The Bistrița Monastery (Romanian: Mănăstirea Bistrița, [ˈbistrit͡sa] (listen)) is a Romanian Orthodox monastery located 8 km west of Piatra Neamț. It was dedicated in 1402, having as original ctitor the Moldavian Voivode Alexandru cel Bun whose remains are buried here.
The church is historically and archaeologically valuable. It shows features of Byzantine architecture, is richly ornamented, with a 15th-century entrance door of fine craftsmanship and detailed frescoes.
The monastery is surrounded by 4 meter high stone walls built during Petru Rareș's reign (1541–1546), the original ones being destroyed in 1538 by Suleiman the Magnificent's army. Also from the same period dates a chapel located north of the monastery.
The inner court bell tower had already been erected in 1498 by Ștefan cel Mare. With his extensive restoration of the monastery in 1554, Alexandru Lăpușneanu is also considered to be a ctitor. Thus, the monastery is considered to have been donated by 4 voivodes of the Mușatin dynasty (Alexandru I, Ștefan III, Petru IV, Alexandru Lăpușneanu).
A remarkable item preserved here is the miraculous icon of Saint Anne given as a present to the monastery in 1407-1408 by Voivode Alexandru I's wife, Lady Ana. According to tradition, the icon was given as a "patronage gift" to Lady Ana by empress Jelena, wife of Manuel II Palaiologos, emperor of Constantinople. The icon was restored in the 18th century and in 1853 was placed in a new section, made of carved and gilded wood, of the kliros.
During the year 1855 the monastery underwent major reconstruction under the lead of the famous architect Carol Benesch.
The monastery was an important cultural center for calligraphers, miniaturists and chroniclers. The monastery's museum hosts an important collection of medieval art.


Bistrita Monastery has a very high historical and archaeological value. It is built in Byzantine style, richly ornate, with the entrance door kept from the moment of construction being worked with a lot of art. The most remarkable is the icon of St. Ana, the mother of the Virgin Mary. According to tradition, in 1401, this icon was given as "the patronal present" to the lady Ana, the wife of Alexander the Good, by the Empress Irena (Ana), wife of the Byzantine Emperor Manuel II Palaiologos (1391-1425), and Patriarch Matthew, of Constantinople. Subsequently, the Voivode (Prince) family gave the icon to the St. Ana the Bistrita Monastery.
In the church of the monastery are buried: Alexandru the Good (Cel Bun), his wife Ana, Alexandru - the son of Stephen the Great, Chiajna - the wife of Stephen V of Moldavia, Anastasie – the Metropolitan of Suceava.
Bistrita Monastery is the place where one of the oldest monuments of the Romanian medieval culture was created: Pomelnicul de la Bistrița. The pomelnik offers the most interesting data about the beginning of the Moldavian voivodal and church history.
The monasteries are the most important category of monuments that survived the weather of the times, many of them being mirrors of the past. Around the monasteries both the religious life of the community and the culture of the nation have developed. They, monasteries, can also illustrate a military dimension, many of them being real fortresses and playing an active role in the defensive system of the country, given the restrictions imposed by Ottoman domination, especially after the middle of the XVIth century.
The monasteries and hermitages built by the voivodes and boyars, endowed with a rich heritage and important privileges, are the storage of a rich treasure of Romanian culture and civilization. The historical message is made of mural paintings, ancient memories, cult objects, printed books, funerary monuments and stone-preserved inscriptions, as well as the glorification of the voivodes who built them, a part of these monuments representing a gesture of thanksgiving God for help in battles.


"Mănăstirea Bistrița (Neamț, România)". OrthodoxWiki (in Romanian).
And an 18th-century manuscript by Metropolitan Gheorghe of Moldova and Suceava, now kept at the State Archives (Arhivele Statului), Piatra Neamț


Bjarnarey ([ˈpja(r)tnarˌeiː]) is an uninhabited island in the Vestmann Islands, south of Iceland. It is one of the 18 islands that make up the Vestmannaeyjar archipelago.


The Eternal Indian, sometimes called the Black Hawk Statue,  is a 48-foot (14.6 m) sculpture by Lorado Taft located in Lowden State Park, near the city of Oregon, Illinois. Dedicated in 1911, the statue is perched over the Rock River on a 77-foot (23.5 m) bluff overlooking the city.
The statue, according to the artist, represents the unconquerable spirit of Native Americans, using motifs from several tribal cultures.  While not a portrait statue, it was in part inspired by the life of Black Hawk (1767–1838), a leader and warrior of the Sauk.  In 2009, it was listed on the National Register of Historic Places.


The statue was created by sculptor Lorado Taft, beginning in 1908. Taft at first created smaller studies of what would become the statue. The statue itself was dedicated in 1911. Taft noted at the dedication that the statue seemed to have grown out of the ground. It stands on the ground that was once home to the Eagle's Nest Art Colony, which Taft founded in 1898. Though not publicized at the time of construction, original funds were exhausted before the completion of the work and future Illinois Governor Frank Lowden had stepped in to ensure that the statue was completed and erected.
The statue was planned by Taft and several of his students and associates at the Art Colony, which is now part of the Taft Campus of Northern Illinois University and is adjacent to Lowden State Park. An original model of the statue is on permanent display at Discovery Center Museum in Rockford, Illinois.  Another model is located at the Oregon Public Library in Oregon, Illinois.


The statue stands 125 feet above the Rock River, although its height only accounts for 48 feet of that. Black Hawk weighs in at 536,770 pounds and is said to be the second largest concrete monolithic statue in the world (after Christ the Redeemer in Rio de Janeiro). It wears a long blanket and stares across the river with folded arms.
With the help of John G. Prasuhn, the young sculptor of the Chicago Art Institute, Lorado Taft created a figure almost 50 feet tall, including a six-foot base. Reinforced with iron rods, the hollow statue is eight inches to three feet thick. The interior is accessible through a door at the base, although visitors are currently not allowed inside the statue. The outer surface composed of cement, pink granite chips and screenings is three inches thick.


At the dedication of the statue on July 1, 1911, Taft said that in the evenings he and members of the Eagle's Nest Art Colony walked along the bluff and would often stop at the statue's location to enjoy the view from the bluff. Contemplation became habitual, arms folded, restful and reverent. Black Hawk came from that contemplative mood and attitude. The 48-foot (15 m) tall monolith, towering over the river, suggests an unconquered spirit through its composition blending Fox, Sauk, Sioux and Mohawk cultures.  Taft said the statue was inspired by the Sauk leader Black Hawk, although it is not a likeness of the chief.


On November 5, 2009, the Black Hawk Statue was added to the U.S. National Register of Historic Places. The listing may allow the statue access to federal funding for repairs on cracks that naturally appear in its concrete surface.


Most recently, the statue restoration was completed and unwrapped in January of 2020, costing just under $250,000 to restore.
The statue was in need of restoration as some of the concrete had worn away.  Plans had been made by Friends of the Black Hawk Statue Committee to begin restoration work in Spring 2014. Although delayed, resumed physical integrity tests and restoration restarted in Summer 2015.
Efforts to restore the statue had been halted due to a dispute between the project manager and the conservator working on the statue.
From June 2016 until June 1, 2018, the Black Hawk statue was wrapped with black tarp and ropes while it languished without further restoration.  The Illinois Department of Natural Resources, owner of the statue, had no legislated funding for the project and could not proceed.  In October 2017, concerned citizens organized as the Black Hawk Restoration committee. Several on the committee were on the original Friends of Black Hawk Group.  It was their intention to invite IDNR to speak to the community of Oregon, Illinois, but they declined.  Eventually, a meeting was held between the committee and the IDNR staff.  It was agreed on March 28, 2018, that IDNR would remove the wrapping and the Black Hawk Restoration Committee would begin fundraising. On June 1, 2018, the wrapping was removed from the statue.  On May 10, 2018, the Legislature of the State of Illinois passed a capital budget which funded a grant of $350,000 to IDNR. It was estimated that further repairs could cost up to $660,000. and that the grant to IDNR required matching funds from the public sector. The Black Hawk Restoration Committee agreed to take on the task.  As of November 2018, nearly $600,000 had been raised, with plans for completing the restoration by August 2019.  The statue has again been covered with a protective wrapping.  As of December 2019 the restoration was nearly complete.


There have been two structures with the name. The first bridge was opened in 1864 and was designed by Joseph Cubitt for the London, Chatham and Dover Railway. Massive abutments at each end carried the railway's insignia, preserved and restored on the south side. Following the formation of the Southern Railway in 1924, inter-city and continental services were concentrated on Waterloo, and St Paul's Station became a local and suburban stop. For this reason, the use of the original bridge gradually declined. It eventually became too weak to support modern trains, and was therefore removed in 1985 – all that remains is a series of columns crossing the Thames and the southern abutment, which is a Grade II listed structure.


The second bridge, built slightly further downstream (to the east), was originally called St Paul's Railway Bridge and opened in 1886. It was designed by John Wolfe-Barry and Henry Marc Brunel and is made of wrought iron. It was built by Lucas and Aird. When St Paul's railway station changed its name to Blackfriars in 1937 the name of the bridge was changed as well.
At the southern end of the bridge was Blackfriars Bridge railway station which opened in 1864 before closing to passengers in 1885 following the opening of what is today the main Blackfriars station. Blackfriars Bridge railway station continued as a goods stop until 1964 when it was completely demolished, and much of it redeveloped into offices.
As part of the Thameslink Programme, the platforms at Blackfriars station have been extended across the Thames and partially supported by the 1864 bridge piers. The project is designed by Will Alsop and built by Balfour Beatty. The work also includes the installation of a roof covered with photovoltaic solar panels. It is the largest of only three solar bridges in the world (the others being Kennedy Bridge in Bonn, Germany, and Kurilpa Bridge in Australia). Other green improvements include sun pipes and systems to collect rain water.


The Protestant Church in Western Indonesia Immanuel Semarang (Gereja Protestan Indonesia Barat Immanuel Semarang), better known as Blenduk Church (Gereja Blenduk) is a Protestant church in Semarang, Central Java, Indonesia. Built in 1753, it is the oldest church in the province.


