Sanssouci - Potsdam

The Sanssouci Castle is located in Potsdam. Between 1745 and 1747 the Prussian King Friedrich II had built a small rococo summer palace with a baroque garden. He commissioned the architect Georg Wenzeslaus von Knobelsdorff with the planning.

It is a synthesis of the art movements of the 18th century in the cities and courts of Europe. The castle has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1990. The name Sanssouci - without worries - is to be understood as a wish and leitmotif of the king, because this is where he preferred to retreat with his dogs

View from the south

Picture: MbzT, Wikipedia.de, CC BY-SA 3.0

.
The rooms are characterised by elegance and stylish splendour. To the left and right of the castle are two other buildings: the New Chambers, which serve as guest houses, and the picture gallery with paintings by Rubens, Caravaggio and Tintoretto.

In death, the king wanted to be close to his Sanssouci. Since 1991 the tomb of Friedrich the Great has been located on the upper terrace of the castle. Sanssouci Castle and Park are a synthesis of 18th century art in the cities and courtyards of Europe. For this reason, this World Heritage Site has been protected by UNESCO since 1990.


Alea

The castles Augustusburg and Falkenlust

The castle Augustusburg from the back

CC BY-SA 4.0 Martin Falbisoner (Wikipedia.de)

The castles Augustusburg and Falkenlust are in the city of Brühl. The city of Brühl is located in the Rhineland. The castle Augustusburg is connected to the castle Falkenlust by a huge castle park area. The two castles are built in the architectural styles Baroque and Rococo. Augustusburg and Falkenlust were included in the UNESCO World Heritage List in 1984 as the first important creations of the Rococo style in Germany. In the 12th century, the archbishops of Cologne owned a farm and a park at that location. The castle Augustusburg was the summer residence of the archbishops of Cologne. The castle Falkenlust was a hunting lodge. Castle Falkenlust was planned and built between 1729 and 1737 by François de Cuvilliés for the Elector of Cologne, a supporter of hawk hunting. The castles haven´t been changed and still preserved in the authentic style of Rococo.

Vivien

Caves and Ice Age Art of the Swabian Alb

In the last part of the Ice Age (Würm Ice Age), the Swabian Alb was inhabited by people who left behind unique items in caves. Since 2017, six caves in the eastern part of Baden-Württemberg have been part of the "Caves and Ice Age Art of the Swabian Alb" World Heritage Site.

The density of archaeological sites there is extraordinary. Since their discovery in the 1860s, stone and bone tools as well as jewellery and art objects between 35,000 and 43,000 years old have been found at all sites. Caves and finds provide outstanding evidence of the culture of the first modern people to settle in Europe.

Flute from the bone of a griffon vulture, 
Museopedia / Wikipedia org, CC BY-SA 4.0

Unique testimonies of this culture, which have been preserved in the caves, are carved figures, jewellery and musical instruments. They are among the oldest examples of figurative art and the oldest musical instruments found in the world to date (flutes made of bird bones). More than 50 figures and remains of 24 flutes testify not only to the beginning of the fine arts, but also to music.


Tobi

The 9th of November – a special day for German history

The 9th November is a very special day in the German history. At this day happens four important things in Germany.

The 9th November 1848 was named the `hot autumn`. It was the day of the national assembly in Wien. But along the way there were bloody excesses between the vigilantes and the radical demonstrators. Robert Blum was one of the radical demonstrators who dies after being in arrest. He was condemned to death and was shoot.

„November revolution 1918 in Berlin: 

A lorry with revolting soldiers drives through Brandenburg gate“

Bundesarchiv, Bild 183-B0527-0001-810 / Unbekannt / CC-BY-SA 3.0

One remarkable event took place almost 100 years ago. 1918 was the ´´November Revolution´´ it was the day where Germany became a democracy. The German emperor Wilhelm the second escaped to the Netherlands. 

