Today, The Grandma has been reading about Toleranzpatent or the Patent of Toleration, the edict of toleration issued on a day like today in 1781 by the Habsburg emperor Joseph II.
The Patent of Toleration, in German Toleranzpatent, was an edict of toleration issued on 13 October 1781by the Habsburg emperor Joseph II.
Part of the Josephinist reforms, the Patent extended religious freedom to non-Catholic Christians living in the crown lands of the Habsburg monarchy, including Lutherans, Calvinists, and the Eastern Orthodox. Specifically, these members of minority faiths were now legally permitted to hold private religious exercises in clandestine churches.
For the first time after the Counter-Reformation, the Patent guaranteed the practice of religion by the Evangelical Lutheran and the Reformed Church in Austria. Nevertheless, worship was heavily regulated, wedding ceremonies remained reserved for the Catholic Church, and the Unity of the Brethren was still suppressed.
Similar to the articular churches admitted 100 years before, Protestants were only allowed to erect houses of prayer (Bethäuser) which should not in any way resemble church buildings.
In many Habsburg areas, especially in the hereditary lands of Upper Austria, Styria and Carinthia, Protestant parishes quickly developed, strongly relying on crypto-protestant traditions.
The Patent also regulated mixed faith marriages, foreshadowing the Marriage Patent that was to be released in 1783 seeking to bring marriages under civil rather than canon law. In allowing marriages between religions, if the father was Catholic all children were required to be raised as Catholics whilst if the mother was Catholic only the daughters had to be raised as such.
The Patent was followed by the Edict of Tolerance for Jews in 1782. The edict extended to Jews the freedom to pursue all branches of commerce, but also imposed new requirements.
Jews were required to create German-language primary schools or send their children to Christian schools. Jewish schools had previously taught children to read and write Hebrew in addition to mathematics.
The Patent also permitted Jews to attend state secondary schools. A series of laws issued soon after the Edict of Toleration abolished the autonomy of the Jewish communities, which had previously run their own court, charity, internal taxation and school systems; required Jews to acquire family names; made Jews subject to military conscription; and required candidates for the rabbinate to have secular education.
The 1781 Patent was originally called the Divine Send of Equal Liberties but was further put down by the monarch's advisor. Constraints on the construction of churches were abolished after the revolutions of 1848.
The Protestant Church did not receive an equivalent legal status until Emperor Franz Joseph I of Austria issued the Protestantenpatent in 1861.
What is tolerance? It is the consequence of humanity. We are all formed of frailty and error; let us pardon reciprocally each other's folly -that is the first law of nature.
Today, The Grandma has been listening to a Vienna Philharmonic concert to commemorate its first concert on a day like today in 1842.
The Vienna Philharmonic VPO, inGerman Wiener Philharmoniker, isan orchestra that was founded in 1842 and is considered to be one of the finest in the world.
The Vienna Philharmonic is based at the Musikverein in Vienna, Austria.
Its members are selected from the orchestra of the Vienna State Opera. Selection involves a lengthy process, with each musician demonstrating their capability for a minimum of three years' performance for the opera and ballet. After this probationary period, the musician may request an application for a position in the orchestra from the Vienna Philharmonic's board.
Until the 1830s, orchestral performance in Vienna was done by ad hoc orchestras, consisting of professional and often amateur musicians brought together for specific performances. In 1833, Franz Lachner formed the forerunner of the Vienna Philharmonic, the Künstlerverein -an orchestra of professional musicians from the Vienna Court Opera (Wiener Hofoper, now the ViennaState Opera); it gave four concerts, each including a Beethoven symphony.
The Vienna Philharmonic itself arose nine years later, in 1842, hatched by a group who met regularly at the inn Zum Amor, including the poet Nikolaus Lenau, newspaper editor August Schmidt, critic Alfred Becker, violinist Karlz Holz, Count Laurecin, and composer Otto Nicolai who was also the principal conductor of a standing orchestra at a Viennese theater.
Mosco Carner wrote in The New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians that Nicolai was the least enthusiastic about the idea, and had to be persuaded by the others; he conducted the first [concert] on 28 March 1842.
The orchestra was fully independent, consisted of members of the Hofoper orchestra, and made all of its decisions by a democratic vote of its members; it had its day-to-day management handled by a democratically elected body, the administrative committee.
Nicolai and the orchestra gave only 11 concerts in the ensuing five years, and when Nicolai left Vienna in 1847, the orchestra nearly folded.
Between 1854 and 1857, Karl Eckert -the first permanent conductor of the Vienna Court Opera (Wiener Hofoper)- led the (associated) ViennaPhilharmonic in a few concerts.
