Mauthausen Memorial (Mauthausen, Austria)

Posted on 30 August, 2015 by Benjie Layug — 1 Comment ↓

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.

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

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.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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)

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

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

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)

Posted on 29 August, 2015 by Benjie Layug — 2 Comments ↓

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)

Posted on 27 August, 2015 by Benjie Layug — Leave a reply

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)

Posted on 27 August, 2015 by Benjie Layug — 1 Comment ↓

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)

Posted on 27 August, 2015 by Benjie Layug — 4 Comments ↓

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 17^th 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)

Posted on 26 August, 2015 by Benjie Layug — 1 Comment ↓

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).

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

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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)

Posted on 25 August, 2015 by Benjie Layug — Leave a reply

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)

Posted on 24 August, 2015 by Benjie Layug — Leave a reply

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.

L’Hôtel des Invalides (Paris, France)

Posted on 23 August, 2015 by Benjie Layug — 1 Comment ↓

L’Hotel des Invalides

After our pilgrimage to the Chapel of Our Lady of the Miraculous Medal, we made the somewhat long, 1.8-km. walk, via Rue de Sèvres and Boulevard des Invalides, to the National Residence of the Invalids, also called L’Hôtel des Invalides. While some distance away, we could already espy its elegant golden cupola.

Check out “Chapel of Our Lady of the Miraculous Medal“

Main entrance

One of the most prestigious monuments in Paris, this complex of buildings, in the 7th arrondissement, contains museums (Musée de l’Armée, the military museum of the Army of France, the Musée des Plans-Reliefs and the Musée d’Histoire Contemporaine) and monuments, all relating to the military history of France, as well as a hospital and a retirement home for war veterans (invalides), the building’s original purpose.

Left wing

The building retained its primary function as a retirement home and hospital for military veterans until the early twentieth century. Because of its location and significance, the Invalides was also the scene of several key events in French history.

Right wing

L’Hôtel des Invalides had its beginnings in 1670 when Louis XIV, by an order dated November 24, initiated the hôpital des invalides, a home and hospital for aged and unwell soldiers. Designed by architect Libéral Bruant, it was built on the then suburban plain of Grenelle (plaine de Grenelle) and, by the time it was completed in 1676, the front facade facing the Seine River was 196 m. (643 ft.) long.

L-R- Kyle, Grace, Cheska, the author and Jandy

L-R: Grace, Kyle, Cheska, the author and Jandy

The complex had 15 courtyards, the largest being the cour d’honneur (“court of honor”) which was used for military parades. The veterans’ chapel, known as Église Saint-Louis des Invalides, was also designed by the aged Bruant, assisted by Jules Hardouin Mansart, and finished in 1679.

The Domed Church

Louis XIV’s separate private royal chapel, referred to as the Église du Dôme (Domed Church), was designed and built by Mansart and was completed in 1708. One of the triumphs of French Baroque architecture, this royal chapel is centrally placed to dominate the court of honor.

The chapel’s gold-plated cupola

Its Baroque dome was inspired by St. Peter’s Basilica in Rome and was built between 1677 and 1706 to glorify Louis XIV, the monarchy and his armies. Mansart raised its drum, with an attic storey over its main cornice, and employed the paired columns motif in his more complicated rhythmic theme. On 14 July 1789, during the French Revolution, Les Invalides was stormed by Parisian rioters and the cannons and muskets stored in its cellars were seized for use against the Bastille later that same day. The royal chapel was later renamed as the Temple de Mars.

The chapel’s facade

During the reign of Napoleon Bonaparte, it became a military pantheon with the installation of the tomb of Henri de la Tour d’Auvergne, Vicomte de Turenne (better known as Turenne), one of the most famous marshals of France, in 1800 and, on May 26, 1808, had the heart (his other remains were scattered during the French Revolution) of Sébastien Le Prestre de Vauban , designer of Louis XIV’s military fortifications, transferred, from his grave in Bazoches, to a mausoleum erected opposite Turenne’s, both under the dome.

