Martin M. Miles' photos with the keyword: half-timbered

After the conquest of Britain under Emperor Claudius, the Romans founded the city of "Isca Dumnoniorum" on the site where a Celtic settlement already existed. Numerous sections of the Roman city wall have survived to this day. In the 7th century, the city fell to Wessex. An Anglo-Saxon monastery was built here around 680. In 876, the Danes attacked Exeter and occupied it briefly, but Alfred the Great was able to drive them out a year later and had the Roman city wall repaired. In 893, Alfred was able to hold the city against a Danish attack for a second time. In 1001, the Danes again failed to take control of Exeter. However, after the town came into the possession of Emma of Normandy in 1002 through her marriage to Æthelred the Unready as part of her dowry, Emma's steward allowed the Danes under Sven Forkbeard to enter Exeter and sack the city the following year. In 1050 the seat of the bishopric, formed in 1032 from the bishoprics of Cornwall and Crediton, was transferred to Exeter and Leofric became the first bishop of the bishopric of Exeter. In 1068 the town was besieged by Norman troops of William the Conqueror, to whom it had refused to swear allegiance, and surrendered after 18 days. The Norman ruler had the fortress of Rougemont built here. However, the Bishop of Exeter also acted as a landowner and feudal lord, as mentioned in the Domesday Book. In the early stages of the civil war that broke out after the death of Henry I, Baldwin de Redvers held Exeter for three months in 1136 against King Stephen, but then surrendered. Henry II granted Exeter its first charter. In the 13th century, Exeter developed into the most important city in the southwest of England. It exported tin and cloth, among other things. From 1295 onwards, it sent representatives to the English Parliament. Exeter had to survive several more sieges, for example in 1467 during the Wars of the Roses, in 1497 by the pretender to the throne Perkin Warbeck and in 1549 by insurgents from Cornwall and Devon who rebelled against the religious reforms of Edward VI, while Exeter remained loyal to the king. During the English Civil War (1642-1649), Exeter was initially on the side of the supporters of Parliament, but was conquered by the Royalists in 1643 and held for King Charles I for almost three years. The "House That Moved" is a historic building, originally built in the late Middle Ages and relocated in 1961 when the entire street it was on was demolished to make way for a new bypass road. The house is half-timbered, with each floor jettied and projecting out further than the floor below, which was a common feature at the time.

According to legend, Canterbury was founded by Rudilibas in 900 BC and called Caerkent by the ancient Britons. From 43 AD, the Roman Durovernum Cantiacorum was built here and developed into an administrative centre. From 200 AD, the city was surrounded by city walls. Æthelberht of Kent, who ruled from 568 AD, made Canterbury his residence. After the Anglo-Saxons converted to Christianity, the city became the seat of the archbishop. In 842 and 851, Canterbury suffered great loss of life in Danish raids. In 1011, the city was besieged by a Viking army, culminating in the sack of the city. The people of Canterbury remembered this destruction and offered no resistance to the invasion of William the Conqueror in 1066. In 1363, during the Hundred Years' War, a commission found that the Roman wall had eroded due to dilapidation, stone theft and ditch filling. Between 1378 and 1402, the wall was virtually rebuilt and new wall towers added. In 1448, Canterbury was granted city charter, which gave the city a mayor and high sheriff. In the mid-16th century, many Huguenots, facing persecution fled and resettled. The first Huguenot church in Canterbury was founded around 1548. With the accession of Mary I, the Huguenot inhabitants of Canterbury were forced to flee in 1553, but after the accession of Elizabeth I, a number of Huguenots returned. In the 17th century, French-speaking Huguenots made up two-fifths of Canterbury's population. Canterbury was not only the starting point of the historic Via Francigena, which leads to Rome, but also the destination of many pilgrimages. One of these is described by Geoffrey Chaucer, author of "The Canterbury Tales". www.moattearooms.co.uk

