0008, 1433, 2655, 2793, 2831, 2939, 3081, 3274, 3421 THAILAND (Bangkok) - The Grand Palace in Bangkok

0008 The Grand Palace in Bangkok

Undoubtedly, Bangkok's history is intimately linked to the Chakri dynasty, which leads Siam (named from 1939, with a brief interruption, Thailand) for more than two centuries. Founder of the dynasty, Buddha Yodfa Chulaloke (Rama I), was the one who moved the capital from Thonburi to Bangkok. Of course, the king had to have a palace and so appeared The Grand Palace (Phra Borom Maha Ratcha Wang), whose construction began in 1782, after a plan that closely followed that of the old palace in Ayutthaya.

2655 Phra Thinang Chakri Maha Prasat (1)

 

The king, his court and his royal government were based on the palace until 1925. King Bhumibol Adulyadej (Rama IX), resided at Chitralada Royal Villa and his successor Vajiralongkorn at Amphorn Sathan Residential Hall, both in the Dusit Palace, but the Grand Palace is still used for official events. Situated on the banks of the Chao Phraya River, at the heart of the Rattanakosin Island, the palace complex (made up of numerous buildings, halls, pavilions set around open lawns, and gardens) is roughly rectangular. Its asymmetry and eclectic styles are due to its organic development, with additions being made by successive kings.

2939 Phra Thinang Chakri Maha Prasat (2)

It is divided into several quarters: the Temple of the Emerald Buddha; the Outer Court; the Middle Court, including the Phra Maha Monthien Buildings, the Phra Maha Prasat Buildings and the Chakri Maha Prasat Buildings; the Inner Court and the Siwalai Gardens quarter. The Phra Thinang Chakri Maha Prasat buildings are composed of nine major and minor halls, structured in a similar scheme to the Maha Monthien Halls from north to south. The whole of the Chakri Maha Prasat group was the work of King Rama V and foreign architects in the 19th century.

3274 The Temple of the Emerald Buddha (1)

 

The first phase of construction began in 1868, then again in 1876, and the final phase between 1882 and 1887. The throne hall forms the front or the façade of the entire building group. The throne hall is constructed in an eclectic style, a blend of Thai and European (more specifically Renaissance or Italianate) styles. The lower part of the structure is European, while the upper part is in Thai-styled green and orange tiled roofs and gilded spires or prasats.

3081 The Temple of the Emerald Buddha (2)

 

The Temple of the Emerald Buddha (Wat Phra Kaew), formally known as Phra Sri Rattana Satsadaram that means "the residence of the Holy Jewel Buddha", is actually a royal chapel, completed in 1784. Wat Phra Kaew has undergone a number of renovations, restoration and additions in its history, particularly during the reign of King Rama III and Rama IV. The architectural style is named as Rattanakosin style (old Bangkok-style). The main temple of the Emerald Buddha is decorated and similar to the temple in ancient capital of Ayutthaya. 

2831 The Temple of the Emerald Buddha (3)

It is surrounded on four sides by a series of walled cloisters, with seven gates. Like the royal temples of Sukhothai and Ayutthaya, the complex is separated from the living quarters of the kings. Within these walls are buildings and structures for diverse purposes and of different styles, but most of them adheres strictly to classical Thai architecture. It is regarded as the most sacred Buddhist temple (wat) in Thailand.

1433 A kinnara in front of the Temple of the Emerald Buddha

The main building is the central phra ubosot, which houses the statue of the Emerald Buddha. In the postcard 1433 is a golden statue of a kinnara, a half-bird, half-woman creatures at Southeast Asian Buddhist mythology, one of the many creatures that inhabit the mythical Himavanta. Kinnaris have the head, torso, and arms of a woman and the wings, tail and feet of a swan. She is renowned for her dance, song and poetry, and is a traditional symbol of feminine beauty, grace and accomplishment.

2793 The Temple of the Emerald Buddha
with a Thotsakhirithon guarding an exit

The Gate No. 2 (Na Wua Gate) of the complex is guarded by the statues of two demons (yaksha), Thotsakhirithon and Thotsakhiriwan, which appear in Ramakien (Glory of Rama), Thailand's national epic, derived from the Hindu epic Ramayana. They are the sons of Thotsakan (One with ten necks), a king of demons and their mother is a female elephant, that why they have trunks like an elephant. They are mostly depicted with a characteristic face, having big round bulging eyes and protruding fangs, as well as a green complexion.

3421 The Dusit Maha Prasat throne hall in 1870s

 

The Dusit Maha Prasat throne hall, built by Rama I in 1790, dominates the Maha Prasat group. The throne hall was built on a symmetrical cruciform plan, the roof is topped with a tall gilded spire. The hall is considered an ideal archetype of Thai traditional architecture. Every aspect of the exterior decoration of the throne hall is imbuded with symbolism. The hall is built in the shape of a tall mountain to represent Mount Meru, the mythological centre of the universe. The north face has a porch with a type of throne known as a busabok used by the king when gave public audiences.

