Bled Lake - Slovenia

 bled lake is one of the beautiful and romantic lakes located in the region of Slovenia. if we look further into this lake, we can find things that are beautiful and unique that we can not see in other places. for example, the beauty of the lake with a towering castle, various events which take place each year more and complete it's beauty. to better know a lot, I serve on its history and what happened in lake bled each year.

History of Bled

The fertile land, the protective shelter of the castle hill and the island, have always invited the settlement of the Bled area. The first, and still rare traces of humans in Bled, date back to the Stone Age. In the Iron Age, when the mining of iron began in the Alpine regions, settlement increased.

 Beneath the layer of an already discovered Slavic necropolis at Pristava pod Gradom, archeologists discovered 80 gravesites from the late Iron Age (800 to 600 BC) - Celtic and Roman finds however, are more modest. Bled was later well populated by the Slavs, who arrived in two waves. The Slavic settlements were most probably located at exactly the same spots where the lakeside villages of Mlino, Želeče, Zagorice, Grad and Rečica formed in the late Middle Ages.

A number of gravesites are well known: Žale - the site of the modern day cemetery (archeologically excavated in 1894), the park at the current Vila Bled (1929), the necropolis in Želeče (1937), the large necropolis at Pristava pod Gradom (1948 to 1951), the gravesites next to the current parking area below the entrance to the castle (1960, 1968) and the necropolis on Bled island (1962 to 1966).

Slavic settlement The first wave of settlement of the Bled area occurred in the 7th century, the next reached the Bled basin during the 9th and 10th centuries. Finds from the first settlements illustrate the culture of the Old Slavic state of King Samo (632 - 658) and the late antiquity traditions in these lands. Finds from the second wave of settlement, such as ornaments found in gravesites include enamelled and engraved earrings in the shape of a half-moons, circlets, round brooches and iron knives. These artefacts indicate the historical development of Bled up to the 10th century and some of these can be seen on exhibition at the Castle museum.

The bishops of Brixen

After the fall of the Old Slavic state, Bled with its surrounding area fell under Frankisch (Charlemagne 782) and later under Gdrman rule. In 1004 the emperor Henrik II divided the lands between the two Sava rivers, and in 1011 awarded Bled Castle, to Bishop Albuin of Brixen - a photocopy of the original title deed can be found in the collection at the castle. This action was a major turning point in the history of Bled. The keepers of the castle were bonded knights, who upheld feudal authority in the name of the bishops.
 As a result, great changes occurred in the forming of estates and the settlement of the region. In the middle of the 14th century the Bishops of Brixen gave up direct administration of their properties in Bled and leased them to the chief administrators at the time, the von Kreigh family. Because of encroachment on their rights and brutal treatment and oppression, in 1515 the peasants joined the fight for the "old justice" in a pan-Slovene revolt.

In 1558 a new holder, the Protestant protector Herbert VII of Auersperg, took over the castle. Until the middle of the 18th century the lessors were exclusively aristocratic; later these also included townsmen, but they rarely lived in the castle. In 1803, after 800 years of Brixen rule, Bled passed into state ownership by a decree of the Court Commission in Vienna.

From 1809 to 1813, it was included in Napoleon's Empire as part of the Illyrian provinces, then it came once again into the hands of the Austrian Emperor who returned Bled to the bishops of Brixen for the last time in 1838. With the abolishment of the feudal system ten years later, the estate lost its character of a feudal economic and social unit. In the second half of the 19th century, Bled changed considerably. The characteristic villages of Gorenjska, which had been autonomous units ever since the Middle Ages, were united. Income decreased, and in 1858 Brixen sold the Bled estate to Viktor Ruard, the owner of the Jesenice Ironworks. He kept the castle, the lake and the usable land around it, and sold the rest to the Kranj Industrial Company. In 1882 Ruard sold the estate to a Viennese wholesale merchant named Adolf Muhr, and in 1919 Bled hotelier Ivan Kenda bought the castle with the lake - for the first time the property passed into Slovenian hands. In 1937 it was taken over by the Associated Commercial Bank and finally bought by the Drava Province. During World War II, Bled was used to house the German military and civil headquarters, and in 1960 it acquired the status of a town. 

