HMS Belfast

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HMS Belfast
The Queen's Walk
London, May 2023

“HMS Belfast is a Town-class light cruiser that was built for the Royal Navy. She is now permanently moored as a museum ship on the River Thames in London and is operated by the Imperial War Museum. Construction of ‘Belfast’, the first ship in the Royal Navy to be named after the capital city of Northern Ireland and one of ten Town-class cruisers, began in December 1936. She was launched on St Patrick's Day 1938. Commissioned in early August 1939 shortly before the outbreak of the Second World War, ‘Belfast’ was initially part of the British naval blockade against Germany. In November 1939, ‘Belfast’ triggered a German mine and, in spite of fears that she would be scrapped, spent more than two years undergoing extensive repairs. ‘Belfast’ returned to action in November 1942 with improved firepower, radar equipment, and armour. ‘Belfast’ saw action escorting Arctic convoys to the Soviet Union during 1943 and in December 1943 played an important role in the Battle of North Cape, assisting in the destruction of the German warship Scharnhorst. In June 1944, ‘Belfast’ took part in Operation Overlord supporting the Normandy landings. In June 1945, she was redeployed to the Far East to join the British Pacific Fleet, arriving shortly before the end of the Second World War. ‘Belfast’ saw further combat action in 1950–52 during the Korean War and underwent an extensive modernisation between 1956 and 1959. A number of further overseas commissions followed before she entered reserve in 1963.” (HMS Belfast, Wikipedia)

Maria Luisa di Borbone

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Monument to Maria Luisa di Borbone by Lorenzo Bartolini, 1843
Piazza Napoleone
Lucca, June 2024

“The Monument to Maria Luisa di Borbone is a marble statuary group depicting the former Duchess of Lucca, sculpted by Lorenzo Bartolini, and located in the center of the piazza in front of the Ducal Palace of Lucca, in the region of Tuscany, Italy.After the death of Maria Luisa in 1824, the commune voted for the creation of a statue in her honor, and contracted for a design by Lorenzo Bartolini. The sculpture is in the center of the large rectangular Piazza Grande, or Piazza Napoleone, in front of the palace had been cleared in 1806 by the Napoleonic government, in the process razing houses, warehouses, and the church of San Pietro Maggiore. Initially a statue honoring Napoleon had been planned for this spot, but Maria Luisa, who held a personal antipathy to the former French emperor and his family (Napoleon's sister Elisa Bonaparte had ruled Lucca as Princess of Lucca and Piombino until 1814), squelched that idea in favor of a monument to Charles II, Duke of Parma. That monument was putatively moved to the ramparts of the town. In 1823, the year before the death of Maria Luisa, it was decided to dedicate a statue in her honor in gratitude for her patronage of the city aqueduct. The monument was designed by the Neoclassical Tuscan sculptor Bartolini.” (Monument to Maria Luisa di Borbone, Wikipedia)

Obelisk of Tutankhamun

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Obelisk of Tutankhamun by Rita McBride, 2017
Breslauer Platz
Cologne, September 2024

“By calling her sculpture ‘Obelisk of Tutankhamun,’ she puts the work in a class with the obelisks of ancient Egypt. At the same time, no ruler of ancient Egypt is more famous than King Tut, who has made it into pop culture. The obelisk as such has become the epitome of sculpture in public space: from St. Petersburg to Stockholm, from Buenos Aires to Bangkok, there are countless obelisks all over the world, multiplying like mushrooms across all continents. What city can call itself a world city without having an obelisk? Now Cologne is also part of the club. Rita McBride has created a monolith similar to the one used by the ancient Egyptians. However, she replaced the heavy reddish Aswan granite of the originals with a light, high-tech material that is used for airplanes and cars: carbon fiber.” (Obelisk of Tutankhamun, Stiftung der Sparda-Bank West)

Monument to Alessandro Tassoni

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Monument to Alessandro Tassoni by Alessandro Cavazza, 1860
Piazza della Torre
Modena, May 2024

“Alessandro Tassoni (28 September 1565 – 25 April 1635) was an Italian poet and writer, from Modena, best known as the author of the mock-heroic poem ‘La secchia rapita’ (‘The Rape of the Pail’, or ‘The stolen bucket’). He was born in Modena, to a noble family, from Bernardino Tassoni and Sigismonda Pellicciari. Having lost both parents at an early age, he was raised by the maternal grandfather, Giovanni Pellicciari. It was with Giovanni that, according to tradition, he first visited the bucket, which was later to inspire his major work, in the belfry of Modena's Cathedral.” (Alessandro Tassoni, Wikipedia)

