|
"Bamberg, Germany - Little Venice by Moonlight" by Paul McGehee. A nighttime view of the historic Statue of St. Kunigunde on the Lower Bridge over the Regnitz River in the famous Bavarian town, as it appeared in the early 1950's. Spared from allied bombing in World War II, the beautiful half-timbered buildings and cobblestone streets of Bamberg accurately represent the history and traditions of Old Germany and Franconia. Two things protected Bamberg in those war years, the fact that it was not an industrial or munitions center, and the fact that the town is the final resting place of a Pope, the only such instance of this north of the Alps. Pope Clement II, who reigned as Pope for less than one year died in 1047 and is interred at Bamberg Cathedral, the Dom. Kunigunde (975-1040) was Empress of the Holy Roman Empire by marriage to Holy Roman Emperor St. Henry II. She herself briefly ruled the empire after the death of her spouse in 1024. She soon thereafter entered a monastery and became a nun, and was known for her charitable work caring for the poor and infirmed. She died in 1040. St. Kunigunde and her husband St. Heinrich are the patron saints of Bamberg. They are both entombed in the Dom, near this scene. Along the Lower Bridge there is a statue of St. Kunigunde situated at a lookout point over the river. This bridge over the beautiful Regnitz is a popular spot from which to watch people from all over the world go by. The strand of buildings in the background along the river is known as Little Venice (Klein-Venedig). Originally this was a fishing village, with the picturesque structures dating back to the middle ages. Little Venice is one of Germany's top tourist attractions to this day.
"Bamberg, Germany - Little Venice by Moonlight" is faithfully reproduced as an archival-quality print from McGehee's original color pencil and acrylic artwork, each hand-signed by the artist.
|