Bled today

Between the two world wars, Bled remained the most cosmopolitan spa in Yugoslavia and the summer residence of the Karadjordjević family, the Yugoslav royal family. It was also visited by many domestic and foreign guests. It became a centre of political and diplomatic life in the summer months. After World War II it continued its tourist tradition - its inhabitants took over and renovated many tourist-recreation facilities which passed into Slovene hands. Since Tito had a residence in Vila Bled, Bled was visited by many statesmen, politicians and culturati from Yugoslavia and abroad. Vila Bled has been renovated and is today a top category hotel which can accommodate even the most demanding guests. Arnold Rikli, however, has not been forgotten. On the 50th anniversary of his activities, his admirers erected a monument to him at Straža which can still be seen, as well as issuing a memorial plaque. On his 125th anniversary, the Bled Tourist Association erected a monument to him in the Spa Park.  

 Traditional events 

The most famous of Bled´s events is the "Bled Days". This happens on the 4th weekend of July each year. It is a beautiful sight with floating lights on the lake and fireworks to set the scene, as well as the "Home and Art Craft Fair" to see and various concerts on the Bled promenade to enjoy. On New year´s Day, you can listen to classical music at the traditional New year´s Day Gala Concert at the Festival Hall - Easter Sunday, however is the day for non other than the Easter Concert.

Within the setting of the "Merry December" festivities, you can buy gifts at the St. Nicholas Fair and the Christmas/New year Fair. Amongst numerous other events, one of the more interesting ones is "The Legend of the Sunken Bell" which happens on Christmas Day - and you must not forget to embark on a romantic stroll around the lake with flickering fire torches. It was for the first time in the year 1999 that we organized Rikli´s sports days in the beginning of July - this included an expedition to Straža following "the Rikli method" and various sporting tournaments.

This is many event that we can choose in  2013 if we want to go there :

