Benjamin Franklin – A Legendary American Inventor

Less than a couple of centuries after the initial English settlers set foot on the North American continent, the United States gave the world a Renaissance man – Benjamin Franklin. He was a man of modest beginnings who left his impact in science, politics, diplomacy, philosophy and innovation. He was versatile and it is a tribute to his character and his natural intelligence, besides being a testament to his curious and innovative nature. He did not study in an exalted educational institute and there was no big store of wealth to fund his inventions. He was a member of the middle class and pulled himself up by his own bootstraps. He had a wife and an illegitimate son. He became a writer, a pragmatist and a philanthropist. Early Days after Birth in Boston, Massachusetts Franklin once wrote, “We are all born ignorant but we have to work hard to remain stupid.” Benjamin Franklin was born on 6th January 1706. He was one among twelve children born to Josiah Franklin. Josiah earned his living by making wax candles and soap. He had two wives and seventeen children, in all. Money became taught to educate all his children. Bejamin had to drop off from the eighth grade in South Grammar School in Boston as his father could not afford the cost of his education. When he was fifteen, he had to resort to working and not to studying. He had to work at the dock and as a cutler. With minimal schooling, Benjamin still had a lively intellect. He used to read Daniel Defoe as a child. Though his family was a church-going one, Benjamin had no interest in the church or its ministry and when he grew up; he had no vocation for it, despite his father’s insistence. However, traits of Puritanism filtered through in his lifestyle and in his writing, later. He believed in an honest and diligent living. He lived a simple and frugal life with main purpose in life being to serve and obey God. His brother, James, started a newspaper that was printed under the nomenclature of `The New England Courant’. Benjamin assisted him in this enterprise and also wrote some articles, one of which was about how people got sicker after taking inoculation for small pox. When he was seventeen, in 1723, Benjamin ran away and started to seek work in Philadelphia. He found the city bustling with life and he would settle down here for quite some time. Life in Philadelphia and then in London When he arrived in Philadelphia, he did not have much money left to spend. He decided to save up for food, stayed in a boarding house and wrote his famous maxim, “Early to bed and early to rise, makes a man healthy, wealthy and wise.” Philadelphia was then the largest city in the colonies. It offered more opportunity to him than Boston. Benjamin Franklin was able to find work as an apprentice printer. He was noticed by William Keith who was Governor of Pennsylvania who set him up in his own business and sent him to London to purchase rinting equipment for the business. Franklin proceeded to London and though it was not planned; he ended up staying there for a couple of years. He worked with a printer there by the name of Samuel Palmer. While in London, Franklin picked up the art of business etiquette and diplomacy. He printed one of his earliest pamphlets in London titled `A Dissertation on Liberty and Necessity, Pleasure and Pain’. He forgot about William Keith and his business and arrived back in Philadelphia in 1726. Benjamin started considering himself as a Britisher in Philadelphia. He got into an affair with a woman named Deborah and had a child with her outside of marriage. Franklin came to be known in the city as a master printer and he built his career in his adoptive city. Deborah also proved to be a good business partner. Franklin was in-charge of the print shop while Deborah looked after the books and stationery, along with a general store that they also ran. Benjamin started his `Pennsylvania Gazette’ in 1730. In 1733, he started `Poor Richard’s Almanack’. It was a successful move. He wrote it under the alias of Richard Saunders. It was presented as the work of a man who needed money on account of a nagging wife. The almanac included recipes, weather reports and homilies that were speeches or sermons for moral or spiritual guidance. The Pennsylvania Gazette became the newspaper that was most widely read in all the thirteen colonies of the state. Benjamin Franklin started organising a Junto which was kind of a weekly meeting of artisans and tradesmen who were dedicated towards improving their standard of life. Franklin fashioned these meetings on the model of the coffee houses of London. His friends were also voracious readers who benfited from the writings of others. As time passed by, Franklin printed `Proposals Relating to the Education of Youth in Pennsylvania’ in 1749. In 1751, he was made the President of the Academy and Charity School of Philadelphia. In 1752, he promoted a textbook called `Elementa Philosophica’ by Samuel Johnson. It promoted a new educational curriculum In 1755, the College of Philadelphia opened. It has to be noted that about one-third of the men who had a big role to play in the creation of the Declaration of Independence were students of this College. Today, it stands as University of Pennsylvania. Benjamin Franklin’s enthusiasm for improvement of life came from the