Tuesday, September 23, 2025
Dresdner Residenzschloss
Dresdner Residenzschloss (Dresden Castle)
Taschenberg
Dresden, September 2024
“Dresden Castle or Royal Palace (German: Dresdner Residenzschloss or Dresdner Schloss) is one of the oldest buildings in Dresden, Germany. For almost 400 years, it was the residence of the electors (1547–1806) and kings (1806–1918) of Saxony from the Albertine House of Wettin as well as Kings of Poland (1697–1763). It is known for the different architectural styles employed, from Baroque to Neo-Renaissance. Today, the residential castle is a museum complex that contains the Historic and New Green Vault, the Numismatic Cabinet, the Collection of Prints, Drawings and Photographs and the Dresden Armory with the Turkish Chamber. It also houses an art library and the management of the Dresden State Art Collections.” (Dresden Castle, Wikipedia)
Monday, September 22, 2025
Casinetto Petitot
Casinetto Petitot by Ennemond Alexandre Petitot, 1766
Piazzale Risorgimento
Parma, May 2024
“The Casinetto Petitot, known simply as Petitot, is a small building with neoclassical shapes, located in the center of Piazzale Risorgimento in Parma. It is considered one of the first Italian coffees. In 1759 the ducal prime minister Guillaume du Tillot commissioned the court architect Ennemond Alexandre Petitot with the design of a large tree-lined avenue south of the city centre, with the aim of creating an elegant boulevard intended for public walking, modeled on the great European capitals. At the eastern end, on a corner of the then existing walls, the Stradone should have ended with a refined café, scenically placed in a raised position with respect to the avenue. The small building was supposed to be a meeting place not only for the nobles and upper middle classes, but also for the intellectuals of the time, precisely at the moment in which the first Enlightenment ideals began to spread in Europe. Furthermore, thanks to its elevated position, it had to act as a lookout, since from the terrace at the top you could enjoy the panorama of both the city and the surrounding countryside. Its construction, entirely financed by Duke Philip of Bourbon, began on 22 October 1762 when the tracing of the large avenue had already begun, which was inaugurated together with the little house in the presence of the Duke on 24 June 1766, during the night of Saint John. Currently the casino stands in the center of the busy Piazzale Risorgimento and, although it has no longer been used as a café for decades, it is still home to various clubs; in 2019 it was entrusted to the Mind for Music association.” (Casinetto Petitot, Wikipedia)
Sunday, September 21, 2025
Kino Lucerna
Kino Lucerna
Palác Lucerna
Vodičkova, Nové Město
Prague, September 2024
"Lucerna is a Prague cinema opened on December 3, 1909 in the Lucerna Palace, which was built by Vácslav Havel between 1907 and 1921. The builder Dobroslav Hnídek and the architect Stanislav Bechyn participated in the construction of the complex, who, in addition to the cabaret hall, also designed a theater with a revolving auditorium, which was converted into a cinema hall less than a year later. It originally had an Art Nouveau look, but later underwent a pseudo-Rococo renovation. Lucerna is the oldest still functioning cinema in the Czech Republic. From 1926, Václav and Miloš Havel managed the cinema together. During their tenure, in 1929, the cinema began to show sound pictures as the first cinema in Prague. The first film was the Comedians' Ship. After February 1948, the cinema belonged to the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Czechoslovakia (ÚV KSČ), and after the Velvet Revolution, it has been owned again by the Havel family since 1991." (Kino Lucerna, Wikipedia)
Saturday, September 20, 2025
Sbandieratori
“Sbandieratori” (Flag throwers)
Baluardo San Frediano
Lucca, June 2024
“Flag throwing (color guard) is an art and sport mixed all into one. Flag throwing tends to coordinate with marching bands all throughout the world. It has become a competitive art that takes place in schools all over the world. The art of flag throwing dates back to medieval guilds (principally in Italy, Germany, Switzerland, Flanders, and Southern Netherlands). A guild's banner or flag was considered a symbol of purity, and as such it was not allowed to touch the ground.” (Flag throwing, Wikipedia)
Friday, September 19, 2025
Olivandenhof
Olivandenhof
Richmodstraße
Cologne, September 2024
“Olivandenhof is the name of a shopping arcade in Cologne's Altstadt-Nord, on the corner of Zeppelinstraße 9 and Richmodstraße 10. The Olivandenhof is located directly between the shopping centers Breite Straße, Schildergasse and Neumarkt and covers the triangle of the streets Zeppelinstraße 9 / Richmodstraße 10 / Am alten Posthof 3. The 20-meter-high roof over Zeppelinstraße between Olivandenhof and Karstadt was the first roof over a street in Germany. Zeppelinstraße has been a traffic-free pedestrian zone up to Neumarkt since September 1988. Underground entrances connect the Olivandenhof with Neumarkt, the underground station there and Karstadt. The Cologne Stadtbahn serves the Olivandenhof through the Neumarkt and Appellhofplatz underground stations. It is home to Europe's largest outdoor specialist store.” (Olivandenhof, Wikipedia)
Thursday, September 18, 2025
Saint Francis of Assisi
Church of Saint Francis of Assisi
Piazza San Francesco d'Assisi
Modena, May 2024
“San Francesco is a Gothic-style, Roman Catholic church in central Modena, Italy. Franciscan friars were present in Modena early, by 1221, when Francis was still alive. But as was their custom, their first monastery and church were located outside of town, in an area prone to flooding. It was decided to move to this site in 1244, and construction began of a monastery and a church dedicated to the recently canonized Francis of Assisi. In 1501, the bell-tower was damaged by an earthquake. Reconstruction occurred in the church starting in 1535, causing the destruction of the lateral chapels and movement of the choir into the apse behind the altar, and covering much of the previous painted decoration. It was used by the Frati Minori, but they were expelled in 1774 by the Ducal authorities, who reduced the city to five parishes. By the late 18th-century had been devolved into use as stables and housing for animals. It was reconsecrated to cult in 1829, with refurbishment and restoration in a Gothic style by Gusmano Soli. A second neo-gothic refurbishment was pursued between 1886 and 1888 by Carlo Barbieri. The exterior brick facade has a large rose window. The 16th-century bell tower has an octagonal base.” (San Francesco, Wikipedia)
Wednesday, September 17, 2025
Pre Bell Man
“Pre Bell Man” (50m) by Nam June Paiks, 1990
Museum für Kommunikation
Schaumainkai, Museumsufer
Frankfurt, September 2024
"In 1990, the Korean media artist Nam June Paik created a 4.10 meter high equestrian figure for the opening of the new building of the Museum of Communication in Frankfurt. The Pre Bell Man is one of the largest figurative sculptures in the work of the Korean artist, who was active globally until his death in 2006 and received a lot of international acclaim. Nam June Paik's critical attitude towards the importance of the media for the individual and society is reflected in the design based on a classic equestrian statue: while the horse is a cast of an original from the Renaissance and is used like an objet trouvé, the rider has been assembled from historical communication devices from the collection of the Museum Foundation for Post and Telecommunications, to which the Museum for Communication Frankfurt belongs." (The Pre Bell Man by Nam June Paik, Museum of Communication Frankfurt)
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