World Heritage Sites near out schools
The Grianán of Aileach (Ireland)
Picture by: Silyba, CC SA BY 4.0, Grianan_of_Aileach_Donegal.jpg, wikimedia commons
The stone fort located on a hilltop is one of the best known monuments of Inishowen in the county of Donegal. The Grianan of Aileach dates back to 1700 BC. It was built by the Celts, they built stone forts on top of hills. The round forts is built largely without mortar. The inside has three terraces and wooden structures were built against the terraces to provide accomodations. Legends States that the giants of Inishowen are lying sleeping but when the sacred sword is removed they will spring to life reclaiming their ancient lands.
The Mathildenhöhe in Darmstadt (Germany)
It is an extension of the center of the City Of Darmstadt..
The World Heritage includes 4 areas:
- The “Platanenhain”
- Lily pond and Russian chapel
- Exhibition Hall and Wedding tower
- Artists colony – consisting of several residential buildingsl
Why in the World Heritage List?
Because of its significare as iInfluence on the modern times (Jugendstil / Art Nouveau) and its cultural innovation.
The Mathildenhöhe in Darmstadt was recognized as a UNESCO World Heritage Site because it represents an exceptional ensemble of architectural elements in a landscaped setting that embodies a prototype of modernism. It is a pioneering example of the emergence of modernist architecture and urban landscape design in the 20th century.
Meteora monastery (Greece)
Picture by: Holger Uwe Schmitt, CC SA BY 4.0, Meteora monastary, wikimedia commons
The meaning of Meteora in Greek is „suspended in the air”. And this is a very good description of the monastaries built high in the Pindos mountains.
The meteora monasteries were built under impossible condictions, with no practicable roads. Meteora is located in an area of exceptional natural beauty and they is rising on over 400m above the ground. The monasteries are porched in sandstone peaks that were created 60 million years ago from deltaic river deposits.
When the monasteries were build mosaics and frescoes were added and have a significant importance for their time of history. The frescoes of the Theophanes the Cretan created in 1527 in the monastery Agiou Nikolaou Anapavsa count as one major example.
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