Amazone zu Pferde

 Happy New Year

Amazone zu Pferde (Fighting Amazonian woman) is a bronze equestrian statue built by August Kiss at the entrance of the Altes Museum in Berlin.

It was a foggy morning when I rambled upon Alexander plats.

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Kiskirálylány

A statue of little Princess (Kiskirálylány) sitting on the railings of the Danube promenade in Budapest is modeled after the eldest daughter, Évike, of the scuruptore, László Marton (1925–2008). It became a symbol of Budapest since its foundation in 1990.

"Évike, aged around 6, played in a little princess costume by pretending her bathrobe as cloak and a hat László made from newspaper as crown", László said in 2007.

The same statue can be seen in in Tapolca, the artist's hometown and in front of the Tokyo Metropolitan Art Space (東京芸術劇場) cultural center's concert hall. JAPAN!!

São Silvestre in Portugal

Hősök tere

Seven Chieftains Of  The Magyars

Hősök tere, Heroes' Square in English, is located at the outbound end of Andrássy Avenue next to City Park (Városliget) in Budapest, Hungary. The square is flanked by the Museum of Fine Arts and the Palace of Art (Műcsarnok). 

The square must be one of the top 10 tourist destinations and hence I saw young drunk Americans and families from all variety of nations there. 

Right Colonnade

There you can find an iconic statue complex featuring the Seven Chieftains of the Magyars and other important national leaders, as well as the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. The sculptures made by sculptor Zala György have eye-witnessed numerous political events such as the reburial of Nagy Imre in 1989.

A statue of Archangel Gabriel stands up on the top of the column holding the Hungarian holy crown (you can see it in the Hungarian Parliament Building) in his right hand and a two-barred apostolic cross (double cross) in his left hand.

Hungarian Holy Crown in the Parliament Building

If you want to see the holy crown of Hungary, go visit the Parliament!

Sir Nicholas Winton

It was almost three years since the first time I arrived at Prague railway main station (Hlavní nádraží), however, it was very recently when I noticed the statues of a gentleman and two children on platform 1. The statue, created by Flor Kent,  was unveiled on the 1st of September 2009 as part of a larger commemoration of the 70th anniversary of the last Kindertransport train (also called the Winton train).

The name of the gentleman in the statue is Sir Nicholas Winton (19 May 1909 – 1 July 2015). 

Who is he?

That was my first stupid question when I found his name. Then looked him up and I was stunned! He is a British gentleman born in a Jewish family. Later on, his family converted to Christianity and he was baptized. 

If you are interested in him, please visit his Wiki site and/or his HP.

In brief, he organized the rescue of 669 children, most of them Jewish, from Czechoslovakia on the eve of the Second World War in an operation later known as "children transportation". Prague railway main station was the embarkation point for the children who were evacuated to London Liverpool Street station via the Port of Harwich.

Due to his exploits, the British press dubbed him the "British Schindler", however, Winton's humanitarian exploits were recognized over 40 years later by his Danish wife, Grete Gjelstrup. In February 1988 his exploits were broadcasted in the BBC television program "That's Life!". 

Winton was awarded the highest honor of the Czech Republic, the Order of the White Lion, by Czech President on 28 October 2014.

Padrão dos Descobrimentos

This is part 3 entry of Belém (Lisbon).

The fifty-meter tall Padrão dos Descobrimentos (Monument to the Discoveries) shaped like a ship's prow, can be found on the northern bank of the Tagus River estuary. For sure, it represents a romanticized idealization of Portuguese exploration!

That's where Vasco da Gama embarked on his voyage to India in 1497 and also where Christopher Columbus had to anchor his ships due to the storm on his way back to Spain after his triumphal discovery of the Americas. It's around 900 meters away from Belém Tower, BTW.

The monument was built in 1960 on the occasion of the 500th anniversary of Henry the Navigator's death. It should be noted that the monument we see today is the replica of the original one that was built for the Portuguese World Fair opening in June 1940. The original monument was demolished after the exposition. 

Great people on the western side

In total, there are 33 figures along two sides of the monument. That includes great people with a variety of occupations and each idealized figure is designed to show movement toward the unknown sea.

This is The Weekend in Black and White entry, 16th January 2015. and Shadow Shot Sunday 2. 

       

Have a wonderful weekend.

St. John of Nepomuk

The Prague Castle (or Wiki site) is the largest coherent castle complex in the world, according to the Guinness Book of World Records... This is also the official residence and office of the president of the Czech Republic. It took almost one day to explore the Castle. As I have zero knowledge about Christianity architecture (Gothic style? or Renaissance style??), please visit the links above...

This is the tomb of John of Nepomuk in St. Vitus Cathedral. You have to pay to see it... It's Prague, you know.

It caught my eye as I like shiny metallic colors.

You can also meet him in Charles Bridge. He is a national saint of the Czech Republic and is often portrayed with a halo of five stars, the palm of martyrs. He also carries s cross (crucified Jesus). This statue is the oldest on the bridge.

In 1393, he was thrown into the Vitava river at the site where his statue is currently standing.

Iron Forged Grid with St. John Nepomuk carving

The great majority of tourists come to touch him, anticipating to bring good fortune and ensuring to return to Prague soon.

Me? 

Of course, I did not touch him.

Statues On Charles Bridge

Oh, Jesus!!!

It's been over 4 months since the last entry. Sorry for that.

Eventually, I had a chance for sightseeing the capital of the Czech Republic, Prague! That was my first time spending free time in Prague during my 19 months stay in the Czech!

As expected, I headed to Charles Bridge.

This is Our World Tuesday End Of June Edition entry.

Turtle On Square

In the Olomouc city center where the Town Hall and the Holy Trinity Column that was inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage list in 2000 are located, inhabiting are two turtles. The first one is carrying an obelisk on its back (not shown in this post) and the second one is, as you can see above, a bronze turtle carrying kids... No. It's officially called "Turtle On Square".

You can meet these funny reptiles by the Arion Fountain.

This is a Skywatch Friday entry.