Blenduk Church, at 32 Letjen Suprapto Street in the old town of Semarang, Central Java, is located in a small courtyard between former office buildings. The Jiwasraya building is located to the south, across the street, while the Kerta Niaga offices are to its west.
The octagonal church, built on a stone foundation and with single-layer brick walls, has its ground floor at street level. It is topped by a large, copper-skinned dome, from which it gets its common name; the Javanese word mblenduk means dome. The dome is supported by 32 steel beams, 8 large and 24 small. Two towers, square at the base and slowly rounding until topped with a small dome, are located on either side of the main entrance, while a cornice consisting of horizontal lines runs around the building; Roman-style porticoes covered in saddle-shaped roofs are located on its eastern, southern and western faces. Blenduk also features etched and stained glass windows, as well as wood-panel double doors at the south-facing entrance.
The wooden pews inside Blenduk have rattan seats, while the pulpit is completely made of wood and located on an octagonal platform made of teak. A nonfunctional Baroque pipe organ from the 1700s is also located inside. The floor is covered in black, yellow, and white tiles. In the northern part of the interior is a spiral staircase, etched with name of its manufacturer, Pletterij den haag (Rolling Mill, The Hague), which leads to the second floor.


Blenduk was established in 1753; the initial building had a joglo-style.  Although meant for Protestants, Catholics also used it until the first Catholic church in the city, in Gedangan, was built.
The church was later rebuilt in 1787. Another re-imagining, spearheaded by H.P.A. de Wilde and W. Westmas, began work in 1894. During this renovation, the dome and two towers were added. Another series of renovations began in the early 2000s. As of 2004, the church has 200 families in its congregation and holds regular Sunday services; it is also a tourist attraction. In 2003 the church celebrated its 250th year.


In February 2009, Blenduk received an award for Best Maintained Old Place of Worship from the Central Java branch of the Architects' Society of Indonesia.


The Bloemenmarkt is the world's only floating flower market. Founded in 1862, it is sited in Amsterdam, Netherlands, on the Singel canal between Muntplein and Koningsplein in the city's southern canal belt. It has 15 souvenir and gift shops, with only a few still selling fresh flowers. Today, the market is one of the main suppliers of flower bulbs and tulip paraphernalia to tourists visiting Amsterdam.


Blomsholms manor, which was founded in 1625 by the North German nobleman Anders Blume, was first sold in 1628 and already in 1644, General Sven Ranck became the manor's fifth owner. A memorial stone from the 1660s over Sven Ranck and his wife Anna Bergengren is in the middle of the shipwreck, even though they are not buried there.
At the beginning of the 18th century, the manor burned down and was replaced in 1710 by the buildings that still exist on the site. During Charles XII's war against Norway in 1718, the manor functioned as a field hospital because it was located on Galärvägen, the transport route that Charles XII used with the help of 800 soldiers to transport twelve ships ( galleys ) over land and via the lakes Strömsvattnet and Färingen to Ise Fjord. Soldiers who died during the war are said to be buried in the shipwreck.
Statarlängan, built in 1899, is today a restaurant and museum where one of the four apartments is decorated in the same way as it was when the last statesman lived here in 1938.
Blomsholm's estate has now been owned by GLG-fastigheter AB since 2012.


Jan Ottander: Blomsholm. 2000 år av händelser. Länsstyrelsen i Västra Götalands län, Göteborg 1999, (Länsstyrelsen Västra Götaland 20, ISSN 1403-168X).
Jan Ottander: Blomsholm. 2000 years of settlement. (Länsstyrelsen Västra Götaland publication 1999:20, ISSN 1403-168X).


In 2002, John Laing Homes proposed a residential community to be built on nearly 3,000 acres atop Blue Diamond Hill, bringing an estimated 21,000 new residents to the area. The proposal was withdrawn later that year after opposition. Developer Jim Rhodes purchased acreage on Blue Diamond Hill in 2003, and has since made several proposals for a housing community on the land, although the projects have been opposed as well.


The Blue Eagle Gym is a gymnasium located in the main campus of the Ateneo de Manila University in Quezon City, Philippines. Unlike most gymnasiums, the basketball court is oriented perpendicular to the orientation of the building.


The indoor facility was built in 1949, three years before the Ateneo de Manila University moved from its Manila campus to its current main campus in Loyola Heights, Quezon City in 1952. At its inauguration in 1949, it was called the Ateneo de Manila Gymnasium or Ateneo Gym. From late 1960s to mid 1970s, it was officially known as the Loyola Center. It was in the year 2000 that it was renamed the Blue Eagle Gym.
According to historical records, the gym was constructed under the direction of Ateneo Rector William F. Masterson, S.J., to be an alternative venue to the Rizal Memorial Coliseum for the National Collegiate Athletic Association games.
It is frequently a venue for sporting events of the University Athletic Association of the Philippines and the National Collegiate Athletic Association (pre-1978). Ateneo's games, however, were played at the Rizal Memorial Coliseum to prevent any home-court advantage during the school's NCAA years.
It was also a venue for Philippine Basketball Association games in the league's early years. The Manila Metrostars of the defunct Metropolitan Basketball Association also used the Blue Eagle Gym as a temporary home court before moving to the Mail and More Arena in San Andres, Manila.
The Blue Eagle Gym played host to the sepak takraw tournament of the 1991 Southeast Asian Games. It was scheduled to be the venue for women's basketball in the 2005 Southeast Asian Games, but since the Basketball Association of the Philippines was suspended by FIBA, the gymnasium was not able to host the event.
The gymnasium is the home of the Ateneo Blue Eagles, Ateneo de Manila University's varsity team. It used also as training venue for the 2015 U23 and SEA Games national women's volleyball teams managed by the Larong Volleyball sa Pilipinas, Inc. (LVPI), which their secretary general Ricky Palou who happened to be a former athletic director of the school.
In 2019, the gymnasium was renovated, in time for UAAP's Season 82 basketball.


Bluenose II is a replica of the fishing and racing schooner Bluenose, commissioned by Sidney Culverwell Oland and built in 1963 as a promotional yacht for Oland Brewery. Sidney Oland donated the schooner to Nova Scotia in 1971 and it has since operated as a sailing ambassador and promotional device for Nova Scotia tourism. In honour of her predecessor's record, Bluenose II does not officially race.


Bluenose II was launched at Lunenburg on 24 July 1963, built to original plans and by some of the same workers at Smith and Rhuland.  The original captain of Bluenose, Angus J. Walters, was consulted on the replica's design. The replica was commissioned by Sidney Culverwell Oland for roughly $300,000 (2.5 million in 2020 Canadian dollars) as a marketing tool for their Schooner Lager beer brand.
The ship has one of the largest mainsails in the world, measuring 386 square metres (4,150 sq ft). She has a total sail area of 1,036 square metres (11,150 sq ft).
In 2004, the Bluenose Preservation Trust, with Lex McKay and Senator Wilfred Moore, donated a piece of wood from the deck of the ship to the Six String Nation project. Parts of that material now serve multiple functions in Voyageur, the guitar at the heart of the project, including two elements of the neck laminate, the top and end blocks on the guitar's interior and decorative elements on the rosette surrounding the sound hole of the instrument.


Sidney Culverwell Oland sold Bluenose II to the government of Nova Scotia in 1971 for the sum of $1. After a number of years of managing the schooner directly, the province gave possession of the ship to the "Bluenose II Preservation Trust". The trust's mandate was to restore the aging schooner to full operational status and continue to operate her for the people of Nova Scotia. Over the winter of 1994–95 the ship's hull was restored and she was recommissioned in May 1995.
During this time Bluenose II was involved in the Sponsorship scandal when the federal government allocated $2.3 million for the schooner through a consulting firm but only a small amount of the money reached the vessel. The trust maintained and operated Bluenose II until 31 March 2005, when the government of Nova Scotia placed the vessel under the management of the Lunenburg Marine Museum Society at the Fisheries Museum of the Atlantic. In a controversial move, the head of the trust, Senator Wilfred Moore, refused to release over $600,000 raised by the trust in the schooner's name to the current operators of Bluenose II. Moore agreed to turn the trust's assets over to the province in July 2012, but did not release the financial records from the trust.


In May 2009, the provincial and federal governments announced support for a major restoration of the Bluenose II to be led the province's Tourism, Culture and Heritage Department. The project was projected to cost $14.4 million. In July 2010, the Nova Scotia government awarded a $12.5 million contract for the restoration of Bluenose II to a consortium of three Nova Scotia shipyards. When the ship was finally relaunched in 2012, after major delays, the final cost had risen closer to 16 million dollars, just from the Nova Scotian government.
This restoration was not without controversy.  Tourism, Culture and Heritage Department sources stated that the restoration was "not intended to create an authentic replica of the original Bluenose" and that the builders would not be using the plans. Large portions of the hull were chipped while other small pieces were given away at the rebuilding site in Lunenburg NS. The masts, sails, booms, gaffs, deck boxes, rigging, and some ironwork will go back onto the vessel upon completion.  This has led Joan Roue, a descendant of the first Bluenose's designer William Roue and current rights-holder of the design, to question whether this should even be considered the same ship.
As has almost all of the rest of the ship, even the keel has been remade. The rebuild aimed to have the schooner look more like the original Bluenose with smaller deckhouses and more deck space, as Bluenose II was built with yacht accommodation as opposed to the layout of a fishing schooner. Various subcomponents for this Bluenose II project were supplied from notable firms including the ships keel at Snyder's Shipyard in Dayspring, the ship's backbone of laminated ribs at Covey Island Boatworks in Riverport and assembly of the vessel in Lunenburg.
After more than 25 months of reconstruction, the partially completed hull of Bluenose II was relaunched into Lunenburg Harbor on 29 September 2012 from the Lunenburg marine railway followed by festivities at the nearby Fisheries Museum of the Atlantic, however due to repairs not completed, the vessel was pulled back onto land for more work. The vessel was returned to the water on 6 September 2013 to undergo dock and sea trials before being handed over to the province for tourist duty.  Retrofit costs had risen to $19 million and the vessel still required modifications to its steering mechanism which proved unreliable and difficult to operate.
In the summer of 2016, Bluenose II renovations were completed, two years behind schedule with the final cost reaching $24 million. An report by the Nova Scotia Auditor General blamed mismanagement and inexperience by the province's Department of Culture and Heritage.


Bluenose II spends much of the year tied up at the Lunenburg Foundry wharf in its home port of Old Town Lunenburg, Nova Scotia, a UNESCO World Heritage site and origin of its predecessor. Funds for the operation of the ship are raised through charging for passage on the vessel, public donations, and sales in the Fisheries Museum Gift Shop (in Lunenburg), run by the Lunenburg Marine Museum Society.
The schooner's mission is "to continuously promote the history and legacy of Bluenose and Bluenose II as well as the rich past and present of Lunenburg and Atlantic Canada." In this capacity, during summer months Bluenose II tours the Atlantic seaboard and the Gulf of St. Lawrence, routinely stopping in ports across Nova Scotia, as well as Quebec City, Montreal, Toronto and many ports of call in the United States, serving as a goodwill ambassador and promoting Nova Scotia tourism. Bluenose II has also travelled further afield, such as in 1986 when it participated in the Vancouver World's Fair. Summer activities include onboard tours, harbour cruises and deckhand experiences, as well as outreach for schools and youth groups in Nova Scotia.
In the summer of 2020, due to the COVID-19 pandemic lockdown, Bluenose II restricted its summer tour to Nova Scotia ports. The schooner's 20-person crew formed a Bluenose quarantine bubble for training, maintenance and sailing, and its visits to ports aside from Lunenburg were restricted to at-anchors or sail-pasts.


