Birkenfeld ( German pronunciation: [ˈbɪʁkŋ̍fɛlt] ) is a town and the district seat of the Birkenfeld district in southwest Rhineland-Palatinate , Germany . It is also the seat of the like-named Verbandsgemeinde . The town itself has approximately 7,000 inhabitants.
91-655: The town lies in the Nahegebiet (Nahe area), to the north of the namesake river, on the edge of the Naturpark Saar-Hunsrück . Birkenfeld lies roughly 13 km southwest of Idar-Oberstein and 12 km northwest of Baumholder . Clockwise from the north, these are Gollenberg , Elchweiler , Schmißberg , Rimsberg , Dienstweiler , Ellweiler , Dambach , Brücken , Buhlenberg and Ellenberg . The name Birkenfeld has its origin in an old German dialect, Old Frankish . It means something rather like "at
182-644: A cornice . There is a regular repetition of openings on each floor, and the centrally placed door is marked by a feature such as a balcony, or rusticated surround. An early and much copied prototype was the façade for the Palazzo Rucellai (1446 and 1451) in Florence with its three registers of pilasters . Roman and Greek orders of columns are used: Tuscan , Doric , Ionic , Corinthian and Composite . The orders can either be structural, supporting an arcade or architrave, or purely decorative, set against
273-510: A pediment and organised by a system of pilasters , arches and entablatures . The columns and windows show a progression towards the centre. One of the first true Renaissance façades was Pienza Cathedral (1459–62), which has been attributed to the Florentine architect Bernardo Gambarelli (known as Rossellino ) with Leone Battista Alberti perhaps having some responsibility in its design as well. Domestic buildings are often surmounted by
364-623: A Birkenfelder in those days would have said Fulerlale where Standard High German would have Futterladen (“fodder shop”). A full-sentence example can be seen in a remark made by the Birkenfeld sexton “Fuchs Karl” to the church councillor and parish priest Haag: Jo, jo, Herr Kirjerot, pririje kann e jela, awa noch lang net loule! , or in Standard High German, Ja, ja, Herr Kirchenrat, predigen kann ein jeder, aber noch lange nicht läuten! (“Yes, yes, Mr. Church Councillor, preaching
455-635: A branch of the Trier University of Applied Sciences , made a significant contribution to the Birkenfeld region's economic development. For school-age children there is a broad array of offerings. Enjoying more than local importance is the Elisabeth-Stiftung medical rehabilitation foundation, with its specific offers of qualifications to people with either physical or mental handicaps. Alumni come from all over Germany and even from neighbouring countries. Among other academic offerings
546-404: A centre for starting up businesses (“BIG-Center”) was built in the 1990s. Birkenfeld has good road links to Bundesstraßen 41 (east-west, between Mainz and Saarbrücken ) and 269 (between Bernkastel-Kues and Saarlouis ), as well as to Autobahn A 62 , which is the most important north–south link, running between Trier and Kaiserslautern . Furthermore, Bundesstraße 269 links to
637-972: A cloth factory owned by the Brothers Stumm, who would later become coal and steel entrepreneurs on the Saar. A large part of the cloth stolen during this break-in Schinderhannes sold to a fence in Hundheim. In 1798, during the French Revolutionary Wars , the Left Bank of the Rhine was ceded to France , whereafter Birkenfeld belonged to the Department of Sarre . After the Congress of Vienna (1814-1815) which ended
728-579: A hill between the junction of the Nahe and the Glan , was founded at the beginning of the 8th century by Saint Disibod , an Irish missionary. Saint Hildegard of Bingen , a famous Christian mystic , also lived here for a while. Gemstone town Idar-Oberstein - The town is famous for its historic gemstone mines and related trades. Some of them are open to visitors. The German Gemstone Museum boasts many gemstone exhibits. Bad Kreuznach - The baths which give
819-463: A mount vert a birch tree with roots proper surmounted by an inescutcheon chequy gules and argent. The main charge , the birch tree, is canting for the town's name (“birch” is Birke in German ). The inescutcheon with the red and silver “chequy” pattern is the coat of arms formerly borne by the “Hinder” County of Sponheim , thus bearing witness to that time in the town's history. This composition
910-584: A noble residence town and an administrative seat, no great industrial development ever took place here. The biggest employers, besides the administrative bodies, are thus a foundation and the Bundeswehr . The German Red Cross ’s (DRK) Elisabeth-Stiftung , a medical rehabilitation foundation, with its hospital , Berufsförderungswerk Birkenfeld (an institute for retraining workers whose condition precludes their return to former occupations), private vocational schools, measures for youth and senior citizens’ home
1001-444: A postglacial warm period to Europe but became extinct in most regions when the climate changed again to significantly cooler and more humid conditions. They only survived in small but still warm and dry places due to special geographic situations. In the Nahe valley and its tributaries these are mostly rocky precipices towards South or South-East, furthermore sunny slopes with shrubs, bushes and dry broad-leaved forests. On hot summer days
