Michaelstro

Lorsch Abbey, GER

Today we visited Lorsch Abbey, about an hour by car from our hometown. The only part of the powerfull abbey still existing is the gatehouse („Torhalle“). A small building, but in most parts you see an original building from about 900 and really worth a visit. Beside the Torhalle there are ruins of the church of the abbey. The abbey was destructed during the Thirty Years War in 1621 by Spanish troops. Part of the WHS is also Altenmünster Abbey, nicely situated in the countryside about a kilometer away from Lorsch Abbey. There are only reconstructed foundation walls of Altenmünster to be seen.

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Nov. 5, 2025

Abbey and Altenmünster of Lorsch

Beemster Polder and Middenbeemster, NED

Leaving Fort Uitermeer and the Dutch Waterline behind, we arrived after a ride of 45 minutes in Middenbeemster, the center of the Beemster Polder surrounded by the pitoresque dutch countryside. Before 1600, the area was covered by a lake, that usally flooded the fields and was a danger fort the people living there. Between 1605 and 1610 the lake was layed dry. During the following centuries the Beemster Polder was kept dry by pumps, first powered by windmills, later by steam and nowerdays bei electricity and solar power. We walked through the streets and along the canals of the nice small town, passed the visitor center and had a wide view over the fields and the moats. Not really spectacular, but worth a visit.

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Oct. 19, 2025

Beemster Polder

Dutch Water Defence Lines, NED: Fort Uitermeer

Having passed the night in beautyfull Amersfoort we went by car to Fort Uitermeer neer Weesp, part of the Dutch Water Defance Lines not far from Amsterdam. It´s a a small circular fortification on the banks of the broad river Vecht. There was only one other visitor on this quiet sunny morning. Wonderful views of the Fort and the river.

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Oct. 19, 2025

Dutch Water Defence Lines

Prehistoric Pile Dwellings in Uhldingen, GER

We visited the pilehouses on the northern shores of Lake Constance in Uhldingen in the south of Germany. The buildings are reconstructions of the prehistoric houses in the water of the lake about 10 to 50 meters away from the coast. The site is absolutely worth a visit.

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Sept. 14, 2025

Prehistoric Pile Dwellings

Fortifications of Vauban, Neuf-Brisach, FRA,

On a day-trip to the Alsace we visited the fortifications of Vauban surrounding the small town of Neuf-Brisach (Neu Breisach) near Colmar. Small town - huge fortifications. Worth a visit; I have never seen such fortifications before.

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Aug. 7, 2025

Fortifications of Vauban

Messel Pit / Grube Messel, GER near Darmstadt

We visited the Messel Pit on a sunny August day. It´s really impressive to see the huge and deep crater, in which 48.000.000 years old fossils were found and still are found. Examples of the fossils can be seen in the museum of the site and in some other museums.

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Aug. 4, 2025

Messel Pit

Hamburg Jewish Cemetery. GER,

I visited the Jewish Cemetery in the Hamburg district Altona during the opening time and spent about an hour looking at thousands of very different old gravestones in the shadow of old trees.

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July 17, 2025

The Jewish Cemetery of Altona Königstrasse

Hamburg Speicherstadt (warehouse district), GER,

When I first came to Hamburg in the early senventies the Speicherstadt was part of a free-trade zone and it was forbidden for tourists to visit it. Nowadays it`s one of the main attractions of Hamburg.

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July 17, 2025

Speicherstadt and Kontorhaus District

Angkor Wat, KHM,

In January / February 2025 we made our first trip to Asia (apart from Turkey). The reason was Angkor Wat, a dream of my wife. The Cambodian ruins of numerous temples were one of the highlights of our travels as yet.

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Jan. 27, 2025

Angkor

Phra Prang of Wat Arun, Bangkok,

When we visited Thailand and Cambodia in January/February 2025 I wondered why among the numerous sights of Bangkok wasn´t any WHS. Now the fantastic temple Phra Prang of Wat Arun Ratchawararam was nominated as (tentative) WHS.

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Jan. 24, 2025

Phra Prang of Wat Arun Ratchawararam

Tallinn, EST

During our trip to the baltic states and Helsinki we passed two days in Tallinn, the Estonian capital. We had a guided walk in the medieval centre, and went by tram to the President`s palace (Katharinental castle) and and the neighbouring gardens, including a nice Japanese garden.

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June 6, 2024

Tallinn

Rundale, LVA

During our trip through the Baltic states we had a two hours stop in Rundale palace. Fantastic baroque palace with dozens of rooms, fantastic interieurs, paintings ... and just a few visitors. Only the gardens were not rally baroque.

