Martin M. Miles' photos with the keyword: Georg Forster

Vilnius is the capital and largest city of Lithuania, with a population of about 600.000. Before WWII, Vilnius was one of the largest Jewish centers in Europe which led to the nickname "the Jerusalem of the North". The city was first mentioned in written sources as Vilna in 1323 as the capital city of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania. Gediminas, Grand Duke of Lithuania, built a wooden castle on a hill in the city. The city became more widely known after he wrote a circular letter of invitation to Germans and Jews to the principal Hansa towns in 1325, offering free access into his domains to men of every order and profession. At this time Vilnius was facing raids of the Teutonic Order, although they never captured the castle, large portions of the town were burned down between 1365 and 1383. English king Henry IV spent the full year of 1390 supporting the unsuccessful siege of Vilnius by Teutonic Knights with his 300 fellow knights. Between 1503 and 1522, the city was surrounded by a city wall to protect it from Crimean Tatar attacks. The city reached the peak of its development during the reign of Sigismund II. Augustus, Grand Duke of Lithuania and King of Poland, settled here in 1544. After the foundation of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth in 1569, the city experienced a further boom, as Stephen Báthory, King of Poland and Grand Duke of Lithuania, founded the Jesuit College of Vilnius (= Vilnius University) in 1579. The university soon developed into one of the most important scientific and cultural centers in the Grand Duchy of Lithuania. Today, the university still offers degree programs with internationally recognized content. There are even 3 Bachelor's and 16 Master's programs in English, which attract many "international" students. Today there are more than 20,000 students. Georg Forster who had accompanied his father, Johann Reinhold Forster on James Cook's second voyage to the Pacific, taught at this university from 1783 - 1787. His report "A Voyage Round the World", contributed significantly to the ethnology of the people of Polynesia, and made him a kind of celebrity. His lectures were popular not only among students but as well the city´s aristocraty He donated a couple of his collections to the university when he left. Here are seashells from the Pacific

Up to 1945 this little village was named Nassenhuben. In 1754 Georg Forster was born here. At an early age, he accompanied his father, Johann Reinhold Forster, who had been the pastor of this village, on James Cook's second voyage to the Pacific. His report of that journey, "A Voyage Round the World", contributed significantly to the ethnology of the people of Polynesia. He was a German naturalist, ethnologist, travel writer and journalist. He was a central figure of the Enlightenment in Germany. His ideas and personality influenced Alexander von Humboldt, with whom he travelled down the Rhine. Forster played a leading role in the Mainz Republic, the earliest republican state in Germany. While he was in Paris as a delegate of the Mainz Republic, Prussian and Austrian coalition forces regained control of the city and Forster was declared an outlaw. Unable to return to Germany he died in Paris in 1794.

The St. Martin's Cathedral, a predominantly romanesque structure, with many gothic and some baroque extensions, is in the very center of the city of Mainz. Archbishop Willigis of Mainz, an important political player, had the construction of a cathedral started end of the 10th century. This basilica was (already!) completed 1009. A day before consecration in August 1009, the new cathedral was illuminated by torches - and burnt down completely. So finally 1036 Archbishop Bardo completed the church and it got consecrated in the presence of Conrad II. Another fire in 1081 damaged the cathedral. With the support of Henry IV the reconstruction started around 1100. For the next years "magistri comacin", highly specialised stone masons from the Lombardy left their marks here. In 1184 Frederick I Barbarossa hold one of the biggest parties of medieval times here, for the accolade of his sons, a ceremony that took place inside the cathedral. During the Thirty Years' War swedish troops looted the cathedral, so some parts of the former treasury are now in amuseum in Uppsala. The "Republic of Mainz", a product of the French Revolution, was the first democratic state on German territory. The state was represented in Paris by Georg Forster, who, as a boy, had been in the Pacific with Captain Cook. During the time of the republic the cathedral was used as a piggery, later a military hospital. All furniture was either sold or used for heating up the building. The time of the republic ended, when Prussia cannonaded Mainz, what damaged the cathedral severely. . This large crypt, below the eastern choir, was planned already, when the eastern choir was constructed (1100/1005), but the construction stopped over centuries. It did not get finished due to the flooding from the river Rhine, which is only about 400 meters away. The reconstruction of the 19th century finally finished the work. The crypt ("Bonifatius Chapel") holds a modern shrine (seen below the blue window) containing relics of 22 saints, connected to Mainz. The crypt under the western choir is from 1926. It is used since then as burial place for the archbishops of Mainz.

