Once Upon a Time. Vanished City
Heracleion is the most large city Crete, which is the administrative center of the island, its main gate! In ancient times it was beautiful and picturesque, but unfortunately it suffered quite a bit during World War II. After the end of the war, a very chaotic and accelerated development of the city began, so the city lost its former charm.
The city is definitely worth a visit, because there are priceless archaeological reserves of the Minoan culture, located a short distance from the city, a rich Archaeological Museum and many monuments, restored and preserved in excellent condition.
A long time ago, this seaside town, in those years Heraclea, was the sea harbor of Knossos. The city was captured by pirates in the 7th century, for security reasons, they surrounded it with a majestic fortress wall and dug a huge moat (khandak - a fortress with a moat) along the walls of the city. Since then, the city began to be called Khandak, and for a full century and a half it was the center of the slave trade and the base of pirate ships, which caused a lot of concern to the Byzantine Empire. Fortunately, in 961, the Byzantine emperor Nikephoros Phocas recaptured Crete from the Arabs. Thus began the second Byzantine rule in the history of Crete, which lasted until 1204. The city was then given to the Crusaders, and later to the Venetians, who established a system of government on the island similar to that of Venice. It was during the Venetian period that the Cretan Renaissance flourished in Handaka.
In 1621, after a long siege, the city was captured by the Turks, who renamed the city Megalo Kastro (Great Fortress). And only in 1923 the city regained its ancient name Herakleion.
Walk around the city. The ancient Venetian walls surrounding the old city are in excellent condition. The walls are one of the most significant landmarks of Heracleion. The construction of these majestic walls began in 1462 due to the Turkish threat and lasted for a hundred years. Inside the surrounded area there were many churches, the Morosini fountain, central square St. Mark, etc. The length of the walls was three kilometers, and exceeded in area all the fortresses in Greece. The walls had seven bastions (Sabionara, Vituri, Jesus, Martinengo, Bethlehem, Pantocrator and St. Andrew) and four gates (Mola, St. George, Pantocrator or Chania Gate and Jesus Gate). Unfortunately, after the Turkish siege in 1669, the walls were reconstructed and the churches converted into mosques.
Kules. A two-story stone structure, the majestic seaside fortress of Cules (1), called Rocca al Mare by the Venetians, was built before the new walls, and was quite badly damaged by an earthquake in 1303. You can visit this unique fortress by participating in exhibitions or various cultural events.
Directly opposite Cules, in the Venetian port, you can admire the grandiose domed structures (2). Shipyards that were once shipyards for the construction and repair of warships.
Walking to the western edge of Kalokerinu Street, at the Pantocrator Bastion, you can see the Chania Gate or Pantocrator Gate (3). They are located on the very northwestern edge of the fortress walls. The Chania Gate is named after the road that runs here from Heracleion to Chania and to western part Krita. The interior of the structure includes a gate, a cornice and a parapet with two slabs, one of which depicts the winged lion of St. Mark, and the other a bust of Pantocrator (Pantocrator) with the inscription OMNIPOTENS. The building has two arched passages, one leading outside the city, and the second to the bastion platform (Piazza bassa).
If you want to see and admire the panorama of the city, then climb the Martinegro Bastion (4). Bastion Martinegro. The tomb of the great Cretan writer Nikos Kazandakis which rises in the highest part of the fortress walls, on southern summit fortifications. There is also a modern sports center, a playground for children and the grave of the great Cretan writer Nikos Kazantzakis, on the tombstone of which is engraved the inscription: “I hope for nothing, I fear nothing, I am free.”
Loggia. If you want to know where the Venetian aristocrats met, then be sure to go to the Loggia, which was in Handaka already in 1269. In those years there was also a second Loggia, which was located directly opposite the current one, but, unfortunately, it was destroyed in 1541. The most grandiose structure of the era of Venetian rule throughout the island of Crete is the fourth Loggia (5), erected in 1628 by F. Morosini himself. The rectangular building consists of two floors, the facades are decorated with 7 semicircular arches on the wide side and two on the narrow side. Between the arches there are columns of the Dorian order on the first floor and the Ionian order on the second. At the very beginning of the 20th century, the Loggia was in a dilapidated, dilapidated state. To great joy, on the initiative of D. Gerol and the drawings of F. Bershe, it was reconstructed.
Just behind the Loggia, in the building of the 17th century Venetian arsenal, is located the City Hall (Armeria) (6). St. Mark's Cathedral. In 1941, the arsenal was destroyed and then rebuilt into the City Hall. It was during the reconstruction process that a decision was made to embed a relief from the Sagredo Fountain into the wall of the building located under the arch. The Fountain itself, which bore the name of the Cretan Doge Giovanni Sagredo, was built next to the Loggia in 1602-1604 for the needs of the people.
