Monday 31 December 2012

The Chinese Links page updated

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This post reports that the Chinese links page has been updated with an edited translation of Nan Zheng's interview with David Bruce and now together with the more controversial conclusion of the Chinese version.

Sunday 30 December 2012

DMB: New Publication

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Gmuend walled town used on cover

December 2012 The Nineteenth Century ‘Golden Age’ of Cultural Tourism Chapter 1 in Smith M. & Richards G.(eds) The Routledge Handbook of Cultural Tourism Routledge NOTE final draft available from dnembruce@btinternet.com, contains a case study about the walled town of San Giminignano – full Handbook from link above 420 pages, price £120
Every publication listed on the DMB Walled Towns Publications page can be made available FREE on request to dnembruce@btinternet.com or david.bruce@uwe.ac.uk. Most have extensive references and bibliographies for further research


Wednesday 5 December 2012

EWT Newsletter being produced

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New President Joe Spiteri has announced that an EWT Newsletter is in production.DEADLINE for contributions 12th December. Please send to Academic Adviser for transmission to Secretariat in Malta.

Saturday 29 September 2012

Derry for 2013 EWT Walled Towns Symposium

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EWT President Joe Spiteri with Erika Schuster and Heidimarie Penke, Vice-Mayor of Gmuend hand the flag to Councillor Brenda Hughes and Derdre Harte .of Derry in Northern Ireland, UK City of Culture 2013.
At Gmuend in Austria this month, the city of Derry set the date for (October 23rd 2013) and introduced the 2013 EWT Symposium.

Wednesday 26 September 2012

Joe Spiteri, new President at Austrian General Meeting

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Joe Spiteri with Mayors of Radstadt and Gmuend at the final dinner of the Meeting
Congratulations to Jo Spiteri, Vice-Mayor of Valletta (on the left) on your election as the new President of European Walled Towns for Friendship and Co-operation. With the election over, all EWT members and associates look forward to the fresh approach of the Maltese Presidency and Secretariat and to working closely with Jo, his team at Valletta and Victor Sladden, longtime adviser to Valletta from the Maltese Government Service. 

Saturday 22 September 2012

Gmuend in Carinthia - General Meeting

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The General Meeting successfully introduced us to the three walled towns that controlled the alpine passes for the medieval Archbishops of Salzburg Gmuend itself trading on its position at the Southern end of the Tauern Pass, Friesach controlling the more Eastern route and Radstadt, closer to Salzburg controlling the alternatives. Further report to follow.
Gmuend from the old Castle


Friesach fountain

Radstadt walls with breaks in
the pattern showing different ages


Monday 20 August 2012

Walled Towns Symposia 1991-2012; 2013,2014

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(as amended after corrections from Huib)
1. 1991 - Cardiff (Wales)
2. 1992 - Cittadella, (I) 
3. 1993 - Loches (FR)
4. 1994 - Derry/Londonderry (N-Ireland)
5. 1995 - Mdina (M)
6. 1996 - Drosendorf an der Thaya (AU)
7. 1997 - Chester (England)
8. 1998 - Piran (SL)
9. 1999 – Zadar (CR)
10. 2000 - Tenby (Wales)
11. 2001 – Elvas (P)
12. 2002 – Soave (I)
13. 2003 – Waterford (IR)
14. 2004 – Chichester (England)
15. 2005 - ‘s-Hertogenbosch (NL)
16. 2006 – Verona (I)
17. 2007 – Plasencia (E)
18. 2008 - Canterbury (England)
19. 2009 - Osmangazi – Bursa (TR)
20. 2010 – Fredericia (DK)
21. 2011 – Lucca (I)
22. 2012 – Gmünd in Carinthia (AU)
Planned
Derry/Londonderry 2013 N.Ireland
Chichester 2014 England


Monday 30 July 2012

The London walls of Derry

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When last the EWT (then WTFC) came to Derry in 1994
Derry/Londonderry's fine complete city walls are 400 years old next year. 400 years ago the Livery Companies of the City of London, combining in the still extant The Honourable the Irish Company were deciding to build them. The Holywell Trust has set up a new website, on which comments are most welcome.

Wednesday 25 July 2012

AMELIA Draft Town Text (dmb)

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Amelia is located in Umbria 42° 33′ 0″ N12° 25′ 0″ E
“Amelia, which is today a very important historical and cultural centre, was once one of the liveliest Italian cities.Its origins are very ancient .... Amelia is the main town of a territory called Amerino, which includes many minor centres like Giove, Penna in Teverina, Alviano, Attigliano, Lugnano in Teverina, Avigliano and Montecastrilli. These towns have succeeded in preserving their medieval atmosphere thanks to the remarkable remains of castles, ancient walls and towers” From Town website.
Amelia is on a hilltop and its Poligonal Walls date from the VII-IV centuries B.C
The conservation and planning of the town is managed by the Commune and the province of Terni.
Wikipedia link only in Italian

Baedeker Italie  Centrale 1909 p92 height 406 metres (1388ft) (1875) "admirably preserved *walls in the Cyclopean style"(1875:62 English).

