzerland.__Located at a remote location on a wooded hill above the anterior Rhine. The patronage festival goes back to the local legend, which tells how St. George did missionary work in the Grisons in the middle of the 4th century. At this place he leapt over the Rhine on his horse to escape pagan persecutors. Old parish, mentioned 960; evidence of a Carolingian hall church with stilted apse and walled, open (?) entrance courtyard found during excavations when restoration took place in 1961-1963. The present-day complex consists of a Romanesque nave with a flat ceiling and a transverse rectangular Gothic choir (the choir lies perpendicular to the nave) from the early 14th century with a cross rib vault. High Gothic wall-paintings by two artists. The earlier ones in the choir and choir arch by the Waltensburg Master ca. 1350, the newer ones on the walls of the nave by a Rhäzuns master from the 2nd half of the 14th century.__Choir: the ribs painted colourfully to simulate rich profiles. Intertwined leaves between four large medallions with angels as evangelists in the sectroids. Christ’s countenance on the apex stone; Annunciation in the tree vault shields, (flanked by the fox and stork from Aesop’s Fables), Crucifixion and the Coronation of Mary; a badly damaged Adoration of the Magi, row of apostles and benefactor couple under a bold meandering frieze with the coat of arms of Rhäzüns; St. Oswald and St. Nicholas in the window embrasure; pedestal drapery._ Three image bands with iconographically interesting, intertwined scenes of the miracle and passion of St. George on the wall under the merlon frieze: on the upper right King Dadianus shows the wheel and cauldron instruments of torture to the Saint, next to it the miracle of St. George, who causes branches to grow out of the house of a poor widow; below this the widow’s crippled child is presented to St. George, on the left the capture of St. George; on the upper left Queen Alexandria is hung by her hair, whipped and then beheaded after her confession to Christianity, while St. George is put into a cauldron of boiling lead as he prays for her; in the middle band of pictures the magician Anthanasios causes a demon to rise up out of a bursting steer; in the lower band the Saint is tortured, hung and desecrated, to the right of the choir arch he is decapitated; under the legend of St. George to the left is a Virgin of Mercy with kneeling benefactor and two women under the coat of arms of Rhäzüns: John the Baptist on the right above the masonry altar block; representation of the battle with the dragon on the north wall of the nave.__Nave: three bands of single images from the 2nd half of the 14th century by the so-called Rhäzüns Master along the longer walls and on the west wall. These distinguish themselves from the true form and carefully composed art of the Waltensburg Master by their linear and improvised representation of a type of pauper's Bible. Scenes in loose order from the Old and New Testaments that are kept strictly disconnected. Further devotional images on the north wall: St. Nicholas with the three virgins above; the so-called Holiday Christ, Gregory Mass, local legend of the St. George leaping over the Rhine, Archangel Michael as weigher of the souls, the death and burial of the Mother of God below. (Kunstführer durch die Schweiz, Hg. Gesellschaft für Schweizerische Kunstgeschichte, Band 2, Bern 2005) (Art Guide Throughout Switzerland, ed. Swiss Society for Art History, Volume 2, Berne 2005)

Holy Tradition testifies that when the Apostles departed from Jerusalem to preach to all the ends of the earth, then Mary Magdalene also went with them. A daring woman, whose heart was full of reminiscence of the Resurrection, she went beyond her native borders and went to preach in pagan Rome. Everywhere she proclaimed to people about Christ and His teaching. When many did not believe that Christ is risen, she repeated to them what she had said to the Apostles on the radiant morning of the Resurrection: “I have seen the Lord!” With this message she went all over Italy.

Tradition relates that in Italy Mary Magdalene visited Emperor Tiberias (14-37 A.D.) and proclaimed to him Christ’s Resurrection. According to Tradition, she brought him a red egg as a symbol of the Resurrection, a symbol of new life with the words: “Christ is Risen!” Then she told the emperor that in his Province of Judea the unjustly condemned Jesus the Galilean, a holy man, a miracleworker, powerful before God and all mankind, had been executed at the instigation of the Jewish High Priests, and the sentence confirmed by the procurator appointed by Tiberias, Pontius Pilate.

Mary repeated the words of the Apostles, that we are redeemed from the vanity of life not with perishable silver or gold, but rather by the precious Blood of Christ.

Thanks to Mary Magdalene the custom to give each other paschal eggs on the day of the Radiant Resurrection of Christ spread among Christians over all the world. In one ancient Greek manuscript, written on parchment, kept in the monastery library of St Athanasius near Thessalonica, is a prayer read on the day of Holy Pascha for the blessing of eggs and cheese. In it is indicated that the igumen in passing out the blessed eggs says to the brethren: “Thus have we received from the holy Fathers, who preserved this custom from the very time of the holy Apostles, therefore the holy Equal of the Apostles Mary Magdalene first showed believers the example of this joyful offering.”

U.S. Customs and Border Protection, USBP Acting Chief Carla Provost testified before the Judiciary Committee hearing on the subject "The MS-13 Problem: Investigating Gang Membership, its Nexus to Illegal Immigration, and Federal Efforts to End the Threat" at the Dirksen Senate Office Building.

Photographer: Donna Burton

Marine Corps Gen. Joseph F. Dunford Jr., chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, testifies during a Senate Armed Services Committee reconfirmation hearing in the U.S. Senate Hart Building in Washington, D.C., Thursday, Sept. 26, 2017. Dunford has been serving as CJCS since Oct. 1, 2015 and has been nominated for a second two-year term. (DOD photo by Navy Petty Officer 1st Class Dominique A. Pineiro)

Senator John Cornyn makes opening remarks as Deputy Executive Assistant Commissioner, Office of Field Operations, John Wagner and other witnesses prepare to testify before the Senate Judiciary Subcommittee On Border Security and Immigration during a hearing on visa overstays in Washington, D.C., July 12, 2017. U.S. Customs and Border Protection photo by Glenn Fawcett

U.S Secretary of State John Kerry testifies on behalf of the Obama Administration's 2017 federal budget request on February 24, 2016, during an appearance before the Senate Appropriations Committee on Foreign Operations on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C. [State Department photo/ Public Domain]

Marine Corps Gen. Joseph F. Dunford Jr., chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, testifies during a Senate Armed Services Committee reconfirmation hearing in the U.S. Senate Hart Building in Washington, D.C., Thursday, Sept. 26, 2017. Dunford has been serving as CJCS since Oct. 1, 2015 and has been nominated for a second two-year term. (DOD photo by Navy Petty Officer 1st Class Dominique A. Pineiro)

U.S. Marine Gen. Joseph F. Dunford, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, testifies before the Senate Armed Services Committee on the Department of Defense budget posture in review of the Defense Authorization Request for Fiscal Year 2017 and the Future Years Defense Program in Washington D.C., March 17, 2015. Secretary of Defense Ash Carter was also in attendance. DoD Photo by Navy Petty Officer 2nd Class Dominique A. Pineiro

Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. Mark A. Welsh III testifies with a panel of Defense Department witnesses on Capitol Hill, Feb. 12, 2013, during a hearing before the Senate Armed Services Committee about the potential impact of sequestration and a full-year continuing resolution. During the hearing, Welsh said sequestration undermines the Air Force's readiness and responsiveness, jeopardizing the strategic advantages airpower provides. Other witnesses who testified with Welsh were Deputy Secretary of Defense Ashton Carter, Under Secretary of Defense Robert Hale, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Martin Dempsey, National Guard Bureau Director Gen..Frank Grass, Chief of Staff of the Army Gen. Raymond Odierno, Commandant of the Marine Corps Gen. James Amos and Vice Chief of Naval Operations Adm..Mark Ferguson. (U.S. Air Force photo/Scott M. Ash)(released)..

Dr Albert Blumberg, former Johns Hopkins professor and secretary of the Maryland Communist Party, testifies before the House Committee on Un-American Activities (HUAC) March 29, 1940.

Blumberg defiantly declined “to answer any questions about any individual except myself” and “refused to answer questions with regard” to Communist Party records seized in the Baltimore CP office “for they were unlawfully unconstitutionally taken.”

Agents from HUAC raided the Baltimore office March 29th seizing records, membership lists and a banner. Sol Cohn, Blumberg’s attorney, is shown at left, rear.

Albert Blumberg presided over the Maryland-DC Communist Party during its period of largest growth and perhaps greatest influence during the “popular front” era of the party.

He served as head of the local organization from 1937 to 1943 when he left to become legislative director of the national party.

Blumberg was educated at Yale, the Sorbonne and the University of Vienna and worked as a philosophy professor at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, Maryland when he became active in the party in 1933.

He inherited a party built by his predecessor Earl Reno. Reno built the party through good working class organizers like Patrick Whalen in the maritime trades, Michael Howard in steel and George Meyers in textile that effectively controlled the Baltimore and Maryland Congress of Industrial Organizations (CIO).

Blumberg and his wife, Dorothy Rose Blumberg, led the party to help spearhead integration of the defense industry—particularly at the huge Martin’s aircraft plant outside of Baltimore and in the shipyards and steel mills. They joined with other civil rights groups to picket Baltimore theaters and demand open housing.

He led the successful fight to gain ballot access for the Communist Party in Maryland in 1940, winning despite persecution of the party for allegedly fraudulently obtaining ballot petition signatures. His wife was later convicted on this charge.

Blumberg and his wife were persecuted first in 1940 by the U.S. House of Representatives “Dies Committee” and Blumberg became one of the first persons indicted under the “Smith Act” that essentially made it a crime to be a member of the Communist Party USA after the conviction of eleven Communist Party leaders in 1949.

