History – Page 16 – European Traveler

Cathedrals in Germany: Masterpieces Inside and Out

View of the Aachen Cathedral from Katschhof Square

Photos courtesy German National Tourist Office

Cathedrals, monasteries, walled fortresses and abbeys are a distinct part of Germany’s culture and landscape. Every town, city and countryside has a beautiful church or abbey, including many masterpieces.

Aachen’s cathedral, the Church of St. Mary, was founded as Charlemagne’s chapel and is where 30 kings were crowned. The immensely beautiful Romanesque cathedral of Speyer, only one hour south of Frankfurt, became the burial place for the Salian emperors, and its size is on par with the Cologne Cathedral. The Cologne Cathedral is Germany’s most visited tourism site and was at one time the biggest building in the world. Its high Gothic style is pronounced and the Dom is home to sacred relics and precious artwork. In Hildesheim, 45 minutes outside of Hannover, St. Mary’s Cathedral and St. Michael’s Church are outstanding examples of Romanesque architecture.

AACHEN CATHEDRAL
The Church of St. Mary, originally built as the chapel of Charlemagne’s imperial palace in Aachen in 786 AD, was part of the emperor’s dream of creating a “new Rome.” With this building he laid the foundations of one of the most important architectural monuments in Europe. The cathedral’s appearance reflects more than 1,000 years of history. Charlemagne’s palatine chapel forms the core of the cathedral. The single-nave chancel was consecrated on the 600th anniversary of his death and the bold architecture of the “glass house” is as impressive today as it was then.

During the 600 years from 936 to 1531, 30 German kings were crowned in Aachen Cathedral. Today, the cathedral has lost nothing of the splendor of centuries past. The first ensemble of historical and architectural importance in Germany to be inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage list in 1978, this is a building of outstanding significance.

SPEYER CATHEDRAL
The magnificent Romanesque imperial cathedral in Speyer is the town’s best-known and most prominent landmark. Built by emperors, the cathedral was a symbol of their power and served as their final resting place. Construction began around 1030 under the Salian Emperor Conrad II and the church was consecrated in 1061. Speyer’s imperial cathedral, laid out in the form of a Latin cross, is one of Germany’s largest and most important Romanesque buildings. The Salian emperors chose it to be their burial site.

Its huge triple-naved vaulted basilica is the central element of a design that greatly influenced Romanesque architecture in the 11th and 12th centuries. The hallmarks of the cathedral are the balanced distribution of its dimensions to the east and the west and the symmetrical layout of the structure, consisting of a nave and transept with four towers on the corners.

COLOGNE CATHEDRAL
Building first began in 1248 on what eventually became one of the finest ecclesiastical edifices in the world, and the epitome of high-Gothic cathedral architecture in its purest possible form. The scale of Cologne Cathedral is evident from its two mighty towers. Completed in 1880, they dominate both the city and the surrounding region. At the time of its completion in the 19th century, the cathedral was the biggest building in the world.

The design of the west side was truly groundbreaking. It has the largest exterior surface of any church in the world, said to be around 23,000 square feet, and is flanked by two huge towers, each rising to a height of 515 feet. The cathedral houses a wealth of important art treasures, including colorful stained glass windows that bathe the church interior in a mysterious light; the Ottonian Gero Cross (around 980 AD), the oldest large-scale sculpture in the western world; the shrine housing the relics of the Three Kings (1190-1225), an outstanding example of Rhenish goldwork; the altar of the patron saints of Cologne by Stefan Lochner (around 1450), a masterpiece of the Cologne school.

ST. MARY’S CATHEDRAL AND ST. MICHAEL’S CHURCH IN HILDESHEIM
St. Mary’s Cathedral and St. Michael’s Church are outstanding examples of early-Romanesque architecture. Both World Heritage churches exemplify the skill of Bishop Bernward (993 to 1022) and contain exceptional artworks.

The main attraction in St. Michael’s Church is the painted 13th century wooden ceiling depicting the Tree of Jesse. Germany’s only flat church ceiling, it is a fascinating example of monumental Romanesque painting. The spectacular cathedral treasure, Column of Christ and Bernward doors are characteristic of the Bernwardian period. The cathedral is being renovated for the anniversary of the diocese in 2015 and is closed until August 2014. Many of its treasures, including the huge bronze castings, can instead be seen at different places around Hildesheim until 2014.

The Column of Christ featuring scenes from the Old and New Testaments is on loan to St. Michael’s Church. The pair of two 16-ft. Bernward doors were cast in one piece—an achievement never mastered before—and are currently displayed at the Roemer and Pelizaeus Museum in Hildesheim.