Notes on Greenish travel to Amelia: Night train from Paris, Gare de Bercy to Florence and train onto Narni-Amelia; 9 buses a day to Amelia. See Seat61 for prices and timings to Florence from UK. See German Rail website for timings from the rest of Europe

Photos from a DMB visit: no visit yet.

Berwick - congratulations on Portas High Street funding

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Congratulations to Berwick on being awarded a 'Portas Pilot' UK Government grant to revive your High Street in the walled town: see link.(courtesy of Civic Voice). All walled towns could benefit from the advice on improving town centre shopping, This link is to that general advice "100 Ways to Help the High Street".
Berwick's bid is described by the town itself on their website. Perhaps Berwick might like to enhance its prospects further by linking its Wednesday and Saturday markets with those from other UK and European walled towns: Stirling (town description coming soon) and York are both linked by direct rail services (well Stirling is once a day and York regularly). Via London King's Cross/St Pancras, it is easy (as seat 61 always says) to change onto Eurostar for travel to and from the continental walled towns.

Monday 16 July 2012

Elvas UNESCO World Heritage Site

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Many Congratulations to everyone in the member Walled Town of Elvas on succeeding with the difficult, elaborate and worthwhile process of  becoming a World Heritage Site. This is the link to the register for "The Garrison Border Town of Elvas and its Fortifications". The  Walled Towns Friendship Circle (as it then was) was privileged to have its 11th Symposium in the town in 2001.The Mayor and town of Elvas were wonderful hosts and uniquely among  Walled Towns Symposia to date, they published a full set of  proceeding "Conclusiones" in both Portuguese and English.
DMB giving a paper Elvas 2001

It is interesting to look back and see that Ray Bondin from Malta, Secretary General of ICOMOS, gave all participants specific advice about World Heritage applications. Elvas has certainly proved itself to be a 'gem city' which was a concept that I introduced to walled towns at the meeting - my paper is available from this link.

Thursday 28 June 2012

New EWT Newsletter

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June2012 EWT Newsletter is now published on the EWT website.
Contents includes 
  • ·       a message from Peter van Roosmalen, President,(2)
    · An article introducing the Friends of York's Walls (3)
    · A note about the recently launched ENCLOSE European project (7)
    · An article on Woudrichen by Dr Frank Petter (8)
    · The full programme for the Annual Symposium in Gmuend in Kaernten, Austria September 2012 (10)
    · Future events include an Executive meeting in Cap de Pera Mallorca in spring 2013 and the 2013 Symposium and AGM in Derry/Londonderry later in the year.

The important news, announced in his Message, is that Peter van Roosmalen is resigning as President after the next AGM (in September at Gmuend). Nominations are to be submitted by the end of June. It is thought that two or three candidates will emerge. Voting by Member Towns will only be in person by a representative actually present at the AGM.

Monday 30 April 2012

Bristol Walled Town Text

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High Cross
Mediaeval second city of England (after London)
Bristol has grown from a tightly bounded walled town and  'sacred city' centred on its High Cross to a wide ranging city of trade and commerce. A County in its own right since 1377, frequently rebellious, Bristol demolished its Castle Royal in the 17th Century. The City 'lost' its High Cross over the next hundred yeras and in 1764 it was 'sold' to a country estate in Dorset (and on 19th May 2012 there was a trip to Stourhead to see it) . The medieval walls were hidden beneath Bristols later prosperity, except for one fine gate - St. Johns.
Bristol Civic Society in 2011 published a report by Haydn Mason of on 'The Lost Walls of Bristol' (p5) 

Bristol features in Braun and Hogenberg Vol III.1 (see detail below)
and in Baedeker 1906 Gross Britannien (German) map p88/89
Further information  is included in David M. Bruce's presentation to the Bristol Civic Society.

Wednesday 14 March 2012

ARABARRI

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ARABARRI,  now rebranded as ARABAKO LANAK, S.A.U is the management company for historic towns of Alava [L-nk currently unavailable] in Spain. 
All  are EWT member Towns in the Basque County, Northern Spain

Monday 30 January 2012

EWT NEWSLETTER DECEMBER 2011

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To keep up with latest EWT news go to latest Newsletter