Category Archives: Historical Sites

Old Stanley Police Station (Hong Kong)

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The two-storey, Colonial-style Old Stanley Police Station, built in 1859, is one of the earliest police stations in Hong Kong. Since all the other five have been demolished, it is now the oldest police station in Hong Kong.

Old Stanley Police Station

During the 1941-1945 Japanese Occupation, the building was used as the local headquarters of the Japanese gendarmerie. After the war, it was restored as a police station until 1974 when a new one was built.  It was then occupied by several government departments as their sub-offices until 1991. Thus commanding great heritage significance, it was gazette as a Declared Monument on June 15, 1984. In 2003, this building was converted into a supermarket.

Historical plaque

This building’s façade, with its Chinese tiled pitched roof, is dominated by a colonnaded open veranda. It was constructed, with load-bearing brick wall and timber joists, on a sloping site with random rubble retaining walls at the rear. Inside are wooden floors, dome-shaped ceiling (at the original gun room), windows with louvered shutters and several large, vintage,  cast-iron fireplaces.

Old Stanley Police Station: 88 Stanley Village Road, Hong Kong. Open daily, 8 AM – 10 PM.

How to Get There: From Central’s Exchange Square, take buses No.6, 6A, 6X, 260 or 262. From Causeway Bay’s Tang Lung Street (Corner of Percival Street and Hennessy Road), take green minibus No.40

Seegrotte (Hinterbrühl, Austria)

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Seegrotte

Seegrotte

We were now on our final day of our Europe Tour and, prior to our evening departure from Vienna for Manila, Grace’s cousins Popong and Freddie organized one final morning tour, this time to Seegrotte, one of the most spectacular natural monuments in the world today.  After breakfast at the hotel, we again met up with Popong and Freddie at the hotel lobby and again boarded the same hired van we used for touring yesterday.

DSC07100

Seegrotte, in southern Lower Austria, near Hinterbrühl, is a 26 km. (40-min.) drive, via the A23, from Vienna.  It is an underground cave system with a large grotto located under a former gypsum mine. From 1848 to 1912, red and grey gypsum, used by farmers as fertilizer, was mined in the mountain inside the Wagner Kogels by G. Plankenbichler. However, in 1912, an underground blasting operation in the mine went awry, opening a water pocket and causing 20 million liters of water to gush forth from behind the rock and flood the lower level galleries and adits of the mine, creating the largest subterranean (60 m. below ground) lake in Europe but causing the mine’s closure.

Listening to our guide

Listening to our guide

As a consequence, the mine remained closed for years until the 1930s when an international team of cave explorers rediscovered the unique natural spectacle and, with great enthusiasm, they opened this curiosity to the general public as a show mine in 1932.

Miners represented at work at the pause chamber of miners

Miners represented at work at the pause chamber of miners

However, during World War II, Seegrotte was requisitioned by the German military due to the fact that the subterranean site offered the best protection against bombing raids in Nazi Germany‘s “second Ruhr.” It was permanently pumped dry and inside the far flung tunnels, Heinkel Werke built an underground aircraft factory and employed over 2,000 World War II prisoners-of-war and concentration camp prisoners (1,800 forced laborers and 300 skilled workers) to produce the air frames (a total of 198 were produced) of the Heinkel He 162 Salamander, one of the first jet fighters of the world and a secret weapon of the German Luftwaffe. At the end of the war, the German armed forces destroyed the pumps that prevented the mine from filling with water.

The Three Musketeers

The Three Musketeers

After the war, a major clean-up was undertaken and Seegrotte was reopened, in the spring of 1949, as a tourist attraction of the first order. Since its reopening more than 10 million visitors from around the world have visited this former mine, 250 000 of them just last year alone. The complex also served as a location for some of the scenes from the 1993 Disney movie “The Three Musketeers,” and some of the set dressing is still in place (prison walls, and a boat in the underground lake).

The author beside the spooky gilded boat of the Three Musketeers

The author beside the spooky gilded boat of the Three Musketeers

Prison set for The Three Musketeers

Prison set for The Three Musketeers

Upon arrival and payment of admission at Seegrotte, we waited outside the entrance for the previous tour group to finish and return before entering. Above the gateway is a sign with the words “Gluck auf,” the old German miner’s greeting literally translated as “Luck up” or “Luck open.” We were forewarned that it is very cold inside (a constant 9° C, the temperature in summer and winter alike) and, as we didn’t bring a shawl, stole or jacket, we rented a blanket for €0.50. The 35-min. tour took us to 5 lighted caves depicting various activities within the mine as well as the underground lake.

The narrow tunneling adit

Popong making his way through the narrow tunneling adit

The narrow tunneling adit we passed through (anyone over 6′ would have to stoop), single file, was about 400 to 450 m. long and took us 15 mins. to traverse, a compelling recognition of the dismal workday environment of the miners as, in the past, 80 miners brought 2-3 wagons of gypsum daily to the surface through this adit.

Horse stable

Horse stable

Down the hole, we first stopped at a pause chamber, with miners represented at work, and then the former gypsum mine’s own horse stable. The horses, which pulled the heavy wagons loaded with gypsum to the surface as well as turned the horse mill, stayed up to 20 years inside the mine without going up, going blind in the process.

The 85-step stairway leading to the Blue Lake

The 85-step stairway leading to the Blue Lake

Next stop, down an easily negotiated (there’s no wheelchair access though) 85-step stairway, is the very picturesque Blue Lake whose water surface area is about 300 sq. m.  A part of the bigger lake is located 14 m. below this small lake. It is about 1.2-3 m. deep and its water temperature is about 8° C.  The eerily lovely lake’s still, lifeless (without oxygen, there is no aquatic life at all) but very clear waters glow deep blue under artificial lights.  Nearby is the spooky gilded boat and the set for D’Artagnan‘s prison.

The Blue Lake

The Blue Lake

The lake is fed by 7 underground springs but has no natural drainage. The water depth is maintained constant at around 1.2 m. by pumping out 50-60 thousand liters of water daily every night.

Boat ride along the Blue Lake

Boat ride along the Blue Lake

Here, we were to make a short (10-min.) and nondescript, electric motor-powered boat ride. Manny, Popong, Grace, Cheska and Kyle boarded ahead of me and Freddie and we had to wait for their return before boarding. The boat ride  took us through cave openings that look so beautiful, especially when reflected on the crystal clear water.

Shrine to St. Barbara

Shrine to St. Barbara

After our boat ride, we again went up the stairs and proceeded to the Chapel of St. Barbara, built 25 m, below the surface by the miners in 1864 for their dead and injured comrades and consecrated to their patron, St. Barbara. Again, the two letters G + A stand for the miner greeting “Gluck auf” (“Good luck”). Every four years, the St. Barbara Celebration takes place at the Chapel of St. Barbara on the first Sunday in December.  On that day, a senior chaplain celebrates Mass in honor of the miners. At one time, the Cardinal of Vienna attended, accompanied by the Vienna Boys Choir.

A display of a scaled model and few original airplane parts of the Heinkel He 162

A display of a scaled model and few original airplane parts of the Heinkel He 162 Salamander

Mining equipment exhibit

Mining equipment exhibit

Final stops are a display of a scaled model and few original airplane parts of the Heinkel He 162 and a museum exhibiting mine lamps and former mining tools (miner’s lamps, etc.) which were used in the past gypsum mine. This was supposed to be the end of the tour, but we still had time to explore, on our own and up a flight of stairs, to the Festsaal, the ballroom of the Berwerkes where feasts were celebrated.

