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Slovenia – Ljubljana & Bled

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Slovenia! You’re standing in it! Why is Slovenia on our tour of Germany, you may ask – well, the first answer that comes to mind is that I haven’t been here before? The second answer that comes to mind is why the fuck not? Seriously, we are in a place where you drive 100kms and you can experience a place with a completely different language, different culture, different customs, sometimes even different architecture and different food. You cross a border here by just driving across it… which probably seems extremely commonplace if you’re European – but believe me, when you live on an enormous island where you can drive for five days and not get from the top of your country to the bottom and get the same chiko roll or pie and chips at every truck stop along the way, it’s a seriously novelty to drive for a couple of hours and everything is different. For us, you need to get on a plane for hours on end to experience that.

Anyway, here are are in Slovenia and already the language, the food and the architecture is markedly different from Austria. This gorgeous building is just around the corner from our hotel, it’s called the Vurnikova hiša. It’s a Ljubljana historical landmark and while it’s very different from Vienna, it’s also very different from the other buildings in the street. Decorated in national colours, it is currently used as notary and civil offices, so sadly we were unable to be visit the inside.

Prešernov trg – a square that is not so square and where the triple Tromostovje Bridges are located.

One of the Tromostovje Bridges with the two others in the background… I’m not sure why anyone would design a bridge like this, but it made me going looking for an aerial view.

They all go from the same place to the same place? Reminds me of how paving for quads in universities ends up being haphazard based on people’s walking patterns as people refuse to use established paths if there’s even a slight shortcut!

At the heart of Ljubljana’s Prešeren Square is a statue of France Prešeren, Slovenia’s national poet depicted with a ‘naked muse’ perched above his head. Apparently this caused quite a stir with local nearby church authorities when it was erected who weren’t not keen on public nudity. To ‘fix’ the problem, the town planted a row of birch trees that would strategically obstruct the view of the muse’s bust from the church’s entrance.

It’s a really pretty town… but like every town with a lot of canals or small rivers through it, it likes to be referred to as the, ‘Venice of the <insert north, south, east, Balkans what have you?>‘ here.

Mesarski Most – another simple pedestrian bridge that is covered in ‘love padlocks’… we saw some shops selling the locks for €6-10 each. So many thousands of Euros spent on locks for the bridge. I wonder how often they come in and remove them to make space for more tourists to buy more locks!

The Dragon Bridge: a pedestrian friendly Art Nouveau bridge that was built in 1900, best known for its series of large dragon statues at each end.

Cute little gryphons at the base of the lamp posts on the bridge.

Ljubljana Castle or (Ljubljanksi Grad) is a castle complex on Castle Hill right above the city of Ljubljana. It was originally a medieval fortress and is believed to have been constructed around 1000AD and then rebuilt in the 1100s. The current layout was the result of a complete redesign in the 15thC, but most of the buildings here currently are from the 1700s and 1800s. Like most castles it was originally a fortress built for defences by the Lords of Carniola in the 1300s.

The castle and the dragon are so ubiquitously connected to Ljubljana that they appear on the city’s Coat of Arms.

Word has it that the dragon is from Jason and the Argonauts rather than St George, which makes a nice change – though that is contested (likely by the more religious denizens over the centuries).

There is a seriously modern glass funicular to go up to the castle, which was a great relief, because it’s fucking hot again today – 37C. Whose stupid idea was it to come to Europe in mid-summer? Again?

At the base of the funicular we saw this unusual and very familiar looking marsupial statue… couldn’t figure out what it was doing here? We later saw some people tug on his paw/knob and discovered that it was a water fountain! Cool, so we learned what it is and why it was here – but the, ‘why is it a fucking kangaroo?’ bit, remains a mystery! Kangaroos being known the world over for delivery or provision of water or something? Yeah, nah. :/

The castle courtyard – which now has two cafes, a wine cellar/shop and museum spaces throughout the various towers and keep buildings.

Oh! A Medieval Weapons Musuem! Cool… oh wait, premature excitation.

One reproduction suit of armour, a recently constructed gambeson, a couple of brand new halberds and a pavise that looks like it was painted last year, does not a ‘Medieval Weapons Museum’ make.
*sad face*
It was a small room filled with stuff that my friends could make – and to be perfectly honest, a lot of our SCA friends can and have made far superior versions of these objects!

Austo-Hungarian Field Canon, c.19thC. An archer’s arrow slit.

Always on the lookout for oddities, we had seen that the Ljubljana Castle has a Puppet Museum and thought we should check it out. The Museum studies the art and history of Slovenian puppetry, which dates back over several of centuries, and the mission for the collection is to encourage and promote the Slovenian Puppetry Theatre. It’s a permanent exhibition with Slovenian Puppets from 1910-1990, and a small theatre for shows that have been running at the Castle since 2015. Cool mascot/logo/badge.

Sadly, there weren’t many description plaques in English and a couple that were, displayed names of Slovenian folk stories that were (to us) completely unfamiliar. The earliest puppets appeared in Slovenia was in the 15thC. It is assumed that they were brought there from Asia Minor by invading Turks. Humorous puppet shows featuring small hand puppets (known as ‘lileki’) were staged all over the country. In the Dravsko Polje lowlands (currently around the area of Ptuj), the puppet show Boundary Dispute has been preserved and performed to this day.

This one is definitely Gepetto and Pinocchio.

This was an adult’s only puppet… he was hard to photograph, but he has a huge erection! I wish I had a better idea of what he’s about.

There are lots of interactive spaces here – you can have a go at making shadow puppet and sock puppets and try your hand at operating marionettes.

The Puppet Museum was an unusual and quirky interactive musuem; definitely something different.

Next stop was the Ljubljana Castle’s Slovenian History Museum – the opening exhibit of which was a wishing well full of donations… really? Didn’t y’all just pay €14 each to get in here? There wasn’t anything nearby saying it was for charity or anything. Tourists will throw money into literally ANYTHING! LOL.

“If you want to experience the essence of Slovenian and Ljubljana history in one place, come to the castle and visit the permanent exhibition Slovenian History. You will find out how, when and by whom our history has been shaped right up to the present day. Set out on a journey into the past that is guaranteed to be full of surprises.”

Cool! That sounds like a bit of us.

The oldest known wooden wheel with an axle in the world. 😮
Found in the Ljubljana Marsh belonged to a two-wheel cart. Around 3200 BC.

Stone axes from pile dwellings around 4500BC – 2500BC, City Museum of Ljubljana.

Glass dishes and bottles from the Roman Empire, 1st-4th Centuries.

Emonec, 2nd Century, National Museum of Slovenia.

Clay pottery – symbols of settlement and colonisation, 10th – 15th Centuries. City Museum of Ljubljana.

Guild Money Box of Maribor Blacksmiths, 18th Century. Regional Museum Maribor.

Plates from Ljubljana Potters, 16th Century. City Museum of Ljubljana.

Tiles, parts of clay ovens; 16th – 17th Century. City Museum of Ljubljana.

Map of Gorizia, Kart, Carniola, Istria Dan Slovenian Marks. Wolfgang Lazius, 1572.

