Manhole cover in Jena

Manhole cover in Jena

The manhole covers of Jena display the city arms. In the middle, archangel Michael pushes a lance into a dragon’s mouth. The upright black lion refers to the Margraves of Meissen. Noteworthy is the bunch of grapes below the dragon. [German]

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Employment Office (1929)

Employment office by Walter Gropius in Dessau-Roßlau

Walter Gropius planned this building in the years 1928/29. Its former function as an employment office can still be read by a fading inscription (“Amt für Arbeit”). The building is an impressive example of how to align architecture to a process. [German]

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Haus Hohe Pappeln in Weimar

"Haus Hohe Pappeln" in Weimar

In this building, the Belgian architect Henry van de Velde lived from 1908 to 1917. House and furnishings were designed by himself. Allegedly, the layout of the building is designed like a ship. Together with the mast on the roadside, my pic reminds to an upside-down boat, at least. [German]

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Cranach House in Weimar

Detail of the Cranach House (Cranachhaus) in Weimar, Germany

The Cranach House was built in the years 1547 to 1549 by the Renaissance master builder Nikolaus Gromann for the ducal chancellor Christian Brück. Its present name reminds us of the presence of the painter Lucas Cranach, the Elder. He spent his last months here. [German]

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Nassauer Haus in Nuremberg

Sundial on the Nassauer Haus in Nuremberg

The Nassauer Haus is a medieval residential tower in the centre of Nuremberg. The name is misleading. The tower has nothing to do with the aristocratic dynasty House of Nassau. After a previous owner, the building is also known as Schlüsselfeldersches Stiftungshaus. [German]

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