Door leading to the Festsaal

Door leading to the Festsaal

The Festsaal

The Festsaal

If you have half a day to spare, Seegrotte is an interesting place to visit if you are around Vienna. It is not typical cave, so if you are looking for rock formation or typical dripstones such as stalactites and stalagmites, you will be disappointed. It is simply a huge underground space with an interesting history and an underground lake as its main attraction.

L-R- Freddie, Manny, Jandy, Kyle, Cheska, Grace and the author at the Festsaal

L-R: Freddie, Manny, Jandy, Kyle, Cheska, Grace and the author.  In the background is the fireplace of the Festsaal

During our visit, it was the perfect getaway from the heat of the Viennese summer. The tour is not recommended for people who have difficulty walking or are claustrophobic. Wear sensible footwear as the mine floor can be slippery. Beside the entrance is the nice Romerquelle cafe offering cakes, doughnuts and apple strudel. The toilets/WC are PAY only and situated about 50 m. from the attraction.

Romerquelle Cafe

Romerquelle Cafe

Seegrotte: Grutschgasse 2a, 2371 Hinterbrühl, Austria.  Tel: +43 2236 26364. Website: www.seegrotte.at.  E-mail: office@seegrotte.at. Admission: adults (€10), children (from 4 to 14 years, €7), Family Card (2 adults + 2 children, €27).

How to Get There: Seegrotte is a train and a bus journey away from Vienna. Take the S-Bahn S2 train (running every 15-20 mins.) from Meilding to Modling then, from outside the station, take Bus no. 364 or 365 (25-min. drive) and get down at Seegrotte stop. From there, it is 2-3 walk. The return bus stop is 200 m. towards Modling station.

Mauthausen Memorial (Mauthausen, Austria)

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Mauthausen Memorial

Mauthausen Memorial

Come morning, after breakfast at our hotel, Grace, Manny, Jandy, Cheska, Kyle and I were met by my wife’s cousins Popong and Freddie at the hotel lobby.  Once assembled, we boarded the rented van driven by Freddie that would take us on our 88.7-km.  journey to Mauthausen Memorial, site of the first concentration camp established by the Nazis in in Upper Austria after their annexation of country in March 1938 and one of the last remaining concentration camps from World War II in Europe.

Mauthausen

The idyllic Mauthausen countryside today

On our way out, we also picked up Vicky, another of Grace’s cousins, and her husband Isko who were to join us on our trip. Our journey took us a little over an hour, with a short stopover for snacks and a toilet break.  Upon arrival, Freddie parked the van at a big parking area just outside the complex. Upon alighting, we first walked to the new, raw gray concrete visitor’s center, just outside the site’s walls.

The modern Visitors Center

The modern Visitors Center

Designed by architects Herwig Mayer, Christoph Schwarz, and Karl Peyrer-Heimstätt, the center was inaugurated in 2003.  It  covers an area of 2,845 sq. m. (30,620 sq. ft.). and has a book shop, information desk, workshop, toilets and a cinema. There is also a cafe but it has different opening hours depending on the time of year.

Inside the Visitors Center

Vicky, Freddie, Grace, Manny and Popong inside the Visitors Center

The camp, situated on a 265 m. (869 ft.) rise of above Mauthausen town (2014 population: 4,913),  on the Gusen River that flows into the Danube River, presently has a serene setting that belies its sordid past as, during World War II, Mauthausen was a labor camp designed to kill its inmates. The main camp of Mauthausen consisted of 32 barracks surrounded by an electrified barbed wire, high stone walls and watch towers.

Barracks and guard watchtower

Barracks and guard watchtower

From its beginnings, in August 8, 1938 (when prisoners from the Dachau concentration camp were sent to Mauthausen to begin the camp construction), to its liberation by the US 11th Armored Division, 3rd US Army on May 3, 1945, the concentration camp, one of the largest labor camp complexes in the Third Reich, worked people to death mining granite to build the granite fortress-prison of the main camp, pave the streets of Vienna and build Adolf Hitler‘s grandiose architectural projects. About 190,000 people from all over Europe were imprisoned in Mauthausen.

Czechoslovakia Monument

Czechoslovakia Monument

They included non-Germanic people groups (Jews, Slavs, Soviet prisoners, Czech and Polish intelligentsia, Roma, gypsies, etc.) who didn’t fit the Nazi ideal of racial superiority, perceived social threats (homosexuals, Jehovah’s Witnesses, etc.), and political dissenters (Social Democrats, Communists, anarchists, etc.). Mauthausen’s most famous inmate was Simon Wiesenthal who created the Simon Wiesenthal Center after the war to locate fugitive Nazi war criminals.

Poland Monument

Poland Monument

Inmates here were literally worked to death at the rock quarry (known as the “Wiener Graben”) and their daily diet was only half the calories necessary for subsistence.  Certain groups were simply summarily executed (including via a gas chamber) by the Nazi regime.

Soviet Union Monument

Soviet Union Monument

Over 100,000 people died. In 1949, it was declared a national memorial site and, on May 3, 1975, 30 years after the camp’s liberation, Bruno Kreisky, the Chancellor of Austria officially opened the Mauthausen Museum . The Mauthausen site remains largely intact, but much of what constituted the sub-camps of Gusen I, II and III is now covered by residential areas built after the war. Today, Mauthausen Memorial stands as a reminder of the darkest days of Austria’s history.

Mongol Gate

Mongol Gate

We entered the camp via the main entrance that former prisoners referred to as the Mongol (or Mongolian) Gate. The two identical guard watchtowers towers above the gate give the appearance of Chinese architecture. As there was a ready supply of granite, there was extensive use of this stone, making Mauthausen as the most ornate concentration camp during the war. The camp’s stone construction also made the camp look the same as when it was built in 1938.

Courtyard of SS Garage

Courtyard of SS Garage

There was once a metal eagle and swastika above the gate but it was removed when the camp was liberated in 1945. The stairs on the right lead down to the S.S. Garagenhof (garage yard) which was used  for S.S. celebrations and as an assembly area for inmates during delousing actions. Overlooking the garage is the balcony where camp commandant S.S. Col. Franz Ziereis would give speeches to his S.S. guards and inmates.

Roll Call Square

Roll Call Square

Once inside the camp, we stood on a wide open courtyard called “Roll Call Square” located in front of the hospital and gas chamber. Each day, there were 3 roll calls held in this courtyard (reduced to 2 after 1943) and inmates were assembled to hear speeches and instructions from Ziereis. The prisoner’s working day started at 4.45 AM in the summer and 5.15 AM in the winter. The day ended at 7 PM.  A number of memorials to the victims of Mauthausen are located in the roll call area.

Sarkophag Memorial

Sarkophag Memorial

Straight ahead is the “Klagemauer” (“Wailing Wall”). When prisoners first arrived here, they had to pass an initiation ritual which included passing hours and, sometimes days, standing facing “The Wailing Wall” while chained to iron rings set in the wall.

Memorial plaques at Wailing Wall

Memorial plaques at Wailing Wall

They were also interrogated and brutally beaten.  Today, the “Wailing Wall” and the wall on the left now have numerous personal memorial tablets placed there by families of the victims and a wide range of countries. There’s also a memorial to Pope John Paul II‘s visit to Mauthausen Memorial on June 24, 1988.

John Paul II Visit Memorial

John Paul II Visit Memorial

Behind the granite wall, on the right, is the quarantine camp while the building on the left, with 2 chimneys, is the hospital which contained a gas chamber in the basement. In the former kitchen is a Catholic church. The majority of the prisoners sent to Mauthausen were Catholics.

Catholic chapel

Catholic chapel

To the left of the Mongol Gate are some of the remaining wooden prisoner barracks that have been restored using the same materials used during the camp construction. These barracks were overcrowded and the sanitary conditions deplorable.