Map of Carinthia, I.B. Elwe & D.M. Langeweld, Amsterdam. Mid 18th Century.

Map of the Carniola Dukedom, Slovenian marks and Istria, J.B.Homann, Nuremberg, c.1715.

Map of Styria, J. Bleu, Amsterdam, c.1650.

World War II was one of the darkest chapters in Slovenia for their Jewish population. At that time the most powerful Jewish communities were in Prejmurje, particularly in the area of Lendava and Murska Sobota. Persecution of Slovenian Jews started from when the Nazis came to power in 1933, and got significantly worse when Slovenia was annexed by the Nazi forces in 1941. In 1944 the Slovenian Jewish population were subjected to mass deportations to Nazi concentration camps and most of the deported Slovenian Jews died in the notorious Auschwitz Death Camp.

Model of the Ljubljana Castle.

Awww… an Insta-worthy spot in the castle courtyard.

There was one more major section of the castle to check out – the 4D History of Slovenia Experience! Now, after recently being traumatised with a virtual tour at the Ghent Cathedral in April, I wasn’t keen to do the thing. And Angus wasn’t keen either – so I bribed him… if he gives me a photo op in the flower arrangement of fakeness, we can skip the 4D of hokiness. Ta-da! I love him so much… <3

The Dragon’s Den: not what we were expecting, but well and truly in keeping with the vibe of the castle.

Views over the city from the top of the funicular.

Ljubljana Cathedral was originally a Gothic three nave Romanesque church, but in the 18th century it was replaced with the current Baroque building. It is a prominent landmark on the city skyline with its green dome and twin towers, and it is located a the Cyril and Methodist Square, which is right by the Ljubljana central markets.

The doors (below) were created in 1996… the left depicting the History of Slovenia, and the right depicting the 20th Century bishops of Ljubljana.

Giulio Quaglio created the ceiling frescoes between 1703–1706 and later in 1721–1723.

After the Cathedral we finished our loop by going back over the Love-lock Bridge and heading to the row of pubs and cafes that line the river.

So many locks… all I am hearing is *cha-ching* cash register noises! LOL.

Lunch was carnivore friendly – burger and fries for Angus, some wings for me. They were ok, no one won Menu Lotto today.

I usually don’t go for finger food while travelling – but I have my handy dandy Japanese Happy Raccoon Wash with me and figured the trip is nearly over, so I’d risk it.

Next day we were heading to Villach, via Bled… and today we were really remembering why I don’t like summer or beach vacations! C’mon, Europe, it’s like 34°C and humid today; could have left my air conditioned bubble in summer at home if we wanted to deal with this shit. :/

The drive to Bled was fairly quick and easy – the roads in Ljubljana are okay, and they don’t drive like the Viennese (ie: same speed as the Germans but far more erratically!).

Bled Castle is another picturesque medieval castel built on a high precipice above the small city of Bled, and overlooking the pristine Lake Bled. The oldest record of the castle is from the time its deed appears as a donation from Emperor Henry II to the local bishops – The Bishops of Brixen (they sound like a punk rock band!), in 1011. The castle remained in the ownership of The BIshops for about 800 years apparently, until those pesky Habsburg came along and you know, decided they owned everything in about 1278. Today – it is a wee (and twee) historical musem and is one of Slovenia’s most popular tourist attractions.

When searching for information on the castle, I found all the info about accessible parking and erroneously assumed that meant, that the damn place was accessible. I was fucking wrong. The route into the castle was a long walk up a steep incline on really crappy old cobbles. :/

Views from the castle over Lake Bled.

This place doesn’t look real.

It’s a cute little castle but not a lot there to keep you interested for long… I imagine people who hike up there might find themselves spending more time there than we did just to justify the hike! But sadly, it’s all too touristy. We decided to go for a drive around the lake and check out some picture locations – and found out that every Slovenian and their dog was at the lake for the day, there was no where to stop even temporarily to take some pics… so below are some of my best High Speed Landscape Photography happy snaps. That is to say, they were taken out the car windows!

Duolingo keeps teaching me phrases about going ‘grilling (BBQ’ing) at the lake on the weekend’ and for the life of me I couldn’t figure out why it was such a a recurring theme. But now we’ve seen some of their lakes through Germany, Austria and this region and know how far away the beaches are, so it all makes more sense now.

The Church of the Assumption or the Church of the Mother of the Lake or one of the half a dozen other names it has:

Not bad for snapped out the window at 50kmph!

It’s certainly a pretty area.

We bailed out of Bled fairly quickly – just too many people – and off to Villach!

Vienna – St Stephen’s Cathedral

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I’ve discovered that I’m having a difficult time remembering what I saw and did in Vienna nearly 30 years ago… so I feel like I’m seeing the place for the first time. I do remember visiting the opera house and the Prater but not a lot else. That being the case, we tried to see some of the highlights, you know, that aren’t in museums.

St Stephen’s Cathedral is considered the central church of the Catholic Archdiocese of Vienna and the seat of the Archbishop. It’s located in the Stephansplatz and like so many other important cathedrals it was built on the foundations of an earlier church. The first recorded church here was consecrated in 1147, but the church as it stands now was started by Duke Rudolf IV (1339-1365). Many important Austrian and Habsburg events have occurred in this cathedral. It is most recognisable for its multicoloured rile roof and its twin towers, which I am told has 256 steps to the top, which is a very goodly number but am happy to discover there is also an elevator.

This is one of those places you can’t get far enough back to photograph because modernity has been built right up too close shrinking the Stephansplatz, but I bet they didn’t think about that in the 12thC. Vienna was an important centre in Germany at the time, and while it had four churches they apparently were insufficient for the ‘town’s ecclesiastical needs’. In 1137, land was given for new churches that would eventually be once St Stephen’s Cathedral. Although it was originally built in open fields outside the city walls, this new parish church was actually built on an ancient cemetery which has recently been dated to the ancient Roman period – graves in 2000 were found at a depth of 2.5m that have been dated to the 4thC.

The tile roof is very cool!

During WWII, the cathedral was saved from deliberate destruction at the hands of retreating German troops. A Wehrmacht Captain Gerard Klinkicht ignored orders from his commandant, “Sepp” Dietrich, to ‘fire a hundred shells and reduce it to rubble’. On April 12, 1945, lottery’s lit fires in nearby shops as Soviet Russian troops were entering the city. Sadly, wind carried embers from the fires to the cathedral and it suffered a severely damaged roof that eventually collapsed. Luckily, temporary protective shells that had been built around the pulpit, Frederick III’s tomb and other artistic treasures managed to help save a lot of the more valuable artworks.

The Gothic stone pulpit is a master work attributed to Anton Pilgram, though it is now believed to have been carved by Niclaes Gerhaert van Leyden. Sermons were given in local languages and in the days before audio amplifying equipment the pulpit was built against a pillar in the nave rather than in the chancel at the front of the church.

The Wiener Newstäder Altar is at the head of the north nave. It was apparently commissioned by Emperor Frederick III, in 1447.

