Martin M. Miles' photos with the keyword: Gerhard Marcks

The area around Lübeck, today a large city with a population of more than 200,000, had been settled by Slavs since the 7th century. Slavs had a settlement north of the present city called "Liubice", which was razed by the pagan Rani tribe in 1128. 15 years later Adolf II, Count of Schauenburg and Holstein, founded the modern town as a German settlement on the river island of Bucu. He built a new castle, first mentioned as existing in 1147. Adolf II had to cede the castle to the Duke of Saxony, Henry the Lion, in 1158. After Henry's fall from power in 1181, the town became an Imperial city. Emperor Barbarossa ordained that the city should have a ruling council of 20 members. With the council dominated by merchants, trade interests shaped Lübeck's politics for centuries. In the 14th century, Lübeck became the "Queen of the Hanseatic League", being by far the largest and most powerful member of that medieval trade organization. In 1375, Emperor Charles IV named Lübeck one of the five "Glories of the Empire", a title shared with Venice, Rome, Pisa, and Florence. Conflicts about trading privileges resulted in fighting between Lübeck (with the Hanseatic League) and Denmark and Norway – with varying outcome. While Lübeck and the Hanseatic League prevailed in conflicts in 1435 and 1512, Lübeck lost when it became involved in a civil war that raged in Denmark from 1534 to 1536. From then on Lübeck's power slowly declined. The city remained neutral in the Thirty Years' War, but the devastation from the decades-long war and the new transatlantic orientation of European trade caused the Hanseatic League – and thus Lübeck with it – to decline in importance. However, Lübeck still remained an important trading town on the Baltic Sea. In 1160 Henry the Lion moved the bishopric of Oldenburg to Lübeck and endowed a cathedral chapter. In 1163 a wooden church was built, however, at the beginning of the 13th century, it was no longer sufficient to meet the representative demands of the self-confident burghers. St. Marien was built 1250 - 1350. It has always been a symbol of the power and prosperity of the Hanseatic city. It situated at the highest point of the island that forms the old town. Gothic cathedrals in France and Flanders made of natural stone were the models for the new construction of Lübeck's three-nave basilica. St. Marien epitomizes North German "Brick Gothic" and set the standard for many churches in the Baltic region. The church embodied the towering style of Gothic architecture using brick. The incentive for the City Council to undertake such an enormous project was rooted in the bitter dispute with the Lübeck bishopric. As a symbol of the long-distance merchants' desire for freedom and the secular power of the city, which had been free of the Empire since 1226, the church building in the immediate vicinity of Lübeck's city hall and the market square was intended to clearly and uncatchably surpass in size the city's bishop's church, Lübeck Cathedral. The large crucifix is the work of the German artist Gerhard Marcks (1889 - 1981), who was one of the Bauhaus masters in the 1920s.

Aachen, the westernmost city in Germany. Due to its numerous thermal springs, Aachen has been a bathing and spa town since ancient times. Even the Romans used the hot springs to run spas. Pepin the Short had a castle residence built in the town, due to the proximity of the hot springs and also for strategic reasons between the Rhineland and northern France. Charlemagne´s coronation as king of the Franks took place here in 768. Aachen became the preferred Imperial residence of Emperor Charlemagne. He spent most winters in Aachen between 792 and his death in 814. - The theatre is the successor of Aachen's first public theatre, the former "Altes Komödienhaus" ("Old Comedy House") at the Katschhof erected in 1751. The neoclassical building, designed by Karl Friedrich Schinkel and Johann Peter Cremer on Aachen's Kapuzinergraben, opened on May 15, 1825. During WWII the theatre was largely destroyed. The reconstruction in the old style started after the war - and the theatre was reopened already in December 1951. The large horse to the right is a work of Gerhard Marcks. It is named "Fröhlicher Hengst" (Happy Stallion). Aachen has traditional connections to the equestrian sport and is home to the yearly international horse show CHIO (Concours Hippique International Officiel).

Cologne is the fourth-largest city in Germany - and one of the oldest. A Germanic tribe, the Ubii, had a settlement here, this was named by the Romans "Oppidum Ubiorum". In 50 AD, the Romans founded "Colonia Claudia Ara Agrippinensium", the city then became the provincial capital of "Germania Inferior". The "Kölner Kartause", a Carthusian monastery was founded in 1334 by Walram of Jülich here. At that time more than 100 Carthusian monasteries existed in Europe, but this was the first in the town, where Saint Bruno, founder of the Order was born. The monastery developed into the largest Carthusian convent in Germany and existed until 1794, when the invading French troops forcibly dissolved it. After WWII, the mostly destroyed complex got rebuilt. The church, erected mid 14th century and dedicated to St. Barbara, was open now. The church is as well a testimony of the long-lasting friendship between two well known German artists. Gerhard Marcks (Bauhaus master) created the baptismal font and the altar cross and Charles Crodel (member of the Berlin Secession) designed the stained glass windows.

Cologne is the fourth-largest city in Germany - and one of the oldest. A Germanic tribe, the Ubii, had a settlement here, this was named by the Romans "Oppidum Ubiorum". In 50 AD, the Romans founded "Colonia Claudia Ara Agrippinensium", the city then became the provincial capital of "Germania Inferior". The "Kölner Kartause", a Carthusian monastery was founded in 1334 by Walram of Jülich here. At that time more than 100 Carthusian monasteries existed in Europe, but this was the first in the town, where Saint Bruno, founder of the Order was born. The monastery developed into the largest Carthusian convent in Germany and existed until 1794, when the invading French troops forcibly dissolved it. After WWII, the mostly destroyed complex got rebuilt. The church, erected mid 14th century and dedicated to St. Barbara, was open now. The church is as well a testimony of the long-lasting friendship between two well known German artists. Gerhard Marcks (Bauhaus master) created the baptismal font and the altar cross and Charles Cordel (member of the Berlin Secession) designed the stained glass windows.