North Rhine-Westphalia / NRW

The Melaten-Friedhof (Melaten-cemetery) is the largest cemetery of Cologne. The area is known since the 13th century. The name "Melaten" refers to a "maladerie", a hospital for the sick and lepers, that was here in medieval times. The cemetery exists since the early 19th century. Upto 1829 only Catholics got buried here. The vending machine offers candles and matches.

The platform.

The station in Detmold was opened 1880 and renovated in 2007.

This part of the station (seen from the platform) seems to be a neogothic chapel. Here were the waiting rooms for the nobility in the 19th century. See the coat of arms over the door.

The relief is down on the right rock, between the two openings, that lead into a cave, used as a hermitage from around 815, as some historians claim. The Externsteine were bought by the Abdinghof-abbey (Paderborn, 25kms southwest) in 1093. The gigantic relief may has been carved around 1140.

Lemgo was a member of the Hanseatic-League so it is no sursprise, that there is a St. Nicolai church. The building was started around 1210 (only about 20 years after Lemgo itself was founded). Here are the two steeples behind houses facing the central market.

This retable is dated "late 13th century". You see (left) the "annunciation". Note the angle´s face - and his hand above Mary´s head. "Christmas" in the middle window. A Jew (see the peakish hat) below the crib. "Resurrection" on the right side. In front of the coffin, the sleeping soldiers.

There were many architectural changing during the building period. The biggest change over all came in 1533, when after 10 years of fighting (even physical), the parish accepted the lutherian bible. Even when count Simon VI. opted for reformistic calvinism in 1605, the parishes in Lemgo stayed lutherian. What they still are. See the St. Christopher on the pillar.

St. Marien, an early gothic hall church, was built between 1260 - 1320 on swampy grounds, what created great problems for the centuries to come. Over long periods it was closed for security reasons. Since the end of the 1960s it is stabilized with huge concrete slabs underground.

Otto zur Lippe (+ 1360) husband of Ermgard von der Mark (+ 1361). Here the carved graffities are on the right side of the sculpture.

Ermgard von der Mark ( + 1361), wife of Otto zur Lippe, sister of Engelbert III, archbishop of Cologne. Lots of carved graffitis are on the right side of the sculpture. The oldest date, I found was "1617". Below the shoulder, left to the four marks. Obviously somebody tried a lipstick on here.

Otto zur Lippe (+ 1360) and his wife Ermgard von der Mark (+ 1361). These sculptures have been (horizontal) the top part of a large tomb, placed centrally in the church upto 1820, when it was destroyed. Later the couple was fixed (vertical) onto the wall, where it is now. But the craftsmen changed the positions, as now, Otto is on the right. This explains, why the most old graffitis are on her right - and on his left side.

To find this Greek Orthodox Church ("Church of St. Andrew the Apostle") in Duesseldorf was quite a surprise in the late afternoon. Here is the parish´s website: www.agiosandreas.de/

The construction of the late-romanesque hall-church started around 1230. It was dedicated to "St. Lambertus", what is a connection the "Engelbert III von der Mark", a regional noble, who was bishop in Liege, where martyr St. Lambert (aka "Lambert of Maastricht" had been a bishop as well. Engelbert, who later was bishop in Cologne, had a great influence in the area. After the Reformation, the parish converted to Protestantism, but the church was still "St. Lambertus" for a long time. Later, in very sober times, the name was changed to "Evangelische Hauptkirche" (= "Protestant Main Church"). In 1953 a new name was introduced - and since then this is the "Christuskirche". A capital of the late romanesque southern portal. This is the very left capital on the right side of the portal. Unfortunately it is very weathered. Not many details are left. On very first sight, I was sure to see a typical Luxuria, a medieval symbol of lust ("voluptas"), an so a kind of icon for one of "The Seven Deadly Sins". Luxurias can be found often in France (eg Moissac, Blessle, Vienne..), but not in Westphalia. Then I tended to a "Master of the Beasts", what can be found in the area (Balve). Later I returned to Luxuria... The person in the center is a woman. Baids hang down to the shoulders. It is hard to see the arms. I had the impression, that the left arm (her right) goes up - ends in a huge fist, holding the beast, but then I would expect, to see the same/similar on the other side. This is not the case. Two beasts are hanging down the sidewards. Luxurias are mostly connected with suckling snakes or toads. Here are two (ugly, fat) lizard like creatures (salamanders?), that either are just being breastfed (the breasts are lost) or bite into the stomach. The person either wears a kind of skirt - or stands ontop of a small brick-built structure (tower, chimney). Too many details are missing, but - at this moment - I think this is a Luxuria, what would be pretty special for the area.

