An abbey or a fortress? Photo

Photographer’s Note

I'm back from the brief vacation in the Harz region in Germany and as a Sunday Papagolfade would like to present you the ancient Quedlinburg Abbey. It was founded on the castle hill of the town of Quedlinburg, presently in the province of Saxony-Anhalt, in 936. The Quedlinburg castle complex was an imperial palatinate of the Saxon emperors. The abbey church which towers can be seen here is dedicated to Saint Servatius of Tongeren and Saint Denis and is a significant Romanesque building. Construction of the three-naved basilica on the remains of three predessor buildings began sometime before 997 and finished in 1021.

The town of Quedlinburg has existed since at least the early 9C, when a settlement known as Gross Orden existed at the eastern bank of the river Bode. As such the city is first mentioned in 922, as part of a donation by Henry the Fowler. After Henry's death in 936, his widow Mathilda founded a religious community for women ("Frauenstift") on the castle hill, where daughters of the higher nobility were educated. The main task of this collegiate foundation, Quedlinburg Abbey, was to pray for the memory of King Henry and the rulers that came after him. The first abbess was Mathilde, granddaughter of Henry and Saint Mathilde.

In 1994 the abbey and the medieval old town were set on the UNESCO world heritage list.

snunney, macondo, feather, asajernigan, Buin, xavshot, Tue, Cretense, PixelTerror, dip has marked this note useful

Critiques | Translate

snunney (35476) 2008-05-04 4:35

Hello Alexander,
A very good point of view on this massive abbey built to last. Very good colours and clarity. Pity about the scaffolding around the towers but photographers have to learn to take the rough with the smooth ;-)

macondo (13271) 2008-05-04 4:39

Hi Alexander.
I was just thinking yesterday that I don't see enough shots from Germany, and today I see yours in such marvellous colour with exquisite sharpness. Looking up from your position emphasises the fortress aspect which you allude to in your title. It certainly looks impressive, and it's good to see the restoration work going on. The incline of the hillside makes for a pleasing diagonal and the rock in the bottom left corner echoes the solid brickwork on the abbey walls. Well taken shot with very pleasing broad frame.
Regards and pleasant Sunday to you.
Andrew

feather (50154) 2008-05-04 4:48

Welcome back from your trip.
Good shot from a low POV with the rocks and trees providing a good lower frame. It looks to be an interesting building. Possibly this is the back(?) with the twin towers presently under renovation being the front. Good light and strong colours. Well done
Kath

asajernigan (14284) 2008-05-04 4:55

Alexander,
Nice POV here looking up at the fortress, this definitely gives it a dominating look. Your composition is fine including the rocks and trees in the foreground with the great blue sky forming a nice backdrop for the shot. The lighting and colors are fine with excellent sharpness and DOF.
TFS,
Asa

aadilj (17950) 2008-05-04 5:20

Lovely perspective and great colours and sharpness. I love the way you set up this image. Its beautiful and crisp. Vibrant and very well taken.

Buin (38280) 2008-05-04 5:57

Hallo Alexander!
Quedlinburg - isn't it a dream!? You show here a rather uncommon but interesting view of these buildings. You positioned them in front of a gorgeous sky. The scaffold shows that these venerable buildings still are well kept.
Greetings from sunny and warm Germany!
Frank

xavshot (63133) 2008-05-04 8:00

Bonjour Alexander
Impressionnante architecture. Le POV en contre-plongée accentue la taille de ce batiment. Bel équilibre de la compo.
amicalement
Xavier

gilou530 (35700) 2008-05-04 12:33

salut alex
a fortress under a sky of a major blue with a POV in against diving which gives him height, well done
gilbert

danyy (69465) 2008-05-04 14:10

Bonjour Alexander,
une contre plongée qui donne le vertige et aussi du panache à ces constructions, qui, comme on le voit, ont besoin de restaurations.
les couleurs sont intenses et naturelles, bien réparties .
Best regards.
Daniel.

Tue (25608) 2008-05-04 14:16

Hi Alexander,
Great POV, it's nice to look up to the abbey on top of the rock, so it looks even more impressive. The colours are lovely, just like the light and they both create a pleasant spring mood. Thanks a lot for sharing!
Regards,
Lars

Cretense (57010) 2008-05-05 3:11

Hi Alexander!

Well, probably the answer to your question is "both"! There are also here in Greece some monasteries that look like castles, and the are called "Kastromonastira" which means "Castlemonasteries". Anyway, the photo is excellent as always, the low POV, is fantastic, great framing and composition, brilliant colours! Interesting note, too! Congratulations!

Hercules

PixelTerror (86853) 2008-05-06 0:30

Privet Alexander,
The low pov hints you're going to sweat to get up there, and the colors are strongly saturated and contrasting. Too bad about the renovation spoiling the right of the building.
Have a nice day JY

dip (12850) 2008-05-07 3:08