In 1857, Eckert was made Director of the Hofoper -the first musician to have been given the post; in 1860, he conducted four subscription concerts of the ViennaPhilharmonic. Since that time, writes Vienna Philharmonic violinist and president Clemens Hellsberg, the 'Philharmonic Concerts' have been staged without interruption.
Each New Year's Day since 1 January 1941, the VPO has sponsored the Vienna New Year's Concerts, dedicated to the music of the Strauss family composers, and particularly that of Johann Strauss II; the first such concert was given on 31 December 1939 by Clemens Krauss , and led subsequent concerts on New Year's Day from 1941 until 1945.
The postwar series of concerts was inaugurated in 1946 by Josef Krips. They were led by Krauss, then by concertmaster Willi Boskovsky from 1955 to 1979, and since 1980 have been led by a variety of leading conductors invited by the orchestra.
The Vienna Philharmonic operates under what it calls Democratic Self-Administration. Whereas many orchestras are run under a more corporate model with musicians as labor that works for the orchestra management, the ruling body of the Vienna Philharmonic organization is the full orchestra membership. Day-to-day decisions are delegated to the twelve elected members of the administrative committee.
Today, The Watsons have continued working in Rennette Watson'scandidature to participate in the next Eurovision Song Contest.
Firstly, The Grandma has offered them a new Cambridge KeyEnglishTest A2 Example.
Lately, she has been talking to them about Conchita Wurst, the Austrian singer who became the EurovisionSong Contest winner in 2014 singing Rise like a Phoenix a powerful song that claimed about resilience and surviving against intolerance.
Thomas Neuwirth (born 6 November 1988) is an Austrian singer, recording artist, and drag queen who is known for his stage persona Conchita Wurst, also known mononymously as Conchita.
Conchita came to international attention after winning the Eurovision Song Contest 2014 as Austria's entrant with the song Rise Like a Phoenix.
Neuwirth uses masculine pronouns when referring to himself but feminine pronouns to describe Conchita.
Born in Gmunden, Austria, Neuwirth moved to Graz to do his matura exam with a focus on fashion, before embarking on a singing career through the 2007 casting show Starmania. He subsequently became a founding member of the short-lived boy band Jetzt Anders!.
In 2011, Neuwirth began appearing as Conchita -a female character noted for her beard- and came second in the Austrian pre-selection for the Eurovision Song Contest 2012.
Conchita Wurst (Tom Neuwirth)
Conchita
was selected to represent Austria at the Eurovision Song Contest 2014,where her performance received the most points and resulted in her
winning the contest. It brought her international attention and
established her as a gay icon,resulting in invitations to perform at
various pride parades, the European Parliament and the United Nations
Office in Vienna.
Tom Neuwirth raised in the small town of Bad Mitterndorf, in the Styrian countryside in Austria. He has stated that the mountainous area was a wonderful place to grow up, but that he faced prejudice for being homosexual: Being a teenager, a gay teenager, in such a small village is not that much fun. I am part of the gay community and most gays have a similar story to mine.
From an early age he recognised that he was different from other children, initially believing that this was because there was something wrong with him. He occasionally wore a skirt to kindergarten and then school, although subsequently felt that he could only be happy doing so in the attic of his home. Aged 14, Neuwirth moved to Graz to attend school, with a focus on fashion. His fashion icon was Victoria Beckham.
In 2006, Neuwirth took part in the third edition of the Austrian TV show Starmania, finishing in second place, Nadine Beiler placed first. One year later, Neuwirth founded the boyband Jetzt Anders!, but the group disbanded during the same year.
It was after this that Neuwirth developed the drag persona of Conchita Wurst, a bearded woman. In the German language, Wurst means sausage,although Neuwirth relates the choice of last name to the common German expression Das ist mir doch alles Wurst, which translates as it's all the same to me, and I don't care, stating that the name emerged from the first meaning of that expression.
The name Conchita meanwhile had been adopted from a Cuban friend of his. In an interview he also explained that conchita is Spanish slang for vagina and Wurst is German slang for penis.
Conchita Wurst (Tom Neuwirth)
Neuwirth asserted that the inclusion of the beard as part of the Wurst character was a statement to say that you can achieve anything, no matter who you are or how you look. The inclusion of a beard as part of the drag look was not unique, having been pioneered in the 1970s by The Cockettes in San Francisco and the Bloolips in London.
Wurst's first appearance was on ORF's show Die große Chance in 2011, where she achieved 6th place. In 2012, she competed in the Austrian National Final for the Eurovision Song Contest 2012 and came second. Wurst then appeared in the ORF show The Hardest Jobs of Austria, working in a fish processing plant, and in Wild Girls, in which a group of candidates had to survive in the deserts of Namibia together with native tribes.