The Pötscher Madonna is a Byzantine style icon of St Mary with the baby Jesus. It takes its name from the Máriapócs, a Hungarian Byzantine Catholic shrine where it was located before it was sent to Vienna. It was claimed that the painting wept on two separate occasions in 1696, but hasn’t done so since Emperor Leopold I moved it to Vienna in 1697.

The elevator that goes up the tower to see the views and the bell – it’s a small custom built elevator. Round and holds about 4-6 people with this neat photo/light on the ceiling of the capsule.

One of the most stunning and recognisable aspects of St Stephen’s Cathedral is its colourful patterned roof which is 11m long and covered by 230,000 brightly coloured glazed tiles. The filters form a double-headed eagle that is symbolic of the Habsburg dynasty that ruled Vienna.

The patterns are very interesting how they intersect with the architectural design elements. I enjoy the small attic windows that poke through the designs.

The Cathedral has 22 bells in total and the largest is named for St Mary, but is usually called the ‘Pummerin’ (Boomer) and hangs in the northern most tower. At 20,130kgs it is the largest in Austria and the second on largest swinging bell in Europe (second to the ‘Peter’ bell in Cologne Cathedral). It was originally cast from cannons confiscated from Muslim invaders at a foundry run by Johann Achammer (it’s amazing they have all these details documented!) but was recast using part of its original metal in 1951 after crashing to the floor when the wooden structure that held it burned during the 1945 fire.

The views from the towers are spectacular – almost enough to make you forget the €7 they charge you to use the lift… this is first church we have encountered in our trip that has an entrance fee (Entrance to the church €14, entrance to the tower €7, entrance to the crypt €7… €28pp in total, which for a couple makes a AUD$90 outlay for maybe a 60-90 minute visit. I mean, I get it; it costs €2.2 million per annum for the upkeep on this particular cathedral, but it rankles a little to be charged to come into a church owned by an untaxed corporation worth over €30BN.

While I opted to go up to the roof and see the views and the tiles, Angus opted to visit the crypt which is said to have an ossuary (and he’s never seen on before).

Since the cathedral was established it was surrounded by cemeteries dating to Roman times and contains the bodies of nobles and commoners alike. It has always been considered a high honour to be buried inside a church and close to the sacred relics of saints and pious people. Less honourable people were buried outside nearby but not *in* the church. When the eight cemeteries near the church’s side and back walls were closed down due to bubonic plague in 1735, the bones from the cemeteries were moved into the catacombs below the cathedral. People continued to be buried in these catacombs until 1782, when new laws forbid most burials within the city walls. It is said the remains of over 11,000 people are under the church.

Photos sneaked – no photography allowed.

Outside the cathedral, the hustle and bustle of the city is everywhere… and I do mean ‘hustle’. There are people everywhere selling tours, cycling tuk tuk tours, horse drawn carriage rides, segue rides. It’s over the top. Souvenirs shops selling overpriced everything (bottled water is so pricey!). I nearly bought this cute little dress for a friend’s daughter, until I saw the price tag! It wasn’t well made and it was €68,00.

Spend the afternoon driving to Ljubljana with a gorgeous drive through the countryside.

Nuremberg

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Short drive today to Nuremberg. Uneventful for the most part, though we were mightily amused by this road sign telling drivers to slow down to 120 kmph for roadworks… for serious, it was needed though. We were in a 130 zone on the autobahn and doing roughly the speed limit with people whizzing past us like we were standing still. I don’t know how there aren’t more accidents here… but I bet when they do connect it’s horrific.

Given Europe’s typical Mondayitis, there were quite a few places that were not open today, but thankfully the well famous Nuremberg Castle wasn’t closed. Also known as the Nürnberger Burg, the castle is actually a large complex of medieval fortified buildings built on a ridge that overlooks the historical Altstadt of Nuremberg. Well located in Bavaria, the castle and its formidable city walls are considered one of Europe’s most impregnable fortified castles. The whole place was designed to represent the power and influence on the Holy Roman Empire and the distinctive role the Imperial City of Nuremberg held.

The main entrance (above) isn’t that much to look at, but as soon as you make your way into the castle walls, the extent and size of the fortress becomes apparent.

The construction of the castle was originally started around 1000, and after that there were three main periods of expansion that can be seen. 1) the main castle built under the Salian kings and respective Holy Roman Emperors front he period of about 1027-1125, 2) a newer castle section that was built under the Hohenstaufen Emperors from 1138-1254 and the reconstructed areas of the castle that became more palace in the later medieval period.

In the Middle Ages, the city of Nuremberg was one of the larges and organised municipalities in all of Europe, and was at various periods the Imperial Capital.

I could not get over the sky today – the clouds just looked absolutely surreal, and the sky so blue, I thought we were in the tropics.

The stunning panorama from the ramparts of the castle looking over the medieval city of Nuremberg.

Inner courtyard of the main keep… the buildings are so beautiful and we were fortunately not swamped with people when we arrived that I went a little nuts with the photos…

The building on the left here has been converted into a super modern cafe, but thankfully on the outside, it is still in keeping with its medieval location.

Even the museum entrance/exit and gift shop are well hidden.

Views over the city through old glass windows.

Doorway from the palace hall to the private imperial chapel.

A strongbox… sadly without a description plaque.

The private imperial chapel – there is a large hole in the floor, and another hall below where commoners could come to hear services without interacting with the castle’s more elevated inhabitants! This double chapel saw daily masses since 1216. The Emperor’s, (top part of the) chapel was likely only used when the emperor/king was in residence and was only accessible through the upper hallways of the ruler’s chambers.

Stone relics ‘The Resurrection of Christ’ and ‘The Ascension of Mary’, Augsburg, c.1530.

The side altar of the Emperor Frederick III. Figures from the shrine are (left to right) Charlamagne, St Henry, St Kunigunde, St Helena of Nuremberg, c.1487/.

Figures below are wings from a larger, now lost, altarpiece, c.1401.

Mother of God, Nuremberg, c.1450-1460… this is one of a small collection of Nuremberg Madonna’s that are characterised by being life-sized and close to resembling natural people.

These frescos are believed to have been installed prior to a visit from Charles V, King of Spain who was crowned King in 1520 and referred to himself as the ‘Chosen Roman Emperor’.
Frescoes attributed to Hans Weiditz, Augsburg, c.1519.

Looking down from the Emperor’s Chapel at the multi-layered chapel for the masses.

Relief of Emperor Ludwig IV the Bavarian, from the Nuremberg Town Hall, c.1340, cast after a model in Munich… sigh. Hate this shit : a lot of the info I’m saving is acquired by translating stuff after we leave a place. I’m looking at these things in situ and thinking, that doesn’t look right, get some time later and translate any info only to find out that we are looking at a late 18thC plaster replicas or something. :/

Same with this one…
Monumental statue of Emperor Charles IV from the Old Town Bridge Tower of Prague’s Charles Bridge, Peter Parker, c.1370-1400. Original in sandstone, cast (below) in plaster.

Magnificne manuscript of the Golden Bull, Prague, 1400, leather, pen and parchment… reads the first half of the description. 😐 There’s a running them here; it’s a facsimile the original is in Vienna, in the Austrian National Library. The codex of constitution documents were commissioned by King Wenceslas c.1378-1400 and oh who gives a shit, this is a copy as well executed as some of my more proficient SCA calligrapher friends could make.