Odeonssquare in Munich after the coup, Nov. 9th1923

Bundesarchiv, Bild 119-1426 / CC-BY-SA 3.0

The 9th November is not only due to the Hitler coup (1923) and the Reichsprogromnacht (1938) a date, that has negative events. The coup failed in the end and Hitler became arrested.

Destroyed shop in Magdeburg, Bundesarchiv, 

Bild 146-1970-083-42 / CC-BY-SA 3.0

On the 9th of November in 1938 synagoges and jewish shops were attaced and burned down. The national holiday should send out a clear message and this is not the case through the acts of events.

Standing on the Berlin wall  - Nov. 9th 1989, The fall of the wall, 

Picture:: Andreas Krüger CC BY-NC 2.0

The most important date is the 9th of November 1989. This is the day of the falling walls. The wall was the borderline between Eas

t and West Germany. The GDR (German Democratic Republic) had built a fortified border, because the people in East shouldn’t escape. People who tried to escape were arrested or killed by the border guards. Peter Fechter was one of the people that was shot by the border guards. But he was only one of 175 people were killed. At the Night from 9th to 10th November 1989 people climbing of the walls and were happy of the opening of the borderline.

Aachen Cathedral

Aachen Cathedral is a large church in western Germany, where kings in Germany used to be crowned. This cathedral was the first German monument to become a member of the UNESCO World Cultural Heritage in 1978 and is thus once again under special protection.

Every seven years there is a great pilgrimage, where believers from all over the world can visit the Shrines of Aachen, the so-called Relics like a special one, the nappy of Jesus. In the cathedral there is also the tomb of Charlemagne, his crowning place and throne. The cathedral treasury has got one of the most important ecclesiastical cultural treasures of the world.

Aachen Cathedral as we know it today was built step by step over a long period of time, as it was also rebuilt or extended 

Frontview of the Aachen Cathedral

Photo by CEphoto, Uwe Aranas, Wikipedia

more often.
The church was built over the remains of a Roman spa, made of many different building materials from the entire Frankish Empire, as well as refined with Roman columns and other parts. 


Charlemagne has led a revolutionary policy. He introduced a forerunner of the Basic Law, a unified script, and the most important thing for mankind, he let himself become crowned as a Roman Emperor.

Sounding stupid? People believed that there will be only four big empires and the Roman empire was the fourth and last. At that time, people believed that the world will go down after the fourth empire has ended and that just did not happen because of Charlesmagne’s coronation as Roman Emperor. For this reason, his successors until 1531 were crowned and buryied in Aachen cathedral.

Finn

Wilhelmshöhe Mountain Park

It is the largest mountain park in Europe. More than 560 hectares of parkland on the slopes of the Habichtswald, a mountain range near the northern Hessian city of Kassel, show garden artistic ideas for the representation of absolutist rule.

Water games at night - the Hercules statue in the background. 
Picture: Malte Ruhnke, www.wikipedia.de, CC-BY-SA 3.0

There are also mountain parks in Italy, mostly in the form of terraces on mountain slopes, but never in size. Baroque gardens in the French style lie on the plain. Today - especially the lower part - follows the ideas of the English landscape garden with its simulation of nature. The combination of styles and size make “Bergpark Wilhelmshöhe” unique.

Wilhelmshöhe has been attracting curious visitors from all over Europe and the world for several centuries. The water games are regularly played with 750,000 litres of water, which are unleashed on a mountain top and artistically guided in lifts. Over a length of many kilometres, five different stage sets can be seen: the baroque cascades, the Steinhöfer waterfall, the Devil's Bridge, the aqueduct and the fountain pond, which has a 50-metre-high fountain. The complex is dominated by a statue of Hercules, which today is the landmark of the city of Kassel.

The park was laid out by the Landgraves of Hesse-Kassel from 1696. In the following 150 years it was extended several times. Since 2013, the Bergpark Wilhelmshöhe with its historic fountains has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site.


