karlstadt am main (13. 590)

 

gemünden am main (13. 587)

 

For the long weekend, H and I returned to Gemünden on the Main river for an extended stay at a campsite at the confluence of the three chief tributaries. I wondered about the coat of arms, that seems to show an architecturally impossible cast with elevated turrets on the crenellated walls—though it’s meant to convey perspective, behind the greater tower—something which heraldry does not generally do, representing the hilltop ruin of Schloss Scherenburg and the other fortifications (see above) built by the Counts of Rieneck to collect tolls.

Officially (amtlich), we also noticed that it is rendered a.Main, like other towns in the area—rather than Gemünden ª/ Main or Gemünden (Main), which I am pretty sure it used to be—perhaps to avoid confusing computers, see previously. Despite being in the middle of the war-torn region of the Peasants’ Revolt (Bauernkrieg, 1524 to 1525), the town survived in part due to the revenue that the important navigable juncture brought. Gemünden’s strategic location on the waterway, however, caused it to be a target of Allied air raids during World War II, over sixty percent of the Altstadt destroyed but rebuilt according to its original character in the 1950s and 60s.

9x9 (13. 539)

criterion collection: a roundup of dirigible-themed movies, featuring, among others, Fay Wray and Ronald Reagan as secret agent Brass Bancroft  

the camelot of africa: a tour Ethiopia’s Gondar castles 

binomial coefficients: some numbers in Pascal’s triangle make very few cameos and no one is sure why  

lost world: museum docent Louis Gratacap pioneered the genre—see previously  

fast-track enlargement: talks begin for EU accession for Ukraine and Moldova  

ger:gre: Monty Python’s Ancients v Moderns football match  

planetary-mass companion: the famous Pink Planet may be a failed binary star system  

a tisket, a tasket: an update on the headquarters building of Longaberger baskets—see previously  

sac pour mal de l’air: a collection of air sickness bags from a variety of airlines

10x10 (13. 523)

nine days in june: landmark US supreme court decisions of years past and upcoming cases during this busy time of the year  

mcmodernslopecore: AI-generated architecture—via Miss Cellania  

photovoltaic: a brief tutorial on how solar panels work—via Kottke  

linguist fingerprints: every AI talks with an accent  

i am not on harry mudd’s client list—stop talking about it, i don’t even know him: the Federation’s war with the Romulans was a total success 

defender of the realm: profiles of medieval warrior women  

dialog society: a trove of leaked documents reveals the activities of Peter Thiel’s secretive cult, prepping for WWIII with a breeding programme—see previously  

spacex: a plan to deploy a million satellites in Earth orbit would ruin the night sky for everyone  

parc güell: Antoni Gaudí’s 1926 failed housing estate has become one of Barcelona’s public spaces  

51st state: rural Illinois citizens petition to eject Chicago and split into two polities—see also 

synchronoptica

one year ago: the G7 in Alberta and the Israeli-Iran war (with synchronoptica) plus the Trump phone 

two years ago: a synthesiser performance piece , OJ Simpson flees police (1994) plus tragic children’s names

three years ago: NASCAR celebrates Pride plus a werewolf exorcism (1983)

four years ago: Star Trek: TAS retcon, the Watergate break-in (1972) plus assorted links to revisit

five years ago: Iceland reforms its naming rules, ASCII standards published (1963), the musical stylings of the Sons of Kemet plus calendrical dating formats

six years ago: US supreme court erodes the Civil Rights Act, the East German uprising of 1953, Beyond the Valley of the Dolls plus Trump sues to stop publication of a tell-all exposé

bechbretha (13. 506)

The codex of customary law, fénechas, in medieval Ireland included quite a sophisticated and substantial register of “bee-judgments,” as apiculture was recognised on par with other forms of animal husbandry, requiring regulation and legislation. The concept of justice under Brehon legal traditions privileged the restorative, remunerative and rectifying behaviour over the punitive and provided a framework for the plaintiff and defendant to work out compensation for injuries sustained—whether from an errant sting or bee-trespass, supposedly pilfering a neighbour’s nectar, or stolen hives. More from The Conversation at the link above.

day ninety-two (13. 475)