1 January	TRADITIONAL NEW YEAR'S GALA CONCERT
February	17th TRADITIONAL HIKE AND TOUR SKI ON GALETOVEC
9- 12 February	CARNIVAL EVENTS
15 - 17 February	6th INTERNATIONAL HOT AIR BALLOON FESTIVAL
23 February	BLED WINTER SWIMMING CUP
February	EUROSANK 2013 - the most attractive slalom in the history of Slovenia
1 - 3 March	TOUR DE SKI GORJE - POKLJUKA
March	52nd FIS SKI WORLD CUP VITRANC KRANJSKA GORA
March	23rd POKLJUKA MARATHON ADRIATIC SLOVENICA
March	FIS WORLD CUP SKI JUMPING FINAL PLANICA 2012
12 - 17 March	EUROPEAN CURLING CHAMPIONSHIP
30 March - 4 April	EASTER EVENTS
10 April	MUNICIPALITY CELEBRATION
April	54th FIRST-MAY ROWING REGATTA
1 May	TRADITIONAL 1st MAY WALK INTO THE CAVE UNDER BABJI ZOB
11 May	27th FOLK-STYLE MUSIC EVENING »ALPSKI VEČER«
May	EUROPEAN TAEKWONDO CHAMPIONSHIP
May	45th INTERNATIONAL WRITERS' MEETING "P.E.N."- BLED MEETINGS
15 - 18  May	9th INTERNATIONAL CONGRESS ON CEREBRAL PALSY
25 - 27 May	CELEBRATION OF THE 105th ANNIVERSARY OF THE BRASS BAND ASSOCIATION GODBA GORJE
May / June	CASTLE WEDDING AT THE BLED CASTLE
June	7th MEDIEVAL DAYS AT THE BLED CASTLE
	4th SLOVENIAN HALF IRONMAN - LOVEMAN TRIATHLON
June	58th INTERNATIONAL ROWING REGATTA
25 June	THE NATIONAL DAY CEREMONY
June - July	18th INTERNATIONAL MUSIC FESTIVAL BLED 2013
July, August	BLED SUMMER WEEKLY PROGRAM 2013
7 July	15th TRADITIONAL RIKLI'S WALK
July	NIGHT'S 10 (NIGHT RUN AROUND LAKE BLED - 10 KM)
July	ST MARGARET'S FAIR AT BOHINJSKA BELA
19 - 21 July	BLED DAYS AND BLED NIGHT
August	23rd OKARINA ETHNO FESTIVAL BLED 2012
August	BOHINJSKA BELA - THE BEST FISHERMEN'S VILLAGE
August	SUMMER HOCKEY LEAGUE RUDI HITI
August	4rd HALF MARATHON BLED
September	BLED STRATEGIC FORUM
September	TRIATHLON BLED
September	BOLLE RUN AROUND THE LAKE
September	23rd NATIONAL ROWING CHAMPIONSHIP
September	JUNIOR GRAND PRIX OF FIGURE SKATING
November	EUROPEAN BROOMBALL CHAMPIONSHIP
16 November	FOLK-STYLE MUSIC HIT PARADE - OBERKRAINER
December	»MERRY DECEMBER« EVENTS
12 - 16 December	BIATHLON WORLD CUP
25 December	LEGEND OF THE SUNKEN BELL
26 December	ST. STEPHEN'S FAIR WITH BLESSING OF HORSES
29 December	MERRILY WITH OUR FOLK MUSICIANS
30 December	CIRCLE OF FRIENDSHIP AROUND LAKE BLED AND BLED WATER SYMPHONY
31 December	NEW YEAR'S CELEBRATIONS WITH FIREWORKS

above is a bit of information about lake bled. I hope the information that I provide can increase knowledge and increased knowledge of the places to be visited with family, spouse, friend. Thank you.

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Colosseum, Rome

The Colosseum is probably the most famous landmark in Rome. Built in the 1st century AD, this great arena could seat 45,000 spectators and was the largest Roman amphitheater in the world.

It hosted gladiatorial combats, spectacles with wild beasts and possibly the execution of early Christians. Throughout the Middle Ages, the Colosseum was believed to be a place of martyrdom and was therefore regarded as a sacred place.

History

Construction on the Colosseum began under Emperor Vespasian (69-79) and was completed under his son Titus (79-81) in 80 AD. It was built on the site of an artificial lake created by Nero in this valley between Rome's many hills, in front of his Domus Aurea palace.

The arena was then known as the Flavian Amphitheatre, after the family name of the emperors who built it. The name "Colosseum" was not used until 7th century, and derives from the colossal statue of Nero that once stood here. After Nero's death, the statue was transformed into a representation of Helios, the sun god. It remained standing until the Middle Ages, when it was probably melted down for its bronze.

The amphitheatre was used for gladiatorial combats, mock sea battles, animal hunts, executions, re-enactments of famous battles, and dramas based on Classical mythology. The inaugural festival of the Flavian Amphitheatre, which was the largest amphitheatre in the world, lasted 100 days, during which over 5,000 wild beasts were killed in the arena.

The arena was restored in about 230 AD by Emperor Alexander Severus (222-35). The statistics of those who met their deaths at the Colosseum during another festival, held in 240 AD, are staggering: 2,000 gladiators; 70 lions; 40 wild horses; 30 elephants; 30 leopards; 20 wild asses; 19 giraffes; 10 elks; 10 hyenas; 10 tigers; 1 hippopotamus; and 1 rhinoceros.