Loris

Viking town Haithabu

The former Viking settlement of Haithabu lies on the German-Danish border. It was known as an important trading place. The town was founded in 770 AD and soon became very famous. In the 9th century a second settlement was built

Reconstructed Viking settlement Haithabu

© Kai-Erik Ballak / CC-BY-SA-3.0 (via Wikimedia Commons)“

further north on the Haithabu stream. Towards the end of the 9th century parts of the settlement to the north and south were abandoned, while the Haithabu brook was further used. Its use offered a strong shortcut across the Jutland peninsula towards the North Sea. From the 9th to the 10th century almost one thousand inhabitants inhabited the trading centre. For centuries Haithabu was the decisive south-north connection from Hamburg to Viborg in Jutland.
Goods from Norway, Sweden, Ireland, the Baltic States, Constantinople, Baghdad and the Frankish Empire were traded in Haithabu. Between the 8th and 11th centuries, the settlement was at the centre of the trade networks between northern and western Europe and formed a hub between Scandinavia and Europe.

In short, Haithabu had been a trading town for Vikings. It was one of the most important trading cities in its time. In May 2018 it was officially declared a World Heritage Site. 

Gizem

Christmas markets

In Germany, there are estimated 1500-3000 Christmas markets. But how did such a nice festival come about? This custom came at the beginning of the 14th century. By allowing sugar bakers, basket makers, and toy makers to sell their goods in small stalls during the Advent season on the marketplace. In 1296, the Viennese merchants received the privilege of holding a "December market" to supply the population of Vienna by Duke Albrecht I of Austria. In 1310, a St. Nicolas market in Munich was first mentioned in a document. In 1384, King Wenzel granted the city of Bautzen the right to hold a free meat market on Saturdays from the St. Michael`s Day (29th September) to Christmas. Thereafter, this type of market spread over the whole German-speaking area. Since the 20th century, this has been an integral part of pre-Christmas customs. But today, Christmas markets often start already at the end of November and not in December. In small communities, the Christmas market takes place for only a week or a couple of days and is usually held by clubs. Nowadays you can see a lot of sweets on a Christmas market: Gingerbread, cotton candy, roasted almonds and chestnuts. But there are also jewelry for the feast to buy, for example. Christmas tree balls, cribs, tinsel, Erzgebirgische Schwibbögen and the Christmas trees themselves. When you go to a Christmas market, the parents usually say: Today I want to drink a mulled wine (hot red wine with spices) or a Feuerzangenbowle. These drinks are very typical of our German Christmas markets.

Johannes

Three holy kings

The Day of the Three Holy Kings on 6 January is the day of remembrance of the Three Magi. According to the Gospel of Luke, the Three Wise Men from the East are three kings or scholars who sighted a star when Jesus was born on December 24^th and followed it as far as Jerusalem. In Jerusalem the three then went to King Herod to inquire where the king was born. Herod had all the high priests and scribes come to him to inquire with them where the king of the Jews was born. Herod then called the three kings to him to tell them that they should go to Bethlehem, but then back to him so that Herod could also go to the child. The kings moved on and when the star stopped they found Jesus. They brought him gifts of gold, incense and myrrh. In a dream, kings were told not to go back to Herod on the way back, but to choose another way back. 


In honour of this event, since the 16th century there has been the custom of the Catholic Church to sing the stars. The Kindermissionswerk has been sending children and young people to collect these donations since 1959. All children and young people who collect these donations do so voluntarily and therefore everyone can participate, no matter which religion the children and young people belong to. On the morning of the 6th of January the sending service takes place, after that the children and young people run from house to house and ask for a donation, here a saying is said on which again clarifies that the day of the holy three kings is. Then the donation is requested and written with chalk on the door "20*C+M+B*19", which means: 20 stands for the century/thousand year, C+M+B stands for "Christ + mansionem + benedicat" which is Latin and in English means "Christ bless this house". However, there are many plastic doors on which one cannot write with chalk .Therefore there are still blessing stripes, which were consecrated just like the chalk in the sending service.