Bourges had the Latin name Avaricum in ancient times. Here Caesar was victorious in 52 BC. against the rebellious Gauls under Vercingetorix in the Battle of Avaricum. The place was conquered, plundered and burned down after a lengthy siege. The then rebuilt town developed to the central place of the province of Aquitania. Belonging to the kingdom of the Visigoths since 478, Bourges passed into the possession of the Franks in 507. In 583 Bourges was conquered by Chilperic's armies and almost completely burned. Rebuilt under the Carolingians, Bourges was the seat of the County of Bourges from the 8th century. In 1101 Eudes Herpin mortgaged the Viscountship to King Philip I of France. As a result, Bourges became part of the French crown domain. From the 14th century it was the capital of the Duchy of Berry. 1412 took place in Bourges a comparison between King Charles VI. and the Duke John the Fearless of Burgundy. In 1464 Louis XI founded the University of Bourges. In 1562, during the Huguenot Wars, Montgomery conquered Bourges for the Huguenots, but had to vacate it again to the Duke of Guise. More half-timbered houses are near the Place Planchat. I have already uploaded many photos from previous visits. Now I only add a few.

Bourges had the Latin name Avaricum in ancient times. Here Caesar was victorious in 52 BC. against the rebellious Gauls under Vercingetorix in the Battle of Avaricum. The place was conquered, plundered and burned down after a lengthy siege. The then rebuilt town developed to the central place of the province of Aquitania. Belonging to the kingdom of the Visigoths since 478, Bourges passed into the possession of the Franks in 507. In 583 Bourges was conquered by Chilperic's armies and almost completely burned. Rebuilt under the Carolingians, Bourges was the seat of the County of Bourges from the 8th century. In 1101 Eudes Herpin mortgaged the Viscountship to King Philip I of France. As a result, Bourges became part of the French crown domain. From the 14th century it was the capital of the Duchy of Berry. 1412 took place in Bourges a comparison between King Charles VI. and the Duke John the Fearless of Burgundy. In 1464 Louis XI founded the University of Bourges. In 1562, during the Huguenot Wars, Montgomery conquered Bourges for the Huguenots, but had to vacate it again to the Duke of Guise. Place Gourdaine is one of the centers of the historic old town, surrounded by many half-timbered houses. I have already uploaded many photos from previous visits. Now I only add a few.

The origins of Göttingen lay in a village called "Gutingi", first mentioned in a document by Otto I in 953. It is presumed that Henry the Lion, Duke of Saxony and Bavaria, founded the town northwest of this village, between 1150 and 1200. Its inhabitants obeyed welfish ownership and ruling rights, and the first Göttingen burghers are mentioned then, indicating that Göttingen was already organized as a true city. It was not, however, a Free Imperial City ("Reichsstadt"), but subject to the Welf dukes of Brunswick-Lüneburg. The city was initially protected by ramparts, at the end of the 13th century by walls on top of the ramparts. Permission to erect the wall was granted in 1362 by Duke Ernst of Brunswick-Göttingen, and construction ultimately took 200 years.Around 1350, Göttingen joined the Hanseatic League. Göttingen only became a paying member in 1426, and in 1572 it left the Hanseatic League. The Reformation initially seemed to bypass Göttingen. Even when the Peasants' War raged through Germany in 1524/25, things remained quiet in Göttingen. It was not until 1529, twelve years after Luther posted his theses, that the Reformation began in Göttingen. Göttingen suffered greatly during the Thirty Years' War, which led to the city's economic and political decline. The number of inhabitants, which was still 6000 in 1400, fell to less than 3000 around 1680. The principality of Brunswick-Calenberg, to which Göttingen had belonged since 1634, was made an electorate by Emperor Leopold I in 1692 under Duke Ernst August. From 1714, the Electors of Brunswick-Lüneburg (Electoral Hanover) were also kings of Great Britain. Ernst August's son, Elector Georg Ludwig of Hanover, was to ascend the British throne as George I. Until then, the Electorate of Brunswick-Lüneburg had not had its own university. A university was founded in Göttingen to train the theologians, lawyers and doctors needed in the country. During the reign of George II August of Great Britain, who gave the university its name, teaching at the George August University was opened in 1734. This half-timbered house from 1585 is decorated with a large bear.

Pretzien is a district of Schönebeck (Elbe) on the east side of the Elbe. St. Thomas (ded. Thomas Becket) was built around 1140 by the Premonstratensian canons of Leitzkau as a single-nave Romanesque hall with a transverse western tower. In 1151, Margrave Albrecht the Bear donated the town and church of Pretzien to the monastery of Our Lady in Magdeburg. Later the church was furnished in a classical style, in 1769 the west tower was renewed, in 1796 a half-timbered tower with a baroque hood was added. In the 1970s, murals were discovered inside the church which were created around 1220. Unfortunately, the church was locked.