Alte Oper

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Alte Oper (Old Opera)
Opernplatz
Frankfurt, September 2024

“Alte Oper (Old Opera) is a concert hall in Frankfurt am Main, Hesse, Germany. It is located in the inner city, Innenstadt, within the banking district Bankenviertel. Today's Alte Oper was built in 1880 as the city's opera house, which was destroyed by bombs in 1944. It was rebuilt in the 1970s as a concert hall with a large hall and smaller venues, opened in 1981. The square in front of the building is still known as Opernplatz (Opera Square). Many important works were performed for the first time when it was Frankfurt's opera house, including Schreker's ‘Der ferne Klang’ and Carl Orff's ‘Carmina Burana’ in 1937. The Oper Frankfurt now plays in the Opern- und Schauspielhaus Frankfurt, completed in 1951.” (Alte Oper, Wikipedia)

Sant'Agostino

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Church of Sant'Agostino
Piazzetta Pignedoli
Reggio Emilia, May 2024

“The church of Sant'Agostino is a Catholic place of worship located in Piazzetta Pignedoli, in the historic center of Reggio Emilia. The church is the seat of the parish of San Lorenzo in Sant'Agostino of the Urban vicariate of the diocese of Reggio Emilia-Guastalla. On the site occupied by the current building stood the church of Sant'Apollinare, already mentioned in a document from 1183 and destroyed in 1249, during the conflict between the Guelphs and Ghibellines. It took on its current title in 1268 when it was rebuilt, together with the convent, by the Augustinian Hermit friars. It was rebuilt in 1452 after the fire of 1423, when the current Romanesque apse and the tower were also built, the latter designed by Antonio Casotti and financed by the Municipality and Abbot Zoboli. The façade, in Baroque style, entirely in terracotta, dates back to 1746 and was designed by the architect Alfonso Torreggiani and has two niches with the statues of San Guglielmo and San Nicola da Tolentino inside.” (Sant'Agostino, Wikipedia)

Neues Rathaus

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Neues Rathaus (New Town Hall)
Martin-Luther-Ring
Leipzig, September 2024

“The New Town Hall (Neues Rathaus) is the seat of the Leipzig city administration since 1905. It stands in Leipzig's district Mitte within the Leipzig's "ring road" on the southwest corner opposite the newly built Propsteikirche. The main tower is, at 114.8 meters or 377 feet, the tallest city hall tower in Germany, ‘trumping Hamburg's previous record by a whole eight feet’. At the end of the 19th century, the Old Town Hall located at the Markt square finally proved too small for the booming city. In 1895 the city of Leipzig was granted the site of the Pleissenburg by the Kingdom of Saxony to build a new town hall. A competition was held for architectural designs with the specification that the Rapunzel tower silhouette of the Pleißenburg be retained. In 1897 the architect and city building director of Leipzig Hugo Licht was awarded the job of designing it. The motto of his design was: ‘Arx nova surgit - a new castle emerges.’ The sculptor Georg Wrba was commissioned with the sculptural design of the building. The foundation stone of the New Town Hall was laid on 19 October 1899. The hall is notable as the location of numerous mass suicides during the final days of the Third Reich.” (New Town Hall, Wikipedia)

Nostra Signora di Guastafredda

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Nostra Signora di Guastafredda (Our Lady of Guastafredda)
Via San Corrado Confalonieri
Piacenza, May 2024

“At the end of the eighteenth century, Lotario Tomba, a well-known architect from Piacenza, was entrusted with the project of a chapel suitable for containing a Marian painting already highly venerated in the mid-seventeenth century, once positioned outside the Convent known as the Convent of the Snow. Still extant, the work depicts the Madonna and Child on the clouds, in a sumptuous dress with an ivory damask background and a starry mantle, flanked by little angels in flight and with the saints Francis of Assisi, Dominic and Carlo Borromeo at her feet.” (Santuario di Nostra Signora di Guastafredda, Piacenzapace)

Tischlein, deck dich!