Valentine's Day, February 14th

Where does Valentine's Day come from?  

Saint Valentine lived in the third century AD. He gave flowers from his garden to couples, but above all he married lovers according to Christian tradition, thus violating the prohibition of the Roman emperor. At that time marriage was forbidden for the church because Christianity was forbidden as a religion. Besides that married men were not allowed ot be forced to serve as a soldier. Although Valentin had a high reputation with emperor Claudius II, he could not escape the hardest punishment at that time, because he did not let himself be forbidden to live out his religion. On 14 February 269 he was executed in Rome.

100 years later Valentin was canonized- which means that he was declared a saint. In the year 496 (200 years after his death) Pope Gelasius declared February 14^th to be "Valentine's Day".

The day of lovers:

Little by little this day developed into the "day of the lovers". The couples began to write love letters or confess their love to each other that day.  Especially the US-Americans have this tradition. In the USA, teenagers send secret greeting cards with love messages. The one who receives the most is considered to be the one or the most sought-after.

Valentine's Day in Europe:

This day has only been celebrated in Europe since 1950. Here, however, it is limited to a bouquet of flowers or pralines. In Europe, however, this day is not important for everyone. Many find it kitschy and unnecessary.

Trachten - traditional Bavarian clothing

Traditional Dirndl

Dirndl, picture: Taranis-iuppiter, 
www.wikipedia.org, CC-BY-SA 3.0

A Dirndl is a Bavarian and Austrian traditional costume, which was invented around the middle/end of the 18th century and is today often regarded as alpine costume. Today the Dirndl is known as the alpine costume. In the 19th century, the Dirndl was the practical working clothes of young girls who worked on farms in Bavaria or Austria. Over the shirt they wore the “Leiblgwand"; what today is called Dirndl dress - and an apron, which was mostly sewn from bed linen.

The Dirndl was pimped up only around 1930, when city women, who travelled to the mountains for summer holidays, imitated the look. Tracht was chic - and the lady of the world wore dresses with traditional costume elements. Even in the USA the Dirndl made great fame. For the trendy summer dress, traditional costume elements such as white puff sleeves, laced bodices and aprons were adopted on both sides of the Atlantic. For the “Winterdirndl” flannel fabrics in the colours loden green and dark blue were used. An important point is to be read at the loop of the Dirndl at the waist of the woman: Right loop means that the woman in the dirndl is married or at least firmly connected. Left, on the other hand, signals that you're still available. By the way, the most diligent know about two more variants: Widows wear the bow in the back, virgins in the front.

Traditional leather trousers

picture: Taranis-iuppiter, 
www.wikipedia.org, CC-BY-SA 3.0

The well-known traditional costume Lederhosen is known as “Wildbock"; and is the traditional name for the leather of the wild goat. The leather is characterized by the fact that it is thinner than deer leather. It is very elastic and cuddly. Wild buck is suede on the outside, smooth on the inside of the leg. Like the classic Dirndl, they also belong to the dress code of the Oktoberfest.

Traditional leather trousers were worn as early as 1850. For the general public it was used as folk costume in everyday life.

Bastian

Lithuanian festivities

16.2 Lithuanian independence day (1918)

On February 16th 1918 the Lithuanian Council signed the Lithuanian Independence Act. The Act of 16 February announces that the Lithuanian Council separates Lithuania from all state ties that have ever existed with other nations. On this day students don´t go to school and also this day is very important for Lithuanians.

Užgavėnės

Picture: Andrius Petrucenia, CC-BY-SA 3.0 

https://www.flickr.com/photos/48358291@N06

Its name in English means "the time before Lent" – so it is the Lithuanian version of carnival. The festival marks the end of the winter. Participants traditionally dress and act as Romani people and Jews, wearing masks with grotesque features, beards and visible ear locks. On this day Lithuanians eat pancakes and burn “Morė”, because “Morė” symbolizes winter. There are another two characters “kanapinis” and “lašininis” who fight against each other. “Kanapinis” symbolizes spring season and “lašininis” symbolizes winter season. “Kanapinis” wants to get “lašininis” away that´s why they are fighting.