Bobigny cemetery is a Muslim-only burial ground near Paris in the town of Bobigny, Seine-Saint-Denis, France.
Lying just a few kilometers to the northeast of Paris, the town of Bobigny is home to one of only two Muslim cemeteries in France. It was created by the French government in 1937 on the site adjacent to the Franco-Muslim Hospital of Bobigny and hold about 7000 plots, for mainly North African people. It is a listed historical monument since 2006. It is not to be confused with the larger and multi-faith Cimetière parisien de Pantin nearby


Peyveste Hanım - wife of Sultan of the Ottoman Empire
Şehsuvar Hanım - wife of Caliphate of the Ottoman Empire
Osman Fuad -Ottoman prince
Akbar agha Sheykhulislamov - exile Azerbaijani politician and cabinet minister
Princess Niloufer - Ottoman princess


The Boca Express Train Museum, operated by the Boca Raton Historical Society, is housed in a restored 1930 Florida East Coast Railway (FEC) train station in Boca Raton, Florida. designed by Chester G. Henninger, built for Clarence H. Geist. It is located at 747 South Dixie Highway, off U.S. 1 (Federal Highway). On October 24, 1980, it was added to the U.S. National Register of Historic Places.


Historically, the station served several long-distance trains and one or two local trains. Into the early 1960s, passengers could take one of two Chicago-bound trains (on alternating days), the City of Miami or the South Wind (both via Birmingham) and the New York City-bound East Coast Champion, Havana Special, and Miamian from the FEC's station. Into the latter 1950s, passengers could take the Dixie Flagler to Chicago via Atlanta from the station. The FEC operated local passenger service between Jacksonville and the Miami area until July 31, 1968.
Service on the line is planned to be restored by Brightline, with a station 3⁄4 mile (1.2 km) north of the museum, scheduled to open in 2021. However, Brightline shut down operations during the 2020–2021 Covid pandemic.


The Museum contains two restored and unique 1947 Seaboard Air Line streamlined rail cars, a dining and a lounge car, built by the Budd Company and listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The Boca Express Train Museum also includes a 1946 Atlantic Coast Line caboose and a 1930 Baldwin steam switch engine.


The Boca Raton Historical Society put the Train Museum up for sale in 2017, saying that maintaining two historic buildings (the other is the Society's home, Boca Raton's first city hall) is draining the nonprofit's resources.


Bodmin Gaol was designed by Sir John Call and built in 1779 by prisoners of war, and was operational for 150 years, in which it saw over 50 public hangings. It was the first British prison to hold prisoners in individual cells.
The jail closed in 1927. Since that date, there has been no prison within the county of Cornwall.
During World War I, the prison was used for holding some of Britain's national treasures including the Domesday Book and the Crown Jewels of the United Kingdom.


Bodmin Jail is now a hotel as of 2021 and after redevelopment that started in 2015, Bodmin Jail Limited now operates as a museum, gift shop and hosts guided tours at the site.


Bodmin Jail has inspired many ghost stories, attracted paranormal researchers, and ghost walk events are held for tourists there.
Series 6, Episode 1 of Most Haunted, a British-made reality TV show, saw the crew attempt their paranormal activities at the jail with presenter Yvette Fielding and medium, Derek Acorah. After many unsuccessful attempts, the team supposedly made contact with many light and sound entities, whilst Acorah claimed to have been possessed by a spirit named Kreed Kafer, a South African. It was later revealed that "Kreed Kafer" was a fictional character, who was created purely by parapsychologist and crew member Ciarán O'Keeffe, to test Derek Acorah and his abilities. The name was created because it was an anagram of the phrase 'Derek Faker'.


F. Digby Hardy, inmate of the naval prison


The beautiful Byzantine structure is today rather incongruously choked on three sides by modern apartment blocks. It stands in Istanbul, in the district of Fatih, in the neighbourhood of Laleli, one kilometre west of the ruins of the Great Palace of Constantinople.


Some years before 922, possibly during the wars against Simeon I's Bulgaria, the drungarius Romanos Lekapenos bought a house in the ninth region of Constantinople, not far from the Sea of Marmara, in the place called Myrelaion ("the place of myrrh" in Greek). After his accession to the throne this building became the nucleus of a new imperial palace, intended to challenge the neighbouring Great Palace of Constantinople, and the family shrine of the Lekapenos family.
The palace of Myrelaion was built on top of a giant fifth century rotunda which, with an external diameter of 41.8 metres (137.1 feet), was the second largest, after the Roman Pantheon, in the ancient world. In the tenth century the rotunda was not used anymore, and then it was converted – possibly by Romanos himself – into a cistern by covering its interior with a vaulted system carried by at least 70 columns. Near the palace the Emperor built a church, which he intended from the beginning to use as burial place for his family.
The first person to be buried there was his wife Theodora, in December 922, followed by his eldest son and co-emperor Christopher, who died in 931. By doing so, Romanos interrupted a six-century-old tradition, whereby almost all the Byzantine emperors since Constantine I were buried in the Church of the Holy Apostles.
Later the Emperor converted his palace into a nunnery and, after his deposition and death in exile as monk in the island of Prote in June 948, he too was buried in the church.
The shrine was ravaged by fire in 1203, during the Fourth Crusade. Abandoned during the Latin occupation of Constantinople (1204–1261), the building was repaired at the end of the thirteenth century, during the period of the Palaiologan restoration.
After the Ottoman conquest of Constantinople in 1453, the Myrelaion was converted into a mosque by Grand Vizier Mesih Paşa around the year 1500, during the reign of Bayezid II. The mosque was named after its substructure (the meaning of the Turkish word bodrum is "subterranean vault", "basement"), but was also known under the name of its founder. The edifice was damaged again by fires in 1784 and 1911, when it was abandoned.
In 1930, an excavation led by David Talbot Rice discovered the round cistern. In 1964–1965, a radical restoration led by the Archaeological Museum of Istanbul replaced almost all the external masonry of the edifice, and was then interrupted. In 1965, two parallel excavations led by art historian Cecil L. Striker and by R. Naumann focused respectively on the substructure and on the imperial palace. The building was finally restored in 1986 when it was reopened as mosque. In 1990, the cistern was restored too, and it has hosted a shopping mall for a few years. Now the cistern is used by the women to pray.


The building, whose masonry consists entirely of bricks, is built on a foundation structure made of alternated courses of bricks and stone, and has a cross-in-square (or quincunx) plan, with a nine meter long side.
The central nave (naos) is surmounted by an umbrella dome, with a drum interrupted by arched windows, which gives to the structure an undulating rhythmus. The four side naves are covered by barrel vaults. The edifice has a narthex to the west and a sanctuary to the east. The central bay of the narthex is covered by a dome, the two side bays by cross vaults. The nave is partitioned by four piers, which substituted in the Ottoman period the original columns. Many openings – windows, oeil-de-boeufs and arches – give light to the structure.
The exterior of the building is characterized by the half cylindrical buttresses which articulate its façades. Originally an exonarthex existed too, but in the Ottoman period it was replaced by a wooden portico. The building has three polygonal apses. The central one belongs to the sanctuary (bema), while the lateral are parts of two clover-shaped side chapels (pastophoria), prothesis and diakonikon.
The Ottomans built a stone minaret close to the narthex. The building was originally decorated with a marble revetment and mosaics, which disappeared totally. As a whole, Bodrum mosque shows strong analogies with the north church of the Fenari Isa complex.


The substructure, in contrast with the building, has an austere and rough aspect. Originally its purpose was only that of bringing the church to the same level of the palace of Lekapenos. After the restoration in the Palaiologan period it was used as burial chapel.
This edifice is the first example of a private burial church of a Byzantine emperor, starting so a tradition typical of the later Komnenian and Palaiologan periods. Moreover, the building represents a beautiful example of the cross-in-square type church, the new architectural type of the middle Byzantine architecture.


Boge Church is an early Gothic church. The oldest parts are the choir and the sacristy, dating from the mid-13th century. The nave is somewhat later, and replaced an earlier, Romanesque nave; this explains why the nave is unusually short and wide, as it was squeezed in between an existing tower and the choir. The tower seen today however dates from 1867–92, as the old tower collapsed during a storm in 1857. On this occasion, the nave was also severely damaged, but likewise later reconstructed.
Externally, the church is supported by a single buttress, erected after the storm in 1857 to stabilise the church. The main portal is somewhat later than the rest of the building, and dates from the mid-14th century. Its capitals are decoratively sculpted.
Internally, the church is decorated with two sets of medieval murals dating from the construction period and the mid-15th century, respectively. The later ones are in the style of the so-called Master of the Passion of Christ. Most of the furnishings date from the 18th century, with the exception of the baptismal font (13th century) and a large, medieval iron chandelier. Some medieval tombstones are also visible in the choir.
The church belongs to the Church of Sweden and lies within the Diocese of Visby.


Bohemian National Hall (Czech: Česká národní budova) is a five-story building at 321 East 73d Street on the Upper East Side, Manhattan. The building was built between 1895 and 1897 in neo-Renaissance style by architect William C. Frohne. It was a Czech American social and culture center in New York City.  From the late 1930s to the 1980s it was rented out to various organizations, including the Manhattan Theater Club, which began there. In 1994 the New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission named it a landmark.
In 2001, it was sold by the Bohemian Benevolent & Literary Association to the Czech government for $1.  In return, the Czech government agreed to renovate the building.  Its first use after the change of ownership came in 2005, when it served as the venue for a celebration of the 70th birthday of Václav Havel, a kickoff event for Untitled Theater Company #61's Havel Festival. After a few more events, the Hall shut down for further renovation, reopening October 30, 2008.
Now the building is the seat of the Czech Consulate, the New York Czech Center, the Bohemian Benevolent & Literary Association and the Dvorak American Heritage Association. In the building is also a small cinema, an art gallery, a major ballroom/theater and a roof terrace. Since May 23, 2011 a Czech restaurant called Hospoda is located on the ground floor of the building.