Barrack interior

Barrack interior

Each barrack had two bedrooms and two living rooms located on the left and right sides of the entrance. The prisoners were not allowed to spend much time in the living room, being forced to stay in the bedrooms, with two or three in the same bed. In front of the entrance, in the middle of the barrack, was the bathroom.

Barracks bathroom

Barracks bathroom

At the ground floor of the old infirmary is a very well explained (they also have an English translation) museum, opened in May 2013, covering the history of Mauthausen, from its inception in 1938 to the liberation of the camp on May 3, 1945.

Exhibits (8)

Museum exhibits

Museum exhibits

On display are samples of letters, clothes (the prisoners were forced to wear colored triangles in order to identify the category to which they belong – Gypsy, gay, Jewish, political prisoners, etc.) and other artifacts seen inside the camp.  This kept us occupied for quite a long time.

Typical striped concentration camp inmate clothes

Typical striped concentration camp inmate clothes

Next, we went down the basement where we followed the scene of the crime and the murder of prisoners. The gas chamber, refrigeration room, dissection room and crematorium complex, the very disturbing sections of the camp, are definitely not for the squeamish or for children.

Disinfection Room

Disinfection Room

The gas chamber, completed and used by the spring of 1942, could murder 120 people at one time and it is estimated that around 10,200 prisoners were gassed in this room. However, its construction was inefficient and the prisoners often died of suffocation rather than the gas. The Judas Opening, a hole in the door of the gas chamber, allowed the curious or, better said, the sadists, to see what is happening inside the chamber.

Crematorium

Crematorium

The dissection room was were, after a person was gassed, they were taken to have their gold fillings removed. The box on the right was for the collection of the fillings.  After their fillings were removed, their bodies were stored in the refrigeration room before being taken to the crematorium.

Portion of the high-voltage electric fence

Portion of the high-voltage electric fence

The dissection room was also used for cruel medical experiments and for taking organs from living people. The organs were bottled and stored on shelves.  The crematorium ovens was the final procedure in the murder process of tens of thousands of inmates of Mauthausen.

Crematorium Memorial Room

Crematorium Memorial Room

Then there is the Room of Names which displays and lists the etched names of 81,000 known victims (the names are also available to view via the internet) onto various horizontally placed black glass plates.  We then left the building and walk a short distance before returning to an older part of the museum.

Room of Names

Room of Names

On a green field at the entrance in the concentration camp, between the main camp and the quarry steps, is the Memorial Garden, originally the site of the S.S. administrative barracks.

Hungary Monument

Hungary Monument

Jewish Memorial

Jewish Memorial

In 1949, the site was turned into a memorial garden with the first memorial being donated by France. Today, there are now 22 monuments and more than 30 inscribed plaques, donated by numerous nations subjugated by Germany during the World War II, to remember their prisoners from Mauthausen.

Bulgaria Monument

Bulgaria Monument

Monument to Women

Monument to Women

Also inside the camp are many graves of different nationalities. Barracks 21–24 and Camp II, formerly used as quarantine camps after 1944, now house remains of the inmates from the “American cemeteries” which were transferred here in 1961.

Camp II (Quarantine Camp)

Camp II (Quarantine Camp)

Just past the Memorial Garden Prisoners is the “Todesstiege” (“Stairs of Death”), were Jewish inmates were forced to run up the 186 steps carrying huge packs with 25 kgs. of blocks of granite on their backs from  the Wiener Graben. The weight was gradually increased and, as the prisoners tired, they would fall backwards striking other prisoners, some of them being killed by the blocks that fell, and causing a domino effect, with the S.S. guards placing bets on who would fall.

Remembering the dead at Barracks 21-24

Remembering the dead at Barracks 21-24

For their sick entertainment, the sadistic S.S. guards would frequently take those that survived that fate to the top of the quarry and often forced them to jump or push them, over the narrow ledge of the quarry, to their deaths in a procedure called the “parachute jump,” cynically referring to them as “Fallschirmspringer” (“parachutists”). Today, the ledge is now overgrown with trees and bushes but, from an observation point, we can see the valley below.

Stairs of Death

Stairs of Death

Our visit to this concentration camp was educational, making us see the awful conditions the inmates were forced to live when the world was at war, and also left us speechless as we understood the pain people here experienced at this place.  It was like taking a trip back into time that, even though it is horrific, it is still part of history, a history that, for the sake of the world’s future, none should ever forget or pretend that it doesn’t exist. The Mauthausen Memorial truly deserves a visit, not just for the camp itself, but for the memory of all the people who lost their lives here.

L-R - Isko, Manny, PPopong, the author, Grace, Kyle, Jandy, Vicky and Cheska

L-R:- Isko, Manny, Popong, the author, Grace, Kyle, Jandy, Vicky and Cheska

Mauthausen Memorial: Erinnerungsstraße 1, 4310 Mauthausen, Austria. Tel: +43 7238 22690. Fax: +43 7238 2269 40. Admission: 2 EUR. Open daily, 9 AM – 5:30 PM (March 1 – July 10); Tuesdays – Sundays, 9 AM – 5:30 PM (July 11 – October 31) and Tuesdays – Sundays, 9 AM – 3:45 PM (November 1 – February 28).  Audio guides, in a variety of languages, are available for 3€. There are a number of guided tours available but it is a case of checking the website or phoning the visitor’s centre. During winter, some parts of the camp aren’t accessible for safety reasons (ice). Website: www.mauthausen-memorial.at.

Roman Ruins (Vienna, Austria)

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Directly at the entryway to the palace complex of the Hofburg, in the middle of Vienna, on the Michaelerplatz,  is a small excavation site ringed by gorgeous architecture. The cobblestoned Michaelerplatz  “square” (it’s actually circular), bounded by the Spanish Riding School and St. Michael’s Church, is a major pick-up point for tours by fiaker  (horse-drawn carriages).

Check out “Michaelerplatz“

The Roman Ruins

Uncovered by archaeologists between 1989 and 1991, here, traces of the structural remains, from different epochs, of a Roman legionary outpost (canabae legionis), the settlement outside the Roman legionary fortress Vindobona, have been found. In this settlement lived the families (i.e. concubines and children) of the legionaries. There were also some inns, shops and brothels. The settlement was probably destroyed between 168 and 180 by Marcomanni.

The 1st century crossroads of two main streets, the “Amber street” from the Aquae region (today Baden south from Vienna) and the street along the limes, have also been found. The final form for public presentation was done by the Austrian architect Hans Hollein.

Roman Ruins: Michaelerplatz, Vienna, Austria. Admission: free.

Mozart’s “Geburtshaus” (Salzburg, Austria)

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Mozarts Geburtshaus

The bright-yellow Mozart’s “Geburtshaus,” one of the most frequently visited sights and places of interest in Austria, was the birthplace (January 27, 1756) of the world famous Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Salzburg’s ‘Wunderkind.’  Leopold Mozart (a musician of the Salzburg Royal Chamber) and his wife Anna Maria Pertl (whom he married on November 21, 1747), lived on the house’s third floor for a total of 26 years, from 1747 until 1773 when the family moved to the house we know today as the “Mozart Residence,”standing on Makartplatz Square. Seven children were born here but only two, Wolfgang Amadeus (the seventh) and his sister Maria Anna (‘Nannerl’), survived.

The house, built in the 12th century, sits on ground which had been part of the garden belonging to the Benedictine monks of St Peter’s, Salzburg. Otto Keutzel, a merchant, is mentioned as the owner in 1408.   In 1585, Chunrad Fröschmoser, the court apothecary (the coiled serpent in the lion’s mouth, the symbol of Asclepius on the doorway, testifies to his ownership), purchased the property.