11.3. Restoration of independence day (1990)

The the Re-Establishment of the state of Lithuania or “Act of March 11^th” was an independence declaration by the Lithuanian Soviet Socialist Republic adopted on March 11, 1990.

6.7. King Mindaugas Coronation day

Lithuania had just one King Mindaugas, He was crowned on 1253 July 6th. He was king for 10years (from 1253 AD until 1263 AD). We hang the flags on the buildings this day. This day is very important to us.

01.11 All Souls Day

In Lithuania, people visit and tidy graves, they burn candles. In All Souls day everyone have no work day. Some people go to church.It is very important day in Lithuania and everyone must remember their dead family members, friends on this day.

24.12. Christmas Eve

It is a family dinner. Each Family must prepare 12 dishes. The twelve different dishes represented the twelve lunar months of the year. Some people go to church. Some people think that on Christmas Eve animals can talk. On Christmas Eve people cannot eat meat or drink alcohol.

The three German traditions we want to preserve for the future

We needed a long time to decide the three most important German traditions we want to preserve for the future. In Germany there are more than three important traditions and we like the most of them but carnival (in Germany ‘Fasching’ or ‘Fastnacht’), Oktoberfest and Christmas (in Germany ‘Weihnachten’) are really the best ones!

Fasching, Fastnacht:

Carnival parade in Koblenz, Picture: Holger Weinandt 
www.wikipedia.de CC BY-SA 3.0

Fasching is a custom with that the Germans celebrate the time before the fasting period. The fasting period starts on Ash Wednesday. The official beginning is the 11^th November at 11:11 o’clock but we actual celebrate it on the days before Ash Wednesday. Children have on these days no school.

The most important thing on Fasching are the costumes. Everybody wears a colorful costume. It can be everything you want , for example an animal, a princess or a playing card. There are many parades in almost all towns and cities. Peoples who are members of the parade throw sweets or distribute drinks to the viewers. The members of the parade built their own carriages which fit to their costumes. Every city or town have their own Faschings-Princess or Faschings-Prince (royal couple) and a youth royal couple. At the end of a parade the best costume group got voted from the committee. Teenagers and younger adults often are drunk.

The Oktoberfest:


The Oktoberfest is a traditional and famous folk festival in Germany. The original and real Oktoberfest takes place in Munich but in almost every town the people celebrate this festival too but much smaller (this became fashion in the last 20 years).

https://pixabay.com/de/photos/wiesn-oktoberfest-herz-2773031/, free picture

About 200 years ago the first Oktoberfest was celebrated because of the marriage of Prince Ludwig and Princess Therese. Because of the marriage there were many celebrations and parties but the last one , a horse race, was the origin of the Oktoberfest.
Today, more than 6 million people visit the original Oktoberfest in Munich. For the Oktoberfest it’s typical to wear a traditional costume/garb, to drink beer, to eat pretzels or Bavarian veal sausage and to dance on special way. Women wear a dirndl and men wear leather trousers. There are many fun rides on the original Oktoberfest and sometimes on the regional and smaller celebrations too. The original Oktoberfest you call ‘Wiesn’ too.

Beer & pretzel are typical for the Oktoberfest. Free picture: 

https://pixabay.com/de/photos/bier-brezel-restaurant-essen-1644690/

Many people think that the Germans always look and act like on the Oktoberfest but this only a partiality. Actually the Oktoberfest is only a regional celebration.