In 1951 his wife Dorothy was arrested for violating the “Smith Act” which made it a crime to be a member of the Communist Party. She went to jail in 1953 and served three years.

Albert Blumberg went underground in 1950 but was arrested in 1954 in New York City and convicted in 1956 under the Smith Act. However, the U.S. Supreme Court voided the act in 1957 while Blumberg’s case was under appeal and he did not have to serve his prison sentence.

For his communist beliefs, he was beaten in Atlanta Penitentiary during one of his jailings and lost most of his sight in one eye.

Ostracized during the McCarthy era, he was unable to obtain employment as a professor until 1965.

Sometime in the late 1950s, Blumberg left the Communist Party but remained an activist, becoming a Democratic Party district leader in Manhattan.

He died at the age of 91 in 1997.

For more information and related images, see flic.kr/s/aHskAr2KCx

The photographer is unknown. The image is an ACME News Service photograph obtained via an Internet sale.

Governor Moore Testifys for the Serve Act by Joe Andrucyk at Miller Senate Office Building, 11 Bladen Street, Annapolis

Damian Montes, CBP Director of the Canine Center located in Front Royal Virginia, testifies before the U.S. Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs on how Canine Programs Contribute to Homeland Security. Photo by James Tourtellotte.

Damian Montes, CBP Director of the Canine Center located in Front Royal Virginia, testifies before the U.S. Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs on how Canine Programs Contribute to Homeland Security. Photo by James Tourtellotte.

Damian Montes, CBP Director of the Canine Center located in Front Royal Virginia, testifies before the U.S. Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs on how Canine Programs Contribute to Homeland Security. Photo by James Tourtellotte.

Governor and Lt. Governor Testify on the Gun Safety Bill. by Jay Baker at Annapolis, Maryland

Deputy Executive Assistant Commissioner, Office of Field Operations, John Wagner testifies before the Senate Judiciary Subcommittee On Border Security and Immigration during a hearing on visa overstays in Washington, D.C., July 12, 2017. U.S. Customs and Border Protection photo by Glenn Fawcett

Congressman Jerrold Nadler chairs first comprehensive hearing on Federal environmental response at the WTC site after 9/11. Former EPA administrator Christie Todd Whitman and former OSHA administrator John Henshaw testify.Anti-Whitman demo at the Capitol

(for more information please contact the link at the end of page!)

Study and Gold Cabinet

In the writing room, the Habsburg Staterooms present themselves in its entire splendor. Elegant décor and exquisite materials are reflecting authentically the magnificent appearance of the chambers after the transformations by Archduke Charles in the years from 1822 to 1825.

Writing room © AnnA BlaU; Furniture: On permanent loan from the MAK-Austrian Museum of Applied Arts/Contemporary Art

Writing room

The neighboring "Gold Cabinet" testifies the high quality and the extraordinary richness of the equipment under Duke Albert of Saxe-Teschen. The special alloy (23 K(arat) Gold, 1/2 K Silver and 1/2 K copper) still bears the registered brand name "Albertina Gold".

www.albertina.at/das_palais/prunkraeume/schreibzimmer_und...

The Albertina

The architectural history of the Palais

(Pictures you can see by clicking on the link at the end of page!)

Image: The oldest photographic view of the newly designed Palais Archduke Albrecht, 1869

"It is my will that ​​the expansion of the inner city of Vienna with regard to a suitable connection of the same with the suburbs as soon as possible is tackled and at this on Regulirung (regulation) and beautifying of my Residence and Imperial Capital is taken into account. To this end I grant the withdrawal of the ramparts and fortifications of the inner city and the trenches around the same".

This decree of Emperor Franz Joseph I, published on 25 December 1857 in the Wiener Zeitung, formed the basis for the largest the surface concerning and architecturally most significant transformation of the Viennese cityscape. Involving several renowned domestic and foreign architects a "master plan" took form, which included the construction of a boulevard instead of the ramparts between the inner city and its radially upstream suburbs. In the 50-years during implementation phase, an impressive architectural ensemble developed, consisting of imperial and private representational buildings, public administration and cultural buildings, churches and barracks, marking the era under the term "ring-street style". Already in the first year tithe decided a senior member of the Austrian imperial family to decorate the facades of his palace according to the new design principles, and thus certified the aristocratic claim that this also "historicism" said style on the part of the imperial house was attributed.

Image: The Old Albertina after 1920

It was the palace of Archduke Albrecht (1817-1895), the Senior of the Habsburg Family Council, who as Field Marshal held the overall command over the Austro-Hungarian army. The building was incorporated into the imperial residence of the Hofburg complex, forming the south-west corner and extending eleven meters above street level on the so-called Augustinerbastei.

The close proximity of the palace to the imperial residence corresponded not only with Emperor Franz Joseph I and Archduke Albert with a close familial relationship between the owner of the palace and the monarch. Even the former inhabitants were always in close relationship to the imperial family, whether by birth or marriage. An exception here again proves the rule: Don Emanuel Teles da Silva Conde Tarouca (1696-1771), for which Maria Theresa in 1744 the palace had built, was just a close friend and advisor of the monarch. Silva Tarouca underpins the rule with a second exception, because he belonged to the administrative services as Generalhofbaudirektor (general court architect) and President of the Austrian-Dutch administration, while all other him subsequent owners were highest ranking military.

In the annals of Austrian history, especially those of military history, they either went into as commander of the Imperial Army, or the Austrian, later kk Army. In chronological order, this applies to Duke Carl Alexander of Lorraine, the brother-of-law of Maria Theresa, as Imperial Marshal, her son-in-law Duke Albert of Saxe-Teschen, also field marshal, whos adopted son, Archduke Charles of Austria, the last imperial field marshal and only Generalissimo of Austria, his son Archduke Albrecht of Austria as Feldmarschalil and army Supreme commander, and most recently his nephew Archduke Friedrich of Austria, who held as field marshal from 1914 to 1916 the command of the Austro-Hungarian troops. Despite their military profession, all five generals conceived themselves as patrons of the arts and promoted large sums of money to build large collections, the construction of magnificent buildings and cultural life. Charles Alexander of Lorraine promoted as governor of the Austrian Netherlands from 1741 to 1780 the Academy of Fine Arts, the Théâtre de Ja Monnaie and the companies Bourgeois Concert and Concert Noble, he founded the Academie royale et imperial des Sciences et des Lettres, opened the Bibliotheque Royal for the population and supported artistic talents with high scholarships. World fame got his porcelain collection, which however had to be sold by Emperor Joseph II to pay off his debts. Duke Albert began in 1776 according to the concept of conte Durazzo to set up an encyclopedic collection of prints, which forms the core of the world-famous "Albertina" today.

Image : Duke Albert and Archduchess Marie Christine show in family cercle the from Italy brought along art, 1776. Frederick Henry Füger.

1816 declared to Fideikommiss and thus in future indivisible, inalienable and inseparable, the collection 1822 passed into the possession of Archduke Carl, who, like his descendants, it broadened. Under him, the collection was introduced together with the sumptuously equipped palace on the Augustinerbastei in the so-called "Carl Ludwig'schen fideicommissum in 1826, by which the building and the in it kept collection fused into an indissoluble unity. At this time had from the Palais Tarouca by structural expansion or acquisition a veritable Residenz palace evolved. Duke Albert of Saxe-Teschen was first in 1800 the third floor of the adjacent Augustinian convent wing adapted to house his collection and he had after 1802 by his Belgian architect Louis de Montoyer at the suburban side built a magnificent extension, called the wing of staterooms, it was equipped in the style of Louis XVI. Only two decades later, Archduke Carl the entire palace newly set up. According to scetches of the architect Joseph Kornhäusel the 1822-1825 retreaded premises presented themselves in the Empire style. The interior of the palace testified from now in an impressive way the high rank and the prominent position of its owner. Under Archduke Albrecht the outer appearance also should meet the requirements. He had the facade of the palace in the style of historicism orchestrated and added to the Palais front against the suburbs an offshore covered access. Inside, he limited himself, apart from the redesign of the Rococo room in the manner of the second Blondel style, to the retention of the paternal stock. Archduke Friedrich's plans for an expansion of the palace were omitted, however, because of the outbreak of the First World War so that his contribution to the state rooms, especially, consists in the layout of the Spanish apartment, which he in 1895 for his sister, the Queen of Spain Maria Christina, had set up as a permanent residence.

Picture: The "audience room" after the restoration: Picture: The "balcony room" around 1990

The era of stately representation with handing down their cultural values ​​found its most obvious visualization inside the palace through the design and features of the staterooms. On one hand, by the use of the finest materials and the purchase of masterfully manufactured pieces of equipment, such as on the other hand by the permanent reuse of older equipment parts. This period lasted until 1919, when Archduke Friedrich was expropriated by the newly founded Republic of Austria. With the republicanization of the collection and the building first of all finished the tradition that the owner's name was synonymous with the building name:

After Palais Tarouca or tarokkisches house it was called Lorraine House, afterwards Duke Albert Palais and Palais Archduke Carl. Due to the new construction of an adjacently located administration building it received in 1865 the prefix "Upper" and was referred to as Upper Palais Archduke Albrecht and Upper Palais Archduke Frederick. For the state a special reference to the Habsburg past was certainly politically no longer opportune, which is why was decided to name the building according to the in it kept collection "Albertina".

