but no panes of glass.
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Tag: Wachenburg
The now in the past and the future
A vision of tomorrow, through the eyes of yesterday
A boy – the promise of the future – in a building which his great great grandfather helped to build in the past.
My grandfather was a young tradesman, a tinsmith, some 100 years ago when this castle was built and carried out some work on the construction. Now my grandson was playing amongst its walls and columns.
Linked to K’lee and Dale’s Cosmic Photo Challenge: A vision of tomorrow, through the eyes of yesterday.
One whole century
Living in Germany it would have been indeed easy to find a building that is not only 100 years old but several hundreds. Close to my hometown, they found the foundations of a Roman estate dating back to the second century AD. But I decided to show the Wachenburg, one of the two castles overlooking Weinheim an der Bergstraße, in Germany. It looks like a Romanesque castle (the roof received new tiles a few years ago) but it is little over 100 years old. The main buildings were constructed between 1907 and 1913 by a Corps of former students (more information on these student fraternities can be found here) to serve as a memorial for members who had died during the Franco-Prussian war of 1870/71 and a location for their yearly meetings. Family lore has it that my grandfather worked on the roof gutters as a young tinsmith.
For the A Photo a Week Challenge: over 100 years old. For more old photos click here.
Three castles in one town
Weinheim, in southwestern German, is known as the “two castle town” although “two fortress town” would be more accurate. The lower one, called Windeck, is a ruin, more than a thousand years old. The Wachenburg is a relatively new building, only about 100 years old, constructed as a venue for student fraternities of technical universities. I like this shot because it shows the two castles from a different perspective than the usual photos of them.
Technically, the town should even be called “three castle town” – as there is also a proper castle, the small palace of the local count. My parents’ house is close, actually their garden borders the wall surrounding the castle grounds. This photo is quite unusual and does the whole structure a bit of a disservice but I like it because it is how I used to look up to the tower as a child, through the branches of the large cedar (said to be the oldest in Germany). My dad used to work in this building (it houses the town council nowadays) and one can just see the window of his office in the bottom right corner.
Another wonderful feature and tourist attraction is the botanical garden “Hermannshof” which features many trees planted 200 years ago. It is a pleasure to visit any time of year. This photograph was taken in early summer.
This is for The Daily Post, sharing photos of the place I live – again, after being away for many years. Other people showing off their world can be found here.
Home is where the heart is
Believe it or not – this was my playground when I grew up. No, I’m not of noble descent – our house was on the other side of the wall in the old part of town. One of the weirder influences this had on me is that I associate peacocks with a fuzzy, snug, and warm feeling. I remember that visitors staying overnight with my parents usually came to breakfast with a harrowed look on their faces and “What was THAT noise last night??!” on their lips. But to this day the shrill sound of a peacock’s call says “home” to me.
for Jennifer Nichole Wells’ One Word Photo Challenge: HOME
https://jennifernicholewells.com/2017/07/30/this-weeks-challenges-july-30-august-5-owpc-ww/
Castle on the edge
We’ve been living with this edge since 1894 in our hometown, and it has been growing. It is now threatening to encroach on the castle which is one of the landmarks of the area. In a peculiar twist, the site of this quarry belongs to a town which lies 10km to the south – whereas we are worried about an enlargement of the quarry, the other town is keen on the revenue generated by it. Luckily, the conflict was resolved last year, and works will be stopped soon. They are talking about recultivation but the stone wall is about 230 metres from the bottom to the edge of the forest.
A castle, a river and mountains
Cee’s Compose Yourself – the challenge is: “landscapes”.
Two photos from Weinheim an der Bergstraße in Germany:
I prefer the second shot. In the first one, the area looks cramped as if it was in a narrow valley when in fact the Wachenburg looks over the wide Rhine plain. The clouds not only add depth to the sky but the shadows they cast also add texture to the forest.
Another German river valley, this time the Moselle. Vinyards rise on both sides of the river. The barge and the houses, especially the mansion on the left, serve as scale and enhance the steepness of the vinyards.
Same river, a number of kilometers downstream and at a different time of year:
The autumn mists casting a haze over the valley in the back, contrasting with the vivid colours of the yellowing leaves.
This is the Kleinwalsertal – a small anomaly as it is part of Austria but can only be reached from Germany because of the high mountain ridge towards the Austrian side.
This is half way up, looking straight out to the mountains of Germany:
Above Grindelwald in Switzerland, the bare rocks attest the higher altitude in this part of the Alps. The photographer in the foreground is deceiving the viewer. The shadow on his side of the mountain almost lets him look like a giant.
My final photo for this challenge – also from Switzerland with a paraglider high up in the air. Again this perspective is teasing the viewer because as high as the paraglider is – he is well below the peaks in the background to the right.
pictures imperfect blog 