On 10 September 2013, Austrian national broadcaster ORF announced that it had selected Wurst to represent Austria at the Eurovision Song Contest 2014, to be held in Copenhagen, Denmark, in May 2014.
At the second semi-final on 8 May, Neuwirth, as Wurst, qualified for the final on 10 May. At the finals held in Copenhagen on 10 May 2014, she won the competition with 290 points. This was Austria's first Eurovision win since Eurovision 1966.
On returning to Austria, she was greeted at the airport by a crowd of over 1000 cheering fans, many wearing fake beards and singing Rise Like a Phoenix. To journalists, she expanded on the message of tolerance which she had championed at Eurovision: It was not just a victory for me but a victory for those people who believe in a future that can function without discrimination and is based on tolerance and respect. President of Austria Heinz Fischer asserted that it was not just a victory for Austria, but above all for diversity and tolerance in Europe.
In 2019, Neuwirth revealed that he would be splitting the characters, Conchita would continue with the more feminine style of performance and a new mononymous persona called WURST would allow for a more masculine expression, Neuwirth also announced that he would be releasing new music as WURST.
Franz Xaver Gruber & Stille Nacht Kapelle, Salzburg
Today, The Grandma has been preparing her home to receive Christmas Day. Although she is not a believer, she likes these celebrations from the point of view of culture and history and she likes searching information about them.
She has been talking with her closer friend Tina Picotes about Christmas carols, and they have chosen SilentNight as one of the most popular and beautiful songs ever composed.
Silent Night is a popular Christmas carol composed on a day like today in 1818 by Franz Xaver Gruber to lyrics by Joseph Mohr in the small town of Oberndorf bei Salzburg in Austria. The Grandma and Tina spent their winter holiday in Austria last year with the rest of their friends and they visited Salzburg and these places that have a relation with this popular Christmas carol.
Silent Night, in German Stille Nacht, heilige Nacht, is a popular Christmas carol, composed in 1818 by Franz Xaver Gruber to lyrics by Joseph Mohr in the small town of Oberndorf bei Salzburg, Austria.
It was declared an intangible cultural heritage by UNESCO in 2011. The song has been recorded by many singers across many music genres. The version sung by Bing Crosby in 1935 is the fourth best-selling single of all-time.
The song was first performed on Christmas Eve 1818 at St Nicholas parish church in Oberndorf, a village in the Austrian Empire on the Salzach river in present-day Austria. A young priest, Father Joseph Mohr, had come to Oberndorf the year before. He had written the lyrics of the song Stille Nachtin 1816 at Mariapfarr, the hometown of his father in the Salzburg Lungau region, where Joseph had worked as a co-adjutor.
The melody was composed by Franz Xaver Gruber, schoolmaster and organist in the nearby village of Arnsdorf. Before Christmas Eve, Mohr brought the words to Gruber and asked him to compose a melody and guitar accompaniment for the Christmas Eve mass, after river flooding had damaged the church organ. The church was eventually destroyed by repeated flooding and replaced with the Silent-Night-Chapel. It is unknown what inspired Mohr to write the lyrics, or what prompted him to create a new carol.
According to Gruber, Karl Mauracher, an organ builder who serviced the instrument at the Obendorf church, was enamoured with the song, and took the composition home with him to the Zillertal. From there, two travelling families of folk singers, the Strassers and the Rainers, included the tune in their shows.
Silent Night
The Rainers were already singing it around Christmas 1819, and once performed it for an audience that included Franz I of Austria and Alexander I of Russia, as well as making the first performance of the song in the U.S., in New York City in 1839. By the 1840s the song was well known in Lower Saxony and was reported to be a favourite of Frederick William IV of Prussia. During this period, the melody changed slightly to become the version that is commonly played today.
Over the years, because the original manuscript had been lost, Mohr's name was forgotten and although Gruber was known to be the composer, many people assumed the melody was composed by a famous composer, and it was variously attributed to Haydn, Mozart, or Beethoven. However, a manuscript was discovered in 1995 in Mohr's handwriting and dated by researchers as c. 1820. It states that Mohr wrote the words in 1816 when he was assigned to a pilgrim church in Mariapfarr, Austria, and shows that the music was composed by Gruber in 1818. This is the earliest manuscript that exists and the only one in Mohr's handwriting.
In 1859, the Episcopal priest John Freeman Young, then serving at Trinity Church, New York City, wrote and published the English translation that is most frequently sung today, translated from three of Mohr's original six verses. The version of the melody that is generally used today is a slow, meditative lullaby or pastorale, differing slightly particularly in the final strain from Gruber's original, which was a moderato tune in 6 8 time and siciliana rhythm. Today, the lyrics and melody are in the public domain, although newer translations usually are not.
