Martin M. Miles' photos with the keyword: Bernt Notke

Tallinn, the capital city of Estonia, is situated on the shore of the Gulf of Finland of the Baltic Sea. It is only 80 kilometres south of Helsinki. From the 13th century until the first half of the 20th century Tallinn was known as Reval. The first recorded claim over the place was laid by Denmark after a raid in 1219 led by Valdemar II. In 1227, the Order of the Brothers of the Sword conquered Reval and three years later recruited 200 Westphalian and Lower Saxon merchants from Gotland, who settled below the castle and were granted freedom of customs and land. In 1238 Reval fell back to Denmark, Under renewed Danish rule, the city rapidly grew in size and economic importance. In 1248, the Danish king granted it the Lübische Stadtrecht (town charter). Due to the strategic location, its port became a significant trade hub, especially in the 14–16th centuries when Tallinn grew in importance as the northernmost member city of the Hanseatic League. The king of Denmark sold Reval along with other land possessions in northern Estonia to the Teutonic Knights in 1346. The Püha Vaimu kirik (Church of the Holy Spirit) is mentioned in written sources for the first time in 1319. The church was part of a greater almshouse complex and dedicated to the Holy Ghost. In 1630, the tower received its current appearance, which however is a reconstruction as the tower was ravaged by fire in 2002. The two-nave church was the first church in Estonia where services were held in Estonian, and in 1535 the first excerpts of the Catechism were printed here in Estonian. The church has a remarkable main altar, a work by the Kübeck master Bernt Notke. The triptych dates from 1483 and depicts, on the central panel, the descent of the Holy Ghost on the twelve apostles at Pentecost.

Tallinn, the capital city of Estonia, is situated on the shore of the Gulf of Finland of the Baltic Sea. It is only 80 kilometres south of Helsinki. From the 13th century until the first half of the 20th century Tallinn was known as Reval. The first recorded claim over the place was laid by Denmark after a raid in 1219 led by Valdemar II. In 1227, the Order of the Brothers of the Sword conquered Reval and three years later recruited 200 Westphalian and Lower Saxon merchants from Gotland, who settled below the castle and were granted freedom of customs and land. In 1238 Reval fell back to Denmark, Under renewed Danish rule, the city rapidly grew in size and economic importance. In 1248, the Danish king granted it the Lübische Stadtrecht (town charter). Due to the strategic location, its port became a significant trade hub, especially in the 14–16th centuries when Tallinn grew in importance as the northernmost member city of the Hanseatic League. The king of Denmark sold Reval along with other land possessions in northern Estonia to the Teutonic Knights in 1346. The "Niguliste kirik" (St. Nicholas Church) was founded and built around 1230–1275 by Westphalian merchants. In 1405–1420 the church obtained its current late Gothic appearance. In 1515 the tower was built higher and in late 17th century, it got a Baroque spire with airy galleries, which was raised higher stage by stage through several centuries. The tower is now 105 metres (344.5 ft) high. Saint Nicholas was the only church in Tallinn that remained untouched by iconoclasm brought by the Protestant Reformation in 1523. The church was converted to a Lutheran congregation in the 16th century. In 1944, the church was severely damaged by bombing. The resulting fire turned the church into ruins and destroyed most of its interior. Most art treasures survived thanks to their timely evacuation from the church. The renovation of the church started in 1953 and was completely finished in 1981. The church tower was again damaged by a fire in October 1982. The tower was burnt out. After a restoration the church was inaugurated in 1984 as a museum and concert hall. The icon Dance of Death / Danse macabre got popular under the impression of the Black Death. The first one may have been created in the abbey of La Chaise-Dieu (Auvergne) around 1410. Soon later similar murals were done in Paris (1424), Basel (1439) and Lübeck (1460). The "Lübecker Totentanz" is attributed to Bernt Notke. The frieze extended as a continuous picture wall over a length of almost 30 metres. The fragment of the Lübeck Dance of Death in Tallinn still shows 13 figures today. Researchers have long argued about its origin. Today, however, the consensus is that this is the fragment of a later (around 1500) replica made by Notke himself for Tallinn. In Lübeck, the Dance of Death was in such poor condition in 1701 that a copy was made. This was destroyed by fire caused by bombs during WWII.

