A selection of my work will be displayed in a photographic exhibition until 31th August in Grimma, Café “Kleine Welt”. The exhibition will feature landscape photography from the Hebrides. It will include a part of the new HDR-photographs.
Eine Auswahl meiner Arbeiten wird bis zum 31.August 08 in Grmma, Café “Kleine Welt” (Weberstraße) zu sehen sein. Auch die neuen HDR-Fotos spielen darin eine Rolle. Ansonsten werden Landschaftsfotografien von den Hebriden gezeigt.
If it comes to windturbines in our days, the blood starts boiling! At least the mentalities of our society seem to be split at once as soon as the suggestion of a wind generator in front of our door appears in the local paper. I was a bit involved in a case myself on the Isle of Lewis, as you can read a bit further down in this blog.
The four turbines seen above are visible from my window. There was/ is a huge opposition against them in the area. So that it never came to the planned seven wind generators (600 kw each). The majority of my kin here argued against the to be spoilt landscape in front of their doorstep. Well, the landscape in the area around the turbines is stamped by agriculture, a main road (which connects to the motorway), powerlines and the huge chimney of a coal power station.
Even if the wind blows from a different direction, the plume of this coal power station is visible from a 100 kilometre distance. The image was taken from the roof of the house I live in. This plume is visible from all directions. I’ve never heard complaints about it.
I’ve never heard complaints about the power lines either.
The (at this time) worlds biggest solar power station “Waldpolenz” has been officially launched last Sunday. The solar park is situated some kilometres east of the city of Leipzig/ East Germany, being built on a former military air base.
At this time 350.000 thin film solar panels have been installed which will be 500.000 by the end of the year. 40 Mw will be produced which is now already 25 Mw. The power plant covers an area of 2.000 by 600 metres.
Pictures from the opening ceremony
Wolfgang Tiefensee, Federal Minister for Transport, Building and Urban Affairs
Choir “Thomanerchor”, Leipzig
Germany, Land Of Ideas - 365 landmarks are selected for creativity and developement of ideas. The “Waldpolenz” solar park created by the juwi-group www.juwi.de has been picked as one of the winners.
Many hands are needed to switch on such a big power station.
Luskentyre is certainly one of the most spectacular beaches the Outer Hebrides have to offer. And despite its beauty it still remains a peaceful and quite empty beach. I seldom saw more than a handful people at one time walking along the waters edge.
Regardless my growing image stock of this place, the above seen photograph remains my favourite. Half an hour before pushing the shutter release for this picture the scenery was completely dived in (rather typical) grey sand, water and light.
This is the area of the abandonded settlement of Ròisinis on the Isle of Eriskay/ Scotland. Ròisinis is translated “Horse Headland”.
The town of Grimma in Saxony/ East Germany was hit by a flood catastrophe in August 2002. It had been the worst ever recorded. The consequences residents had to deal with are clearly to be seen in the below images.
A major problem causing these circumstances is that parts of the town were built right in the floodplains of the river Mulde during the times of the Middle Age.
But then! – despite all experiences made over the centuries, building in the floodplains goes on. The last three pictures refer to the new police headquarter for West Saxony. In the second last photograph you can recognise the close proximity to the river and in its middle left part a glimpse of the suspension bridge which’s situation in 2002 is described in an picture above. In the abstract this would be the very first building of the town standing under water in case of a new flood. Officials tend to blame the people of the Middle Age for the problems. But what about the people of the 21st century?
Im August 2002 wurde die Stadt Grimma/ Sachsen von einem Hochwasser heimgesucht, welches sicher noch jedem in Erinnerung ist. Die obigen Bilder zeigen nur einen Teil der verheerenden Auswirkungen.
Aber!
Trotz der einschlägigen Erfahrungen wurde unmittelbar ins Überflutungsgebiet der Mulde das neue Polizeipräsidium für Westsachsen gebaut. Ein zuvor von der Russischen Garnison als Hospital genutztes Gebäude, wurde zu diesem Zweck grundhaft saniert und weitere Gebäugekomplexe, quer zur Flussrichtung, hinzugefügt (drittletztes Bild, blauer Block, links vom Hauptgebäude). Das vorletzte Bild verdeutlicht die Nähe zur Mulde und lässt im linken Bildteil die Hängebrücke erkennen, welche weiter oben in der Situation 2002 gezeigt wird. Rein theoretisch wäre das Polizeipräsidium nun das erste Gebäude von Grimma, welches bei einem erneuten Hochwasser unter Wasser stehen würde.
Gefragt, warum sich nun ausgerechnet Naturschützer an diesem Bauwerk beteiligen (ökologische Baubegleitung) und diesem Projekt einen scheinbar ökologischen Stempel aufdrücken, antwortete mir ein Mitarbeiter der Ökologischen Station Borna u.a.: “… Schuld seien die Menschen im Mittelalter gewesen, welche Teile der Stadt unmittelbar ins Überschwemmungsgebiet des Flusses gebaut hätten. …”. Dieses Argument beruht auf einer wahren Tatsache. Fraglich erscheint mir dabei, ob wir nun im 21. Jahrhundert immer noch die selben Fehler machen müssen wie die Leute aus dem Mittelalter?
Sei noch hinzugefügt, dass große Teile des unmitttelbar an den Fluss angrenzenden Stadtviertels in Zukunft von einer monströsen Mauer von der Mulde abgegrenzt werden sollen. “Wir müssen die Natur respektieren!”, hört man den Bürgermeister der Stadt sehr oft behaupten.
The Elbe-River cycling path belongs to my favourite destinations if it comes to cycling tours here within Germany. Right from the start in neighbour country Czech Republic up to the estuary of the river near Cuxhaven/ North Sea you can force your bike along 860 km river landscapes, beautiful floodplains with partly very ancient solitary trees and cultural places. During my trips I regularly could watch Sea Eagles and beavers. In winter time you’ll be accompanied by the cries of thousands of wild gees and cranes. It is a real natural experience. And the residents you’ll find very hospitable. Big parts of the river and its floodplains belong to an Unesco Biosphere Reserve.
But the river is also waterway. As you certainly can imagine, Germany has enough engineers who are keen in converting the river into a building site. There are steady campaigns throughout the years to preserve this ecosystem from further engineering, as this current online petition against a channel between river Elbe and river Saale.
Three websites you might find interesting:
National Park “Saxon Switzerland”
Good luck and don’t get lost!!!
A 181-turbine wind farm has been refused by the Scottish governement. AMEC and Lewis Windpower Ltd. intended to build this industrial site on protected moorland in the Outer Hebrides. The moor is designated under the EC Bird Directive and EC Habitats Directive. - The second picture is refering to a protest walk in August 2005 on the above Barvas Moor.
Renewable energy plays a most important roll for our future, but it has to be given into the right hands.
These Przewalski horses are part of a landscape- and nature conservation project at the borders of the city of Leipzig. They live here semi wild on 35 hectare land, without a horse stable and without getting extra food apart from what is growing in their habitat. And as you can recognise in the upper left corner, civilisation is not far: high–rise concrete buildings for appr. 20.000 inhabitants border the meadow.
Przewalskis are actually not recognised to be “horses”, but wild animals.