In 1998 the Silent Night Museum in Salzburg commissioned a new English translation by Bettina Klein of Mohr's German lyrics. Whenever possible, and mostly, Klein leaves the Young translation unchanged, but occasionally Klein and Mohr varies markedly. For example, Nur das traute hochheilige Paar, Holder Knabe im lockigen Haar is translated by Young: Round yon Virgin mother and child, Holy infant so tender and mild whereas Klein rewords it: Round yon godly tender pair, Holy infant with curly hair, a translation closer to the original. The carol has been translated into about 140 languages.
Alfred Schnittke composed an arrangement of Stille Nacht for violin and piano in 1978, as a holiday greeting for violinist Gidon Kremer. Due to its dissonant and nightmarish character, the miniature caused a scandal in Austria.
Stille Nacht, heilige Nacht, Alles schläft; einsam wacht Nur das traute hochheilige Paar. Holder Knabe im lockigen Haar, Schlaf in himmlischer Ruh! Schlaf in himmlischer Ruh!
Stille Nacht, heilige Nacht, Hirten erst kundgemacht Durch der Engel Halleluja, Tönt es laut von fern und nah: Christ, der Retter ist da! Christ, der Retter ist da!
Stille Nacht, heilige Nacht, Gottes Sohn, o wie lacht Lieb' aus deinem göttlichen Mund, Da uns schlägt die rettende Stund'. Christ, in deiner Geburt! Christ, in deiner Geburt!
The Grandma and her friends have finished their Austrian tour. They have to return to Vienna where they are going to take a plane to Barcelona but, this last day, they have visited one of the most popular and important Austrian factories, Pfefferminz, also known as PEZ in Traun, Austria.
The Grandma is a great consumer of its candies and a fan collector of its dispensers. Before visiting the factory, The Grandma has studied a new lesson of her Elementary Language Practice manual (Grammar 70).
Pez, trademarked PEZ in capitals, is the brand name of an Austrian candy and associated mechanical candy dispensers. The candy is a pressed, dry, straight-edged, curved-corner block 15 mm long, 8 mm wide, and 5 mm high, with Pez dispensers holding 12 candy pieces.
Pez was invented in Austria and later exported worldwide. The all-uppercase spelling of the logo echoes the trademark's style on the packaging and the dispensers, with the logo drawn in perspective and giving the appearance that the letters are built out of 44 brick-like Pez mints, 14 bricks in the P and 15 in each of the E and Z.
Despite the widespread recognition and popularity of the Pez dispenser, the company considers itself to be primarily a candy company, and over 3 billion bricks are consumed each year in the U.S. alone. Pez dispensers are part of popular culture in many nations, an example being Soul Candy in Japanese manga series Bleach. Because of the large number of dispenser designs over the years, they are collected by enthusiasts.
Enjoying Star Wars PEZ dispensers
Pez was first marketed as a compressed peppermint sweet in Vienna, Austria, in 1927 by Eduard Haas III.The name PEZ is an abbreviation of PfeffErminZ,German for peppermint.
Haas created the peppermints using family owned baking powders, and decided to serve the mints in small, hand-size containers. He manufactured a small tin to hold the mints, similar to the modern Altoids tins.
The first Pez mint dispensers, known as regulars, were similar in shape to a cigarette lighter, and dispensed an adult breath mint marketed as an alternative to tobacco. They were invented by Oscar Uxa.
Haas Food Manufacturing Corporation of Vienna was the first to sell Pez products.
World War II slowed marketing and production. In 1945, manufacturers devised and promoted the Pez Box Regular. In 1952 Eduard Haas introduced his product to the United States, and Curtis Allina headed Pez's U.S. business. In 1955, the Pez company placed heads on the dispensers and marketed them for children. Santa Claus and Mickey Mouse were among the first character dispensers. Since 1950, over 1500 Pez dispensers, including the original character dispensers, have been created.
Pez vending machines were used in Germany, Switzerland, and Austria. The first German machines were introduced around 1954 and were produced by DWM, Deutsche Waggon- und Maschinenfabrik, and GWS, Georg Wiegandt und Söhne, both of Berlin, Germany. Machines were later introduced in Switzerland and then in Austria, in October 1956; these were produced by Glerios/R.Seipel & Co. and Theodor Braun, Vienna.
In 1973, Pez built a factory in Orange, Connecticut, U.S. In 1983, Scott McWhinnie became the president of the Pez company. He retired in 2003. Joe Vittoria became president of the company in 2004. Around 2005 the size of the original factory was doubled and the Pez dispenser line was expanded. In the mid-1990s peppermints were reintroduced with remakes of the regulars.
Contemplating a great collection of PEZ
In early 2006 the family of the original founder of the company bought back 32.5% of the stock from investment company PGH for €18M. They now own 67.5% of the company. The headquarters are in Traun, Austria. The Pez mints are produced in Traun and Orange, Connecticut, U.S.
