Palaces & Castles in London
Straddling the southwest peninsula between the Celtic Sea to the north and the English Channel to the south, Devon’s two coastlines are known for quaint, historic seaside villages, sandy beaches and dramatic cliffs. The two national parks, Exmoor and Dartmoor, have prehistoric stone circles in remote, evocative settings. In the early 1900s fossil hunters found the earliest human remains in England, while builders constructed Castle Drogo, England’s youngest castle. There are royal palaces past and present, residences .. fromeltham palace, hampton court to buckingham … residences of monach, and residences of family … st james, kensington, etc. there are also remains of former palaces … jewel tower … part of westminster palace …. Banqueting house .. remains of whitehall palace there are pleasure palaces alexandra palace … and remains … as in crystal
Archaeology & History Sites in X
Buckingham Palace
When Victoria ascended the throne in 1837 she became the first monarch to use Buckingham Palace as her primary residence. Originally built for the Duke of Buckingham in 1703, it was King George IV who had the townhouse converted into a palace in the early 19th century. Today the palace is not only the official residence of the British monarch, it is also used for royal ceremonies and investitures as well as national and state occasions. Parts of the palace are open to the public at certain times of the year.
Eltham Palace
Located in southeast London, Eltham Palace started life as a medieval palace given to King Edward II in 1305; it remained in royal hands until the 16th century. The palace’s Great Hall was built in the 1470s, under the ownership of King Edward IV, although by the early modern period the building was in a dilapidated state. In the 1930s, Stephen Courtauld obtained the property and incorporated the Great Hall into a new mansion that reflected the art deco style popular at the time. Eltham Palace has London’s oldest working bridge.
Palace of Westminster
The seat of Britain’s government, the Palace of Westminster, or the Houses of Parliament, has medieval beginnings; originating as an 11th century royal palace. Housing parliament since the 13th century, much of the building was destroyed by fire in 1834. Architects Charles Barry and Augustus Pugin designed a Neo-Gothic replacement, which took forty years to construct. The building’s Elizabeth Tower houses Big Ben, the world-famous bell. A listed UNESCO World Heritage Site, visits are by guided tour.
Tower of London
London’s castle has been a fortress, a royal palace and a prison. Located on the southeast corner of the historic city, the Tower of London’s has its origins in the 11th century. Shortly after the Norman conquest of England the new Norman elite established their control with new stone castles. The White Tower became the most visual symbol of Norman control over the English, and is said to be the most complete 11th century palace in Europe. With the Tudors it ceased to be a royal residence, and was used as a prison.
Museums & Art Galleries in X
August Horch Museum
It was in Zwickau that such well known auto brands as the Audi and the Trabant were created. In an exhibition space of 6,500 square metres, on the grounds of the factory, around 160 exhibits tell the automotive history of the town. From motorcycles to personal vehicles, to the start of coachbuilding. Follow the history of the motor industry from the 1920s to the Second World War, from post-war GDR to Reunification. One of a number of highlights for automobile history enthusiasts is the one millionth Trabant, made in 1973.
Egyptology Museum, University of Leipzig
Housed in what was a private bank built in the 1920s, the Krochhochhaus, is the Egyptological Institute of Leipzig University’s Ägyptisches Museum – Georg Steindorff. An important collection of over 7,000 artefacts from Egypt and Sudan that starts with prehistory cultures and ends in the early Islamic period of the area. One of the highlights on display is the richly decorated sarcophagus of Hedbastiru; the object that would give rise to the establishment of the museum.
German Agricultural Museum
The 13 hectares of the 18th century Blankenhain Castle estate is home to the German Agricultural Museum. This is a museum complex that is unique in Germany; a conglomerate of the Baroque castle, an open-air museum, a technology museum and an ethnographic museum. The estate is made up of over 80 buildings, in which some 100 different exhibitions have been curated. A few historic half-timbered buildings have been relocated here. Perhaps one of the most curious displays is the world’s largest collection of homemade tractors. Visitors are free to follow various routes through the complex, or take a guided tour that points out the many highlights.
Museum of Classical Antiquities, Leipzig
Housed in the Alte Nikolaischule, the University of Leipzig’s Museum of Classical Antiquities has over 10,000 artefacts from various Mediterranean countries representing Classical Greece and Rome. Although the collection was founded in 1840 as a teaching collection for students of Classical archaeology at the university, the museum is accessible to the public. Highlights include a number of red and black painted ceramics from Apulia, including a beautifully decorated Apulia Krater.
Ore Mountain Open-Air Museum, Seiffen
The Ore Mountain Open Air Museum, linked to the Toy Museum in Seiffen, is a collection of historic buildings from around the Ore Mountain area, dating from the mid-19th through to the early-20th centuries. In an area covering 3 hectares there are 15 buildings, including two hydroelectric power installations (of which there are daily demonstrations in the summer). The focus of the activities showcased here is on the woodworking professions of the Erzgebirge region, specifically the workshops, machines and technologies of Erzgebirge toy production.
Ore Mountain Toy Museum in Seiffen
Housed in a former hosiery factory, the Ore Mountain Toy Museum opened in 1936. The exhibition space covers 1,000 square meters spread over three floors. These displays feature over 5,000 objects reflecting the traditional local toy industry and other forms of folk art. Besides the objects, there is a great deal of historical background into the collection and the toy making industry in the area. There are also toy-makers on hand, demonstrating how some of the toys are made.
Runde Ecke Memorial Museum
In what was for 40 years the Stasi’s headquarters of the Leipzig District is now a museum that tells the history of the secret service in Leipzig during the period of the GDR. The central, permanent exhibition is ‘Stasi – Power and Banality. Curated by the Citizens Committee of Leipzig, which was formed during the peaceful revolution in 1989. The demonstration that on 9 October 1989 brought down East Germany and the fall of the Iron Curtain. The custodians have tried to preserve the decor and contents of the Stasi offices as it was at the end of 1989, from linoleum floors and radiators, from surveillance cameras to shredding machines.
Zwickau Art Museum / Max-Pechstein-Museum
Formerly the König Albert Museum, the museum now houses the city’s wide-ranging art collection, as well as a collection of over 500 geological and paleontological items. In the same building is the world’s largest collection of paintings by the German Expressionist painter Max Pechstein. Other permanent collections include Gothic and Baroque sacred art, Old Masters from around Europe, including the Brueghel Family, Modern Art and Max Liebermann. Temporary exhibitions of Contemporary art allow visitors to explore the work of local artists.
