Weekend Stories

I enjoy going exploring on weekends (mostly). Here is a collection of stories and photos I gather along the way. All posts are CC BY-NC-SA licensed unless otherwise stated. Feel free to share, remix, and adapt the content as long as you give appropriate credit and distribute your contributions under the same license.

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2024 2023

The Japanese language and writing systems: Origins of a unique linguistic heritage

Origins of the Chinese language and writing system

Pali: Language of the Buddha’s teachings

Sanskrit: Sacred language of ancient India

The Indo-European language family: Linguistic roots of European and South Asian civilizations

A brief history of writing

Book printing before Gutenberg: The Asian roots of printing technology

The Dali Kingdom Scroll

Archaeology of the recent past: Reflections on concentration camp remains

The mythological roles of ‘angels’ in East and West

St. George the dragon-slayer: A comparative perspective on dragons in the East and West

Anno Domini: Tracing the history of the Christian calendar

25th of December: The origins of Christmas and its potential connections to pagan festivals

The three Magi: Unraveling their history and symbolism

The nativity scene: Was Jesus really born in a stable?

The cynicism of Christian tree worship: A reflection on Christmas trees and the destruction of pagan cult objects

Christmas wreath: A modern tradition rooted in compassion and faith

Nicholas of Myra: A bishop who inspired a worldwide tradition

Martin of Tours: A rare example of lived Christian values in the history of the Church

Rood screens and the medieval clerical-laity divide

Autobahnkirche Medenbach

Kolumba Museum: Peter Zumthor’s vision of light, space, and history

Reassessing Pius XII: New insights into the Catholic Church’s role during the Holocaust and the Ratlines

Schloss Brühl: A symbol of clerical excess and power

The Battle of Worringen: A clash of power, politics, and the church in medieval Cologne

Cologne’s Historical City Hall

Cologne, the ‘Hillige Stadt’

Rediscovering Cologne’s early Christian baptistery

St. Kolumba in Cologne: A beacon against the war and a symbol of resilience and resurrection

St. Maria in Lyskirchen: A treasure of medieval frescoes in Cologne

St. Kunibert: A symbol of Romanesque grandeur

St. Georg: Cologne’s ‘Ravenna on the Rhine’

Baroque splendor as a tool of the Counter-Reformation: St. Mariä Himmelfahrt in Cologne

Trinitatiskirche: Historical Protestant church in the heart of Catholic Cologne

Antoniterkirche in Cologne: Transformation of a medieval church throughout history

Basilica of the Holy Apostles in Cologne

Groß St. Martin: How a Romanesque church reflects a city’s history

Nihon Hidankyō receives the Nobel Peace Prize: A recognition for anti-nuclear activism worldwide

Discovering local history: A visit to the Niederbergisches Museum in Wülfrath

Tokuriki Tomikichirō: A pioneer of modern Japanese printmaking

Inagaki Tomoo: Another modern interpretation of Shin Hanga

Mori Yoshitoshi: The Master of modern kappazuri-e

Minagawa Taizo: A modern innovator in the Shin Hanga tradition

Koitsu Tsuchiya: Master of light and shadow in Shin Hanga

Yoshikawa Kampō: Elegant simplicity and refined beauty

Yoshida Hiroshi: The international visionary of Shin Hanga

Yamamura Kōka: Fusion of tradition and modernity in Shin Hanga

Uehara Konen: Master of tranquil landscapes in Shin Hanga

Torii Kotondo: The Shin Hanga bijin-ga master

Ohara Koson: Master of kacho-e

Natori Shunsen: The master of Shin Hanga kabuki portraits

Miki Suizan: The subtle art of Shin Hanga elegance

Kobayakawa Kiyoshi: Elegance in modern bijin-ga

Shirō Kasamatsu: The Nihonga and Shin Hanga artist

Kawase Hasui: Master of Shin Hanga landscape prints

Itō Shinsui: A master of beauty and tranquility

Hashiguchi Goyō: Pioneer of Shin Hanga

Shin-hanga: The ‘new print’ movement in Japan after 1900

From ukiyo-e to horimono: The Japanese art of tattooing and its historical roots

Tsukioka Yoshitoshi: The last great master of ukiyo-e

Utagawa Kunisada: The prolific master of ukiyo-e

Utagawa Hiroshige: The poet of landscapes

Utagawa Kuniyoshi: Master of warrios and fantastic imagery

Totoya Hokkei: The master of surimono

Katsushika Hokusai: The visionary of ukiyo-e

Kitagawa Utamaro: Master of bijin-ga

Ukiyo-e artists and schools

Ukiyo-e: Pictures of the floating world

Byōbu – The art of Japanese folding screens

Emakimono: The art of Japanese handscrolls

Kakemono: The art of Japanese hanging scrolls

Exploring Buddhist and East Asian art in Cologne

On the Hellenistic heritage in Christian culture and Buddhist art

Lares and the evolution of household deities in Europe

Cologne’s history through a magnifying glass: The city museum

From Roman temple to Christian sanctuary: The historical evolution of St. Maria im Kapitol in Cologne

Cologne’s pottery heritage

Roman legacy of glass art in Cologne

Roman legacy in Cologne

Chinese scholar’s rocks

From Qingdao to Cologne: 50 Masterpieces of East Asian art

From Gothic to Zen: Comparing medieval Western and Eastern wooden sculptures

Silent narrators: Medieval wood sculptures

The Bright Age: The vibrant colors of medieval Christian art

Faith and commerce: The medieval relic trade in Cologne

Beyond the sacred: Exploring medieval art at the Schnütgen Museum

1700 years of Jewish history in Cologne

Kölsch – Rethinking a local myth

The Richmodis legend – A Cologne tale

Jan von Werth: A Cologne love story

Tünnes and Schäl: Two Cologne icons

The Heinzelmännchen: Secret shadow workers of Cologne

Nubbelverbrennung – Another Cologne Carnival tradition

Origins of Cologne’s coat of arms

Halve Hahn: A special dish in Cologne

Geisterzug: The alternative Carnival in Cologne

Roman origins of the Cologne Carnival

A Zen-Buddhist interpretation of the ‘Kölsches Grundgesetz’

The Ratlines: Post-war escape networks for Nazis and fascists – with the complicity of the Catholic Church

Collaboration with devils: The Catholic Church and totalitarian regimes in the 1930s

Paragraph 175

Magnus Hirschfeld and Germany’s pioneering role in LGBTQ+ rights

Stumbling upon history: The Stolpersteine project and its role in remembering Nazi victims

Consequences of the war for the people of Cologne

Acts of resistance in Cologne against the Nazi regime

Youth resistance groups in Cologne against the Nazi regime

Persecution of homosexuals under the Nazi regime

Forgotten victims of the Nazi regime: Roma and Sinti

Forgotten victims of the Nazi regime: Disabled individuals

Forgotten Victims of the Nazi regime: ‘Social Outcasts’

Fate of the Jews in Cologne under Nazi rule

NS DOK El-De Haus: Retracing the steps of Nazi history in Cologne

Christian ivory carvings and their comparison with Japanese netsuke: A cross-cultural analysis

The Ruhr Museum: A Journey through the cultural heritage of the Ruhrgebiet

Helena Parada Kim’s ‘Interstices’ - A fusion of cultures and traditions

Netsuke – The elegance of Japanese craftsmanship

2024 2023