Fotoeins Fotografie

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Posts from the ‘UNESCO World Heritage’ category

World Heritage Sites designated and inscribed by UNESCO

T10 Slow wet tracks to Trier

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Travel day 10, Europe day 9.

An atmospheric low-pressure system is stuck between a low over northern France and a high over the Baltic states. The “stuck” low moves slowly over a region, but drops a lot of water in quick time.

Heavy rainfall in southwest Germany today disrupted surface traffic, including cutting off in places a key interregional and interstate rail route between Saarbrücken (Saarland) and Trier (Rheinland-Pfalz). With the route hugging the bank of the Saar river, dislodged trees and minor slides cut the route in several places, even though the swollen Saar didn’t wash out the tracks. What is normally 90 minutes with a single train took over 5 hours with a delayed train from Saarbrücken that stopped abruptly in Dillingen, a flow of pax to replacement bus service to Mettlach, and finally, single-track train service to Trier.

As of writing, maximum river heights/depths have yet to be reached as rain continues to fall, and areas of reported flood damage will broaden over this Pentecost holiday weekend.

From DWD’s WarnWetter weather warning app, at 1455h: deeper the red, the heavier the rain. It’s purple on today’s assigned route between Saarbrücken and Trier.
1555h: this dislodged tree (upper left) just south of Saarburg affected the northbound track, reducing all traffic in this area to single-track. I’m on a northbound train on the southbound track.
At this part of the Moselle-river bank in Trier is a Hochwasser (lit., “high water”) or flood alert. The symbol/sign: no vehicles beyond this point.
1838h: the Moselle is a “wae high” against the bank.
2207h, from website of Germany’s national flood reporting centre. Green: good; yellow-orange: caution; red: danger; purple: it’s bad.

I made three images above with an iPhone15 on 17 May 2024; the first and final images are screen captures. All listed times are in the CEDT time zone. This post composed with Jetpack for iOS appears on Fotoeins Fotografie at fotoeins DOT com.

T09 SB: Völklingen Ironworks, WHS

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The massive industrial facility providing wealth, economic growth, and stability in the bilingual Saar region went from a duration of many decades, to a new form of sustainability including art and museum space, as well as an industrial park to highlight its 1994 inscription as UNESCO World Heritage Site. The site covers an area of almost 7.5 hectares (185 acres).

The ironworks, located to the southwest of Völklingen train station.
“Kunstfabrik” (art factory), by jaume, 2022.
“Tenemos miedo a las nubes”, by e1000 (2024) for Urban Art Biennale.
“Black is beautiful!”, by Jef Aérosol (2014), for Urban Art Biennale.

I made all images above with an iPhone15 on 16 May 2024. This post composed with Jetpack for iOS appears on Fotoeins Fotografie at fotoeins DOT com.

T04 Darmstadt: fossil site Messel pit

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Located near the town of Messel outside of Darmstadt, about 20-minutes south from Frankfurt by train, the Grube Messel (Messel pit fossil site) is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, inscribed since 1995. With perfect hindsight, it’s hard to believe people once wanted to use the pit as a garbage dump. Most fossils found thus far are dated to an age of about 48 million years (48 Ma, middle Eocene).

Near-complete fossil of equine-predecessor “propalaeotherium voigti” (c. 48 Ma). The size is comparable to a small present-day dog.
Fossil of possibly world’s earliest python: “messelopython freyi” (c. 48 Ma). The fossil itself is comparable to an adult human hand.
About 60 metres (200 feet) deep and 1 kilometre (0.62 mi) wide, the pit area remains an active archaeological site.

I made all images above with an iPhone15 on 11 May 2024. This post composed with Jetpack for iOS appears on Fotoeins Fotografie at fotoeins DOT com.

T03 Darmstadt: gutsy city, Mathildenhöhe

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In Darmstadt about 20-minutes south from Frankfurt by train, the Mathildenhöhe (Mathilda Heights) Artists’ Colony is a UNESCO World Heritage Site inscribed since 2021. Pictured in afternoon light: at left, the Wedding Tower by J.M. Olbrich in 1908; at right, the Russian Chapel by L.N. Benois in 1899; and at lower-centre, the Lily Basin by A. Müller in 1914.

I made the image above with an iPhone15 on 10 May 2024. This post composed with Jetpack for iOS appears on Fotoeins Fotografie at fotoeins DOT com.