The first postcard to Greece is in the mail! Postcard 56 shows one of the most magnificent features of Ourense's Cathedral, the Pórtico do Paraíso (Door of Paradise).
An ESO 3 student, Gema da Rocha, has written and send the card to Athens, the cradle of Western civilization and the birthplace of democracy.
Click EXPLORING PLACES if you want to learn about Greece's capital city. To read more about The Door of the Paradise, go to DISCOVER OURENSE.
Postcard 56 shows one of the chief artworks in Ourense's Cathedral, the Door of Paradise (Pórtico do Paraíso).
This 13th-century pórtico was built by students ofMaster Mateo, best known for
hisPórtico da Gloriain theCathedral of Santiago de Compostela. Its three arches are
supported by columns with a centralmullion. The apostle St
Jamesholds a sword reminiscent
of his alleged miraculous participation in the legendaryBattle of Clavijo.
Other decorations include Christ being tempted by the devil,
a medallion of God the Father and a tabernacle presenting St Martin tearing his
cloak.
Thearchivoltsof the
central arch bear the figures of the 24 elders from theBook of Revelation. The columns themselves are sculpted with apostles and
prophets while the capitals present a variety of figures including Christ's
temptations in the desert,centaursfightingmermaids, dragons andharpieswith
frightening faces who were said to have brought the plague.
Athens is the
capital and largest city of Greece. It dominates the Attica region and is one
of the world's oldest cities, with its recorded history spanning over 3,400
years, and its earliest human presence starting somewhere between the 11th and
7th millennia BC.
More than any other monument, the Parthenon epitomises
the glory of Ancient Greece. Meaning ‘virgin’s apartment’, it's dedicated to
Athena Parthenos, the goddess embodying the power and prestige of the city.
The Erechtheion was built on the part of the Acropolis
held most sacred. It was here that Poseidon struck the ground with his trident
and where Athena produced the olive tree. Named after Erechtheus, a mythical
king of Athens, the temple housed the cults of Athena, Poseidon and Erechtheus.
Six larger-than-life maiden columns, the Caryatids, support its southern
portico.
Temple
of Poseidon
It was built in 444 BC – at the same time as the
Parthenon – it is constructed of local marble from Agrilesa; its slender
columns, of which 16 remain, are Doric.
It is thought that the temple was built by Iktinos,
the architect of the Temple of Hephaestus in Athens’ Ancient Agora.
In front of the parliament building on
PlateiaSyntagmatos, the traditionally costumed evzones (guards) of the Tomb of
the Unknown Soldier change every hour on the hour. On Sunday at 11am, a whole
platoon marches down VasilissisSofias to the tomb, accompanied by a band.
It is the central square of Athens. The Square is
named after the Constitution that the first King of Greece Otto was obliged to
grant, after a popular and military uprising on 3 September 1843.It is located
in front of the 19th century Old Royal Palace, housing the Greek Parliament
since 1934. Syntagma Square is the most important square of modern Athens from
both a historical and social point of view, at the epicentre of commercial
activity and Greek politics.
A delightful, shady refuge during summer, the National
Gardens were formerly the royal gardens, designed by Queen Amalia. There’s a
large children’s playground, a duck pond and a shady cafe.
To find out more about Athens and Greece don’t miss
the video below!
Postcard 55 features a wonderful
digital illustration by an artist we all admire, Rafael Cachaldora. As you may
remember, last year we sent 5 postcards by Cachaldora which represented various
places of Ourense's old town. This time, however, the spot represented is not
located in Ourense; card 55 constitutes a vibrant and captivating
representation of the well-known cathedral of Santiago de Compostela from
Obradoiro Square (Square of the Stonecutters).
Santiago's Cathedral is the
final destination of the Camiño de Santiago and the centre point for the
celebration of the Feast of Saint James on July, 25th. ESO 2 students have written the
postcard in Spanish upon its recipent's request and sent it to one of the most
amazing cities in the world, Saint Petersburg, the origin of the 18th postcard
received in this project.
Click here to read about Russia's cultural capital.
Hooray! We have received a festive card from Munich,
the capital of Bavaria in Germany, 1,625 km away!
Danke schön Charlotte for this card showing one of the
best known festivals in Germany, the Oktoberfest, the world's largest beer
festival held annually from late September to the first weekend in October.
More than 6 million people from all over the world attend the festival every
year and enjoy numerous attractions, such as amusement rides, games and a wide
variety of German dishes like Schweinebraten
(roast pork), Schweinshaxe
(grilled ham hock), Brezen (pretzels)
or Knödel (potato or bread
dumplings).
Munich is the third largest city in Germany, after
Berlin and Hamburg, and the 12th biggest city of the European Union, with a
population of around 1.5 million.
MUNICH
IS FAMOUS FOR...
…hosting the 1972 Summer Olympics, where the Munich
Massacre took place.
… being a
leading location for science and research with a long list of Nobel Prize
laureates from Wilhelm Conrad Röntgen in 1901 to Theodor Hänsch in 2005.
…the Oktoberfest, which attracts millions of people
visiting its beer tents ("Bierzelte") and fairground attractions. The
Oktoberfest was first held on 12 October 1810 in honour of the marriage of
crown prince Ludwig to Princess Therese of Saxe-Hildburghausen. The festivities
were closed with a horse race and in the following years the horse races were
continued and later developed into what is now known as the Oktoberfest.
The NeueRathaus (New Town Hall) is a magnificent
neo-gothic building from the turn of the century which architecturally
dominates the north side of Munich’s Marienplatz.
On a hill at the west end of the Theresienwiese sits
the 18-meter-high (36 feet) bronze statue of Bavaria. In the head of the female
symbol and earthly patron of Bavaria is an observation deck with two benches.
When the food market of the city had grown too large
for the central square Marienplatz, King Maximilian I issued a decree in 1807
to have it moved a few metres to the south-east, to the square between
Heiliggeist-Kirche and Frauenstraße. Charity buildings that had once belonged
to the church were demolished to make way for the market square or
"Markplatz", which only much later came to be known as
"Viktualienmarkt" or victuals market.
Site of the 1972 Olympics, this landscaped park
contains sport facilities, lakes, bicycle paths, concert venues, restaurants
and a football stadium, as well as its landmark "tent-style" roofs.
"The Kirche St. Peter (“Church of St. Peter”) is
one of Munich’s landmarks, the oldest parish church in the city, and is known
affectionately by the locals as Alter Peter (“Old Peter”). The church stands on
a hill called Petersbergl, which is the only noteworthy elevation within the
Munich’s historic Old Town.
The baroque palace in the west part of Munich was the
summer residence of the Bavarian monarchs. Five generations of Wittelsbach
rulers were involved in the construction of this stately ensemble, which houses
several outstanding collections. With its lavishly decorated interior and the
famous "Gallery of Beauties" commissioned by Ludwig I, the palace is
one of Munich's favorite attractions. Among the highlights are the former
bedroom of King Ludwig II and the impressive banquet hall with fine ceiling
frescoes by Johann Baptist Zimmermann.
