Category Archives: Structures, History and Countries

Wartburg Castle

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Wartburg Castle

Be dazzled by both the architecture and history of Wartburg Castle.

  • Wartburg Castle is a medieval castle located approximately 410 metres (1345 feet) high on a rocky hill in Germany’s Thuringia, in Europe.
  • ‘Wartburg Castle’ is also known as ‘Wartburg’ and ‘Schloss Wartburg’.
  • Around 1067, the building of Wartburg Castle commenced, under the orders of Louis the Springer, Schauenburg’s count.
  • Wartburg Castle was built looking out over Eisenach, a nearby town, and protrudes from a surrounding forest, on a hill.
  • The term ‘Wartburg Castle’ possibly comes from the German words for ‘warte’, ‘berg’ and ‘burg’, translating as ‘wait’, ‘mountain’ and ‘fortress’, respectively.
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Image courtesy of Forarama/Flickr
  • Some of the best Romanesque architecture can be found as part of Wartburg Castle, and the site has been home to many significant historical events.
  • Wartburg Castle is a common tourist attraction, visited by approximately 500,000 people annually, and it is the home to a museum, as well as an area suitable for opera productions and concerts.
  • The German Catholic priest and theologian, Martin Luther is believed to have translated the Bible’s New Testament to German, from the Greek language, during the months he was in exile at Wartburg Castle between 1521 and 1522.
  • Wartburg Castle was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1999, and is owned by the Wartburg Foundation of Eisenach.
  • Wartburg Castle became majorly abandoned and unused from the 1500s, until the Grand Duke of Saxony in the 1800s decided to re-establish and repair the castle early in that century.
Bibliography:
Wartburg, 2015, Wikipedia, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wartburg
Wartburg Castle, 2015, Sacred Destinations, http://www.sacred-destinations.com/germany/wartburg-castle
Wartburg Castle, 2015, UNESCO World Heritage Convention, http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/897

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Mount Etna

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Mount Etna

Mount Etna is explosive tonight!

  • Mount Etna is a volcanic mountain found near Sicily’s coast, in Italy, Europe, that actively erupts in a stratovolcanic way.
  • Mount Etna reaches approximately 3,330 metres (10,925 feet) in height, taking the position of being Europe’s most elevated active volcano.
  • Mount Etna became a national park area in 1987, and in mid 2013, the main part of the volcano was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
  • Mount Etna spreads 1,190 square kilometres (459 square miles) in area, and is 140 kilometres (87 miles) in circumference.
  • ‘Mount Etna’ is also known as ‘Mongibello’ or ‘Montebello’ and ‘Mungibeddu’ in Italian and Sicilian respectively, as well as ‘Muntagna’.
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Mount Etna
Image courtesy of Dennis Jarvis/Flickr
  • In 2008, Mount Etna had five primary craters and at least 300 side vents that have been used in the past to eject eruptions; while parts of the mountain have collapsed on a number of occasions.
  • The name ‘Mount Etna’ probably originates from either ‘attuna’ or ‘aithō’, meaning ‘furnace’ in Phoenician or ‘I burn’ in Greek respectively, and the volcano features prominently in Greek mythology and literature.
  • Records of Mount Etna eruptions date back thousands of years, and there have been numerous significant eruptions, including many in the last hundred years.
  • Mount Etna is the one of the most popular tourist areas in Sicily, and it can be either hiked or driven up using suitable vehicles, and it is also a leading site of volcanic research.
  • Mount Etna is surrounded by numerous communities, that, in the event of an eruption, are generally protected from lava flow using diversion tactics that include deposits, explosives and holes.
Bibliography:
Mount Etna, 2014, Wikipedia, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mount_Etna
Mount Etna, 2015, BBC, http://www.bbc.co.uk/science/earth/collections/mount_etna
Mount Etna, 2015, UNESCO World Heritage Convention, http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/1427

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Great Zimbabwe

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Great Zimbabwe

Great Zimbabwe is much more than a crumbling ruin.