The Corithian columns and pediment at the upper level

On December 15, 1840, remains of Napoleon himself was brought back to France, from the island of St. Helena (an event known as le retour des cendres or “return of the Ashes”and arranged by King Louis-Philippe) and first buried in the Chapelle Saint-Jérôme (Chapel of St. Jerome) in the Invalides until his final resting place, designed by Louis Visconti, was finished. On April 2, 1861, Napoleon was finally interred in a porphyry sarcophagus in the circular crypt under the dome.

The Domed Chapel’s interior

On January 5, 1895, the degradation of Capt. Alfred Dreyfus was held before the main building, while his subsequent rehabilitation ceremony took place on July 21, 1906 in a courtyard of the complex. During the second half of the 20th century, after the destruction of small back buildings and the creation of a peripheral gap, the entire site of the Hôtel National des Invalides was opened to the public.

The gilded dome

In 1981, a huge restoration project, under the instigation of an interdepartmental commission co-directed by Ministries of Defense and Culture, was undertaken to restore the former splendor of this exceptional site. In 1989, 12 kgs. (20 lbs.) of gold (550,000 leaves) were used to regild the dome and details at the walls for the bicentenary of the French Revolution.

The baldacchino above the high altar

The Greek Cross-shaped Les Invalides has a beautiful facade with Doric and Corinthian columns, two colossal marble statues of Charlemagne (by Charles Antoine Coysevox) on the right and St. Louis holding the Crown of Thorns (by Nicolas Coustou) on the left decorate the niches of the lower levels and on the level above, on the corner of the balustrade, stand the Four Virtues (also done by Coysevox) – Strength, Justice, Temperance and Prudence. Two colossal marble sculptures flank the entrance to l’Église du Dôme. Inside are 9 chapels and niches plus a high altar area covered by a baldachin. The sides each have 3 chapels where the tombs are.

The heavy bronze door leading to Napoleon’s crypt

Upon entering, I was awed by the interior of the 107 m. (351 ft.) high, ribbed and hemispherical dome, the second tallest in Paris, after the Pantheon, and another unmissable monument in the Parisian landscape. Painted by Charles de La Fosse, Charles Le Brun’s disciple, and completed in 1705, its main feature was the Baroque illusion of space (sotto in su) when seen from below. The 50 ft. diameter symbolic painting on the cupola and the pendentives depicts St. King Louis IX wearing his royal robes, entering into glory, amidst angels, and giving to Christ the sword he used to triumph over Christianity’s enemies.

Check out “Pantheon (Paris)“

Balustrade overlooking Napoleon’s crypt

Underneath the lavishly-decorated dome is a balustrade with a large space that looks down into the crypt where Napoleon’s huge porphyry tomb resides. We entered the crypt via a staircase behind the altar that leads to a heavy bronze door forged from cannons taken during the Battle of Austerlitz. The door is flanked by two statues and above the lintel is an inscription extracted from Napoleon’s will (“I wish my ashes to rest on the banks of the Seine among the people of France whom I so much loved“).

Napoleon’s sarcophagus

Built on a pedestal of green granite from the Vosges Region, the sarcophagus was sculpted from blocks of red quartzite from Russia and is surrounded by a laurel crown and inscriptions referring to the Empire’s great victories. Inside the sarcophagus is a nest of six coffins: one made of soft iron, another of mahogany, two others of lead, one of ebony and finally the last one of oak. Napoleon is dressed in his Colonel’s uniform (of the cavalry of the Guard) which bears his sash of the Légion d’Honneur. His hat rests on his legs.

The author besides Napoleon’s Tomb

Around the tomb and mounted up against the pillars of the crypt are 12 “Victories,” symbolizing Napoleon’s military campaigns, sculpted by James Pradier. Inscribed on the polychrome marble floor are his 8 famous victories – Austerlitz, Friedland, Jena, Marengo, Moscow, Pyramids, Rivoli and Wagram. Within the circular gallery are a set of 10 white marble bas-reliefs sculpted by Pierre-Charles Simart, depicting the main achievements of his reign – pacification of the nation, administrative centralization, State Council, Civil Code, Concordat, Imperial University, court of accounts, code of commerce, Major Works and the Legion of Honor.

