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Founded: 13th centuryCategory: Religious sites in Germany
Historical period: Hohenstaufen Dynasty (Germany)
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St. John’s Church in Schaprode from the early 13th century is one of the oldest buildings in the area. The Romanesque choir with the apse and parts of the Eastern wall of the (formerly) three-aisle nave have been preserved in their original state. The four-bay, rib-vaulted nave was constructed after 1450. The oldest features include tomb slabs from 1369 and 1403. The late Gothic triumphal cross ensemble on the roof beam (around 1500) is particularly spectacular. The sculptor Hans Broder and the painter Franz Rose created the pulpit, the confessional and probably also the baptismal font in 1723. The Baroque three-storey altarpiece with scenes from the life of Christ was added in 1730. The distinctive church tower can be seen for miles and has been used by seafarers as a landmark for centuries.
References:Roman Walls of Lugo are an exceptional architectural, archaeological and constructive legacy of Roman engineering, dating from the 3rd and 4th centuries AD. The Walls are built of internal and external stone facings of slate with some granite, with a core filling of a conglomerate of slate slabs and worked stone pieces from Roman buildings, interlocked with lime mortar.
Their total length of 2117 m in the shape of an oblong rectangle occupies an area of 1.68 ha. Their height varies between 8 and 10 m, with a width of 4.2 m, reaching 7 m in some specific points. The walls still contain 85 external towers, 10 gates (five of which are original and five that were opened in modern times), four staircases and two ramps providing access to the walkway along the top of the walls, one of which is internal and the other external. Each tower contained access stairs leading from the intervallum to the wall walk of town wall, of which a total of 21 have been discovered to date.
The defences of Lugo are the most complete and best preserved example of Roman military architecture in the Western Roman Empire.
Despite the renovation work carried out, the walls conserve their original layout and the construction features associated with their defensive purpose, with walls, battlements, towers, fortifications, both modern and original gates and stairways, and a moat.
Since they were built, the walls have defined the layout and growth of the city, which was declared a Historical-Artistic Ensemble in 1973, forming a part of it and becoming an emblematic structure that can be freely accessed to walk along. The local inhabitants and visitors alike have used them as an area for enjoyment and as a part of urban life for centuries.
The fortifications were added to UNESCO"s World Heritage List in late 2000 and are a popular tourist attraction.