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Hamburg Town Hall — Ratsstube

by Marc 08/19/2018 | 3 IMAGES IN THE BLOGPOST | No Comments

The Senate of the Freien und Hansestadt Hamburg meets once a week in the Council Chamber (Ratsstube). On the entrance door the letters SPQH inspired by ancient Rome, here it stands for: »SENATUS POPOLUSQUE HAMBURGENSIS« which means: »Senate and People of Hamburg«. They say there are no windows in the hall not to distract Senate members at work. That is why there is a glass roof for natural lighting, which should probably also symbolize that above the Senate there is only heaven, only God.

At the end of the hall you can see the green velvet canopy under which the first and second mayors of the Senate meetings are seated. read more or write a comment …

Hamburg Town Hall — Senatstreppenhaus

by Marc 08/15/2018 | 2 IMAGES IN THE BLOGPOST | No Comments

It is a fascinating sight to lie on the red carpet under the dome of the Senate staircase in Hamburg’s Town Hall and look up. Slowly I discover the writing »GOTT MIT UNS / GOD WITH US«, which is written over the entrance into the council room. Altogether this picture has to offer many details, like the innumerable Hamburg emblems, which are illustrated at the column capitals and in the stucco.

A more accustomed sight is the view to the side, under the lettering »God with us« into the open council chamber. read more or write a comment …

Decke des Turmsaals im Hamburger Rathaus

Hamburg Town Hall — Turmsaal

by Marc 08/13/2018 | 1 IMAGE IN THE BLOGPOST | No Comments

The tower hall with its cupola separates the two sides of the town hall.

The 112-metre-high town hall tower rises above the hall. The murals show the ancient city republics of Athens, Amsterdam, Rome and Venice. Hence its real name »Hall of the Republics«.

The ceiling paintings represent freedom, the virtues of morality, human love, love of the fatherland and science.

Sayings of meaning, reminders, advice and good wishes complete the pictures. Thus one reads in Latin above the golden gate to the banquet hall: »Through harmony the small grows, through discord the largest falls apart«.

For example, smaller banquets for special guests take place in the tower hall. From here you can also reach the balcony of the town hall — but only on special occasions and only in company of the president of the citizenship or the mayor.

I found this description on the website of the Hamburger Bürgerschaft.

However, hardly anyone will notice this view during a guided tour through Hamburg’s town hall, because you have to lie on the ground and look up vertically. This perspective fascinates me again and again with interesting ceilings. So I had already taken pictures from the Chamber of Commerce with the view up into the hall ceilings.

Growing Hafencity

by Marc 07/23/2018 | 1 IMAGE IN THE BLOGPOST | No Comments

Many mornings on the way to Hamburg I saw the Elbphilharmonie shine — sometimes like a diamond, because the sunlight was reflected by the many vaults in the glass facade.

This morning I drove through the growing Hafencity and saw the Elbphilharmonie between the two buildings in the Elbbrücken quarter. This view will no longer exist for a very long time, because the construction site is growing closer to the Elbe bridges and new buildings will block this view in the coming years.
All the time I concentrated on somehow being able to capture the glow of the Elbphilharmonie in the picture. But only at the end I planned to take the bulldozer into the picture. Just in time, when the two construction workers marched through the picture to exchange views with the bulldozer driver.

This picture contains everything that currently characterizes Hafencity — the Elbphilharmonie, finished residential towers and the work on the new quarter!

Pair of geese with chicks

by Marc 07/21/2018 | 2 IMAGES IN THE BLOGPOST | No Comments

On the day I had also seen a goose drying its wings, the pair of geese with the young chicks was on the water. My movements were followed attentively and again and again the chicks were protected from my view (and tele lens!)

Drying Wings

by Marc 07/15/2018 | 2 IMAGES IN THE BLOGPOST | No Comments

In May, the geese had their first goose chicks in the hospital park. I was there again and followed the life of a goose family. When one of the parents washed the plumage, I was fortunately there.

What a majestic sight to see the great wings of the goose so spread out! The goose had previously scooped the water over its body and was now — pushing itself far out of the water — about to beat the water from the wings. read more or write a comment …

Grey Heron in the park near the Hospital Altona

by Marc 05/21/2018 | 1 IMAGE IN THE BLOGPOST | No Comments

Who would have thought it? To find such a natural paradise in the park of a hospital, right next to a six-lane, heavily trafficked inner-city road. The Asklepios Klinik Altona has created three small lakes surrounded by big old trees and many rhododendron bushes as a park. There are many ducks and geese at home, but also a grey heron, which I have seen more often during my visits.

When I was able to take this photo, the eastern lake was just full of water lenses, so that the shadow of the bird was depicted so clearly. I am happy that I got such a clear picture of the wings and that you can see the outstretched fingers on the wings.

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