The Flavian Amphitheatre was damaged by fire and earthquake several times but was continually restored until the end of the 5th century. Gladiatorial combats were outlawed by the Christian emperor Honorius in 407 and fights with wild beasts were banned in 523. After this, the arena went out of use.

According to the bishop and church historian Theodoret, Honorius was moved to ban the bloody spectacle of the gladiators because of a simple monk named Telmachus:

A certain man of the name of Telemahus had embraced the ascetic life. When the abominable spectacle was being exhibited, he went himself into the stadium, and, stepping down into the arena, endeavored to stop the men who were wielding their weapons against one another.

The spectators of the slaughter were indignant, and inspired by the mad fury of the demon who delights in those bloody deeds, stoned the peacemaker to death.
When the admirable emperor was informed of this he numbered Telemachus in the army of victorious martyrs, and put an end to that impious spectacle.
(Theodoret, Ecclesiastical History 5.26)

Telemachus is the only Colosseum martyr of whom there is any evidence. The long-held belief that scores of Christians met their deaths here in the 1st to 3rd centuries has no evidence to support it and may only be a legend.

However, it is perfectly possible there were martyrdoms here, since Christians are known to have been executed in other Roman amphitheatres, such as the one at Lyon and in the Circus of Nero on Vatican Hill (see St. Peter's Basilica).

The belief that Christians were martyred here was a fairly early one, as reflected by the response of Pope Gregory the Great (590-604) to the Byzantine emperor's request for some Roman relics: among the relics given was a bag of sand from the Colosseum floor.

The Colosseum fell into disrepair shortly after its closure in 523. In 526, the barbarian Totila and his forces destroyed parts of it in order to take the valuable bronze clamps that held the stones together. After that, Romans freely helped themselves to the great arena's stones in order to build their houses.

In this period the Colosseum was also used as a Christian burial ground. Early Christian tombs have been found in three areas around the amphitheatre: in the foundations on the north and east sides and on the exterior ground near the present entrance.

In the Middle Ages, the Colosseum was situated on the most important pilgrim route in Rome, which led from St. Peter's to the Lateran, and a small suburb grew up around it. In this period the great arena was thought to be a Romantemple to the Sun because of the Colossus statue of Nero-turned-Helios that stood next to it.

In the 13th century, the Colosseum was fortified and occupied by the Frangipani family and the suburb around it became a prosperous area of Rome. However, the area later fell prey to malaria and was abandoned.

Looting of the stone continued on-and-off until the 18th century, when Pope Benedict XIV (1740-58) declared the Colosseum sanctified by the blood of early Christian martyrs and added Stations of the Cross to the arena. After this it was restored and excavated, a work that continues to the present day.

Romantic travelers of the 18th and 19th centuries were smitten with the great ruin of the Colosseum. Among these were Charles Dickens, who wrote in 1846:

It is the most impressive, the most stately, the most solemn, grand, majestic, mournful sight, conceivable. Never in its bloodiest prime can the sight of the gigantic Colosseum, full and running over with the*lustiest life, have moved one heart, as it must movd all who look upon it now, a ruin. God be thanked: a ruin!

What to See

The exterior of the Roman Colosseum is made entirely of travertine, stretching 527 m around and four stories high. The arches of the second and third stories were originally filled with statues. There were 80 entrances, with the two principal ones reserved for the emperor and his entourage.

The interior is made of brick, tufa and marble; little of the marble survives today. The central area, the arena, was covered with a great wooden floor and canvas to make it waterproof. Over this was a layer of sand to absorb blood - in fact "arena" derives from the Latin word for sand. The floor is now exposed down to its underground passages, where beasts and gladiators awaited their fate, and crossed by a modern walkway.

The arena was surrounded by a 5m-high wall to protect spectators from attacks by wild beasts. At the top of the wall was the podium, on which the imperial party and other VIPs had their seats.

Near the site of the imperial box is a cross, which replaces an earlier one set up to commemorate the Christians who were believed to have been martyred here.

