The Lost Fort
My Travel and History Blog, Focussing mostly on Roman and Mediaeval Times
Photo Parade 2023
A bit of fun at the beginning of the new year. I’m following several German travel blogs, and that way came across the annual Photo Parade (Fotoparade) on Michael’s blog Erkunde die Welt (Discover the World). He’s been doing it for several years now, and the replies of the contributors have offered a whole bunch of new blogs for me to browse. Since photos are omnilingual (and there’s DeepL and Google Translate as well), I thought it would be nice to participate.
Michael offers several key words every year, and you should try to find photos – taken in that year – that match the categories. I’m not traveling as much as the majority of the participants, but in 2023, I visited at least three towns (Bad Sooden-Allendorf, Einbeck and Kiel) plus the longer tour of Lithuania I had planned since 2020, so here’s my try:
Category: Landscape (Landschaft)
Curonian Spit
The Curonian Spit is one of my favourite landscapes in Lithuania, so it’s no wonder I took the chance for another visit of a different part of the spit; this time near Juodkrantė. It was a warm, sunny day with some wind going that created pretty waves on the Baltic Sea. I walked some distance along the shore and returned through the pine forest to the lagoon side of the spit, to catch the ferry back to Klaipeda.
Category: Yummy (Lecker)
I don’t take pictures of food, so that one was a bit difficult. I finally decided to present a photo of an 18th century kitchen in a farm house in the Open Air Museum Rumšiškes (near Kaunas).
Open Air Museum Rumšiškes, kitchen in a small farm
The museum, created despite Sovjet pushbacks in 1966, today encompasses almost 200 ha, with houses transfered from all regions of Lithuania, dating from the 18th to early 20th century. Some exhibits could only be added after Lithuania became an independent state, since many aspects of Lithuanian history were not officially popular during Sovjet times.
Rumšiškes, farmhouse with orchard and garden
Some of the houses, dating to a time when the majority of Lithuanians still lived in rural villages and farms, were rather simple structures with only the most necessary commodities. A fireplace and kitchen, however small, were part of those. There also are larger farms with several outbuildings, orchards, herb gardens and a bath house. They make for pretty photo motives.
Category: Water (Wasser)
Werra weir at Bad Sooden-Allendorf
Water is an easy category to match. I love being near water and I love photographing it. This one shows a weir on the river Werra in Bad Sooden-Allendorf, a small but pretty town known for its half-timbered houses, in northern Hessia.
Baltic Sea
Another photo from the Curionian Spit. I was standing in the surf, photographing the incoming waves. I was wearing my jeans rolled up to my knees, but got them a bit wet nevertheless *grin* ‒ those waves were tricky and looked more gentle than they turned out to be. But it was fun.
Category: Blue (Blau)
Firth of Kiel, sailing ships mooring in one of the marinas
A sunny September day in the Firth of Kiel (Kieler Förde), a 17 km long firth that opens into the bay of Kiel and the Baltic Sea. There is a passenger ferry going from Kiel to the town of Laboe at the end of the firth, criscrossing the waters to connect the various suburbs and villages on both shores. It is a nice tour that offers various views of marinas, dockyards, pretty landscapes and charming spa villages.
The Meridianas in Klaipeda
The Meridianas was built in Finnland in 1948 as training sailing ship. She was put out of use as sailing ship in 1968 and converted into a restaurant on the Danė river in Klaipeda. She began to show structural problems in the 1990ies and had to undergo repairs. Ownership changed a few times, but since 2012, the refurbished Meridianas is again serving as restaurant, located in a new berth on the river.
Category: Cold (Kalt)
Since the weather was always warm when I was traveling, I don’t have 'cold' photos with snow and ice in my 2023 files. But I did take one that covers the category in a different way: The memorial tablet of the Vilnius Ghetto.
I actually missed the tablet when I passed the first time, too intent of the motives that lay ahead. I noticed it the second evening and felt cold for a moment, despite the balmy air. The area is such a lovely place today that it came as a bit of a shock to learn of its gruesome and sad history.
Vilnius, memorial tablet of the ghetto
Vilnius had a Jewish population of about 55,000 (28%) prior to WW2, which earned it the moniker 'Jerusalem of the East'. When the German army occupied the town in August 1941, the killing of Jews began. A few weeks later, on September 6, the remaining Jews were forced to move into ghettos. The ghettos – a small one for what the Nazis called ‘unproductive individuals’, old and sick people not fit for labour – and a large ghetto were set up in an area of the town that had been predominantly inhabited by Jews.