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June 4, 2024

Rundāle Palace Ensemble

Riga city, LVA,

During our trip to the baltic states and Helsinki our first stop was the Latvian capital Riga. We had a guided walk in the centre, a crusade on the Pilsetas canals and a day on the beach of Jurmala.

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May 26, 2024

Riga

Essen, former coal mine Zollverein, GER,

I grew up in Essen when the nowadays museum "Zollverein" still was a coal mine giving work to many miners. Nevertheless it`s worth a visit.

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March 17, 2024

Zollverein

Lofoten and Vesteralen, NOR

During our cruise on the Hurtigruten Nordkapp from Bergen to Kirkenes and back to Trondheim we twice passed the Lofoten and Vesteralen Islands. We stopped in Stramsund, Svolvaer, Stokmarknes, Sortland, Risohamn and Harstad for shore leaves, sometimes only for a few minutes, somtimes for hours. We also saw the magnificent Trollfjord.

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Sept. 13, 2023

The Lofoten islands

Bergen Bryggen, NOR

Before boarding the Hurtigruten Nordkapp we only had an hour to take a look at Bergen harbour and Bryggen. A good reason to come back to Bergen.

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Sept. 5, 2023

Bryggen

Kinderdijk, NED: Using waiting time on our way to Scotland

On our way to Scotland we had some hours waiting for the ferry to Newcastle. We decided to visit Kinderdijk for the first time. 19 windmills along a channel in the beautiful Dutch countryside. For over 700 years, the dikes, windmills, and pumping stations have kept the feet of the Dutch people dry. Many visitors, but absolutely worth a visit.

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May 17, 2023

Kinderdijk

Würzburg Residenz, GER, Family-Weekend 2022

During our family weekend 2022 in Würzburg we visited the residence of the bishop of Würzburg.

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May 28, 2022

Würzburg Residence

Uppsala, SWE: Linné Gardens and Botanical Garden

During our 14 days travel to Sweden in 2019 we went from Stockholm to Uppsala by train, which took about an hour. In the old university town we visited the Linné gardens and another botanical garden, the cathedral and the castle.

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May 28, 2019

The Rise of Systematic Biology

Roman Trier, GER,

During our family reunion 2019 in Trier we stayed in a hotel next door to the Roman Igeler Säule (Igel column), which is part of the WHS. Of course we viewed the Porta Nigra, the other Roman monuments and the Cathedral as well.

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May 18, 2019

Trier

Maulbronn, GER: Maulbronn Monastery

GER Day-Trip Maulbronn Monastery Starting early from our hometown we reached Maulbronn monastery (about 10 km north of Pforzheim) after a ride of 1 1/2 hours at 9 o`clock. We were among the first visitors of the day. The monastery looks more like a village than just a monastery: Monastery church, cloister, residential buildings for the monks and for the employees, many buildings for craftsmen and others. One of the most beautiful monasteries we have seen, and a lovely landscape around.

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April 21, 2018

Maulbronn Monastery

Amsterdam, NED: Amsterdam Canal Ring

Between 1977 and 2022 we several times visited the centre of Amsterdam. During our family meeting in 2015 we made a cruise on the canals.

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May 16, 2015

Amsterdam Canal Ring

Aachen Cathedral, GER,

We visited this unique 1.200 years old cathedral during our family reunion 2014.

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May 17, 2014

Aachen Cathedral

Cologne Cathedral, GER, Family reunion

During our family reunion in Zons near Cologne we visited the impressing Cologne Dom (Cathedral).

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May 28, 2011

Cologne Cathedral

Mamure Castle / Burg Anamur, TUR,

After more than three hours by taxi from Side we reached Mamure Castle. Impressive castle directly on the shores of the Meditarranian dating back to the early Ottoman period. On this place already the Romans had built a castle.

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Oct. 20, 2010

Mamure Castle

Two days Cappadocia, TUR,

From Side on the Mediterranian cost we made a two days trip by taxi to Cappadocia visiting especially Göreme NP and Karanlık Kilise (Dark Church).

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Oct. 8, 2008

Göreme NP and Cappadocia

Wooden Mosque of Eşrefoğlu, TUR,

From our seaside resort in Side we made a day-trip by taxi to Konya and to the Wooden Mosque of Eşrefoğlu. At the time of our visit the mosque was not yet a WHS and we were the only visitors. The mosque with its wooden interieurs is not spectecular, but if you are in the region it´s worth a visit.

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Oct. 17, 2007

Wooden Hypostyle Mosques of Medieval Anatolia

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