  • Great Zimbabwe is the remains of an old, abandoned city, found in Africa’s Zimbabwe, in an elevated part of the country.
  • The actual city of Great Zimbabwe encompasses an area of approximately 0.8 square kilometres (0.3 square miles), while the protected area, as designated by the World Heritage Convention, covers an area of 7.2 square kilometres (2.8 square miles).
  • Communities had been living on the site of Great Zimbabwe since around 300 AD, although it wasn’t until around 1000 AD that the building of the city first commenced.
  • Great Zimbabwe was a once thriving city made of granite stone, that had at least one wall reaching 11 metres (36 feet) in height, and the city is believed to have been built by the native Bantu people.
  • Great Zimbabwe is believed to have been the central point and home to rulers of the area; and the city was in prominent use from around 1000 to 1450 AD.
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Great Zimbabwe
Image courtesy of Erik Torner/Flickr
  • Many objects of archaeological significance have been found on the site of Great Zimbabwe, including soapstone sculptures and figurines, jewellery, money, weaponry and pottery.
  • Great Zimbabwe was originally a prominent centre of trade, with ivory and gold on offer; and the city is believed to have become vacant when a variety of resources became depleted.
  • Portuguese records have shown knowledge of Great Zimbabwe since the 1500s, although it was not until the late 1860s that Europeans found and took interest in the site, and by 1893, the site was designated as a protected area.
  • Great Zimbabwe was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1986, as the ‘Great Zimbabwe National Monument’ and it is also known as the ‘capital of the Queen of Sheba’, due to speculation of its origin.
  • Great Zimbabwe sits at 1100 metres (3,609 feet) above sea level, and was, and still is a site of spiritual significance for some people.
Bibliography:
Great Zimbabwe, 2014, Wikipedia, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_Zimbabwe
Great Zimbabwe National Monument, 2014, UNESCO World Heritage Convention, http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/364

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Bourges Cathedral

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Bourges Cathedral

The architecture of Bourges Cathedral is quite amazing!

  • Bourges Cathedral is a cathedral found in France’s Bourges, in Europe, that is used and was built by Roman Catholics.
  • ‘Bourges Cathedral’ is also known as ‘Cathédrale Saint-Étienne de Bourges’ in French.
  • The construction of Bourges Cathedral began around 1195, although other churches had already inhabited the site from the 200s.
  • Bourges Cathedral was likely used from 1214 onwards, as significant parts had been built, and the main part was completed by 1230, however the building was not consecrated until 1324, as construction continued until the late 1400s.
  • Bourges Cathedral has been largely preserved throughout conflicts such as the World Wars and the French Revolution, although nearby related buildings were destroyed.
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A View of Bourges Cathedral
Image courtesy of James Mitchell/Flickr
  • The nave, the central meeting area, of Bourges Cathedral reaches a height of 37 metres, and the cathedral covers an area of 5,900 square metres (63,500 feet), while it sits on an area of 8,500 square metres (91,500 square feet).
  • Bourges Cathedral has numerous features such as stained-glass windows, carvings, and a crypt, and is a great example of Gothic architecture, and as such was declared a Historical Monument in 1837, and a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1992.
  • Bourges Cathedral is the base for the Archbishop of Bourges, who, from 2007, was Armand Maillard, while Henri de Sully, who died in 1200, was the archbishop who ordered the original construction of the cathedral.
  • Tourists may visit Bourges Cathedral on most days, except for Sunday morning when the cathedral holds services.
  • In 1506, soon after its completion, the northern tower of the Bourges Cathedral collapsed and had to be rebuilt, which was funded by donations and other means.
Bibliography:
Bourges Cathedral, 2012, French Monuments, http://www.frenchmoments.eu/bourges-cathedral/
Bourges Cathedral, 2014, Wikipedia, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bourges_Cathedral
Bourges Cathedral, 2014, UNESCO World Heritage Convention, http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/635

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Cuicul

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Cuicul

Learn about some very well preserved Roman architecture with these Cuicul facts.