The Boleyn Ground, often referred to as Upton Park, was a football stadium located in Upton Park, east London. It was the home of West Ham United from 1904 to 2016.
The stadium was also briefly used by Charlton Athletic in the early 1990s during their years of financial difficulty.
The seating capacity of the ground at closure was 35,016.
From the 2016–17 season, West Ham United have played their home matches at the London Stadium in nearby Stratford. The last first-class match played at the Boleyn Ground was on 10 May 2016, a 3–2 West Ham United win in the Premier League against Manchester United.
The stadium was demolished in 2016 to make way for a new development.


West Ham United took up tenancy of the Boleyn Ground from local club Boleyn Castle in 1904, after the two clubs amalgamated. West Ham rented Green Street House and grounds in East Ham from the Roman Catholic Church from around 1912. Green Street House was known locally as Boleyn Castle because of its imposing nature and an association with Anne Boleyn, who had either stayed at or, as some believe, owned the house. Hence the ground became known as the Boleyn Ground. The ground was also often referred to as Upton Park, after the Upton Park, London area where it is located.
In August 1944, a V-1 flying bomb fell on the south-west corner of the pitch. This forced West Ham to play its matches at other grounds while repairs were undertaken, but it did not affect performances as West Ham managed nine consecutive victories. Upon their return to the ground in December 1944, they lost 1–0 to Tottenham Hotspur.
By 1990, West Ham were required to convert Upton Park into an all-seater stadium for the 1994–95 season in order to comply with the requirements of the Taylor Report. The first stage of the redevelopment came in 1993, when the South Bank was replaced by a 9,000 seat, two-tier stand named in honour of former captain Bobby Moore, who had died earlier that year. The stand incorporated executive boxes as well as a digital clock. The North Bank was demolished in 1994 and a new 6,000 seat, two-tier stand named the "Centenary Stand" was opened on its site the following year; this was later renamed the "Sir Trevor Brooking Stand". The East Stand Lower was also converted into an all-seater stand.
The final change came in 2000, when the West Stand was replaced by a 15,000 seat, two-tier stand named the "Dr. Martens Stand". The stand incorporated executive boxes on two levels as well as the West Ham United Hotel. This gave the stadium a 35,000 all-seater capacity.
There were plans to increase the capacity to approximately 40,500 through the building of a new larger East Stand, that would have used the spare space created when the Doctor Martens stand was built further West than the old West Stand. However, these plans never came to fruition.


Through 2006, talk was rife of West Ham moving to the Olympic Stadium after the 2012 Summer Olympics, with speculation increasing after new club chairman Eggert Magnusson confirmed he was interested in a move there. However, talks broke down between the club and the Olympic Committee after it was announced the Stadium would be reduced to a 25,000 capacity all-seater after the Olympic Games, which was 10,000 less than the Boleyn Ground's capacity, and the stadium would be keeping its running track, leaving supporters further from the pitch and affecting the atmosphere within the stadium. Rumours suggested West Ham might move to a new stadium at the Parcelforce depot near to West Ham Underground/mainline station instead. Indeed, on 7 November 2007, Mayor of London Ken Livingstone announced a new site had been identified for West Ham's new stadium.
However, in 2009, club CEO Scott Duxbury announced West Ham had obtained planning permission to expand the East Stand; this would have brought the stadium's capacity over 40,000.
Then, in 2010, new club owners David Gold and David Sullivan announced West Ham would move to the Olympic Stadium after the 2012 Olympics after all. On 23 March 2010, the club announced it was working on a joint bid with Newham London Borough Council to move into the Olympic Stadium. On 30 September 2010, the club formally submitted its bid for the Olympic Stadium with a presentation at 10 Downing Street, and the world's largest live entertainment company Live Nation endorsed the club's Olympic Stadium plans on 8 October 2010. Three days after Live Nation's endorsement UK Athletics confirmed its formal support for West Ham United and Newham Council in their joint bid to take over the Olympic Stadium in legacy mode. In November 2010, West Ham commenced a search for potential developers for "informal discussions" about what would happen to the ground if it did take over the Olympic Stadium after the 2012 Games.
On 11 February 2011, the Olympic Park Legacy Committee selected West Ham as the preferred club to move into the Olympic Stadium after the 2012 Games. The decision, in favour of West Ham's bid, was unanimous. On 3 March 2011, West Ham United's proposed move to the Olympic Stadium was approved by the British government and London mayor Boris Johnson; but due to ongoing legal challenges to the arrangement by Tottenham Hotspur and Leyton Orient, the deal to sell the Olympic Stadium to West Ham collapsed on 11 October 2011, West Ham announced plans to become tenants of the stadium and on 22 March 2013 after months of voting and negotiations, West Ham won the Olympic Stadium bidding. West Ham were offered a 99-year lease and hoped to move there in time for the 2016–17 season.
In February 2014, West Ham announced the sale of the Boleyn Ground to the development company the Galliard Group, to be effected once the move to the Olympic Stadium was complete.


When the Premier League fixtures were drawn-up at the start of the 2015–16 Premier League season, Swansea City were planned to be West Ham's final opponents at the Boleyn Ground, on 7 May 2016. However, due to Manchester United's involvement in the FA Cup on 23 April when they were due to play West Ham, the fixture was rearranged to 10 May 2016. The match was preceded by violence on Green Street when the coach carrying the players and staff of Manchester United was pelted with missiles resulting in broken windows. With the coach delayed, the players were late arriving at the ground and the scheduled 19:45 kick-off was moved to 20:15.
In the 2,398th match played at the ground, with both sides looking to qualify for European football in the 2016–17 season, in front of a crowd of 34,907, West Ham took the lead in the tenth minute through Diafra Sakho, only for Manchester United to make the score 1–2 with two goals from Anthony Martial. However, Michail Antonio equalized for West Ham and Winston Reid scored a third in the 80th minute to make it 3–2, the final score. It was West Ham's 384th Premier League match, their 990th in the top division, and their 1,662nd ever league match at the ground, the win signifying 601 home Premier League points won there. Mark Noble was named Man of the Match. The match was followed by a 45-minute display on the pitch in celebration of the history of the ground. The following day, the club condemned the violence aimed at the Manchester United coach, vowing to ban for life any person convicted. Three people were arrested on the night of the game, two for pitch incursion and one for throwing a bottle at the police. The following day, the Metropolitan Police issued pictures of four men they hoped to identify in connection with the coach attack.


The sale of the Ground was completed on 15 July 2016, at a sale price of £40,000,000. The developer's plans include 838 new homes, retail outlets and leisure facilities which will be available by 2018. The possibility of a statue of Bobby Moore and a landscaped garden named after him has also been revealed. The plans caused controversy for only including 51 "affordable" homes and no social housing. In March 2016, plans were approved for 800 homes to be built on the site, 25% of which would be affordable housing. On 14 March 2016, the dismantling of the ground began with the removal of the John Lyall gates for transfer and reinstallation at the Olympic Stadium. By July 2016, the seats had been removed from the ground and it was boarded-up and handed over to developers for demolition and redevelopment. In August 2016, ownership of the site was transferred to Barratt London. In September 2016, the ground was used as a film-set for the film Final Score and on 27 September 2016 it hosted a charity match shortly before demolition commenced. 1,000 of 1,400 commemorative bricks were saved by Jonjo Heuerman when the wall they were in was taken down, and are available to be claimed by the fans who paid for them. The inscriptions have been reproduced in a pathway at the new ground.


The record attendance at the ground was 42,322, against Tottenham in an old Division One match on 17 October 1970, when the North and South Banks were terraced, as was the old "Chicken Run" at the front of the East Stand.
The Boleyn Ground became an all-seater stadium from the early 1990s because clubs had to meet new FA regulations for stadium safety after the Hillsborough Disaster in 1989. The record attendance after Upton Park became an all-seater was 35,550, on 21 September 2002 for a Premier League match against Manchester City. Before its closure, the ground had a total capacity of 35,016, all seated.
Upton Park had four main stands, the Sir Trevor Brooking Stand, Bobby Moore Stand, East Stand and Betway Stand.


The Sir Trevor Brooking Stand (formerly the North Bank then the Centenary Stand) was built in 1995 which coincided with the club's 100th season, after being formed in 1895 as Thames Ironworks. Its name was changed from the Centenary Stand to the Sir Trevor Brooking Stand in July 2009.
The stand held around 6,000 seats, and had two tiers, with the upper-tier seating known as the family section, as supporters could only purchase tickets there if with a child. The lower tier behind the goal was split between home and away fans. West Ham initially gave around 2,500–3,000 tickets to away supporters, going from the furthest side to the left of the bottom tier right up to behind the goal.
If the away side could not sell all their tickets, they were returned and re-sold to home supporters, as there was big demand from West Ham fans to purchase seats in the lower seating area. Home fans in the lower area generally preferred to stand during games and sing throughout. It was known as one of the more atmospheric sections of the stadium, especially with the two sets of supporters next to each other (separated by stewards and police). There was also one of two large LED video screens situated in the corner between the Sir Trevor Brooking Stand Stand and the East Stand.


The East Stand was situated on the far side of the Boleyn Ground, opposite the West Stand which housed the offices and dressing rooms. The stand was the oldest and smallest stand in the stadium, being built in 1969 and held only 5,000 seats due to its narrow width. The stand was known as the loudest and most intimidating stand at Upton Park. The stand was known as the 'Chicken Run', a name that had originally been applied to an earlier stand. This was an old wooden stand (standing room only) on the east side of the pitch. Unusually, the roof sloped down away from the pitch and it was surrounded by a similar sort of wire to that used on chicken runs, so when viewed from the opposite side of the ground it looked like a chicken run. The front of the stand was very close to the pitch. It was knocked down and rebuilt in 1969.
The stand at one point had the words "DAGENHAM MOTORS" written into the bottom tier through the seats, but was only changed during the 2006–07 season, despite the club splitting from their sponsorship with the car company back in 1997. The stand was also the only stand left at Upton Park to still have a small minority of wooden seats (at the time of demolition), in the middle of the upper tier. There were also plans to build a new East Stand soon after the Dr. Martens stand was completed in 2001, which would have seen the stadium's capacity rise from 35,345 to around 40,500, but the plans were put on hold after a combination of resistance from the local residents behind the stand and the club's relegation from the Premier League in 2003, which spiralled the club into debt at the time.


