My Scratch Book

Eiffel Tower, Paris

2011-06-12T08:54:00.000-07:00

Despite oft-repeated doubts as to its stability, the Eiffel Tower celebrated its centenary in 1989 after a general overhaul lasting eight years. In 1932 it lost its title as the world's highest man- made structure to the Empire State Building in New York (a title now held by Burj Dubai, expect to rise to 2,684 ft upon completion), but is still visited by almost six million people a year. The Eiffel Tower has long been, and still is, the great landmark of Paris.

The designs and calculations for the tower, built for the Paris Exhibition of 1889 which marked the centenary of the French Revolution, were the work of Alexandre-Gustave Eiffel (1832-1923), an engineer from Dijon. He designed the tower in such a way that even under extreme wind pressure the structural weight is sufficient to prevent it from being blown over. Moreover the lattice construction reduced the pressure on the structure by about half, thus giving a double insurance against collapse. Standing 307m/1,007ft high (320.75m/1,052ft to the tip of the aerial), the tower consists of 15,000 steel sections held together by 2.5 million rivets. Originally the structure's total weight of 7,500 tons was distributed in such a way that at ground level the pressure exerted was only four kilograms per sq. centimeter (57 lb per sq. inch), roughly the pressure exerted by a normal-sized adult on the seat of a chair. As individual sections are not replaced by a similar section but by a heavier concrete section, however, the total weight has increased to 11,000 tons. In the course of the recent renovation 1,500 concrete sections were replaced by steel plates.

When the tower was being built there were vigorous public protests, and the construction company was obliged to give an undertaking to meet any claims for damage in the event of the tower collapsing on to surrounding buildings. Thanks to the double safeguards in the structure this has not happened, and the "cleaning-up" during the restoration work of the 1980s has still further increased the security of the tower.

Since the recent modernization the top platform, at a height of 274m/900ft (orientation table), can be reached by lift. From this platform there are panoramic views extending in fine weather for some 70km/45mi. The views from the first and second platforms, at 57m/187ft and 112m/367ft, are less extensive but have the advantage that surrounding districts of the city can be seen in more detail. At these levels there are restaurants, a post office (with a special franking, "Tour Eiffel") and a cinema, with an audiovisual show on the history of the Eiffel Tower. After dark the tower is impressively illuminated.

In spite of the controversy which it engendered in its early days, the Eiffel Tower inspired has numerous artists, including Signac, Seurat, Dauzat, Dufy, Utrillo, Chagall, Legrand and Robert Delaunay, who sought in a whole series of oil paintings to capture the dynamic of the tower's filigree-like structure.

Windmills of The Netherlands

2011-05-22T10:39:00.000-07:00

A windmill is a machine which converts the energy of wind into rotational energy by means of vanes called sails or blades. Originally windmills were developed for milling grain for food production. In the course of history the windmill was adapted to many other industrial uses.[3] An important application was to pump water. Windmills used for generating electricity are commonly known as wind turbines.

The Netherlands is so closely associated with windmills, that it's often the first fact people recall about the country. The Dutch built windmills for many centuries (and to some extent, the windmills built the country itself, since without them much of the land drainage could not have occured). In that time the mills were developed for corn milling, land drainage, saw milling, and in fact all manner of industrial purposes. Despite this widespread use, Dutch mills are in may ways quite primitive - using canvas sails, and turned to wind by hand (as distinct from the automated mechanisms that were developed for English windmills, including the fantail, and shuttered sails).

There are a very pleasing number of remaining windmills in the Netherlands - the number is about 1150 and rising, in that the Dutch only count complete workable mills, and in the past 10 years especially many extensive rebuilds have occured to add to this number.

Heidelberg Castle

2011-04-25T09:08:00.000-07:00

The castle is a mix of styles from Gothic to Renaissance. Prince Elector Ruprecht III (1398–1410) erected the first building in the inner courtyard as a royal residence. The building was divided into a ground floor made of stone and framework upper levels. Another royal building is located opposite the Ruprecht Building: the Fountain Hall. Prince Elector Philipp (1476–1508) is said to have arranged the transfer of the hall's columns from a decayed palace of Charlemagne from Ingelheim to Heidelberg.

In the 16th and 17th century, the Prince Electors added two palace buildings and turned the fortress into a castle. The two dominant buildings at the eastern and northern side of the courtyard were erected during the rule of Ottheinrich (1556–1559) and Friedrich IV (1583–1610). Under Friedrich V (1613–1619), the main building of the west side was erected, the so called "English Building".

The castle and its garden were destroyed several times (during the 30 Years' War and the Palatine War of Succession). As Prince Elector Karl Theodor tried to restore the castle, lightning struck in 1764 and ended all attempts at rebuilding. Later on, the castle was misused as a quarry; castle stones were taken to build new houses in Heidelberg. This was stopped in 1800 by Count Charles de Graimberg who then began the preservation of the Heidelberg Castle.

Although the interior is in Gothic style, the King's Hall was not built until 1934. Today, the hall is used for festivities, e.g. dinner banquets, balls and theatre performances. During the Heidelberg Castle Festival in the summer, the courtyard is the site of open air musicals, operas, theatre performances, and classical concerts performed by the Heidelberg Philharmonics.

The castle is surrounded by a park, where the famous poet Johann von Goethe once walked. The Heidelberger Bergbahn funicular railway runs from Heidelberg's Kornmakt to the summit of the Königstuhl via the castle.

Prague Astronomical Clock

2011-04-10T03:40:00.000-07:00

The oldest part of the Orloj, the mechanical clock and astronomical dial, dates back to 1410 when it was made by clockmaker Mikuláš of Kadaňand Jan Šindel, the latter a professor of mathematics and astronomy at Charles University.

Later, presumably around 1490, the calendar dial was added and clock facade decorated with gothic sculptures.

In 1552 it was repaired by Jan Taborský, clock-master of Orloj, who also wrote a report on the clock where he mentioned Hanuš as maker of the clock.

The Orloj stopped working many times in the centuries after 1552, and was repaired many times. In the 17th century moving statues were added, and figures of the Apostles were added after major repair in 1865-1866.

The Orloj suffered heavy damage on May 7 and especially May 8, 1945, during the Prague Uprising, when Germans directed incendiary fire from several armored vehicles and an anti-aircraft gun to the south-west side of the Old Town Square in an effort to silence the provocative broadcasting initiated by the National Committee on May 5. The hall and nearby buildings burned along with the wooden sculptures on the Orloj and the calendar dial face made by Josef Mánes. The machinery was repaired, the wooden Apostles restored by Vojtěch Sucharda, and the Orloj started working again in 1948, but only after significant effort.

Formerly, it was believed that the Orloj was constructed in 1490 by clockmaster Jan Růže (also called Hanuš); this is now known to be a historical mistake. A legend, recounted by Alois Jirásek, has it that the clockmaker Hanuš was blinded on the order of the Prague Councillors so that he could not repeat his work; in turn, he broke down the clock, and no one was able to repair it for the next hundred years.

According to local legend the city will suffer if the clock is neglected and its good operation is placed in jeopardy.

My first post

2011-04-03T08:31:00.000-07:00

Today is my first day as a blogger. My Scratch Book is a place where I could share my ideas and passion on certain things.