Of course, in a city built on the model of Venice, the church of the patron saint of Venice, St. Mark, certainly had to be built. Thus, in 1239, a three-aisled basilica was erected, St. Mark's Basilica (7), with a wooden roof, a columned portico and a belfry on the southwest corner. The church belonged to the doge, and was destroyed several times by earthquakes. Unfortunately, when the city was under the Turks, the church was converted into a mosque, and a minaret was built instead of a belfry.
Cathedral of St. Titus (8). The Cathedral of St. Titus is interesting because, during the destructive years of the Arab conquest, the center of the Cretan metropolis, dedicated to St. Titus, was moved from the destroyed Gortyn to Handak. The Cathedral of St. Titus was built in 961; it houses the Venerable Head of the Apostle Titus and the miraculous icon of the Virgin Mary Mesopanthissa. During its existence, the Cathedral suffered terrible destruction due to earthquakes and fires. The cathedral was completely restored in the twenties of the 20th century.
Walking along the street of 1866, on its southern edge, you will see Cornaro Square (9). Cornarou Square, where there is a sculptural composition depicting Erotokritos on horseback and Arethusa.
In the northern part of the square there is the Bembo fountain (10), built in 1552-1554. Its facade is decorated with columns and semi-columns, which were made according to Renaissance architecture, with the coats of arms of its creator, the doge and dignitaries. And above the stream itself there is a headless statue from Roman times brought from Ierapetra.
Once you reach Piazza Venizelos (11), you will discover the delightful Morosini Fountain (12). Once upon a time, the Governor General of Crete, Francesco Morosini, decided to supply the city's residents with water. Yes, very short term, a pipeline was created to deliver water to the city. Around the same time, in 1628, a fountain was erected. The subjects of the reliefs on the fountain bowls are taken from ancient Greek mythology. The fountain consists of several bowls arranged in a circle, and in the very center there is a raised platform on which 4 lions sit and support the central, main bowl on their shoulders. LINDALI Square. It is in this bowl that water accumulates and flows out of the open mouths of lions. There is an assumption that previously part of the fountain was a full-length statue of Poseidon. Obviously, the statue was damaged during the earthquake, or it was destroyed by the Turkish invaders.
If you go north from Venezelos Square, you will come to Kallergist Square ( Piazza dei Signori) (13). Around the square there were palazzos in which members of the administration lived at that time.
If you go northeast from the Cathedral of St. Mina, you can see the two-nave Church of St. Catherine (14). The Church of St. Catherine, built in 1555, which is the courtyard of the Sinai Monastery. A little further north is the Chapel of the Ten Saints. At that time, in the courtyard of the Sinai Monastery there was a school where education of the highest level was conducted. Such outstanding scientists as Meletius Pigas and Cyril Loukaris graduated from this school. Of course, during the years of Turkish rule, the church was converted into a mosque. Today the church houses the Museum of Church and Byzantine art(15), where you can see unique icons from the Cretan Renaissance.
It is interesting to visit one of the majestic cathedrals in all of Greece - Cathedral St. Mina (16). The Cathedral of St. Mina, which is a cross-domed church and has two high belfries. The foundation of the cathedral was laid in 1866, and construction, delayed due to the Cretan uprising, began in 1883. The construction of the cathedral was carried out under the leadership of the architect Afanasy Musis. The area of the cathedral is 1350 sq.m. In the cathedral, the right nave is dedicated to Saint Titus, and the left to the ten saints.
Opposite the Dermatas Gate, behind primary school Bodosakio, the Priuli Fountain is located. The fountain was built by the Proveditor General of Crete, Antonio Priuli, in 1666. The fountain consists of four Corinthian semi-columns with a pediment. Between the semi-columns there are two semicircular niches, and in the center there is a rectangular niche.
If the city has captivated you, be sure to visit the Archaeological Museum of Heracleion (17), the most important museum in Crete. The collection for the museum began back in 1878.
The archaeological collection was first located in the Church of St. Mina, in the Turkish barracks, in Loggia. Then they decided to build a building, which was chosen in the area of the Junkiara mosque. The museum plan was developed by the legendary architects Depfeld and Kavvadias. Thus, in 1912, construction of the first wing of the museum was completed. Many years later, in 1951, construction of a new Museum began, as the old building was damaged by an earthquake and was demolished. Construction was completed in 1964. The museum's exhibits represent the entire territory of Crete, from the Neolithic to the Roman era. The unique Minoan collection brought fame to the museum, of course. The most valuable exhibits of the museum are located on two floors in 20 rooms.