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#17327798960741092-521: A question of practice, but also a matter for theoretical discussion. Printing played a large role in the dissemination of ideas. In the 15th century the courts of certain other Italian states became centres for spreading of Renaissance philosophy, art and architecture. In Mantua at the court of the Gonzaga , Alberti designed two churches, the Basilica of Sant'Andrea and San Sebastiano . Urbino
1183-530: A section of entablature between the capital and the springing of the arch. Alberti was one of the first to use the arch on a monumental scale at the Basilica of Sant'Andrea, Mantua . Vaults do not have ribs. They are semi-circular or segmental and on a square plan, unlike the Gothic vault which is frequently rectangular. The barrel vault is returned to architectural vocabulary as at St. Andrea in Mantua. The dome
1274-478: A steep cliff nearby with a height of 202 metres (663 ft) and a length of 1,200 metres (3,900 ft) was formed by the Nahe. Bad Sobernheim - The open-air museum of Rhineland-Palatinate in Bad Sobernheim has an exhibition four traditional villages with refurbished historic houses from different regions of Rhineland-Palatinate. The region is accessible via federal highway B41 which is connected to
1365-577: A triangular or segmental pediment. Openings that do not have doors are usually arched and frequently have a large or decorative keystone. Windows may be paired and set within a semi-circular arch. They may have square lintels and triangular or segmental pediments , which are often used alternately. Emblematic in this respect is the Palazzo Farnese in Rome, begun in 1517. In the Mannerist period
1456-547: A wall in the form of pilasters. During the Renaissance, architects aimed to use columns, pilasters , and entablatures as an integrated system. One of the first buildings to use pilasters as an integrated system was in the Old Sacristy (1421–1440) by Brunelleschi. Arches are semi-circular or (in the Mannerist style) segmental. Arches are often used in arcades, supported on piers or columns with capitals. There may be
1547-540: Is based on an old court seal from 1577. The arms have been borne since 29 October 1923, when they were approved by the Ministry of the Interior at Oldenburg . Birkenfeld fosters partnerships with the following places: In bygone days, the local Birkenfeld dialect was marked by the peculiarity of often replacing the sounds /d/ and /t/ – and sometimes /r/ as well – with /l/, a shift known as lambdacism . For example,
1638-733: Is derived from the Latin word Nava , which is supposed to be based upon the Celtic origin for the wild river . The Nahe separates the northern part of the Palatinate from the Hunsrück . It rises in the area of Nohfelden (Saarland), flowing through Rhineland-Palatinate and joining the Rhine in Bingen . Its length is 125 kilometres (78 mi). Towns along the Nahe include Idar-Oberstein , Kirn , Bad Kreuznach and Bingen. The drainage basin of
1729-883: Is now a cycle path. Running outwards from Birkenfeld are five local loop trails for hiking with a total length through the region of more than 60 km. These are the Glockenweg (roughly 16 km), the Eulenweg (roughly 9 km), the Mausweg (roughly 12.5 km), the Mühlenweg (roughly 12.5 km) and the Rehweg (roughly 12.5 km). The long-distance Nahe-Höhenweg and the Sironaweg, which leads by many Celtic - Roman archaeological finds, likewise run by Birkenfeld. The roughly 120 km-long Nahe-Radweg and
1820-633: Is something anyone can do, but bellringing, not for long”). Lambdacism, though, long ago vanished from the Birkenfeld dialect, having given way to the other shift that is customary in Hunsrückisch : rhotacism . The Landesmuseum des Vereins für Heimatkunde im Landkreis Birkenfeld (“State Museum of the Association for Local History in the Rural District of Birkenfeld”) offers an overview of 2,500 years of cultural history. The centrepiece
1911-528: Is the Basilica of San Lorenzo, Florence by Filippo Brunelleschi (1377–1446). During the High Renaissance, concepts derived from classical antiquity were developed and used with greater confidence. The most representative architect is Donato Bramante (1444–1514), who expanded the applicability of classical architecture to contemporary buildings. His Tempietto di San Pietro in Montorio (1503)
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#17327798960742002-607: Is the Volkshochschule Birkenfeld , a folk high school . Birkenfeld is the location of a number of authorities: Birkenfeld has, among other sport and leisure facilities, a heated outdoor swimming pool , the Stadion am Berg (“ Stadium at the Mountain”), several sport halls, a zoo , two libraries, a vocational library and the youth centre. In 2000, a skatepark was built at the youth centre, which in 2005