The West Stand was the newest and by far the largest stand inside Upton Park, holding up to 15,000 spectators and was renamed after Betway became West Ham's official sponsors. The stand was built in 2001 as the Dr. Martens Stand, bringing the stadium capacity up from around 26,000 to 35,647. The West Stand was the main stand in Upton Park, as it included two tiers for paying home supporters, separated by two tiers of executive boxes. The stand also hosted all the club's offices, board rooms, suites, dressing rooms, official shop, and the West Ham United Hotel. It was the largest single football stand in London.
The stand's main feature was seen from the exterior of the stadium, with two large turrets built onto the stand with the club badge embedded on both, going with the theme of the club's badge. The terrace also had two scoreboards at both corners joining with the Centenary and Bobby Moore Stands, displaying the score and time of the game in process. The stand was so large, it was visible from the A406 North Circular Road and from the A13 Newham Way, where people could clearly make out the roof of the stand over the tower blocks. The stand was officially opened by HM The Queen, where Her Majesty was introduced to the manager and captain at the time, Glenn Roeder and Joe Cole.
In 2009, following the end of Dr. Martens sponsorship, the stand resumed the old name of the West Stand.
In 2011, the club signed a three-year agreement for the stand to be named "The Alpari Stand".


In June 1989, evangelist Billy Graham hosted a three-day Christian mission to London to which free tickets were given away. He gave away more tickets than seats, not expecting them all to be used. In the event they were used and many were locked out. After negotiations between the club and Graham's representatives, the crowd were allowed to use the pitch.
On 12 February 2003, England played Australia at the Boleyn Ground in an international friendly, with Australia winning 3–1. The match is best known for marking Wayne Rooney's international debut.
On 9 May 2012, the Boleyn Ground was confirmed as the venue for the fight between David Haye and Derek Chisora, a fight sanctioned by the Luxembourg Boxing Federation on 14 July 2012. The fight caused controversy at the time as neither fighter held a license from the British Boxing Board of Control.
On 12 November 2014, a friendly game between Argentina and Croatia was played at the Boleyn Ground. The match finished 2–1 to Argentina and saw the return of former West Ham striker Carlos Tevez to the Boleyn Ground.
The stadium is the setting of the 2018 film Final Score.  An ex-soldier, played by Dave Bautista, is forced into action to defend the packed stadium when armed Russian terrorists take control of it.


Borough Market is a wholesale and retail market hall in Southwark, London, England. It is one of the largest and oldest food markets in London, with a market on the site dating back to at least the 12th century. The present buildings were built in the 1850s, and today the market mainly sells specialty foods to the general public.


The market itself claims to have existed since 1014 "and probably much earlier" as Snorri Sturluson describes Southwark as a "great market town" when describing an incident in Heimskringla dated to 1014. A market that originally adjoined the end of London Bridge was first mentioned in 1276 and was subsequently moved south of St Margaret's church on the High Street. The City of London received a royal charter from Edward VI in 1550 to control all markets in Southwark (see Guildable Manor), which was confirmed by Charles II in 1671. However, the market caused such traffic congestion that, in 1754, it was abolished by an Act of Parliament.
The Act allowed for the local parishioners to set up another market on a new site, and in 1756, it began again on a 4.5-acre (18,000 m²) site in Rochester Yard. During the 19th century, it became one of London's most important food markets due to its strategic position near the riverside wharves of the Pool of London.
By the mid 1990s the market had declined and trustees decided to revive it as a retail rather than a wholesale market. In 1998 they invited Henrietta Green to hold a Food Lovers' Fair, which recruited several long-term traders for the market. From 1996 they let unused space to wholesale businesses such as Neal's Yard Dairy, Brindisa and Monmouth Coffee Company. The new tenants were encouraged to open their premises to retail customers.
In 2011, seven traders were expelled from the market for trading from their stoage units at Maltby Street Market a mile away. In turn the traders criticised poor facilities at the market and a move to selling takeaway food.
In the 2017 London Bridge attack, three attackers drove a vehicle over London Bridge and then ran to the area, where they stabbed and killed eight people with knives before they were shot dead by armed police. The market was then closed for 11 days following the attack.


Borough Market is located on Southwark Street and Borough High Street just south of Southwark Cathedral on the southern end of London Bridge.
The retail market operates  Monday to Thursday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., Fridays from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., and Saturdays from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. The wholesale market operates on all weekday mornings from 2 a.m. to 8 a.m.


The present buildings were designed in 1851 by Henry Rose, with additions in the 1860s and an entrance designed in the Art Deco style added on Southwark Street in 1932. Significant changes to the buildings have been made over the years as a result of successive expansions to the nearby railway infrastructure; see "Railway viaducts and the Thameslink Programme".
A refurbishment lead by Greig & Stephenson architects began in 2001. The Work  includes the re-erection in 2004 of the South Portico from the Floral Hall, previously at Covent Garden, which was dismantled when the Royal Opera House was reconstructed in the 1990s. The original Convent Garden building was listed and the resited portico was Grade II listed in 2008.


The present-day market mainly sells speciality foods to the general public. However, in the 20th century, it was essentially a wholesale market, selling produce in quantity to greengrocers. It was the main supplier, along with Covent Garden, of fruits and vegetables to retail greengrocers' shops. Amongst the notable businesses trading in the market were Vitacress, Lee Brothers (potato merchants whose signage can still be seen in the market), Manny Sugarman,  AW Bourne and Eddy Robbins. JO Sims, the main importer for South African citrus fruit (Outspan), were also located in the market.
Stallholders come to trade at the market from different parts of the UK, and traditional European products are also imported and sold. Amongst the produce on sale are fresh fruit and vegetables, cheese, meat, game, baked bread and pastries.
The market is a charitable trust administered by a board of volunteer trustees, who have to live in the area.
Borough Market and the surrounding streets have been used as a film location for such features as Bridget Jones's Diary (2001), Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels (1998) and Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (2004). More recently some scenes in The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus (2009) were shot there. As reported by the London Evening Standard, the market is available to hire for private events.


From 1860, the railway operating companies desired to extend services from London Bridge station into new stations at Cannon Street and Blackfriars in the City and link to the West End at Charing Cross Station. This required a viaduct, but legally, it was impossible by the 1756 Borough Market Act for the Trustees to alienate their property. The compromise was that only a flying leasehold was given to the railway company for the permanent way, but only for as long as a railway operates on it. The Market continues to trade underneath the arches of the viaduct. Each time there is a railway expansion requiring widening of the viaduct, the Trustees receive a full compensation payment.
Most recently, as part of the Thameslink Programme, a large number of listed buildings in the Borough Market area have been altered or demolished. The market building on Bedale Street south-side has had its upper floors removed, as has the Wheatsheaf public house on Stoney Street, for the new railway bridge to cross over them. The remaining floors have been re-occupied. The old Market glazed roof on Stoney Street has been re-instated and cleaned. A significant loss was the Smirke Terrace, Nos 16–26 Borough High Street, demolished in 2010.


Bosingak is a large bell pavilion on Jongno in Seoul, South Korea.  The bell in Bosingak gives Jongno its name, which literally means "bell street".  It was originally constructed in 1396 but destroyed many times by both war and fire. It was designated Bosingak by Emperor Gojong in 1895.
In the Joseon Dynasty, this bell was at the center of the castle town. The bell was struck to announce the opening and closing of the four gates around Seoul. At 4 am and 10 pm the bell was struck 33 times and gates were opened and closed. It was used as a fire alarm as well. In modern times, the bell is rung only at midnight on New Year's Eve. Because of the massive number of people who attend this ceremony, Metro trains on Line 1 of the Seoul Subway do not stop at Jonggak Station on New Year's Eve.


City Hall Plaza in Boston, Massachusetts, is a large, open, public space in the Government Center area of the city. The architectural firm Kallmann McKinnell & Knowles designed the plaza in 1962 to accompany Boston's new City Hall building. The multi-level, irregularly shaped plaza consists of red brick and concrete. The Government Center MBTA station is located beneath the plaza; its entrance is at the southwest corner of the plaza.


The siting of the plaza, the City Hall, and other structures in Government Center was the responsibility of I. M. Pei, commissioned by Edward J. Logue, then development administrator of the Boston Redevelopment Authority. The plaza and City Hall were constructed between 1963 and 1968, on the former site of Scollay Square, which despite its vibrancy and historical interest, was considered a seedy area by some. Other streets removed to make way for the plaza included Brattle Street and Cornhill. Two historic buildings formerly on Cornhill, known as the Sears' Crescent and Sears' Block, were not demolished and now face the southern edge of the plaza.
The 1962 design was reportedly modeled after Piazza del Campo in Siena, Italy.
Reaction to the plaza has been mixed. Some praise City Hall Plaza for being cleaner and more appealing than Scollay Square, and for the simple fact that it was built at all—with the cooperation and compromises necessary of any complex, multi-agency government construction project. Architecture critic Ada Louise Huxtable called the plaza "one of the best urban spaces of the 20th century. ...  With the plaza, and specifically because of it, the Boston Government Center can now take its place among the world's great city spaces." The Cultural Landscape Foundation listed the plaza as one of its "Marvels of Modernism."
Others dislike City Hall Plaza for its anti-social aesthetic and failure to address unpleasant weather effects (such as wintertime cold, wet, and wind, and summertime heat, dust, sun, and wind).  The Project for Public Spaces ranked it at the top of the organization's list of "Squares Most Dramatically in Need of Improvement in the United States" in 2005, and has placed the plaza on its "Hall of Shame."
A fountain was built at the northwest corner of the plaza as part of the original design.  But it was shut down in 1977 because water was leaking into the Blue Line subway tunnel below.  The fountain was covered over with a concrete slab in 2006. A nonprofit group built a "Cancer Garden of Hope" at the northeast corner of the plaza in 2010.