Humpback cup, Ellington & Co, Birmingham, c.1886. Copper brass, gilding… another fucking copy – is nothing in this museum original? The original 16thC cup is somewhere else and it doesn’t even tell us. The cup and other objects were part of the ceremonial table dictated for use in the Golden Bull.

Holy Lance: Replica! Holy Hand Grenade: Replica! Holy Dagger thing: Replica!
The original objects symbolised the military strength of the head of the empire of Otto I (936-973).

The room had these neat – but obviously modern – reliefs that depicted the famous and important houses of Nuremberg. For some reason these didn’t bother me so much, as they weren’t accompanied by an info plaque and obviously weren’t pretending to be medieval artefacts. *shrug*

Coronation of Ludwig IV the Bavarian, in Milan as King of Italy on May 31, 1327, work attributed to Agostino Di Giovanni (c. 1310-1370)… or at least the original marble one was. This is a plaster case made in Munich.

Oh thank fuck!!! I really enjoyed looking at this glass tankard, and was just now sitting here thinking, it was probably painted by some dude named Hans last week!

Imperial Eagle Tankard, 17thC glass, enamel painted, Nuremberg.
The double headed eagle was often the motif of imperial allegories and represented the structure and significant of the empire. The quaternion eagle has the individual coats of arms on its wings of the various imperial estates.

So, for the sake of representation there were some large information plaques which detailed these very famous objects associated with the Crown Treasury of Nuremberg and the Holy Roman Empire. The crown, dalmatic, and under tunic in particular are objects I am hoping to see at the Kunsthistoriches… but they’ve obviously been included here for education’s sake – and I’m really beginning to think this is a very well laid out place for school kids to come learn Stuff (which shouldn’t detract from my enjoyment of the displays – but it fucking does!).

The following Palace rooms were the private chambers of the emperor/s in the upper floors of the castle; they’ve been set up post WWII to give an impression of homeliness with some furniture, portraits…
Baroque Chest, Tyrols, c.17thC.

Wappendecke: Coat of arms cover, Fritz Haeberlein, Nuremberg, c.1947…?

Prunkofen: a magnificent Stove, Nuremberg, c.1675. Timber exterior and tiled interior.

Four keys from the lock of the Imperial Regalia, c.16th/17thC.
In 1423, Emperor Sigmund entrusted the City of Nuremberg with the safekeeping of the Imperial Regalia. The relics were kept safely locked in a shrine, in the church of the Holy Spirit Hospital, which was under the city council jurisdiction. Access to the chapel vault was secured by multiple persons holding different keys.

The views out to the courtyard… while walking through these rooms today, I was wondering what it must have been like for the high born womenfolk who inhabited these walls. Now, I reckon these windows were probably installed after WWII and no medieval women looked out these windows.

Armbrut: Cross bow, Nurember, c.16thC,. Bow: steel. String: hemp. Column: wood, black horn and white etched horn inlay.

LEFT: Bolt case, some labeled with the name of the Nurember patrician family, “Volckamer”, c.1595. Wood, fittings of iron, partly tinned, handle of brass.
RIGHT: German crossbow crankequin. Heavy craniquins like this one were indispensable for drawing the bow-string on a robust steeel bow.

Drinking vessel in the shape of a richly ornamented cannon. When the cover is opened, it becomes apparent it is for dining. Citizen’s Artillery of Nuremberg, c.15thC.

Maximilian style armour.
“The suit of plate armor is a complex artistic and technological masterpiece. In development since around 1300, full body armor made up of many different parts had reached its highest level of complexity by 1500. In principle, the individual parts had to be adapted to the individual wearer if the armor was to be fully functional. Not everyone could afford such tailor-made armor, however. Many fighters put together their protective equipment from parts that were already available. In order to increase mobility, individual parts of the armor could be left out at any time.
A suit of plate armor is a complex artistic and technological masterpiece. It was developed from ca. 1300 on and reached its highest complexity around 1500. Generally, each part had to be fitted to the individual wearer, if the armour was to function properly. However, not every fighting man could afford customised armour. Protection often had to be improvised and adapted from available parts. In order to increase mobility, parts would be left off.” Sounds familiar…

Two breastplates of late Gothic Armour; from the town hall in Spittal, Carinthia, Austria. C.1450-1500.
Iron, forged, steeled, filed, and originally polished.

Late Gothic armoured gloves.
Germany, iron, forged, steeled, ground, polished, leather later addition, c.1450.

Two backplates of Late Gothic armour from the town hall in Spittal, Carinthia, Austria. C.1450-1500.
Iron – forged, steeled, filed and originally polished.

Helms: 1) Bascine, 14thC. 2) Bascinet, German, late 14thC. 3) Kettle hat or Chapel-de fer, Tirol c1400.
4) Jousing helm, Tyrol, late 15thC. 5) Sallet, Frankie, c.1450/60. 6) Italian bascinet, Northern Italian late 15thC.

Gothic suit of equestrian armour – almost complete condition which is extremely rare apparently. Nuremberg armoury, the fancy shoe tips made it unsuitable for combat. It could have Ben worn only be a rider. The help is not original to this suit.

Nuremberg, c.1470/80. Iron – steeled, ground and originally polished to a high sheen.

Iron-clad door with iron fittings. . Dates from the reign on fate Bohemian and German Kings Charles IV or his son Wenceslas. 2nd half 14thC.

There was a very small section that dealt with the history of Nuremberg after the period of theHoly Roman Empire and glossed over WWII fairly quickly.

Ok… the Castle was very cool and I really enjoyed seeing the buildings a the layout of the fortress complex… but fuck me, I was so dirty when I discovered how many of the artefacts were just bloody modern replicas. I know it shouldn’t detract from the enjoyment of seeing these things in this context, but it fucking does! I walked up (and back down – which is sometimes even more painful) four storeys of stairs with a severely torn meniscus to see stupid copies of things? My heart rate was up around 150bpm the whole time, and I was overheating due to the excessive pain from my knee joint (and an involuntary habit of holding my breath inappropriately while in pain) and for what? To see shit that I would have been better off looking up high res images of the originals, online? It was so deflating.

Encountered this amazing vending machine in a shopping centre car park of all places – full of cheese and charcuterie! And here’s me thinking Japan has the best vending machines.

After the castle, we made our way to Haupmarkt to see the famous Schöner Brunnen fountain, a 14thC Gothic fountain locate next to Nuremberg’s main markets and the town hall. It is 19m high and in the shape of a church spire. It was built by Heinrich Beheim in 1385.

The Frauenkirche is not far away and is the Roman Catholic parish church of Nuremberg. It was built at the commission of Emperor Charles VI from 1352-1362 as a hall church. It is full of sculptures, many of them have been preserved from around the time of construction, so they are c.1360 also. There wasn’t a lot of information available in the church, an it was smaller than I expected.

The facade of the Frauenkirche has as clock called the ‘Männleinlaufen’ (Little Men Running) which is activated at noon, and has seven little men – representing electors of Nuremberg – that move with chimes. It was built/ordered by Charles IV in 1356 to commemorate the Nuremberg code of Laws, the Golden Bull. The clock was removed during WWII and stored in a Nuremberg Art Bunker.