For more info, go to www.friederisiko.de

The Silk Exchange: A Jewel of European Gothic Architecture

Photos courtesy Valencia Tourist Office

The Silk Exchange in Valencia, Spain is an exceptional example of a secular building in late Gothic style, which dramatically illustrates the power and wealth of one of the great Mediterranean mercantile cities. It is aesthetically unique because of its fine Gothic architecture combined with Renaissance decoration from the 15th century.

The majority of the Silk Exchange was built between 1482 and 1492 under master mason Pere Compte. The work was completed by a pupil of his after his death, which explains the presence of Renaissance elements.

Its similarity with old medieval castles is based on the fierce, fortress-like appearance of its stone walls. It comprises four parts: the Tower, the Sea Consulate Room, the Orange-tree Patio and the Room of Columns. The site covers more than 6,562 square feet indoors and out.

It is a typical representation of the commercial and financial past of the city of Valencia, and has been used for the same purpose for five centuries. Its original function was as a trading exchange for oil. It developed into the main maritime trading center and the silk exchange. At the present time it is still a major trading exchange, now dealing primarily in agricultural products.

For more info, go to www.turisvalencia.es/

Switzerland’s Transport Museum

Kaitlyn and Kellen get “sized up” by this big Swiss Air DC-3.

Photos by Amy Luetgert

Wow! Cool! That’s what visitors, and especially children, say after a few minutes in this 21,500-sq-foot museum in Lucerne, located right on Lake Lucerne.

With as many as 850,000 visitors a year, the museum is Switzerland’s most popular attraction of its type.

From space capsules to trains (big ones, as well as miniature ones that run through the grounds), to airplanes and helicopters and automobiles, from the latest media technologies and interactive hands-on exhibits to a cycle park, the Swiss Transport Museum displays more than 3,000 objects, plenty to keep two kids busy for a while.

Kaitlyn Luetgert, 9, and her brother Kellen, 6, from the Chicagoland area, spent an afternoon at the Museum with their parents, and their mother Amy Luetgert filed this photo report of their experiences.

The Luetgert kids “sign on” as airline pilots and flight attendants.

Kellen says, “I could spend a whole day here!”

“No problem, let’s walk under this steam engine,” urges Kellen.

With a facade like this, anything is possible inside the Museum.

For more info, go to Swiss Transport Museum

Highclere Castle is the True Home of Downton Abbey

Photos courtesy VisitBritain

The third season of the television series Downton Abbey premieres on January 6. Finally, fans of the series will find out whether the will-they-won’t-they relationship between Lady Mary and Matthew will end in happiness, not to mention the fate of Mr. Bates. You’ll also meet Lady Grantham’s mother, played by legendary actress Shirley MacLaine.

Watching the show makes you wish you were having afternoon tea in the beautiful garden of a magnificent stately home. Thousands of fans are visiting the real Downton Abbey, Highclere Castle, as well as the other stunning locations from the series.

HIGHCLERE CASTLE
Highclere Castle in Berkshire (southeast England) is the real castle that plays the role of Downton Abbey, fictional home to the Earl of Grantham, his glamorous wife, daughters and a host of servants. The Victorian castle is set amidst 1,000 acres of parkland that is as beautiful as it looks on screen. The actual residents are the Earl and Countess of Carnarvon, whose family have lived on the site since 1679. Downton Abbey author, Julian Fellowes, is a longstanding friend of the family and had Highclere in mind as the home of the Granthams while writing the series.

Make a trip this spring when the castle is open to visitors and truly step into Downton life: sip tea at the cafe, stroll the garden pensively just like Lady Mary, Edith or Sybil and admire the sumptuous rooms, many of which are used during filming. Highclere is located about 1 1/2 hours away from London by train.

For diehard fans who want to sleep in the same room as their Downton heroes (albeit without them there), book a room at The Carnarvon Arms, a grade-II former coachhouse nearby Highclere Castle. As it’s only a short distance from Highclere, during filming, The Carnarvon is occupied by the Downton cast, and has recently undergone restoration by British celebrity chef Marco Pierre White to become a luxury country inn hideaway. What could be better than guaranteed delicious pub grub, a traditional British inn experience and the possibility that you may catch a glimpse of Dan Stevens (Matthew) or Jim Carter (Carson) at the bar?

THE COTSWOLDS
The Cotswolds, in southwest England, have been designated as an area of outstanding natural beauty, and are quintessential England at its loveliest. The area is north of Highclere and can be reached in less than two hours from London. In series two, it was the site of scandal when Lady Sybil eloped with the family chauffeur, Branson. The pair went to Swinbrook in the Oxfordshire Cotswolds, a pretty village where time seems to have stood still, and filmed at the Swan Inn. This beautiful boutique inn makes for an idyllic base from which to explore the area.