2093-587: Is the European architecture of the period between the early 15th and early 16th centuries in different regions, demonstrating a conscious revival and development of certain elements of ancient Greek and Roman thought and material culture. Stylistically, Renaissance architecture followed Gothic architecture and was succeeded by Baroque architecture and neoclassical architecture . Developed first in Florence , with Filippo Brunelleschi as one of its innovators,
2184-572: Is the interactively equipped Celtic experience exhibit Kelten, Kunst und Kult erleben (“Experience Celts , Art and Worship ”). Here, through reconstructions, archaeological finds and replicas, these people's life is presented. Further exhibits deal with regional and territorial history of the Birkenfelder Land . Historical highlights among these exhibits are the High Middle Ages (13th to 15th centuries) and Oldenburg times in
2275-884: Is used frequently, both as a very large structural feature that is visible from the exterior, and also as a means of roofing smaller spaces where they are only visible internally. After the success of the dome in Brunelleschi's design for Florence Cathedral and its use in Bramante's plan for St. Peter's Basilica (1506) in Rome, the dome became an indispensable element in church architecture and later even for secular architecture, such as Palladio's Villa Rotonda . Roofs are fitted with flat or coffered ceilings. They are not left open as in Medieval architecture. They are frequently painted or decorated. Doors usually have square lintels. They may be set with in an arch or surmounted by
2366-417: Is usually not the case in architectural history. The bleak economic conditions of the late 14th century did not produce buildings that are considered to be part of the Renaissance. As a result, the word Renaissance among architectural historians usually applies to the period 1400 to c. 1525 , or later in the case of non-Italian Renaissances. Historians often use the following designations: During
2457-461: Is where the painter Hugo Zang (1858–1946) once lived. In 2006, restoration work began in an effort to bring the house up to a standard worthy of monumental protection. Since 2008, the building has housed not only the Birkenfeld district folk high school but also seven gallery rooms for changing exhibitions of works by local and national artists. The town's economy is characterized mainly by small and midsize businesses. Owing to Birkenfeld's history as
2548-461: Is with more than 600 employees the town's biggest employer. Following the Elisabeth-Stiftung is the Bundeswehr (among other units, the 2nd Luftwaffe Division) with more than 500 military and civilian personnel. The Stefan-Morsch-Stiftung , a foundation for keeping data on potential bone marrow and stem cell donors, has its seat in Birkenfeld. On the lands of the former railway station ,
2639-504: The Florence Baptistery and Pisa Cathedral . Italy had never fully adopted the Gothic style of architecture. Apart from Milan Cathedral , (influenced by French Rayonnant Gothic), few Italian churches show the emphasis on vertical, the clustered shafts, ornate tracery and complex ribbed vaulting that characterise Gothic in other parts of Europe. The presence, particularly in Rome, of ancient architectural remains showing
2730-641: The Glan , Nohen and the Moselle with each other. The Bronzestraße crossed the Nahe in Nohen ( villa Aldena ) and ran farther on, right through the Wasserschieder Wald , a state forest that still stands today on the town's outskirts, by way of Gollenberg , by Börfink and on towards Trier. The Frankish settlement of Birkinvelt was held in the 13th century by the Counts of Sponheim . In 1223,
2821-606: The Hunsrückhöhenstraße , and thereby to Frankfurt-Hahn Airport , which lies 50 km away by road. This journey is covered five times each day by a bus service. Birkenfeld's rail link is 5 km away in nearby Neubrücke , which has a station on the Nahe Valley Railway ( Bingen – Saarbrücken ). Saarbrücken can be reached by train in 45 minutes, and Frankfurt in less than two hours. The former spur line leading to Birkenfeld has been abandoned, and
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2912-528: The Iron Age , however, bear witness to quite heavy settlement even in the 8th century BC. In the 1st century BC, Roman legions overran the area, and for 400 years, it lay under Roman rule. This is known mainly from finds made in the town's immediate vicinity. The town that is now Birkenfeld lies right on a Roman road that served as a crosslink between two important military roads, namely the Metz - Mainz road to
3003-736: The Loggia and Odeo Cornaro in the garden of Alvise Cornaro . In southern Italy, Renaissance masters were called to Naples by Alfonso V of Aragon after his conquest of the Kingdom of Naples . The most notable examples of Renaissance architecture in that city are the Cappella Caracciolo , attributed to Bramante, and the Palazzo Orsini di Gravina , built by Gabriele d'Angelo between 1513 and 1549. The Classical orders were analysed and reconstructed to serve new purposes. While
3094-637: The Mennonite Brethren Church , a New Apostolic church and the Jehovah's Witnesses . Birkenfeld has been a district seat since 1947 and forms together with 30 other municipalities a Verbandsgemeinde , a kind of collective municipality, called the Verbandsgemeinde of Birkenfeld . The council is made up of 22 council members, who were elected by proportional representation at the municipal election held on 25 May 2014, and