The St. Martin's Cathedral, a predominantly romanesque structure, with many gothic and some baroque extensions, is in the very center of the city of Mainz. Archbishop Willigis of Mainz, an important political player, had the construction of a cathedral started end of the 10th century. This basilica was (already!) completed 1009. A day before consecration in August 1009, the new cathedral was illuminated by torches - and burnt down completely. So finally 1036 Archbishop Bardo completed the church and it got consecrated in the presence of Conrad II. Another fire in 1081 damaged the cathedral. With the support of Henry IV the reconstruction started around 1100. For the next years "magistri comacin", highly specialised stone masons from the Lombardy left their marks here. In 1184 Frederick I Barbarossa hold one of the biggest parties of medieval times here, for the accolade of his sons, a ceremony that took place inside the cathedral. During the Thirty Years' War swedish troops looted the cathedral, so some parts of the former treasury are now in a museum in Uppsala. The "Republic of Mainz", a product of the French Revolution, was the first democratic state on German territory. The state was represented in Paris by Georg Forster, who, as a boy, had been in the Pacific with Captain Cook. During the time of the republic the cathedral was used as a piggery, later a military hospital. All furniture was either sold or used for heating up the building. The time of the republic ended, when Prussia cannonaded Mainz, what damaged the cathedral severely. The cathedral has two choirs and two crossings. Standing in the west in the nave and looking east. The central nave and the vaulting was completed around 1137. The baroque altars near the nave seem to be glued into the structure.

The St. Martin's Cathedral, a predominantly romanesque structure, with many gothic and some baroque extensions, is in the very center of the city of Mainz. Archbishop Willigis of Mainz, an important political player, had the construction of a cathedral started end of the 10th century. This basilica was (already!) completed 1009. A day before consecration in August 1009, the new cathedral was illuminated by torches - and burnt down completely. So finally 1036 Archbishop Bardo completed the church and it got consecrated in the presence of Conrad II. Another fire in 1081 damaged the cathedral. With the support of Henry IV the reconstruction started around 1100. For the next years "magistri comacin", highly specialised stone masons from the Lombardy left their marks here. In 1184 Frederick I Barbarossa hold one of the biggest parties of medieval times here, for the accolade of his sons, a ceremony that took place inside the cathedral. During the Thirty Years' War swedish troops looted the cathedral, so some parts of the former treasury are now in a museum in Uppsala. The "Republic of Mainz", a product of the French Revolution, was the first democratic state on German territory. The state was represented in Paris by Georg Forster, who, as a boy, had been in the Pacific with Captain Cook. During the time of the republic the cathedral was used as a piggery, later a military hospital. All furniture was either sold or used for heating up the building. The time of the republic ended, when Prussia cannonaded Mainz, what damaged the cathedral severely. . The gothic cloister has survived the times. In neighbouring Speyer it got demolished early 19th century. Here are the graves for the members of the chapter like in most bishoprics, that still have a cloister. It is raining. The sextons have carried all the pots with the ornamental trees into the cloister. The trees probably like the rain - and stand in perfect line.

The St. Martin's Cathedral, a predominantly romanesque structure, with many gothic and some baroque extensions, is in the very center of the city of Mainz. Archbishop Willigis of Mainz, an important political player, had the construction of a cathedral started end of the 10th century. This basilica was (already!) completed 1009. A day before consecration in August 1009, the new cathedral was illuminated by torches - and burnt down completely. So finally 1036 Archbishop Bardo completed the church and it got consecrated in the presence of Conrad II. Another fire in 1081 damaged the cathedral. With the support of Henry IV the reconstruction started around 1100. For the next years "magistri comacin", highly specialised stone masons from the Lombardy left their marks here. In 1184 Frederick I Barbarossa hold one of the biggest parties of medieval times here, for the accolade of his sons, a ceremony that took place inside the cathedral. During the Thirty Years' War swedish troops looted the cathedral, so some parts of the former treasury are now in amuseum in Uppsala. The "Republic of Mainz", a product of the French Revolution, was the first democratic state on German territory. The state was represented in Paris by Georg Forster, who, as a boy, had been in the Pacific with Captain Cook. During the time of the republic the cathedral was used as a piggery, later a military hospital. All furniture was either sold or used for heating up the building. The time of the republic ended, when Prussia cannonaded Mainz, what damaged the cathedral severely. . The carving on the left side of the portal shows two grim lions and a ram in the middle, a very common theme, that as well can be seen in nearby Speyer. On the right a griffon. The artistic style of the lions is very dynamic, they are in front of the capitals.