Pretzien is a district of Schönebeck (Elbe) on the east side of the Elbe. St. Thomas (ded. Thomas Becket) was built around 1140 by the Premonstratensian canons of Leitzkau as a single-nave Romanesque hall with a transverse western tower. In 1151, Margrave Albrecht the Bear donated the town and church of Pretzien to the monastery of Our Lady in Magdeburg. Later the church was furnished in a classical style, in 1769 the west tower was renewed, in 1796 a half-timbered tower with a baroque hood was added. In the 1970s, murals were discovered inside the church which were created around 1220. Unfortunately, the church was locked.

When Strasbourg was first mentioned in 12BC, it was the Roman camp Argentoratum. Strasbourg was probably a bishop's seat from the 4th century. Alemanni, Huns and Franks conquered the city in the 5th century. Strasbourg was then ruled by the Strasbourg bishops until 1262 when the citizens violently rebelled against the bishopric and Strasbourg became a free imperial city and so belonged to the Holy Roman Empire. Led by two rival patrician families (Müllheim and Zorn), the city prospered, although the town hall required two separate entrances for the two families. On February 14, 1349, one of the first and largest pogroms of persecution of Jews in connection with the plague in the German area took place here. In the course of the St. Valentine's Day massacre, several hundred (some say up to 3000) Jews were publicly burned, and the survivors were expelled from the city. Until the end of the 18th century, Jews were forbidden to stay within the city walls after 10 pm. Strasbourg came under French rule in 1681, after the conquest of Alsace by the armies of Louis XIV. However, the revocation of the Edict of Toleration of Nantes in 1685, which legalized the suppression of Protestantism in France, did not apply in Alsace, and religious freedom prevailed, even if the French authorities endeavored to favor Catholicism wherever possible. Strasbourg's Lutheran, German-influenced university continued to exist. Moreover, until 1789, Alsace was a de facto foreign province , separated from the rest of France by a customs border running along the Vosges Mountains. Therefore, the city and its surrounding area remained German-speaking. In the period of the French Revolution, the city became attractive for republicans from Germany and later an exile for German oppositionists. In the area around the cathedral there are many large half-timbered buildings.

When Strasbourg was first mentioned in 12BC, it was the Roman camp Argentoratum. Strasbourg was probably a bishop's seat from the 4th century. Alemanni, Huns and Franks conquered the city in the 5th century. Strasbourg was then ruled by the Strasbourg bishops until 1262 when the citizens violently rebelled against the bishopric and Strasbourg became a free imperial city and so belonged to the Holy Roman Empire. Led by two rival patrician families (Müllheim and Zorn), the city prospered, although the town hall required two separate entrances for the two families. On February 14, 1349, one of the first and largest pogroms of persecution of Jews in connection with the plague in the German area took place here. In the course of the St. Valentine's Day massacre, several hundred (some say up to 3000) Jews were publicly burned, and the survivors were expelled from the city. Until the end of the 18th century, Jews were forbidden to stay within the city walls after 10 pm. Strasbourg came under French rule in 1681, after the conquest of Alsace by the armies of Louis XIV. However, the revocation of the Edict of Toleration of Nantes in 1685, which legalized the suppression of Protestantism in France, did not apply in Alsace, and religious freedom prevailed, even if the French authorities endeavored to favor Catholicism wherever possible. Strasbourg's Lutheran, German-influenced university continued to exist. Moreover, until 1789, Alsace was a de facto foreign province , separated from the rest of France by a customs border running along the Vosges Mountains. Therefore, the city and its surrounding area remained German-speaking. In the period of the French Revolution, the city became attractive for republicans from Germany and later an exile for German oppositionists. In the area around the cathedral (in the background on the left) there are many large half-timbered buildings.