3185-887: The Napoleonic Wars , most of the Left Bank became part of Prussian Grand Duchy of the Lower Rhine ( Rhine Province after 1822), the Bavarian Circle of the Rhine or the Hessian Rhenish Hesse . However, a small area between the Prussian and Bavarian parts was given as exclaves to three other states: the Principality of Lichtenberg went to Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld ( Saxe-Coburg and Gotha after 1826), Meisenheim went to Hesse-Hanau and
3276-776: The Nazi period , the Birkenfeld region was transferred to the Prussian Rhine Province; it was merged with the Restkreis (roughly "remnant district") of St. Wendel-Baumholder to form the Birkenfeld District. (The Kreis of St. Wendel-Baumholder was what had been the Principality of Lichtenberg until 1834, with the designation as a Restkreis having arisen after part of its territory, including St. Wendel itself, had been detached to form part of
3367-614: The Palazzo Medici Riccardi (1444–1460) in Florence. Internal walls are smoothly plastered and surfaced with lime wash . For more formal spaces, internal surfaces are decorated with frescoes . Courses, mouldings and all decorative details are carved with great precision. Studying and mastering the details of the ancient Romans was one of the important aspects of Renaissance theory. The different orders each required different sets of details. Some architects were stricter in their use of classical details than others, but there
3458-621: The Palladian arch was employed, using a motif of a high semi-circular topped opening flanked with two lower square-topped openings. Windows are used to bring light into the building and in domestic architecture, to give views. Stained glass, although sometimes present, is not a feature. External walls are generally constructed of brick, rendered, or faced with stone in highly finished ashlar masonry, laid in straight courses. The corners of buildings are often emphasized by rusticated quoins . Basements and ground floors were often rusticated , as at
3549-614: The Principality of Birkenfeld was awarded to the Grand Duchy of Oldenburg for the contribution of Peter I , then regent of Oldenburg, to the military effort against Napoleon . By 1866 Birknefeld had become entirely enclaved within the Prussian Rhine Province, as Lichtenberg had been sold to Prussia in 1834 and Meisenheim had been annexed following the Austro-Prussian War . Under Oldenburg rule,
3640-697: The Quattrocento, sometimes known as the Early Renaissance, concepts of architectural order were explored and rules were formulated. The study of classical antiquity led in particular to the adoption of Classical detail and ornamentation. Space, as an element of architecture, was used differently than it was in the Middle Ages . Space was organised by proportional logic, its form and rhythm subject to geometry, rather than being created by intuition as in Medieval buildings. The prime example of this
3731-497: The Rheinland-Pfalz-Route run right through the middle of town. They are supplemented by three local cycling circuits, R1, R2 and R3, with a total length of just under 80 km. Since 1996, a vocational school has been established on the grounds of a former US military hospital in the neighbouring municipality of Hoppstädten-Weiersbach . The Environmental Campus Birkenfeld ( Umwelt-Campus Birkenfeld ) has, as
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3822-576: The Sforza , the Castello Sforzesco was built. Venetian Renaissance architecture developed a particularly distinctive character because of local conditions. San Zaccaria received its Renaissance façade at the hands of Antonio Gambello and Mauro Codussi , begun in the 1480s. Giovanni Maria Falconetto , the Veronese architect-sculptor, introduced Renaissance architecture to Padua with
3913-430: The Territory of the Saar Basin established under the terms of the Treaty of Versailles ). After the Second World War , Birkenfeld belonged to the French Occupation Zone , and since 1946, it has been a district seat in Rhineland-Palatinate . In 2008, 50% of the town's inhabitants were Evangelical and 31% were Catholic . Besides these two biggest groups, there are an Evangelical Free Church congregation ( Baptists ),
4004-495: The Thirty Years' War (1618–1648), the town itself became in 1635 a theatre of war. Also that year, the Plague broke out in Birkenfeld and claimed 416 lives. In 1776, under Margrave Karl Friedrich , Birkenfeld became seat of the Badish Oberamt . In this time, Birkenfeld blossomed. The town experienced an economic and cultural upswing. In 1779, for instance, the first "Higher School" was founded. One night in February 1797, Johannes Bückler, known as Schinderhannes , burgled
4095-498: The "Rear" County was inherited by the Margraves of Baden and the Counts of Veldenz . In 1584, a House of Wittelsbach sideline, in the person of Charles I, Count Palatine of Zweibrücken-Birkenfeld , resided in town. In this same year, expansion work also began on the castle to turn it into a princely residence in the Renaissance style. Exactly 140 years later, the last remnants of the Princely holding of court at Schloss Birkenfeld, as it had come to be known, were swept away. During