Picture: The "Wedgwood Cabinet" after the restoration: Picture: the "Wedgwood Cabinet" in the Palais Archduke Friedrich, 1905

This name derives from the term "La Collection Albertina" which had been used by the gallery Inspector Maurice von Thausing in 1870 in the Gazette des Beaux-Arts for the former graphics collection of Duke Albert. For this reason, it was the first time since the foundation of the palace that the name of the collection had become synonymous with the room shell. Room shell, hence, because the Republic of Austria Archduke Friedrich had allowed to take along all the movable goods from the palace in his Hungarian exile: crystal chandeliers, curtains and carpets as well as sculptures, vases and clocks. Particularly stressed should be the exquisite furniture, which stems of three facilities phases: the Louis XVI furnitures of Duke Albert, which had been manufactured on the basis of fraternal relations between his wife Archduchess Marie Christine and the French Queen Marie Antoinette after 1780 in the French Hofmanufakturen, also the on behalf of Archduke Charles 1822-1825 in the Vienna Porcelain Manufactory by Joseph Danhauser produced Empire furnitures and thirdly additions of the same style of Archduke Friedrich, which this about 1900 at Portois & Ffix as well as at Friedrich Otto Schmidt had commissioned.

The "swept clean" building got due to the strained financial situation after the First World War initially only a makeshift facility. However, since until 1999 no revision of the emergency equipment took place, but differently designed, primarily the utilitarianism committed office furnitures complementarily had been added, the equipment of the former state rooms presented itself at the end of the 20th century as an inhomogeneous administrative mingle-mangle of insignificant parts, where, however, dwelt a certain quaint charm. From the magnificent state rooms had evolved depots, storage rooms, a library, a study hall and several officed.

Image: The Albertina Graphic Arts Collection and the Philipphof after the American bombing of 12 März 1945.

Image: The palace after the demolition of the entrance facade, 1948-52

Worse it hit the outer appearance of the palace, because in times of continued anti-Habsburg sentiment after the Second World War and inspired by an intolerant destruction will, it came by pickaxe to a ministerial erasure of history. In contrast to the graphic collection possessed the richly decorated facades with the conspicuous insignia of the former owner an object-immanent reference to the Habsburg past and thus exhibited the monarchial traditions and values ​​of the era of Francis Joseph significantly. As part of the remedial measures after a bomb damage, in 1948 the aristocratic, by Archduke Albert initiated, historicist facade structuring along with all decorations was cut off, many facade figures demolished and the Hapsburg crest emblems plunged to the ground. Since in addition the old ramp also had been cancelled and the main entrance of the bastion level had been moved down to the second basement storey at street level, ended the presence of the old Archduke's palace after more than 200 years. At the reopening of the "Albertina Graphic Collection" in 1952, the former Hapsburg Palais of splendour presented itself as one of his identity robbed, formally trivial, soulless room shell, whose successful republicanization an oversized and also unproportional eagle above the new main entrance to the Augustinian road symbolized. The emocratic throw of monuments had wiped out the Hapsburg palace from the urban appeareance, whereby in the perception only existed a nondescript, nameless and ahistorical building that henceforth served the lodging and presentation of world-famous graphic collection of the Albertina. The condition was not changed by the decision to the refurbishment because there were only planned collection specific extensions, but no restoration of the palace.

Image: The palace after the Second World War with simplified facades, the rudiment of the Danubiusbrunnens (well) and the new staircase up to the Augustinerbastei

This paradigm shift corresponded to a blatant reversal of the historical circumstances, as the travel guides and travel books for kk Residence and imperial capital of Vienna dedicated itself primarily with the magnificent, aristocratic palace on the Augustinerbastei with the sumptuously fitted out reception rooms and mentioned the collection kept there - if at all - only in passing. Only with the repositioning of the Albertina in 2000 under the direction of Klaus Albrecht Schröder, the palace was within the meaning and in fulfillment of the Fideikommiss of Archduke Charles in 1826 again met with the high regard, from which could result a further inseparable bond between the magnificent mansions and the world-famous collection. In view of the knowing about politically motivated errors and omissions of the past, the facades should get back their noble, historicist designing, the staterooms regain their glamorous, prestigious appearance and culturally unique equippment be repurchased. From this presumption, eventually grew the full commitment to revise the history of redemption and the return of the stately palace in the public consciousness.

Image: The restored suburb facade of the Palais Albertina suburb

The smoothed palace facades were returned to their original condition and present themselves today - with the exception of the not anymore reconstructed Attica figures - again with the historicist decoration and layout elements that Archduke Albrecht had given after the razing of the Augustinerbastei in 1865 in order. The neoclassical interiors, today called after the former inhabitants "Habsburg Staterooms", receiving a meticulous and detailed restoration taking place at the premises of originality and authenticity, got back their venerable and sumptuous appearance. From the world wide scattered historical pieces of equipment have been bought back 70 properties or could be returned through permanent loan to its original location, by which to the visitors is made experiencable again that atmosphere in 1919 the state rooms of the last Habsburg owner Archduke Frederick had owned. The for the first time in 80 years public accessible "Habsburg State Rooms" at the Palais Albertina enable now again as eloquent testimony to our Habsburg past and as a unique cultural heritage fundamental and essential insights into the Austrian cultural history. With the relocation of the main entrance to the level of the Augustinerbastei the recollection to this so valuable Austrian Cultural Heritage formally and functionally came to completion. The vision of the restoration and recovery of the grand palace was a pillar on which the new Albertina should arise again, the other embody the four large newly built exhibition halls, which allow for the first time in the history of the Albertina, to exhibit the collection throughout its encyclopedic breadh under optimal conservation conditions.

Image: The new entrance area of the Albertina

64 meter long shed roof. Hans Hollein.

The palace presents itself now in its appearance in the historicist style of the Ringstrassenära, almost as if nothing had happened in the meantime. But will the wheel of time should not, cannot and must not be turned back, so that the double standards of the "Albertina Palace" said museum - on the one hand Habsburg grandeur palaces and other modern museum for the arts of graphics - should be symbolized by a modern character: The in 2003 by Hans Hollein designed far into the Albertina square cantilevering, elegant floating flying roof. 64 meters long, it symbolizes in the form of a dynamic wedge the accelerated urban spatial connectivity and public access to the palace. It advertises the major changes in the interior as well as the huge underground extensions of the repositioned "Albertina".

Christian Benedictine

Art historian with research interests History of Architecture, building industry of the Hapsburgs, Hofburg and Zeremonialwissenschaft (ceremonial sciences). Since 1990 he works in the architecture collection of the Albertina. Since 2000 he supervises as director of the newly founded department "Staterooms" the restoration and furnishing of the state rooms and the restoration of the facades and explores the history of the palace and its inhabitants.

www.wien-vienna.at/albertinabaugeschichte.php

The Albertina

The architectural history of the Palais

(Pictures you can see by clicking on the link at the end of page!)

Image: The oldest photographic view of the newly designed Palais Archduke Albrecht, 1869

"It is my will that ​​the expansion of the inner city of Vienna with regard to a suitable connection of the same with the suburbs as soon as possible is tackled and at this on Regulirung (regulation) and beautifying of my Residence and Imperial Capital is taken into account. To this end I grant the withdrawal of the ramparts and fortifications of the inner city and the trenches around the same".

This decree of Emperor Franz Joseph I, published on 25 December 1857 in the Wiener Zeitung, formed the basis for the largest the surface concerning and architecturally most significant transformation of the Viennese cityscape. Involving several renowned domestic and foreign architects a "master plan" took form, which included the construction of a boulevard instead of the ramparts between the inner city and its radially upstream suburbs. In the 50-years during implementation phase, an impressive architectural ensemble developed, consisting of imperial and private representational buildings, public administration and cultural buildings, churches and barracks, marking the era under the term "ring-street style". Already in the first year tithe decided a senior member of the Austrian imperial family to decorate the facades of his palace according to the new design principles, and thus certified the aristocratic claim that this also "historicism" said style on the part of the imperial house was attributed.

Image: The Old Albertina after 1920

It was the palace of Archduke Albrecht (1817-1895), the Senior of the Habsburg Family Council, who as Field Marshal held the overall command over the Austro-Hungarian army. The building was incorporated into the imperial residence of the Hofburg complex, forming the south-west corner and extending eleven meters above street level on the so-called Augustinerbastei.

The close proximity of the palace to the imperial residence corresponded not only with Emperor Franz Joseph I and Archduke Albert with a close familial relationship between the owner of the palace and the monarch. Even the former inhabitants were always in close relationship to the imperial family, whether by birth or marriage. An exception here again proves the rule: Don Emanuel Teles da Silva Conde Tarouca (1696-1771), for which Maria Theresa in 1744 the palace had built, was just a close friend and advisor of the monarch. Silva Tarouca underpins the rule with a second exception, because he belonged to the administrative services as Generalhofbaudirektor (general court architect) and President of the Austrian-Dutch administration, while all other him subsequent owners were highest ranking military.

In the annals of Austrian history, especially those of military history, they either went into as commander of the Imperial Army, or the Austrian, later kk Army. In chronological order, this applies to Duke Carl Alexander of Lorraine, the brother-of-law of Maria Theresa, as Imperial Marshal, her son-in-law Duke Albert of Saxe-Teschen, also field marshal, whos adopted son, Archduke Charles of Austria, the last imperial field marshal and only Generalissimo of Austria, his son Archduke Albrecht of Austria as Feldmarschalil and army Supreme commander, and most recently his nephew Archduke Friedrich of Austria, who held as field marshal from 1914 to 1916 the command of the Austro-Hungarian troops. Despite their military profession, all five generals conceived themselves as patrons of the arts and promoted large sums of money to build large collections, the construction of magnificent buildings and cultural life. Charles Alexander of Lorraine promoted as governor of the Austrian Netherlands from 1741 to 1780 the Academy of Fine Arts, the Théâtre de Ja Monnaie and the companies Bourgeois Concert and Concert Noble, he founded the Academie royale et imperial des Sciences et des Lettres, opened the Bibliotheque Royal for the population and supported artistic talents with high scholarships. World fame got his porcelain collection, which however had to be sold by Emperor Joseph II to pay off his debts. Duke Albert began in 1776 according to the concept of conte Durazzo to set up an encyclopedic collection of prints, which forms the core of the world-famous "Albertina" today.