Napoleon II’s Tomb and the statue of Napoleon I clad in the symbols of empire

Halfway along the gallery is a vault containing the coffin of his son Napoleon II (though his heart and intestines remained in Vienna), the King of Rome also known as l’Aiglon, transferred here on December 15, 1940, and placed under a marble slab in the crypt on December 18, 1969. Over the tomb stands a statue, by Simart, of Napoleon as a Roman emperor clad in the symbols of the Empire.

Tomb of Jerome Napoleon, the youngest brother of Napoleon I who reigned as Jerome I (formally Hieronymus Napoleon in German), King of Westphalia, between 1807 and 1813. From 1816 onward, he bore the title of Prince of Montfort. After 1848, when his nephew, Louis Napoleon, became President of the French Second Republic, he served in several official roles, including Marshal of France from 1850 onward, and President of the Senate in 1852.

Two side chapels contain the tombs of Joseph Bonaparte (Chapel of St. Augustine) and Jérôme Bonaparte (Chapel of St. Jerome ), the eldest and youngest brothers, respectively, of Napoleon.

Tomb of Joseph Bonaparte, the older brother of Napoleon Bonaparte who made him King of Naples (1806–1808, as Giuseppe I), and later King of Spain (1808–1813, as José I). After the fall of Napoleon, Joseph styled himself Comte de Survilliers.

The gilt bees on the walls of the chapel of Saint-Jerôme serve to remind visitors that the Emperor’s coffin lay here while the crypt was being built. Several military officers who served under Napoleon (Henri Gratien, Comte Bertrand and Geraud Duroc) are also buried at Les Invalides, all alongside Napoleon’s tomb.

Tomb of Henri Bertrand (March 28, 1773 – January 31, 1844), a French general life whose life was closely bound up with that of Napoleon, who had the fullest confidence in him, honoring him in 1808 with the title of count and at the end of 1813, with the title of Grand Marshal of the Palace. During the expedition to Egypt, Napoleon named him colonel (1798), then brigadier-general, and after the Battle of Austerlitz his aide-de-camp.

Tomb of Geraud Duroc (October 25, 1772 – May 23, 1813), a French general noted for his association with Napoleon. His devotion to him was rewarded by complete confidence. He became first aide-de-camp (1798), general of brigade (1800), and governor of the Tuileries. After the battle of Marengo, he was sent on missions to Vienna, St Petersburg (Russia), Stockholm and Copenhagen. He also served as Grand Marshal of the Palace. After the Battle of Austerlitz, where he commanded the grenadiers and was employed in a series of important negotiations with Frederick William III of Prussia, with the elector of Saxony (December 1806), in the incorporation of certain states in the Confederation of the Rhine, and in the conclusion of the armistice of Znaim (July 1809). In 1808, he was created duc de Frioul.

Aside from Turenne, other Marshals of France buried here include Thomas Bugeaud (conqueror of Algeria); François Certain Canrobert (commanded the III Army Corps in Lombardy in 1859 during the Second Italian War of Independence, distinguishing himself at Magenta and Solferino); Ferdinand Foch (Allied Supreme Commander in the First World War); Philippe Leclerc de Hauteclocque (commander of the famous 2nd Armored Division during World War II); Hubert Lyautey (dubbed the “Maker of Morocco” and the French empire builder) and Jean de Lattre de Tassigny ( commander of the French First Army during World War II and later commander in the First Indochina War).

Tomb of Ferdinand Foch (October 2, 1851 – March 20, 1929), a French general and military theorist who served as the Supreme Allied Commander during the First World War, successfully coordinating the French, British and American efforts into a coherent whole. Deftly handling his strategic reserves, he stopped the German offensive and launched a war-winning counterattack.

Army captain Claude Joseph Rouget de Lisle (author of France‘s national anthem, La Marseillaise), Antoine Marie-Roger de Saint-Exupery (author of “The Little Prince”) and Pierre Auguste Roques (founder of the French Air Force and Minister of War in 1916) are also buried here.

Tomb of Hubert Lyautey (November 17, 1854 – July 27, 1934), a French Army general and colonial administrator who, after serving in Indochina and Madagascar, became the first French Resident-General in Morocco from 1912 to 1925. Early in 1917, he served briefly as Minister of War and, from 1921, was a Marshal of France. He was dubbed the French empire builder and, in 1931, made the cover of Time.