The inner vestibule was full of brightly painted relief art work – I imagine this is what a lot of the old cathedrals looked like but haven’t been restored over the centuries.

The Tucher Alter c.1440/50 came from a demolished Augustinian Church – the Frauenkirche was used as a Protestant church for several centuries and much of the art and sculpture came back into he church when it was redesignated? reconsecrated? by the Catholic Church.

There has been an organ in this church since 1492, however this one is from the 1950s.

I got nothing on this sculpture, other than that Baby Jee looks stoned.

Pergenstorfer Epitaph.

Stopped by a bookshop, having decided to acquire a couple of well known books to try to read in German. I figure this immersion stuff has to help at some point. It’s sure not helping here; every time I try to speak with people in German they can tell I’m not a native speaker immediately and they switch to English. How are you supposed to get any better if people won’t talk to you? :/

St Seibald’s Church apparently began with a grave in 1070, and not long afterwards reports of healing miracles occurring at his grave are documented.

The Chruch that is here today was built in the first half of the 13thC as a late Romanesque pillared basilica with a double choir. It was around this time that Nuremberg was becoming an important centre of commerce in Central Europe. In the early 1300s the side aisles were expanded, and the high Gothic choir loft was added between 1361 and 1379. Seibald became the patron saint of aspiring commercial ventures, even though he was apparently not canonised until 1425.

Master of the Tucher Altar, c.1440 and Elizabeth Starch Epitath, c.1450.

’Schüsslesfeider’, Saint Christoper, c.1442.

Most of the partially preserved stained glass in this church was donated by the families of City Council members of the Free Imperial City of Nuremberg, in the 14thC. Some was replaced c.1500, and the ‘newest’ glass in the cathedral was installed in 1601.

Madonna on the Crescent Moon, c.1437.

Glass: Behaim Window with the Annunciation and the Nativity, c.1330.

Altar of Saint Peter, c.1477.

Memborial for the Schroeder-Landaeur families, c.1490-92.

Peter Vischer and Sons tomb of St Seibald, c.1508-1519.

The organ was a late addition – we were just discussing how it wasn’t up in a specific organ loft like we had seen in many cathedrals, and actually looked to be a free-standing object. Then we discovered it was only added to the church in 1975.

St Catherine – originally on the Exterior of the Last Judgement Portal c.1310.

And of course the bit I’m always curious about – during WWII, between 1943 and 1945, the church was repeatedly hit by bombs and severely damaged (hence the partially preserved stained glass). As late as April 20, 1945, both towers were bombarded until fires broke out and melted the medieval bells. The first phase of reconstruction lasted 12 years and ended in 1957. There are still repair and removal of war damage happening today.

Anna Oelhafen Epitaph, c.1528.

Having a very sparse breakfast, and having skipped lunch, we gave up on our churching and went hunting for some dinner. Angus found this place which is a local Franconian ‘field to table’ restaurant – the beers, wine, water, juice tea are all sourced from Franconia; vegetables are all grown locally in Knoblauchsland, fishes are sauced from Heinl an Erlangen fishmonger, sausages come from the Nuremberg butcher, and game is delivered by someone named Waffler from his local hunting ground. It made me think of the 40 Happy Cows that Le Cinq have on a farm some 20kms out of Paris just to make butter for the restaurant! 🙂

Angus opted for the bratwurst platter which came with rye bread and the most sour of sauerkraut you’ve ever tried in your life, and I opted for a pork shoulder because it seems I have a habit of panic ordering when I’m not speaking English! It was a sizeable and somewhat fatty portion that came with potato dumplings (which Angus enjoyed), and red cabbage – not sour.

After we finished our meal, we stopped in a grocery store for some toothpaste (weirdly, we both thought the other would have a decent sized tube and neither of us did!) and I saw these – these lemon wafer biscuits are, without a doubt, one of my FAVOURITE European snacks that I can’t get back home… it took all my ‘keine zucker’ willpower to not buy them, especially as they were selling them in packs of 5 for like €2.39. Insta-regret kicked in as soon as we got back! LOLi

Our next stop in Nuremberg was to ferret out Albrect Drurers house – which you wouldn’t think would be that difficult to find, but it’s easy to get turned around in the windy little medieval streets.

This is a cool house, but not Drurer’s house.

Finally found it – Albrect Dürer (1471-1528), is Germany’s most famous painter lived in this house now turned musuem.

St Jerome in his Study, Albrect Durer, c.1521

Paumgartner Altar, c.1498.

Portrait of Oswolt Krel, c. 1499.

Adoration of the Magi, c.1517.
The covered chalices and chains demonstrate Durer’s background as a goldsmith.

The Four Apostles, Guardians of Justice, c.1526. Guardians of Justice.

Maria with the Pear Slice, c.1512.

Self Portrait with Eryngium, c.1493

Self Portrait, c. 1498.

Dürer originally trained as a goldsmith and in 1487, ended his goldsmith’s apprenticeship with his father in order to start anew as an apprentice at the workshop of the famous painter Michael Wolgemut. Additionally, he specialised in a completely new profession: that of book illustrator and free graphic artist. Before too long his talents attracted rich and highly educated customers. In 1496, he met the man who would become his most important patron, Elector Frederick of Saxony.

Dürer’s House is a typical Nuremberg Fachwerkhaus, where he lived from 1509 to 1528. It is in Nuremberg’s Altstadt near the Kaiserburg section of the Nuremberg Castle and the Tiergätnertor. It is the only artist’s house turned museum of its kind… apparently?

Living rooms and study spaces are furnished with period furniture. Dürer’s family life was rather out of the ordinary: in 1494, he married Agnes Frey, at the behest of both his father and hers. While Dürer’s mother had been pregnant eighteen times, his own marriage remained childless.

I love these windows… why don’t we make windows like this anymore?

A small cupboard and a hand washing space.

Wall clock… no information on these. But plenty of small plaques asking visitors to not touch things!

The downstairs kitchen is designed in such a way as the heat rises to warm the upper floors.

The upper floors contain a recreation of the artists workshop spaces.

An engraving plate and a glass sphere that could be used as a magnifier.

Printing systems.

Was very cool hour or so checking out Dürer’s house… even knowing most of the art works are replicas didn’t detract from how cool it is to be walking through this living museum space with its smoky hallway and centuries old furniture. The rest of the day was spent working before we moved on!

Dresden

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In February of 1945, just before the end of WWII, Dresden was carpet bombed into oblivion. Allied bombers (772 of them) dropped over 3,900 tonnes of high explosive and incendiary devices over the city destroying some 6.5sqkms of the town’s centre. It was became a contentious campaign, as the Allies claimed they were bombing railway, manufacturing and communication infrastructure, but the bulk of the explosives were dropped over the culturally significant Old Town which was primarily inhabited by civilians. At the time, the Nazis claimed it was a war crime and said that between 200,000 and 500,000 people were killed… historians have been able to establish that perhaps as many as 25,000 people, (still way too many!), were killed during the Dresden bombings.