The small ghetto only existed for a few weeks; it was closed already in October 1941; the majority of the 11.000 inhabitants were killed and the rest was moved into the large ghetto. The large ghetto, which housed about 29,000 people under extreme conditions (the site was overcrowded, people suffered from hunger, cold, illness ...) existed until 24th September 1943. The remaining Jews were either sent to concentration camps in German-occupied Poland and Estonia, or killed in a mass execution in the forest of Paneriai near Vilnius.
Vilnius, lane in the former ghetto
The Jewish community never recovered; there are about 5,000 Jews living in Vilnius today; a tenth of the pre-war population. The former Jewish quarter is now one of the prettiest places in Vilnius, narrow lanes and old houses, with little shops, cafés, restaurants, and lots of young people around – the winter semester had already started in Lithuania in September, and everyone was out during evenings that still held memories of summer.
Category: Black and White (Schwarz/Weiss)
A street with half-timbered houses in Einbeck
Einbeck is another of those German towns with many surviving half-timbered houses. I played around with the filters a bit and made the photo look like an old postcard – except for the too modern cars. I had been in Einbeck before, on the way to Salzderhelden, and took some random photos, but this time I went in search of the prettiest places and most interesting history.
The categories above are the main categories, but Michael presents some extra ones for those who want to play some more.
Category: Hot (Heiß)
Chimneys on the ferry from Klaipeda to Kiel
One way to get from Germany to Lithuania is the freight and passenger ferry that goes from Kiel to Klaipeda on a daily schedule. It takes a night (in a comfortable cabin, if you want) and a day on sea, but I prefer that way of traveling to flying. Also, I love the sea. The ferry also transports a whole lot of trucks and containers; you can see some on the photo (those white boxes between the chimneys).
Category: View (Ausblick)
View of Vilnius' old town
For this category, I picked two photos I took from the Gediminas' Tower, remains of an old castle in Vilinius that sits on top of a hill overlooking the town.
View of Vilnius' modern city
More photos of Vilnius are here. It’s one of those ‘Back with Booty’-posts that are a tradition on my blog for most of my travels, giving some first impressions, since it often takes time to write more detailed posts about the places I’ve visited. More photos about Lithuania can also be found here.
Category: Animal (Tierisch)
Ducks on Lake Galvė
I’m no animal photographer, but I take the occasional shot when I come across some beasties or birdies that don’t move too fast. So here’s a raft of ducks, probably hoping for some bread crumbs magically appearing from the direction of the shore.
Category: Colours (Bunt)
A boat on the shore of Lake Galvė
Lithuania has five National Parks. I’ve managed to visit two so far: Curonian Spit and Trakai Historical National Park, which centers around Lake Galvė. It is the largest lake in the park, with 21 islands – the famous Trakai Castle is located on one of them. It’s a 4 km walk from the train station to the castle, most of the way along the lake, offering lots of pretty views, especially on a sunny day.
Categoy: Heart (Herz)
Nothing heart-shaped, but again, a symbolic photo: A view of the hill forts of Kernavė and the Pajauta valley, the first capital and once the heart of Lithuania.
The hill forts of Kernavė, with the Pajauta valley in the background
Kernavė was the first capital of Lithuania until the settlement in the Pajauta valley was destroyed by the Teutonic Knights in 1390, whereafter the capital moved to Vilnius, though the hill forts were in use for longer. Its history goes back as far as the 9th millennia BC, as the finds in the alluvial soil of the valley show, therefore, Kernavė is known as 'Lithuanian Troy'. The five hills are still visible and make for quite impressive landmarks, though the castles on their summits have disappeared. The finds of the valley are displayed in a museum on the site, and a Mediaeval village has been reconstructed in the vicinity.
Category: Modern
Simonas Daukantas Bridge in Kaunas
The Simonas Daukantas Bridge crosses the Nemunas river that runs through Kaunas. It was built in 1988 by the architect Agimantas Sprindy and is named for Simonas Daukantas (1793-1864), a Lithuanian historian and writer who was one of the first ideologists of the national revival during a time when Lithuania belonged to the Russian Empire.
The bridge is a tension bridge held by cables. The supporting arch in the middle of the bridge is covered with granite plaster and black marble inlays, and counts as one of the landmarks of Kaunaus. On top of the somewhat abstract arch is a decoration known as 'Gediminas’ Pillars' that has been in use in Lithuanian heraldry since the 13th century.
