Category: Culture in a Type Case

We stayed in Regensburg for two days. Regensburg is one of the oldest cities in Germany. Archaeological research has proven that the Romans used Regensburg as a military base during their reign in Bavaria which can still be seen in some architecture throughout the city. In the early medieval times, Regensburg belonged to the Dukes of the house of Agilofings but Charlemagne discharged the last Duke Tassilo III. in 763. Furthermore, Regensburg used to be a very wealthy city since the “Steinerne Brücke” (“stone- brigde”), which was built in the 12^th century, was an important trade junction for commercial goods in Europe. In the 13^th century, Regensburg became independent from the Bavarian dukedom and became a free and independent city of the Holy Roman Empire. Sadly, Regensburg started to lose its importance in the early 14^th century.

On our first day, we had a guided tour through the city. Our guide Monica showed us some of the Roman remains, as well as other interesting historical and architectural sights. For us, walking through the city accompanied by her, was one of our highlights because it was very authentic and educational. In addition, she showed us the World Heritage Center which has no entrance fee and people can learn about Regensburg`s history and why Regensburg is part of the world heritage. We can recommend the exhibition, because it is designed in a very interactive way and apart from that, it is easy to get there, since it is on one side of the “Steinerne Brücke”.

On our second day, we visited the museum “Haus der bayerischen Geschichte” (Museum of the Bavarian history) which presents a very interesting exhibition of Bavarian history from the 18^th century till today. Afterwards, we visited the “Walhalla” which was founded by King Ludwig I. of Bavaria in 1842. It was built to show the most iconic Germans or people who had a great impact on German culture, such as Immanuel Kant, Friedrich Schiller or Johann Wolfgang von Goethe. Until today it is updated continuously, and you will find people like Sophie Scholl among many others.

Regensburg is definitely a place you should visit because its history is visible and noticeable everywhere in the city and besides its Roman origins and Bavarian history, the architecture itself is worth it.

Bordeaux is a city located at the southwest Atlantic coast of France. It is known for its famous wine and very tasty food. Furthermore, the city offers a lot of cultural and architectural sights and monuments. As an icing of the cake, the historical part of the city (“Vieux Bordeaux”) is part of the UNESCO world heritage. The city`s nickname “Porte de la Luna” (“Port of the moon”) is a reference due to its location in a semicircular riverbank.

Most of the time while visiting Bordeaux, we walked through the old town because by doing so, you are able to see many beautiful sights and little, historical streets can be spotted around almost very corner. In our travel guide we found a tour around the old town which is called the “Renaissance walk”.  We enjoyed every minute of it! When doing the tour, you come across many old Renaissance buildings which have been important in the last centuries. We saw beautiful churches such as the Basilica “Saint Michel” and even the town houses made us feel as if we were walking through Bordeaux in Medieval times.

As we have already mentioned, Bordeaux is a very old city. Its development began 2300 years ago when a Celtic settlement originated there. After the Roman conquest , Bordeaux functioned as a granary for the Roman Empire. Probably, the Romans  brought wine and wine-growing culture to Bordeaux. In medieval times, Bordeaux was part of the duchy “Aquitanien” which belonged to England for a few centuries since Duchess Eleonore of Aquitanien married the English Prince Henry who later became Henry II. of England. Under her reign, Bordeaux had its second blossoming. Until today, Eleonore is supposed to be one of the most fascinating medieval female personalities.

One of Bordeaux’s most significant sights is St. Andre Cathedral. The cathedral is a must-see, first because it is one of the oldest cathedrals in France and secondly because of its striking beauty since it is covered with an amazing white stone façade. We can truly say that St. Andre Cathedral was one of the most beautiful buildings we have seen while travelling.

 

Besides the outstanding architecture, we visited a few museums as well. Our favorite museum was “La Cité du Vin” – The Wine Museum. Its permanent exhibition explains how wine grows and how it is finally made tasteful. It is a very modern exhibition where you can learn about wine by smelling, listening and seeing. In addition, you learn about the history of winemaking and its cultural impact. The exhibition is very interactive and it is fun for young and old. We can highly recommend a visit there.