The author

In 1703, the house came into the ownership of the Hagenauer family (the house is also called the Hagenauer Haus or “Hagenauer House”) who had arrived in Salzburg around 1670. Specifically, they included Joseph Matin Hagenauer and Johann Laurenz Hagenauer (merchant, purveyor of spices and friend and landlord of the Mozart family).

The third floor then consisted of a kitchen, a small cabinet, a living-room, a bedroom and an office.  In 1880, the International Mozarteum Foundation set up the first museum in Mozart’s ‘Geburtshaus.’ Over the decades, the house has undergone a systematic process of remodeling and expansion.

The three current exhibitions, set up by Thomas Wizany (architect and caricaturist for the Salzburger Nachrichten newspaper),  highlighted three themes: “Mozart and Salzburg University,” “Mozart’s Friendships with Salzburg Families” and “Church Music and Saintly Veneration,” are centered on Mozart’s original instruments (passed on from Mozart’s widow, Constanze Nissen, through her sons Carl Thomas and Franz Xaver Wolfgang, and now owned by the International Mozarteum Foundation) and authentic portraits. The displays also feature typical everyday furniture and objects used by Mozart’s contemporaries.

Here, at this typical family home during the Mozart, we went through the original rooms in which the Mozart family lived and learned details of the early life of the composer – the domestic circumstances in which he grew up, when he began to play music, who were his friends and patrons, his relationship with his family, his passionate interest in opera, and much more.

The displays presented a range of artifacts.  Period furniture at the first floor replicates living conditions in Mozart’s day while original documents and paintings illustrate his life in Salzburg.  The second floor is devoted to Mozart’s interest in opera and includes the clavichord on which he composed The Magic Flute.

The third floor exhibits Mozart’s childhood violin, harpsichord, as well as the majority of the portraits painted during his lifetime (including “Wolfgang Amade Mozart at the Piano,” the unfinished oil portrait, one of Mozart’s striking portraits, painted by Mozart’s brother-in-law Joseph Lange in 1789), keepsakes (a lock of his hair, buttons from his jacket,  etc.) mementos, documents, letters belonging to the Mozart family, and early editions of his music. There are also records of his life in Vienna and of his wife and family.

Mozarts Geburtshaus: Getreidegasse  9, 5020 Salzburg, Austria.  Tel:+43 (0) 662 844313. Fax:+43 (0) 662 84 06 93.  E-mail: museum.service@mozarteum.at. Open daily 9 AM- 5:30 PM; daily, 8:30 AM -7 PM (July, August) and 9 AM -3 PM (December 24).  Last admission is 30 mins. before closing.  It is closed periodically, during Mozart Week, when concerts take place. Guided tours are by prior arrangement.  The museum is not wheelchair-accessible and dogs are not allowed (except assistance dogs).

Admission: €11.00 (adults), €3.50 (children, 6-14 years),  €4.00 (youth, 15-18 years), €9.00 (handicapped persons with ID, accompanying person free, if indicated on the ID), €23.00 (families, 2 adults and children under 18).  €9.00 for groups of 10 adults or more (per person), students (up to 27 years) and senior citizens and €3.00 for school groups (6-18 years) per person.  SalzburgCard: one time free admission

Mozartplatz (Salzburg, Austria)

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Mozartplatz (Mozart Square)

The Mozartplatz (Mozart Square), a rectangular square located in the center of the old Salzburg  historical district, is flanked by Residenz- and Waagplatz squares. This popular tourist attraction in the heart of Salzburg’s Old City is an ideal starting point for city tours.

The main traffic axis, from west to east, ran across the square from Universitätsplatz via Alten Markt and Residenzplatz, which gained additional importance with the construction of the Sigmundstore . From the square, you have direct access to Neue Residenz, Salzburg Cathedral and Traklhaus on Waagplatz.

Check out “Salzburg Cathedral“

The square was planned by Wolf Dietrich von Raitenau  in 1588. In 1620, Paris Lodron left the building plots, in the east of the square, to the cathedral architect Santino Solari while on the north, he left the plots to the High Prince Council of Friedrich von Rehlingen. House Mozartplatz 1, the New Residence, now houses the Salzburg Museum .

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart

Mozart Square and its buildings have close ties to the story of the famous boy genius Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. Constanze Mozart-Nissen, Mozart’s wife, once lived at the house at No. 8 Mozart Square. A plaque, installed on the wall of the house, reminds us of that time.

Mozart Memorial

The focal point and standing in the middle of Mozart Square is the Mozart Monument, designed by Ludwig Schwanthaler and cast in bronze by Johann Baptist Stiglmaier, the memorial was solemnly unveiled on September 5, 1842 in the presence of Franz Xaver and Carl Thomas, both Mozart’s surviving sons. However, Mozart’s widow could no longer experience the inauguration (She died on May 1842). King Ludwig I of Bavaria donated  the marble plinth of the bronze statue.

Antretterhaus

The well-structured Rehlingen (Antretterhaus), a splendid and lively Rococo building at Mozartplatz 4, is the former city palace (Stadpalis Rehlingen) of the noble family of the Lords of Rehlingen  who lived here around 1592 until September 25, 1765 when Johann Ernst von Antretter, the chancellor of the Salzburg countryside and court war councilor, and his wife Maria Anna bought this house.

Subsequently, the Antretter family closely involved Leopold Mozart and his family. Together with Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Johann’s son Cajetan Antretter was a member of the Bölzlschützenkompanie, while Johann’s daughter was a student of Maria Anna (“Nannerl”) Mozart.

The Antretter family also commissioned the Antretter Serenade, KV 185, a well-known serenade for orchestras in D major by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. On January 28, 1793, the property was auctioned off to the court book printer Franz Xaver Duyle (ca.1743 – 1804 ) and his wife Theresia Weibhauser.  Others who lived in the house were, among others, Johann Alois Duregger (died 1876) and Otto Spängler (1841 – 1919).

It has two courtyards, a richly structured wicker arch portal built between the 16th and 18th centuries and elegant, artfully shaped facade with curved window frames that date from around 1760.  The portals, on the first floor of the house, are made of red marble with relief medallions (lion heads, portraits, Caesar head, pictures of stork, pelican and phoenix) made around 1550 (the coat of arms of the Eberl von Strasenegg bears the year 1656). In addition to the law firms of various lawyers, the Antretterhaus also houses the Institute for Musicology at the University of Salzburg.

Bell tower of Hauskapelle Mariae Himmelfahrt

The noteworthy, private house chapel (Hauskapelle Mariae Himmelfahrt) attached to the main house, built in 1592 by Friedrich von Rehlingen  on the old city ​​wall and clearly visible from Rudolfskai, is adorned with delicate framed Rococo windows and a bell tower with an onion helmet.

Imhofstöckl

The Antretterhaus is adjoined by the low, two-storey  Imhofstöckl (Mozartplatz 5–7).  Built shortly before 1620,  it is a simple, elongated house covered with wooden shingles and divided by arched, basket-handle portals.  It is only separated from the old Paris Lodron wall by a narrow courtyard. Today, among other things, an official building of the magistrate (cultural department) is housed here.

Kanonikalhöfe

The three Kanonikalhöfe  (Mozartplatz 8, 9 and 10), courts that date from the 17th century, have a uniform facade and. House No. 9 bears the coat of arms of Prince Archbishop Sigismund von Schrattenbach and a coat of arms of Max Gandolf von Kuenburg, including the inscription (1670), can be found above the northern side portal.

After the first owner Santino Solari sold the buildings to the cathedral chapter, the cathedral canons lived here for a long time. Today, apart from apartments, the main offices of the Salzburg State Government and the State School Council are housed there.