Since the plaza opened in 1968, ideas for improvements to the public space have been put forth by citizens, students, architects, politicians, and others. In the early 2000s, cellist Yo-Yo Ma proposed the construction of a music garden based on his Inspired by Bach series of recordings.  The plan did not move forward in Boston, but was realized as the Toronto Music Garden.
Boston Mayor Thomas Menino had several ideas for improvement. In 2007, Emerson College students used the virtual world Second Life to re-imagine a better design. The project was sponsored by the Boston Redevelopment Authority, among others. A 2011 study commissioned by the United States Environmental Protection Agency made recommendations for the "greening" of the plaza.  A 2014 study by three landscape architecture students at West Virginia University proposed a complete redesign of the plaza.
In 2015, the city launched a crowdsourcing project entitled "Re-invent City Hall Plaza," asking the public for suggestions to improve the plaza. Later in the year, the city made a number of changes to the plaza, including installing artificial grass, picnic tables, and lawn chairs, to make the space more inviting.  However, the Project for Public Spaces argued that "these efforts to put what the New York Times has called a 'kelly green band-aid' on this gaping wound in the heart of the city, are insufficient," and that a more comprehensive redesign is needed.  A 2016 plan for a ferris wheel and other improvements to the plaza did not move forward.
Work had begun in 2011 on plans to redesign the plaza and the Government Center MBTA station. The new MBTA station opened in March 2016 after two years of construction. Extensive landscaping and accessibility improvements to the adjacent areas of the plaza were completed in 2017.
A year-long study entitled "Rethink City Hall" was completed in 2017 by the firms Utile and Reed Hilderbrand. The final report called for major changes in City Hall and the plaza.
"The Patios," a seasonal beer garden, opened in 2018 on a terrace overlooking Congress Street, and was expanded for 2019.
In June 2019, the city announced the start of construction of a $70 million project to transform the plaza into a "People's Plaza" that will include "a civic space for all residents, with universal accessibility, new civic spaces for all to use, increased environmental sustainability, and critical infrastructure improvements that will ensure the Plaza is safe and accessible for all for generations to come." The plans, developed by Sasaki Associates, include schematic designs for the project. In January 2020, the Boston Landmarks Commission approved the first phase of the project. Construction began in 2020. Construction reached the half-way point in August 2021.  The work includes adding "3,000 seating spaces, 12,000-square-feet of playscapes for children, and 11,000-square-feet of terraces for interactive public art.


Nearby Boston Common has long been used for public events, including a 1969 peace rally that drew an estimated crowd of 100,000 and the 1979 mass celebrated by Pope John Paul II. But damage to the park from such large events led city officials to limit future events on the Common, relocating many to the paved City Hall Plaza.
Annual events held on City Hall Plaza include Boston Calling Music Festival (2013–2016), Big Apple Circus, The Jimmy Fund Scooper Bowl, the Boston Pride Festival, the African Festival of Boston, Boston GreenFest, Boston Techjam, the Puerto Rican Festival of Massachusetts, the finish line of Hub on Wheels, and the Boston Cycling Celebration.
Occasional events on the plaza have included Boston's 350th birthday celebration, art exhibits such as Strandbeest; large rallies in honor of the New England Patriots, the Boston Red Sox, and the Boston Bruins; political demonstrations; an exhibit of "street pianos"; beer festivals; HUBweek, a pizza festival, the Boston Night Market, a "Roller Disco Tribute Party", and the display of a 25-foot-tall statue of King Tut.
The Plaza has also been the site for many free concerts including being the original site (before moving to the Hatch Memorial Shell) for WODS (Oldies 103.3) summer concert series such as Chubby Checker and Paul Revere & the Raiders.
From December 2016 until February 2017, the Plaza opened an outdoor Skating Path and Holiday Market, as part of an installation called "Boston Winter". The skating path provided skating lessons for different age groups and planned themed skating events. Boston Winter continued the following year, but did not return in December 2018 as the city prepared for a major renovation of the plaza.


WikiWeb_Botanical Garden of TU Braunschweig_0

The botanical garden of  the TU Braunschweig (Botanischer Garten der Technischen Universität Braunschweig) was founded in 1840 by Johann Heinrich Blasius on the banks of the River Oker on the grounds of the former stately mansion in the woods of Braunschweig, Lower Saxony, Germany.
It was originally started in 1828 on the opposite bank of the Oker - a much smaller garden by Blasius, who sought a larger site. The old garden was lost in 1868.
By 1900, there were 2700 species outside and 1200 in greenhouses. Some trees from 1840 remain today. During the Second World War, the garden suffered bombing, especially in the years 1944/45, and was partially destroyed, but was reconstructed after the end of the war.
In 1985, an approximately 800m² baroque garden, with an emphasis on farming, was laid out, which was augmented with a stream and a waterfall in a small ravine in 1989.
In 1995, the garden area was expanded by about 4 acres (16,000 m²). This area is mainly for research.


Boulsworth Hill is a large expanse of moorland, the highest point of the South Pennines of south-eastern Lancashire, England, separating the Borough of Pendle from Calderdale.
Its summit, Lad Law, is 1,696 ft (517 m) above sea level, and commands views over Pendle Hill, the Forest of Bowland, the Yorkshire Dales and the South Pennines. On an exceptionally clear day it is possible to see Scafell Pike and Helvellyn to the north, Ferrybridge power station to the east, High Peak to the south and the Big One roller coaster at Blackpool Pleasure Beach to the west. The Brontë Way and the Pendle Way both pass along the slopes of Boulsworth Hill, providing routes of ascent from Nelson and Wycoller. A further possibility is to climb from Trawden, the nearest town to the summit, and it was originally intended that Boulsworth Hill would be a highlight of the Pennine Way, which instead passes to the east of the hill. Following the CRoW Act, Boulsworth Hill can now also be legally climbed from the Yorkshire side, near Hebden Bridge.
The underlying rock is Millstone Grit, which is seen outcropping in several places and forming a steep scarp face along the summit. The hill is covered by acidic grassland, which provide a valuable breeding ground for red grouse, twite, golden plover and other birds.
It lies just inside Lancashire, although the county boundary with the West Yorkshire district of Calderdale passes just a mile to the southeast of Lad Law.


Bourgoyen-Ossemeersen is a nature reserve on the outskirts of the Belgian city of Ghent. It lies mainly in the district of Mariakerke and covers 230 hectares. It mostly consists of wet, often flooded, meadows interspersed with ditches and canals, and is an important wintering area for water birds. It acts as a buffer zone between the city and the R4 ring road's noise-reducing barriers have been erected to lessen the road's impact on the wildlife.
There are three main trails through the reserve and at the centre is the Valkenhuis or Falcon House, a historic building previously used by falconers for the training of birds for the Counts of Flanders. A visitor information centre was built in 2006 at the entrance to the reserve.


Bourne Wood (also known as Bourne Woods) is an area of predominantly coniferous woodland just south of Farnham, Surrey, England and a film location, under 10 minutes from the famous film location of Hankley Common in Elstead. Locally it was known as the Clumps, and was called this until Forestry England changed the name in the 1950s when fire breaks were introduced, Charles Darwin may have written about the area in Appendices of Natural Selection-describing the trees in clumps. A promontory (rise) above a large heathland clearing (made for the filming of Gladiator) provides views over the surrounding woodland. Much of the wood was formerly heathland at the western end of the Greensand Ridge that was developed privately during the 20th century as commercial conifer plantations. This part of the wood has been purchased by the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds and is being restored mainly to heath, with retention of some woodland of wildlife significance, as Farnham Heath nature reserve. Their aim is to benefit scarce heathland species such as nightjar, woodlark, Dartford warbler and tree pipit as well as species such as sand lizard.


Since 1999, part of Bourne Wood has been frequently used as a location for filming movies, television series and music videos, most notably the opening battle scenes of the film Gladiator which helped the location to gain popularity. In addition, television adverts for products such as Marmite and IKEA have been filmed at the woods.
In September 2012 Forestry England announced plans to allow filming to take place in the Bourne Wood for up to eight months a year, noting that the site was a "nationally strategic film industry resource".  In October 2013 Waverley Borough Council planning committee granted permission for filming to be allowed at Bourne Wood for up to six months in one year or eight months over two years, with night filming for no more than seven days a year.  Use of helicopters during filming will require additional permission from the council.  Temporary structures may not exceed 25 m in height.  The decision will be reviewed after five years.
In chronological order, the following productions have included scenes filmed in the Bourne Wood. All films are feature films unless otherwise stated.


During the Second World War a searchlight post was established in the woodland, the concrete base of which is marked and still visible today. Three structures were erected by Canadian soldiers in the northernmost section of the woods bordering Dene Lane, consisting of a mess hut and barracks for those manning the searchlight. Two of these buildings became separate dwellings owned by Forestry England providing accommodation for employees before becoming private houses.


Much of the wood was formerly heathland at the western end of the Greensand Ridge that was developed privately during the 20th century as commercial conifer plantations.
The headwaters of the Wey (west branch) converging on the town to the north are locally known also as The Bourne, which accordingly has helped to name Lower Bourne, a ward and neighbourhood of Farnham.
Two round tumuli are east and south-east of Forest Cottage in the wood.  They are late Bronze Age, 21m and 26m in diameter and 1.7m and 2m high and one has suffered some disturbance in the centre and the south-eastern quadrant. Surrounding the mound is a ditch from which material was quarried during the construction of the monument. This is no longer visible at ground level, having become infilled over the years, and can be seen in a geophysical survey as a buried feature about 3m wide.


The Bowery Ballroom is a New York City live-music venue located at 6 Delancey Street in the neighborhood of Bowery in Manhattan. The Bowery Ballroom holds something of a cult status among musicians as well as audiences. Rolling Stone  magazine has awarded it #1 Best Club in America. "It's both intimate and grand, with consistently great sound and sightlines, and touches of old-school class, like 84-year-old bronze rails." It has a capacity of 575 people. A detailed scholarly account of the venue and its place in the wider music and cultural history of New York City was published in 2020.


The Bowery Ballroom was founded in 1998 by Michael Swier, Michael Winsch, and Brian Swier, who still own and operate the business. The club was the team's second music venue after The Mercury Lounge.
The building at 6 Delancey Street was built to be a high-end shoe store and haberdashery just before the devastating Wall Street Crash of 1929. It stood vacant until the end of World War II, when it housed a series of shops. Over time the neighborhood declined. In 1998 the building was fully renovated to become The Bowery Ballroom.
Cofounder Michael Swier told the Village Voice and LA Weekly that he and his partners' goals have always been about quality of sound, as well as giving the best experience to both artists and the audience.
Architect and cofounder Brian Swier designed the venue and directed renovations of the historic building with an eye to optimal acoustics for live music. Today the club is one of the rare remaining independent music venues, and continues to be regarded as one of the best for music purists. Both Gothamist and Thrillist tout it as one of New York City's best Music Venues.
“From the beginning, opening the Mercury Lounge, it was all about the stage and the music — for the band, for the people coming to see the bands,” Michael Swier says. “Whether it's the sound system, the acoustic treatment, the way the band sounds to themselves onstage, the sightlines — it was all about that. That reputation of building really good clubs and treating both bands and patrons with the respect they deserve and putting the focus on that kind of grew out of those things."