Whilst the Iranian front of the US-Israeli war of choice has remained frustratingly frozen since the ceasefire, hostilities in Lebanon have continued apace with ground fighting and forced evacuations. The IDF announces it has captured the symbolic if not strategically important Beauford castle, a fortress built during the Crusades with a commanding view of the Litani river, retaking the promontory held during the eighteen year occupation that ended in 2000. Fighting and territorial encroachment also continues in Gaza and Syria, with Israel posed to seize the historic city of Nabatieh next as clashes with Hezbollah intensify in the Beirut suburbs.

vom berg zum burg (13. 400)

For our last full day in the area this time around, H and I visited a pair of nearby palaces in Schloss Weißenstein in Pommersfelden, a Baroque three-winged complex built for the counts of Schönborn as the summer Residenz of the Prince-Bishop electors, delegates who represented the interests of the imperial estates of the Holy Roman Empire.

Whilst the commission, Lothar Franz, future archbishop, had inherited a medieval moated castle in the vicinity—described as “robbers’ den”—he felt those confines did not suit the grandeur of his office and an ongoing feudal territory dispute between Bamberg and Bayreuth split the property was a major distraction, undertaking design for the project with architect Johann Dientzenthofer personally for a palace and grounds that would rival the construction’s imprint in Versailles.

Contemporary peers upon visiting the palace had some critical impressions about its portions and planning and surplus of golden embellishments, and although tours can be arranged, the property remains in the hands of the Schönborn family. We were nonetheless impressed by the courtyard and roosting storks that made their clapping noises as we had the place essentially all to ourselves. We explored the extensive enclosed gardens, an artificial deer-run with a colony (Wilddam) still living there and a protective habitat for frogs. We were a bit hesitant to take the dog but she failed to see the deer resting in the shade of a tree. Afterwards we revisited Schloss Seehof (see previously) in Mememelsdorf, another Baroque retreat, more modest and based off the quadrilateral Johannisburg of Aschaffenburg by Balthasar Neumann but also with the input of Lothar Franz for later landscaping.

8x8 (13.191)

sandboxels: a fun construction simulation with hundreds elements and building materials from Neil Agarwal—see previously, see also  

tax-payer funded settlement: Trump is suing the US government for billions  

innermost ward: a 3D reconstruction of the thousand year history of the Tower of London—via MetaFilter   

pantone 222: test one’s memory for colour—via Miss Cellania  

shallow fakes: historic image manipulation—see also  

canary wharf: a visit to the impounding station of the West India docks 

forbidden paradise: as Trump renews threats on the Chagos deal, a look at the mysterious atoll—see previously, via Damn Interesting  

a sense of getting closer: a music video by Max Cooper and Conner Griffin about spectacle that isn’t inspired

9x9 (13. 165)

shoulder angel: the Scottish philosopher teaching one AI model morals—via Marginal Revolution 

pdf forensics: a case study of the sanitisation and hidden data through the Epstein files—via Quantum of Sollazzo  

individual neutral athletes: a historic look of Russia at the Games 

secretz de l’histoire naturelle: a late fifteenth century illustrated guide to exotic, far-flung lands  

the ents showing up to take down isengard: more reflections on Bad Bunny and friends Super Bowl half-time show 

volunteer army: the recruitment call enlisting anonymous editors to stave off AI from Wikipedia—via LitHub  

herren-t-shirt olympisches erbe der olympischen spiele in berlin: commemorative apparel from the 1936 Games from the official shop is met with backlash 

it’s the people’s house and it’s also the presidents home, so he can invite whomever he wants to dinners and events here at the white house: annual bipartisan meeting of US governors called off when Trump excludes Democratic state leaders 

human prerogative: on the imitation game, all exercises—even the boring ones—having value and why computers can’t surprise

synchronoptica

one year ago: US to stop minting pennies (with synchronopticæ) plus DOGE and the Deep State

twelve years ago: the Atlantis Haus 

fifteen years ago: Egypt in media res

 