Image : Duke Albert and Archduchess Marie Christine show in family cercle the from Italy brought along art, 1776. Frederick Henry Füger.

1816 declared to Fideikommiss and thus in future indivisible, inalienable and inseparable, the collection 1822 passed into the possession of Archduke Carl, who, like his descendants, it broadened. Under him, the collection was introduced together with the sumptuously equipped palace on the Augustinerbastei in the so-called "Carl Ludwig'schen fideicommissum in 1826, by which the building and the in it kept collection fused into an indissoluble unity. At this time had from the Palais Tarouca by structural expansion or acquisition a veritable Residenz palace evolved. Duke Albert of Saxe-Teschen was first in 1800 the third floor of the adjacent Augustinian convent wing adapted to house his collection and he had after 1802 by his Belgian architect Louis de Montoyer at the suburban side built a magnificent extension, called the wing of staterooms, it was equipped in the style of Louis XVI. Only two decades later, Archduke Carl the entire palace newly set up. According to scetches of the architect Joseph Kornhäusel the 1822-1825 retreaded premises presented themselves in the Empire style. The interior of the palace testified from now in an impressive way the high rank and the prominent position of its owner. Under Archduke Albrecht the outer appearance also should meet the requirements. He had the facade of the palace in the style of historicism orchestrated and added to the Palais front against the suburbs an offshore covered access. Inside, he limited himself, apart from the redesign of the Rococo room in the manner of the second Blondel style, to the retention of the paternal stock. Archduke Friedrich's plans for an expansion of the palace were omitted, however, because of the outbreak of the First World War so that his contribution to the state rooms, especially, consists in the layout of the Spanish apartment, which he in 1895 for his sister, the Queen of Spain Maria Christina, had set up as a permanent residence.

Picture: The "audience room" after the restoration: Picture: The "balcony room" around 1990

The era of stately representation with handing down their cultural values ​​found its most obvious visualization inside the palace through the design and features of the staterooms. On one hand, by the use of the finest materials and the purchase of masterfully manufactured pieces of equipment, such as on the other hand by the permanent reuse of older equipment parts. This period lasted until 1919, when Archduke Friedrich was expropriated by the newly founded Republic of Austria. With the republicanization of the collection and the building first of all finished the tradition that the owner's name was synonymous with the building name:

After Palais Tarouca or tarokkisches house it was called Lorraine House, afterwards Duke Albert Palais and Palais Archduke Carl. Due to the new construction of an adjacently located administration building it received in 1865 the prefix "Upper" and was referred to as Upper Palais Archduke Albrecht and Upper Palais Archduke Frederick. For the state a special reference to the Habsburg past was certainly politically no longer opportune, which is why was decided to name the building according to the in it kept collection "Albertina".

Picture: The "Wedgwood Cabinet" after the restoration: Picture: the "Wedgwood Cabinet" in the Palais Archduke Friedrich, 1905

This name derives from the term "La Collection Albertina" which had been used by the gallery Inspector Maurice von Thausing in 1870 in the Gazette des Beaux-Arts for the former graphics collection of Duke Albert. For this reason, it was the first time since the foundation of the palace that the name of the collection had become synonymous with the room shell. Room shell, hence, because the Republic of Austria Archduke Friedrich had allowed to take along all the movable goods from the palace in his Hungarian exile: crystal chandeliers, curtains and carpets as well as sculptures, vases and clocks. Particularly stressed should be the exquisite furniture, which stems of three facilities phases: the Louis XVI furnitures of Duke Albert, which had been manufactured on the basis of fraternal relations between his wife Archduchess Marie Christine and the French Queen Marie Antoinette after 1780 in the French Hofmanufakturen, also the on behalf of Archduke Charles 1822-1825 in the Vienna Porcelain Manufactory by Joseph Danhauser produced Empire furnitures and thirdly additions of the same style of Archduke Friedrich, which this about 1900 at Portois & Ffix as well as at Friedrich Otto Schmidt had commissioned.

The "swept clean" building got due to the strained financial situation after the First World War initially only a makeshift facility. However, since until 1999 no revision of the emergency equipment took place, but differently designed, primarily the utilitarianism committed office furnitures complementarily had been added, the equipment of the former state rooms presented itself at the end of the 20th century as an inhomogeneous administrative mingle-mangle of insignificant parts, where, however, dwelt a certain quaint charm. From the magnificent state rooms had evolved depots, storage rooms, a library, a study hall and several officed.

Image: The Albertina Graphic Arts Collection and the Philipphof after the American bombing of 12 März 1945.

Image: The palace after the demolition of the entrance facade, 1948-52

Worse it hit the outer appearance of the palace, because in times of continued anti-Habsburg sentiment after the Second World War and inspired by an intolerant destruction will, it came by pickaxe to a ministerial erasure of history. In contrast to the graphic collection possessed the richly decorated facades with the conspicuous insignia of the former owner an object-immanent reference to the Habsburg past and thus exhibited the monarchial traditions and values ​​of the era of Francis Joseph significantly. As part of the remedial measures after a bomb damage, in 1948 the aristocratic, by Archduke Albert initiated, historicist facade structuring along with all decorations was cut off, many facade figures demolished and the Hapsburg crest emblems plunged to the ground. Since in addition the old ramp also had been cancelled and the main entrance of the bastion level had been moved down to the second basement storey at street level, ended the presence of the old Archduke's palace after more than 200 years. At the reopening of the "Albertina Graphic Collection" in 1952, the former Hapsburg Palais of splendour presented itself as one of his identity robbed, formally trivial, soulless room shell, whose successful republicanization an oversized and also unproportional eagle above the new main entrance to the Augustinian road symbolized. The emocratic throw of monuments had wiped out the Hapsburg palace from the urban appeareance, whereby in the perception only existed a nondescript, nameless and ahistorical building that henceforth served the lodging and presentation of world-famous graphic collection of the Albertina. The condition was not changed by the decision to the refurbishment because there were only planned collection specific extensions, but no restoration of the palace.

Image: The palace after the Second World War with simplified facades, the rudiment of the Danubiusbrunnens (well) and the new staircase up to the Augustinerbastei

This paradigm shift corresponded to a blatant reversal of the historical circumstances, as the travel guides and travel books for kk Residence and imperial capital of Vienna dedicated itself primarily with the magnificent, aristocratic palace on the Augustinerbastei with the sumptuously fitted out reception rooms and mentioned the collection kept there - if at all - only in passing. Only with the repositioning of the Albertina in 2000 under the direction of Klaus Albrecht Schröder, the palace was within the meaning and in fulfillment of the Fideikommiss of Archduke Charles in 1826 again met with the high regard, from which could result a further inseparable bond between the magnificent mansions and the world-famous collection. In view of the knowing about politically motivated errors and omissions of the past, the facades should get back their noble, historicist designing, the staterooms regain their glamorous, prestigious appearance and culturally unique equippment be repurchased. From this presumption, eventually grew the full commitment to revise the history of redemption and the return of the stately palace in the public consciousness.

Image: The restored suburb facade of the Palais Albertina suburb

The smoothed palace facades were returned to their original condition and present themselves today - with the exception of the not anymore reconstructed Attica figures - again with the historicist decoration and layout elements that Archduke Albrecht had given after the razing of the Augustinerbastei in 1865 in order. The neoclassical interiors, today called after the former inhabitants "Habsburg Staterooms", receiving a meticulous and detailed restoration taking place at the premises of originality and authenticity, got back their venerable and sumptuous appearance. From the world wide scattered historical pieces of equipment have been bought back 70 properties or could be returned through permanent loan to its original location, by which to the visitors is made experiencable again that atmosphere in 1919 the state rooms of the last Habsburg owner Archduke Frederick had owned. The for the first time in 80 years public accessible "Habsburg State Rooms" at the Palais Albertina enable now again as eloquent testimony to our Habsburg past and as a unique cultural heritage fundamental and essential insights into the Austrian cultural history. With the relocation of the main entrance to the level of the Augustinerbastei the recollection to this so valuable Austrian Cultural Heritage formally and functionally came to completion. The vision of the restoration and recovery of the grand palace was a pillar on which the new Albertina should arise again, the other embody the four large newly built exhibition halls, which allow for the first time in the history of the Albertina, to exhibit the collection throughout its encyclopedic breadh under optimal conservation conditions.

Image: The new entrance area of the Albertina

64 meter long shed roof. Hans Hollein.

The palace presents itself now in its appearance in the historicist style of the Ringstrassenära, almost as if nothing had happened in the meantime. But will the wheel of time should not, cannot and must not be turned back, so that the double standards of the "Albertina Palace" said museum - on the one hand Habsburg grandeur palaces and other modern museum for the arts of graphics - should be symbolized by a modern character: The in 2003 by Hans Hollein designed far into the Albertina square cantilevering, elegant floating flying roof. 64 meters long, it symbolizes in the form of a dynamic wedge the accelerated urban spatial connectivity and public access to the palace. It advertises the major changes in the interior as well as the huge underground extensions of the repositioned "Albertina".

