Martin M. Miles' photos

In the Magdeburg Cathedral is the oldest known image depicting Saint Maurice as a Moor ( = Mauritius). The statue is carved around 1250 and shows him as an armoured knight. It could well be, that this statue is the oldest picture of an ethnic African in Mid-Europe. St.. Maurice was a leader of the Theban Legion. Tradition tells, that the complete legion converted to Christianity within the 3rd century - and later got the title "Martyrs of Agaunum". As the soldiers refused to prosecute and punish fellow Christians, every tenth soldier got executed. This happened at least twice. Some places in Germany (Bonn, Cologne, Xanten, Trier) claim to be the place where these legionnaires were martyred. In the end, all soldiers of the Theban Legion were executed in Agaunum, nowadays named "Saint-Maurice" in Switzerland.

The relief is down on the right rock, between the two openings, that lead into a cave, used as a hermitage from around 815, as some historians claim. The Externsteine were bought by the Abdinghof-abbey (Paderborn, 25kms southwest) in 1093. The gigantic relief may has been carved around 1140.

Showing the upper part of the relief of the Descent from the Cross. On the left is the opening to a little cave, used as a hermitage, dated by some historians as early as 9th century. The carving itself was done probably within the 12th century.

..."Siftkirche St. Cyriakus" in Gernrode on the eastern slopes of the Harz mountain range. Constructed around 1000. A model of the Ottonian style in Romanesque architecture...

.. a coat full of names..

.. a coat full of names..

This part of the station (seen from the platform) seems to be a neogothic chapel. Here were the waiting rooms for the nobility in the 19th century. See the coat of arms over the door.

The platform.

The station in Detmold was opened 1880 and renovated in 2007.

... beasts waiting..

...old grafittis on a very old capital.

A hunting dog, biting the hare into the neck..

The apsis showing the hunting scenes.

...The phantastic carvings show two hares, having caught the hunter. I remember that the tympanon in Conques (France) shows two evil looking hares roasting the hunter...

The Lion-Portail of the "Kaiserdom", founded by 1135 by Lothar III (" Holy Roman Emperor") , who was born in the nearby village of Suepplingburg. His tomb and thatone of his wife Richenza are here. The carvings were done by masters from the Lombardy.

The lion holding a bearded person. Actually the figures outside are duplicates, of the 800 years old orginals.

The street, the small Baroque church on the left faces to, is "Grosse Freiheit", the centre of Hamburg´s red light district. The large tower on the horizon belongs to the Michaelis Church ("Michel"), one of Hamburg's landmarks. Seen from the roof of the Endo Klinik.

Corner Holstenstrasse and Reeperbahn as seen from the roof of the Endo-Clinic in 2004. Since about 2010 all the buildings to the right (upto the redone) are demolished - to give room for the extension of the clinic.