4186-411: The 15th century. Conversely, there was no call for enormous sporting fixtures and public bath houses such as the Romans had built. The plans of Renaissance buildings have a square, symmetrical appearance in which proportions are usually based on a module. Within a church, the module is often the width of an aisle. The need to integrate the design of the plan with the façade was introduced as an issue in
4277-425: The Mannerist style was Michelangelo (1475–1564), who frequently used the giant order in his architecture, a large pilaster that stretches from the bottom to the top of a façade. He used this in his design for the Piazza del Campidoglio in Rome. Prior to the 20th century, the term Mannerism had negative connotations, but it is now used to describe the historical period in more general non-judgemental terms. As
4368-434: The Nahe and its tributaries have been being formed since 2.6 million years ago during the Quaternary , the geologically latest period, as a result of ground heaving of the surrounding mountains of Hunsrück and North Palatine Uplands. This led to a steep decline of all waters and hence to strong erosion activities. Particularly strong erosion occurred in warmer melting periods during the ice ages, when tundra climate reigned, and
4459-401: The Principality of Birkenfeld beginning in the early 19th century. Regularly changing exhibits deal with both historical and current themes. The following are listed buildings or sites in Rhineland-Palatinate ’s Directory of Cultural Monuments: Right next to the Birkenfeld State Museum is the Maler-Zang-Haus (“Painter Zang House”). The house, built in 1883 in the bourgeois Classicist style,
4550-483: The Renaissance style quickly spread to other Italian cities. The style was carried to other parts of Europe at different dates and with varying degrees of impact. Renaissance style places emphasis on symmetry , proportion , geometry and the regularity of parts, as demonstrated in the architecture of classical antiquity and in particular ancient Roman architecture , of which many examples remained. Orderly arrangements of columns , pilasters and lintels , as well as
4641-403: The Renaissance view of architecture is Filippo Brunelleschi, (1377–1446). The underlying feature of the work of Brunelleschi was "order". In the early 15th century, Brunelleschi began to look at the world to see what the rules were that governed one's way of seeing. He observed that the way one sees regular structures such as the Florence Baptistery and the tiled pavement surrounding it follows
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#17327798960744732-433: The Rhine. The dimensions of the drainage basin are shown in the map. Its boundaries clock-wise, beginning in the East: The rocks in the Nahe region are predominantly of Cisuralian (early Permian ) age and part of the Rotliegendes . At that time, an impetuous volcanism appeared in the region. Huge deposits of the reddish volcanic rock Rhyolite and of the more alkaline volcanic rock Andesite were left. The valleys of
4823-404: The building are clearly Florentine in style, particularly the inner courtyard, but it is not known who the designer was. Ferrara , under the Este , was expanded in the late 15th century, with several new palaces being built such as the Palazzo dei Diamanti and Palazzo Schifanoia for Borso d'Este . In Milan , under the Visconti , the Certosa di Pavia was completed, and then later under
4914-446: The church, but by guilds representing the wealth and power of the city. Brunelleschi's dome at Florence Cathedral, more than any other building, belonged to the populace because the construction of each of the eight segments was achieved by a different quarter of the city. As in the Platonic Academy of Athens , it was seen by those of Humanist understanding that those people who had the benefit of wealth and education ought to promote
5005-404: The clay quarries. The first attestation of the name is spelled Bikenuelt (about 700) or Birkinvelt at the time when it had a documentary mention from Archbishop of Trier Egbert in 981. From this document comes knowledge that Saint Leudwinus (Archbishop of Trier 695-713) had donated to the St. Paulinus' Abbey in Trier the churches at Birkenfeld and Brombach. Archaeological finds from
5096-401: The county was split into the "Front" and "Rear" Counties of Sponheim, and Birkenfeld passed to the latter, and was then held by the counts whose seat was at the Starkenburg ( castle , now a ruin) near Trarbach . In 1293, Castle Birkenfeld had its first documentary mention. In 1332, Birkenfeld was granted town rights by Emperor Louis the Bavarian . After the last Count of Sponheim died in 1437,
5187-475: The course of the Nahe. For instance can be mentioned the "Hellberg" near Kirn , the "Flachsberg" near Martinstein , the "Heimberg" near Waldböckelheim , the "Gangelsberg" near Duchroth and the "Rotenfels" as well as the "Rheingrafenstein" near Bad Münster am Stein . The Nahe region offers various tourist attractions: Nahe cycling route – The route leads along the river from its spring to its entry. Nahe wine region – The wine-producing area surrounding
