Set in a serene landscape in the south-western Steigerwald in Middle Franconia, Bavaria, Frankenberg Castle crowns the Herrschaftsberg. With its medieval towers, flanked by steep vineyards, the castle rises above a gently rolling hilly landscape. In addition to a 30-hectare wine-growing area, which makes Frankenberg one of the largest wineries in the region, the 130-hectare castle grounds include forests, arable land, orchards, and the Meierei, a historical dairy farm at the foot of the hill. With a history going back to at least 1254 and the rule of the renowned knight dynasty of von Hutten for more than 250 years, the monument is a substantial testimony to Franconian chivalric life.
The Frankenberg estate stood at the centre of 16th and 17th century religious conflicts. The religious border separating Protestant from Catholic lands still today runs through the estate. With Ulrich von Hutten as the noble family’s most notable member, Frankenberg makes the spirit of the Reformation, Renaissance humanist ideals and German culture tangible. Ulrich was a poet, scholar, and publisher, and the first imperial knight, but later made a name for himself as an avid reformer, and friend and ally to Martin Luther. From then on, he zealously opposed both the Pope and the Emperor and thus contributed significantly to the religious denominational schism.
References:The ancient Argos Theater was built in 320 BC. and is located in Argos, Greece against Larissa Hill. Nearby from this site is Agora, Roman Odeon, and the Baths of Argos. The theater is one of the largest architectural developments in Greece and was renovated in ca 120 AD.
The Hellenistic theater at Argos is cut into the hillside of the Larisa, with 90 steps up a steep incline, forming a narrow rectilinear cavea. Among the largest theaters in Greece, it held about 20,000 spectators and is divided by two landings into three horizontal sections. Staircases further divide the cavea into four cunei, corresponding to the tribes of Argos A high wall was erected to prevent unauthorized access into the theatron and may have helped the acoustics, but it is said the sound quality is still very good today.
Around 120 CE, both theaters were renovated in the Roman style.