Above this was the cavea, or seating area. This was divided into three tiers: the lowest for knights; the middle for wealthy citizens; and the top for the general population. In total the Colosseum could hold up to 45,000 spectators.

The base of the Colossus statue of Nero, after which the amphitheatre is named, can be seen between the Colosseum and the nearby Temple of Venus and Roma.

Festivals and Events

The Pope leads a torchlit "Way of the Cross" procession to the Colosseum on Good Friday.Good Friday (from the senses pious, holy of the word "good"), is a religious holiday observed primarily by Christians commemorating the crucifixion of Jesus Christ and his death at Calvary. The holiday is observed during Holy Week as part of the Paschal Triduum on the Friday preceding Easter Sunday, and may coincide with the Jewish observance of Passover. It is also known as Holy Friday, Great Friday, Black Friday, or Easter Friday, though the latter properly refers to the Friday in Easter week.

Based on the details of the Canonical gospels, the Crucifixion of Jesus was most likely to have been on a Friday. The estimated year of the Crucifixion is AD 33, by two different groups, and originally as AD 34 by Isaac Newton via the differences between the Biblical and Julian calendars and the crescent of the moon. A third method, using a completely different astronomical approach based on a lunar Crucifixion darkness and eclipse model (consistent with Apostle Peter's reference to a "moon of blood" in Acts 2:20), points to Friday.

because that all fact now today, colosseum not now not only an ancient megastructure but become a beautiful

place that we can visit with family and friends.

Helmcken Waterfall, Kanada

Helmcken Falls is the centerpiece to Wells Gray Provincial Park, one of the most powerful waterfalls on earth and one of BC’s prime tourist draws. The Murtle River, which just a few kilometers upstream, drops over 300 foot wide Dawson Falls, narrows to about 75 feet wide and surges over the lip of Helmcken Canyon, hurtling 462 feet into one of the largest river-sculpted amphitheaters in North America. The bowl behind the falls recedes over 150 feet into the cliff and stretches over 500 feet wide. Just downstream lies a 50 foot lower tier which isn’t usually counted in the total height of the falls, but legitimately boosts this to a 500 foot tall waterfall. Pictures really do not do this waterfall justice, as there is no way to convey the true power and volume of water spilling off the cliff.

Even when viewed in person, because the viewpoint is rather distant from the falls, there is a really poor sense of scale, but when compared to the amount of water flowing over Dawson Falls upstream, the power of this waterfall becomes absolutely staggering. So much spray is ejected into the air that in the winter, a 200 foot tall cone of ice builds up at the base of the falls, and in the summer, spray can reach the rim of the canyon under the proper conditions.

HISTORY AND NAMES

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• Helmcken Falls is the Official name of this waterfall

Helmcken Falls was discovered by a Canadian Government land surveyor by the name of Robert Lee in July of 1913. He proposed the falls and river be named after the then Premiere of British Columbia, Sir Richard McBride. McBride was flattered but refused the honor, instead suggesting it be named for Dr. John Sebastian Helmcken who was active in the early governance of Vancouver Island and British Columbia.

In the 1950s and 1960s several plans to construct dams along the Clearwater and Murtle Rivers were put into play, fortunately none of which came to fruition before Wells Gray Provincial Park would be fully protected from development in 1973. Had the dams been built, Hemlcken Falls would have been largely submerged by waters behind a 137 meter dam.

Our thoughts

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Usually blanket statements don’t really serve well to emphasize the awe a given waterfall may exude. However Helmcken Falls may be an exception to that rule. Simply put, Helmcken Falls is unquestionably one of the best waterfalls in all of North America.

Location and directions

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Helmcken Falls is located in the heart of the Clearwater Corridor section of Wells Gray Provincial Park. Take the Clearwater Valley Road 42 kilometers north from the Yellowhead Highway in Clearwater, then turn left at the signs for the falls and follow 4 kilometers to the end of the road.