Tallinn, the capital city of Estonia, is situated on the shore of the Gulf of Finland of the Baltic Sea. It is only 80 kilometres south of Helsinki. From the 13th century until the first half of the 20th century Tallinn was known as Reval. The first recorded claim over the place was laid by Denmark after a raid in 1219 led by Valdemar II. In 1227, the Order of the Brothers of the Sword conquered Reval and three years later recruited 200 Westphalian and Lower Saxon merchants from Gotland, who settled below the castle and were granted freedom of customs and land. In 1238 Reval fell back to Denmark, Under renewed Danish rule, the city rapidly grew in size and economic importance. In 1248, the Danish king granted it the Lübische Stadtrecht (town charter). Due to the strategic location, its port became a significant trade hub, especially in the 14–16th centuries when Tallinn grew in importance as the northernmost member city of the Hanseatic League. The king of Denmark sold Reval along with other land possessions in northern Estonia to the Teutonic Knights in 1346. The "Niguliste kirik" (St. Nicholas Church) was founded and built around 1230–1275 by Westphalian merchants. In 1405–1420 the church obtained its current late Gothic appearance. In 1515 the tower was built higher and in late 17th century, it got a Baroque spire with airy galleries, which was raised higher stage by stage through several centuries. The tower is now 105 metres (344.5 ft) high. Saint Nicholas was the only church in Tallinn that remained untouched by iconoclasm brought by the Protestant Reformation in 1523. The church was converted to a Lutheran congregation in the 16th century. In 1944, the church was severely damaged by bombing. The resulting fire turned the church into ruins and destroyed most of its interior. Most art treasures survived thanks to their timely evacuation from the church. The renovation of the church started in 1953 and was completely finished in 1981. The church tower was again damaged by a fire in October 1982. The tower was burnt out. After a restoration the church was inaugurated in 1984 as a museum and concert hall. The icon Dance of Death / Danse macabre got popular under the impression of the Black Death. The first one may have been created in the abbey of La Chaise-Dieu (Auvergne) around 1410. Soon later similar murals were done in Paris (1424), Basel (1439) and Lübeck (1460). The "Lübecker Totentanz" is attributed to Bernt Notke. The frieze extended as a continuous picture wall over a length of almost 30 metres. The fragment of the Lübeck Dance of Death in Tallinn still shows 13 figures today. Researchers have long argued about its origin. Today, however, the consensus is that this is the fragment of a later (around 1500) replica made by Notke himself for Tallinn. In Lübeck, the Dance of Death was in such poor condition in 1701 that a copy was made. This was destroyed by fire caused by bombs during WWII.

Mölln is a small town (pop. ~20.000) surrounded by lakes. It was founded in the 12th century by Knight Konrad Wackerbarth by resettling Slavic peasants into today's Old Mölln. Around 1210, the settlement got the first fortifications. First time mentioned was the village 1188 in Barbarossa's privilege for Lübeck. Mölln fell to Denmark in 1201 and was granted "Lübische Stadtrecht" (town charter) by King Waldemar II. 25 years later Mölln fell to the Duke of Saxe-Lauenburg in 1227. In 1230 Mölln was mentioned as the youngest parish in the Ratzeburg tithe register. The church, which was probably built around this time, was placed under the patrocinium of St. Nicholas. Mölln was important due to the Old Salt Route, through which the salt produced in the salt mines of Lüneburg was shipped to the harbour of Lübeck. Although situated in the midst of the duchy of Lauenburg, the town was mortgaged to the Hanseatic town of Lübeck, which ruled Mölln from 1359 to 1683. St. Nicolai, the parish church, is located on the highest point, overlooking the town and the seas around. The construction started probably at the end of the 12th century. The oldest parts can be attributed to the Brick Romanesque period, the south nave to the Brick Gothic period. The choir room was probably finished around 1217, when the Bishop of Ratzeburg held his first synod here. In the 15th century, the church underwent alterations: in 1470/71, the south nave was extended and in 1497, the present baptistery and the sacristy were added. The triumphal cross is attributed to the workshop of Bernt Notke and dates from 1501.

