Memories and hints of a travelling IT professional.
The Koninklijk Paleis at the southern end of the Parc de Bruxelles is the royal residence and the official palace of the king of the Belgians – even though the royal family is living at the palace of Laeken. The Neo-Baroque style palace is used to welcome guests of state. It also contains a museum about the monarchy, and you can visit the palace on weekends and during the holiday season when the monarchs are ‘out-of-office’.
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Visiting the European countries has never been so easy: Since 1989 you can find the Mini-Europe (within Bruparck) next to the Atomium. It exhibits well-known European places in scale 1:25 and a round-course leads you through the eighty cities sorted by country. The initial invest of ten million Euros was done by the royal family of Belgium. There couldn’t be a better place for an exhibition of Europe than Bruxelles which also gives home to important institutions of the European Union.
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The Atomium is next to the Manneken Pis one of the icons of the city of Bruxelles, Belgium. It depicts a basic arrangement of nine atoms (for example found in ferrum) standing on one edge. It was created for the world exhibition Expo 58 and a symbolizes the atomic age and the peaceful usage of nuclear power. The Atomium can be visited in two ways: in the upper atom there is a restaurant and a tour using four escalators and 147 steps shows you different (art) exhibitions and gives nice views from up above.
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The Orient Express was a legendary train that was first running from Paris to Constantinople (todays Istanbul) in 1883 – via München, Wien, Budapest, Beograd, and София. But there were also connections to Berlin, to Constanța via București or via Frankfurt, Köln and Bruxelles to London. It was a beloved experience, kings and celebrities were using this amazing connection in luxurious trains which lasted around six days.
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It might sound weird, but one thing that people immediately connect with Bruxelles is a fountain including the statue of a urinating boy, the Manneken Pis. The current statue was designed in 1619 but the tradition goes back to the 15th century CE. You can find it in the city center at the crossing of the roads Rue de l’Etuve, Rue des Grands Carmes and Rue du Chêne – always surrounded by tourists.
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The Grote Markt or Grand-Place of Bruxelles is the representative square of the capital city showing all the wealth. Most important building is the Gothic-style town hall building (Stadhuis), but also the neo-Gothic Broodhuis and the different guildhalls in Baroque style contribute to the atmosphere of the square. Today this ensemble of buildings is a UNESCO World Heritage Site (declared 1998).
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The most important church of Bruxelles is the Cathédrale des Saints Michel et Gudule located in the east of the city center. The Gothic-style church was built from the year 1226 on and was finished in the 15th century. A first church building on this site dates back to the eighth century CE and was dedicated to archangel Michel. When the bones of the national saint Gudule were transferred to the church this dedication was extended.
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The Ruine Katzenstein is a historic building close to the city center of Bad Wildungen that has been almost forgotten. It is the ruin of a ruin, partially covered with concrete and hidden in a forest. But this was different in the past; for many years, the Katzenstein tower was shown in most touristic postcards of the region. It was created as a ruin in 1876 when the spa gardens of the city were redesigned, and it was visible from the city.
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Bad Wildungen is a small spa town with mineral springs in northern Hesse. It is beautifully located on and between mountains, different small rivers (like the Wilde, Bornebach, Sonderbach, Uhrenbach, Erdbach) run through the city. At the riversides you can find nice parks and a lot of artworks – a lot to discover. On top of one of the mountains (the Schloßberg), you can find the yellow-painted Baroque-style castle Schloß Friedrichstein.
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It is disputed whether the Igelsburg (formerly Engelsburg) in the Habichtswald forest was a real castle. Ancient sketches show just four houses on top of a basalt rock protected by palisades. At which point in time this fortification was built is unknown, but it is believed that it was used by Charles the Great in his war against the Saxons (772 to 804 CE). It was given up somewhen in the 12th or 13th century CE.
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