On the seaside street of the city, in the neoclassical building of Andreas and Maria Kalokerinos, is the Cretan Historical Museum (18), which was founded in 1952. The museum's collection includes objects from the early Christian, Byzantine, Venetian and Turkish eras, as well as objects from the folk culture of Crete.
After the educational route, you can sit down in a cozy cafe and taste great aromatic coffee or a glass of fine Cretan wine.
The next day, you can visit the city for shopping. There are many famous brand stores in Heraklion. The route starts from the square of the Astoria Hotel - any taxi knows where this place is.
Today Warsaw looks bright and flourishing. And it’s hard to believe that just some fifty to sixty years ago, on the site of these houses with red tiled roofs, Gothic churches, monuments and palaces, there lay stone ruins. The city was barbarically razed to the ground by Nazi troops. But through the efforts of the Polish people, Warsaw rose from the ashes, was reborn and became even more beautiful than before.
Native abroad
For a Russian person, Warsaw is both abroad and not abroad at the same time. This is how the city is perceived now, and this is how it was perceived in the past. At the beginning of the 19th century, after the defeat of Napoleonic army, the once flourishing Polish capital became one of the provinces Russian Empire, the most unusual and unusual to the Russian eye. The artist and art historian Alexander Nikolaevich Benois (1870–1960), having visited Warsaw in 1881, wrote that here “abroad was not real,” since it was “not anywhere outside the Russian state, but in one of its own.” provincial cities... But this provincial city was Warsaw, former capital Kingdom of Poland! The entire population did not speak our language, they were also dressed differently... It’s impossible to count everything that clearly testified to the “foreignness” of Warsaw: hired carriages with a coachman dressed “like a gentleman”... The main streets were flooded asphalt... at every step there are coffee shops...". The writer-publicist Vladimir Osipovich Mikhnevich (1841-1899), who visited Warsaw around the same time, agrees with Benoit: “For a Russian person who has never been abroad, Warsaw... makes an impression the first time foreign city. In addition to its local uniqueness, there is undoubtedly more European in it than in our, even big cities.”
After World War II, Warsaw came under strong Soviet influence. The appearance of the city has changed a lot. In the very center of the Polish capital, a real Stalinist high-rise building was erected - the Palace of Culture and Science, which still dominates all the buildings around. The main street of the city (analogous to Tverskaya) Marshalkovskaya , clogged with huge masses of gray monolithic buildings, also appeared. In Soviet times, Warsaw, while maintaining its undoubtedly “European” individuality, increasingly “adapts” to Moscow. French, American, and English tourists flock to the city to look at “Soviet” life, while citizens of the USSR come to the Polish capital to, on the contrary, look at the fruits of Western civilization. At that time, there was even a joke in Poland about how Soviet tourists, having gone to France by train, got off in Warsaw, deciding that this was Paris. The same thing happened to French tourists who, on their way to the USSR, got off the train in Warsaw, mistaking it for Moscow.Today, the center of the Polish capital is filled with mirrored skyscrapers, futuristic bank buildings, the ubiquitous McDonald's and PatioPizza, fashion boutiques and Internet cafes. Here they still speak “differently”, drive foreign cars, drink morning coffee on the terraces of cafes, ride bicycles along special bike paths, and dress in European fashion. However, in the Warsaw metro cars there are still signs “Mytishchi Carriage Works”, and, going up into the city from the premises of the Central railway station(it is located underground), the first thing that catches your eye is that very Stalinist high-rise building, so familiar to the Moscow gaze. And, looking around, I want to say: “Yes, Warsaw is a foreign country, but it’s like home.”
Stalin's skyscraper, the Palace of Culture and Science was donated to Warsaw by the Soviet Union. The idea belongs to Vyacheslav Molotov, who visited the still destroyed Warsaw in July 1951. The Poles could not refuse this offer, and in 1955 the construction was completed. After the fall of the communist regime in Warsaw, there was talk of demolishing the high-rise building. However, it seems that it has taken root: in 2005, a huge banner “I’m 50” was displayed on the Palace, and on the day of the anniversary celebration, concerts were held on the square in front of the building.
To withstand all troubles in spite
Warsaw is a city of difficult fate. For more than seven hundred years of its existence, the Polish capital has experienced many upheavals, sometimes catastrophic. The fortified city, founded in the XIII-XIV centuries by the Masovian princes, became part of the Kingdom of Poland in 1526, and already at the beginning of the 17th century, thanks to King Zygmunt III Waza (1566-1632), became the capital of one of the most powerful European countries Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth. Warsaw grew and prospered, but in the middle of the 18th century it already faced its first heavy blow - the Swedish invasion, as a result of which the city was heavily plundered. At the end of the same century, Poland was divided three times (in 1772, 1793 and 1795) by Russia, Austria and Prussia, and Warsaw fell under Prussian rule for several years. And already in 1813, after the defeat of Napoleon, Russian troops occupied Warsaw. Throughout the second half of the 19th century, popular uprisings for independence raged in Warsaw. However, it was not until 1918, after the end of the First World War, that Poland became "free" again. But the worst was yet to come. World War II was approaching.
