Theme Week Dresden – New Synagogue

17 June 2015 | Author/Destination: | Rubric: General Reading Time:  6 minutes

New Synagogue © Maros M r a z/cc-by-sa-3.0

New Synagogue © Maros M r a z/cc-by-sa-3.0

The New Synagogue is a synagogue in Dresden. The edifice was completed in 2001 and designed by architects Rena Wandel-Hoefer and Wolfgang Lorch. The building was shortlisted by the jury for the European Union Prize for Contemporary Architecture in 2003. It was built on the same location as the Semper Synagogue (1839–1840) designed by Gottfried Semper, which was destroyed in 1938, during the Kristallnacht.   read more…

Theme Week Dresden – The Frauenkirche

11 April 2015 | Author/Destination: | Rubric: General, Museums, Exhibitions Reading Time:  18 minutes

© flickr.com - Christian Prade/cc-by-2.0

© flickr.com – Christian Prade/cc-by-2.0

The Dresden Frauenkirche is a Lutheran church in Dresden, the capital of the German state of Saxony. Although the original church was Roman Catholic until it became Protestant during the Reformation, the current Baroque building was purposely built Protestant. It is considered an outstanding example of Protestant sacred architecture, featuring one of the largest domes in Europe. Built in the 18th century, the church was destroyed in the bombing of Dresden during World War II. The remaining ruins were left as a war memorial, following decisions of local East German leaders. The church was rebuilt after the reunification of Germany. The reconstruction of its exterior was completed in 2004 and its interior in 2005. The church was reconsecrated on 30 October 2005 with festive services lasting through the Protestant observance of Reformation Day on 31 October. It now also serves as symbol of reconciliation between former warring enemies. The surrounding Neumarkt square with its many valuable baroque buildings is also reconstructed since 2004. The Frauenkirche is often called a cathedral, however it is not the seat of a bishop. The bishop’s church is the Church of the Cross. Once a month, an Anglican Evensong is held in English, by clergy from the St. George’s Anglican Chaplaincy. The original Baroque church was built between 1726 and 1743, and was designed by Dresden’s city architect, George Bähr, who did not live to see the completion of his greatest work. Bähr’s distinctive design for the church captured the new spirit of the Protestant liturgy by placing the altar, pulpit, and baptismal font directly centred in view of the entire congregation. In 1736, famed organ maker Gottfried Silbermann built a three-manual, 43-stop instrument for the church. The organ was dedicated on 25 November and Johann Sebastian Bach gave a recital on the instrument on 1 December. The church’s most distinctive feature was its unconventional 96 m-high dome, called die Steinerne Glocke or “Stone Bell”.   read more…

The water town Fürstenberg on the Havel

9 April 2015 | Author/Destination: | Rubric: General Reading Time:  7 minutes

Brandenburger Strasse with Havel church bell tower © Christopher Voitus/cc-by-sa-3.0

Brandenburger Strasse with Havel church bell tower © Christopher Voitus/cc-by-sa-3.0

Fürstenberg is a town in the Oberhavel district, in Brandenburg, Germany. Until 1950, Fürstenberg was part of the former Grand Duchy of Mecklenburg-Strelitz. Fürstenberg is situated on the River Havel, 21 kilometres (13 mi) south of Neustrelitz, and 75 kilometres (47 mi) north of Berlin.   read more…

The university town of Jena

27 March 2015 | Author/Destination: | Rubric: General Reading Time:  8 minutes

Wagnergasse © Hamster 3

Wagnergasse © Hamster 3

Jena is a university city in central Germany on the river Saale. It has a population of approx. 103,000 and is the second largest city in the federal state of Thuringia, after Erfurt.   read more…

