Cultural Heritage – Summer-Ends.de

2025-12-20

2024 Italy – Florence

Florence is a historic city in central Italy and the capital of the Tuscany region. It is situated in the Arno River valley, surrounded by rolling hills that form part of the northern Apennine landscape. Florence is internationally recognized as one of the most important cultural and artistic centers in Europe and is widely regarded as the birthplace of the Renaissance. The city’s urban fabric is characterized by dense historic architecture, monumental public spaces, bridges across the Arno, and a compact historic core that contrasts with surrounding suburban and rural areas. Florence functions as a major center for tourism, education, art conservation, and regional administration, while also maintaining a strong identity shaped by its historical continuity and landscape setting.

2025-12-202025-12-20

2024 Scotland – Edinburgh

Edinburgh is the capital city of Scotland and one of the most historically and culturally significant urban centers in the United Kingdom. It is located on the southern shore of the Firth of Forth on Scotland’s east coast and forms part of the Central Belt, the country’s primary population and economic corridor. The city is characterized by a dramatic natural setting shaped by volcanic landforms, coastal influences, and glacial processes. Edinburgh combines a medieval Old Town, a neoclassical New Town, extensive green spaces, and a modern metropolitan area. It serves as Scotland’s political, legal, educational, and cultural capital, hosting key institutions such as the Scottish Parliament, major universities, and national cultural bodies. The city’s layout and skyline are strongly influenced by its topography, with elevated ridges, extinct volcanic hills, and low-lying coastal plains defining its structure.

2022-04-232026-01-24

🏰 Visiting Schwäbisch Hall | Medieval Streets & Market Square

Shortly after New Year’s Day 2022, I went on a little excursion to an area I had not yet been to. I drove through the city of Schwäbisch Hall. This city was different than I had imagined before and I walked a little through the old town. In the old town there are very many almost 500 year old houses to see.

2021-11-252026-01-24

⚡ The Devil’s Bargain | Exploring Pont-Saint-Martin, Italy

Pont Saint Martin in the Aosta Valley was the end of my second trip on the GTA. Here, on the same day, I made a forced march from Refugio Coda early in the morning with a 2000m altitude loss descent into the Aosta Valley. After still being in the cold at the top, it was almost 30 degrees summery warm in the Italian town. I had to get myself two ice creams straight away and was able to take a brief look at the thousand-year-old city in the evening. There was already a settlement there in Roman times and the bridge was 2000 years old!

2021-09-042026-01-24

🏰 Castle Ruin Blankenhorn | Exploring History in the Stromberg Hills

One of the first excursions after the winter break in the crisis in Germany was to the Blankenhorn castle ruins.

In this video, I visit the castle ruin Blankenhorn, a hidden historic site in the Stromberg region of Baden-Württemberg. Surrounded by vineyards, forests, and gentle hills, the ruins stand as a reminder of the medieval past that once shaped the Kraichgau and Stromberg landscapes. Visiting Blankenhorn is not about seeing a perfectly preserved fortress—it is about exploring a quiet ruin where history, nature, and atmosphere come together.

2020-08-182026-01-24

Castle Ruin Loewenstein And Hohenburg In Alsace/France

As I said before somewhere, I did not know how many castle ruins are in the area. For this reason I went this time again to the ruin Fleckenstein in Alsace and from there I walked to the nearby ruins Loewenstein and Hohenburg. Unfortunately almost nothing of Loewenstein has survived the times. But from the ruins of Hohenburg Castle you can still clearly see the former mightiness.

2020-08-182026-01-24

🏰 Castle Ruin Fleckenstein | Exploring the Vosges in Alsace, France

ALSACE, FRANCE: On this Sunday excursion we went to nearby France to visit another castle ruin. The destination was the ruin Fleckenstein not far from the German border. Fleckenstein is a typical robber baron castle as there are many in the area. The castle ruin is however relatively well preserved for a ruin. So rooms and corridors can be visited, which were dug into the rock. Of course you can also go to the very top, where you have a wonderful view over the forests and mountains of the area of the French Alsace and the German Palatinate Forest.

2019-09-082026-01-24

🏰 Exploring Castle Ruin Zavelstein | Black Forest History

ZAVELSTEIN, GERMANY: Burg Zavelstein is located in the northern Black Forest in Germany. It is a ruin of a castle that was built around 1200. The castle was destroyed in 1692 and has been abandoned since then. The clearest remnant is the 28 m high tower, which is still in good condition today. Parts of the outer walls remain from the rest of the castle. The castle can be visited free of charge. Only for the ascent to the tower you have to pay 50 ct.