Early Pez dispensers did not have character heads on them. They were what is known now as regulars. A regular dispenser is just a rectangular box with a contoured flip top for dispensing the candy. Toy character head dispensers were introduced in 1955, after the candy was introduced in the United States. There are over 550 unique dispenser heads with thousands of variations.
In the 1970s, three historical figures were created: Betsy Ross, Daniel Boone, and Paul Revere, which were released as part of the Bicentennial series. These dispenser heads were not made to actually look like the people they represented, but instead used generic faces with different accessories.
Star Wars Pez dispensers have been amongst the most popular collectibles since they were introduced in the 1990s.
The
company initially had a general rule against creating likenesses of
real people, but in 2006 a limited-edition series of three Pez dispensers were made with likenesses of members of the Teutul family from Orange County Choppers.
The NASCAR-themed dispensers are based on the helmets of famous drivers, rather than their actual resemblance.
In 2007, a limited edition Elvis set was released featuring three dispensers from different periods in Presley's life.
A great collection of PEZ
In 2008, the first Star Trek dispensers were released in a gift set with the seven original series crew and the Starship Enterprise. A second Star Trek gift set, based on The Next Generation series, was released in Fall 2012.
In 2009, in honor of the 70th anniversary of The Wizard of Oz,Pez released a boxed set with dispensers in the likenesses of the Cowardly Lion, the Tin Man, the Scarecrow, Dorothy Gale, Toto, Glinda, the Wizard of Oz, and the Wicked Witch of the West. Only 300,000 sets were made.
In 2010, Pez released a Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs set, featuring a story book. These are the first characters featured on the Short Stem body. Only 250,000 sets were made.
In 2011, a two-piece limited edition set was released for charity, featuring Prince William, Duke of Cambridge and his wife-to-be, Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge.
In 2011, an eight-piece limited edition set was released featuring characters from The Lord of the Rings as they appear in Peter Jackson's The Lord of the Rings films: Bilbo, Frodo, Sam, Gandalf, Aragorn, Legolas, Gimli, and Gollum. Only 250,000 sets were made. 150,000 Walmart-exclusive sets were made. The Walmart sets did not have Bilbo. Instead, they came with the Eye of Sauron.
In October 2012, Pez released a limited edition KISS gift set. The Starchild, The Demon, The Catman, and The Spaceman are displayed in a reusable metal gift tin.
The Muppets in a PEZ version
In 2013, Pez released the MonstersUniversity Pez.The characters were Mike Wazowski, James P. SulleySullivan, Scott SquishySquibbles and Randall Boggs.
In September 2013, Pez released the Hobbit gift set. Bilbo Baggins, Gandalf the Grey, Thorin Oakenshield, Fimbul the Hunter, Radagast, Kili, Bofur, and Dwalin are displayed in a printed cardboard box.
In 2013, Pez released a series of 18 wheeler trucks. There were companies like Walgreens, Nice, Wawa, Safeway, Randall's, up market, Havoline, and many more.
In 2014, Pez released a giant Raphael from Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.
In 2014, Pez released an Angry Birds gift tin. It had Red, Bomb, Stella, and a Minion Pig in a reusable metal gift tin while the dispensers are produced in Hungary and China.
Pez, Inc. has applied for and received patents related to the Pez dispensers, and usually molds the patent number onto the stem of the design. The patent number cannot be reliably used to determine how old the dispenser is.
Collectors refer to the first two digits of a patent number as a shorthand for a given patent number. For example, the 5.9 (5,984,285) patent was granted in 1999, but didn't first appear on a Pez item until 2002. By 2007, 4.9 patented items were still regularly appearing on store shelves. Dispensers can also be found with several non-US patents, such as the German DBP 818.829,Deutsches Bundes Patent, and the Mexican Patent Nr 141,242.
Today, Tina Picotes and her friends are visiting Salzburg, an incredible city where Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart was born in 1756. Salzburg is also the scenery of The Sound of Music a cinema masterpiece that was based on the figure of Maria Von Trapp, the stepmother and matriarch of the Trapp Family Singers.
Salzburg is wonderful place and The Grandma has enjoyed its cafès and local food but, especially, its churches. The Grandma isn't a religious person but she likes visiting them because churches are great demonstrations of history and culture. Claire Fontaine and Tonyi Tamaki have searched information about Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart and his music, and Joseph de Ca'th Lon has been interested in the biography of Maria Von Trapp.
Before visiting the city, The Grandma had had a local breakfast while she has been studying a new lesson of her Elementary Language Practicemanual (Grammar 67).
Salzburg, literally salt castle, is the fourth-largest city in Austria and the capital of Federal State of Salzburg.
