Trümmerfrau

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Trümmerfrau (Rubble woman) by Walter Reinhold, 1968
(The original statue of 1952 was cast iron)
Rathausplatz
Dresden, September 2024

“Trümmerfrauen (lit. rubble women) were women who, in the aftermath of World War II, helped clear and reconstruct the bombed cities of Germany and Austria. Hundreds of cities had suffered significant bombing and firestorm damage through aerial attacks and ground war, and with many men dead or prisoners of war, this monumental task fell to a large degree on women. 3.6 million out of the sixteen million homes in 62 cities in Germany were destroyed during Allied bombings in World War II, with another four million damaged. Half of all school buildings, forty percent of the infrastructure, and many factories were either damaged or destroyed. According to estimates, there were about 500 million cubic metres of rubble (a volume of over 150 Great Pyramids of Giza) and 7.5 million people were made homeless.” (Trümmerfrau, Wikipedia)

Porta Borsari

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Porta Borsari
Corso Porta Borsari
Verona, May 2025

“Porta Borsari is an ancient Roman gate in Verona, northern Italy. The gate dates to the 1st century AD, though it was most likely built over a pre-existing gate from the 1st century BC. An inscription dating from emperor Gallienus' reign reports another reconstruction in 265 AD. The Via Postumia (which here became the decumanus maximus) passed through the gate, which was the city's main entrance and was therefore richly decorated. It also originally had an inner court, now disappeared. The gate's Roman name was Porta Iovia, as it was located near a small temple dedicated to Jupiter lustralis. In the Middle Ages it was called Porta di San Zeno, while the current name derives from the guard soldiers which were paid the dazio (Latin bursarii). The façade, in local white limestone, has two arches flanked by semi-columns with Corinthian capitals which supports entablature and pediment. In the upper part is a two-floor wall with twelve arched windows, some of which are included in small niches with triangular pediment.” (Porta Borsari, Wikipedia)

Sedící dívka

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“Sedící dívka” (Sitting girl) by Jan Hana, 1958
U Sovových mlýnů, Malá Strana
Prague, September 2024

“The ‘Sitting girl’, also called Jarmila, is a sandstone sculpture in Kampa Park on Kampa Island in Lesser Town, Prague. Sitting Girl is a nude of a slender girl sitting on a stone, created by the academic sculptor Jan Hána (1927–1994). The sculpture was created in 1958 or 1965 and has been located in Kampa Park since 1977. The sculpture is placed on a low ashlar plinth.” (Sedící dívka, Wikipedia)

St. Mark and the Redeemer

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Column with the lion of St. Mark, 1473
Column of the Redeemer, 1640
Piazza dei Signori
Vicenza, May 2025

“Parallel to the smaller eastern side of the square, the first of the two current columns was built in 1464: the winged lion that surmounts it is the symbol of the Republic of Venice and was placed there in 1473, after Vicenza had surrendered to the Serenissima. Over a century and a half later, a second column was added next to it, with the statue of Christ the Redeemer, in 1640. The choice was widely discussed and was decided in honour of the city and its citizens. Behind the columns is the area (which also includes the small Piazza Biade) once used as a grain market (the space is still used today for seasonal markets).” (Piazza dei Signori, Wikipedia)

St. Andrew's Church

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St. Andrew's Church
Komödienstraße
Cologne, September 2024

“St. Andrew's (German: St. Andreas) is a 10th-century Romanesque church located in the old town of Cologne, Germany. It is one of twelve churches built in Cologne in that period. Archbishop Gero consecrated the church in 974, dedicating it to St. Andrew, although an earlier church at the site was dedicated to St. Matthew. In the 12th century, the church was rebuilt in the Romanesque style, and was probably completed after the great fire of Cologne in 1220. In the crypt of the church lies a Roman sarcophagus from the 3rd century, which holds the remains of the 13th-century theologian and natural philosopher St. Albertus Magnus. Since 1947, the Dominican Order has ministered to the church.” (St. Andrew's Church, Wikipedia)

Scalinata del Portello

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Scalinata del Portello (Portello's Landing)
Porta Portello
Padova, May 2025

“The river dock of Portello, overlooking the Piovego Canal, is one of the most significant water sites in Padua's historical centre. Condensed within it are the history of flourishing commerce, valuable architectonic elements, as well as the centuries old customs and traditions of the waterways. The site, the name of which refers to a passageway within the medieval walls to allow the passage of people and goods, more precisely known as a ‘portello’, is closely linked to previous navigation on the Piovego Canal, the thirteenth century waterway that was constructed to connect the Bacchiglione with the Brenta Canal, making it possible to reach Venice directly without having to navigate via Chioggia. When Padua was annexed to the Venetian republic, the medieval wall system was markedly reshaped with the construction of the monumental Porta Ognissanti, the sixteenth century architectural work which dominates the river station. Coated in white Istrian stone, very similar to a triumphal arch, you get there by means of a footbridge next to the quay. The impressive set of steps, once the historical dockings of the famous passenger boat, the Burchiello, is found close to the Santa Maria dei Barcaioli shrine.” (The river station of Portello, Water museum of Venice)

Beethoven-Denkmal

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Beethoven-Denkmal (Beethoven Monument) by Georg Kolbe, 1948
Taunusanlage
Frankfurt, September 2024

“The Beethoven Memorial in Frankfurt am Main is a monument in the Taunusanlage, created between 1926 and 1948. It honors the composer Ludwig van Beethoven. The monument stands on a hilltop in Frankfurt's Anlagenring. It consists of three bronze figures: the middle of the three larger-than-life figures depicts Ludwig van Beethoven, although not in portrait form. The two female figures are geniuses from Roman mythology. The diabase base is adorned with the inscription ‘To the Genius of Beethoven’. The monument was designed by Georg Kolbe. In 1926, Kolbe received an offer from the city of Berlin to create a Beethoven monument for a competition. Due to time constraints, he declined the offer, but began a design nonetheless. The design was not completed until 1947, and the monument was cast in Berlin in May of the following year. It was inaugurated on June 16, 1951.” (Beethoven Monument, Wikipedia)