5278-404: The early Renaissance, Venice controlled sea trade over goods from the East. The large towns of Northern Italy were prosperous through trade with the rest of Europe, Genoa providing a seaport for the goods of France and Spain; Milan and Turin being centres of overland trade, and maintaining substantial metalworking industries. Trade brought wool from England to Florence, ideally located on
5369-479: The enormous Florence Cathedral dedicated to the Blessed Virgin Mary did no honour to the city under her patronage. However, as the technology and finance were found to complete it, the rising dome did credit not only to the Virgin Mary, its architect and the Church but also to the Signoria , the Guilds and the sectors of the city from which the manpower to construct it was drawn. The dome inspired further religious works in Florence. The development of printed books,
5460-413: The field with the birches" (it is directly cognate with the English words "birch field"). From the name's Frankish roots it can be inferred that today's town arose on a spot where there was quite a noticeable stand of birch trees sometime about the year AD 500, and that it was founded by Frankish -German farmers. To this day, there are a great number of birch trees in the bird conservation area at
5551-408: The honorary mayor as chairman. The municipal election held on 25 May 2014 yielded the following results: BFL is Birkenfelder Freie Liste (“Birkenfeld Free List”). BfB is Bürger für Birkenfeld (“Citizens for Birkenfeld”). Birkenfeld's mayor is Miroslaw Kowalski (CDU), re-elected in 2019. His predecessor was Peter Nauert (CDU). Peter Nauert was the first mayor ever to be elected by direct vote by
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#17327798960745642-427: The mediterranean region or Eurasian steppe habitats. Characteristical species of plants are e. g. Alyssum montanum , Aster linosyris ("Goldilocks Aster"), Dictamnus albus ("White Dittany"), Dianthus grationopolitanus ("Cheddar Pink"), Gagea bohemica subsp. saxatilis ("Early-Star-of-Bethlehem"), Galium glaucum ("Glaucous Bedstraw"), Oxytropis pilosa or Stipa tirsa . These plants immigrated in
5733-442: The mid 15th century and gained momentum in the 16th century, reaching its peak in the Baroque period. The construction of the Sistine Chapel with its uniquely important decorations and the entire rebuilding of St. Peter's Basilica , one of Christendom's most significant churches, were part of this process. In the wealthy Republic of Florence , the impetus for church-building was more civic than spiritual. The unfinished state of
5824-467: The middle and lower river is famous for its white wines, dominated by the Riesling grape variety. Castles and monasteries – On the heights on both shores numerous medieval castles and abbeys can be visited, most of them fallen into ruin. Most noted are the Kyrburg Castle in Kirn , the castles Ebernburg and Rheingrafenstein in Bad Münster am Stein-Ebernburg and the Klopp Castle in Bingen . The monastery ruin of Disibodenberg , located on top of
5915-448: The motorways A60 / A61 in the East and A62 in the West. Moreover, there is a railway line along the Nahe with regular connections between Mainz and Saarbrücken and stations in all bigger towns. Some 40 kilometres (25 mi) to the north the Frankfurt-Hahn Airport is in the Hunsrück, offering daily flights to London Stansted and further weekly and seasonal connections. Renaissance architecture Renaissance architecture
6006-484: The new palatial castle, which is now the district administration's seat, was built in 1821. Not only was this built, but so were further buildings in the Governmental Quarter ( Regierungsviertel ), such as the infantry barracks (until 1963, a Gymnasium building, now the local office for the regulation of expenditures caused by stationed forces), which to this day characterize the town's appearance with their Classicist style from Oldenburg times. On 1 April 1937, during
6097-457: The new style of architecture spread out from Italy, most other European countries developed a sort of Proto-Renaissance style, before the construction of fully formulated Renaissance buildings. Each country in turn then grafted its own architectural traditions to the new style, so that Renaissance buildings across Europe are diversified by region. Within Italy the evolution of Renaissance architecture into Mannerism, with widely diverging tendencies in
6188-413: The obvious distinguishing features of Classical Roman architecture were adopted by Renaissance architects, the forms and purposes of buildings had changed over time, as had the structure of cities. Among the earliest buildings of the reborn Classicism were the type of churches that the Romans had never constructed. Neither were there models for the type of large city dwellings required by wealthy merchants of