All in all, our trip to Bordeaux was exciting, wonderful and full of new and interesting figures and facts. We definitely enjoyed every single minute of it.

Vienna in three days promised to be a sensational short trip. First of all, we were very excited because of its striking history and, as a culinary icing of the cake, we were definitely looking forward to visit one of Viennese coffee houses to taste a piece of Sacher cake. Besides the tasty Austrian food, Vienna’s architecture is a must-see as well. Beautiful art-noveau buildings and splendid boulevards invite the visitor to stroll around the city. Furthermore, the atmosphere in Vienna is amazing. The people are friendly and helpful and although Vienna is rich in history, the city is very dynamic and offers many cultural programs for young people. Besides an outstanding nightlife, we wanted to see as many historic sights as possible. We started our first day with a walk around the Hofburg where we crossed the Josephplatz and the Heldenplatz. After a short break at the Palmengarten Café, where we had a cup of the famous Wiener Melange and a piece of Sacher cake, we visited the Sissi Museum and the Kaiserappartements in the Hofburg.

Both exhibitions tell the story of Empress Elisabeth “Sissi” of Austria who is one of the most famous Habsburgs although she originates from the house Wittelsbach in Bavaria. Up to now “Sissi” is known for her beauty and a lot of movies about her life and her marriage to Emperor Franz Joseph I. were made within the last sixty years. In the exhibition, visitors can marvel at some of her dresses and learn about her life in Bavaria as well as her reign in Austria and Hungary.

After our “Sissi – filled” morning, we visited the Stephansdom and the Kunsthistorische Museum (art-history museum) which we can highly recommend. Although it is a bit outdated, it is worth visiting, since many famous paintings are presented in the picture gallery. In addition, the Egyptian collection is definitely another highlight, depicting Egyptian history from 2200 B.C. until 300 B.C.

On our second day we visited Schloss Schönbrunn which used to be the summer residence of the royal family and is also known as the “Austrian Versailles”. It is a very beautiful and opulent palace where you can still see and feel the wealth and the power of the former Habsburg dynasty.

Finally we have to admit that our trip to Vienna was a bit hectic because we wanted to see as much as possible in only three days, but we will definitely come back for a longer stay since we fell in love with this beautiful, historical city and, of course, we need some more Wiener Melange and Sachertorte.

For our first stop during our travels we visited Bamberg which is a small town in Bavaria. A lot of cultural and architectural sights are found there including world heritage. Especially the old town with its medieval and baroque buildings are worth a visit. You can stroll through the streets and around every corner are new, lovely and spectacular things to discover. When you walk through Bambergs old town you should look out for the little streets and alleys. A lot of wonderful small architectural details are to be found.

The world heritage center in Bamberg is a must-see. In its exhibition Bambergs’ material and immaterial cultural heritage are explained. Futhermore the exhibition is designed very interactive and with easy to understand information for young and old. Also two young women who take a voluntary year gave us a guided tour around Bamberg and showed us its most beautiful spots and sights. We visited the cathedrale which was founded by emperor Henry II. and his wife and empress Kunigunde. We not only saw the material world heritage but we also learned that Bamberg has immaterial culture such as smoked beer or liquorice which was a very important commodity for many centuries. Altogether Bamberg has 1340 monuments which is a variety of churchs, palaces or other architectural sights. Besides the cathedral we also visited the Rosegarden or the Obere Pfarre. The Obere Pfarre is a very beautiful catholic church which is firstly namend in an document in 1140.

During our visit we not only saw the old town and the sights but we also went to a lot of Museums Bamberg has to offer. Our Highlight was the Gärtner- und Heckermuseum which is a very small museum but its exhibition is made with love and care and is resident in an old house form the 18. Century which belonged to gardener family. Today it tells the story of living and working as such a family. In the backyard is a very gorgeous garden filled with flowers, herbs and vegetables. We can recommend a visit there.

All in all Bamberg is a very beautiful town with a great variety of cultural sights and immaterial culture and is definitely worth a visit.