Category of my own: Castles
Those who follow my blog regularly should have known, lol. I collect castles.
Trakai Island Castle, Lithuania
The castle was built by Duke Kęstutis in the 14th century and expanded by his son Vytautas after he had reconciled with his cousin in 1409 und became grand duke of Lithuania. The predominantly brick architecture was influenced by Vytautas’ visits to brick castles of the Teutonic Knights in Livonia (= Latvia and Estonia) and Poland, albeit the foundations and parts of the towers are constructed of stone. Vytautas also added the 35 metres high keep. The outer curtain walls were strengthened and three more towers added in mid-15th century. The style of the castle is predominantly Gothic, with some Romanesque elements; the brick parts have been restored in the 1960ies.
The Stork Tower (Storchenturm) in Einbeck, Germany
Not exactly a castle, but part of the remaining Mediaeval town fortifications of Einbeck. The Stork Tower is a half tower (Schalenturm in German), which means it is open to the town side, albeit protected by timber railings. There also were floors to partitonate the tower into storeys. Most of the Einbeck town fortifications were built in the 15th century and strengthened in later times. The Stork Tower still rises to its original height of 22 metres. It even survived the siege of the town by the imperial army of Octavio Piccolomini in 1641 (during the Thirty Years War). The name changed to Stork Tower after a pair of storks nested there for several years; before it was known as Crow Tower (Krähenturm).
Category: Favourites
The lighthouse 'Friedrichsort' (Kiel Firth) in the evening
I like the way the light plays here – the photo was taken from the ferry sailing into Kiel Harbour. There had been a signal fire on the little island in the narrowest past of the firth since 1815. In 1866, it was replaced by the first lighthouse which stood there for about a hundred years. A new lighthouse was built in 1971, because the old one was only 14,5 metres in high, and a larger one was needed; the present tower rises to 31,7 metres. Today, the lighthouse not only signals the smallest part of the firth and its shallows, but also the entrance to the Kiel Canal (Nord-Ostee-Kanal) at Kiel-Holtenau.
Afternoon sun on the Baltic Sea
And finally the afternoon sun reflecting on the Baltic Sea – photo taken during the ferry crossing from Klaipeda to Kiel.
Lithuanian Impressions 2 – Vilnius, with Trakai and Kernavė
The hightlight of the tour was Vilnius, of course. There will be more detailed posts (I got enough photos, lol), so here’s just a little teaser.
View over Vilnius’ old town from Gediminas’ Tower
Vilnius is a town of churches, Roman-Catholic, Orthodox, and a few Protestant ones. Most of them have been altered at a time when the Baroque flourished in Lithuania, but there are some Gothic ones as well, and others keep traces of older architecture.
Vilnius Cathedral
The Cathedral Basilica of St Stanislaus and St Ladislaus of Vilnius, as it is officially called, goes back to a church built by King Mindaugas in 1251. A few foundations of that one remain. Next was a Gothic church from 1429 – some pillars can still be seen – altered in the early 16th century after a fire. More fires in 1610 and 1654 led to the Baroque restorations that today dominate the church.
Vilnius, St.Nicholas Church
The first church named after St. Nicholas was commissioned by the Orthodox wife of Duke Algirdas in 1350. It was rebuilt in Baroque style in 1740 and later in neo-Byzantine style (1840). Since Vilnius was under Russian rule since the Nothern War (ended 1721) until WW1, the town has several Orthodox churches.
Church of St.Anne and Bernardine Church (in the background)
This one – the ensemble of the Churches of St.Anne and of St.Bernardine – is the most stunning example of Gothic brick architecture that remains mostly unaltered on the outside (the interior shows some Baroque elements). St.Anne dates to 1495 and is a fine example of the flamboyant Gothic style. The Church of St.Francis and St.Bernard shows the older Gothic brick architecture style. It was built by Bernadine monks as part of a monastery.
Church of St.Casimir
The Church of St.Casimir is the oldest original Baroque church in Vilnius, built in 1618. A cupola was added in the middle of the 18th century.
Those are just a few examples of the churches in Vilnius. I visited several more, though at some point I stopped hunting them down; there are too many; and most of them predominantly Baroque which gives the city a homogenous appearance, but it’s not my favourite style.
Gates of Dawn
The Gates of Dawn are the last remaining gate of the former town fortifications; the others were destroyed in the late 18th century. It was built around 1520 – you can still see its defensive purpose on the outside. On the inside, the most interesting feature is a chapel in the second floor, open to the outside and dedicated to an icon of the Blessed Virgin Mary. It is an important place for pilgrims even today.