The St. Martin's Cathedral, a predominantly romanesque structure, with many gothic and some baroque extensions, is in the very center of the city of Mainz. Archbishop Willigis of Mainz, an important political player, had the construction of a cathedral started end of the 10th century. This basilica was (already!) completed 1009. A day before consecration in August 1009, the new cathedral was illuminated by torches - and burnt down completely. So finally 1036 Archbishop Bardo completed the church and it got consecrated in the presence of Conrad II. Another fire in 1081 damaged the cathedral. With the support of Henry IV the reconstruction started around 1100. For the next years "magistri comacin", highly specialised stone masons from the Lombardy left their marks here. In 1184 Frederick I Barbarossa hold one of the biggest parties of medieval times here, for the accolade of his sons, a ceremony that took place inside the cathedral. During the Thirty Years' War swedish troops looted the cathedral, so some parts of the former treasury are now in amuseum in Uppsala. The "Republic of Mainz", a product of the French Revolution, was the first democratic state on German territory. The state was represented in Paris by Georg Forster, who, as a boy, had been in the Pacific with Captain Cook. During the time of the republic the cathedral was used as a piggery, later a military hospital. All furniture was either sold or used for heating up the building. The time of the republic ended, when Prussia cannonaded Mainz, what damaged the cathedral severely. . The small eastern portal has some nice carvings. There is no tympanon, and I have no idea what the the three holes are for, which are in the semicircular area over the doors. The portal leads in the a kind of "gap". Turning left the visitor enters the cloister, turning right the visitor enters the eastern choir of the cathedral. Please note the lions to the left.

The St. Martin's Cathedral, a predominantly romanesque structure, with many gothic and some baroque extensions, is in the very center of the city of Mainz. Archbishop Willigis of Mainz, an important political player, had the construction of a cathedral started end of the 10th century. This basilica was (already!) completed 1009. A day before consecration in August 1009, the new cathedral was illuminated by torches - and burnt down completely. So finally 1036 Archbishop Bardo completed the church and it got consecrated in the presence of Conrad II. Another fire in 1081 damaged the cathedral. With the support of Henry IV the reconstruction started around 1100. For the next years "magistri comacin", highly specialised stone masons from the Lombardy left their marks here. In 1184 Frederick I Barbarossa hold one of the biggest parties of medieval times here, for the accolade of his sons, a ceremony that took place inside the cathedral. During the Thirty Years' War swedish troops looted the cathedral, so some parts of the former treasury are now in amuseum in Uppsala. The "Republic of Mainz", a product of the French Revolution, was the first democratic state on German territory. The state was represented in Paris by Georg Forster, who, as a boy, had been in the Pacific with Captain Cook. During the time of the republic the cathedral was used as a piggery, later a military hospital. All furniture was either sold or used for heating up the building. The time of the republic ended, when Prussia cannonaded Mainz, what damaged the cathedral severely. . The eastern apse and the transept within the two flanking towers. The lower parts of these towers date back to around 1000. Henry IV supported from around 1100 on the rebuilding of the cathedral after the fire of 1081. Henry IV had just before remodelled the Speyer Cathedral - and he had employed very experienced stone masons from the Lombardy, the "magistri comacin". So the cathedral in Speyer and the cathedral in Mainz are both in a kind of lombardic style. They both have blind arcades (aka "lombard bands"), dwarf galleries and this triangle of niches under the gable. After the death of their sponsor Henry IV (1106) the lombardic masters left the construction site - and moved on.