 Warsaw is trying to keep up with other cities and is quickly acquiring skyscrapers. Photo by the author |
The most difficult and terrible period of Warsaw's history began, about which so many films were made and so many books were written. During the years of occupation, the townspeople, without giving up for a minute, continued to fight against the invaders. The underground activities of the Warsaw residents resulted in a mass uprising led by General Tadeusz Bor-Komorowski (1895-1966), which began on August 1, 1944. Despite the heroic efforts of the townspeople, on October 2 the uprising was suppressed, the population was expelled, and the city was reduced to ruins. All this time, Soviet troops stood on the eastern bank of the Vistula, making no attempt to cross the river or occupy the city.
Blowing up house after house, block after block, the Nazis did not spare even the most valuable monuments of Polish culture. As a result, about 85% of all buildings in the city were destroyed, and all that was left of the once lush and flourishing Warsaw was a pile of ruins. But we must pay tribute to the courage of the Polish people. At the end of the war, residents returned to the destroyed city and began to revive life in it. The capital was being rebuilt at an incredible pace, and the decision was made not to build something new, but to restore the old. With titanic efforts, Warsaw began to shine again, with many areas of the city regaining their pre-war appearance. This is truly a feat that one cannot help but admire.
The newest Old Town
On the narrow cobbled streets, four- to five-story houses with red tiled roofs are tightly pressed against each other. This Old town or Stare Miasto, Starówka the most beautiful district of Warsaw. Walking along Novomeyska, where the wealthiest artisans once lived, along Piwna, where granaries stood, along Pekarska, where mills used to be located, it is so easy to imagine what life was like in Warsaw in the 15th-16th centuries. Here is the market square, where heated trading once took place and executions took place. Now there are cafes and numerous shops selling paintings. Around the square stood the houses of the richest townspeople. In old Warsaw there were no numbers on buildings, so houses were named either by the names of their owners, or by some features, for example, by forged figures and sculptures that decorated the facades: the house “Under the Lion”, “Under the Golden Trumpet”, “Under the fortune", "Under Anna", "Under the Negro", or simply Klyuchnikovsky House, Schlichting House
Of course, not a single medieval city could do without Castle Square and, in fact, Royal Castle. The wooden fortress of the Mazovian princes, built here in the 14th century, was transformed into a beautiful Baroque castle during the reign of Sigismund III. Modest facades hid truly luxurious interiors inside. They say that in former times ghosts often appeared here. Castle Square is always crowded, because the famous Royal Route begins from here. In the very center of the square stands the 20-meter-tall column of Sigismund III Vasa, erected by his son, King Vladislav IV in 1644. Nearby stands the Cathedral of St. John, the oldest church in Warsaw. “The churches of Warsaw from the outside are huge, tall, but gloomy; beautiful and rich inside. The church service here is magnificent and intricate, music has a strong effect on the senses,” wrote Fyodor Nikolaevich Glinka (1786–1880) in “Letters of a Russian Officer.” And this fully applies to St. John’s Cathedral, like everything Gothic is a little gloomy. In the past, coronation ceremonies of Polish kings took place here, and nowadays organ music concerts are regularly held here.It’s difficult, what can I say, it’s almost impossible to believe that the age of such a natural, realistic medieval city is not calculated in centuries, as it should be, but only in a few decades. The Old Town in Warsaw is truly the newest of the European Old Towns. After the Second World War, Polish restorers collected the appearance of the city literally bit by bit - miraculously surviving drawings, photographs, paintings, descriptions. The result was a surprisingly accurate model of old Warsaw. Houses that were built very recently already look old! Incredible effect.
Be careful, guarded by a mermaid!
Warsaw is full of legends. Most of them are related to the history of the city. One legend tells that a fisherman who lived on the Vistula River gave birth to two twins, Vare and Sava, and the name of the city came from their names. According to another version, the founders of the city were the fisherman Vars and the girl Sava, who dearly loved each other. Here is another, very funny modification of this urban legend. They say that a fisherman lived in a lonely hut near the crossing with his wife named Sava. Sava knew how to cook simply divinely delicious, which is why the raftsmen fell in love with staying at the fisherman’s house. Right from the river, from the raft, before even reaching the hut, they impatiently shouted: “Cook, Sava!” This is how the word Warsaw was born.