Hohensalzburg Fortress (Salzburg, Austria)

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Fortress Hohensalzburg

From Krapitelplatz (Chapter Square), we made our way towards Hohensalzburg Fortress.  The whitewashed and solidly built Hohensalzburg Fortress sits atop a rock spur on the  Festungsberg, a small hill at an altitude of 506 m. high above the rooftops of the Baroque historical district.  It can be seen from almost anywhere in the city.

Check out “Kapitelplatz”

At the “Sperrbogen” (entrance gate to the fortress grounds), we used our Salzburg Cards for free entry to the fortress and went up there via elevator.  Our card allowed us to tour the fortress’ entrance courtyards and observation tower (Footpath Ticket).

The fortress consists of various wings and a courtyard with a few shops for souvenirs and a place to get a bite to eat at the Panorama Terrace.  Cannons were placed in strategic locations on the battlements.

View of Salzburg from atop the fortress

From the fortress, we had a magnificent, 360 degree views of the Old Town of Salzburg, the Salzach River and the surrounding panorama of the Alps.

Here are some interesting trivia regarding the fortress:

  • The fortress was erected at the behest of the Prince-Archbishops of Salzburg who, in the Holy Roman Empire, were already powerful political figures. They expanded the castle to protect their interests.
  • With a length of 250 m. (820 ft.) and a width of 150 m. (490 ft.), it is one of the largest and best preserved medieval castles in Europe and the largest preserved fortress in Central Europe. It has 50 buildings and covers an  area of 33,000 sq. m.
  • The Austrian Nonnberg Abbey commemorative coin (the first coin of the series “Great Abbeys of Austria”), minted on April 5, 2006, shows the Benedictine convent of Nonnberg Abbey while, on the hilltop on the background, the Hohensalzburg castle and the Kajetaner church castle
  • In 1977, the Austrian Mint issued a coin for the 900th anniversary of Hohensalzburg castle.
  • The Reisszug, a very early and primitive funicular railway built in 1892 that provided freight access to the upper courtyard of the castle, still exists (albeit in updated form) and is the oldest in Austria and probably the oldest operational railway in the world.

Kyle beside one of the fortress’ cannons

The fortress had a number of museums which were not included in the Footpath ticket. The Fortress Museum  has historical exhibits that focus on the lifestyle and courtly life led by the prince archbishops and documents the history behind the building of what remains the biggest fully preserved medieval fortress in Europe.

The Marionette Museum, housed in the vaulted former gun deck (“Feuergang”), is dedicated to the “World of Marionettes.” One focus of this exhibition is the history of Salzburg itself.

The Altes Zeughaus,  an interactive exhibition at the historical Zeughaus (arsenal), shows how the defensive fortifications of Hohensalzburg developed over time with the introduction of firearms.

It documents the development of cannons, armaments and firearms, and the effects of such developments on the design of fortifications. Visitors, with the help of interactive models, can actually experiment with the various attack and defense strategies affecting medieval fortresses.

Bas relief of the coat-of-arms of Salzburg

The Museum of the Rainer Regiment, commemorating the former Salzburg house regiment (formally known as “k. u. k. Infanterieregiment ‘Erzherzog Rainer’ No. 59”), exhibits weapons, uniforms and other memorabilia from times of war and peace.

Leon Einberger Atelier

Its state apartments were primarily used for representative purposes and for festivities.  The rooms in which the archbishops would normally have lived were one floor below. The bedchamber is the most intimate room of the princely chambers.

Marionette Museum entrance

The Prince-Bishop’s magnificent state apartments, installed on the third floor, in the so-called “Hoher Stock” (high floor), were started in 1498 by Archbishop Leonhard von Keutschach who, in order to gain more space, had four massive marble pillars constructed on the right-hand outer wall with a loggia added on.

St. George’s Chapel

As in the other rooms, its ceiling is coffered with each coffer being adorned with gold buttons symbolizing the stars in the sky. The 17 m. long beam, supporting the ceiling, is painted with the coat of arms of von Keutschach, together with those of the Holy Roman Empire, the most powerful German towns and the bishoprics that were connected to Salzburg. In many places in the fortress, the coat-of-arms can be found, an indication of prince-archbishop Von Keutschach’s building activity.

At a later time, Von Keutschach had one of the figure consoles in the beam ceiling removed to make room for a chapel to be built.  Its ceiling is decorated with a richly ornamented star vault while the inner part of the door at the entrance is covered with stucco. Red columns, on a high plinth with grey capitals, is shown at the painted frame.

At the tympanum, beneath the mitre, legate cross and sword, the coat of arms (a special feature is the turnip) of Salzburg and of Leonhard von Keutschach is reproduced. In the chapel’s north wall, there are two openings which made it possible to attend the church service from the side room.

The bedchamber’s original furniture and precious textiles, such as tapestry were, in the course of time, replaced by more “modern” ones. The upper part of the panels of the elaborate wainscoting (which keeps out the cold) is decorated with gilded buttons and rosettes.

Entrance to St. George’s Chapel

The now bare lower part was probably covered with leather or velvet tapestry. The toilet, a highly modern sanitary facility back in the past accessible from each floor, is basically a hole in the floor with a wooden frame and is concealed by a door.

Relief of Leonhard von Keutschach blessing the city of Salzburg

 Here is the historical timeline of the fortress:

  • In 1077, construction of the fortress began under Archbishop Gebhard von Helfenstein. This original design was just a basic bailey with a wooden wall.
  • In 1462, the ring walls and towers were built under Prince-Archbishop Burkhard II von Weißpriach.
  • In the 16th century, the current external bastions, added as a precaution because of fears of Turkish Invasion, were begun and completed in the 17th During his term from 1495 until 1519, Prince-ArchbishopLeonhard von Keutschach  further expanded the castle.
  • During the German Peasants’ War in 1525, the fortress came under siege (the only time in its history) when a group of miners, farmers and townspeople tried to oust Prince-Archbishop Matthäus Lang, but failed to take the castle.
  • In 1612, the deposed Archbishop Wolf Dietrich von Raitenau died here in prison.
  • During the Thirty Years’ War, Archbishop Count Paris of Lodron strengthened the town’s defenses, including Hohensalzburg. He added various parts to the fortress, such as the gunpowder stores and additional gatehouses.
  • During the Napoleonic War of the Second Coalition in 1800, the fort was surrendered, without a fight, to French troops under Gen. Jean Victor Marie Moreau.  Count Hieronymus von Colloredo, the last Prince-Archbishop, fled to Vienna.
  • In the 19th century, it was used as barracks, storage depot and dungeon
  • In 1861, the castle was abandoned as a military outpost.
  • From the late 19th century onwards, Hohensalzburg castle was refurbished and became a major tourist attraction.
  • In 1892, the railway to the Hasengraben Bastion was put into operation. The former house of Johann Michael Haydns was converted into the Valley Station.
  • During World War I, it was used as a prison, holding Italian prisoners of war
  • In the 1930s, before the Anschluss with Germany, it was used as a prison for Nazi activists.

The richly decorated Golden Hall, the most magnificently furnished room of the princely chambers, indicates that the fortress served the archbishops not only as a refuge in times of crisis, but frequently also as a residence up to the 16th century. Its two long walls are taken up by richly decorated (with vines, grapes, foliage and animals) benches that used to be covered with cloth or leather, but the upholstery has not survived into the modern age. The lower part of the walls also used to be adorned in gold-embossed leather tapestry.

 

The “Salzburg Bull” (Salzburger Stier), a large aerophon of more than 200 pipes, is housed in the Krautturm (powder tower). This huge mechanical organ, built in 1502 by Archbishop Leonhard von Keutschach, was renewed by Rochus Egedacher in 1735.

