Categories
Railways

Talent 2 at railway station Halle (Saale)

Talent 2 at the railway station of Halle (Saale), Germany

The Talent 2 is a multiple unit railcar manufactured by Bombardier Transportation. The first trains were produced in 2008. The design of the cab ends made German people to call this type of train Hamsterbacke (hamster cheek). The depicted train is run by the S-Bahn Mitteldeutschland.

Categories
Museums

Handel House in Halle (Saale)

Room 'Under the Sun of Arcadia' in the Handel House of Halle (Saale), Germany

“Under the Sun of Arcadia” – one of several rooms at the Handel House (Händelhaus) in Halle. The magical atmosphere of the room refers to the idea that George Frideric Handel (Georg Friedrich Händel) wrote many of his compositions under an arbour in Italy.

Categories
Churches

Cathedral of Halle (Saale)

Cathedral of Halle in Saxony-Anhalt, Germany

The church was constructed by the mendicant order of the Franciscans. That explains why there is no tower. The lovely gables were added by Cardinal Albert of Brandenburg. Even though the building is called a Dom it isn’t a cathedral.

Categories
Architecture

German Federal Cultural Foundation in Halle (Saale)

Headquarter of the German Federal Cultural Foundation in Halle (Saale), Germany

Right next to the buildings of the Francke Foundations I came across this fascinating architecture. It’s the headquarter of the German Federal Cultural Foundation (Kulturstiftung des Bundes). The purpose of this foundation is to promote and fund art and culture within the framework of federal responsibility.

Categories
Museums

Beatles Museum in Halle (Saale)

Beatles Museum in Halle (Saale), Germany

The Beatles Museum in Halle (Saale) shows the history of the Beatles from the foundation of the band in 1960 up to their break in 1970. It also displays material about their solo careers after 1970. The museum is located in a Baroque building errected in 1708.

Categories
Coat of Arms Manhole Covers

Manhole cover in Halle (Saale)

Manhole cover in Halle (Saale), Germany

This manhole cover in Halle (Saale) displays the coat of arms of the city. The city arms of Halle consist of a moon between two stars of different size. The colour of these symbols is red, the ground is silver.

Categories
Museums Traditions

Lance for water jousting in Halle (Saale)

Lance for water jousting in Halle (Saale), Germany

This showcase at the Hallors and Saline Museum in Halle (Saale) displays the costume of a Hallor with its typical 18 buttons and a lance. Such lances are still in use for the traditional  water joustings one can experience e.g. during the lantern festival of Halle (Hallesches Laternenfest).

Categories
Ships

Cruise vessel ‘Fröhliche Dörte’ (1888)

Cruise vessel 'Fröhliche Dörte' (1888) on the river Unstrut in Saxony-Anhalt, Germany

This cruise vessel named ‘MS Fröhliche Dörte’ was built in 1888. Today it is run by the Saale-Unstrut Schiffahrtsgesellschaft mbH and drives up and down the river Unstrut between Freyburg and Naumburg.

Categories
Castles

Neuenburg Castle high over Freyburg (Unstrut)

Neuenburg Castle high over Freyburg (Unstrut), GermanyNeuenburg Castle (Schloss Neuenburg) located in the wine-growing area of Saale-Unstrut houses among others a wine museum. This photo was taken while enjoying a boat trip on the river Unstrut.

Categories
Wining

Wine-growing area of Saale-Unstrut in Saxony-Anhalt

Vineyards in the Saale-Unstrut region of Saxony-Anhalt, Germany

While travelling through the wine-growing area of Saale-Unstrut one can see a lot of steep terraces with centuries-old dry walls and romantic vineyard cottages. The region is open for many kinds of movement: Hiking, cycling and even canoeing.

Categories
Wining

Wine barrel at the Rotkäppchen winery in Freyburg

Wine cask for 120,000 l at the Rotkäppchen vinery in Freyburg (Unstrut), Germany

In the historic sparkling wine cellars of the Rotkäppchen winery in Freyburg (Unstrut) there is a huge wine cask for the cuvée. The barrel was built in 1897 and has a capacity of 120,000 litres.

Categories
Plants

Cork oak at the Rotkäppchen winery in Freyburg

Cork oak at the Rotkäppchen winery in Freyburg (Unstrut), GermanyIn the splendid staircase well of the administration building a piece of cork oak (quercus suber) is displayed. So people joining a guided tour through the historic sparkling wine cellars of the Rotkäppchen winery get an impression from which tree the sparkling wine corks are made.