However, the most beautiful legends are associated with the emblem of the Polish capital - the Siren, a half-woman, half-fish with a sword and shield in her hands. A long time ago, two mermaid sisters lived in the Baltic Sea. One day they decided to see the world. One sister sailed west towards Denmark. Her further fate is known to everyone. In the port of Copenhagen you can see a sad little mermaid sitting on a stone. Another sister swam past the seaside Gdansk into the Vistula and swam along it. In the area of today's Warsaw (then it was a small village), fishermen caught a mermaid and wanted to eat it. But when the Siren sang, the fishermen were charmed by her voice, and they released the mermaid. Struck by the beauty of the banks of the Vistula and kindness local residents, Sirena stayed to live here. Every day the sea maiden sang her wonderful songs for the local fishermen.One day, a rich and incredibly greedy merchant, deciding to make money from the magical singing of the little mermaid, caught her and put her in a cage. But, having learned about this, all the surrounding people, fishermen and farmers, came to the aid of the mermaid, who had already become their favorite. Finding herself free again, Sirena vowed to protect and protect Warsaw and all its inhabitants from any troubles and misfortunes. Since then, grateful Warsaw residents have depicted the warlike half-woman, half-fish on their coat of arms. And in the very center of the market square of the Old Town there is a bronze monument to the Siren - a place of pilgrimage for all tourists.
Chopin's heart
Krakowskie Przedmieście is one of the most beautiful streets in Warsaw. Here is the Church of the Holy Cross, in one of the columns of which there is an urn with the heart of the brilliant composer and outstanding pianist Frederic Chopin. Even though world fame came to Chopin in France, his real homeland was always Poland, where he was born and lived for 21 years. They say that Chopin carried a box of Polish soil with him everywhere. Neither resounding success, nor worldwide recognition, nor travel around different countries and the cities did not make him forget about Poland. Dying, Frederic Chopin (Fryderyk Franciszek Chopin, 1810-1849) bequeathed to bury his body in Paris and return his heart to his homeland. The last will of the great composer was fulfilled. There is another place in Warsaw associated with Chopin. The monument to the famous Pole, blown up by the Germans, dismantled into small pieces, melted down into bullets and again restored to its original form, stands surrounded by roses on one of the alleys royal park Lazienki.
"Lazienki" in Polish means bathhouse or swimming pool. In the Middle Ages in the territory modern park There was a forest where the Mazovian princes hunted. In the second half of the 17th century, Marshal Stanislav Lubomirski built baths and a recreation pavilion here. Later in the park, which became royal residence, other buildings also appeared: two Greenhouses with tropical plants, the “Island Theater” built in the ancient Roman style, the stage of which is located on a small island, and seats for spectators are separated from it by a canal, and finally, the famous “Palace on the Waters” of King Stanisław August Poniatowski, very beautifully reflected in the waters of the lake. In front of you are like two palaces, mirrored on opposite sides of the horizon. “If you want to have an idea of how a king with money, taste and intelligence can live, go to the so-called Lazienki in Warsaw How lovely these ponds are! They are so clean, so bright and so calm that they seem like huge mirrors placed on fresh greenery. Their banks are strewn with thousands of colorful lights. On these waters, not on earth, generosity, art and artistry, having exhausted all their efforts, erected and decorated a most charming palace, which, like Narcissus, eternally looks into the clear waters, admiring itself and forcing others to admire itself. Look!” writes Fedor Nikolaevich Glinka. However, the beauty of Lazienki does not lie in its architectural delights. It's nice to just walk along the shady alleys, listening to Chopin's music. It's nice to hand feed squirrels and ducks, large quantities living in the park. It's nice to watch peacocks walking quite calmly across the lawns. It is pleasant to slowly float on a gondola on the surface of the lake, admiring the beauty that opens up to your eyes.Partner news
The small town of Krasnoturinsk, Sverdlovsk Region, became famous throughout Russia for its single unfinished dangerous building of the Treasury Department, in which the punks set up a hangout and a “public toilet.” And in this case, what can we say about Stary Oskol, where long-term construction projects for every taste and time frame are visible and invisible. There are long-term construction projects, promising and unpromising, famous and forgotten... Which one should we start with?
We suggest starting with something optimistic—promising.
There is a promising long-term construction site adjacent to the regional police department. Recently, in a local newspaper, this box was noticed by a resident of Stary Oskol, who is worried about the same thing as the prosecutor’s office of Krasnoturinsk with a population of 60,000: he is afraid that an unfinished building in the very center of the city will become an attractive place for criminal elements. Or maybe it already has?..
We called this “object” promising because the newspaper was encouraging that the long-term construction project had found a buyer who intends to complete the building next spring. Agree - the prospect...
Now it’s logical to move on to the unpromising.