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"Tischlein, deck dich!" (The Wishing-Table) by Karl Schönherr, 1977
Prager Straße
Dresden, September 2024

“The sculpture by the sculptor Karl Schönherr was erected at the instigation of Heiner Thomas, the director of the former GDR Interhotel Newa. Since 1997, the little donkey rider stood to the right of the main entrance to the building. During the later renovation of Prager Straße, the sculpture stood lost for several years on the edge of the construction pit for the planned State Operetta on Wiener Platz. In 2007, the sculpture was returned to its old place in front of the Newa. ‘Tischchen deck dich, Goldesel und Knüppel aus dem Sack’ (The Wishing-Table, the Gold-Ass, and the Cudgel in the Sack) is the name of the fairy tale by the Brothers Grimm that Karl Schönherr has recreated here.” (Tischlein-Deck-Dich, Wikimedia Commons)

Teatro al Parco

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Teatro al Parco
Parco Ducale
Parma, May 2024

“The Teatro al Parco is a permanent theatre in Parma, located inside the Ducal Park. The building was constructed between 1939 and 1941 as a venue for trade fairs on the initiative of the Municipality of Parma, which commissioned the project to engineer Ugo Pescatori. The exhibitions, called from the following year Mostre delle Conserve Alimentari, forerunners of today's Cibus, were held annually in the pavilion for about forty years without interruption, with the exception of a parenthesis during the Second World War, until the construction in 1985 of the exhibition centre near Baganzola. In 1987 the Municipality decided to use the now unused building as a public theatre, subsequently entrusting it, by agreement, to the ‘Compagnia delle Briciole’, founded in 1976 in Reggio Emilia and moved to Parma in 1979, where in 1981 it established the Stable Centre in Italy for the Production, Programming and Research of Children's and Youth Theatre, which later became the Stable Theatre of Innovation. In the early 2000s the building was completely renovated, creating a 400-seat hall and a 150-seat hall.” (Teatro al Parco, Wikipedia)

Kabourek

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“Kabourek” by Josef Nalepa, 2010
Velkopřevorský mlýn (Grand Priory Mill)
Čertovka, Malá Strana
Prague, September 2024

“Every day, scores of tourists cross Charles Bridge and flock towards the John Lennon Wall in the Malá Strana district, making their way across the island of Kampa. If you take that route, chances are you'll be passing over the Čertovka, or the Devil’s Stream, a quaint little canal that gives the area its nickname: Little Venice. As you cross a small bridge over the stream, there’ll be a post-medieval water mill called the Grand Priory Mill on the other side, just about 50 yards away from the John Lennon Wall. At first glance, it’s simply a cute, quaint sight, but then you’ll catch sight of a strange figure sitting on the wooden platform beside it. Squint and zoom in, and you will see that it’s not really a human figure, but a googly-eyed, green-skinned goblin smoking a pipe. His origin is rooted in general Czech folklore as well as the local legends of Prague. In Czech folklore, vodník is a water goblin similar to the vodyanoy of Slavic mythology: a green frog-like creature covered with algae, oftentimes dressed in flamboyant fashion. Some are good-natured, some are mischievous tricksters, while some are more malicious and may drown humans who wander near their territories. Either way, they love beer and locals would provide water buckets for them to stand in so that they could drink at Prague’s old pubs. In Prague, it is said that a total of forty vodníci dwell in the Vltava, nine of whom call the Čertovka home. Kabourek, as the water goblin of the Grand Priory Mill is known, is one of them. In the past, he would help local fishermen find their day’s catch and keep their boats from danger, receiving tobacco in return. The statue of Kabourek was created in 2010 by local sculptor Josef Nalepa, who was frustrated with the tourists’ tradition of leaving love locks in Malá Strana, which he believed was ruining the neighborhood’s beauty. His depiction of Kabourek is as a grumpy old goblin, who, like his creator, hates the silly tradition and would not hesitate to pull insolent lovers into the Devil’s Stream.” (Kabourek, Atlas Obscura)

San Ponziano

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San Ponziano
Piazza San Ponziano
Lucca, June 2024

“San Ponziano is a Renaissance-style, former Roman Catholic church located on a piazza of the same name in Lucca, region of Tuscany, Italy. It is now the library of the IMT School for Advanced Studies Lucca. A church at the site was present since the 9th century. In 1099 it was occupied by the Benedictine order, which was replaced in the 14th century by the Olivetan order. The church was reconstructed in 1474, when the relics of San Ponziano were transferred there. The facade was refurbished over the next two centuries. The first chapel on the right in the apse has a 12th-century fresco of San Martino. The sober and white facade dates to before the 17th century. The interior, however, was refurbished in 1720. After being de-consecrated in the 19th century, the church was only reconsecrated in the 1960s before being de-consecrated once more and converted into a university library.” (San Ponziano, Wikipedia)