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. The "Dom zu Lübeck" (Lübeck Cathedral) is around 130 meters long, one of the longest brick churches. In 1173, Henry the Lion laid the foundation stone of the cathedral as a cathedral for the bishopric of Lübeck. The then Romanesque cathedral was completed in about 1230 and rebuilt into a Gothic hall church between 1266 and 1335. At the same time the lengthening of the structure was done by erecting the pure Gothic east choir, completed in 1341 The length of the cathedral was doubled. Until the Reformation, the cathedral chapter was under the control of the bishop. After the Reformation, the cathedral became the joint property of the city and the cathedral chapter until 1803, when it became the sole property of the city with the dissolution of the cathedral chapter. The adjoining monastery became the site of the Museum am Dom at the end of the 19th century. After the heavy air raid on Lübeck on March 28-29, 1942, the eastern vault in the high choir collapsed, destroying the high altar from 1696. The fire in the neighbouring cathedral museum spread to the cathedral's roof truss. The next day the spires of the tower collapsed. As a result of the war, the unsecured gable of the northern transept collapsed in 1946. Reconstruction took several decades, as priorities here tended to be the rebuilding of Lübeck's Marienkirche. The reconstruction was finally completed in 1982. The three-bay rood screen is another a work of Bernt Notke. He created it together with the triumphal cross above it (1477). It was a donation of Lübeck´s mayor Andreas Geverde, modelled after the rood screen in Magdeburg Cathedral, Geverde's original hometown. The four statues depict the cathedral's patrons: St. Nicholas, St. Mary, St. John the Baptist and St. Blasius. The large clock on the other end was created in 1628 by Andreas Polleke and Michael Sommer. In 2020 the clock got renovated and the moon was gilded again.

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. The "Dom zu Lübeck" (Lübeck Cathedral) is around 130 meters long, one of the longest brick churches. In 1173, Henry the Lion laid the foundation stone of the cathedral as a cathedral for the bishopric of Lübeck. The then Romanesque cathedral was completed in about 1230 and rebuilt into a Gothic hall church between 1266 and 1335. At the same time the lengthening of the structure was done by erecting the pure Gothic east choir, completed in 1341 The length of the cathedral was doubled. Until the Reformation, the cathedral chapter was under the control of the bishop. After the Reformation, the cathedral became the joint property of the city and the cathedral chapter until 1803, when it became the sole property of the city with the dissolution of the cathedral chapter. The adjoining monastery became the site of the Museum am Dom at the end of the 19th century. After the heavy air raid on Lübeck on March 28-29, 1942, the eastern vault in the high choir collapsed, destroying the high altar from 1696. The fire in the neighboring cathedral museum spread to the cathedral's roof truss. Next day the spires of the tower collapsed. As a result of the war, the unsecured gable of the northern transept collapsed in 1946. Reconstruction took several decades, as priorities here tended to be the rebuilding of Lübeck's Marienkirche. The reconstruction was finally completed in 1982. The striking 17-meter high triumphal cross by the Lübeck artist Bernt Notke, dominates the nave. Bernt Notke (~ 1435 - 1509) was probably one of the foremost artists of his time in northern Europe. One of his main works was the "Totentanz" (Danse Macabre) in St. Marien, was destroyed, during the allied bombing of Lübeck in 1942. This Triumphal Cross got damaged but survived the war. During a restoration in the 1970s a workshop note of Bernt Notke was found inside a finger. The cross was donated to the cathedral by the Lübeck bishop Albert II. Krummendiek. The donor of the Lübeck Bishop Albert II. Krummendiek (right), Maria Magdalena (left). The centuries-old gossip says that Mariy Magdalena looks exactly like the bishop's mistress.

