Advanced cross country riding at the Italian Cavalry School in 1906

In the first decades of the 20th century the Italian Cavalry School at Tor di Quinto near Rome was - along with the French Cavalry School at Saumur - the leading institution for horsemanship in the world. Tor di Quinto was probably the foremost academy for advanced cross country riding. 

As you can see from the photographs below (taken in 1906) the elite of the Italian cavalry officers had to master some rather difficult situations, without falling from the saddle .....

Still in the 1930's the Tor di Quinto Cavalry School maintained its high standards, as you can see from this video:

A chilly and windy autumn day in the Øresund region

Yesterday we had a windy and fairly chilly day here in the Øresund region. Nights are turning much colder now. When I am writing this, the temperature outside is 2°C, and probably it's getting even colder in the early hours of this Friday.  

The early evening clouds were quite interesting to watch yesterday:

Marienlyst - a beautiful Danish palace in search of a new future

Denmark is a country of castles and manors. As a matter of fact, there are more than 600 of them, with the royal winter residence Amalienborg and Hamlet's castle, Kronborg as the probably best known internationally. 

Marienlyst, originally founded as a royal pavilion of the Kronborg castle in the late 16th century, is one of the less known Danish palacial residences, but this small pearl of a building is well worth exploring.

The Marienlyst that we see today is the work of Nicolas-Henri Jardin, a French architect, who between 1754 and 1771 worked as an architect of the Danish royal court. Jardin rebuilt and and enlarged the old pavilion in neoclassical style, a popular style at the time that he was the first to introduce in Denmark. 

Marienlyst was a royal residence until 1850, when King Frederik 7. donated it to be used as a home for disabled soldiers. However, that project did not turn out very well, which is why the castle and its gardens were sold to the city of Helsingør already the following year. 

The city of Helsingør, which still owns the Marienlyst, has used the palace for different purposes, lately mostly for various cultural activities. As you can see from the pictures shown here, the exterior of Jardin's palace is in good shape, but a few years ago experts found out that the building is in need of extensive structural renovation. That was thought to be so costly that the city authorities were about to sell the property to a private buyer. 

However, a group of influential friends of the culturally important palace was able to stop the privatisation plans. Recently a society called Marienlyst Slots Venner (Friends of the Marienlyst castle) was established in order to secure the financing of the renovation work. The city of Helsingør will continue to be the owner, but a foundation will be in charge of the future operation of the palace after the renovation work is done. 

One can only hope that there are enough friends of the Marienlyst palace in order to preserve it for future generations to enjoy!

Vandkunsten architects: 58 modern homes in the old Swedish fishing village Viken

The art of creating something new in a traditional environment has always been one of the major challenges in  architecture. The fact that that there are so many failed projects tells us about the difficulty of this task. That's why it is a particular pleasure to report a success: A group of 58 homes in the picturesque former fishing village Viken in southern Sweden. The Tre Gudor project consisting of 1 1/2 - 2 story houses, designed by the Danish architect firm Vandkunsten, was built in 2000 - 2001 on the grounds of the old school. In the general design of the area the Danish architects were inspired by the intimate and varied style of the old fishing village. Now, a little more than ten years later, the Tre Gudor looks even better, with the gardens and the greenery in a more mature state. No wonder that the project was awarded the prize for best architecture in Scania already in 2002!

Alhambra now - and more than100 years ago

Alhambra in Granada is without  doubt one of the most beautiful historic sites in the world. The Alhambra and its gardens were declared national artistic monuments in Spain already in 1872, and in 1984 the UNESCO World Heritage Committee included Alhambra and the Generalife of Granada on the World Heritage List. 

 Below you can compare a photograph of Alhambra taken in the 1890s with a photo from 2005. 

(picture by wikipedia)

Here is a photo of the famous Alhambra Myrtle Yard (1890s):

This Alhambra video with Finnish classical guitar maestro Timo Korhonen is worth watching and listening to:

Another beautiful private garden in southern Sweden

Southern Sweden is blessed with a great number of beautiful gardens - big and small, castle gardens and small private villa gardens. Some time ago I highlighted a  private garden in Höganäs in northwestern Scania. Today I would like to introduce another favourite of mine, a private garden located in the charming former fishing village Viken, just south of central Höganäs. 

The Wilh. R. Lundgren - a classic Swedish rescue boat

An early 1920s photo of the Swedish rescue boat Wilh. R. Lundgren, based  in  Vinga

Since its founding in 1907, the Swedish Sea Rescue Society ("Svenska Sällskapet för Räddning af Skeppsbrutne") has been working with maritime search and rescue on Swedish lakes and seas. Currently the  society runs 66 life boat stations, with about 170 boats and 1800 volunteers. 

A rescue team setting out in stormy weather (early 1920s)

The first Swedish boats used for rescue operations were rowed by the volunteer crews. However, very soon  the Sea Rescue Society realized that it was necessary to acquire engine powered rescue boats. For that purpose the society organized a competition in order to find a type of  rescue vessel that best suited the needs in Swedish waters. 

Inspector J. Hutchinson-Kay and his Swedish wife  

The first prize was awarded to a design by the Lloyd's inspector, naval engineer J. Hutchinson-Kay. 

The volunteer crew  at the Grönhögen rescue station ready for action  (early  1920s)

Before the first new rescue ships were commissioned, the Sea Rescue Society asked Hutchinson-Kay to make a number of adjustments in order to make the boats more suitable for Swedish circumstances. 

The first new rescue boats were launched in 1912. In the beginning of the 1920's there were already seven Hutchinson-Kay type engine powered rescue boats operating in different parts of Sweden. Below is a drawing of the fifth boat, the Wilh. R. Lundgren, operating in the Skagerack, between Pater Noster in the north and Tistlarna in the south. The interior design of the Wilh. R. Lundgren differed somewhat from the interior of the other six boats, due to a number of adjustments done to make it more suitable for the harsh Skagerack environment. 

Rescue boat Wilh. R. Lundgren:

Length: 13,1m
Breadth: 3,8m
Carvel-built (oak)
Iron keel, 2,8 ton
2 cylinder 30hp engine


PS
Hopefully somebody will make a replica of this gorgeous boat sometime in the not too distant future!