10x10 (13. 118)

write his merits on your mind: a fitting eulogy for murdered ICE victims from eighteenth century poet William Drennen on the persecuted and defamed activist William Orr 

drizzle: the controversial conservatory teacher Li Jinhui (黎錦暉) who brought jazz to Shanghai 

sons of torum: the dreamtime legends of the vast taiga 

fungus among us: the sociophonetics of the mushroom kingdom—from the Roman legal Latin res fungibiles, replaceable things 

the life aquatic: a tribute to David Bowie on the tenth anniversary of his passing with beautiful Portuguese covers of the classics 

arsenal and armoury: a new exhibit examines global traditions of battlewear, beyond white knights  

stooky bill: a visit to the London address where television was first demonstrated—see previously—a hundred years ago today 

deluge: British Museum curator on the “ark tablet” and the universal myth of the Great Flood  

chill session: a set of deep cuts from Daft Punk 

border czar: Trump dispatches Tom Homan to Minnesota to manage the campaign of state terror

rhönblick (13. 031)

For a sunny but cold and bracing Christmas Day walkies, we trekked to a little shelter on the peak of the Leichelberg near the Ellenbogen overlooking the village of Kaltensundheim and the valley of the Felda, a tributary of the Werra, below. 

The march of this border region of East Franconia with the documented mention in 23 December 795 was fortified with a Kirchenburg in Romanesque style in the early fifteenth century as well with a protective wall and gates and was originally under the jurisdiction of the counts of Henneberg but with the branching off the family over successive generations, properties of the district was divided among several collateral lines, the villages flanking each side of the mountain, Kaltensundheim, Kaltennordheim, Oberkatz and Aschenhausen falling under different lordships with shifting alliances. 

 In the latter on the opposite side of the mountain, we visited the former synagogue, among the few intact testaments to the long history of the Jewish community in Thüringen it was saved from arson by locals during the Pogroms of 1936 and after expulsions preserved as a warehouse, restored as an assembly hall and memorial with information about the history and Holocaust. 

 Between Aschenhausen and Kaltensundheim (since reunited as constituents under one a single municipality) there was a pictureques landscape of series of ponds at the woods edge for exploring but it was too chilly in the shadows for much looking around today but will definitely return soon.

segelfluggelände (12. 873)

After last weekend’s walk up the hill to the model airplane field, we realised we had never shared actual impressions from wandering around the larger landing strip for gliders, small, self-launching motorised planes and ultralight aircraft on the opposite end of town at Büchig. Taking advantage of break in the fog and overcast skies, we made a circuit around the summit. 

The massif affords some really nice views of the surrounding pastures and forest and chain of peaks leading off into the distance, as well as the Lichtenburg, which despite its ruined state still has intact ramparts and high keep (the tallest in the region, but still nearly overtaken by the construction crane working on restoring the bailey) to entice the imagination, particularly at eye-level, with all the elements of a medieval knights’ castle. 

 For mid-November, seeing the fallow fields blooming, with even stunted sunflowers, was a bit off putting. It’s another nice spot to let the dog run free.

little big town (12. 863)

Though a bit of an inconvenience to have to go into the next bigger Marktstadt outside of the village for any kind of shopping, it always pays off in spades, by sheer dint of concentration of attractions there and spots for a nice wander, even on a foggy day: 

Ostheim vor der Rhön has the Altstadt lining the main road with several mills, manors, breweries and bottlers and fortified church, an organ museum and manufacturer and a castle ruin with tower above—plus a lot more. We had visited the ensemble of Celtic hill graves (Hügelgraben) right down the road from the grocery store several times but hadn’t before now hiked up to the top which hosts a model aircraft runway—opposite the higher summit that has a glider Flügplatz—see also. 

The grove of maples at the top of the hill is known as the Sporkhöhe and has a monument dedicated to silk merchant Kaspar Friedrich Sporck. A native of Ostheim and having learned the art of passementerie—elaborate braidwork trimmings for clothing and furnishings—from his father, made a sizeable fortune in Rouen. Sporck married his business partner Marie Catherine Leprince and remained in France, although visiting his hometown nearly every year, always bringing remittances for support of the poor. 

The couple passing away at an advanced age in the early 1890s, they established a philanthropic foundation (Stiftung) for the town, underwriting an elementary school, the general welfare of the town and a hospital, then hosted in the Gothic Schloß Hanstein, presently the organ museum from above.