Louis the Pious founded the bishopric of Hildesheim in 815. The settlement developed into a town and was granted market rights by King Otto III in 983. Craftsmen and merchants were attracted and the city developed into an important community. By 1167, Hildesheim was an almost completely walled market settlement. At the beginning of the 13th century, Hildesheim had about 5,000 inhabitants, and when Hildesheim received its city charter in 1249, it was one of the largest cities in northern Germany. The clergy ruled Hildesheim for four centuries before a town hall was built and the citizens gained influence and independence. In 1367, Hildesheim became a member of the Hanseatic League. But what is now called Hildesheim was various small "suburbs". After centuries of (sometimes armed) disputes, it was not until the end of the 16th century that a union was created and subsequently at least the inner wall was taken down Old and New Town. During the Thirty Years' War, Hildesheim was besieged and occupied several times. In 1813, after the Napoleonic Wars, the town became part of the Kingdom of Hanover, which was annexed by the Kingdom of Prussia as a province after the Austro-Prussian War in 1866. The air raids on Hildesheim in 1944/45 destroyed large parts of the city. Of the 1500 half-timbered houses, only 200 remained. 90 percent of the historic old town was destroyed in the firestorm. - The "Umgestülte Zuckerhut" (Upended Sugarloaf) is a small half-timbered building characterized by bold projections on three facade fronts. The inverted conical shape, which widens upwards in the view, as a result, is said to be reminiscent of an upside-down sugar loaf. The reason for the unusual construction method was the utilization of a small plot of land. The first floor of the house has a floor area of only 17m², while the second floor has an area of 29m². The original half-timbered building had been built around 1510. It was destroyed during the air raid on Hildesheim on March 22, 1945. The 2009-2010 reconstruction of the Umgestülpter Zuckerhut was not limited to the exterior of the facades alone but included the complete carpentry construction.

Pärnu (Pernau) was founded by the Livonian Order, which began building an Ordensburg nearby in 1265. The latter town was a member of the Hanseatic League and an important ice-free harbour for Livonia. It had been in Swedish possession since the Livonian War in 1561 and experienced a period of cultural and economic prosperity. Sweden lost Livonia to the Russian Empire in 1710 following the Great Northern War. It belonged to the Imperial Russian Governorate of Livonia until 1917 when it was transferred to the short-lived Autonomous Governorate of Estonia. The town became part of independent Estonia in 1918 following WWI and the Estonian War of Independence. The city was occupied by the Soviet Red Army along with the rest of Estonia in 1940 during WW II. Pärnu continued as being part of the Estonian Soviet Socialist Republic from 1944 to 1991 when Estonia restored its independence. In 1838, the first bathing establishment opened its doors in Pärnu. In the following decades, a green belt with numerous parks was created on the site of the former fortress ring. Little by little, the town developed into a spa resort. This half-timbered house dates from 1740.

The town of Adenau, located in the Eifel, a mountain range stretching west to Belgium, is known since 992 when it was mentioned in a document by King Otto III under the name "Adenova". In 1162, Ulrich von Are donated his manor in Adenau to the Knights of St. John (Sovereign Military Order of Malta). Adenau thus became the third oldest branch of this order in Germany. Near Adenau (btw) is the Nuerburgring, known for F1 races and the festival "Rock am Ring". The large half-timbered house in the centre was built in 1630.

Meinberg (since 1970 part of Horn-Bad Meinberg) was first mentioned in 978. Meinberg is then mentioned as a spa in 1676, when Andreas von Keil (called "Cunaeus") recommends the water of the Meinberg "health well" . In 1762 Johann Erhard Trampel (1737-1817) was commissioned by Count Simon August to investigate the springs. Trampel then was the driving force behind the development of the farming village into a spa. He probably knew near Pyrmont (today Bad Pyrmont), that already had developed into a place where the "jet-set" of the time met, as there was already a casino. In 1767, Meinberg was officially designated a "health resort" by a decree of the count; in that year. Hotels had to be built to accommodate the guests. The historic spa park was laid out in 1770. Trampel´s successors laid the foundations for the mud spa, which proved to be a success but it took until 1900 to count 1000 spa guests in one season for the first time. The increasing numbers of spa guests led to a building boom i the late 1950s and again in the 1970s and 1980s, when three large spa clinics were built. In 1992, the number of spa guests reached its highest level with almost 38,000. Since then, due to the structural reform in the health care system, the numbers declined sharply, and at the end of the 1990s, the three spa clinics gradually closed. "Kurhotel zum Stern" was built between 1769 and 1783 and was originally named after Trampel, the early developer of the spa. It suffered from the decline in visitor numbers in the 1990s, was operated by Best Western for a while - and is now out pf operatiom since years.