6279-400: The ordered Classical style provided an inspiration to artists at a time when philosophy was also turning towards the Classical. In the 15th century, Florence and Venice extended their power through much of the area that surrounded them, making the movement of artists possible. This enabled Florence to have significant artistic influence in Milan , and through Milan, France . In 1377,
6370-627: The people of Birkenfeld. Both his predecessors, Manfred Dreier and Erich Mörsdorf, headed both the town and the Verbandsgemeinde of Birkenfeld at once. Werner Käufer was the last professional mayor of the town of Birkenfeld. Indeed, he was acclaimed in the office in 1968 with a great majority for another 12 years, but by 1970, he had to give up his professional office when, under administrative restructuring in Rhineland-Palatinate , towns with fewer than 7,500 inhabitants were merged into Verbandsgemeinden . The following have served as mayor of Birkenfeld: The town's arms might be described thus: Azure on
6461-463: The promotion of civil peace and order were seen as the marks of citizenship. This led to the building of structures such as Brunelleschi's Hospital of the Innocents with its elegant colonnade forming a link between the charitable building and the public square, and the Laurentian Library where the collection of books established by the Medici family could be consulted by scholars. Some major ecclesiastical building works were also commissioned, not by
6552-626: The pursuit of learning and the creation of that which was beautiful. To this end, wealthy families—the Medici of Florence, the Gonzaga of Mantua, the Farnese in Rome, the Sforzas in Milan—gathered around them people of learning and ability, promoting the skills and creating employment for the most talented artists and architects of their day. During the Renaissance, architecture became not only
6643-590: The rediscovery of ancient writings, the expanding of political and trade contacts and the exploration of the world all increased knowledge and the desire for education. The reading of philosophies that were not based on Christian theology led to the development of humanism through which it was clear that while God had established and maintained order in the Universe, it was the role of Man to establish and maintain order in Society. Through humanism, civic pride and
6734-725: The return of the Pope from the Avignon Papacy and the re-establishment of the Papal court in Rome, brought wealth and importance to that city, as well as a renewal in the importance of the Pope in Italy, which was further strengthened by the Council of Constance in 1417. Successive Popes, especially Julius II , 1503–13, sought to extend the Papacy's temporal power throughout Italy. In
6825-651: The revival of interest in this period. Erwin Panofsky , Renaissance and Renascences in Western Art , (New York: Harper and Row, 1960) The Renaissance style was recognized by contemporaries in the term "all'antica" , or "in the ancient manner" (of the Romans). Historians often divide the Renaissance in Italy into three phases. Whereas art historians might talk of an Early Renaissance period, in which they include developments in 14th-century painting and sculpture, this
6916-534: The river covers an area of 4,067 square kilometres (1,570 sq mi). Due to this relatively large area compared to the river's length high floods can occur along its middle and lower course within only a few hours, however flowing off also quickly. In 1993 and 1995 in Bad Kreuznach a flow of more than 1,000 cubic metres per second (35,000 cu ft/s) was measured and more than 1,300 cubic metres per second (46,000 cu ft/s) at its mouth into
7007-535: The river for the production of fine cloth, the industry on which its wealth was founded. By dominating Pisa , Florence gained a seaport, and became the most powerful state in Tuscany. In this commercial climate, one family in particular turned their attention from trade to the lucrative business of money-lending. The Medici became the chief bankers to the princes of Europe, becoming virtually princes themselves as they did so, by reason of both wealth and influence. Along
7098-434: The soil temperatures in these places can reach 60 °C/140 °F and above with truly steppe-like circumstances. A characteristical thermophile animal species is the insulated population of the dice snake ( Natrix tessellata ) that exists along the Nahe. The snake is very addicted to water and captures small fishes. Places of botanical and/or zoological significance are classified as nature protection areas and accompany
7189-415: The soil was not protected by a dense cover of vegetation. Depending on the underground, narrow gorges with cliffy precipices arose in areas with hard volcanic rocks or wide gentle valleys with flood plains in areas with soft sedimentary deposits. The frequent change between both forms is charming along the Nahe. In the Nahe valley, a huge number of thermophile species appear which usually can only be found in
7280-666: The south and the Trier- Bingen -Mainz road to the north, which was mentioned by Roman poet Ausonius in his Mosella in AD ;350, and which also corresponds along some stretches with the Hunsrückhöhenstraße ("Hunsrück Heights Road", a scenic road across the Hunsrück built originally as a military road on Hermann Göring 's orders). This crosslink, also known as the Bronzestraße ("Bronze Road"), linked