3405 NETHERLANDS (Netherlands / North Holland) - Royal Palace of Amsterdam

Situated on the west side of Dam Square, the Royal Palace of Amsterdam in Amsterdam is one of three palaces in the Netherlands which are at the disposal of the monarch by Act of Parliament. The sandstone of yellowish hue has darkened considerably in the course of time. In the rear of the building is a 6-metre-tall statue of Atlas carrying the Globe, symbolising the worldwide extent of 17th-century Dutch commerce and interests. The large domed cupola is topped by a weather vane in the form of a cog ship, a symbol of Amsterdam. Just underneath the dome, there are a few windows, from where one could see the ships arrive and leave the harbour.

3335 ROMANIA (Ialomiţa / Constanţa) - King Carol I Bridge

King Carol I Bridge (renamed during the communist period Anghel Saligny Bridge) was built between 1890 and 1895 to ensure the railway connection between Bucharest and Constanța. The railway section between Constanţa and Cernavodă was built in 1860, and in 1879, one year after Dobrudja became part of Romania, began the construction of the Bucharest-Feteşti section. Had to be realized only the connection between Feteşti and Cernavodă, about 21 km, including two bridges, over Borcea Branch and over the Danube. At that time the last bridge over the Danube was the Franz Josef Bridge in Novi Sad, located 955 km upstream and inaugurated in 1883.

3259 FRANCE (Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes) - Peasants of Ardeche in 1970's

3259 Joseph, Noemie and Celestin, paysans d'Ardeche in 1970's

Ardèche is a département in south-central France,  named after the River Ardèche. Picturesque, lush and wild, this département is a tapestry of ancient grey rock, verdant hills and thick forests. Heavily loaded with history and tradition, the sparsely populated Ardèche region is the perfect place to lose yourself in the simplest pleasures that rural France can offer, namely hearty regional fare and untamed beauty. The Ardèche is known in France as "chestnut country", and, for many locals, this anonymous wintertime ingredient holds iconic status. This explains its prominence in so many dishes and the region’s position as France’s leading producer.

3255 FRANCE (Occitania) - The people of Lozère

Located in the region of Occitanie in southern France near the Massif Central, Lozère is the least populated French department, due to its mountainous relief, and to poor soil quality. There is barely any agricultural farming in Lozère, the main activities being cattle farming and tourism. It is one of the few region where the langue d'oc is spoken fluently because it remained an agricultural department, and that people are attached to their roots. And if the Lozériens speak French, it is strongly mixed with Occitan, what some call the patois.

3250 FRANCE (Brittany) - A traditional breton farm

The rural architecture of France has a rich variety, because the farms are the expression of the coexistence of several agrarian civilisation, of the variety of natural environments and of types of farming. In Brittany, specific are the long, low, compact houses, with transverse elements. The house and the farm buildings such as stables and sheds, are built in a row under the same roof in the case of small farms, and under roofs of different  of heights in the case of large farms; the house thus consists of juxtaposed units.

3230 UNITED STATES (New York) - Ellis Island Portraits by Augustus Frederick Sherman

3230 Ellis Island Portraits
by Augustus Frederick Sherman
- Dutch Siblings from the Island of Marken

The first big wave of immigrants arrived in America between 1847 and 1860. A larger wave of immigrants from a larger range of countries sailed to America between the late 1800s and 1920. Most of them passed through the immigration station at Ellis Island in New York Harbor, which processed more than 12 million immigrants between 1892 and 1954. In other words, more than 100 million of today's Americans - a third of the population - can trace their ancestry back to an individual who immigrated through Ellis Island.

3207 GERMANY (Berlin) - Berlin Cathedral after the bombing of May 25, 1944

Berlin Cathedral is located on Museum Island in the Mitte borough, and has never been a cathedral in the actual sense of that term since it has never been the seat of a bishop. The current building was finished in 1905 and is a main work of Historicist architecture of the "Kaiserzeit". At 114m long, 73m wide and 116m tall, it was much larger than any of the previous buildings and was considered a Protestant counterweight to St. Peter's Basilica in Vatican City.

3096 ROMANIA - Romanian from Transylvania in traditional workaday costume

 

The structure of Romanian traditional clothing has remained unchanged throughout history and can be traced back to the earliest times. It finds its roots in the part of Dacians and Getae ancestors, and resembles with that of the peoples of the Balkan Peninsula. The first testimonies about it are set in stone, on Tropaeum Traiani monument in Adamclisi and Trajan's Column in Rome, and its first representations date from the 14th century, in Chronicon Pictum Vindobonense, and in Codex Latinus Parisinus.

1348-1351, 2681, 2682, 3070 ROMANIA (Timiş) - Timişoara

1348 TIMIŞOARA: 1. House with Lions (Union Square) 2. Orthodox
Metropolitan Cathedral (Victoria Square) 3. Lloyd Palace
(Victory Square) 4. Dauerbach Palace (Victory Square) 
5. Union Square (Serbian Orthodox Episcopal
Palace, Serbian Orthodox Cathedral, Orthodox
Community House, Plague Column)

Posted on 02.12.2014, 14.08.2016, 27.05.2017
Located in the Pannonian Plain, near the divergence of the Timiş and Bega rivers, Timişoara, the unofficial capital city of the historical region of Banat, is the third most populous city in Romania (319,279 inhabitants). Banat was annexed by the Kingdom of Hungary in 1030, and the city was first mentioned, as Castrum Temesiense, in either 1212 or 1266. Its importance grew due to its strategic location, so that it reached at the forefront of Western Christendom's battle against the Muslim Ottoman Turks.