It is located behind the Yuzhny microdistrict. A long time ago, piles were driven here for a school, and then... they were abandoned for the school and for construction as such. This long-term construction is away from human eyes, and therefore they don’t seem to know about it. That's why it has long been overgrown with its former self...
The new long-term construction is the Church of St. George the Victorious, which is under construction in the Park of Military Glory, next to the monument to the heavenly patron of Stary Oskol - the holy noble prince Alexander Nevsky.
Although, perhaps, the construction of the temple will not turn into a long-term construction. They say that they are going to build the church using the old technology, that is, they will let each element of the building stand so that it receives the necessary “shrinkage”, in which case the temple will last for centuries. Well, let's see and see the progress...
There is a sad long-term construction...
The construction of the "Europe" shopping center in the Cosmos microdistrict did not even begin, and essentially stopped right there. Now the construction site is marked by a huge pit, fenced with a solid fence. And the long-term construction is sad because of its history. Firstly, while dismantling the previous long-term construction to clear the site for “Europe”, a builder died. Secondly, while the owners of "Europe" are dressing up their construction site, another one has long been built across the road shopping mall- "Carousel". And now it’s not entirely clear why we need another shopping center nearby?..
And it’s not clear what to call the next one—either mysterious, or “laundering”?
Today, few people remember exactly when and why they began to build a building next to the city dental clinic in the Olminsky microdistrict. Now STI MISiS is going to complete it “for itself.” This building was dismantled several times, then they began to complete it again... Once, driving past a long-term construction site in a taxi, I heard a taxi driver “thinking out loud”: “the money is being laundered here, or something - they are either building it or dismantling it...”
The most famous long-term construction is the children's multidisciplinary hospital, it is often remembered and talked about a lot...
A long time ago, in fairly forgotten times, such a huge country as India was a colony of another, more powerful country at that time. Times passed, large empires liberated their colonies, and now it was India's turn.
Object: architecture of Chandigarh city
Architect:, P. Jeanneret and others.
Year of construction: 1952-1955
Address: Punjab and Haryana states, India
Official website: chandigarh.nic.in
Despite all the devastation, financial and economic insufficiency, the country strictly and decisively needed new city, a new hub for the two states. The solution to this problem was the idea of building a new city with a completely new architecture for India. This was truly the first experience in the newly independent India of implementing independent urban planning. The lack of a construction base and any means of mechanization did not bother Jawaharlal Nehru, the then Prime Minister of India, and the city was mostly built in just three years. Amazing pace. 
Construction of the city. Architecture of Chandigarh
But they decided to build the city for a reason. Its very favorable location, directly on the route to Tibet and Kashmir, created excellent prospects for further economic growth and evolution into the main commercial and industrial center of an extremely important region of the country. The same applied to plans for populating the city. In particular, it was planned that after the completion of the first stage of construction, the city would be inhabited by 150 thousand people, and at the next stage of the city’s economic development, a population of more than 500 thousand citizens was expected.
The construction site for the city was a beautiful picturesque place near the Himalayas, in a successful agricultural valley between two rivers. It was decided to complement the natural beauty of the landscape and the builders created a dam, thanks to which a water reservoir was formed, referred to only as a lake.
The first pilot project of the city was developed by the Pole Nowicki and the American architect Meyer. However, the tragic death of the Polish architect made adjustments to the architectural top of the project and the burden of constructing the city passed to maestro Le Corbusier. Working side by side with the Frenchman was his cousin, his frequent assistant and ally, P. Jeanneret, as well as the British and a group of little-known Indian architects.
The legendary Frenchman brought to the project the main idea of the city's master plan, its landscaping, the Assembly and Secretariat buildings, as well as other government buildings. 
Individual shapes, new solutions
As you know, Corbusier was a supporter of rationalism in architecture. That is why the internal layout of the city was strictly demarcated by the designers according to the type of functionality of a particular part. The administrative part of the city, including the government complex, was placed on a hill near the mountains, next to the lake. It was supposed to be adjacent to a training area, among which there was also a park part, which included a physical education and sports area, as well as leisure centers. The zone of factories and industrial and technical complexes was separated from the previous part by the so-called “green belt”. This forest park part was designed to protect the population as much as possible from harmful factory emissions. 
cornerstone transport system the city became safe. It formed the basis of the transport arteries of Chandigarh. This approach included seven different types of roads. A rectangular system of road directions literally divided the city into 30 small districts, each approximately 1 square kilometer in area. It was assumed that each microdistrict would have a population of 5 thousand people.
The main avenue of the city leads to the government building and divides the city into two balanced parts. Despite the usual idea of a shopping center in every part of the block, as proposed in the project of the Pole Nowitsky, Corbusier abandoned this in favor of the national Indian shopping arcades. For this purpose, green spaces were created, which helped to recreate the “market streets”.