Vauban’s monument, in the Chapel of St.-Theresa, replaced by a black marble coffin made by the sculptor Antoine Etex in 1808, depicts Vauban semi-recumbent, holding a compass and meditating on his writings. He is surrounded by the veiled figure of Science and the figure of War wearing a helmet. On top of the coffin is an obelisk surrounded by flags and standards. On the base is an inscription and a bas-relief referring to Vauban’s project for a royal tithe and celebrating the political and reformatory aspect of Vauban’s work.

Tomb of Sebastien le Preste de Vauban (May 1, 1633 – March 30, 1707), a French military engineer who served under Louis XIV who is generally considered the greatest engineer of his time, and one of the most important in Western military history. His principles for fortifications were widely used for nearly 100 years, while aspects of his offensive tactics remained in use until the mid-twentieth century.

Turenne’s monument shows the Marshal General of France, under Louis XIV, expiring in the arms of Immortality, who crowns him with laurels, as she lifts him to Heaven. At the marshal’s feet is an eagle, representing the Holy Roman Empire, over which he had several victories.

Tomb of Turenne (September 11, 1611 – July 27, 1675), a French general and one of only six Marshals to have been promoted Marshal General of France. The most illustrious member of the La Tour d’Auvergne family, his military exploits over his five-decade career earned him a reputation as one of the greatest military commanders in modern history.

From the Dome Chapel, we moved on to the main courtyard which is is the central area of the Hôtel National des Invalides. Many events unfolded here and a large part of the artillery collections of the Army Museum (musée de l’armée) is displayed here. The Army Museum has one of the most impressive collections of artillery pieces. It had its beginnings in 1872 when the musée d’artillerie (Artillery Museum), whose collections were gathered together during the Revolution, was located within the building. Later, in 1896, it was joined by the musée historique des armées (Historical Museum of the Armies). In 1905, the two institutions were merged to form the present musée de l’armée.

The main courtyard

At the Main Courtyard, we were presented an exceptional array of 60 French classical bronze cannons, jewels of the artillery collections of the Army Museum, plus a dozen howitzers and mortars. Tracing 200 years of the history of French field artillery, we discovered how these pieces were manufactured, their roles and the epic of great French artillerymen.

An array of French classical cannons

The first models of French classical cannons, along with a few adaptations, were developed by the Keller brothers in 1666. These highly popular, large-caliber cannons were used in sieges against fortified towns during the wars of Louis XIV and made the successes of Vauban possible.

In 1732, a royal ordinance laid down by regulations that cannons be decorated with heraldic and mythological ornamentations. A series of 30 of these prestigious cannons are on display.

Gribeauval cannon (1780s)

From 1764, French classical cannons were replaced by cannons of the Gribeauval system (named after its creator) This new, easier to handle and better organized artillery excelled during the revolutionary and imperial wars. Napoleon Bonaparte, who trained as an artilleryman, was able to put it to wonderful use, notably during the two Italian campaigns and the battles of Friedland and Wagram. From 1825 onwards, the Valée systems succeeded the Gribeauval system. The cannons of the two systems were more functional and had fewer decorations than French classical cannons.

12 pounder Napoleon cannon

Eight mortars, made for the sieges of the revolutionary and imperial wars, were also on display while, on exhibit at the corners of the courtyard, are two large howitzers, designed to bombard Cadiz, when the French army besieged this city in 1810. The howitzers could fire shells from a distance of nearly 6 kms., an unprecedented achievement at that time.

One of 8 mortars on display

Hôtel National des Invalides: 129 rue de Grenelle 75007 Paris, France. Tel: +33 (0)1 44 42 37 72. Fax: +33 (0)1 44 42 35 14. E-mail: infos-ma@invalides.org. Website : www.invalides.org.

Open daily, October 1 to 31 and March (10 AM to 5 PM), April 1 to September 30 (10 AM to 6 PM). Closed every first Monday in the month, January 1, May 1, September 1 and December 25.
Dome and tomb have same opening times but is accessible from 10 AM to 7 PM from June 15 to September 15. Admission: €9,5.