Patti Smith performed New Year's Eve at the Bowery Ballroom for fourteen consecutive years.
The venue has hosted numerous acts including R.E.M., Coldplay, Quicksand (American band), Kanye West, Lou Reed, Joan Jett, Radiohead, Tony Bennett, The Roots, Lana Del Rey, Måneskin, The Black Keys, Red Hot Chili Peppers, The White Stripes, Metallica, Robert Plant, Arcade Fire, The Killers, Idina Menzel, Lady Gaga, Amy Winehouse, The Dandy Warhols, The Strokes, Jeff Buckley, Broken Social Scene, They Might Be Giants, Lucky Chops, Yo La Tengo,  and Frank Ocean.


The Bowery Ballroom is namesake of Joan Baez's Bowery Songs album, recorded live at the Bowery Ballroom on November 6, 2004. It also appears in the 2000 film Coyote Ugly as well as the 2008 film Nick & Norah's Infinite Playlist.


Bowmanville Zoo was a zoo in Clarington, Ontario, Canada. Founded in 1919, at the time of its closure, in 2016, it was the oldest private zoo in North America. It was a large supplier of animals to the U.S. film industry.
About 100,000 people visited the zoo each year, a figure which dropped by more than two thirds in its final year. The Bowmanville Zoo officially closed on October 10, 2016.


The land now occupied by the zoo, on the banks of Soper Creek, was part of the grounds of the Cream of Barley Mill, located further south on the creek. The mill owner developed a campground and park for tourists, aptly named "The Cream of Barley Campground", on the part of the property that was near the highway. Later, a petting zoo was added to the park.
By 1928, the mill, camp, and park (which now included tourist cabins) were owned by James Morden and operated by Alfred Shrubb, formerly a world-renowned long distance runner. By 1946, the park included tennis courts.
Over time, the zoo aspect of the business became more prominent, and the cabins were turned into animal shelters and storage buildings.
Toronto native Michael Hackenberger was the final owner of the Bowmanville Zoo. In April 2016, Hackenberger was charged with 5 counts of animal abuse by the Ontario Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (OSPCA) due to a video obtained by PETA of Hackenberger whipping a young leashed tiger profusely while swearing at it.


Some of the animal talent included:
Baghera, the black jaguar from Peter Benchley's Amazon
a bevy of camels from The 13th Warrior starring Antonio Banderas
Ron and Julie, siblings hybrid Bengal/Siberian tiger starring in the Discovery Channel/Animal Planet documentary, Living with Tigers
Caesar, the African lion from Rude and The Ghost and the Darkness along with his brother Bongo
Billy, the white Bengal tiger from the TV series Animorphs
the late Bongo, the African lion from the movies The Ghost and the Darkness, George of the Jungle,  Rude, and from the TV series Animorphs
Maggie the Macaque, known for her Stanley Cup Playoffs predictions
Jonas, the Bengal tiger from the film adaptation of Life of Pi
Robbie, a Siberian tiger from the controversial 2014 film The Interview


The zoo once had seven elephants with a mix of African and Asian.
Limba was the lone Asian elephant at the zoo; she arrived in 1989 and was euthanized in late 2013 at the age of 50 after a malignant tumor was found in her abdomen. The pachyderm was well known for appearing in Bowmanville's annual Santa Claus Parade and several movies. With her death and closure of Toronto Zoo's elephant exhibit, the only zoo in Ontario with elephants is the African Lion Safari.


Animals from the Bowmanville Zoo are sometimes displayed as part of shows in various parts of Canada.
Two camels, Shawn and Todd, along with Jonas the tiger, went missing for two days on the way home from one of these trips when their trailer, along with the truck pulling it, was stolen near Drummondville, Quebec in 2010.  All three were found in good health and returned to the zoo.


The zoo participated in breeding programs for endangered species, and also accepted retired circus animals.


In December 2015, the Bowmanville Zoo owner, Michael Hackenberger was accused by People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) of animal cruelty. PETA released a video taken secretly which showed Hackenberger cursing and cracking a whip numerous times at a young Siberian tiger named Uno.
In response to PETA's allegations, Hackenberger released his own video statement. In it, he asserts that although his "language is atrocious and I apologize for that," "PETA, once again, is lying." He stated that only two of the 19 cracks of the whip shown in the video struck the tiger, with the remainder striking either the air or the ground immediately adjacent to the tiger. He also challenged PETA to release the full length of the video taken.
Earlier in 2015, Hackenberger was filmed on live television swearing at a baboon for failing to complete a trick, which involved its jumping off the back of a miniature pony.
On April 13, 2016, as a result of the video of Michael Hackenberger whipping the leashed tiger, five animal cruelty charges were brought against him. The Ontario Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals says it began investigating alleged abuse at the Bowmanville Zoo immediately after reviewing the footage that emerged in December. The agency said the zoo's owner, Michael Hackenberger, was charged with four counts of causing an animal distress; causing an animal distress by striking the animal with a whip handle, causing an animal distress by repeatedly striking an animal with a whip, causing an animal to be in distress by striking the animal in the face with a whip, and causing an animal distress by pushing his thumb into the animals eye. The last charge was one of failing to comply with the prescribed standards of care for an animal. Three of the distress charges relate to the use of a whip, and one related to Hackenberger pushing his thumb into the tigers eye. The OSPCA said it would continue to conduct inspections of the zoo and continue to closely monitor the animals there.
On March 23, 2017, the charges against Michael Hackenberger were judicially stayed. They were automatically withdrawn a year later, on March 23, 2018.


On June 23, 2016, the zoo announced that it would close its doors at the end of the 2016 season, just three years short of its 100-year anniversary which was to occur in 2019. Zoo officials announced that the closure would occur as a result of financial issues caused by a catastrophic decline in attendance following the zoo's owner being charged with animal cruelty. The zoo officially closed its doors on October 10, 2016.
In 2017 the property re-opened as Clarington Family Outdoor Adventure Park and still featured lions and some staff from previous operations.
Plans are currently underway to transform the zoo property into a large municipal park.


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Javed, Noor (23 June 2016). "Bowmanville Zoo to close this year". Retrieved 8 March 2018 – via Toronto Star.
Farooqui, Salmaan (10 October 2016). "Bowmanville Zoo closes for good after animal abuse claims against director". Retrieved 8 March 2018 – via Toronto Star.
"Bowmanville Zoo to close after attendance dwindles in wake of tiger abuse allegations". 23 June 2016. Retrieved 8 March 2018.
"U.S. animal rights group wants to stop transfer of circus elephant to Bowmanville zoo". National Post
Shah, Maryam. "Bowmanville Zoo closes its doors for good". Toronto Sun, 10 October 2016.
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"Flashback". CHEX TV, 22 June 2012.
Humber, William. Bowmanville: A Small Town at the Edge.  Natural Heritage Books, 1997.
"Bowmanville Tennis club rallies to save courts". Oshawa This Week, 7 October 2009.
Clinton, Julie. "Movie Reviews the Ghost and the Darkness" Archived 1 July 2014 at the Wayback Machine. Entertainment Scene 360.
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"Limba the elephant euthanized at Bowmanville Zoo". CBC News. 3 December 2013. Retrieved 3 December 2013.
Commisso, Christina (3 December 2013). "Lone elephant at Bowmanville, Ont. zoo dies". Retrieved 8 March 2018.
O'Connor, Kevin. "Stolen Bowmanville Zoo animals found safe". Toronto Sun, 22 June 2010.
McCready, Lindsay. "Bowmanville Zoo at the fair" Archived 4 March 2016 at the Wayback Machine. Moose Jaw Times, 20 June 2013.
"Shawn, Todd, Jonas back home in Bowmanville Zoo". Ottawa Citizen.
U.S. group opposes planned move of circus elephant to Bowmanville Zoo. the Canadian Press, 26 February 2013.
"Hollywood Animal Trainer Caught on Video Viciously Whipping a Young Tiger". Retrieved 8 March 2018.
Deschamps, Tara (22 December 2015). "PETA accuses Bowmanville Zoo owner of abusing Siberian Tiger". The Toronto Star. Retrieved 23 December 2015.
"YouTube". www.youtube.com. Archived from the original on 23 December 2015. Retrieved 8 March 2018.
"Owner of Bowmanville Zoo faces animal cruelty charges - CBC News". Retrieved 8 March 2018.
"Bowmanville Zoo announces closing its doors at end of 2016 season". CP24. Retrieved 23 June 2016.
"New business at Bowmanville Zoo property criticized for selling lion 'cub encounters' - Globalnews.ca - Bowmanville news". NewsLocker. Retrieved 8 March 2018.
"Bowmanville Zoo property could become mega-park - The Chronicle".


The Brücke von Andau (Hungarian: Mosontarcsai híd or Andaui híd) is a small bridge over the Einserkanal / Hanság-főcsatorna, a small artificial river which forms part of the border between Austria and Hungary. It is located near to the village of Andau (Burgenland, Austria).


In 1996, with the 40th anniversary of the Hungarian Revolution, the bridge was rebuilt as a symbol of tolerance and helpfulness. Organised as a joint operation by the Austrian and Hungarian armies, it replaced a stub bridge, which had been built by peasants for transportation reasons. At the same time, the Road Of Freedom was used as an open-air exhibition with the title "Road Of Woes", showing about ninety sculptures and other art works by Hungarian and Austrian artists.


As a symbol of freedom, the bridge not only achieved fame with the book The Bridge at Andau by James Michener (1957), but also became a world-known memorial. The Bridge of Andau is also the topic of Der Bockerer III – Die Brücke von Andau, a 2000 Austrian movie dealing with the Hungarian Revolution in a slightly humorous manner, the third part of Der Bockerer.


Bradford City Park is a public space in the centre of Bradford, West Yorkshire. It is centred on the Grade I listed Bradford City Hall. The city park comprises three main areas (each side of the triangular City Hall site.) To the east of the City Hall is the Norfolk Gardens area. As part of the renovations to City Park an underused concrete footbridge was removed and a new bus canopy was installed.
In front of City Hall is Centenary Square. This area was extensively landscaped and now comprises raised lawns, seating and a large area of stone sets. This area is used for exhibition space and market stalls during the European markets.
The north-western corner of the park is the mirror pool and its surrounds. Construction of this section begun in 2011 and was officially opened on 24 March 2012 with an all-day celebratory event featuring parkour, fireworks, balloons and other attractions
The city park was part of the 'masterplan' for Bradford city centre, a regeneration project first begun in 2003. Several revisions were made to the original plans. Funding was announced by the council in July 2009 and work was begun in December 2009.
In 2012, City Park was awarded the title of best Place in the UK and Ireland by the Academy of Urbanism


The water features in the mirror pool were commissioned by Birse Civil Engineering. Water in the pool is in part supplied from a 787-foot (240m) deep borehole. The capacity of the pool is about 600,000L and will be about 10 inches (25 cm) deep at the deepest parts.