Kopf des heiligen Gereon

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Kopf des heiligen Gereon (The Head of St. Gereon) by İskender Yediler, 2005
Gereonsdriesch
Cologne, September 2024

“Gereon of Cologne (French: Géréon), who may have been a soldier, was martyred at Cologne by beheading, probably in the early 4th century. The Roman Martyrology states that ‘In Cologne in Germany, the Saints Gereon and his companions, martyrs, who with sincere piety, courageously offered their necks to the sword.’ That brief outline is the official account of the church, that is, the martyrdom by beheading, in the famous German city, of a group of Christians headed by a certain Gereon. In fact, nothing more can be said about them with historical certainty.” (Gereon, Wikipedia)

Monument to Ciro Menotti

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Monument to Ciro Menotti by Cesare Sighinolfi, 1880
Piazza Roma
Modena, May 2024

“The neoclassical and naturalist training of the sculptor Cesare Sighinolfi emerges forcefully in the figure of Ciro Menotti. The gigantic statue (3.77 meters high) in white Carrara marble enhances the romantic image of the hero who, after defeat and extreme sacrifice, lives in the right ideals marching towards inevitable victory. The monument is enriched by a powerful square base, also made of white marble, where the medallions with the effigies of four other Modenese martyrs are placed: Don Giuseppe Andreoli (1789-1822), accused of Carbonari, convicted and executed in 1822; Vincenzo Borelli, hanged together with Ciro Menotti; Anacarsi Nardi (1800-1844), secretary of his uncle Biagio Nardi (1768-1835) head of the provisional government after the revolts of 1831, exiled in Corfu, joined the Giovine Italia and took part in the ill-fated expedition to Calabria of the Venetian brothers Attilio (1810-1844) and Emilio Bandiera (1819-1844) and with they were shot on 25 July 1844 in the Vallone di Rovito; Giuseppe Ricci (1796-1832), count and noble guard of Duke Francesco IV, who was condemned to be shot in 1832 on the false accusation of having plotted to kill the duke.” (Monument to Ciro Menotti, Regione Emilia Romagna)

Seehundbrunnen

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Seehundbrunnen (Seal Fountain) by Edwin Hüller, 1954
Liebfrauenschule, Schäfergasse
Frankfurt, September 2024

“Limestone sculpture of two seals standing on a sphere, balancing a ball on their noses (this ball is gone). The fountain is no longer active.” (Seehundbrunnen, Statues - Hither & Thither)

Crostolo

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Allegoric statue of Crostolo
Piazza Prampolini
Reggio Emilia, May 2024

“Together with the statues of the Secchia and Panaro rivers it was part of the ornamental complex of the Villa park. Some authors attribute it to Giovan Battista Bolognini. In 1285 the clergy of the Cathedral had a well dug at their own expense, for public benefit, in the old palace of the Municipality of Reggio Emilia. This well, closer to the Baptistery than the current fountain, consisted of a marble balcony surmounted by an iron arch from which hung two buckets which alternately served to draw water. In 1770, as the structure was damaged and the waters were unhealthy, it was decided to build a new, more central well, the one where the statue of Crostolo now stands. The Revolution that led to the proclamation of the Cispadana Republic broke out in August 1796, so that pedestal served as basis for the ‘Tree of Liberty’. At the end of 1700 the sacking of the Ducal Palace of Rivalta was taking place. In the park of that palace were some imposing statues representing the three main rivers of the Duchy: Panaro, Secchia and Crostolo. The Municipality of Reggio Emilia obtained the ownership of the statues. Two were moved and are still on the parapet of the San Pellegrino Bridge; the third (Crostolo) was moved into the town, as the seat on the well of the main square was vacant, April 14, 1802.” (Crostolo, Reggio Emilia Welcome)

Unzeitgemäße Zeitgenossen

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Unzeitgemäße Zeitgenossen (Untimely Contemporaries) by Bernd Göbel, 1989
Grimmaische Straße
Leipzig, September 2024