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. The "Dom zu Lübeck" (Lübeck Cathedral) is around 130 meters long, one of the longest brick churches. In 1173, Henry the Lion laid the foundation stone of the cathedral as a cathedral for the bishopric of Lübeck. The then Romanesque cathedral was completed in about 1230 and rebuilt into a Gothic hall church between 1266 and 1335. At the same time the lengthening of the structure was done by erecting the pure Gothic east choir, completed in 1341 The length of the cathedral was doubled. Until the Reformation, the cathedral chapter was under the control of the bishop. After the Reformation, the cathedral became the joint property of the city and the cathedral chapter until 1803, when it became the sole property of the city with the dissolution of the cathedral chapter. The adjoining monastery became the site of the Museum am Dom at the end of the 19th century. After the heavy air raid on Lübeck on March 28-29, 1942, the eastern vault in the high choir collapsed, destroying the high altar from 1696. The fire in the neighboring cathedral museum spread to the cathedral's roof truss. Next day the spires of the tower collapsed. As a result of the war, the unsecured gable of the northern transept collapsed in 1946. Reconstruction took several decades, as priorities here tended to be the rebuilding of Lübeck's Marienkirche. The reconstruction was finally completed in 1982. The striking 17-meter high triumphal cross by the Lübeck artist Bernt Notke, dominates the nave. Bernt Notke (~ 1435 - 1509) was probably one of the foremost artists of his time in northern Europe. One of his main works was the "Totentanz" (Danse Macabre) in St. Marien, was destroyed, during the allied bombing of Lübeck in 1942. This Triumphal Cross got damaged but survived the war. During a restoration in the 1970s a workshop note of Bernt Notke was found inside a finger. The cross was donated to the cathedral by the Lübeck bishop Albert II. Krummendiek. He is depicted among the sculptures on the triumphal cross as a donor. According to legend, Mary Magdalene looks like his mistress. A detail.

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. The "Dom zu Lübeck" (Lübeck Cathedral) is around 130 meters long, one of the longest brick churches. In 1173, Henry the Lion laid the foundation stone of the cathedral as a cathedral for the bishopric of Lübeck. The then Romanesque cathedral was completed in about 1230 and rebuilt into a Gothic hall church between 1266 and 1335. At the same time the lengthening of the structure was done by erecting the pure Gothic east choir, completed in 1341 The length of the cathedral was doubled. Until the Reformation, the cathedral chapter was under the control of the bishop. After the Reformation, the cathedral became the joint property of the city and the cathedral chapter until 1803, when it became the sole property of the city with the dissolution of the cathedral chapter. The adjoining monastery became the site of the Museum am Dom at the end of the 19th century. After the heavy air raid on Lübeck on March 28-29, 1942, the eastern vault in the high choir collapsed, destroying the high altar from 1696. The fire in the neighboring cathedral museum spread to the cathedral's roof truss. Next day the spires of the tower collapsed. As a result of the war, the unsecured gable of the northern transept collapsed in 1946. Reconstruction took several decades, as priorities here tended to be the rebuilding of Lübeck's Marienkirche. The reconstruction was finally completed in 1982. The striking 17-meter high triumphal cross by the Lübeck artist Bernt Notke, dominates the nave. Bernt Notke (~ 1435 - 1509) was probably one of the foremost artists of his time in northern Europe. One of his main works was the "Totentanz" (Danse Macabre) in St. Marien, was destroyed, during the allied bombing of Lübeck in 1942. This Triumphal Cross got damaged but survived the war. During a restoration in the 1970s a workshop note of Bernt Notke was found inside a finger. The cross was donated to the cathedral by the Lübeck bishop Albert II. Krummendiek. He is depicted among the sculptures on the triumphal cross as a donor. According to legend, Mary Magdalene looks like his mistress.