Looking around Dresden today – there’s hardly a sign of it anywhere, bar a few singed sandstone blocks on the Frauenkirche. It’s easy to forget that you are walking around a town where people were literally picking up the pieces of their neighbours after an horrific air attack.

The long summer days are waking us up really early – we seem to be out and about quite a bit before any people are about for the day…

The Frauenkirche. Last time I was here, it wasn’t quite so well lit up… November will do that to Europe.

Angus was stunned inside – his commentary was much around the, ‘So there are people around now who know how to build things and make them look like this? So why do new buildings all look so shit?’
I responded that a lot of these craftsmen were still around and plying their trades in Europe; building and restoring old buildings of which there is a plentiful supply… but there’s no a lot of call for it back home in Australia – and large civil projects always get tendered out, and often go to the cheapest/most cost effective proposal. Sadly, this often results in functional but boring or even ugly.

It is a very beautiful, albeit small, church… even if it is largely brand new.

Just around the corner from the Frauenkirche is the Füstenzug, or the Procession of Princes. It is a large mural depicting a mouthed procession of the past rulers of Saxony. It was originally designed and painted in the 1870s to celebrate the 800th anniversary of Saxony’s ruling family, and is made from 23,000 Meissen porcelain tiles. It’s just over 100m long and was completed around 1907… it’s kinda unique and depicts dukes and kings from the 1100s to the 1900s.

The Trinity Cathedral, not open for some reason – I don’t believe we got to see inside this cathedral in 2018 either.

A covered walkway connecting the Zwinger Palace complex to the Cathedral.

Across the road is the Semperoper – the Dresden State Opera House which also houses the State Ballet. Originally built in the late 1860s, then burned down, and rebuilt again in the late 1870s. It was completely destroyed in the bombing of Dresden in WWII, and was rebuilt in the 1980s.

One of the many entrances to the Zwinger Palace. The Zwinger Palace was originally built in the Baroque styles in the 1700s to be a pleasure palace, festival centre, orangerie/gardens, and residence for the royal court at Dresden. The buildings were mostly destroyed during the carpet bombing raids in 1945, though thankfully the art collection had been evacuated previously. Reconstruction efforts on this building began almost as soon as the war was over, with some parts restored (with some support by the Soviet military administration) and opened back to the public by 1951. It was almost fully restored to it’s pre-war state by 1963.

These days it is a museum complex, housing the Gemäldergalie Alte Meister (Old Masters’ Galleries), a Porcelain Collection and a Mathematics and Scientific Instruments Gallery.

Walking through the gorgeous stone arches, I couldn’t wait to be greeted by the beautiful formal gardens the Zwinger isn know for… only to be disappointed by this complete and utter clusterfuck:

Holy snapping construction mess of messes! What an eyesore… and to add insult to serious injury, hardly any of it was accessible, so that meant makeshift stairs to move through the complex if we wanted to see anything. So fucked, but what do you do? 🙁

Obviously I limped along and made it into the galleries! Last time stymied by winter closures, I wasn’t going to miss it again. Good thing that too – it is quite an impressive collection with lots of important and well known artists repressented.

Ercole de’ Roberti – The Arrest of Christ on the Way to Golgotha, c.1482/86. Oil on poplar panel.

Marinus van Reymerswale – The Money Changer and His Wife, c.1541. Oil on panel.

Adam and Eve under the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil, c.1550. Oil on panel. Artist not known.

Johannes Vermeer – Girl Reading a Letter at an Open Window, c.1657-1659. Oil on canvas.

Roelant Savery – Before the Deluge, c.1620. Oil on oak panel.

Marten van Valkenborch – The Tower of Babel, 1595. Oil on oak panel.

El Greco – The Healing of the Blind Man, c.1570. Mixed media on poplar panel.

Bartolomé Esteban Murillo – Saint Roderic, c.1650/55. Oil on canvas.

Peter Paul Rubens – The Drunken Hercules being Led by a Satyr Couple, c.1613/14. Oil on oak wood.

Silenus, 3rdC AD, copy of a lost statue from the 3rdC BC. Carrara marble.

Victor Wolfvoet – The Head of Medusa, c.1648. Oil on canvas.

Rembrandt Harmensz van Rijn – Saskia with a Red Flower, 1641. Oil on oak panel.

Johannes Vermeer – The Procuress, 1636. Oil on canvass.

Jan van Eyck – Triptych with Madonna and Child, Saint Catherine, and Archangel Micheal with Donor. 1437. Oil on oak panel… this was the last thing I expected to see here today (hadn’t looked up the museum prior to arriving), and it is a sublime piece. Barely A3 in size, it is exquisitely executed.

The small tromp l’oeil backs of the wings of the tiny altarpiece…

The only other display in the room with the tiny Van Eyck altarpiece were five enormous tapestries that came from the workshops of Peter van Edingen van Aalst and Bernard van Orley – Brussels (1490-1542). Tapestries were made from wool, silk and metal thread, and while the photos don’t do them any justice, these tapestries still have much shine to them, unlike many other works from this age where the metal threads have largely tarnished and look very grey. Stunning!

LEFT: Attic, c.460-450 BC, Villa Guilia Painter.
CENTRE: Attic, c.440-430 BC, Painter of the Louvre Centauromachy.
RIGHT: Lucanian, c.380-370 BC, Creusa Painter.

Detail:

Dionysian Scene, Apulian, c.380-370 BC, Near the Ilioupersis Painter.

No description unfortunately on this artifact – It looks to be a candle holder or oil lamp.

RIGHT: Amphora, Theseus and the Minataur, Attic, c.500 BC, Bompas Group.

Titian – Portrait of Lavinia, c.1565. Oil on canvas.

Piero di Cosimo – The Holy Family, c.1500. Oil on poplar panel.

And around the corner an unexpected…. Sandro Botticelli, Episodes from the Life of Saint Zenobia’s, c.1500. Tempura on poplar panel.

Andrea Mantegna – The Holy Family, c.1495/1500. Tempura on canvas.

Fra Angelico – The Annunciation, c.1435. Tempura on poplar panel.

Pintoricchio – Portrait of a Boy, c. 1480/82. Tempura on poplar panel. Unlike everyone else in here, he’s looking at us…

Raffael – The Sistine Madonna, c.1512/13. Oil on canvas…. This is one of the most famous works of the Renaissance!

Giovanni Batistta Moroni – Lady in a Red Dress, c.1560. Oil on canvas.

Titan – Sleeping Venus, c.1508/10. Oil on canvas… another very famous Renaissance artwork. This one as one of the first large scale fully nude representation of a woman in Italy. In ancient mythology, Venus was a goddess of love and beauty – her calm while sleeping and the harmony of her body are reflected in the idyllic countryside. The painting may have been started by Giorgione who died of plague in 1510, it was most certainly completed by Titan who likely added his characteristic drapery and landscape.

Pietro Antonio Graf Rotari – Replaceable Faces, c. 1707. Oil on Canvas…. I initially thought these might be studio studies that were later framed, but an info plaque pointed out that they were designed to be a collection of small portraits that could be rearranged to suit the owners preferences. There were 24 identically sized panels in all.