Its historic centre, Altstadt, is renowned for its baroque architecture and is one of the best-preserved city centres north of the Alps, with 27 churches. It was listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1996. The city has threeuniversities and a large population of students. Tourists also visit Salzburg to tour the historic centre and the scenic Alpine surroundings.
Salzburg was the birthplace of the 18th-century composer Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. In the mid‑20th century, the city was the setting for the musical play and film The Sound of Music.
Claire Fontaine in Salzburg, the city of churches
Traces of human settlements have been found in the area, dating to the Neolithic Age. The first settlements in Salzburg continuous with the present were apparently by the Celts around the 5th century BC.
Around 15 BC the Roman Empire merged the settlements into one city. At this time, the city was called Juvavum and was awarded the status of a Roman municipium in 45 AD. Juvavum developed into an important town of the Roman province of Noricum. After the Norican frontier’s collapse, Juvavum declined so sharply that by the late 7th century it nearly became a ruin.
The Life of Saint Rupert credits the 8th-century saint with the city's rebirth. When Theodo of Bavaria asked Rupert to become bishop c. 700, Rupert reconnoitered the river for the site of his basilica. Rupert chose Juvavum,ordained priests, and annexed the manor of Piding. Rupert named the city Salzburg. He travelled to evangelise among pagans.
The name Salzburg means Salt Castle from Latin Salis Burgium. The name derives from the barges carrying salt on the River Salzach, which were subject to a toll in the 8th century as was customary for many communities and cities on European rivers. Hohensalzburg Fortress, the city's fortress, was built in 1077 by Archbishop Gebhard, who made it his residence. It was greatly expanded during the following centuries.
Independence from Bavaria was secured in the late 14th century. Salzburg was the seat of the Archbishopric of Salzburg, a prince-bishopric of the Holy Roman Empire.
Joseph de Ca'th Lon in Altenmarkt-Zauchensee
As the Reformationmovement gained steam, riots broke out among peasants in the areas in and around Salzburg. The city was occupied during the German Peasants' War, and the Archbishop had to flee to the safety of the fortress It was besieged for three months in 1525.
Eventually, tensions were quelled, and the city's independence led to an increase in wealth and prosperity, culminating in the late 16th to 18th centuries under the Prince Archbishops Wolf Dietrich von Raitenau, Markus Sittikus, and Paris Lodron. It was in the 17th century that Italian architects, and Austrians who had studied the Baroque style, rebuilt the city centre as it is today along with many palaces.
On 31 October 1731, the 214th anniversary of the 95 Theses, Archbishop Count Leopold Anton von Firmian signed an Edict of Expulsion, the Emigrationspatent, directing all Protestant citizens to recant their non-Catholic beliefs. 21,475 citizens refused to recant their beliefs and were expelled from Salzburg. Most of them accepted an offer by King Friedrich Wilhelm I of Prussia, travelling the length and breadth of Germany to their new homes in East Prussia. The rest settled in other Protestant states in Europe and the British colonies in America.
In 1772–1803, under archbishop Hieronymus Graf von Colloredo, Salzburg was a centre of late Illuminism.
In 1803, the archbishopric was secularised by Emperor Napoleon; he transferred the territory to Ferdinando III of Tuscany, former Grand Duke of Tuscany, as the Electorate of Salzburg.
In 1805, Salzburg was annexed to the Austrian Empire, along with the Berchtesgaden Provostry.
In 1809, the territory of Salzburg was transferred to the Kingdom of Bavaria after Austria's defeat at Wagram.
The Grandma visits Salzburg
After the Congress of Vienna with the Treaty of Munich (1816), Salzburg was definitively returned to Austria, but without Rupertigau and Berchtesgaden, which remained with Bavaria.
Salzburg was integrated into the Province of Salzach and Salzburgerland was ruled from Linz.
In 1850, Salzburg's status was restored as the capital of the Duchy of Salzburg, a crownland of the Austrian Empire. The city became part of Austria-Hungary in 1866 as the capital of a crownland of the Austrian Empire. The nostalgia of the Romantic Era led to increased tourism. In 1892, a funicular was installed to facilitate tourism to Hohensalzburg Fortress.
Following World War I and the dissolution of the Austro-Hungarian Empire; Salzburg, as the capital of one of the Austro-Hungarian territories, became part of the new German Austria. In 1918, it represented the residual German-speaking territories of the Austrian heartlands. This was replaced by the First Austrian Republic in 1919, after the Treaty of Saint-Germain-en-Laye (1919).
The Anschluss, the occupation and annexation of Austria, includingSalzburg, into the Third Reich, took place on 12 March 1938, one day before a scheduled referendum on Austria's independence. German troops moved into the city.
Political opponents, Jewish citizens and other minorities were subsequently arrested and deported to concentration camps.