7371-592: The town its name contain the noble gas radon, with supposedly curative properties. The town's most famous site is the Alte Nahebrücke (Old Nahe Bridge), one of the few remaining bridges in the world with buildings on it. Saline valley - Between Bad Münster am Stein and Bad Kreuznach the scenic valley of the Nahe has some bathing sites with hydrothermal and saline springs. Graduation towers , formerly used for salt production, are regarded as having beneficial health effects. The so-called "Rotenfels" (red rock),
7462-553: The trade routes, and thus offered some protection by commercial interest, moved not only goods but also artists, scientists and philosophers. The return of the Pope Gregory XI from Avignon in September 1377 and the resultant new emphasis on Rome as the center of Christian spirituality, brought about a surge in the building of churches in Rome such as had not taken place for nearly a thousand years. This commenced in
7553-538: The use of semicircular arches, hemispherical domes , niches and aediculae replaced the more complex proportional systems and irregular profiles of medieval buildings. The word "Renaissance" derives from the term rinascita , which means rebirth, first appeared in Giorgio Vasari 's Lives of the Most Excellent Painters, Sculptors, and Architects , 1550. Although the term Renaissance
7644-444: The work of Filippo Brunelleschi , but he was never able to carry this aspect of his work into fruition. The first building to demonstrate this was Basilica of Sant'Andrea, Mantua by Leone Battista Alberti . The development of the plan in secular architecture was to take place in the 16th century and culminated with the work of Palladio . Façades are symmetrical around their vertical axis. Church façades are generally surmounted by
7735-535: The work of Michelangelo , Giulio Romano and Andrea Palladio , led to the Baroque style in which the same architectural vocabulary was used for very different rhetoric. Outside Italy, Baroque architecture was more widespread and fully developed than the Renaissance style, with significant buildings as far afield as Mexico and the Philippines . Italy of the 15th century, and the city of Florence in particular,
7826-497: Was also a good deal of innovation in solving problems, especially at corners. Mouldings stand out around doors and windows rather than being recessed, as in Gothic architecture. Sculptured figures may be set in niches or placed on plinths. They are not integral to the building as in Medieval architecture. The leading architects of the Early Renaissance or Quattrocento were Filippo Brunelleschi , Michelozzo and Leon Battista Alberti . The person generally credited with bringing about
7917-467: Was an important centre with the Ducal Palace being constructed for Federico da Montefeltro in the mid 15th century. The Duke employed Luciano Laurana from Dalmatia , renowned for his expertise at fortification. The design incorporates much of the earlier medieval building and includes an unusual turreted three-storeyed façade. Laurana was assisted by Francesco di Giorgio Martini. Later parts of
8008-504: Was directly inspired by circular Roman temples . He was, however, hardly a slave to the classical forms and it was his style that was to dominate Italian architecture in the 16th century. During the Mannerist period, architects experimented with using architectural forms to emphasize solid and spatial relationships. The Renaissance ideal of harmony gave way to freer and more imaginative rhythms. The best known architect associated with
8099-589: Was expanded with a funbox , a quarter pipe , a ramp and an obstacle. Many well known people went to school in Birkenfeld: Nahe (Rhine) The Nahe ( German pronunciation: [ˈnaːə] ) is a river in Rhineland-Palatinate and Saarland , Germany , a left tributary to the Rhine . It has also given name to the wine region Nahe situated around it. The name Nahe
8190-658: Was home to the Renaissance. It is in Florence that the new architectural style had its beginning, not slowly evolving in the way that Gothic grew out of Romanesque , but consciously brought to being by particular architects who sought to revive the order of a past " Golden Age ". The scholarly approach to the architecture of the ancient coincided with the general revival of learning. A number of factors were influential in bringing this about. Italian architects had always preferred forms that were clearly defined and structural members that expressed their purpose. Many Tuscan Romanesque buildings demonstrate these characteristics, as seen in
8281-720: Was used first by the French historian Jules Michelet , it was given its more lasting definition from the Swiss historian Jacob Burckhardt , whose book The Civilization of the Renaissance in Italy , 1860, was influential in the development of the modern interpretation of the Italian Renaissance . The folio of measured drawings Édifices de Rome moderne; ou, Recueil des palais, maisons, églises, couvents et autres monuments (The Buildings of Modern Rome), first published in 1840 by Paul Letarouilly, also played an important part in
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