“‘Unzeitgemäße Zeitgenossen’ is the title of a bronze sculpture by the Halle sculptor Bernd Göbel near the eastern beginning of Grimmaische Straße in Leipzig. Bernd Göbel, professor of sculpture at the University of Industrial Design at Burg Giebichenstein in Halle (Saale) since 1982, began at the end of the 1970s to give form to personal annoyances by modelling people to suit them. For example, a teacher using sledgehammer methods, a town planner who first blasted the space where he wanted to build, and a doctor who had problems diagnosing him. The figures were given names ending in ‘-iker’, probably referring to dogmatists. In 1982, Göbel had put together five of these examples and presented them as the ‘beginning of a series’ at the 9th GDR Art Exhibition in Dresden. In the mid-1980s, the idea of permanently displaying the work in public arose, and negotiations began with the city of Leipzig. The design of the modified version with a high base and the selection of the slogans to be displayed, in which Bernd-Lutz Lange was also involved, began in 1986. In 1989, the negotiations came to a successful conclusion and the casting was commissioned at the Leipzig bronze foundry Noack in early 1990. The work was completed in September and Göbel donated it to the city of Leipzig, which immediately displayed it in the representative location and presented it to the public on November 14 of that year as ‘Unzeitgemäße Zeitgenossen’. From 2006 to 2009, it had to make way for the redesign of the Leipzig University campus and the reconstruction of Grimmaische Straße.” (Unzeitgemäße Zeitgenossen, Wikipedia)

Basilica of San Savino

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Basilica of San Savino
Via Alberoni
Piacenza, May 2024

“The Basilica of San Savino is an ancient Roman Catholic basilica in the city of Piacenza in the Province of Piacenza, Italy. It is dedicated to Saint Sabinus of Piacenza, second bishop of the city. San Savino was established as a Benedictine monastery in 903, located outside the then city walls. Much of Piacenza, and likely the original church here was ravaged by the Hungarian invasions in the early 900s. The attached church was initially dedicated to the twelve apostles, but Sabinus himself was buried here. The original construction appears to have been poor. In February 998, Pope Gregory V confirmed its right to freely elect its abbots. It was rebuilt by Bishop Sigifredo in 1005. The present layout is due to an 1107 reconstruction with later modifications, although it includes a few elements from the 903 edifice.” (San Savino, Wikipedia)

Gottfried Semper

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Gottfried Semper by Johannes Schilling, 1892
Brühlsche Terrasse
Dresden, September 2024

“Gottfried Semper (29 November 1803 – 15 May 1879) was a German architect, art critic, and professor of architecture who designed and built the Semper Opera House in Dresden between 1838 and 1841. In 1849 he took part in the May Uprising in Dresden and was put on the government's wanted list. He fled first to Zürich and later to London. He returned to Germany after the 1862 amnesty granted to the revolutionaries. Semper wrote extensively on the origins of architecture, especially in his book The Four Elements of Architecture (1851), and was one of the major figures in the controversy surrounding the polychrome architectural style of ancient Greece. He designed works at all scales—from major urban interventions such as the redesign of the Ringstraße in Vienna, to a baton for Richard Wagner. His unrealised design for an opera house in Munich was, without permission, adapted by Wagner for the Bayreuth Festspielhaus.” (Gottfried Semper, Wikipedia)

San Pietro Apostolo

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Church of San Pietro Apostolo
Piazza Garibaldi
Parma, May 2024

“San Pietro or San Pietro Apostolo is a Neoclassic-style, Roman Catholic church located on Piazza Garibaldi in Parma. A church of San Pietro in Parma is first mentioned in the year 955. Tradition holds that it was erected atop the remains of an Ancient Roman temple dedicated to Jove. It was rebuilt during the 15th century in Gothic-style by Cristoforo Zaneschi. In the early 16th-century papal bull by Pope Leo X describes it as a collegiate church, Collegio di San Girolamo, with 12 priests. The present church was designed by Ennemond Alexandre Petitot, who replaced the prior facade, construction started in 1707 but was not completed till 1762. The façade is decorated with the papal symbols of the tiara, festoons, and keys, in a design by Petitot and modeled in stucco by Benigno Bossi. The nave ceiling and cupola are frescoed by Giovanni Antonio Vezzani.” (San Pietro, Wikipedia)

Bedřich Smetana Museum

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Muzeum Bedřicha Smetany (Bedřich Smetana Museum)
Novotného lávka, Staré Město
Prague, September 2024