How to Get There: By Metro (Line 8, Invalides station), RER (Line C, Invalides station), buses 28, 49, 63, 69, 82, 87, 92.

Église Saint Étienne du Mont Church (Paris, France)

Posted on 23 August, 2015 by Benjie Layug — 2 Comments ↓

While making our way, on foot, towards the massive Panthéon, we passed the relatively small but attractive, Gothic-style Église Saint Étienne du Mont Church, built between 1492 and 1655. It was described by French novelist Charles-Marie-Georges Huysmans (in the Connecting, 1895) as one of the most beautiful churches in Paris. It contains Paris’ unique and only surviving rood screen (built in 1535), dramatically crossing the nave like a bridge, separating it from the chancel, with spiral staircases on either side. During the Late Renaissance Period, the others were removed because they prevented the faithful in the nave from seeing the priest celebrate Mass.

Église Saint Étienne du Mont Church

It also houses the shrine containing the relics of St. Geneviève, the patron saint of Paris, until 1793 when revolutionaries burned the body, melted the relics at the Place de Grève (in front of the city hall) and threw them in the sewer. Only the tomb, lying in a chapel in the nave’s southeastern corner, survived. Near her tomb is a highly decorated reliquary containing a finger bone, all that is left of her earthly remains.

The church also housed the remains of important French figures such as Pierre Perrault (Receiver General of Finances for Paris and scientist), Eustache Le Sueur (painter), Blaise de Vigenere (diplomat, cryptographer, translator and alchemist), Blaise Pascal, (mathematician and physicist), Jean Racine (dramatist) and Isaac de Sacy Lemaistre (theologian and humanist). The last two were transferred in 1711 from Port-Royal in Saint-Etienne. The political theorist and scientist Jean-Paul Marat is buried in the church’s cemetery.

The three pediments

The church had its beginnings in the 6th century in the abbey of Sainte-Genevieve, where the eponymous saint had been buried. Devoted to the Virgin Mary and, later, to St. John the Apostle, the place was too small to accommodate all the faithful. In 1222, Pope Honorius III authorized the establishment of an autonomous church, this time devoted to St Etienne, then the patron saint of the old cathedral of Paris.

“The Stoning of St. Stephen” of sculptor Gabriel Jules-Thomas

Soon, the new building, overwhelmed by an increasingly dense population, was enlarged in 1328. However, from the 15th century, a complete reconstruction soon became necessary and, in 1492, the monks Génovéfains donated a portion of their land for the construction of a new church. In 1494, under the direction of architect Stephen Viguier, the apse and the bell tower were sketched and, in 1491, the bell tower was built (the first two bells were cast in 1500). The flamboyant Gothic choir was completed in 1537 and, the following year, the frame was raised. The loft was built around 1530-1535, the chancel in 1537 and, in 1541, Guy, Bishop of Megara blessed the altars of the chapels of the apse. In 1545, the gallery was built and in 1580, the vaults of the nave and transept were built.

That same year, the parish awarded contracts for the windows and statues from Parisian artisans. The nave, from the Renaissance period, was not hunched before 1584. In 1610, the first stone of the facade was laid by Marguerite de Valois (who personally donated 3000 pounds) and, on February 25, 1626, the church was dedicated by Jean- François de Gondi, the first archbishop of Paris and Cardinal de Retz‘s uncle. In 1636, the organ (the work of Pierre Pescheur) was installed and, in 1651, a new pulpit was installed.

Bell tower

During the 17th and 18th century, the church enjoyed great prestige as the scene of great processions wherein the shrine of Sainte-Genevieve went to Notre Dame Cathedral and, subsequently, was returned to this church. During the French Revolution, the church was closed and then turned into a “Temple of Filial Piety.” in 1801, benefiting from the Concordat, Catholic worship was restored. During the Second Empire, the church was restored by Victor Baltard (who also built the chapel of catechisms), the front was raised and the statues, destroyed by the revolutionaries, were returned.