The “Salzburg Bull,”  played daily, from Palm Sunday to October 31, at 7 AM, 11 AM and 6 PM, thus initiates the playing of the carillon at the Residenzplatz and ends it again. One of Austria’s most famous cabaret groups is named after it.

The author (left) at Hohensalzburg Fortress. On the right is the 16th century cistern

Instead of the elevator, we exited the fortress via the Festungsbahn cable car.  Opened in 1892, the most recent renovation of the Festungsbahn took place in 2011 (two new carriages and technical upgrades to the electronic equipment).  It leads up from the town to the Hasengrabenbastei and runs every 10 minutes. The valley station is located in the heart of the historic district (No. 4 Festungsgasse).

Entrance to funicular railway

The funicular (better known as a tram or cliff lift) travels a total distance of 198.5 m.  (beginning at 437 m. and rising to 536 m.) and our ride lasted just under one minute and, from its big observation windows, we were treated to fabulous and sensational views extending across beautiful downtown Salzburg City to the surrounding mountains.

The funicular railway

After our funicular ride, we dropped by the Rdzeniewski, the biggest amber shop in Europe, opened in 2002 at the foot of the fortress, before proceeding to St. Peter’s Cemetery.

Check out “St. Peter’s Cemetery”

 

Rdzeniewski

Fortress Hohensalzburg: Mönchsberg 34, 5020 Salzburg, Austria.  Tel: +43 662 84243011. Open daily, 9:30 AM -5 PM (January-April and October-December), 9 AM – 7 PM (May to September). 

Admission:

  • Basic Rate (Including ascent and descent by fortress funicular,
    guided tour with audio guide, Fortress Museum, Rainer Regiment Museum, Marionette Museum, Alm passage exhibition, Arsenal exhibition): €12.90 (adults), €7.40 (children, 6-14 years), €28.60 (families), €11.90 (per person for groups of 10 adults or more) and €6.80 (per person for groups of 10 children/youths or more, 6-19 years) People with disabilities greater than 50% receive a reduction.
  • All Inclusive Ticket (Including ascent and descent by fortress funicular,
    Princes’ Apartments in the main castle and the Magic Theater, guided tour with audio guide, Fortress Museum, Rainer Regiment Museum, Marionette Museum, Alm passage exhibition, Arsenal exhibition): €16.30 (adults), €9.30 (children, 6-14 years), €36.20 (families), €15.00 (per person for groups of 10 adults or more) and €8.60 (per person for groups of 10 children/youths or more, 6-19 years)
  • Footpath (includes ride down on the funicular, entrance courtyards and observation tower, with audio guide): €10.00 (adults), €5.70 (children, 6-14 years), €22.20 (families), €9.20 (per person for groups of 10 adults or more) and €5.20 (per person for groups of 10 children/youths or more, 6-19 years)
  • Panorama Ticket (Including ascent and descent by fortress funicular, entrance courtyards and observation tower, with audio guide, available May–September: 8:30 A -10 AM and 6 – 8 PM; October–April: 4- 5 PM): €11.00 (adults), €6.30 (children, 6-14 years), €24.40 (families), €10.20 (per person for groups of 10 adults or more) and €5.80 (per person for groups of 10 children/youths or more, 6-19 years).

Rdzeniewski: Festungsgasse 4, 5020 Salzburg, Austria. Tel: +43 662 8410140.

Gare de Paris Est Train Station (Paris, France)

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Gare de l'Est Train Station

Gare de l’Est Train Station

It was our last day in Paris and, after breakfast at the hotel, we all  walked, with our luggage in tow, to the nearby Gare de Paris Est Train Station, one of six large SNCF (Société nationale des chemins de fer français or “National society of French railways” or “French National Railway Company”) termini in Paris. Here, we were to take  the train to Munich (Germany), the first leg of our trip to Salzburg (Austria).

Gare de l'Est Train Station (1)

One of the largest and the oldest railway stations in Paris, it is the western terminus of the Paris–Strasbourg railway and the Paris–Mulhouse railway. It provides train transportation to major cities in Central Europe such as Zurich, Switzerland; Munich, Germany and Vienna, Austria.

Hall Alsace which gives access to the yellow train platforms, lanes numbered 2 to 12

Hall Alsace which gives access to the yellow train platforms, lanes numbered 2 to 12

Opened in 1849 by the Compagnie du Chemin de Fer de Paris à Strasbourg (the Paris-Strasbourg Railway Company) under the name “Strasbourg platform” (corresponds today with the hall for main-line trains), it was designed by architect François Duquesnay and was renamed the “Gare de l’Est” in 1854, after the expansion of service to Mulhouse.

Gare de l'Est Train Station (7)

The Paris East Train Station (Gare de Paris-Est) represents the Belle Epoque generation of railway buildings. The west wing is the original building built in 1847 and, in 1854, due to increased rail traffic, the east wing was built.

Gare de l'Est Train Station (1)

Central train platform

In 1885 and 1900, the Gare de l’Est station was renovated and, in 1931 it was doubled in size, with the new part of the station built symmetrically with the old part, thus significantly changing the surrounding neighborhood.

Gare de l'Est Train Station (5)

At the top of the west façade is a statue by the sculptor Philippe Joseph Henri Lemaire, representing the city of Strasbourg, while the east end of the station is crowned by a statue personifying Verdun, by Varenne.  Strasbourg and Verdun are important destinations serviced by Gare de l’Est.

Gare de l'Est Train Station (6)

On October 4, 1883, the Gare de l’Est Station saw the first departure, for Istanbul, of the Orient Express . As a terminus of a strategic railway network extending towards the eastern part of France, the Gare de l’Est saw large mobilizations,  at the beginning of World War I, of French troops, most notably in 1914. In the main-line train hall, a monumental painting by Albert Herter, dating from 1926, illustrates the departure of these soldiers for the Western front.

Gare de l'Est Train Station (4)Paris Est Train Station: Place du 11 Novembre 1918, Rue du 8 Mai 1945, 75010 Paris, France. Open daily, 5:30 AM – 1 AM.

Versailles Palace – Grand Gallery (France)

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Visitor headed for the Hall of Mirrors from the Salon of War

The Grand Gallery (Grande Galerie) is a set of three highly decorated reception rooms, dedicated to the celebration of the political and military successes of Louis XIV, and used for important ceremonies, celebrations and receptions.The grandiose ensemble of the Hall of Mirrors, and the adjoining Salon of War and Salon of Peace, were intended to illustrate the power of the absolutist monarch Louis XIV.

Check out “Versailles Palace“

Both salons are accessible, via the Hall of Mirrors, through wide opening passageways. The Hall and the two Salons, identically furnished and decorated, form a stylistic and functional unit. The exterior walls of the Salons date from the time of Louis Le Vau‘s encasings of the old château. They were given their current appearance after the installation of the Hall of Mirrors by Jules Hardouin-Mansart.

Hall of Mirrors

The vaunted  Hall of Mirrors (Galerie des Glaces), perhaps the most celebrated room in the château of Versailles, was the setting for many of the ceremonies of the French Court during the Ancien Régime. It has inspired numerous copies and renditions throughout the world and the Proclamation of the German Empire occurred here.

Check out “Versailles Palace – Hall of Mirrors”

Salon of War

The Salon of War (Salon de la Guerre), commemorating the victorious military campaign of Louis XIV against the Dutch, Spanish and Germans  (which ended in 1678 with the peace treaties of Nijmegen), was begun by Jules Hardouin-Mansart (the First Architect to the King) in 1678 and its decoration was completed by Le Brun in 1686. Its walls are covered with marble panels decorated with six trophies of weapons in gilded bronze.