Christmas:

CC BY-SA 3.0: Malene Thyssen, 

http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/User:Malene

I think everybody knows Christmas but there are many differences between the different countries and cultures. There are even differences in every family on the world depending on their nationality, family members, religions etc…
In Germany the most peoples are Christians (me too) so on Christmas Eve they go to the church. After that they go home and have a big dinner with their family or friends. Later they sing Christmas songs and after singing there is the gift giving. The presents are laying under a decorated Christmas tree. For many people Christmas is only gift giving but actually it’s for celebrating the birth Jesus Christ and spending time with your family. In Germany we celebrate Christmas on the 24^th of December.


Written by Franziska Lindt

April 1st and April fools

April fools


April Fool is the term used to describe the custom of misleading one's fellow men on the first of April through invented or falsified stories, narratives or information and thus "fooling them". The call "April, April" serves as a resolution of the fraud. The tradition of April fooling exists in most European countries as well as in North America.

Jokes in the media

Also with newspapers, magazines, radio and television stations and occasionally on web pages it is usual to send the readers and/or listeners by plausibly sounding, invented contributions "into the April"; often exaggerated represented details of the messages supply references to the missing truth content.

Example: Tinder's body size

The dating platform Tinder came up with an April Fool's joke. The "Height Verification Badge". This badge proves that a man is really as tall as his profile says. Anyone who claims to be taller than 1.82 metres must now prove this to Tinder by means of a verification. This is how it works: Just take a picture of yourself next to a known building and Tinder will check your height. LOL

Origin

How it came to be that the 1^st of April became the day for this kind of special jokes, is so far unknown. The only thing that is certain is that even in the popular belief of antiquity there were a large number of alleged days of misfortune, which regularly included the 1^st of April. For the first time the saying "send into April" is handed down in Germany 1618 in Bavaria. With the European emigrants, this tradition also reached North America. The term April fool, however, did not become established until the second half of the 19th century.

Related Traditions

In Spain and Latin America, this is practiced on 28 December, the Día de los Santos Innocentes (Innocent Children's Day).

Criteria to choose official hertiage (sites)

"According to which criteria cultural or natural objects should be on an official heritage list?"

A choice of the answers:

• It has to be unique to the country or if it is not, it has to be astonishing compared to others .It has to represent history of the country.
• Something that is historical and different from the others, it has to have a special meaning for the world/country/pernor
• Something that is historically important or represents a special kind of design or intelligence that someone reached
• Its impact on society
• It should be a special location or object, different from the others. They should have an exceptional value and a remarkable kind of beauty with some history behind it.
• They should have been around long enough that they represent something important. They should have made an impact on the society or have influenced a place's history in some way.
• They must be objects not common for other countries or regions, (like the human castles in catalonia) and they must identify the people too.
• Cultural and natural object shoud be on an oficial heritage list acording to if they are special and about their history, depending on if they have a unique geographic situation or a cultural aspect that should be kept.
• These objects should be representative and unique, also they may have something special or a history behind, so it's important and has a reason to be remembered and conserved.
• It should be something, which units more than two generation like some movies.
• It has to be old & has got an important history
• something old, important in history, beauty
• I think it is all about how old the object is or how important it is for the history according to the antiquity, the complexity and the beauty
• I think that a language like English would be a good criteria.
• They should have a generation-spanning history
• It is something important like when you think about the country you think about that like the Brandenburger Tor. It is not in the heritage list but that should be in the heritage list.
• They should be measured by the value of all and how important they are to our future or how
• If it important for a lot people or has a long history, than it has to be on an official heritage list.
• I think an object should be on a heritage list when it´s a fundamental part for many people or the history of the country (like the wall of Berlin which isn´t a heritage site yet).

Criteria to choose personal heritage items

"which criteria would you choose to pick out what to keep for the future from your personal items to leave for your children/grandchildren?"

