You only see what you know (Goethe)
The Cabinet of Artefacts and Natural Curiosities (Kunst- und Naturalienkammer) was established by August Hermann Francke in 1698. Today this collection is regarded as the only wholly preserved cabinet of curiosities dating from the Baroque age. [German]
In the beginning, the later cathedral of Halle was a church built by the Dominican. Traditionally churches of a mendicant order don’t have a tower. The lovely gables were added by Cardinal Albert of Brandenburg. Today it is just a church again but people of Halle still call the edifice a Dom (cathedral).
Right next to the site of the Francke Foundations in Halle (Saale), I came across this fascinating piece of architecture. It’s the headquarters of the German Federal Cultural Foundation (Kulturstiftung des Bundes).
The Leipzig Tower (Leipziger Turm) was built in the 15th century. Canopy, roof lantern and the clock were added at the end of 16th century. The 44-metre-high edifice was used as a fire lookout tower. Today it is a prominent point on the Leipziger Straße, one of the main shopping streets in Halle.
This manhole cover in Halle (Saale) displays the coat of arms of the city. The city arms of Halle consist of a moon between two stars of different size. The colour of these symbols is red; the ground is silver.
Seeburg Castle (Schloss Seeburg) is located on the shores of a lake called Süßer See (Sweet Lake). Contrary to its name the lake is salty. It was created by the natural leaching of rock salt in the subsoil. The name of the municipality Seegebiet Mansfelder Land refers to the fact there are several such lakes in this region.
The steamboat ‘Fröhliche Dörte’, built in 1888, brought us along the Unstrut River from Freyburg to Naumburg. The cruise led partly through a landscape conservation area. A few months later, I learned these rides were no longer available. What a pity!
While travelling through the wine-growing area of Saale-Unstrut, one can see many steep terraces with centuries-old dry walls and romantic vineyard cottages. The region is open to many kinds of movement: hiking, cycling, and even canoeing.
In the historic sparkling wine cellars of the Rotkäppchen winery in Freyburg (Unstrut), there is a huge wine cask for the cuvée. The barrel was built in 1897 and has a capacity of 120,000 litres.
Visitors of the Rotkäppchen winery in Freyburg (Unstrut) find this piece of cork oak (Quercus suber) in the splendid staircase of the administration building. That way, they learn from which tree the sparkling wine corks are made.
Three music stands (Notenständer) with a height of four metres reflect that Querfurt Castle (Burg Querfurt) houses a music school. Artist Ingo Güttler created these pieces of contemporary art. They play music and form a sound installation. The music stands are removable. So they disappear while the castle is used for festivals or as a set for movies.
Querfurt castle has been a location for fairytale movies many times. At the time of my visit, an exhibition displayed props of movies taken on the grounds of the castle.