The biosphere reserve Spreewald

23 February 2015 | Author/Destination: | Rubric: Environment, UNESCO World Heritage Reading Time:  5 minutes

Spreewaldgurke - Cucumber of the Spree Forest © spreewald-info.de

Spreewaldgurke – Cucumber of the Spree Forest © spreewald-info.de

The Spreewald (German for “Spree forest”) is situated 100 km south-east of Berlin and designated a biosphere reserve by UNESCO in 1991. It is known for its traditional irrigation system which consists of more than 200 small channels (called “Fließe”; total length : 1,300 km ) within the 484-square-kilometre (187 sq mi) area. The landscape was shaped during the ice-age. Alder forests on wetlands and pine forests on sandy dry areas are characteristic for the region, however, also grasslands and fields can be found.   read more…

The east Thuringian Skat and residence town of Altenburg

7 February 2015 | Author/Destination: | Rubric: General Reading Time:  7 minutes

Orangery and teahouse © Lucas Friese/cc-by-sa-3.0

Orangery and teahouse © Lucas Friese/cc-by-sa-3.0

Altenburg is a city in Thuringia, located 40 kilometres (25 miles) south of Leipzig, 90 kilometres (56 miles) west of Dresden and 100 kilometres (62 miles) east of Erfurt. It is the capital of the Altenburger Land district and part of a polycentric old-industrial textile and metal production region between Gera, Zwickau and Chemnitz with more than 1 million inhabitants, while the city itself has a population of 33,000.   read more…

Theme Week Dresden – State Art Collections

13 December 2014 | Author/Destination: | Rubric: General, Museums, Exhibitions Reading Time:  6 minutes

© Staatliche Kunstsammlungen Dresden

© Staatliche Kunstsammlungen Dresden

Staatliche Kunstsammlungen Dresden (English: Dresden State Art Collections) is a cultural institution in Dresden, owned by the State of Saxony. It is one of the most renowned and oldest museum institutions in the world, originating from the collections of the Saxon electors in the 16th century. The Staatliche Kunstsammlungen has been a state-owned enterprise since January 1, 2009. The association includes twelve museums which operate independently within the context of their own collection, but all share various institutions and facilities as well as a central administration. In 2012 2.5 million visitors visited the museums.   read more…

Templin in Uckermark

3 December 2014 | Author/Destination: | Rubric: General Reading Time:  5 minutes

Town Hall © Oktaeder

Town Hall © Oktaeder

Templin is a small town in the Uckermark district of Brandenburg. Though it has a population of only 17,127, it is with 377.01 km2 (145.56 sq mi) the second largest town in Brandenburg (after Wittstock) and the seventh largest town in Germany by area. The town is located in the south of the rural Uckermark region and its capital Prenzlau, north of the Schorfheide-Chorin Biosphere Reserve. The town was first mentioned in a 1270 deed issued by Henry of Ostheeren, Bishop of Brandenburg. Then a possession of the Ascanian margraves of Brandenburg, it appeared as a town in 1314 under Margrave Waldemar, who in 1317 concluded the Treaty of Templin here, ending the war against Denmark, Mecklenburg and the Duchy of Pomerania. Heavily devastated by Danish troops in the Thirty Years’ War, Templin from 1816 on belonged to the Prussian province of Brandenburg near the border with Mecklenburg-Strelitz.   read more…

Theme Week Potsdam – Sanssouci Palace

22 November 2014 | Author/Destination: | Rubric: General, Berlin, Palaces, Castles, Manors, Parks, UNESCO World Heritage Reading Time:  8 minutes

Sanssouci - Aerial view © Sven Scharr/cc-by-3.0

Sanssouci – Aerial view © Sven Scharr/cc-by-3.0

Sanssouci is the former summer palace of Frederick the Great, King of Prussia, in Potsdam, near Berlin. It is often counted among the German rivals of Versailles. While Sanssouci is in the more intimate Rococo style and is far smaller than its French Baroque counterpart, it too is notable for the numerous temples and follies in the park. The palace was designed/built by Georg Wenzeslaus von Knobelsdorff between 1745 and 1747 to fulfill King Frederick’s need for a private residence where he could relax away from the pomp and ceremony of the Berlin court. The palace’s name emphasises this; it is a French phrase (sans souci), which translates as “without concerns”, meaning “without worries” or “carefree”, symbolising that the palace was a place for relaxation rather than a seat of power.   read more…

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