Bernardo Bellotto Canaletto – The Old Market in Dresden from Schlossgasse, c.1750/51. Oil on canvas.

Bernardo Bellotto Canaletto – The Zwinger Courtyard in Dresden, c.1751/51. Oil on canvas. Yeah right!? Have you looked out there at the construction clusterfuck?

Bernardo Bellotto Canaletto – The Ruins of the former Kreuzkirche (Church of the Holy Cross) in Dresden, c.1765. Oil on canvas.

Jean Étienne Liotard – The Chocolate Girl, c.1744. Pastel on Parchment… This painting is significantly different from others in the pastel collection – it is of a simple serving girl, a low status individual, who is yet depicted in a full figure profile.

Albrecht Dürer – Bernhard von Ressen, c.1821. Oil on oak panel.

Lucas Cranach the Younger – Adam (left), Eve (right), c.1537. Oil on lime wood panel.

Lucas Cranach the Younger – The Crucifixion of Christ, c.1546. Oil on lime wood panel.

Lucas Cranach the Elder – The Presentation of Christ to the People, c.1515/20. Oil on lime wood panel.

Lucas Cranach the Elder – Portraits of Henry XI of Saxony and Duchess Catherine of Mecklenburg!

Lucas Cranach the Younger – Samson and Delilah, c.1537. Oil on lime wood panel.

Lucas Cranach the Younger – Solomon’s Idolatry, c.1537. Oil on lime wood panel.

There is a substantial number of galleries devoted to the art form or still life painting – but personally I just don’t get it. Yes, I understand why artists devoted themselves to perfecting still lifes during this period, but they don’t really move me at all.

Cornelius de Heem – A Lobster, Fruit and Flowers, c.1660-70. Oil on canvas… included because I liked his lobster.

Frans Floris – Portrait of Two Children, c.1563. Oil on canvas… rude to leave the happy pupper off the title.

Peter Paul Rubens – Satyr and a Girl with a Basket of Fruit, c.1620. Oil on panel.

Martin Schongauer – A Censer, c.1500. Engraving. This object is considered one of the first still lifes made in printmaking. It is not known if it depicted an existing censer or was a design for a goldsmiths work.

The Altes Meisters gallery was certainly full of important and famous pieces. It is well worth the price of admission. After this we went looking for the Zwinger Nymphanbad sculpture garden and fountain… traversing the deconstructed courtyard again.

The Nymphanbad:

Around the corner from that pretty little courtyard is the Museum of Mathematical and Scientific Instruments.

Paulus Schuster – Table Clock, Nuremberg, c.1582. Has large dials with hour indicators and an astrolabe on one side and an annual calendar on the other. The small dial shows the day of the week, quarter hour and minute. It also has an alarm mechanism. The silver figures of Neptune alternatively move their heads every minute for 15 seconds, and the rooster on top crows on the house while two men strike bells!

Caspar III Buschmann – Monstrance Clock, Augsburg, c.1625. Ebony from India.

Unknown artist – Table clock, Augsburg, c.1590. Gild casing contains the timekeeping mechanism which shows hours and has a striking mechanism which chimes on the hour and quarter hours. It also has an alarm function.

LEFT: Unknown Artist: Horizontal Table Clock, French, c. 1590. Timekeeping and striking mechanisms are one atop the other, typical of French clocks of this period. German clocks tended to be side by side.
RIGHT: Unknown Artist: Horizontal Table Clock, French, c.1600. The vertical mechanisms are easily visible through the crystal cylinder.

LEFT: Giovanni Buttista Mascarone – Cruciform Watch, Milan, c.1600
RIGHT: Martin Zoller – Pendant Watch, Augsburg, c.1630

Automaton Eagle with Crown, Augsburg, c.1635.

Hans Schlottheim – Crayfish Automaton, Augsburg, c.1589. This crayfish can move its pincers, feelers, legs and tail. Originally there were a pair of crayfish which would creep forwards and the other backwards. Operated by two clockwork gear wheels.

Isaac Huberecht – Skull Form Pendant Watch, Strasbourg, c.1660.

Johann Willebrand – Horizontal Sundail, Augsburg, c.1720.

Leonhard Miller – Diptych Sundail, Nuremberg, c.1630, Ivory/

Johann Wicteul Hayer – Nocturnal, Frankfurt, c. 1707. The nocturnal was used for telling the time at night. After setting the date, the user looked thorough the hole in the centre towards the pole start. The pointer was then rotated until it was inline with the last tow starts in the Big Dipper constellation. The time could then be determined from the pins on the device.

Zeus Enthroned Pendulum Wall Clock, Paris, 18thC.

Peter Johannes Klein – Geographical Table Clock, c.1738. One side has a clock face indicating hours and minutes, the other has a 24 hr face that also functions as the equator of the globe.

Ludwig Teubner, Dresden, c. 1896. Model of the “5-Minute Clock”… since 1841 there has been a clock above the stage in the Semperoper house which has rectangular fields with the hours marked. Minutes are shown in Arabic numbers on the right. The clock moves every five minutes.

Abraham Louis Breguet – “Montre Á Tact” Pocket watch with Chatelaine, Paris, c.1810. This watch allows the time to be known in the dark, by feeling the hour mark on the edge of the case.

Unfortunately the next cabinets were not market at all other than a vague heading: OPTICS

Blaine Pascal – Mechanical Calculator, France, c.1650. World’s oldest surviving mechanical calculators.

TELESCOPES:

SURVEYING DEVICES:

ELECTROSTATIC & GENERATION DEVICES:

Friction Electric Generator – Fuchs, Leipzig, c. 1817.

HISTORICAL GLOBES GALLERY:

Terrestrial & Celestial Globes – Matthäus Seutter, Augsburg, c.1710.

Terrestrial & Celestial Cones – Christlieb Benedict Funk, Leipzig, c.1780.

World Time Clock – Andreas Gärtner, Dresden, c. 1690. The large gilt face of this world time clock has a small face for each of the 360° longitude. Each of these faces bears the name of a place, city, island etc. Over the small faces the hour hand is pointing downwards and rotates when the main clock does.

Geocentric Armillary Spheres – Charles Francois Delamarche, Paris, c.1800.

Heraldic Celestial Globe – Earhart Weigel, Jena, c.1690. Weigel replaced the constellations with the heraldry of the coats of arms of various European Princes and important cities and estates. Chased copper, embossed reliefs then painted.

Gregorian Reflecting Telescope – Johann Gottlob Rudolph, Miltitz,, c.1748.

”Topsy Turvy World” Automaton – Hans Schlottheim, Augsburg, c.1590.

Odometer – Christoph Trechsler the Elder, Dresden, c.1584.
Brass gilt odometer was used in a carriage and worked in a similar way to a modern car odometer.

Theodolite – Victor Starzt, Brussels, c.1633.

Mining Compass, German, c.1561

Back outside it was a beautiful day. We had had enough Musuem’ing (and enough of the stairs in and around the courtyard) so decided to go hunt for lunch instead of doing the Porcelain Galleries (this decision may or may not have been influences by the very small exposure to the Baroque porcelain obsession yesterday at Charlottenburg Palace!).