Christian Benedictine

Art historian with research interests History of Architecture, building industry of the Hapsburgs, Hofburg and Zeremonialwissenschaft (ceremonial sciences). Since 1990 he works in the architecture collection of the Albertina. Since 2000 he supervises as director of the newly founded department "Staterooms" the restoration and furnishing of the state rooms and the restoration of the facades and explores the history of the palace and its inhabitants.

www.wien-vienna.at/albertinabaugeschichte.php

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Joan of Arc is a patron saint of France, honored as a defender of the French nation for her role in the siege of Orléans and her insistence on the coronation of Charles VII of France during the Hundred Years' War. Claiming to be acting under divine guidance, she became a military leader who transcended gender roles and gained recognition as a savior of France.

Joan was born to a propertied peasant family at Domrémy in northeast France. In 1428, she requested to be taken to Charles, later testifying that she was guided by visions from the archangel Michael, Saint Margaret, and Saint Catherine to help him save France from English domination. Convinced of her devotion and purity, Charles sent Joan, who was about seventeen years old, to the siege of Orléans as part of a relief army. She arrived at the city in April 1429, wielding her banner and bringing hope to the demoralized French army. Nine days after her arrival, the English abandoned the siege. Joan encouraged the French to aggressively pursue the English during the Loire Campaign, which culminated in another decisive victory at Patay, opening the way for the French army to advance on Reims unopposed, where Charles was crowned as the King of France with Joan at his side. These victories boosted French morale, paving the way for their final triumph in the Hundred Years' War several decades later.

After Charles's coronation, Joan participated in the unsuccessful siege of Paris in September 1429 and the failed siege of La Charité in November. Her role in these defeats reduced the court's faith in her. In early 1430, Joan organized a company of volunteers to relieve Compiègne, which had been besieged by the Burgundians—French allies of the English. She was captured by Burgundian troops on 23 May. After trying unsuccessfully to escape, she was handed to the English in November. She was put on trial by Bishop Pierre Cauchon on accusations of heresy, which included blaspheming by wearing men's clothes, acting upon visions that were demonic, and refusing to submit her words and deeds to the judgment of the church. She was declared guilty and burned at the stake on 30 May 1431, aged about nineteen.

In 1456, an inquisitorial court reinvestigated Joan's trial and overturned the verdict, declaring that it was tainted by deceit and procedural errors. Joan has been revered as a martyr, and viewed as an obedient daughter of the Roman Catholic Church, an early feminist, and a symbol of freedom and independence. After the French Revolution, she became a national symbol of France. In 1920, Joan of Arc was canonized by the Roman Catholic Church and, two years later, was declared one of the patron saints of France. She is portrayed in numerous cultural works, including literature, music, paintings, sculptures, and theater.

Orléans is a city in north-central France, about 120 kilometres (74 miles) southwest of Paris. It is the prefecture of the department of Loiret and of the region of Centre-Val de Loire.

Orléans is located on the river Loire nestled in the heart of the Loire Valley, classified as a World Heritage Site, where the river curves south towards the Massif Central. In 2020, the city had 117,026 inhabitants within its municipal boundaries Orléans is the center of Orléans Métropole that has a population of 290,346.The larger metropolitan area has a population of 454,208, the 20th largest in France.

The city owes its development from antiquity to the commercial exchanges resulting from the river. An important river trade port, it was the headquarters of the community of merchants frequenting the Loire. It was the capital of the Kingdom of France during the Merovingian period and played an important role in the Hundred Years' War, particularly known for the role of Joan of Arc during the siege of Orléans. Every first week of May since 1432, the city pays homage to the "Maid of Orléans" during the Johannic Holidays which has been listed in the inventory of intangible cultural heritage in France. One of Europe's oldest universities was created in 1306 by Pope Clement V and re-founded in 1966 as the University of Orléans, hosting more than 20,000 students in 2019.

Orléans is located in the northern bend of the Loire, which crosses from east to west. Orléans belongs to the vallée de la Loire sector between Sully-sur-Loire and Chalonnes-sur-Loire, which was in 2000 inscribed by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site. The capital of Orléanais, 120 kilometres southwest of Paris, is bordered to the north by the Beauce region, more specifically the Orléans Forest (French: forêt d'Orléans) and Orléans-la-Source neighbourhood, and the Sologne region to the south.

Five bridges in the city cross the Loire: Pont de l'Europe, Pont du Maréchal Joffre (also called Pont Neuf), Pont George-V (also called Pont Royal, carrying the commune tramway), Pont René-Thinat and Pont de Vierzon (rail bridge).

To the north of the Loire (rive droite) is to be found a small hill (102 m (335 ft) at the pont Georges-V, 110 m (360 ft) at the Place du Martroi) which gently rises to 125 m (410 ft) at la Croix Fleury, at the limits of Fleury-les-Aubrais. Conversely, the south (on the rive gauche) has a gentle depression to about 95 m (312 ft) above sea level (at Saint-Marceau) between the Loire and the Loiret, designated a "zone inondable" (flood-risk zone).

At the end of the 1960s, the Orléans-la-Source neighbourhood was created, 12 kilometres (7 mi)to the south of the original commune and separated from it by the Val d'Orléans and the river Loiret (whose source is in the Parc Floral de la Source). This quarter's altitude varies from about 100 to 110 m (330 to 360 ft).

In Orléans, the Loire is separated by a submerged dike known as the dhuis into the Grande Loire to the north, no longer navigable, and the Petite Loire to the south. This dike is just one part of a vast system of construction that previously allowed the Loire to remain navigable to this point.

The Loire was formerly an important navigation and trading route, and is at the heart of the city's foundation in the second century BC as a center of trade or emporium. More recently, during the 17th century, the river enabled Orleans to become a major hub for refining sugar, which was imported from the Caribbean via Nantes, and whose commerce boosted other aspects of the local economy, such as sweets, chocolate manufacturing, and paper for wrapping.[16] In the 18th century, Orleans also acquired a reputation for producing vinegar, from local vineyards as well as wine traveling up the Loire.

With the increase in size of ocean-going ships, large ships can now navigate the estuary only up to about Nantes.

Boats on the river were traditionally flat-bottomed boats, with large but foldable masts so the sails could gather wind from above the river banks, but the masts could be lowered in order to allow the boats to pass under bridges. These vessels are known as "gabarre", "futreau", and so on, and may be viewed by tourists near pont Royal.

The river's irregular flow strongly limits traffic on it, in particular at its ascent, though this can be overcome by boats being given a tow.

An Inexplosible-type paddle steamer owned by the mairie was put in place in August 2007, facing Place de la Loire and containing a bar.

Every two years, the Festival de Loire recalls the role played by the river in the commune's history.

On the river's north bank, near the town centre, is the Canal d'Orléans, which connects to the Canal du Loing and the Canal de Briare at Buges near Montargis. The canal is no longer used along its whole length. Its route within Orléans runs parallel to the river, separated from it by a wall or muret, with a promenade along the top. Its last pound was transformed into an outdoor swimming pool in the 1960s, then filled in. It was reopened in 2007 for the "fêtes de Loire." There are plans to revive use of the canal for recreation and install a pleasure-boat port there.

Cenabum was a Gaul stronghold, one of the principal towns of the tribe of the Carnutes where the Druids held their annual assembly. The Carnutes were massacred and the city was destroyed by Julius Caesar in 52 BC. In the late 3rd century AD, Roman Emperor Aurelian rebuilt the city and renamed it civitas Aurelianorum ("city of Aurelian") after himself. The name later evolved into Orléans.

In 442 Flavius Aetius, the Roman commander in Gaul, requested Goar, head of the Iranian tribe of Alans in the region to come to Orleans and control the rebellious natives and the Visigoths. Accompanying the Vandals, the Alans crossed the Loire in 408. One of their groups, under Goar, joined the Roman forces of Flavius Aetius to fight Attila when he invaded Gaul in 451, taking part in the Battle of Châlons under their king Sangiban. Goar established his capital in Orléans. His successors later took possession of the estates in the region between Orléans and Paris. Installed in Orléans and along the Loire, they were unruly (killing the town's senators when they felt they had been paid too slowly or too little) and resented by the local inhabitants. Many inhabitants around the present city have names bearing witness to the Alan presence – Allaines. Also many places in the region bear names of Alan origin.

Early Middle Ages

In the Merovingian era, the city was capital of the Kingdom of Orléans following Clovis I's division of the kingdom, then under the Capetians it became the capital of a county then duchy held in appanage by the house of Valois-Orléans. The Valois-Orléans family later acceded to the throne of France via Louis XII, then Francis I. In 1108, Louis VI of France became one of the few French monarchs to be crowned outside of Reims when he was crowned in Orléans cathedral by Daimbert, Archbishop of Sens.

High Middle Ages

The city was always a strategic point on the Loire, for it was sited at the river's most northerly point, and thus its closest point to Paris. There were few bridges over the dangerous river Loire, but Orléans had one of them, and so became – with Rouen and Paris – one of medieval France's three richest cities.

On the south bank the "châtelet des Tourelles" protected access to the bridge. This was the site of the battle on 8 May 1429 which allowed Joan of Arc to enter and lift the siege of the Plantagenets during the Hundred Years' War, with the help of the royal generals Dunois and Florent d'Illiers [fr]. The city's inhabitants have continued to remain faithful and grateful to her to this day, calling her "la pucelle d'Orléans" (the maid of Orléans), offering her a middle-class house in the city, and contributing to her ransom when she was taken prisoner.