Vilnius, Gediminas’ Tower
Gediminas‘ Tower is the most outstanding remains of the Upper Castle in Vilnius. The first castle was constructed in timber by Gediminas (1275-1341) and rebuilt in bricks and stone by Grand Duke Vytautas in 1410 (you may remember him from this post). Most of the castle is in ruins, but the tower was repaired in 1933; some more remains of the castle have been preserved as well.
Palace of the Grand Dukes of Lithuania
The palace, located in the Lower Castle, was built in the 15th century and saw its peak as living quarters of several grand dukes of Lithuania and kings of Poland (both countries becoming a union at the time) in the 16th-17th centuries. The palace was demolished in 1801, but finally restored in the Renaissance style of its main period in 2018.
Vilnius, lane in the old town
There are some small lanes in the old town, somewhat outside the main tourist routes along the showy streets, with cafes, restaurants, small shops and such. Some of those were part of the Jewish quarter of Vilnius until the German occupation in summer 1941 when the quarter was turned into a ghetto and most Jews in Vilnius were killed.
Vilnius, houses at the Town Hall Square
We’ll leave Vilnius with a view of the Town Hall Square and move to the town of Trakai (an easy day trip from Vilnius). What attracted me – and lost of other tourists – well ....
Trakai Castle
A castle, of course. *grin* Trakai Island Castle is the best preserved castle in Lithuania, and an important site in its history during the Middle Ages.
Trakai, the keep and the great hall
The castle was built by Duke Kęstutis in the 14th century and expanded – esp. the inner ward with the 35 metres high keep and the great hall with its several storeys – by his son Vytautas after he had reconciled with his cousin (the castle had been besieged several times during their quarrels) in 1409. The outer curtain walls were strengthened and three major towers added in mid-15th century.
Galleries in the inner yard
Trakai suffered the fate of many castles in later times when it would no longer protect against modern weapons, and fell into decline. It was reconstructed in the years 1951-1961 (against Russian opposition, since the Sovyet government disliked the idea of rebuilding a national icon).
Trakai Castle, the main gate, seen from the outer ward
I took a guided boat tour on the lake to get some photos from different angles, and because it was a nice, sunny day and a boat tour just the right thing to do after a 4 kilometres walk to get there from the train station.
Wooden houses in Trakai
The town of Trakai inlcudes an ethnic minority of Crimean Karaites, a Jewish group that speaks a Turk language and was considered apostate by the Yiddish speaking diaspora. They settled there in 1398 after Vytautas defeated the Golden Horde, and were considered a semi-autonomous group during most of history since; even the Hitler government accorded them a non-Jewish status (though many were killed nevertheless). The pretty, colourfully painted wooden houses represent their style of building.
The hills of Kernavė with the river Neris in the background
Kernavė in the Pajauta Valley was the first known capital of Lithuania, mentioned in a chronicle from 1279. It was destroyed in the wars with the Teutonic Knights in 1390 and not rebuilt – at the time, Vilnius had already become another major town with a castle – though smaller settlements remained on the hill forts. But what must have been a devastating event for the grand dukes of Lithuania turned out a blessing for archaeologists. The remains of the city were covered by an alluvial layer of the river Neris and thus well preserved.
Between the Kernavė hills
Excavations began in the 1980ies, and in 2004, Kernavė was included into the UNESCO World Heritage list. Settlement on the site goes far beyond the time of Kernavė as Lithuanian capital; there are finds dating as far back as the 9th millennia BC. Many of the finds are shown in the local museum, though the most outstanding feature are the five hill forts which once protected the settlement.
Kernavė, partly reconstructed Mediaeval town
The area of almost 195 hectares includes the town and the impressive defensive line of five hill forts. But due to the many layers of civilization, settlements of different periods, burial sites, defense structures etc. that can be found in the soil at the river, Kernavė is considered the ‘Lithuanian Troy’.
Some of the houses
Some of the houses of the Mediaeval town have been reconstructed on a higher site, out of any floods of the river Neris. They follow finds of timber remains, post holes and other traces. As in Rumšiškes, the entire archaeological site was visited by but a few tourists, so I could take photos free of time travelers.
Kernavė; pretty bling in the museum
Those pieces of silver and gold alloy, some with glass beads and other additions, were part of headbands; they were sewn onto leather or cloth. The finds date to the 13th-14th century.
The next day was the beginning of the long journey back first to Klaipeda and then to Kiel by ferry. A slow way to travel, but more fun than flying.