“The Bedřich Smetana Museum (Czech: Muzeum Bedřicha Smetany) in Prague is a museum which is dedicated to the life and works of famous Czech composer Bedřich Smetana (1824–1884). It is situated in the centre of Prague in a small block of buildings right next to Charles Bridge on the right bank of the river Vltava in the Old Town. The building, designed by Antonín Wiehl, which was formerly owned by Prague Water Company, has housed the Smetana Museum since 1936. It is a grand building in the Renaissance style. The main part of the museum exhibits are on the first floor. The upper floors house archive material relating to Smetana, providing a centre for research.” (Bedrich Smetana Museum, Wikipedia)

Madonna dello Stellario

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Madonna dello Stellario
Via del Fosso
Lucca, June 2024

“Passing Piazza San Pietro and following Via della Fratta, one comes to a crossroads where seven roads converge, including Via del Fosso: here is the Column of the Madonna dello Stellario. The column, of Corinthian order, rests on a pedestal depicting a view of Lucca. On the top is a statue of the Madonna, donated to the ‘Compagnia della Concezione o dello Stellario’ (Compagnia of the Conception or of the Stellario), which had its seat in San Francesco. The statue, the work of the sculptor Giovanni Lazzoni, is a Baroque insert of considerable importance and was placed above the column at the end of the 17th century.” (Madonna dello Stellario, Route You)

Foto Gregor

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Foto Gregor (Kamera Express)
Neumarkt
Cologne, September 2024

"Our headquarters on Neumarkt has been the place to go for all photography enthusiasts since 1974. Previously known as Foto Gregor, we are now part of the Kamera Express family. We have always done everything we can to offer the best service for all things photography. In addition to a huge range, we also offer expert advice from our colleagues who have been supporting our customers for decades. Whether you need a new camera or complete photo equipment - we will help you, whether you are a beginner or a professional." (Welcome to our photo shop in Cologne, Foto Gregor)

Monumento alla Libertà

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Monumento alla Libertà (Monument to Freedom) by Marino Quartieri, 1972
Piazza San Domenico
Modena, May 2024

“The monument is composed as follows: a bronze statue, depicting a young woman who symbolizes redeemed Italy who, having broken the chains of slavery, seems to call to read the commemorative epigraph of the patriots, is placed on a granite boulder in front of a tall and powerful truncated obelisk made of large blocks of vermilion granite, placed on a square base with three steps. The proposal to raise a monument to the patriots of the Risorgimento uprisings of 1821 and 1831 was put forward by the illustrious Modenese Gaetano Moreali (1795-1889) in December 1886 and immediately accepted by the Municipality which identified the square in front of the church of San Domenico as the most suitable place for the placement of the work. Moreali undertook to have the work carried out at his own expense. The conception and execution of the monument were entrusted to Silvestro Barberini from Modena who, having obtained the consent of Moreali, the mayor and the municipal council, began work in the first months of 1888. The monument consisted of the original three-metre-high bronze statue by Barberini which depicted Italy in the most traditional iconography of the late nineteenth century: a sumptuous female figure covered in abundant Roman-inspired drapery and her head surrounded by a turreted crown. The sculpture was placed on a granite boulder in front of an obelisk, placed on a square base. The inauguration took place on June 2, 1899. The statue of Silvestro Barberini was removed in 1942 and melted down to obtain war material. The beautiful figure of a young woman that replaces the original one is a work from 1972 by the Modenese sculptor Marino Quartieri (1917-2002) who remained faithful to the same theme, but carried it out with admirable personal style.” (Monument to the Martyrs of 1821 and 1831, Regione Emilia Romagna)

Frankfurter Engel

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Frankfurter Engel (Frankfurt Angel by Rosemarie Trockel, 1994
Klaus-Mann-Platz
Frankfurt, September 2024

“The Frankfurter Engel (German for Frankfurt angel) is a memorial in the city of Frankfurt am Main in southwestern Germany; it is dedicated to homosexual people who were persecuted under Nazi rule, and as well as under Paragraph 175 of the German Criminal Code during the 1950s and 1960s. The memorial is a statue of an angel and is the first of its kind in Germany. Subsequent memorials in Germany are Kölner Rosa Winkel (1995) in Cologne and Memorial to Homosexuals persecuted under Nazism (2008) in Berlin.” (Frankfurter Engel, Wikipedia)

Galleria Centrale

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Galleria Centrale “Eat & Meet”
Via Emilia San Pietro
Reggio Emilia, May 2024