1453 to 1699

Once the Hundred Years' War was over, the city recovered its former prosperity. The bridge brought in tolls and taxes, as did the merchants passing through the city. King Louis XI also greatly contributed to its prosperity, revitalising agriculture in the surrounding area (particularly the exceptionally fertile land around Beauce) and relaunching saffron farming at Pithiviers. Later, during the Renaissance, the city benefited from its becoming fashionable for rich châtelains to travel along the Loire valley (a fashion begun by the king himself, whose royal domains included the nearby châteaus at Chambord, Amboise, Blois, and Chenonceau).

The University of Orléans also contributed to the city's prestige. Specializing in law, it was highly regarded throughout Europe. John Calvin was received and accommodated there (and wrote part of his reforming theses during his stay), and in return Henry VIII of England (who had drawn on Calvin's work in his separation from Rome) offered to fund a scholarship at the university. Many other Protestants were sheltered by the city. Jean-Baptiste Poquelin, better known by his pseudonym Molière, also studied law at the University, but was expelled for attending a carnival contrary to university rules.

From 13 December 1560 to 31 January 1561, the French States-General after the death of Francis II of France, the eldest son of Catherine de Médicis and Henry II. He died in the Hôtel Groslot in Orléans, with his queen Mary at his side.

The cathedral was rebuilt several times. The present structure had its first stone laid by Henry IV, and work on it took a century. It thus is a mix of late Renaissance and early Louis XIV styles, and one of the last cathedrals to be built in France.

1700–1900

When France colonised America, the territory it conquered was immense, including the whole Mississippi River (whose first European name was the River Colbert), from its mouth to its source at the borders of Canada. Its capital was named la Nouvelle-Orléans in honour of Louis XV's regent, the duke of Orléans, and was settled with French inhabitants against the threat from British troops to the north-east.

The Dukes of Orléans hardly ever visited their city since, as brothers or cousins of the king, they took such a major role in court life that they could hardly ever leave. The duchy of Orléans was the largest of the French duchies, starting at Arpajon, continuing to Chartres, Vendôme, Blois, Vierzon, and Montargis. The duke's son bore the title duke of Chartres. Inheritances from great families and marriage alliances allowed them to accumulate huge wealth, and one of them, Philippe Égalité, is sometimes said to have been the richest man in the world at the time. His son, King Louis-Philippe I, inherited the Penthièvre and Condé family fortunes.

1852 saw the creation of the Compagnies ferroviaires Paris-Orléans and its famous gare d'Orsay in Paris. In the Franco-Prussian War of 1870, the city again became strategically important thanks to its geographical position, and was occupied by the Prussians on 13 October that year. The armée de la Loire was formed under the orders of General d'Aurelle de Paladines and based itself not far from Orléans at Beauce.

1900 to present

During the Second World War, the German army made the Orléans Fleury-les-Aubrais railway station one of their central logistical rail hubs. The Pont Georges V was renamed "pont des Tourelles". A transit camp for deportees was built at Beaune-la-Rolande. During the war, the American Air Force heavily bombed the city and the train station, causing much damage. The city was one of the first to be rebuilt after the war: the reconstruction plan and city improvement initiated by Jean Kérisel and Jean Royer was adopted as early as 1943, and work began as early as the start of 1945. This reconstruction in part identically reproduced what had been lost, such as Royale and its arcades, but also used innovative prefabrication techniques, such as îlot 4 under the direction of the architect Pol Abraham.

The big city of former times is today an average-sized city of 250,000 inhabitants. It is still using its strategically central position less than an hour from the French capital to attract businesses interested in reducing transport costs.

Heraldry

According to Victor Adolphe Malte-Brun in La France Illustrée, 1882, Orléans's arms are "gules, three caillous in cœurs de lys argent, and on a chief azure, three fleurs de lys Or." Charle Grandmaison, in the Dictionnaire Héraldique of 1861, states that it is "Or, with three hearts in gules", without the chief of France. Faulty designs sometimes describe it as "gules, three fleurs de lys argent, and on a chief azure three fleurs de lys Or."

The "cœurs de lys", or heart of a lily, is not a true lily, which would have 6 tepals, but a stylized or symbolic lily. Certain authors solve the problem by calling this symbol a "tiercefeuille", defined as a stemless clover leaf, with one leaf at the top and two below, thus making this coat of arms "gules, with three reversed tiercefeuilles in argent, etc".

Motto

"Hoc vernant lilia corde" (granted by Louis XII, then duke of Orléans), meaning "It is by this heart that lilies flourish" or "This heart makes lilies flourish", referring to the fleur de lys, symbol of the French royal family.

Orléans is the birthplace of:

Sophie Adriansen (born 1982), French writer

Patrick Barul (born 1977), football player

Joelly Belleka (born 1995), basketball player

Raoul Blanchard (1877–1965), geographer

Maxence Boitez (Ridsa) (born 1990), singer

Patrick Bornhauser (born 1957), racing driver

Raymond Brugère (1885-1966), diplomat.

Jean-Baptiste Marc Bourgery (1797–1849), anatomist

Félix Cazot (1790–1857), classical pianist and composer

Philippe Chanlot (born 1967), football player

Marion Cotillard (born 1975), actress, not born in Orléans, but grew up there

Gilles Delouche (1948–2020), linguist

Étienne Dolet (1509–1546), scholar and printer

Joël-François Durand (born 1954), composer

Jean-Louis Ferrary (1948–2020), historian

Georges Fleury (1878–1968), cyclist

Albert Gombault (1844–1904), neurologist

Guillaume Gomez (born 1969), racing driver

Jacques Guillemeau (1550–1613), physician

Albert Guyot (1881–1947), racing driver

Étienne Hubert (1567–1614), Arabist

Gaston d'Illiers (1876–1932), sculptor

Isaac Jogues (1607–1646), Jesuit missionary

Stanislas Julien (1797–1873), orientalist

Gustave Lanson (1857–1934), historian

Pierre Levesville (1570–1632), Renaissance architect

Anatole Loquin (1834–1903), writer and musicologist

Yven Moyo (born 1992), football player

Yves-Marie Pasquet (born 1947), composer

Charles Péguy (1873–1914), poet and essayist

Antoine Petit (1722–1794), physician

Lamine Sambe (born 1989), basketball player

Yacine Sene (born 1982), basketball player

Florian Thauvin (born 1993), football player

Christophe Tinseau (born 1969), racing driver

Jean Zay (1904–1944), jurist and politician

Historical landmarks

The Gallo-Roman town-wall on the north side of the cathedral (4th century AD) and along the rue de la Tour-Neuve

The Hôtel Groslot, built between 1550 and 1555 for Jacques Groslot, "bailli d'Orléans" by Jacques Ier Androuet du Cerceau. King François II of France died there in 1560. Kings Charles IX, Henri III of France and Henri IV of France stayed there. The "Hôtel" was restored in 1850. The building became the town Hall of Orléans in 1790 (weddings are still celebrated inside).

The hôtel de la Vieille Intendance (early 15th century) (otherwise named hôtel Brachet, formerly "The King's house"), real gothic-renaissance style château made of bricks.[27] Nowadays housing the Administrative Court of Orléans. One can admire its frontage from the entrance in the rue de la Bretonnerie. Yet, the building – which sheltered the highest figures of the kingdom passing by the city, and maybe some kings themselves (Henri IV, Louis XIII, Louis XIV of France) – can easily be observed from its gardens, opened to the public (entrance rue d'Alsace-Lorraine).

The hôtel de la Motte-Sanguin (18th century) and its gardens, manor built at the behest of Louis-Philippe, Duke of Orléans (1747–1793), cousin of the King Louis XVI. He was surnamed "Philippe Égalité" / "equality" referring to his support to the 1789 revolutionaries. Nicknamed "the richest man on earth" he voted in favour of the death penalty against his own cousin the king Louis XVI, and suffered the same fate himself. This is a classic style princely residence (and even royal, since Philippe Égalité's heir accessed the throne of France under the name of Louis-Philippe Ier). It is part of a public park opened to the public (via the Solférino street).

The school of artillery, next to the Hôtel de la Motte-Sanguin which it is often confused with, formerly housing a military school, it was built in the 19th century near the Loire.[28]

Remains of the University of Orléans (a 15th-century building housing the thesis room), founded in 1306 by pope Clement V, in which, among many other great historical figures, the Protestant John Calvin studied and taught. The University was so famous that it attracted students from all over Europe, particularly Germany. The city of Orléans is one of the cradles of Protestantism.

The House of Louis XI (end of the 15th century), on Saint-Aignan square. Built at the behest of the king, who particularly revered Saint Aignan.

The House of Joan of Arc, where she stayed during the siege of Orléans (this is actually an approximate reconstitution, the original building being bombed in 1940 during the Battle of France).

Place du Martroi, heart of the city, with the equestrian statue of Joan of Arc at its centre, made by Denis Foyatier. This statue was damaged during the Second World War, then repaired by Paul Belmondo, father of the famous 1950s to 1980s French actor.

Duke of Orléans' Chancellerie (XVIIIe), located next to the Place du Matroi, also bombed during the Second World War, only the frontage resisted.

The Bannier gate-house, discovered in 1986 under the statue of Joan of Arc (Place du Martroi). It was built in the 14th century. It can be seen through a window in the subterranean car-park under the square, or visited under certain conditions.

The rue de Bourgogne and surrounding streets, Orléans' main street since the Antiquity, it's the former Roman decumanus, crossing the city from east to west. Joan of Arc entered the city in 1429 by the "Bourgogne" gatehouse situated at its Easter end. Until today it is still giving access to the "Prefecture", where the "Prefet" (officer who represents the French State in the Region) lives, many pubs, night clubs, restaurants and shops such as the "Galeries Lafayette". It is more than a mile long. One can admire many medieval houses on its sides.