Lithuanian Impressions 1 – Klaipeda, Kaunas, Rumšiškes
It’s quite some time we last had a real Back with Booty post due to that Evil C and some private reasons. But this year I did a longer tour outside Germany and spent two weeks in Lithuania.
Klaipeda, Theatre Square
One way to get to Lithuania is to take the ferry from Kiel to Klaipeda, so Klaipeda (formerly the German Memel) was my first stop on the way.
Pretty lane in Klaipeda
Klaipeda is predominantly a rather large harbour city, but it has an old town with some charming cobblestone lanes and older houses. Usually a quiet place, it sometimes gets swarmed by cruise tourists for a few hours.
At the river Danė
The river Danė runs through the town, offering some nice photo motives, especially when the sun came out the second day and would never leave during the rest of my tour (except at night, of course).
Remains of Klaipeda Castle (Memelburg)
Klaipeda had a castle dating to the 13th century, founded by the Teutonic Knights, but today only some ruins remain, and an earthen wall that had been re-fortified in the 18th century. The keep of the castle is presently being recontructed.
Beach on the Curonian Spit
It is only a short crossing from Klaipeda to the Curonian Spit with its dunes, pine forests and lovely beaches with fine sand – and not so many visitors in September. A nice place to walk around.
Kaunas, Laisvės alėja (Liberty Avenue)
Next stop on the tour was the city of Kaunas; the second largest city in Lithuania after Vilnius, at the confluence of the Neris and the Nemunas rivers.
Of course, I’ll post more about all the places I’ve visited; this is only a short teaser post that won’t cover all the interesting buildings.
Kaunas, the town hall
The town hall of Kaunas is a mix of Gothic and Renaissance elements. Its outstanding feature is a 53 metres high tower which gave the building the nickname ‘White Swan’. Unfortunately, most of it was scaffolded in.
Kaunas, St. Michael’s Church
Another pretty white building. This church was built in early 19th century in the neo-Byzantine style as orthodox church for the Russian garrison. Today it is a Catholic church.
Lane in the Old Town of Kaunas
The settlement at the river confluence dates back to the 11th century and received town rights in 1408. The area was contested between the Lithuanian grand dukes and the Teutonic Knights, so it comes as no surprise that there is a castle.
Kaunas, remains of the castle
The history of the castle is complicated; it was built by the grand dukes, taken by the Teutonic Knights, destroyed, reconquered and rebuilt .... The present remains represent mostly the castle from the late 14th century with some older foundations.
Kaunas Castle
The castle was considerably larger than the – partly reconstructed – remains, but the earthen and stone walls and the keep give an impression what it must have looked like in the later Middle Ages.
Rumšiškes Open Air Museum; market square in the 19th century town
An interesting and very photographable (is that a word, lol?) place is the Open Air Museum of Lithuania in Rumšiškes, not far from Kaunas. A pleasant way to spend a sunny, warm afternoon by walking around (the complete way is almost 8 km) and look at old houses.
A house in the Rumšiškes museum
The museum was opened in 1966 and has been expanded over time. It represents town houses, farmsteads and other buildings from the 18th to early 20th century – all of them have been transplanted from their original sites.
A farmstead
The museum encompasses 195 ha, with houses from all regions of Lithuania, including the matching interior furnishing. Most of the houses are still open – in summer, people in period dress would show historcial crafts and ways of working a farm, smithy etc. – but in September, there was not much activity.
Village lane
On the positive side, I met barely a dozen other visitors during my visit of several hours, which made for an almost private hike through forests and fields with extra motives.
Rumšiškes, view out of a farmhouse
The second part of my Lithuanian Impressions about my visit to Vilnius and some other places will follow in the next days.
The Lost Fort is a travel and history blog based on my journeys in Germany, the UK, Scandinavia, the Baltic Countries, and central Europe. It includes virtual town and castle tours with a focus on history, museum visits, hiking tours, and essays on Roman and Mediaeval history, illustrated with my own photos.
This blog is non-commercial.
All texts and photos (if no other copyright is noted) are copyright of Gabriele Campbell.
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- Name: Gabriele Campbell
- Location: Goettingen, Germany
I'm a blogger from Germany with a MA in Literature and History, interested in everything Roman and Mediaeval, avid reader and sometimes writer, opera enthusiast, traveller with a liking for foreign languages and odd rocks, photographer, and tea aficionado. And an old-fashioned blogger who still hasn't got an Instagram account.
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