We went into Bad Kรถsen to explore the massive Gradierwerk (see previously
here and
here, a graduation tower—sometimes referred to as a thorn house that produces salt through evaporation, a tall wood frame structure that contains bundles of brushwood, blackthorn, encrusting the twigs with mineral deposits over time. The three hundred twenty five metre installation in a park on a hill at the top of the town dominates the skyline and is a nice promenade to stroll, the sea air having health benefits, saline continuously pumped in from a well station via an additional one hundred eighty metre Stangenkunst (a flatrod system driven by a water wheel). When the extraction of salt became no longer profitable, Bad Kรถsen, as many other spa locations, marketed itself as a health resort, aided by the rail line that runs through the town on the Leipzig to Erfurt route.
Next we went just a few kilometres further to see the campus of Schulpforte on the grounds of a former Cistercian abbey, named for its impressive Torhaus, gatehouse facing the road between Bad Kรถsen and Naumburg—secularised with the Dissolution of the Cloisters in 1543 and becoming the personal property of Duke Moritz of Saxony, an institute of higher learning was founded there, eventually as an agricultural school with the vast tracks of farmland enclosed. The religious buildings are still intact, it made of think of Hogwart’s from the Harry Potter franchise with students rushing to classes.
Afterwards, we took a nice stroll across through the fields and pastures up to the foothills of the vineyards. The community of Roรbach has several wineries (Weingutter) with tasting and direct sales, but it being a Monday at the end of the season, most had closed up shop, even the automats empty, so we decided to drive a bit further to visit Freyburg on the Unstrut, a tributary of the Saale.
Overlooking the town from its high promontory is the fortress Neuenburg, constructed from the ninth through eleventh centuries, which remains mostly in its original condition. We parked on another high hill of Freyburg opposite with a view, next to the old photography studio since converted into a luxury hotel and wandered the streets of the Altstadt until we came to the headquarters and main manufacturing and distribution site of one of the world’s largest sparkling white wine producers, Rotkรคppchen—now merged with Mumm’s since its acquisition by Canadian beverage giant Seagram’s. We had a drink and checked out the vistas of the Neuenburg and Unstrut valley below. On the way back, we passed the first fitness studio and mauseleum of the founder of the German gymnastics movement,
Turnvater Jahn.
On the way back through Naumburg, we hit an unsuspected traffic snarl, discovering that the safety gate blocking the railroad crossing had not lifted in over an hour, and turned around for a lengthy detour back towards Bad Berka, taking us through the county, municipality called An der Poststraรe (Along the Mail Route, the old post road between Leipzig and Kassel) for a nice drive through the countryside in during the autumnal Golden Hour, touring a string of villages along the road (see also), including Burgheรler with it 1493 Gothic Haus, a manor successor likely to a medieval castle for the local gentry—later used as a granary and warehouse by the locals.
synchronoptica
one year ago: a never-ending, generative Wikipedia (with synchronoptica) plus Edwardian scrapbooking
two years ago: assorted links worth the revisit
three years ago: macroscopic seeds plus first kindergarten in the United States and its pedagogical method
four years ago: the lingua cosma of SETI, assorted links to revisit plus building the fake, composite bridges shown on euro bill
five years ago: typographical ornament, a plan for Italy to be annexed by the US plus Jesus Christ Superstar
six years ago: an AI makes memes, Free-Thought Day and other celebrations, a Khrushchev colouring book plus foliage studies
seven years ago: รtienne de Silhouette, the founding of Iran plus social media’s sins of omission
eight years ago: more links to enjoy, mapping returns on solar panels plus the miniature world Tatsuya Takana