The Tour Blanche / White Tower, it is one of the only medieval defensive towers remaining in the city (still in use at the time of the siege of Orléans). It nowadays houses the city's archaeological department.

The Docks, (Port of Orléans) once the most important inland port of France (18th century). While boats could not sail on the river Seine because of the windings, they could sail to Orléans on the river Loire with the wind in their back. Then the merchandise was brought to Paris by roadways. Wine, and sugar from the colonies, were shipped to Orléans where they were stored and refined. Vinegar is still a city speciality due to the lapsing of wine stocks during the shipment. One can admire the old pavement of the docks (18th and 19th centuries) on the north bank of the river in the city and on the island in the middle, that was used to channel the water

The Hôpital Madeleine (former hospital), built by King Louis XIV (18th century) and his successors (notably an important part of the 18th century).

Saint-Charles chapel, located within the grounds of the Madeleine Hospital, it was built in 1713 by Jacques V Gabriel, one of Louis XIV's architects.

The Hôtel Cabu, otherwise named house of Diane de Poitiers, built at the behest of Philippe Cabu, barrister, in 1547, famous architect Jacques Ier Androuet du Cerceau providing the plans.

The Hôtel Hatte, 16th century. Today's Charles-Péguy Center.

The Hôtel Toutin, 16th century

The Hôtel Pommeret d'Orléans, 16th century

The Hôtel Ducerceau, 16th century

The maison de la coquille, 16th century

The Hôtel des Créneaux, former city hall, flanked by its bell tower (15th century). It nowadays houses the city's school of music. This is a magnificent piece of late gothic secular architecture (15th century) that calls to mind the famous and much more recent Parisian city hall.

The House of Jean Dalibert, 16th century

The Study of Jacques Bouchet (16th century), which can be admired from the public square "Jacques Bouchet"

The mansions, rue d'Escure (17th and 18th centuries)

The "Préfecture" : former Benedictine monastery, built in 1670 and housing the "Préfecture du Loiret" since 1800.

The Pont de l'Europe, designed by Santiago Calatrava, is an inclined bow-string ark bridge particularly original.

The Pont Royal / George V Royal bridge, the oldest bridge of the city. Built between 1751 and 1760, at the request of Daniel-Charles Trudaine, administrator and civil engineer. It was renamed in honour of King George V after the World War I out of respect of Britain's role in the war.

The Pont des Tourelles, built in 1140 and demolished in 1760, was the first stone-made bridge of Orléans. When the river Loire is low, one can see remains of it in the water

The Palais épiscopal d'Orléans, former Bishop's Palace. It was built between 1635 and 1641. Napoléon stayed there. It is nowadays housing the international centre for research, part of University of Orléans.

The courthouse (18th to 20th centuries)

The "salle de l'Institut", located on the "place Sainte Croix", is a small concert hall which can be converted into a ballroom. Its acoustics are remarkable.

Mansions, rue de la Bretonnerie. This street concentrates many particular mansions, of all styles and ages (15th to 20th centuries). High society members, politicians, barristers, doctors... continue to live there.

Mansions, rue d'Alsace-Lorraine, 19th-century bourgeoisie style houses.

Statue La Baigneuse by Paul Belmondo, aside the rue Royale (1955).

Statue of Calvin, by Daniel Leclercq, facing the Calvinist temple (2009).

The FRAC Centre building named "Les turbulences", an advanced piece of architecture covered with L.E.Ds.

Memorial Museum to the Children of Vel d'Hiv at the Centre d'étude et de recherche sur les camps d'internement du Loiret (Study and Research Centre on the Internment Camps in Loiret), commemorating over 4,000 Jewish children who were concentrated at the Vélodrome d´Hiver cycling arena in Paris in July 1942, after which they were interned at either Pithiviers or Beaune-la-Rolande, and eventually deported to the Auschwitz extermination camp.

Many historical houses and mansions (hundreds) can still be admired in the city centre, which is one of the largest in France due to the great importance of the city until the 20th century. The historical centre dating back to the 15th century extends far beyond the limits of the pedestrian sector that has been extensively restored in the past few years. In fact it corresponds to the portion of the modern city which is enclosed by the Boulevards. Many historical monuments remain in the non-pedestrian sectors of the city (for example, at rue Notre-Dame-de-Recouvrance, at rue des Carmes, at rue de la Bretonnerie, at Square Saint-Aignan).

U.S Secretary of State John Kerry testifies on behalf of the Obama Administration's 2017 federal budget request on February 24, 2016, during an appearance before the Senate Appropriations Committee on Foreign Operations on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C. [State Department photo/ Public Domain]

Ben Affleck testifying to Congress on the Democratic Republic of Congo. (Amanda Bossard/ Medill News Service)

As Friar Stipan Vrljić testifies in a document, before the liberation of Imotski and the border from the Turks, there was only one Catholic family in Imotski, two in Glavina. The Turks had the main mosque in Imotski at the top of Skaline, on Bazana. There was no mosque in Topana. Imotski fell into Christian hands on July 31, 1717. The celebration took place two days later, on August 2, on the feast of Our Lady of the Angels.

Immediately, in the lower part of the fortress, a small church was built, dedicated to Our Lady of Angels. The friars had Her picture painted with alms collected from the faithful. It was painted by an unknown master on three assembled boards. It shows Our Lady being carried by angels into heavenly glory. Its size is 80 x 60 cm.

The image stood in a niche above the altar. The parish priest from Imoć, Fr. Jerolim Bauk, left the old church in 1778 and replaced it with the present one, due to the narrowness. It was also the parish church of the military personnel in Tvrđava. It was also used by the faithful until the construction of the second parish church for civilians. It was dedicated to Saint Francis and opened for worship in 1736.

maps.app.goo.gl/w1iYYGhvYayJmCu4A

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Imotski; Italian: Imoschi; Latin: Emotha, later Imota) is a small town on the northern side of the Biokovo massif in the Dalmatian Hinterland of southern Croatia, near the border with Bosnia and Herzegovina. Imotski, like the surrounding inland Dalmatia, has a generally mild Mediterranean climate which makes it a popular tourist destination.

Geography

The town is located close to the border with Bosnia and Herzegovina, 10 km away from Posušje and 18 km from Grude. It is located 29 km away from the coast (Baška Voda). The nearest coastal town is Makarska, on the other side of the Biokovo massif.

The town is located on the crossroad of D60 and D76 state roads and 20 km from the Sveti Ilija Tunnel. The A1 motorway is accessed at the Zagvozd Interchange, next to the D76 expressway.

Imotski is known for its medieval fortress on the rocks of Blue Lake. Another phenomenon is the Red Lake which looks like an eye in the scenery. Both lakes are said to be connected with underground channels to the Adriatic Sea.

Senate Subcommittee on Defense under the Committee on Appropriations hearing on Our Space Policy . GWU Elliott School Prof. Scott Pace testifies. , Washington DC. March 5, 2014 © Rick Reinhard 2014 email rick@rickreinhard.com

On Monday, November 16th, Governor Charlie Baker testified before the Joint Committee on Mental Health and Substance Abuse, alongside Boston Mayor Martin J. Walsh and a representative from Attorney General Maura Healey's office, in support of the Governor's bill, “An Act Relative to Substance Use Treatment, Education and Prevention.”

“I understand that some of our proposals disrupt the status quo. They are supposed to,” said Governor Baker. “Our legislation aims to bend the trend on opioid misuse and provide much needed prevention and education programs, while continuing to expand access to treatment and recovery programs across the Commonwealth.”

Governor Baker's legislation has garnered broad support across the Commonwealth, including the Massachusetts Sheriffs Association, District Attorneys, medical students, behavioral health specialists and members of the law enforcement community.

(Photo Credit: Joanne DeCaro)

Lt. Governor Testifies on P3 Legislation. by Jay Baker at Annapolis, Maryland

WASHINGTON (November 17, 2022) Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas testified before the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs on national security and threats to the country in Washington, DC. (DHS Photo by Sydney Phoenix)

As the Bronx’s oldest house, the Van Cortlandt Mansion and Museum testifies to the vivid and eclectic history of New York’s third largest park. The 18th-century fieldstone and brick Georgian style manor house is both a New York City Landmark and a National Historical Landmark. It is located in the southwestern part of the park, near Broadway and West 246th Street.

Much of the park was acquired by the Dutch West India Company from the Wiechquaeskeck Indians in 1639. Subsequent owners included New Amsterdam’s first lawyer, Adrian Van der Donck, and Frederick Philipse, who when he purchased the area in 1670 was New York’s wealthiest man. In 1699 Philipse’s son-in-law, Jacobus Van Cortlandt, a merchant who became mayor of New York in 1710, purchased a parcel of the estate. Van Cortlandt Lake was formed at this time when Tibett’s Brook was dammed in order to power two mills. Jacobus’ son, Frederick, built the two-and-a-half story house in 1748 but died before it was completed, becoming the first occupant of the family burial plot on Vault Hill.

During the Revolutionary War, the house was the scene of military maneuvers and intrigue. While it remained under British rule for most of the war, Augustus Van Cortlandt, a city clerk, hid city records from the British by storing them in Vault Hill. George Washington stayed in the house for the first time in 1776 and returned there twice more in 1781 and 1783. According to legend, the general had bonfires lit around the house as a decoy while his troops withdrew to Yorktown. On his final visit he turned the mansion into his temporary headquarters before triumphantly marching into Manhattan. "Indian Field", in the northeast end of the park, marks the burial ground of 37 patriot Stockbridge Indians who were killed by British soldiers in 1778 in an ambush near what is now 233rd Street.