Sculpted Medallion of Louis XIV

Its centerpiece, on the wall adjacent to the Apollo Room , is an enormous oval sculpted medallion, created by Antoine Coysevox, surmounted by two golden sculptures of Pheme and supported by two captives in chains huddle beneath it.

Golden Sculptures of Pheme

A bas-relief, in stucco, depicts Louis XIV on horseback, trampling on his enemies while crossing the Rhine in 1672. Beneath, concealing the opening of a false chimney of a fake fireplace, is the bas-relief of Clio, the Muse of History, recording the king’s great deeds and exploits for posterity.

Bas-relief of Clio, the Muse of History

The dome cupola ceiling represents, in the center, a personified depiction of France, armed, sitting on a cloud and surrounded by Victories, a portrait of Louis XIV adorning her shield.

Ceiling painting

In the arches are represented his three defeated enemies – Germany (represented by a kneeling eagle), Spain making threats with a roaring lion; and Holland overthrown on another lion. The fourth arch represents Bellona, the Goddess of War, in a rage of fury between Rebellion and Discord.

Fresco at the arch

The Salon of Peace (Salon de la Paix), symmetrical to the Salon of War, contains the same marble panel decoration and chased trophies of weapons of gilded and chiseled bronzes. However, Le Brun decorated the cupola and arches to illustrate the role of France as the arbiter and peacemaker of Europe under Louis XV. The painting on the ceiling, Louis XV offering an olive branch to Europe by François Lemoyne, illustrates the theme of peace.

Salon of Peace – Louis XV offering an olive branch to Europe (François Lemoyne)

From the beginning of Louis XIV’s reign, this room was separated from the Hall of Mirrors by a movable partition and was considered part of the Queen’s Apartment, constituting the final room after the Queen’s Chamber. However, when required, the partition separating the room from the Hall of Mirrors was removed and the room formed part of the King’s State Apartment.

Each Sunday, during the reign of Louis XV, Marie Leszczyńska, the Queen, used this salon as a music room, organizing concerts of secular and religious music, playing an important role in musical life in Versailles and which were continued, during the subsequent reign, by Marie-Antoinette.

Hall of Mirrors: Chateau De Versailles, Place d’Armes, 78000 Versailles, France. Tel: +33 1 30 83 78 00. Website: www.chateauversailles.fr.  Open daily (except on Mondays and May 1), from 9:00 AM to 6:30 PM.  Last admission is 6 PM while the ticket office closes at 5.45 PM. The estate of Trianon and the Coach Gallery only open in the afternoon while the Park (7 AM to 8:30 PM) and Gardens (8 AM to 8.30 PM, last admission: 7 PM) are open every day. Access to the Gardens is free except on days of fountains shows. You can access the estate of Trianon through the Gardens or through the city. The Petit Trianon is only possible via the Grand Trianon.

Admission: 27 € for Passport with Timed Entry (days with Musical Fountains Shows or Musical Gardens), 20 € for Passport with Timed Entry (without musical fountains show or musical gardens), 12 € for Estate of Trianon ticket(without Musical Fountains Show or Musical Gardens), 10 € for Passport with Timed Entry (free admission, days with Musical Fountains Show or Musical Gardens), 9,50 € for Musical Fountains Show ticket, 8,50 € for Musical Gardens ticket, 28 € for the Fountains Night Show.

How to Get There: The cheapest option for reaching Versailles is by train. There are three train stations in Versailles.  RER line C arrives at Versailles Château – Rive Gauche train station, the closest one of the Palace (just 10 minutes’ walk to the Palace). SNCF trains from Gare Montparnasse arrive at Versailles Chantiers train station, which is 18 minutes on foot to the Palace. SNCF trains from Gare Saint Lazare arrive at Versailles Rive Droite train station, 17 minutes on foot to the Palace. RER C and SNCF train times are available on www.transilien.com.

Place de la Concorde (Paris, France)

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Place de la Concorde seen from Jardin des Tuileries

The 7.6-hectare (18.8-acre) Place de la Concorde, situated along the right bank of the Seine River in the  eighth arrondissement, separates the Tuileries Gardens from the beginning of the Boulevard Champs-Elysées. (see map). At the bottom of the Champs Elysées, set in the center, stands an ancient Egyptian obelisk from the Luxor Temple.

Here is the historical timeline of the Place de la Concorde and its sumptuous obelisk:

  • In 1754, construction of the royal square began. First called Place Louis XV, it was designed by Ange-Jacques Gabriel, Louis XV’s architect, for the purpose of showcasing an equestrian statue of the King (commissioned in 1748 by the city of Paris, mostly sculpted by Edmé Bouchardon.and completed by Jean-Baptiste Pigalle after the death of Bouchardon)
  • In 1763, the square was completed.
  • During the French Revolution, the square was renamed as Place de la Révolution and the statue of the king was replaced by the guillotine.
  • With the restoration of the Bourbons, the square was renamed Place Louis XVI and an equestrian statue of King Louis XVI, designed by Jean-Pierre Cortot, was installed.
  • During the July Revolution in 1830, the equestrian statue of King Louis XVI was destroyed.
  • In 1829, Muhammad Ali Pasha (also known as Mehmet Ali Pesha), the self-declared Khedive  of Ottoman Egypt, deciding to dramatically reform the military, cultural and economic aspects of Egypt, offered to France the two obelisks of the first pylon at the front of Luxor Temple (the temple of the god Amon), that Ramesses II had raised in the 13th century BC.
  • In August 1832 (they had to wait for the flood of the river to leave), the French steam paddle ship Sphinx sailed to Alexandria to rendezvous there with the Louqsor. The French seamen then lowered the obelisk with an array of blocks and tackles, yardarms and capstans.
  • On April 1, 1833, the Sphinx and Louqsor depart Alexandria
  • On May 10, 1833, both ships reached Toulon.
  • On August 12, 1833, the ships arrived at Cherbourg port within the Basse Normandie region.
  • On December 21, 1833, the Parisian obelisk arrived in Paris. Sphinx then towed Louqsor back to France.
  • On October 25, 1836, the obelisk was moved to the center of Place de la Concorde and re-erected during a carefully planned ceremony watched and applauded by King Louis-Philippe I and his family, gathered on the balcony of the Hotel de la Marine, and an eager crowd of 200,000 people. The lifting of the obelisk began at 11:30 AM.
  • In 1936, the Luxor Obelisk was officially classified as a Monument Historique.
  • On the morning of December 1, 1993, to mark World AIDS Day, the anti-AIDS Charity Act Up Paris covered the Parisian obelisk with a giant pink condom.
  • In May 1998, as part of the celebrations to mark Franco-Egyptian relations, a 3 m. high pyramid, made of bronze and gold leaf, was added to the top of the monolith by the government of France under then French President Jacques Chirac, to cap the top of the obelisk (its original pyramidion was believed stolen in the 6th century BC).
  • In 1998 and 2000, French urban climber Alain Robert scaled the Parisian obelisk without the use of any ropes or other climbing equipment or safety devices.

The square marks an intersection of two axes. The Voie Triomphale (Triumphal Way), the major axis, extends east-to-west, in a perfectly straight line, from the former royal palace (now the Louvre Museum), past the Arc du Carrousel and through the Tuileries Gardens, up the Champs-Elysées to the Arc de Triomphe, and beyond — now culminating at the Grande Arche in the Paris suburb of La Défense. The second (minor) axis, formed by the line between Place de la Madeleine, down rue Royale through the square and across the Pont de la Concorde, culminates at the Palais Bourbon.