A choice of the most interesting answers

        

• I think that it could be a historical meaning, because it is very important to us.
• I would safe old Family gifts like my watch.
• I want to leave a necklace because it comes from other generations
• I want to leave my children/grandchildren culture and land to them
• Because of the sentimental value and because it comes from our ancestors.
• I would leave for my children/grandchildren things that have economic, sentimental and things that represents culture of my family and country.
• Lithuanian language, because it is my family nation language
• Lithuanian language, clothes, books, furniture. Because this is my family history and it discribe how I grew up
• It must have some special meaning to me and my family
• I think I don't have one yet. I can't think of think that is important to me and would important to my grandchildren.
• Something of meaning to me or with a good story that I could tell them.
• Something that has much meaning to me, it could be objects, traditional habits etc 
• Something that I considered important myself that they could have the same opinion on that special object or tradition
• Something about my or their childhood.
• Useful ones that can make a difference in their lives and help them in their daily life our photographies 
• I would choose an item which remembers the whole family, not much bigger and with a lot of love on it.
• It would have to be something that represents me and the society I live in. An object that would not deteriorate itself and has a special meaning to me. 
• I would choose the items according to the next criteria: be something that has marked the life to a significant amount of population, and be a common object.
• I would leave things that I have used a lot and that I may think that they could change a lot in a century, an example would be something technological, as a video game or a smartphone. 
• I would choose the most important things, my most valuable possessions which I would like to leave for my children or grandchildren.
• I would keep my personal photos.
• I would keep for the future those sites that have made a change in our lives and have influenced us in a positive way. 
• I would choose items which have an important meaning for me (emotionally), and also things that I think that may be useful for them or they would like.
• I would choose to leave my grandchildren and their children my really expensive, unique comic because it shows what I like and what I appreciate.
• I would give my children and grandchildren my collection of Justin Bieber stuff because it represents myself very well.
• Something I got from my ancestors
• I would like to give to my kids an very old phone so they can see how complicated the things were in the past before they were born
• It would be according to what defines me, what a like or what is important for me. Like, for example my diaries, paints, photos...
• I would keep a picture of me.
• I have no idea, because I`m only 14 years old.
• I would want the objects that accompany my life to stay in the family and that they will always be cared for, never forgotten and inherited as often as possible. 
• It must be something that I would like to keep in my Family.
• I would keep a stuff animal.
• I would give them my Basketball equipment like my first balls and my caps everything that can be very nice for them.
• It would have to be things in my family already have a history or things with which I have an emotional bond or things that are part of my story
• The stories from my grandpa
• I would give them my Basketball shoes because they are everything for me
• Grandpa's stories
• Earrings and a chain from my great-gandparents
• I would choose an item which remembers the history of a person because it is important the person won´t be forgotten

The most famous heritage sites in our countries – Top 11

Asking students about the UNESCO-Sites they know within their countries led to the following Top 11-list. Unsurprisingly this list is heavily affected by nearby monuments and also shows the effect of working inside the project. Keeping in mind that lots of answers came from students of Babenhausen German UNESCO sites were mentioned more often than those of Barcelona, Lisbon or Lentvaris.


1. Cologne Cathedral / Kölner Dom

Cathedral of Cologne, Picture: Raimond Spekking

CC BY-SA 4.0 www.wikipedia.org

Cologne Cathedral is a Catholic Cathedral in North Rhine- Westphalia, Germany. It is the seat of the Archbishop of. It is a renowned monument of German Catholicism and Gothic architecture and was declared a World Heritage site in 1996. The towers are 157 m high and the construction started in 1248 and was finished by the end of the 19th century. It contains the grace of the three holy kings.

2. Messel pit/Grube Messel

The Messel pit, near the German city Darmstadt is a famous fossil site with a big geological and scientific importance. Since 1995 the Messel pit is a part of the UNESCO world heritage and the first natural heritage site of Germany. In the 1970s serious scientific excavation of fossils took place in this pit and it didn’t stop yet, still today are significant scientific discoveries being made and the site has increasingly become a tourist site as well.

What was found in the Messel pit?