The Van Cortlandt family continued to farm the land until the 1870s. They lived in the house until 1888, when the City acquired the lands of Van Cortlandt and Pelham Bay parks and initiated the Bronx’s parks system. The Parks Department filled in swamps, planted new trees, and built several recreational facilities, including the nation’s first municipal golf course in 1895.

Van Cortlandt House has been operated as a museum since 1897 by the National Society of Colonial Dames in the State of New York. It is one of the 19 historic houses under the jurisdiction of Parks and the Historical House Trust of New York City. In addition to its notable exterior details such as carved brownstone "grotesques" for keystones, the landmarked interior houses a distinguished collection of 18th and 19th-century furniture and decorative arts.

U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry settles into his seat on February 24, 2016, before testifying before the House Appropriations Committee's Foreign Operations Subcommittee on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C. [State Department photo/ Public Domain]

Lt. Governor Testifies on P3 Legislation. by Jay Baker at Annapolis, Maryland

Getting ready to testify in Hearing Room B in Albany.

WASHINGTON (September 21, 2021) Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas testifies to the Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs regarding the Threats to the Homeland. Secretary Mayorkas was joined by Christopher Wray, FBI Director and Christine Abizaid, the Director of National Counterterrorism Center. (DHS Photo by Zachary Hupp)

Gen. David H. Petraeus; commander of NATO and International Security Assistance Force troops in Afghanistan; testifies in front of the House Armed Services Committee in Washington; D.C.; Mar. 16. ISAF; in support of the Government of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan; conducts operations in Afghanistan to reduce the capability and will of the insurgency; support the growth in capacity and capability of the Afghan National Security Forces; and facilitate improvements in governance and socio-economic development; in order to provide a secure environment for sustainable stability that is observable to the population. (Photo by U.S. Navy Chief Petty Officer Joshua Treadwell) (Released)

These walls testify to the former purpose of Herzberge Hospital as a mental hospital. They enclosed the closed department

These walls testify to the former purpose of Herzberge Hospital as a mental hospital. They enclosed the closed department.

Das Krankenhaus Herzberge wurde 1888 als zweite psychiatrische Anstalt gegründet. Die Bauten wurden von Stadtbaurat Hermann Blankenstein entworfen, der auch für andere Krankenhäuser und Schulen verantwortlich zeichnte. Zu dem Gelände gehörte ein umfangreiches landwirtschaftliche Areal, gedacht für die Ergotherapie der Patienten. Heute ist es ein modernes Krankenhaus mit 13 Fachabteilungen und 757 Betten. Betrieben wird es vom Diakonischen Werk der Evangelischen Kirche und führt die Tradition des von 1844 bis 1945 an anderem Ort in Berlin bestehenden Königin-Elisabeth-Krankenhauses fort. Dieses war 1945 von der Sowjetarmee beschlagnahmt worden, und 1946 erhielt es dann 3 Gebäude des städtischen Krankenhauses Herzberge. 1992 wurden dann beide Einrichtungen vereinigt und an das Diakonische Werk übergeben. Die angrenzenden landwirtschaflichen Flächen, die zu DDR-Zeiten von einem Volkseigenen Gut genutzt wurden, wurden in den letzten Jahren in einen Landschaftspark umgewandelt, der eine Einheit mit dem parkähnlichen Krankenhausgelände bildet.

Herzberge Hospital was founded in 1888 as Berlin's second psychiatric institution. The buildings were designed by Hermann Blankenstein, a city planning officer who was also responsible for other hospitals and schools. An extensive agricultural area, intended for the ergotherapy of patients, belonged to the area. Today it is a modern hospital with 13 departments and 757 beds. It is run by the Social Welfare Service of the Protestant Church and continues the tradition of the Queen Elisabeth Hospital, which existed elsewhere in Berlin from 1844 to 1945. The hospital had been confiscated by the Soviet Army in 1945, and in 1946 it received 3 buildings of the Herzberge Municipal Hospital. In 1992 both institutions were united and handed over to the Protestant Welfare Service.

Deputy Executive Assistant Commissioner, Office of Field Operations, John Wagner, second from left, is sworn-in prior to testifying before the Senate Judiciary Subcommittee On Border Security and Immigration during a hearing on visa overstays in Washington, D.C., July 12, 2017. Also pictured, from left are Assistant Secretary of Homeland Security for Border, Immigration, and Trade Michael Dougherty, Immigrations and Customs Enforcement Homeland Security Investigations National Security Investigations Division Deputy Assistant Director Louis Rodi and Department of Homeland Security Inspector General John Roth. U.S. Customs and Border Protection photo by Glenn Fawcett

Ann E. Menz of Philadelphia, Pa. refused to testify before Harrisburg grand jury in an alleged bombing and kidnap plot involving Catholic antiwar activists and was charged with criminal contempt May 25, 1971.

She joined John Swinglish, Paul Couming and Joseph Gilchrist in refusing to talk despite being granted immunity.

All except Gilchrist were released pending trial on the contempt charge. Gilchrist was in federal prison for destroying draft board records in protest of the Vietnam War.

11 others were also subpoenaed and a dozen more subpoenas would be issued in the coming weeks with a number refusing to testify and being charged with either civil or criminal contempt, including a Catholic priest who refused to divulge anything said in confession.

The grand jury indicted Phillip Berrigan and five others on charges of conspiring to destroy government property and to kidnap national security advisor Henry Kissinger using the heating tunnels under Washington, D.C. to carry out the alleged plot.

The Harrisburg Defense Committee issued a statement charging the federal government with using the grand jury to “discover the kind of defense which will be provided for those indicted.”

The group charged that the subpoenas constituted, “an illegal use of the grand jury to obtain statements from witnesses for the defense after these witnesses had previously refused to talk with the FBI agents and is a total prostitution of the grand jury process.”

It would later be determined that prosecutors were calling anyone referred to in letters or conversations that had been illegally wiretapped in an effort to glean any detail even though they had no evidence that any of those subpoenaed had any connection with the case.

Two more people were later indicted by the grand jury on conspiracy charges for a total of eight.

It seemed surreal. A group of well-known Catholic and other non-violent activists committed to non-violence charged with conspiracy to raid federal offices, blow up government buildings and kidnap National Security Advisor Henry Kissinger using Washington D.C.’s heating tunnels to carry out the plot.

The eight charged were primarily composed of Catholic non-violent direct action activists: Phillip Berrigan, Sister Elizabeth MacAlister, Rev. Neil McLaughlin, Rev. Joseph Wenderoth, Anthony Scoblick, Mary Cain Scoblick along with Eqbal Ahmad—a Pakistani journalist and political scientist and John “Ted” Glick, a pacifist activist.

Glick’s case was severed from the others when he insisted on acting as his own attorney.

The trial sparked a nationwide defense effort that included a rally in Harrisburg that drew upwards of 20,000 people to support the seven.

Father Berrigan was serving time in the Lewisburg Federal Penitentiary, in central Pennsylvania at the time of the alleged conspiracy.

Boyd Douglas, who eventually would become an FBI informant and star prosecution witness - was a fellow inmate. Douglas was on a work-release at the library at nearby Bucknell University.

Douglas used his real connection with Berrigan to convince some students at Bucknell that he was an anti-war activist, telling some that he was serving time for anti-war activities. In fact, he was in prison for check forgery. In the course of the investigation the government resorted to unauthorized and illegal wiretapping.

Douglas set up a mail drop and persuaded students to transcribe letters intended for Berrigan into his school notebooks to smuggle into the prison. (They were later called, unwillingly, as government witnesses.)

Librarian Zoia Horn was jailed for nearly three weeks for refusing to testify for the prosecution on the grounds that her forced testimony would threaten intellectual and academic freedom. She was the first United States librarian to be jailed for refusing to share information as a matter of conscience.

U.S. attorneys obtained an indictment charging the Harrisburg Seven with conspiracy to kidnap Kissinger and to bomb steam tunnels. Former Attorney General Ramsey Clark led the defense team for their trial during the spring months of 1972. Clark used a then relatively untested theory of scientific jury selection—the use of demographic factors to identify unfavorable jurors.

Unconventionally, he didn't call any witnesses in his clients' defense, including the defendants themselves. He reasoned that the jury was sympathetic to his Catholic clients and that that sympathy would be ruined by their testimony that they'd burned their draft cards. After nearly 60 hours of deliberations, the jury remained hung and the defendants were freed.

Douglas testified that he transmitted transcribed letters between the defendants, which the prosecution used as evidence of a conspiracy among them. Several of Douglas' former girlfriends testified at the trial that he acted not just as an informer, but also as a catalyst and agent provocateur for the group's plans.

There were minor convictions for a few of the defendants, based on smuggling mail into the prison; most of those were overturned on appeal.

Glick was jailed for other “hit and stay” actions of the Flower City Conspiracy that included raiding draft boards in Philadelphia and in Delaware and the Washington, D.C. offices of General Electric. He was jailed 11 months for some of these actions.

After the trial of the main group of defendants in the Harrisburg resulted in a hung jury, prosecutors then dropped the charges against Glick..

For more information and related images, see flic.kr/s/aHsm9Xu4r5

The photographer is unknown. The image is a United Press International photograph housed in the D.C. Library Washington Star Collection.

Governor and Lt. Governor Testify on the Gun Safety Bill. by Jay Baker at Annapolis, Maryland

Governor and Lt. Governor Testify on the Gun Safety Bill. by Jay Baker at Annapolis, Maryland

Governor and Lt. Governor Testify on the Gun Safety Bill. by Jay Baker at Annapolis, Maryland