values that he learnt from his Puritan parents. He believed in profitable living. He was the son of a poor candle maker but by mid life; he became quite wealthy that led him to retire from the life of a printmaker and pursue other business interests. His studies and his discoveries in later life built such a reputation that he started to be a respected name in the Courts of Europe. The Inventor “As we enjoy great advantages from the inventions of others, we should be glad of an opportunity to serve others by any invention of ours; and this, we should do freely and generously.” – Benjamin Franklin. He was innovative by nature and has been given credit for many inventions of his. The principles of an air-conditioner and the concept of daylight savings time are credited to him. He has also invented the musical instrument, glass harmonica. It was an assortment of glass bowls of different sizes that were arranged on a rotating shaft. The shaft was spun with foot pedals. This invention became popular in USA and Europe.. Even Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart and Ludwig van Beethoven wrote compositions for the glass harmonica. It is surprising that not many composers wrote for this instrument and its popularity has waned down the ages. Franklin also invented a special kind of stove that offered more efficiency and safety in those homes that lacked central heating. Most fireplaces were quite inefficient in colonial homes as the heat they produced through burning wood escaped upwards with the chimney. The stove designed by Franklin enclosed the fire within a box of cast iron and it could be kept in the centre of the room for heating purposes. Heat was radiated from all four sides of that box and adjustments could be made to the flow of air and the rate at which the wood would burn could also be controlled. The enclosure of the flames reduced the risk of stray sparks igniting a fire within the house. Franklin was also interested in the study of electricity while doing work in his print shop. He made a public proposal to fly a kite (Leonardo da Vinci was one of the earliest inventors of flying kites) in a storm to prove that lightning was electricity in its most intense form. He took care not to get struck by the lightning and conducted his experiment in 1752. In that process, he also invented the lightning rod which would protect buildings from getting struck by lightning based on a theory that if a metal rod were attached to the top of a building and wired with a cable to the ground, the rod would attract the lightning from storm clouds and avoiding damage. He conducted these experiments in his own home and found that his theories were correct. Lightning rods were then installed in a big way in the Academy of Philadelphia and the State House. The news spread to Europe and French cathedrals showed lot of interest in this device. Benjamin Franklin received accolades as the world became exposed to his achievements. He was made a Fellow of the Royal Society in 1756 and he was one of the earliest and few Americans to be recognized in this way. He introduced these words to the English dictionary – battery, charge, positive and negative elements. He never bothered to apply for patents for most of his inventions. It sourced to his principle that inventors should be happy to benefit society with their creations and such inventions should be shared freely with others. Colonial Politics Benjamin Franklin always thought that being rebellious against tyrants is being obedient to God. As he grew up in life, Franklin showed much interest in every facet of life, ranging from science to education and from public service to politics. In the field of politics, he had acute insights and also had problem solving skills. His interest in politics provided him a base for a complicated and revolutionary turn in his career. In 1748, he was made a Councilman for the Philadelphia Government. The next year, he was made a Justice of the Peace. Two years later, he was elected to serve in the Pennsylvania Assembly. He began to defend the rights of the elected representatives as a leader in the Quaker Political Party which maintained the power of the Penn family. This Party were firmly on the side of the British and Britain had control of the land that was east of the Mississippi River. Such loyalty made him flourish as he was soon made the Deputy Post Master General of British North America. While at that post, he made sure that he improved the postal system. He noticed that during his days, the mail service was unstable. Coastal routes were the most reliable means of mail delivery because the roads that were connecting to the colonies were not in good condition. It was taking as long as a fortnight for a letter sent from New York City to Philadelphia. The postmen who were handed over these letters would take breaks at inns, taverns and coffee houses. He made a tour of all the colonial post offices. He then authorised the placement of milestones along the main roads after he surveyed the routes. He established direct routes between the colonies so that the mail would reach more efficiently. He started the weekly mail wagon that had to travel both during the day and night to improve the speed of mail delivery, particularly between New York City and Philadelphia. He organised postal rates based on weight and