You only see what you know (Goethe)
The castle above the mouth of the Paznaun in the Stanzer Valley dates back to the 13th century. Several of today’s structures result from a renovation at the beginning of the 20th century. In May 1945, parts of the German Wehrmacht surrendered to American troops after negotiations in this castle. [German]
The ancient Roman city of Altinum was a settlement in the region of today’s Quarto d’Altino. During its flowering, it had over 20,000 inhabitants. After being destroyed by the Huns, the inhabitants fled to the small islands in the lagoon of later Venice. [German]
On my urban walk through Naumburg (Saale), I loved to look at all the different gable dormers. The city in the German state of Saxony-Anhalt offered a lot of them. For example, I saw these bonneted dormers at the Renaissance city hall.
The Sebastian’s Cemetery (Sebastiansfriedhof) dates back to the end of the 16th century. It was built in the style of an Italian campo santo. You find here the graves of Mozart’s widow and Paracelsus, founder of the discipline of toxicology. [German]
On a sunny day in the fall, I visited Festetics Palace (Festetics-kastély) near Lake Balaton in Hungary. On my walk through the Baroque Palace, I had the chance to see the famous Helikon Library.
The Fürstenhaus in Weimar is a building with much history. Planned as a site for an authority, it turned into the residence of a Duke. After hosting a series of parliaments, it houses the “University of Music FRANZ LISZT Weimar” today.
This monument commemorates Franz Wirer von Rettenbach. He is considered the founder of the first Austrian saline water health spa in Bad Ischl. I found this bust in the local spa park (Kurpark). I was pretty impressed by the extraordinary size of the sculpture. [German]
The fortress of Kamerlengo (Tvrđava Kamerlengo) saw its construction by the Venetians in the 15th century. At that time, it extended existing structures in the old town of Trogir. This town has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1997. [German]
The Zollern colliery (Zeche Zollern) in the Bovinghausen district of Dortmund is also known by the nickname “Castle of Labour”. The brick-stone architecture of this administration building may answer the question of where this title comes from.
The lindworm fountain (Lindwurmbrunnen) is the landmark of Klagenfurt am Wörthersee. In addition, the lindworm is also part of the local city arms. The sculpture dates back to the 16th century and refers to the foundation legend of the city. [German]
This tower is part of a former stronghold owned by the legendary Hungarian military leader Pál Kinizsi. By climbing up Kinizsi Castle (Kinizsi-vár), I learned something new about the interior of tower houses in the medieval ages. [German]
Many years ago, I came across an old ruin in Weimar. Its name – Tempelherrenhaus – made me think of the mysterious templars. But I was wrong. The building was a former ducal venue that transformed into a ruin after an air raid in 1945. [German]