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The Church of Peace

The evangelical Church of Świdnica in southern Poland is truly something extraordinary. It was built after the Peace of Westfalen (hence called Church of Peace), which followed a long battle between Catholics and Evangelicals in the German-speaking countries. The Catholic emperor Ferdinand II. won, but he had to make some concessions to the evangelical communities. Some reformed communities were allowed to build their own churches, but only outside the city walls, and they had to be constructed almost entirely of wood within one year. Three communities rose to the occasion, and two churches from the early 18th century still exist, the one in Świdnica being the largest and most opulent. Since 2001, the sacral building has been a UNESCO World Heritage sight.

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A Masterpiece in Gothic Architecture: The Cathedral of Burgos

I am fortunate enough to have a job enabling me to travel a lot around Europe. Concerning architecture and different architectural styles, it is a prosperous and exciting continent. Two historical architectural styles in particular are very distinct and closely linked to European history: The styles of Baroque and Gothic. While the baroque style is very opulent, colorful, and somewhat playful, the style of the French Sun King in the 17th century and the glorious Catholic church of its time, Gothic, on the other hand, is very different. It is a somewhat dark style, with many goblins and trim colors. Everything reaches as high as to touch God himself. The light is filtered and restricted through beautiful stained glass; the only energy source is the Almighty. One of the most beautiful examples of Gothic architecture must be the grandiose Cathedral of Burgos, Spain, consecrated in 1260 and still as impressive as it must have been to the people living almost 800 years ago. A masterpiece.

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Travelling Castile

Most of the visitors arriving in Spain visit the coasts and Madrid. Not as many people travel around the region of Castile. Being the historical heartland of the Spanish kingdom, though, the areas of Castile and Leon have a lot to offer. The town of Salamanca, for example, has the oldest university in Spain and is one of the oldest in the world (pictures 1, 3). Burgos was one of the first capitals of the kingdom and is still a pretty impressive town with a grandiose cathedral (pictures 2, 4). The city of Avila is pretty interesting because of its completely intact medieval city wall (last photo). All of these towns have beautiful churches and exquisite cuisine. Also, the region is compact; you do not travel more than two or three hours to the next larger city.

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