Though I love to visit writers’ houses, I only recently trekked out to Western Paris to the neighborhood that was once a smaller village, Passy, to visit La Maison de Balzac. Balzac moved into this house in 1840 under a pseudonym, Monsieur de Breugnol, in order to evade creditors. It sort of feels like it. […]
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Nydeggkirche, Bern, Switzerland
This attractive steeple outside Bern’s city center, near the river, caught my eye. The Nydeggkirche marks the original site of Nydegg Castle, which was built in 1150 by Duke Berchtold V. von Zähringen right before he ordered the city of Bern to be built. From here, the duke oversaw Bern’s construction. In true real estate […]
Berner Münster
After the Zytglogge, this late-Gothic church gets the most attention in Bern. Its spire is the highest in Switzerland and the portal, which has 234 colored depictions of the Last Judgment, is its most famous feature. The left half of the portal depicts the saved, the right half the damned. The 170 small figures are […]
St. Mauritius Pfarrkirche, Zermatt, Switzerland
St. Mauritius Pfarrkirche’s soaring steeple is visible from many points in Zermatt. This Catholic church anchors one end of the village. Construction on the church began in 1913. World War I disrupted the project’s progress, but the church was finally completed in the 1930’s. The church replaced a 16th-century structure. Historically, Zermatt’s residents have been […]
St. Stephan Kirche, Mainz
High on Mainz’s tallest hill sits Saint Stephan Kirche, a 13th-century Gothic church that is today best known for its blue stained-glass Chagall windows, added by the famous artist in the 20h century. The current structure was built on top of the original basilica from 990. The church’s interior is striking, with bright blue windows, […]
St. Peterskirche, Mainz
Walking into St Peterskirche is like entering an Italian church – you get a full blast of rococo! Not one inch is unadorned. The most striking components are the white-gold wooden pulpit and extravagant altars, including the 16th-century rood altar and the 20th-century celebration altar with human fishes within a bronze net. The original church […]
Mainzer Dom
As in all traditional European cities, Mainz’s cathedral dominates the main square. In this case, St. Martin’s Cathedral, a (mostly) Romanesque sandstone structure with six towers, rises into Mainz’s skyline. Construction began in the 10th century and, in a stroke of unspeakably bad luck, the original structure burned down one day before its consecration in […]
Kirche St. Christoph, Mainz
We rounded a corner in Mainz’s Old City and came upon the striking sight of St. Christoph, a 14th-century Gothic church, that was among the casualties of the 1945 bombings that destroyed 80% of Mainz. This church was particularly notable since it was Gutenberg’s baptismal church. Now, it serves as a WWII memorial and a […]
Oude Kerk, Delft
Delft’s Oude Kerk’s leaning gothic tower rises above the stout skyline. The original church was built in 1050. It was first expanded in the 13th century when Delft received its charter and was completed in the 14th century. The tower, with its brick spire and four angle towers, was added between 1325 and 1350. To […]
Royal Delft
Royal Delft, established in 1653, is the last remaining original Delft blue earthenware factory. Here, you can take a tour through the factory to watch the production and the careful artisans who paint each piece by hand. During the tour, you walk through the museum, which houses an enormous collection of Delft Blue antiques. Basically, […]