The architects wanted to take into account not only the general needs of the population, but also its national stylistic features. Therefore, they tried to give each block and microdistrict its own unique charm and style. Each quarter has its own layout, as well as individual forms of architecture. Particularly indicative in this regard are the microdistricts that were designed by Corbusier’s long-time partner Pierre Jeanneret. For him, the rationality of using each quarter is literally taken to the extreme, both socially and from a purely visual point of view. Each site has a unique personality and exclusive intimacy, but all this does not negate the overall integration of citizens into the life of the entire quarter. 
However, despite all this idyll, something still remained unchanged: officials wanted to place their own estates in the city center, including huge mansions with terraces. Typically, the larger the official, the more central his villa was. A sort of social ranking in the conditions of the new India. Of course, Corbusier tried to counteract this, but the question was posed bluntly: either this project or you. The master made concessions to save the grandiose buildings already erected and still planned. 
But this ranking concerned not only officials and other elite of young independent India. The construction of Chandigarh involved a variety of levels of houses to suit the different statuses of different groups of people. There were 16 such categories in total.
The lowest were single-story simple houses with adjacent backyards with outbuildings on the property. Internally, these houses had two very small rooms and a kitchen, including a bathroom, of course.
The houses, as close as possible to the level of government houses, were huge two-story mansions, with a large yard and garden. 
A combination of Indian traditions and Western architecture. Architecture of Chandigarh
The climate brought big problems. In winter, the days were sunny and warm, but the nights were really cold. Summer brought simply sizzling heat, and the rains in July and August were so strong that at times it seemed that the construction equipment would simply be washed away. And of course dust. Lots of dust. The wind at any time of the year and day raised huge clouds of sand dust, from which it was impossible to hide.
But the experience of the designers helped them adapt the buildings to the summer heat thanks to the traditions inherent in such a climate: closed courtyards, a flat roof and special jali grilles that covered the glass, while creating a favorable shade. 
But a new wave in architecture here has become sun cutters - special projections on the walls, located at such an angle as to maintain the most comfortable temperature inside the building. The combination of new and old has become the main motif in the architecture and decor of the city, while forming a special plasticity of facades. 
Since the financial situation of India at that time did not allow the use of reinforced concrete everywhere, builders had to look for the most suitable and compromise materials. The main material was burnt brick. It was cheap, economical and allowed to save cement. The cement was used to build houses for the government elite. All the reinforced concrete went there too. 
It is impossible not to mention the merit of the Indian group of architects who were engaged in the construction of school buildings. The false arch method used here is created using the brick lapping method. Outdoor school classrooms were built from simple cobblestones and pebbles. Literally under open air. The shade from the ellipsoidal walls perfectly saved the studying schoolchildren from the heat of the sun. Simply amazing resourcefulness.
The festive flavor of the hotel for deputies, designed by Pierre Jeanneret, reveals the author's passion for abstract art. 
Perhaps the most original modern building in India is Gandhi Bhavan. This building, popularly speaking “having three wings,” built of white stone, resembles a bird flying upward. The dynamics of the helical volumetric-spatial composition are presented as an attempt to realize the image of Mahatma Gandhi through architecture: behind the plastic outer walls hides a complex and intricate labyrinth, covered with artistic paintings. 
Well, to summarize, we can say that this whole seemingly social utopia that the architects and urban planners planned to build was a success. Now Chandigarh is the undisputed cultural and commercial center of the entire region. The permanent resident population now amounts to more than a million people, of whom more than 70% are literate, which is an absolutely fantastic figure for India. And now we can say with confidence that Chandigarh is now one of the most convenient and beautiful cities in India. He achieved all this primarily thanks to those who approached the construction of the city with soul and skill. 
“...you need to read not in order to understand others, but in order to understand yourself.” Emil Michel Cioran. Where did it all come from? Why does it look like this? And where is my place in the world? Ancient tales answer philosophical questions.
The Christmas Fairy of Strasbourg (Alsatian Tale)
Once upon a time, on the banks of the Rhine River, not far from the city of Strasbourg, a count lived in an old castle. He was young and very handsome, but not married. And no matter how many girls were wooed for him, he didn’t like any of them. That's why people gave him the nickname Stone Heart.
The Count loved hunting very much. One Christmas Eve, he invited his friends to go hunting in the forests surrounding his castle. A cavalcade of horsemen pursued large game for a long time. The hunters were so carried away that they drove into a deep thicket, and the count did not notice how he broke away from the others and found himself at a seething stream with clear water. People called this stream the Magic Well, but the count did not know where this name came from. He dismounted and approached the water.