1349 TIMIŞOARA: 1. Lloyd Palace (Victory Square) 2. Baroque Palace
(Union Square) 3. Palace Merbl & Palace Neuhausz (Victory Square)
4. Plague Column (Union Square) 5. Union Square (Serbian Orthodox
Episcopal Palace, Serbian Orthodox Cathedral, Orthodox
Community House, Plague Column) 6. The Hunyadi Castle
(armor on the entrance) 7. Orthodox Metropolitan Cathedral
(Victoria Square) 8. Union Square 9. Dauerbach Palace (Victory Square)

The French and Hungarian crusaders met here before engaging in the Battle of Nicopolis in 1396, and later John Hunyadi used it as a military stronghold. Repeatedly sieged by the Ottomans, was conquered in 1552, and remained under Ottoman rule for nearly 160 years, but enjoyed a special status, similar to Budapest and Belgrade. In 1716 the city came under Austrian rule (since 1781 as a free royal city). Since 1860, Banat was administrated by Hungary (within the Austro-Hungarian Empire), and it remained so until the early 20th century.

2681 TIMIŞOARA: 1. Orthodox Metropolitan
Cathedral (Victoria Square) 2. Roman-Catholic
Dome (Union Square) 5. Romanian Orthodox
Church in Iosefin 6. Statue of Saint Nepomuk
in Liberty Square

 

Reached an economic and industrial center, it was the first European city and the second in the world which used electric street lamps (1884), and also the second European city with horse-drawn trams (1869). After the WWI, Banat was divided between the Kingdom of Romania and the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes, Timişoara coming under Romanian administration. On December 16, 1989 in this city has started the revolution that would lead to the removal of the communist regime in Romania.

1350 Reproduction of an old photo with Union Square at 1900
(Roman-Catholic Dome, Swabian Bank, Prenner House, Baroque Palace)

In terms of architecture, the city inherits a vast heritage of historical monuments, result of a long tradition of modern urban planning, that started in the 18th century, with the arrival of the Austrians. The center, located in the old Citadel, was remodeled, with squares and straight streets. The buildings were well aligned and the buildings situated at street corners had to have extra architectural elements. Predominantly was influential Viennese Baroque style, which brought to Timişoara the nickname Little Vienna.

3070 Reproduction of an old photo with German Dome and
part from Holy Trinity Statue located on Union Square in Timişoara

In 1904, the city has established the post of chief architect and attributed it to Laszlo Szekely, who made a decisive contribution to the reshaping of the central area and the introduction of the styles Art Nouveau, Secession and Eclectic in urban landscape of the city. The last architectural current that influenced the city was the Romanian one,  introduced with the passage of Timişoara under Romanian administration. A particular charm is given by the parks and green spaces that stretch along the Bega canal and in all parts of the city.

1351 TIMIŞOARA: Piarist High School, west facade

 

The oldest square is the Union Square (formerly Hauptplatz / Main Square), decorated in Baroque style. The Serbian Orthodox Episcopal Palace was built between 1745 and 1747 in Baroque style, but it has the current form since 1905-1906, when was modified by Laszlo Szekely. The facade, defined by Serbian decorative elements, dates from 1911. The Serbian Orthodox Cathedral was erected between 1744 and 1748, but the towers were added in 1791. The current Orthodox Community House was built in 1828. These three buildings forms the so-called Rascian Square on the western part of the square.

2682 TIMIŞOARA: Opera House in Victory Square before 1989
(back then State Theater in Opera Square)

The House with Lions (on the north side), originally in Baroque style, had on the corner, from the beginning, the oriel window with round contour. It was rebuilt after 1900 in secession style, at that time being added the lions, which give it the name. On the west side is the Roman-Catholic Dome (dedicated to St. George), built between 1736 and 1774 by architect Joseph Emanuel Fischer von Erlach, prominent representative of Viennese Baroque. It has the shape of a cross, with a single central nave, and the columns arranged on both sides of the nave supports the semi-cylindrical roof.

3058 ROMANIA - The Romani people in Romania

3058 Romani man from Transylvania
at the end of the 19th century
(then Transylvania was part of
Austro-Hungarian Empire)

The Romani, or Roma, are a traditionally nomadic ethnic group, living mostly in Europe (mainly in the Balkans, in some Central European states, in Spain, France, Russia and Ukraine) and the Americas and originating from the northern regions of the Indian subcontinent, apparently from the region that is currently occupied by the Indian states of Rajasthan, Haryana, and Punjab. They are widely known among English-speaking people by the exonym Gypsies, considered pejorative.