The Grandma & Claire contemplate Salzburg
The synagogue was destroyed. After Germany invaded the Soviet Union, several POW camps for prisoners from the Soviet Union and other enemy nations were organized in the city.
During the Nazi occupation, a Romani camp was built in Salzburg-Maxglan. It was an Arbeitserziehungslager, work education camp, which provided slave labour to local industry. It also operated as a Zwischenlager, transit camp, holding Roma before their deportation to German extermination camps or ghettos in German-occupied territories in eastern Europe.
Allied bombing destroyed 7,600 houses and killed 550 inhabitants. Fifteen air strikes destroyed 46 percent of the city's buildings, especially those around Salzburg railway station. Although the town's bridges and the dome of the cathedral were destroyed, much of its Baroque architecture remained intact.As a result, Salzburg is one of the few remaining examples of a town of its style.
American troops entered the city on 5 May 1945 and it became the centre of the American-occupied area in Austria. Several displaced persons camps were established in Salzburg -among them Riedenburg, Camp Herzl (Franz-Josefs-Kaserne), Camp Mülln, Bet Bialik, Bet Trumpeldor, and New Palestine.
After World War II, Salzburg became the capital city of the Federal State of Salzburg (Land Salzburg).
On 27 January 2006, the 250th anniversary of the birth of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, all 35 churches of Salzburg rang their bells after 8:00 p.m., local time, to celebrate the occasion. Major celebrations took place throughout the year.
The Goldenes Dachl is a landmark structure located in the Old Town, Altstadt, section of Innsbruck. It is considered the city's most famous symbol. Completed in 1500, the roof was decorated with 2,657 fire-gilded copper tiles for Emperor Maximilian I to mark his wedding to Bianca Maria Sforza. The Emperor and his wife used the balcony to observe festivals, tournaments, and other events that took place in the square below.
The entire oriel is decorated in sculpted reliefs and mural paintings. The first-floor balustrade is adorned with eight sculpted coats of arms, six facing the square and two flanking panels, representing Maximilian's territories. Above the coats of arms are frescoes by Jörg Kölderer, painted in 1500, showing two knights bearing heraldic flags representing the Holy Roman Empire and Tyrol.
Visiting the Goldenes Dachl
The second-floor balustrade is decorated in eight sculpted reliefs, six facing the square and two flanking panels, depicting various images associated with Maximilian's life.
The two central reliefs show Maximilian. The one on the left shows the Emperor with his second wife Bianca Maria Sforza on the left holding an apple, and his beloved first wife Maria of Burgundy on the right. The other central relief shows the Emperor with his court jester and his chancellor.
The flanking reliefs show Moorish dancers engaged in acrobatic and grotesque dancing -a common form of popular entertainment of that time. The dancing shown in these outer reliefs is of Andalusian origin.
The frescoes that adorn the interior of the loggia were also painted by JörgKölderer and show scenes from the aristocratic life of that time. All of the decorations on the current structure are carefully executed replicas. The original reliefs are on permanent display in the Tyrolean State Museum, known as the Ferdinandeum.
The building that bears the Goldenes Dachl was constructed by Archduke Friedrich IV in the early fifteenth century as the residence of the Tyrolean sovereigns. Emperor Maximilian I commissioned the loggia in 1493 from Nikolaus Turing the Elder, the Innsbruck court builder, at the time of his marriage to Bianca Maria Sforza. It was Turing who designed and built the golden roof with its 2,657 fire-gilded copper tiles.
The Goldenes Dachl was designed to serve as a royal box where the Emperor and his imperial entourage could sit in state and enjoy festivals, tournaments, and other events that took place in the square below. The Goldenes Dachl was built in honor of Maximilian's marriage to Bianca Maria Sforza of Milan. Not wishing to alienate the allies gained by his first marriage, to Maria of Burgundy, he had an image of himself between the two women painted on his balcony.
Since January 2003, the Goldenes Dachl has housed the International Alpine Convention's Office. The Alpine Convention is a coalition of eight Alpine Countries united by a shared commitment to sustainable development in the European Alps. A museum, the Maximilianum, is also contained in the building as well as the Innsbruck City Archives.
After visiting this amazing house, they have had a typical Tyrolian breakfast in front of the Goldenes Dachl and The Grandma has been reading some interesting BBC's information about the Three Kings, three mysterious wise men who are very important in the Christian religion, that is the main one in Austria where the 73,6% practice it. Here it is...
The Three Wise Men in a Medieval painting
Thirty years ago there were 50,000 Christians in south-eastern Turkey speaking a dialect of Aramaic -the language of Christ. Now there are 2,500. Talking to one of them, the BBC's Jeremy Bristow learned that instead of Three Kings, there might actually have been 12.