Having lowered his hand into the foaming stream, Stone Heart was incredibly surprised: the water turned out to be warm and delightfully gentle, despite the frosty December weather. The Count decided to wash his hands. As he plunged them deeper, he felt as if a glow flowed through his fingers. Suddenly it seemed to him that someone’s small, gentle palm touched his right hand and - ah! — she deftly pulled the gold ring off her ring finger... The young man took his hand out of the water and saw that the ring, which he had never parted with, had really disappeared!
Upset and puzzled, the count mounted his horse and rode home, intending to send his servants to bail out the ill-fated “well” in the morning.
Returning to the castle, the count retired to his chambers. He fell onto the bed in what he was wearing, but could not fall asleep. The strangeness of the adventure did not let Stone Heart go; with excitement, again and again, he mentally plunged his hands into the gentle water and felt the touch of small soft fingers.
Suddenly, from the courtyard, the hoarse barking of guard dogs was heard, the creaking of the drawbridge, as if it had been lowered, and then the sound of many small feet on the stone stairs was heard... And now an indistinct noise and the rustle of light footsteps filled the living room, from which only the door separated Stone Heart’s bedroom ...
As soon as the count jumped out of bed, a charming melody sounded and the door swung open. Running into the living room, the owner of the castle found himself surrounded by countless fairy-tale creatures in bright sparkling clothes. They did not pay any attention to the Stone Heart - they simply danced, laughed and sang to the mysterious sounds of music.
In the center of the hall there was such a luxurious Christmas tree, the likes of which the Count had never seen. On its lush branches sparkled diamond stars, pearl necklaces, gold bracelets, brooches with rubies and sapphires, silk ribbons embroidered with small mother-of-pearl beads, daggers in golden sheaths strewn with the rarest precious stones. The whole tree shone, sparkled and seemed to tremble...
The Count froze in a daze, looking at these miracles, but then the fairies stopped dancing and parted to make way for a lady of dazzling beauty, who was slowly approaching the Count.
A golden, richly decorated diadem shone on her head. Long raven locks flowed over her shoulders and over her voluminous robe of pink satin and cream velvet. The beautiful stranger held in her miniature white hands a box studded with diamonds. Handing it to the count, the guest said in a seductive voice:
— Dear Count, I came to you on a return Christmas visit. I, the Fairy Queen, have brought you what you accidentally dropped in the Magic Well.
The “heart of stone” trembled and beat violently. Having accepted the box from the Fairy’s hands, the Count impatiently opened it and saw his beloved lost ring.
Fascinated by what was happening, the Count could not control himself and pressed the Fairy Queen to his chest. She, moving away a little, took his hand and carried him into the labyrinth of a magical dance. Magical music floated through the hall, numerous fairies whirled and twirled around the Count and the Queen, until finally they gradually turned into a multi-colored haze and dissolved completely, leaving the owner of the castle alone with his beautiful guest.
The heart stone was split. The young man, whose coldness had never before been shaken by any maiden in the land, fell on his knees before the Fairy Queen and began to beg her to become his wife. He confessed his love for a long time and passionately, and finally the beauty answered “yes.” But with one condition: the husband should never utter the word “death” in her presence. The Count promised ardently.
The next day the lovers got married. The wedding was magnificent and grandiose, it was talked about for a long time in the surrounding villages. But even longer, the happy husband and wife lived in love and joy.
Many years have passed. And then one day the count decided to hunt in the forests around the castle with his wife. At the appointed hour, the saddled and bridled horses impatiently beat their hooves at the door, the company of friends languished in anticipation, and the count, every now and then glancing at the mantel clock, walked around the hall from side to side. His wife lingered in her room, and the count became more and more irritated. When finally the Fairy Queen, luxuriously dressed and smiling, appeared at the door, the Count could not contain his anger:
- Darling, they only send you for death!!!
As soon as the fatal word was spoken, the Fairy let out a wild cry and disappeared in an instant. In vain did the count, overcome with grief and repentance, call for his beautiful wife, and in vain searched for her in the castle, in the surrounding forests and at the Magic Well. He did not find any traces, except for one sign - the imprint of a gentle hand on a stone arch above the castle gate...
Years passed, but the Fairy Queen never returned. No one called the Count Stone Heart anymore, because his heart was broken. He continued to grieve and wait for her. Every Christmas Eve, the unfortunate count decorated the Christmas tree in the living room, where he first met his sorceress. So he hoped to return his beloved. It was all in vain.
He never uttered the word “death” again, but the time came and the count died. The castle gradually turned into ruins. However, to this day, in the stone arch above the massive gate, a deep imprint of a small, gentle hand is visible. And the good people of Strasbourg decorate the Christmas tree every Christmas Eve, just as the late count did.
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