Heyy! Our group name is Europe Explorers and we are from Dunman Secondary Seconday school. We were tasked to complete a humanities project on our trip to Europe, including historical and Geographical elements in this blog.
The explorers:
From left to right : Hong Hui (2A) , Jerry (2G) , Goh Yiai (2D) , Jonathan CHUNG (2A) , Zhuo Jing (2C)
Video:
Monday, July 5, 2010
Information on Cesky Krumlov: It is a Unesco Heritage town and has a rich culture with many old houses and monuments.
Situated on the banks of the Vltava river, the town was built around a 13th-century castle with Gothic, Renaissance and Baroque elements. It is an outstanding example of a small central European medieval town whose architectural heritage has remained intact, all thanks to its peaceful evolution for over more than five centuries.
A little about the famous castle: Krumlov castle is so vast that the tours are broken down into the following: Tour 1: This tour is a very good overview of the castle, visiting the Renaissance Chambers, the incredible Golden Carriage (which was only used once), and the Masquerade Hall. (Tour originates in the third courtyard, duration 60 minutes.) Tour 2: This tour includes a visit to the Schwarzenbergs’ 19th-century Chambers. (Tour originates in the third courtyard, duration 60 minutes.) Baroque Theater Tour: This fabulous tour is a favorite and sells out very quickly. The boundless wealth of the nobility who lived in Krumlov Castle in the 17th century is obvious when you see this opulent theater .
And now i will be talking about its settlement pattern which is the main topic of this place.
From the pictures, we can tell that the houses have a nucleauted settlement pattern as they are obviously situated closely together. This is to ensure that natural resouces like water from a nearby river or electricity can be shared. As their city is very small, they have to ensure that they maximise the use of land to build enough houses for the residents to stay in within a small area. Thus, the houses are located near to each other so that more people can live in that tiny city.
Reflection : We think that Cesky Krumlov is a very beautiful place with all its quaint houses and rich history. The place is simply indescribable as its streets and houses actually remained in the same condition as many years ago. Thus, walking through the historic town was like walking back into the past. The town is simply a trip back to the olden days with all the vintage houses and statues. The sights and sounds of the majestic place will forever stay in out hearts.
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(2:17 AM)
Information on the Astronomical Clock in Olomouc: It is one of the two found in Czech Republic. It is located in the northern wall of the Town Hall in Olomouc.
According to the first accurate information, the existence of the Astronomical Clock dates to the end of the 15th century. Based on what we had learnt from the people in Olomouc, the astronomical clock was built because in the past, the people there saw the astronomical clock in Prague, and wanted one for themselves. Czech Republic could afford to build one as they were quite rich at that time.
Another reason why the astronomical clock was built is that it was a good chance for Czech Republic to “show-off”. Building an astronomical clock was not easy, hence Czech Republic could take the chance to “show-off” that they are rich and powerful and that the people in Czech Republic are so intelligent that they are able to build an astronomical clock without making use of much technology (technology was not that advanced in those days ). Once the people helped built the clock, the king either burned their eyes or legs (cripple them) so that they would not be able to build this very same clock else where. Hence, this clock will forever be unique in Olomouc as you cannot find the very same clock in other places. Lastly, the most important reason for building this clock is because people in the past wanted to find out the positions of the moon and stars because they were very curious about astrology, which also led to the flourishing of the aspect of astronomy.
Over the centuries, the astronomical clock acquired different kinds of look, namely the baroque and gothic style. The most precious artistically was its Baroque adaptation according to a design by the painter Johann Christoph Handke from the year 1747. The most famous, however, was the Neo-Gothic adaptation according to a design by Karel Bitterlich from the year 1898, modified in the year 1926 by Jano Köhler. The only original part of the astronomical clock left till today is the clock mechanism. At midday every day, the astronomical clock will ring for 5 minutes and a “mechanical performance” will be put up. ( http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TJ-QZ4P_42A&NR=1 )
Reflection : After finding out the history of this very special clock, we all marvelled at the people as they could still build such a clock although technology was not good at that time. They were just very smart and creative. We should always be curious in certain aspects as we would then thrive to find out more and excel in what we do :D As we stand in front of the enormous tower we will start to wonder like how did they manage to buld that tower during that era? Were they that smart and good? Well, until today, we still would not know how they accomplished such a feat.
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(12:40 AM)
Wednesday, June 30, 2010
In the town of Olomouc, there are basically 7 fountains named after 6 angels and one special fountain, namely Neptune, Hercules, Jupiter, Caesar, Mercury, Arion and the special one called Spring of Living Water. However, today we would be only talking about 3 of these fountains :
1.Arion fountain It is the newest fountain in Olomouc . This fountain came from the story of a renowned Greek singer named Arion who was wealthy. When he was on the ship back to his native country of Corinth, the ship crew forced him to give out all his money and threw him overboard into the sea. The drowning singer was unexpectedly saved by a dolphin which had been attracted by the ceremonial song which Arion sang before jumping into the waves. This fountain was rebuilt in 1995 and completed in 2002 after it was destroyed. It is a baroque sculpture with its irregular shape. Its small figures are covered with detailed relief decoration which is to celebrate Moravia, the city of Olomouc along with its inhabitants.
2. Hercules Fountain In the year 1687 , Hercules fountain was built in the Upper Square. This legendary hero with a Olomouc eagle in his left hand was symobilically presented as a protecter of the town warding off the enemy attacks of Hydra at his feet with a huge glub. The sculpture and the basin of the fountain were once again created by Michael Mandik and Wenzel Shuller. It was later moved to its present position in front of the northern side of the Town Hall.
3. Triton Fountain His Triton Fountain from the year 1709 originally situated in the area where the streets Denisova, Ztacena, Ostruznicka and Pekarska meet was moved to Republic Square in the year 1890 in order to make room for the construction of a tram line. The anonymous artist created the statue with a pair of watermen and dolphins holding up together two giant shells. Out of them emerges the delicate figure of a boy with a pair of water dogs leashed on chains. This fountain in Olomouc is an exemplary and prominent representative of Roman baroque sculptures.
Reflection : The fountains built simply shows how artistic the people were in the past and present. No wonder Olomouc held the Singing festivale in its enormous hall as it is considered as once of the 'place for the arts'. The fountains also show how they were so smart to use simple technology to create such intricately-designed fountains.The fountains also show and narrate to us about the history of Oloumouc. The fountains are being found all over the city which makes us want to go around, exploring and even finding new things about the town. The town is seriously a place for the adventurous! --------------------------------
to make room for the construction of a