Check out “Arc de Triomphe” and “Arc de Triomphe du Carrousel“

Statues, at each corner of the octagon (at one time, the pedestals under these statues were inhabited by citizens of Paris), were initiated by architect Jacques-Ignace Hittorff. They represent the French cities of Brest and Rouen by Jean-Pierre Cortot, Lyon and Marseille by Pierre Petitot, Bordeaux and Nantes by Louis-Denis Caillouette, and Lille and Strasbourg by James Pradier.

Horses of Marly.  These are copies of Costeau’s horses, masterpieces of French sculpture, that were moved to the Louvre in 1984 to be conserved.

The Horses of Marly (Chevaux de Marly), monumental statues of French sculptor Guillaume Coustou the Elder located at the beginning of the Champs Elysées, are copies of the originals which are now exhibited at the Louvre Museum.

The Pont de la Concorde, at the south end of the square, was built between 1787-1790 by Jean-Rodolphe Perronnet and widened between 1930-1932.  It crosses the Seine, leading to the Palais Bourbon, home of the French National Assembly (Assemblée Nationale).

 

Cheska and Kyle at the rain-swept Place de la Concorde

Bordering the Place de la Concorde are the Galerie Nationale du Jeu de Paume (originally Napoleon III’s indoor tennis court) and Musée de l’Orangerie, both in the Tuileries Gardens; and the Embassy of the United States, located in the corner of the square at the intersection of Avenue Gabriel and Rue Boissy d’Anglas.

Here are some interesting trivia regarding the Place de la Concorde.

  • Measuring 359 m. (1,178 ft.) long by 212 m. (696 ft.) wide, Place de la Concorde is the largest public and, possibly, the most infamous square in Paris and is one of the most well known traffic circles in the world.
  • The square is actually in the shape of an octagon (because of its cut-off corners) and was once bordered by large moats which no longer exist (filled in during the reign of Napoleon III) .
  • Between 1793 and 1795, during the French Revolution, Louis XVI (January 21, 1793),  Princess Élisabeth of France, Marie Antoinette, Charlotte Corday, Georges Danton,  Camille Desmoulins, Antoine Lavoisier, Madame du Barry,  Maximilien Robespierre  Louis de Saint-Just, and Olympe de Gouges and nearly 1,300 others were executed there. It is said that the scent of blood was so strong in the square that a herd of cattle once refused to cross the grounds.
  • Following the Revolution, the square underwent a series of name changes – Place de la Concorde (as a gesture of reconciliation after the turmoil of the revolution), Place Louis XV (again), Place Louis XVI, Place de la Chartre and, once again, Place de la Concorde.
  • Its obelisk, and twin that still stands in front temple in Luxor (formerly the city of Thebes, the second largest city in Egypt at the time), were the largest obelisks to have been erected by Ramses II (others were set up at temples in Heliopolis and Tanis).
  • Obelisks were popular among the Roman emperors so much so that 13 of them were taken to Rome. Today, in addition to that in Paris and the Cleopatra’s Needles in London and New York, historic Egyptian examples are also found in Florence in Italy.
  • Mediating between the Egypt and France was Jean-Francois Champollion, first decipherer of Egyptian hieroglyphs and curator of Egyptian collections at the Louvre Museum. Dying in 1832, he never had the chance to see the completion of his work.
  • Through the efforts of Jean Baptiste Apollinaire Lebas, the two ancient obelisks were presented as a gift to King Charles X. However, King Charles X had already abdicated from the throne, even before the first of the two obelisks was even destined to arrive in Paris, and King Louis Philippe took over.
  • Only the right-hand obelisk in Luxor Temple was transported and erected. The left-hand obelisk remained in its location in Egypt as President Francois Mitterand, on September 26, 1981, renounced the French claim to second Luxor obelisk as a symbolic gesture and one of peace between nations.
  • The original sculpted Egyptian pedestal (both obelisks had identical pedestals), which included the statues of 16 fully sexed carved baboons raising their legs, revealing their sexes (at dawn, ancient Egyptians observed baboons in nature making such a gesture and interpreted this as the animals ‘adoring’ the sun), was deemed too obscene for public exhibition. It is now displayed in the Egyptian section of the Musée du Louvre. A block of granite for the new pedestal was ordered in Brest.
  • To transport the monolith, the 49 m. long, specially designed, purpose-built, flat bottomed and 3-masted barge Louqsor (the first naval steamer), a seagoing freighter, was built by the Toulon naval yard to be able to navigate the Atlantic and the Mediterranean, sail up the Seine and the Nile, and pass under the bridges of Paris.
  • In Luxor, 300 workmen dug a canal to allow the Louqsor to come close to the obelisk. After packing and felling the monolith, it had to be dragged for 400 m. to join the Nile.
  • To lift the obelisk at the Place de Concorde, a counterweight system was developed by engineer Apollinaire Lebas, with 350 gunners operating the lift, with the strength of their arms, while the engineer remains voluntarily under the obelisk.
  • The successful French transport operation of the obelisk (a 9,000-km. journey that lasted seven long years), not an easy engineering feat as the effort, manpower and expertise was tremendous.  It predates, by more than 30 years, the eventful transport of Cleopatra’s Needle by the British.
  • The large mechanical clock, offered in 1845 by King Louis Philippe in exchange for the obelisk, was discovered to be faulty, having probably been damaged during transport. The still not working clock exists in a clock-tower in a mosque at the top of the Cairo Citadel.
  • Compared to the rest of this old monument, the new and shiny pyramidion makes it now known as the most cheerful obelisk in the world for what it represents.
  • In the Star Trek novels, the Place de la Concorde is the location of the offices of the President and the Council of the United Federation of Planets.

The 3,000 year-old, so-called Luxor Obelisk (French: Obélisque de Louxor), of yellow granite and inscribed with hieroglyphs in honor of the Pharaoh Ramesses II, is one of a pair of ancient Egyptian obelisks carved to stand either side of the portal of the Luxor Temple.

The Luxor Obelisk

Flanked on both sides by fountains (Fontaine des Mers and Fontaine des Fleuves) constructed at the time of its erection, the Paris obelisk rises 22.83 m. (74.9 ft,) high, including the base, and weighs over 250 metric tons (280 short tons). Its hieroglyphics depict the rule of Ramses II and Ramses III.

The obelisk’s pedestal

Its present-day pedestal , originally intended for the equestrian statue of King Louis XVI, is now with drawn gilded diagrams explaining the procedures and the complex machinery and different devices that were used for the transportation and erection on the square (just as the pedestal of the Obelisk of Theodosius has relief carvings showing that ancient Egyptian obelisk’s re-erection in Constantinople).

Check out “Louvre Museum” and “Louvre Museum – Egyptian Antiquities Department”

Hôtel Crillon, north of the obelisk, was where Marie Antoinette, in happier times, took piano lessons and where, in 1778, France signed a treaty (first in the world) recognizing a free and independent United States of America.

The new pyramidion of the obelisk

Place de la Concorde: 75008 Paris, France. 

How to Get There:

  • Concorde, the nearest Métro station, is located beneath the Place de la Concorde, at the beginning of the Rue de Rivoli, next to the Jardin des Tuileries.  It serves Lines 1, 8 and 12.  Walking in a northerly direction gets you to the Madeleine stop that serves lines 8, 12 and 14 while walking in a westerly direction, up the famous Avenue des Champs Elysees, you have the Champs-Elysees – Clemenceau stop serving Lines 1 and 13.
  • Several Bus Lines that gets you close by to this historical monument including 24, 42, 72, 73, 84, 94 along with the Noctilien Night Bus Service via lines N11 and N24.  However, the nearest RER train station is the Invalides stop on the left bank of the River Seine, which serves the RER C Line.24, 42, 52, 72, 73, 84, 94.