On January 3, 1857, Bishop Marie-Dominique-Auguste Sibour (who was to inaugurate the novena of St. Genevieve) was assassinated here, with cries of “Down with the goddesses!,” by the priest Jean-Louis Verger who opposed to the dogma of the Immaculate Conception. A plaque, at the entrance to the nave, marks the grave of the prelate. The occultist Eliphas Levi was indirectly involved in this tragic event.

The sculpted The Stoning of Saint Stephen, at the exterior’s tympanum, is the work of French sculptor Gabriel-Jules Thomas. The front facade, which consists of no less than three pediments, features a classical porch. The fourth chapel, on the right from the entrance, contains impressive 16^th century stained glass windows.

The church’s impressive interior, which we didn’t see, is characterized by the curved axis of the nave to the transept, the finely carved stone choir screen of Father Biard (1545), his chair (designed by Laurent de La Hyre and sculpted by Claude Lestocart) and its organ case (1631), the oldest in the capital. There’s also a notable wooden pulpit supported by Samson, with a jawbone in hand and a slain lion at his feet.

From 1929 until his death in 1986, renowned organist, composer and improviser Maurice Duruflé held the post of Titular Organist at Saint-Étienne-du-Mont. The interiors and exteriors of Saint-Étienne-du-Mont were featured, in both the beginning and finale, of Max Ophüls celebrated film The Earrings of Madame de… (1953). Popes have also celebrated mass here – Pope Pius VI on January 10, 1805 and Pope John Paul II on August 23, 1997 (during his visit to Paris on the occasion of World Youth Day).

Cheska, Kyle and Grace at Place Sainte Genevieve

Église Saint Étienne du Mont Church: Place Sainte-Geneviève, Montagne Sainte-Geneviève, 5th arrondissement,75005 Paris, France. Tel: +33 1 43 54 11 79.

This travel blog, a diary of the author’s local and international travels, aims to provide the reader with news and information on people, places and events that would interest the avid traveler and tourist. But, it also aims to be much more, providing insights on the wonders of this beautiful country, as well as the world, beyond the strict confines of the city. Have a BLAST seeing old churches, exotic temples, educational museums as well as palm-fringed islands; white sand beaches; thundering waterfalls; placid lakes; fiery sunsets; turquoise seas; cathedral-like caves; swirling rivers; majestic mountains; stupendous, amphitheater-like rice terraces; awesome volcanoes and the like. Get to know the movers and shakers in the tourism industry; find out where to titillate the palate; rejuvenate your body; feed your adrenalin, unwind and relax; satisfy your craving for history and culture; and find out what's being celebrated and where.

BENJAMIN “BENJIE” LAYUG, an architect by profession (he finished his B. S. Architecture degree from the University of the Philippines Diliman in 1982), is also a copy editor for two publishing houses; travel writer; blogger; architectural historian; author; concert. movie and musical reviewer (for www.pep.ph); and a motivational speaker.

As a free-lance travel writer, he has, in the past, contributed articles to Travel Update, Philippine Daily Inquirer, COLORS, TODAY, 7107 Islands Magazine, Business Day and Bluprint. He currently writes for Artplus Magazine and the Business Mirror.

He is also the author of the following travel books:

A Philippine Odyssey (New Day Publishers, 2005)
Pathfinder’s Travel Guide: Boracay (Great Books Trading, 2006)
A Tourist Guide to Notable Philippine Churches (New Day Publishers, 2007)
A Tourist to Notable Philippine Historical Landmarks, Monuments and Shrines (New Day Publishers, 2010)
A Tourist Guide to Notable Philippine Museums (New Day Publishers, 2012)

Some of his books now appear in the local library shelves of the National Library of the Philippines, De La Salle University, Ateneo de Manila University, University of Sto. Tomas, U.P. Diliman, Centro Escolar University, San Sebastian College, Miriam College, Silliman University, to name a few, as well as internationally at the National Library of Australia and the University of California Berkeley Library.

Now a senior citizen, he is probably one of the oldest, if not the oldest, active travel blogger in the country today. He also has a lifestyle blog called F.Y.I.:Firing Your Imagination (www.firingyourimagination.blogspot.com). Benjie has traveled to two-thirds (53) of the country’s 81 provinces and over 20 countries in 4 continents.