“The Galleria Centrale (Central Gallery) of Reggio Emilia was built in 1927 based on a project by the architect Prospero Sorgato. The original layout is structured on a central nave and two lateral ones. The building was conceived as a food market with a popular character, but a few years after its inauguration it was converted into a shopping mall. The architectural language expresses the transition period between Neoclassical and Art Nouveau. If the external facade shows the grandeur of the neoclassical, the atmosphere changes progressively when entering the building, showing the influence of other styles such as Liberty and Eclecticism.” (A Century of History, Eat & Meet)

Oper Leipzig

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Oper Leipzig (Leipzig Opera)
Augustusplatz
Leipzig, September 2024

“Construction of the modern opera house began in 1956. The theater was inaugurated on 8 October 1960 with a performance of Wagner's Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg. Ulf Schirmer became Generalmusikdirektor (General Music Director, or GMD) of the company in 2009. He was elected artistic director (Intendant) in 2011 for a five-year term. Schirmer stood down from both posts in 2022. Tobias Wolff became Intendant of the company in 2022. Christoph Gedschold became music director of the company as of the 2022–2023 season. In May 2023, the company announced that Gedschold is to stand down as its music director as of the close of the 2023–2024 season.” (Leipzig Opera, Wikipedia)

Monument to Garibaldi

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Monument to Garibaldi by Enrico Astorri, 1889
Piazzale Marconi
Piacenza, May 2024

“The Monument to Giuseppe Garibaldi in Piacenza was created by the sculptor Enrico Astorri in 1889 with inauguration taking place on 2 June. The work is composed of an artificial stone base in the shape of a rocky spur on top of which stands the bronze statue of Garibaldi with his arms folded, military cape and Hungarian cap. Below, the figure of a Garibaldian during a military action. The sketch of the monument is preserved in the city's Risorgimento Museum while the bronze casting was cast by the Romani brothers' foundry in Milan.” (Monumento a Garibaldi, Wikipedia)

La Belle Chocolatière

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“The Chocolate Girl” by Jean-Étienne Liotard, 1744
Gemäldegalerie Alte Meister
Theaterplatz
Dresden, September 2024

“The Chocolate Girl (French: La Belle Chocolatière, German: Das Schokoladenmädchen) is one of the most prominent pastels of Genevan artist Jean-Étienne Liotard, showing a chocolate-serving maid. The girl carries a tray with a porcelain chocolate cup and a glass of water. Liotard's contemporaries classed The Chocolate Girl as his masterpiece. Since 1855 the picture with the serving maid from Vienna, who might have been a certain Nannerl Baldauf, has hung in the Gemäldegalerie Alte Meister, Dresden. Theories concerning the girl's headdress run from a cap cover to an echo of the colorful regional caps. The girl's apron features a small bodice. The cup in which the chocolate is served is a trembleuse, used by people with shaking hands to avoid spilling.” (The Chocolate Girl, Wikipedia)

Santa Maria della Steccata

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Sanctuary of Santa Maria della Steccata
Strada Garibaldi
Parma, May 2024

“A short stroll away on the Plaza of Peace, a statue of ‘Il Partigiano’ (The Partisan) stands in sharp contrast to the name of its location and the patrician surroundings. The partigiani engaged in left-wing resistance to fascism during World War II, and the burly figure, gun in hand, represents that fierce struggle, with a dead compatriot lying behind him. The latter is doubly symbolic: the monument was inaugurated in 1956 by the then-mayor and provincial president of Parma, both ex-partigiani. Five years later a young political extremist tried to blow up the statue and the ‘fallen comrade’ was damaged. It was subsequently repaired and removed to a local cemetery, while the bronze body lying behind the Partigiano today is a copy.” (Sanctuary of Santa Maria della Steccata, Wikipedia)

Moses

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Moses by Frantisek Bilek, 1905 (1937)
Pařížská, Staré Město
Prague, September 2024

“In the center of the Pařížská Street, near the Old-New Synagogue, stands a bronze statue of Moses by František Bílek. The statue represents the Bílek's original vision of the Old Testament prophet: a kneeling man in a larger-than-life size, writing the name of ADAM on a scroll symbolising humankind, for which he is responsible and for which he sought the promised land. František Bílek made the sculpture in 1905; however, it was placed on its current spot in 1937. Under the Nazi occupation, the statue was removed and subsequently melted. After World War II, in 1946, it was again re-casted using the original plaster model and consequently was returned to its original place.” (Sculpture of Moses, Prague Minos Guide)