  • Cuicul is an ancient city and ruins built by Romans in a mountainous area, located in north Africa’s Algeria.
  • ‘Cuicul’ is the Latin name for the city, which is also known as ‘Djémila’, that can literally be translated to ‘beautiful’ in Arabic.
  • Cuicul was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1982 due to the site’s historically significant Roman architecture.
  • The Cuicul group of ruins consists of temples, houses, arches, streets, and also a theatre, that were originally built and designed by Romans.
  • Cuicul was built around 96 to 98 AD, and further developments and building occurred in the 3rd century, although, by the end of the 6th century it lay abandoned.

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Part of Cuicul
Image courtesy of Dan Sloan/Flickr
  • Cuicul was built on a mountain in the northern part of the country, in the Sétif Province, 900 metres (2953 feet) above sea level.
  • Until the 500s, marking the Roman Empire’s fall, Cuicul was used both as a Roman soldier base and a trade centre for the area.
  • The Christian religion was introduced to Cuicul during the 300s, so a chapel, baptistry and houses from the time are able to be seen today.
  • Cuicul is susceptible to damage by natural disasters including earthquakes; raids by humans; and nearby land illegally being used for agricultural purposes.
  • Cuicul is visited annually by approximately 45,000 tourists and students, that seem to have little or no detrimental effect on the area.
Bibliography:
Cuicul (Djémila), 2014, Wikipedia, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cuicul_(Dj%C3%A9mila)
Djémila, 2014, UNESCO World Heritage Convention, http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/191

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London

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London

Don’t get lost in the vast metropolitan of London!

  • London is one of the greatest cities worldwide, and it is located in Europe’s England, in the United Kingdom, and it is the capital of both England and the UK.
  • London is the home to four World Heritage Sites: the Westminster Abbey and Palace that includes the Big Ben; Tower of London; Kew Gardens; and a section of the area of Greenwich; and it is also home to many other notable sites including Buckingham Palace, Tower Bridge and Trafalgar Square.
  • The first main colonisation of London, originally known as Londinium, was by the Roman Empire from 43 AD, and while it housed up to 60,000 people in the second century, it eventually declined until it was mostly deserted for up to 200 years, however, once it was re-established by King Alfred from 886 AD, it grew to become a central power in the 11th century.
  • London has been struck by numerous devastating disasters throughout history, including the Black Plague of 1665 to 1666, the Great Fire of 1666, and the Blitz bombing during World War II.
  • London was the first city to have held the Olympic Games on three occasions, in 1908, 1948 and 2012.

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Part of London
Image courtesy of fkwiatkowski/Flickr
  • As of 2013, London was the largest city in the United Kingdom, with a metropolitan population of more than 13.5 million people, and it covered an area of 1,583 square kilometres (611 square miles) with the main city in the centre, and this ‘Greater’ region contained approximately 8.5 million people, of which approximately 36% were born in other countries.
  • Temperatures in London range on average from 2.1°C to 23.6°C (35.8°F to 74.5°F); and the lowest and highest recorded temperatures were -13.6°C and 38.1°C (7.5°F and 100.6°F respectively).
  • It has been claimed that London is one of the ‘greenest’ cities in the world, and it is the home to many parks, such as Hyde Park, and as such, it contains over 2,000 vegetation species, 60 bird and 120 fish species, as well as many other animal species.
  • London had a Gross Domestic Product (GDP) of around $669 billion in 2005, with primary income based in the finance sector, with tourism being another prominent area, with more than 14 million individuals visiting the city annually.
  • London is home to much history and culture, particularly in the arts, such as seen by the multiple museums and galleries, and it is often depicted in literature.
Bibliography:
London, 2014, Wikipedia, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/London
London at a Glance, n.d, Visitlondon.com, http://www.visitlondon.com/discover-london/london-highlights/london-at-a-glance?ref=nav

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