Lens-Artists PC: History in the making

For me history is a bit like sunrise. And as we have just learned – I’m more of a sunset person.

In school I hated only physics more. I find this as hard to believe as you but it’s true: none of my history teachers was able to present history as a fascinating story that it really is. Their monotonous accounts went in one ear and out the other.

I’d had such a deficit in all things history that when I had to pass my International Relations exam as part of my journalism studies at the university, first I had to set up a timeline cheat sheet with important dates in history, such as wars, conferences, congresses, and learn them by heart. I wish there existed something like this hilarious roundup World War II. as Facebook news feed to come to my aid (the entire history of the universe is fun, too). Actually, I think I need to read it again. This part kills me every time:

I had such disinterest in history that I refused to enter the Epidaurus theatre on the Peloponnese in Greece when we took our Peugeots on a long vacation, and preferred to have a nap outside. It was a steaming hot August and so crowded. I did go to see the Olympia stadium – in fact it was the first thing I did my first time in Greece – but only because our local basketball team was called Olimpija Ljubljana. We sent them a postcard.

Neither am I a fan of museums. I connect them with the memory of forced school visits too much. It was always clear to me that history is defined by some wars or others led by those who wanted more, and that it was written by the winners of these wars. Yes, history is public relations.

And to that end serves the bottom in the featured photo which comes from the Miramare castle in Trieste, if you were wondering. Even though Slovenia was on the winning side of the war and Italy on the losing, there is Italian flag on this castle and after the war many Slovenians in the area remained living outside their home country.

And now (well, for the sixth year) Italy has won me as well. I find it especially poignant that I find myself living deep in the Etruscan territory surrounded by Romans who are in such a large part still just like their ancestors. History is so thick here and it comes in layers. I have a lifetime of catching up to do, slowly but surely.

The photos of historical landmarks are roughly divided into a Slovenian and an Italian half with Trieste acting as a buffer zone. These are some of the places – in the case of Slovenia mostly castles – where history can be felt strongest.

And to make up for being such a bad student, I add the date when the structure was first built.

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  Let’s start in my former hometown: Ljubljana and its landmark, the Castle. 11th Century.

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  Velenje Castle and its 500-year-old main door-in-door. First mentioned in 1270.

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  Celje Castle above the third biggest Slovenian city Celje. First mentioned: 1323.

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  Dobrovo Castle. Built in early 17th Century in the place of an old castle.

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  Žužemberk Castle. Supposedly build around year 1000, first mentioned 1295.

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  Škofja Loka Castle, presently under construction. First mentioned: 1202. Almost completely destroyed in earthquake in 1511.

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  The coat-of-arms of Škofja Loka. An African fellow far from home. Legend has it that a black servant saved his master during a bear attack and he promised him fame.

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  Socerb Castle with Trieste below. First mentioned: 13th Century.

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  Miramare Castle near Trieste. Build between 1856 and 1860 for Austrian Archduke Ferdinand Maximilian of Hapsburg.

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  A detail from the Miramare park.

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  Let’s go through the hole in the wall into Maremma, southern Tuscany. This is Cosa at the end of our beach. 273 BC.

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  Cosa was a Roman settlement, not Etruscan. This is where Romans fought the Etruscans from. We didn’t know this the first time we were there in 2014 because father wished to see what Etruscans were up to.

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  Roselle near Grosseto. Etruscans or Romans?? Hm… First Etruscans, then Romans! 7th Century BC. If you can imagine.

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  Ponte dell’Abbadia, Vulci, Etruscan metropolis from 700 BC to 300 BC.

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  Etruscan museum in Abbadia Castle, Vulci. She is so happy.

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  Another happy smile. Museum in Vetulonia, another part of the Etruscan League of twelve cities by 600 BC.

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  Sovana Cathedral. Roman Catholic cathedral founded in the 8th to 9th Centuries.

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  Rocca Aldobrandesca, Sovana. 10th Century.

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  The chapel of Eremo or Rotonda di Montesiepi with the sword in stone above San Galgano Abbey. Built in 1185.

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  The cupola of Siena Cathedral. Built between 1215 and 1263.

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  But what to do and how to keep track if the entire capital, the Eternal City, looks like this?

For Lens-Artists Photo Challenge, hosted by Patti of pilotfishblog.com: History

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