Fresh out of his farm clothes, Habib the mayor now sits at his table in a crisply ironed shirt. He's a gentle, almost diffident man in his early 50s, but he can form his letters with a calm assurance. He's the custodian of a dying language.
Dipping his pen into the inkwell, he momentarily pauses, then starts to write. The broad nib moves right to left in neat black flicks and dashes, some vertical, some slanted, some horizontal, often with a deft flourish at the end. Sometimes Habib fashions a triangle, sometimes a circle, sometimes he adorns the shapes with a dot, indicating a vowel.
The script that is emerging before me looks like Arabic. It's not… or not quite. It's Syriac, a dialect of ancient Aramaic.
"Look, let me show you," he says. "This letter is Olaf in our script, Alef in Arabic. See here, this letter is Lomad, it resembles Lam in Arabic. And He is Ha. Written together, they spell Aloho in Aramaic, the equivalent of Allah in Arabic. So many words from the Koran come from Aramaic."
For 1,000 years, Aramaic was written and spoken right across Middle East. It was the language spoken by Jesus and his followers. The Jewish holy book, the Talmud, was written in Aramaic, and scholars say Arabic script is derived from it. But now, if Aramaic was an animal species, it would be declared critically endangered.
Habib, a Syriac Christian, is one of just 2,500 Syriacs who still live in this remote part of south-east Turkey. They call this region, their homeland, Tur Abdin. In Aramaic this means the Mount of the Servants of God.
Basilica San Apollinare Nuovo, Ravenna
The Biblical source of the story of the wise men is the gospel of Matthew-Matthew doesn't say how many there were, he just says they brought three gifts: gold, frankincense and myrrh.
St Jacob refers to 12 kings.
Michael the Syrian (St Michael the Great) names 11 kings: Dahdandur, son of Artaban; Shuf, son of Gudfar; Arshak, son of Mahduq; Zarwand, son of Warwadud; Aryo, son of Kasro; Artahshasht, son of Hamit; Ashtanbuzan, son of Shishron; Mahduq, son of Hoham; Ahshiresh, son of Sahban; Sardanh, son of Baldan; Marduk, son of Bel.
Melchior, Balthasar and Caspar belong to a different tradition.
All of the stories are thought likely to be legends.
Once upon a time there was a flourishing Christian civilisation here. The landscape boasts hundreds of monasteries and churches -many now in ruins, many surmounted by mosques.
Take for example, Habib's village of Hah, where he's mayor, or Anitli as it is known in Turkish. A mere 20 Syriac families now live among the ruins of what was once a cathedral city with thousands of houses. Their homes are built among the remains of great buildings. Crumbling walls and giant archways loom above them.
Six hundred years ago Hah was sacked by the armies of Timur the Lame, better known in English history as Tamberlaine. This was just one catastrophe in a long history of intermittent persecutions and occasional acts of terror that religious minorities like the Syriacs have had to endure in this part of the Middle East.
The Three Wise Men in an Oriental painting
Habib's family have survived by holding out in their fortress-like farmhouse that still stands above the village. Five other related families also live within this bastion, towering walls on the outside, farmyards within.
Habib says his family, the Beth Henno, have been here since records began. But so many Syriac Christians have left for Istanbul, for Sweden, Germany, Australia. In the last three decades they've been caught up in the brutal war between the Turkish state and the Kurdish Workers Party, the PKK. They've been threatened and driven out by both sides. In the 1980s 50,000 lived in Tur Abdin, now less than 5% of that number remain.
Habib and his wife, Leman, are doing their best to boost the numbers, raising seven children on their farm.
We walk down through the village, in the shadow of crumbling towers and gaping vaults, entering the courtyard of the Church of the Yoldath Aloho, the Mother of God. As I enter the nave I know I am standing in history. Is that the smell of ancient cement, or is it rotting plaster?
The walls and niches are covered in a riot of carved decorations covering arches that support a soaring octagonal dome. It's here that Habib and the villagers still come to chant the hymns of Saint Ephraim, as their ancestors have done since the Church was built, nearly 1,500 years ago.
They will be here at Christmas. Habib tells me a local legend. Just over 2,000 years ago an auspicious star appeared in the night sky. Twelve kings from the East gathered here at Hah. A select three went on to Bethlehem bearing gifts to greet the newborn Christ. A grateful Mary, mother of God, gave them a piece of the baby's swaddling clothes. When the three kings returned to Hah, the holy baby-wrap turned to gold. Awed by this miracle, the Kings founded this church.
As we walk back in to the courtyard, I hear the village children reciting, Aramaic in class. I ask Habib, what the future is for the Syriac community here in Tur Abdin, the Mount of the worshipers of God. "We won't give up,'' he says. "But I fear, in the end, we are too few."
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