Braník Bridge (Czech: Branický most), also known as the Bridge of the Intelligentsia (Czech: most Inteligence) is a reinforced-concrete rail bridge with a pedestrian path in Prague, Czech Republic, crossing the Vltava river from Malá Chuchle to the border of Braník and Hodkovičky. The bridge is 910 metres long and 14 metres wide.
As a part of Branická spojka (the Braník Branch Line) the structure links the Prague–Pilsen line to the Nusle–Modřany branch line. The walkway links the Braník district to the Malá Chuchle district.


The bridge was planned as a part of the Prague Rail Bypass. Work began in 1949 and the structure was finished in 1955.


The bridge is commonly known as the Braník Bridge after the Braník district. However its unofficial name, the Bridge of the Intelligentsia, is more popular with older residents of the city. After the communist coup d'état of 1948, Czechoslovak intelligentsia were forced to work as labourers. Large numbers of Prague intellectuals (lawyers, philosophers, teachers, etc.) worked on the bridge, giving it its unofficial name.


Brandberg Mountain is located in former Damaraland, now Erongo, in the northwestern Namib Desert, near the coast, and covers an area of approximately 650 km². With its highest point, the Königstein (German for 'King's Stone'), standing at 2,573 m (8,442 ft) above sea level and located on the flat Namib gravel plains, on a clear day 'The Brandberg' can be seen from a great distance. There are various routes to the summit, the easiest (also steepest) being up the Ga'aseb river valley, but other routes include the Hungurob and Tsisab river valleys. The nearest settlement is Uis, roughly 30 km from the mountain.
The core area of 450 square kilometres (170 sq mi) was declared a National Monument in 1951.


The name Brandberg is Afrikaans, Dutch and German for Burning Mountain, which comes from its glowing color which is sometimes seen in the setting sun. The Damara name for the mountain is Dâures, which means 'burning mountain', while the Herero name, Omukuruvaro means 'mountain of the Gods'.


The Brandberg Massif or Brandberg Intrusion is a granitic intrusion, which forms a dome-shaped massif. It originated during Early Cretaceous rifting that led to the opening of the South Atlantic Ocean. Argon–argon dating yielded intrusive ages of 132 to 130 Ma. The dominant plutonic rock is a homogeneous medium grained biotite-hornblende granite. In the western interior of the massif (Naib gorge), a 2 km in diameter body of pyroxene-bearing monzonite is exposed. The youngest intrusive rocks based on cross-cutting relations are arfvedsonite granite dikes and sills in the southwestern periphery of the Brandberg massif which crop out in the Amis valley. The arfvedsonite granites contain minerals rich in rare-earth element minerals such as pyrochlore and bastnaesite. Remnants of Cretaceous volcanic rocks are preserved in a collar along the western and southern margins of the massif. Their angle of dip increases towards the contact where clasts of country rock occur within the granite forming a magmatic breccia. The origins of the magmas that formed the Brandberg intrusion are related to emplacement of mantle-derived basaltic magma during continental break-up which led to partial melting of crustal rocks resulting in a hybrid granitic magma. Erosion subsequently removed the overburden rock. Apatite fission track dating indicates approximately 5 km denudation between 80 and 60 Ma.
An associated feature is the Doros Complex.


The Brandberg is a spiritual site of great significance to the San (Bushman) tribes. The main tourist attraction is The White Lady rock painting, located on a rock face with other art work, under a small rock overhang, in the Tsisab Ravine at the foot of the mountain. The ravine contains more than 1 000 rock shelters, as well as more than 45 000 rock paintings.
To reach The White Lady it is necessary to hike for about 40 minutes over rough terrain, along the ancient watercourses threading through the mountain.
The higher elevations of the mountain contain hundreds of further rock paintings, most of which have been painstakingly documented by Harald Pager, who made tens of thousands of hand copies. Pager's work was posthumously published by the Heinrich Bart Institute, in the six volume series "Rock Paintings of the Upper Brandberg" edited by Tilman Lenssen-Erz. (I. Amis Gorge, II. Hungorob Gorge, III. Southern Gorges (Ga'aseb & Orabes), IV. Umuab & Karoab Gorges, V. Naib (A)and the Northwest, VI. Naib (B), Circus & Dom Gorges. Volume VII. Numas Gorge is unlikely to be published due to discontinued funding.)


The Brandberg is also home to some interesting desert flora. Damaraland is well known for its grotesque aloes and euphorbias and the region around the mountain is no exception. The area has many plants and trees that have an alien appearance, due in part to the extreme climatic conditions.
The area is uninhabited and wild. It is very arid and finding water can be difficult or impossible. In summer temperatures over 40 °C are routine.
Nonetheless, the Brandberg area is home to a large diversity of wildlife. The numbers of animals are small because the environment cannot support large populations, however most of the desert species that are found in Namibia are present and visitors to the area might glimpse a desert dwelling elephant or a rare black rhino.
The new insect taxon Mantophasmatodea was first discovered on this mountain in 2002.
The scorpion fauna of the Brandberg massif is probably the richest in southern Africa.


The Brandberg lies within the Karroo-Namib floristic region and few members of the Cape flora are represented.A checklist of 357 species was published in 1974 by Bertil Nordenstam stating that 11 taxa are endemic to the Brandberg, with a further 28 species endemic to the Kaoko element.
A large and significant group of species has a disjunction between the Karroo-Namib region in the south, and the arid parts of north-east Africa. These appear to be remnants of a hypothesised arid-track joining the two areas.


Aloidendron dichotomum is the largest and arguably the most conspicuous succulent on the mountain exceeding 5m height. It is infrequently encountered, mainly on the upper southern slopes.
Cyphostemma currorii is another large succulent of the grape family that is scattered across the mountain.
Myrothamnus flabellifolius is the resurrection plant. It is common on some of the upper slopes, and can be made into a tea.
Olea europaea subsp. africana. Not normally associated with such arid regions, this is only known from the peak of Konigstein.


Euphorbia monteiroi subsp. brandbergensis is a toxic upright succulent found in the upper altitudes. It is occasionally browsed, presumably by dassies (rock hyraxes).
Plumbago wissii has pink flowers.
Hermannia merxmuelleri was previously only known from Tsisab valley, and is unusual within the genus in having a crested capsule much like the American species of Hermannia and Hermannia cristata from the summer-rainfall region of South Africa.
Othonna brandbergensis discovered by B. Nordenstam on 29 May 1963.
Hoodia montana
Mentha wissii
Ruellia brandbergensis
Felicia gunellii
Nidorella nordenstamii
Pentzia tomentosa
Scirpus aciformis
Scirpus hystricoides


Detlev Henschel (2013), AFRICA OFF THE ROAD: Four-by-four-, gun-, and hiking-stories from Namibia's boondocks (The Brandberg Massif), Amazon, ISBN 978-3-7375-6100-6


The church is an annex to Kippinge Church as it has been since before the Reformation. There is little information about ownership in the Middle Ages apart from the fact that the Crown had calling rights for the appointment of clergy.  In 1585, the church owned factories and land strips on three farms. After the Reformation, the church was owned by the Crown until it was auctioned into private ownership in 1767 but by 1793 had been reacquired by the State. In 1868, it was bought by the citizens of the parish.


The apse has retained its half-domed vault. The cross vaults in the chancel and the nave's flat ceiling are original. Salt decay is noted on a vault's medieval bricks. The altarpiece, a carved triptych from c. 1450 similar to the one in Vålse Church, depicts the Crucifixion in the centre flanked by the Apostles. The paintings on the back of the lateral panels are of the Virgin Mary, John the Evangelist, St Catherine and John the Baptist.
The crucifix on the west wall, 268 cm (106 in) in height, dates from the beginning of the 14th century. The pulpit (1635) is the work of Jørgen Ringnis, carved in the Auricular style. Similar to that in Nørre Alslev Church, it contains carved figures of Moses, Christ the Savior and John the Baptist. The figures of the four Evangelists, originally in the panels of the pulpit, are now in the apse. Originally in the chancel arch, it was moved to the southeast corner of the church, probably in 1852.


The church has frescoes from three periods, those in the apse are from c. 1275, the chancel arch decorations are from c. 1300, attributed to the Kippinge workshop, and those on the walls of the chancel and nave are from 1500–1520, attributed to the Brarup workshop. The dome of the apse contains an interesting representation of the Coronation of the Virgin from c. 1275, the oldest in Denmark, probably influenced by monks of the mendicant orders of the period. To the north, there are three female saints, St Catherine, St Margaret and a nun saint. To the south, a bishop without a halo and three kings can be seen, at least two with a halo. The kneeling woman is undoubtedly one of the founders of the church although there is no portrait of the male counterpart.
The frescos on the chancel arch with seraphim and angels bearing censers are attributed to the Kippinge workshop. There are also traces of the story of the Creation including Adam and Eve.
The murals on the chancel walls from 1500 to 1520 are the work of the Brarup Master. St Erasmus and St Lawrence can be seen on the north wall, the Resurrection of Jesus on the south. The chancel arch displays Christ in Majesty flanked by Mary, John the Baptist and the Apostles. The frescos on the north wall present the childhood of Jesus and scenes from the Passion. The alleged relationship to the Elmelund workshop is difficult to see if the Annunciation is compared to its depiction in Fanefjord or Elmelunde. The eyes and nose of Pilate's face are clearly different from those in Elmelunde. The south wall presents St Christopher with the baby Jesus and George and the Dragon. Beside the west door there are four murals of the story of Adam and Eve.


Brattøra is an artificial island in the city of Trondheim in Trøndelag county, Norway. The 0.485-square-kilometre (120-acre) island is located at the mouth of the river Nidelva just north of the city centre (Midtbyen), west of Nyhavna, and south of Trondheimsfjord. There is a canal that divides the mainland from what is now the island of Brattøra.  In addition to some commercial offices, most of the island is used by Trondheim Central Station and Trondheim Port.
The island is connected to the western parts of Trondheim by the Skansen Tunnel which was completed in 2010.
Since the late 1990s, there has been an urban renewal program at Brattøra, converting parts of the port to office buildings, including the swimming pool "Pirbadet" and a massive office complex housing among others Reinertsen and the Norwegian School of Management.  Brattøra also houses Pirterminalen, the docks for the high-speed catamaran services to Fosen and Kristiansund as well as the corporate headquarters of Fosen Trafikklag. The Coastal Express and other cruise ships also stop at Brattøra.
Brattøra was the site of the Øreting, the regional Ting during the Middle Ages.