Downton Abbey
Cotswolds Village

Also in the Cotswolds is the picturesque village of Bampton, where many of the exterior scenes in of Downton Village and Crawley House are filmed. Bampton library and church were used for exterior shots of Downton Cottage Hospital. Stop off at the shingle-roofed Bampton Coffee House for an English cream tea or lunch at the Vineyard at Stockcross, an elegant hotel with a great restaurant and an impressive wine cellar. Maggie Smith, Downton’s resident Dame, is rumored to have stayed here during filming.

LINCOLN CASTLE
Did he or didn’t he? Season three sees character John Bates locked up in York prison for the murder of his former wife. On closer inspection, it is actually Lincoln Castle, situated a couple of hours south of York, is used as the prison. In addition to its Downton fame, Lincoln Castle is also home to the Lincoln Magna Carta, which dates to 1215, as well as the Charter of the Forest, a 1217 document that made sure England’s forests weren’t taken over by the aristocracy. History buffs will be pleased to learn that Lincoln Castle is the only place in the world where you can witness the two documents together.

For more info, go to www.visitbritain.com

Rendez-vous in the Midi-Pyrénées for Wine, Food and Culture

Photographs compliments of Midi-Pyrénées Tourism Office

Visitors to the Midi-Pyrénées in France, also known as the Southwest, have the unique opportunity to savor some of the most unique food and wine in all of France while also soaking up the rich arts and culture scene of the region.

WINE
The Midi-Pyrénées is a verdant, hilly wine region—home to more than two dozen winemakers featuring some of the world’s greatest grape varieties and some that are grown nowhere else in the world.

From the Malbec wines grown in the sun-drenched Cahors region to the Gaillac district, one of the oldest wine-growing areas in France, to the Madiran wines known for their inky color and tannic density, the wines of southwest France offer a wide array of flavors and are a true treasure trove for the dedicated wine connoisseur.

The region is also rich in spirits, most notably the distinctive brandy Armagnac, produced in Gascony. Tourists can explore the “Route de l’Armagnac” which winds through the vineyards and experience the different tastes and sensations of this brandy, known for its unique finesse and roundness.

FOOD
The Midi-Pyrénées is also renowned for its fine cuisine. It is home of the black truffle, which is found exclusively in the region around the village of Lalbenque.

The Midi-Pyrénées is also the capital of the iconic French specialty, foie gras. With subtle flavors of hazelnut and a creamy texture, this delicacy can be bought directly from the producer or at the special winter foie gras markets that are peppered throughout many small towns in the Gers district.

CULTURE
The Soulages Museum, in the town of Rodez, is dedicated to the work of acclaimed painter and Rodez native Pierre Soulages. Widely considered one of the great abstract artists, Soulages was inspired by the prehistoric and Romanesque art of the region. The museum houses 500 works donated by Pierre and Colette Soulages to Rodez, which is the world’s biggest collection, estimated to be worth close to $55 million.

The Toulouse Lautrec Museum will celebrate the life of painter and lithographer Toulouse Lautrec, born in the city of Albi in 1864. The exhibit will run from October 25, 2014 to January 25, 2015.

FESTIVITIES
The Midi-Pyrénées also abounds with celebrations and performances, with more than 180 festivals and events taking place throughout the year.

The Medieval Festival of the Grand Falconer takes place in the village of Cordes-sur-Ciel on July 14—coinciding with Bastille Day, France’s national holiday. The annual festival offers a faithful recreation of medieval life in the Midi-Pyrénées, with fire-eaters, jugglers, falconers, troubadours, musicians, knights and villagers all garbed in medieval attire.

The Piano aux Jacobins, held in the region’s capital city Toulouse during the month of September, is the first festival in France entirely dedicated to piano performances. This year’s edition takes place September 2 to 29.

The small and quaint Gascon town of Marciac will transform into a jazz capital this summer from July 24 to August 13 with its legendary festival, Jazz in Marciac, which has welcomed international jazz icons.

ADVENTUROUS
The natural world comes alive in the Midi-Pyrénées with vast areas of untouched countryside and rugged mountains in its national parks. Cyclists come from all corners of the earth to follow the route of the Tour de France in the Pyrenees and climb the famed Col du Tourmalet.

The Canal du Midi, a UNESCO World Heritage Site that runs from Bordeaux and the Atlantic coast to the Mediterranean sea, is ideal for bicycling enthusiasts looking for a relaxing ride and discovering this 150-mile engineering masterpiece.

SPIRITUAL
Travelers can embark on a spiritual retreat in the region at the sacred French Grotto of Lourdes, a world famous pilgrimage site. Every year, the cosmopolitan and convivial town receives 6 million travelers from 140 countries from every continent.

Walking the Way of St. James has changed little over the centuries, where pilgrims trek from all over Europe to the city of Santiago de Compostela in northwestern Spain. The route winds through many scenic villages born of the ancient pilgrimage, including Rocamadour, Conques and Moissac.

For more information on Midi-Pyrénées, go to: Midi-Pyrénées Tourism Office .