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Friday, March 27, 2015

Frank

We first met Frank on my friend Harald's chess website.  Then we met in person at a lunch with Harald and his brother, Otto, and their families, in 2006.  Now Frank graciously invited us to stay with him for a visit on this trip.  We stayed with Frank for two nights, and had a good visit and a fun time.  Thank you, Frank, for your hospitality and discourse.  We thoroughly enjoyed ourselves!


Frank has a lovely house, and was a consummate host...



Paul and I doing some computing...


It was early spring, but Frank's yard was awash with purples and yellows and whites...


From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Maulbronn Monastery Complex
UNESCO World Heritage Site

Maulbronn Monastery (German: Kloster Maulbronn) is the best-preserved medieval Cistercian monastery complex in Europe. It is situated on the outskirts of Maulbronn, Baden-Württemberg, Germany and is separated from the town by fortifications. In 1993 the monastery was made a UNESCO World Heritage site.

The monastery was founded in 1147 under the auspices of the first Cistercian pope, Eugenius III. The main church, built in a style transitional from Romanesque to Gothic, was consecrated in 1178 by Arnold, Bishop of Speyer. A number of other buildings — infirmary, refectory, cellar, auditorium, porch, south cloister, hall, another refectory, forge, inn, cooperage, mill, and chapel — followed in the course of the 13th century. The west, east and north cloisters date back to the 14th century, as do most fortifications and the fountain house or lavatorium.










Frank explained the different architectural influences present in this old monastery.







The monastery, which features prominently in Hermann Hesse's novel Beneath the Wheel, was inscribed on the World Heritage List in 1993. The justification for the inscription was as follows: "The Maulbronn complex is the most complete survival of a Cistercian monastic establishment in Europe, in particular because of the survival of its extensive water-management system of reservoirs and channels". Hesse himself attended the monastery before fleeing in 1891 after a suicide attempt, and a failed attempt to save Hesse from his personal religious crisis by a well-known theologian and faith healer.


The Maulbronn Monastery was the perfect choice for the time we had!


Spring was in the air... even at the monastery...


Thanks for a great visit, Frank!