The fossil finds from the pit Messel are very extensive and include not only plants but also invertebrates and vertebrates. There are more than 75 families of more than 200 species known for micro and macro fossil plants alone. Up to now, 130 taxa have been identified among vertebrates, including more than 40 species from more than 30 genera of the mammals alone – tiny primeval horses being the most famous. 

Primeval horse (Propalaeotherium hassiacum) in Senckenberg Museum,

picture by Daderot, wikipedia.org,

C0 1.0

3. Jerónimos Monastery/ Monteiro dos Jerónimos

The Jerónimos Monastery, is a former monastery of the Order Saint Jerome near the Tagus river in Belem close to Lisbon. It’s constrctution started on January 6th 1501. Did you know: the design of Jerónimos Monastery is a combination of Gothic, and early Renaissance styles.

Roman bath of Fort Salisberg, Hanau-Kesselstadt, 

picture: Reinhard Dietrich, wikipedia.org, CC0 1.0

4. The Limes

The limes is an ancient roman border wall crossing almost all central Europe. Major parts belong to Germany. Close to Babenhausen are many town connected to the Limes. For example Hanau: Hanau lies at the point where the Kinzig and the Main rivers meet. Two forts were discovered in Kesselstadt – a part of town. The elder fort was built around 88 AD and the second around 100 AD. The fort bath was excavated in the old graveyard of Kesselstadt. Its walls are still visible. Below the current centre of Kesselstadt there was a 14 ha large marching camp that was only temporarily used.

5. Trakai castle

Trakai castle is an Island castle located in Trakai (Lithuania) on an Island in Lake Galve. The construction of the stone castle was begun in the 14th century by Kestutis and around 1409 major works were completed by his son Vytautas the Great who died in this castle in 1430.

6. Aachen Cathedral

Frontview of the Aachen Cathedral

Photo by CEphoto, Uwe Aranas, Wikipedia

Aachen Cathedra traditionally called in English the Cathedral of Aix-La-Chapelle is a Roman catholic church in Aachen. It is a historical importance because it was the center of the Carolingian empire in the early middle age. It contains the throne of Emperor Charlemagne. 










7. Sagrada Familia  

The Basilica “Temple Expiatori de la Sagrada Famila” is a large unfinished Roman Catholic church in Barcelona, designed by Catalan architect Antoni Gaudi. The construction started in 1882. Height: 172 m

8. Belém Tower

Belem tower, or the “Tower of Saint Vincent”, is a fortified tower located in the estuary of the river Tagus in Lisbon. The ship-shaped fortification was constructed in 1514 and is 30 m high. It is a World Heritage Site because of the significant role it played in the Portuguese maritime discoveries of the era of the Age of Discoveries.

9. Gediminas tower

Gediminas tower is he remaining part of the Upper castle in Vilnius Lithuania.

The first wooden fortifications were built by Gediminas grand duke of Lithuania. The first brick castle was completed in 1409 by Grand Duke Vytautas. The three floor tower was rebuilt in 1933 by Polish architect Jan Borowski and is 48 m high. Gediminas Tower is an important state and historic symbol of the city of Vilnius and of Lithuania itself.



10. Vilnius Old town

The well-preserved old town is known for historic buildings in a variety of different styles, including Baroque and Gothic churches. It is the largest preserved old town in Eastern Europe.

11. Paisagem de Sintra

In the 19th century Sintra became the first centre of European Romantic architecture. Ferdinand ll turned a ruined monastery into a castle where this new sensitivity was displayed in the use of Gothic Egyptain, Moorish and Renaissance elements and in the creation of a park blending dwellings, built along the same lines in the surrounding sera, created a unique combination of parks and gardens which influenced the development of landscape architecture throughout Europe.

Palacio di Pena - Sintra, CC-BY 2.0,

Wikimedia.commons, Picture by: Singa Hitam

Stella


All pictures except where mentioned: Andreas Murmann, CC-BY-SA 4.0