Archeologists found out, that the first church here was probably built around 1000. The patrozinium of this first church was "Peter and Paul" and some historians connect it to the wellknown bishop Meinwerk from Paderborn. A weathered sculptered head found in the area could be - a warrior with a helmet or a bishop with a mitra. The building we see today was built 1380. A little gothic church with three naves. The twisted steeple (54m) was added in 1633, after the forunner burnt down during a thunderstorm.

Muenster, the cultural centre of Westphalia, is a city with a population of more than 250.000 of which nearly 50.000 are students at the University of Muenster. This surely helped Muenster to gain the status of the "bicycle capital of Germany". Charlemagne sent out St. Ludger in 792 to evangelise the area, so Ludger built a school here. When the Diocese of Muenster was founded in 805, Ludger the first bishop here. He had the first church built at this place, named "Ludgerus-Dom", that existed upto 1377, when it got demolished and replaced by a gothic cloister. Next to the "Ludgerus Dome" a new church was built, when Dodo was bishop in Muenster 967-993. This one got the name "Ottonischer Dom". Bishop Hermann of Katzenelnbogen added a westwork to this building in 1192, that got integrated into the third chathedral built here 1225 - 1264. This cathedral still exists, though it was a ruin after WWII and the old westwork never got rebuilt. The cathedral is a mixture of late romanesque and early gothic style. As I have uploaded fotos taken here before, I just add some details. The triumphal cross seen here, dates to the 13th century. The cross is 355 cm high and 262 cm wide. Here is some (German) information about the cross. www.paulusdom.de/kunst/kunstwerke/das-triumphkreuz/

Muenster, the cultural centre of Westphalia, is a city with a population of more than 250.000 of which nearly 50.000 are students at the University of Muenster. This surely helped Muenster to gain the status of the "bicycle capital of Germany". Charlemagne sent out St. Ludger in 792 to evangelise the area, so Ludger built a school here. When the Diocese of Muenster was founded in 805, Ludger the first bishop here. He had the first church built at this place, named "Ludgerus-Dom", that existed upto 1377, when it got demolished and replaced by a gothic cloister. Next to the "Ludgerus Dome" a new church was built, when Dodo was bishop in Muenster 967-993. This one got the name "Ottonischer Dom". Bishop Hermann of Katzenelnbogen added a westwork to this building in 1192, that got integrated into the third chathedral built here 1225 - 1264. This cathedral still exists, though it was a ruin after WWII and the old westwork never got rebuilt. The cathedral is a mixture of late romanesque and early gothic style. As I have uploaded fotos taken here before, I just add some details. A detail of the triumphal cross (see previous upload). It dates to the 13th century. The cross is 355 cm high and 262 cm wide. Here is some (German) information about the cross. www.paulusdom.de/kunst/kunstwerke/das-triumphkreuz/

Muenster, the cultural centre of Westphalia, is a city with a population of more than 250.000 of which nearly 50.000 are students at the University of Muenster. This surely helped Muenster to gain the status of the "bicycle capital of Germany". Charlemagne sent out St. Ludger in 792 to evangelise the area, so Ludger built a school here. When the Diocese of Muenster was founded in 805, Ludger the first bishop here. He had the first church built at this place, named "Ludgerus-Dom", that existed upto 1377, when it got demolished and replaced by a gothic cloister. Next to the "Ludgerus Dome" a new church was built, when Dodo was bishop in Muenster 967-993. This one got the name "Ottonischer Dom". Bishop Hermann of Katzenelnbogen added a westwork to this building in 1192, that got integrated into the third chathedral built here 1225 - 1264. This cathedral still exists, though it was a ruin after WWII and the old westwork never got rebuilt. The cathedral is a mixture of late romanesque and early gothic style - and it is huge. The cathedral is 109 meter long. The nave, seen here, is 28,30 meter wide - and 22,50 meters high. I could not find anything about the gigantic St. Christopher, but (not counting the tree) the statue is at least 6 meters.