Landscapes in Europe

On Reflection – Distorted Cities

I have long been fascinated by reflections; reflections of the urban landscape. Every day we walk past the reflections on buildings, on cars, on the water.  But do we taking notice?  Do we listen?  What are they telling us?  I find that reflections have a strong influence on my emotional response to the object.  How about you?

The reflection is one of the many faces cities present to us.  At times it provides a view of a city scape never to be repeated.  It provides a different, often distorted view.

Einszweidrei, im Sauseschritt …

Einszweidrei, im Sauseschritt
Läuft die Zeit; wir laufen mit.

W. Bush

The pictures below reminded me of W Bush’s words.  The photos were taken during my trip through Germany late 2012.

I found a possible translation on the Internet:

On the double, one two three,
Time is running, so are we.

(translator unknown)

German Impressions – Weimar

Weimar’s records go back to the year 899.  1552 Weimar became the capital of the Duchy of ‘Sachsen-Weimar’. During the late 18th and early 19th century Weimar was an important cultural centre.  It was the home for Goethe, Schiller, Herder, Hummel, Liszt and Bach.  Richard Strauss work for 5 years as second conductor in the ‘Staatskapelle’ Weimar .

The town hall is located on one of the many squares of Weimar.  It was rebuilt in 1981 after it was burned down twice.

The ‘Stadthaus’ was rebuilt 1968-71 restoring the historic front in the style of the early renaissance.  In the back you can see the steeple which is part of the City Palace developed over more than 500 years construction work.

This steeple which is part of the city palace can be seen from almost everywhere.

  

I just had to take pictures of the variety of facades.

  

Not every building has been restored

 

In the courtyard of the university you find this rather oversized chair next to the library.

  

It was Weimar’s first monument for a poet and was unveiled on Herder’s 16th birthday at the former pottery market in front of the City Church St. Peter and Paul (where Herder had worked). Johann Gottfried Herder, philosopher and theologian (1744-1803), was appointed to the position of General Superintendent of the churches in the Duchy of Saxony-Weimar upon Goethe’s recommendation in 1776

Goethe’s Garden House – Bought for Goethe by the Duke, the poet lived here until moving to the house on Frauenplan …

 … and in the park graze the sheep … 

… under the watchful eyes of this crumbling wall.

German Impressions – 2nd stop – Kassel – part 2

In my earlier blog about Kassel I said that 90% of the town was destroyed and had to be rebuilt.  You now find buildings from the 1950s side-by-side with building from the 19th century like the Elisabeth Hospital below.

The buildings below stand along Wilhelmshöher Allee which leads to the Wilhelmshöhe Castle.

     

The Orangerie, a palace built in 1710 as a summer residence for the landgraves

 

The ‘Kanzleigebäude’ below was built in the 16th century by Landgrave Wilhelm IV.

 

The above contrasts with the new buildings across the city

     

The Martinskirche – destroyed in 1943 and rebuilt 1954-60

      

The Brüder Grimm Museum next to the New Gallery with two installations of the open air exhibition – ALLES UNTER DEM HIMMEL GEHÖRT ALLEN

  

 

Lastly some more impressions of Kassel

            

 

 

 

 

German Impressions – 2nd stop – Kassel

Kassel is located on the Fulda River in northern Hessen.  In 1943 bombing raids destroyed 90% of the city.  During the 1950s it was almost completely rebuilt.  The Wilhelmshöhe Palace is situated above the city.  I spent a long time in the Bergpark Wilhemshöhe admiring the changing colours.

Wilhelmshöhe Palace

Löwenburg, a replica of a medieval castle

German Impressions – 3 weeks / 8 states: 1st stop – Münster

October 2012 I travelled with a friend in 3 weeks through 8 German states.  We did not set out to break any record.  It just happened that way.  We began in Münster, Nordrhein-Westfalen and finished in Wasserburg am Inn, Bayern.  In my blogs I plan to describe and show my impressions of towns we visited.

Our first stop was Münster in Nordrhein-Westfalen, considered to be the cultural centre of the region.

The first thing I noticed were the number of people on bikes and the number of bikes on the road.

They travel on cobble stone roads …

… in between building from the 17th century.  The St Lamberti church was built between 1375 and 1450, here seen from the Prinzipalmarkt.

The facade below is part of the Rathaus built in the 14th century.

However not all buildings are that old.

This beautiful castle built 1767 to 1787 is part of the university, extensively renovated after the war.

And to end the tour pictures taken in the Schlosspark.

Next stop: Kassel