Great day all up – walked far too many steps and stairs (I’m so going to pay for this with my stupid knee tomorrow), but well worth the time in the galleries.

Goslar und Wernigerode

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It’s Monday, in Europe… and you know what that means! Everything is closed!

So as much as was possible, we arranged for today to be a transit day between Hanover and Berlin with some drive through visits to a couple of small towns in the Hartz Mountain areas for a bit of a sticky beak knowing that we’d get to these villages and likely nothing would be open. All good – day of scenic driving it is.

First stop was the town of Goslar, which is mostly known for its super cute medieval altstadt (old town) and its half timber houses. There is also an Imperial Palace here with historic murals (Monday: closed) and a cool church St. Cosmas and Damian with some fragments of 13thC stained glass windows (Monday: open). The area is also known for its silver and copper mining in the Rammelsberg Mountains which have been operating for over 1000 years in the area (which does my head in, because *nothing* is that old at home!), and there’s a Mining Museum in the area (Monday: closed), and a cool underground railway with waterwheels and stuff (Monday: closed), but most of that will just have to wait until I come back and visit the area at some time in the future. Which I totally intend to, because this place must be so fairy-tale cool during December when the Christmas Markets are on.

The Altstadt was really beautiful – perfectly preserved, beautiful brick and timber buildings with slate roofing, and pretty little turret windows everywhere.

Most of these buildings are restaurants with small holiday accomodations above.

The cobblestone streets and squares are gorgeous to look at, but not a lot of fun when you’re having problems walking. Stupid fucking knee; can’t wait to get it sorted.

There’s civic art and then there is this ‘thing’. It’s right outside the tourist information office and beside the old church – but with no placard or explanation whatsoever. It seems really out of place. It is apparently called the “Goslar Nail Head” and no one is quite sure what it means, but I have a feeling it’s nothing good!

The market church in Goslar is a Protestant Parish church called, St Cosmas and Damians. It is named after those two saints who were early Christian doctors believed to have performed many miraculous healings of sick people in the Asia Minor region in the 3rdC AD. The two saints are considered to be the patron satins of the sick, as well as doctors and pharmacists. The church itself is first mentioned in historical documents from the 12thC but the construction of the existing church is predominantly 14th-15thC work.

This guy started playing the organ not long after we entered the church – it’s amazing listening to these enormous instruments filling the space as you visit.

These are apparently 12thC stained glass panels from the original church – which would be super impressive if I hadn’t just been in Saint Chapelle in Paris just a few weeks ago! I’m so lucky!

It is a very pretty little church to explore, but compared to the majestic cathedrals of most cities in Europe, it is a fairly quick visit.

I would definitely like to come back here in winter for the Christmas markets – the more you wander through the town centre, it has a really lovely atmosphere and every street has a beautiful old world medieval feel to it. It’s a gorgeous place.

I was remarking to Angus on how the Cologne Cathedral was built across a period of over 600 years with the same design and architecture, but spanning over generations of people all sticking fastidiously to the plan even though they would never be the people who would see the project completed… and I compared it to the difficulty you have these days getting even five people to agree on what a bus shelter should look like?! Well, apparently in Goslar they don’t have that problem – someone/s here have decided that a throne is integral to superior bus shelter design! 🙂

This cute little hotel is called the Romantix Hotel Alte Münze – and I took some pics of it because it is the perfect location and exact amount of quaint I will require for my next visit! 😀

This little train runs tourists around the town to see all the old buildings… bit Disneyeque imo, but no doubt some with young children would enjoy it.

As we were getting ready to leave – there was a parade coming through the town. We have’nt been able to ascertain what exactly it was to celebrate/honour, but there was a drummer and lots of flautists and a fair bit of prideful pomp and costume.

Love me some good heraldic banners!

After this it was back on our scenic route to Berlin via Wernigerode.

We passed many ‘unsightly’ windmills that were no doubt killing birds and upsetting whales or whatever the fuck that ridiculous orange-cockwaffle keeps saying about renewable wind energy equipment. :/

We also went through loads of beautiful countryside with corn fields, wheat field and (because, Germany and beer!), fields filled with hops!

Wernigerode is another village which has a fabled timber housed old town, including a cool medieval Town Hall or ‘Rat Haus’ (Monday: closed) and a well known, leaning old Crooked House. There’s also the Wernigerode Castle (Monday: closed), and a wee musuem (Monday: closed), which has views to the town, but we didn’t drive up as everything is shut up there. You gotta be somewhere on a Monday when you’re travelling and being on a drive may as well be it, but it’s sad to be so close to lots of cool stuff and it’s shut. We did see the Drei Annen Hohne train station, where the Brockenbahn steam trains run to Mt. Brocken, and this was open, but we didn’t really have time to go tootling around on steam trains for the entire afternoon… not when we were chasing some food, having skipped breakfast, and still had to make it to Berlin (and preferably before peak hour!). 🙂

This fountain was a little hard to decipher – apparently that is the Branch of the Past which has witches and Roman gods on it (there were witch trials held in the Hartz Mountain areas, so there are witch motifs all over here and Goslar – on food labels, on souvenirs, everything), and on the other side is this weird dude who represents the future and he has a frog apparently, though Lord knows why? Might need to dig into that a bit later at some other time!

The Marktplaz… and (closed) Rat Haus.

So many restaurants to choose from – but as you get closer to them, you discover most of them are cake and coffee shops, designed to sit and watch the world go by. The ‘world going by’ was notably rather quiet today – because MONDAY!

The very empty town square which must get extremely busy in full Christmas season also.

We ended up at the Wernigerode Brauhaus for lunch – and we got a very quizzical and confused look from the publican when neither of us ordered a beer! Upon looking around, everyone was sitting in front of a large stein of something. Oh well… neither of us particularly like beer, so it’s all so thoroughly wasted on the two of us. Instead, it was schnitzels and burgers for our main meal of the day, and skipping dinner tonight I think. I can’t seem to order a meal without pommes frites so usually ended up sending back a plate full of fries.

This is the tourist information office in Wernigerode. What a cool little building.

I like these – I think Brisbane needs one. Wait, we might have one somewhere, I’d never know! Never played tourist in Brisbane because I think of it as somewhere ‘with no cool shit to see’. 😛

The castle overlooking the town with an ominous sky… after a brief wander around and a stop for lunch we hit the road to head to BERLIN!

Berliner Dom – I’ve been here before, but it’s on the agenda for Angus to visit tomorrow.

Berlin is a very beautiful city full of gorgeous old buildings – which never fails to boggle the mind when I consider how heavily bombed the city was in WWII. The efforts and funds involved in rebuilding are phenomenal. Because we are here for three nights, have work to do while we are here, and I felt we had probably had enough of the pokiest of pokey hotel rooms in the Altstadt s for a while – I had booked us a larger room at the Radisson Park Inn. Seems to have been a good call. We have a proper desk to work at and a couch space for a change so no need to sit on the bed and work on laptops.

View front he 35th floor – very cool. This is the only really tall building around for some reason…? Tomorrow we hunt out security and infrastructure overlay information surrounding the EuroCup and then hopefully hit up a museum if we have time.