Meinberg (since 1970 part of Horn-Bad Meinberg) was first mentioned in 978. Meinberg is then mentioned as a spa in 1676, when Andreas von Keil (called "Cunaeus") recommends the water of the Meinberg "health well" . In 1762 Johann Erhard Trampel (1737-1817) was commissioned by Count Simon August to investigate the springs. Trampel then was the driving force behind the development of the farming village into a spa. He probably knew near Pyrmont (today Bad Pyrmont), that already had developed into a place where the "jet-set" of the time met, as there was already a casino. In 1767, Meinberg was officially designated a "health resort" by a decree of the count; in that year. Hotels had to be built to accommodate the guests. The historic spa park was laid out in 1770. Trampel´s successors laid the foundations for the mud spa, which proved to be a success but it took until 1900 to count 1000 spa guests in one season for the first time. The increasing numbers of spa guests led to a building boom i the late 1950s and again in the 1970s and 1980s, when three large spa clinics were built. In 1992, the number of spa guests reached its highest level ever with almost 38,000. Since then, due to the structural reform in the health care system, the numbers declined sharply, and at the end of the 1990s, the three spa clinics gradually closed. The half-timbered house looks a bit run down. Carved into a beam above the door is the number "1610". Below (barely readable) "Alter Krug". So this was once a pub in which the men took the morning pint on Sundays after the church service (the church is in the backdrop). Perhaps the declining piety, in the end, led to the closure of the pub. On the left side of the building was a laundry - as there is the word "Wäscherei".

Meinberg (since 1970 part of Horn-Bad Meinberg) was first mentioned in 978. Meinberg is then mentioned as a spa in 1676, when Andreas von Keil (called "Cunaeus") recommends the water of the Meinberg "health well" . In 1762 Johann Erhard Trampel (1737-1817) was commissioned by Count Simon August to investigate the springs. Trampel then was the driving force behind the development of the farming village into a spa. He probably knew near Pyrmont (today Bad Pyrmont), that already had developed into a place where the "jet-set" of the time met, as there was already a casino. In 1767, Meinberg was officially designated a "health resort" by a decree of the count; in that year. Hotels had to be built to accommodate the guests. The historic spa park was laid out in 1770. Trampel´s successors laid the foundations for the mud spa, which proved to be a success but it took until 1900 to count 1000 spa guests in one season for the first time. The increasing numbers of spa guests led to a building boom i the late 1950s and again in the 1970s and 1980s, when three large spa clinics were built. In 1992, the number of spa guests reached its highest level ever with almost 38,000. Since then, due to the structural reform in the health care system, the numbers declined sharply, and at the end of the 1990s, the three spa clinics gradually closed. Behind this historic half-timbered facade is the "Rose Klinik", a modern rehabilitation clinic with more than 270 beds.

In medieval times the area around was fought for by different parties. In 1232 Konrad of Thuringia, brother in law of Saint Elisabeth, had a fortified complex built here, that dominated the entire middle valley of the Eder river. There were a castle and an ecclesiastical area. Immediately the city was built with a large marketplace. It was obviously planned to have a strong bastion and to take advantage of the favourable traffic conditions. The inhabitants of the new town were composed of the inhabitants of the surrounding villages and hamlets, who were resettled or voluntarily left their old homes. Frankenberg was soon surrounded by a mighty wall. Of the 25 towers and gates of the old town, only one still exists, the five city gates have disappeared. The Town Hall of Frankenberg (Rathaus) is located right in the historic centre of the city. The first town hall here was demolished in 1421, the successor burnt down in 1476. The third town hall building, which is preserved today, was built from 1509 to 1513.

A first chapel was mentioned in Sassenhausen in 1585. Following the inscription over the present Protestant chapel´s door, the building was built by the carpenter Mannus Ritessel in 1703. The building is a "school chapel". School and church were united under one roof, as a part of the interior was separated by a wall and the resulting space served as a school room.

A first chapel was mentioned in Sassenhausen in 1585. Following the inscription over the present Protestant chapel´s door, the building was built by the carpenter Mannus Ritessel in 1703. The building is a "school chapel". School and church were united under one roof, as a part of the interior was separated by a wall and the resulting space served as a school room.