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St. Elisabeth Cathedral, Kosice, Slovakia

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St. Elisabeth Cathedral, Kosice

The record on the existence of Košice, dating from 1230, is connected with that of the existence of the rectory church. In the process of the settlement’s transformation from a rural community into a town, all its periods of successes and failures have been reflected on St. Elizabeth’s Cathedral. According to historic data the present-day cathedral was built on the site of an edifice of older date which was consecrated to St. Elisabeth as well. It was referred to in the document of Pope Martin V of the year 1283 and in the letter of 1290, which stated that the bishop of Eger Andrew II exempted Košice parish from the dean’s sphere of jurisdiction.

This medieval monument was built in the High Gothic style between 1378 and 1508 in several stages on the site of a parish church that burned down in 1370, in memory of Saint Elisabeth of Hungary, the patron of all armed mercenaries and also Portugal.

The cathedral was often damaged by calamities (1556) and underwent numerous restorations. The most extensive restoration works took place in the years 1877-1896 by the drafts of Imre Steindl. The northern tower was completed in 1775, while the southern, Matthias tower in 1904. During the last phase of the restoration, a crypt was built under the northern nave of the cathedral. In 1906 the remains of Francis II Rákóczi and his friends from Rodosto were buried there.

Tower of London

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Tower of London

Her Majesty’s Royal Palace and Fortress, more commonly known as the Tower of London, is a historic castle on the north bank of the River Thames in central London, England. It lies within the London Borough of Tower Hamlets, separated from the eastern edge of the square mile of the City of London by the open space known as Tower Hill. It was founded towards the end of 1066 as part of the Norman Conquest of England. The White Tower, which gives the entire castle its name, was built by William the Conqueror in 1078, and was a resented symbol of oppression, inflicted upon London by the new ruling elite. The castle was used as a prison from 1100 (Ranulf Flambard), until 1952 (Kray twins) although that was not its primary purpose. A grand palace early in its history, it served as a royal residence. As a whole, the Tower is a complex of several buildings set within two concentric rings of defensive walls and a moat. There were several phases of expansion, mainly under Kings Richard the Lionheart, Henry III, and Edward I in the 12th and 13th centuries. The general layout established by the late 13th century remains despite later activity on the site. More…

Buckingham Palace

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Buckingham Palace in London, England

Buckingham Palace is the official London residence and principal workplace of the British monarch. Buckingham Palace is located in the City of Westminster. The palace is a setting for state occasions and royal hospitality. It has been a focus for the British people at times of national rejoicing and crisis.

Originally known as Buckingham House, the building which forms the core of today’s palace was a large town-house built for the Duke of Buckingham in 1705 on a site which had been in private ownership for at least 150 years.

During the 19th century it was enlarged, principally by architects John Nash and Edward Blore. Buckingham Palace finally became the official royal palace of the British monarch on the accession of Queen Victoria in 1837. The last major structural additions were made in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, including the East front which contains the well-known balcony on which the royal family traditionally congregates to greet crowds outside. More…

Windows – Orava village

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Windows - The Museum of the Orava village in Zuberec (Slovakia)

The Museum of the Orava Village is located in Zuberec. This open air museum of folk architecture exhibits intact rural houses brought from all around the region of Orava and re-assembled in Zuberec. The oldest building, a Gothic wooden church, was constructed in the 15th century. The museum itself was founded in 1967. The interior of the buildings hosts an ethnographic collection. The gardens and fields around the houses show various ancient forms of farming and animal husbandry.