distance and standardised it throughout the thirteen colonies. He created a mail system with roads that ran from Maine to Florida. He served in this position till 1774. He then started to realise that there were flaws in the social and governmental structure run by the British. Corruption was spreading within political circles. Franklin the American When Benjamin Franklin started disagreeing with the British way of governance and administration, he was looked upon as a troublemaker. Franklin started realising that the colonists and the British could not exist peacefully for long. In the minds, the battle of independence had already begun. There was some bloodshed, too, at Concord and Lexington in Massachusetts State. When Franklin was elected by the Pennsylvania Assembly to the Second Continental Congress, he automatically became part of the Committee of Five who was assigned to write the Declaration of Independence in June 1776. Franklin was suffering with a case of gout during that period. The bulk of the writing responsibility fell on the shoulders of Thomas Jefferson. There was a risk that should the British stand firm, all members of this Committee were to be hanged and executed. Things worked out differently as on 4th July of 1776, USA got its independence and Franklin was among the heroes of that struggle. Later, in December of that year, Franklin was sent to France to serve as a Commissioner for the United States. He travelled with his grandson, William Temple Franklin. The French had heard about Franklin’s scientific experiments and they also welcomed his wit. Many French elite started befriending him. Franklin slowly started becoming the voice of the conscience of the New World. He said, “Slavery is such an atrocious debasement of human nature, that its very extirpation (meaning slow elimination), if not performed with solicitous care, may sometimes open a source of serious evils.” The country’s Declaration of Independence affirmed the equality of all races and cultures. The irony of this declaration was both Benjamin Franklin and Thomas Jefferson were themselves owner of slaves for over four decades. Franklin even became critical when some slaves ran off to join the British Army during the colonial period. The dichotomy ws that Franklin never attempted to recapture them. In those times, the loss of a slave meant almost a loss of property. He owned seven slaves, among them a husband and wife, who worked well but he decided to sell them because he did not like Negro servants. As time went on, his views on slavery evolved. He was very keen on Pennsylvania passing laws to oppose slavery. King George III refused to pass such laws and his attempt to bring an end to slavery, failed. In partnership with Father Benjamin Rush, Franklin founded the First Abolition Society in Pennsylvania. He achieved success eventually in 1787 when he was made the President of the Pennsylvania Society for Promoting the abolition of Slavery and the Relief of Free Negroes Unlawfully Held in Bondage. This was the last major issue he took part in as his health started deteriorating with gout and kidney problems. He died on 17th April 1790. His funeral was attended by over twenty thousand mourners in Philadelphia. He had written an epitaph for himself wich read, “Here lies the bosy of B. Franklin – Printer like the cover of an old book; its contents torn out and script of its lettering and gilding, food for worms. His works shall not be wholly lost for it will as per his belief appear once more in a new and more perfect edition, corrected and amended by the Author.” During his lifetime, Benjamin Franklin write, “I have lived, Sir, a long time and the longer I live; the more convincing proofs I see of this truth – that God governs in the affairs of men.” Before he died, Franklin was elected as the Sixth President of the Supreme Executive Council of Pennsylvania. It was a post similar to that of a Governor. It was in that capacity that he played host to the Constitutional Convention of 1787 which was held in Philadelphia. Benjamin Franklin was the only Founding Father to sign all four major documents such as the Declaration of Independence, the Treat of Paris, the Treaty of Alliance with the French and the United States Constitution. Franklin proposed daily prayers in Philadelphia in the Executive Council. He reminded the dekegates that when he conflict with Britain started, the leaders of the nation prayed for divine protection on a daily basis. He asked, “Have we now forgotten that Powerful Friend? Or do we imagine that we no longer need His assistance? If a sparrow can’t fall to the ground without His notice, is it probable that an empire can rise without his aid?” This idea was not welcome and his motion was opposed. It goes to show the Great Nation under God was already turning away from Divine help. Benjamin Franklin believed passionately in morality and virtue and felt that is was merely by conducting our lives according to principles of goodness that a man could prosper. He explained, “I never doubted in the existence of the Deity; that the most acceptable service of God was the doing of good to man; that our souls are immortal and that all crimes would be punished and virtue rewarded, either here or in the Hereafter.” He believed in ethics and not in man-made dogmas and doctrines. It was with this philosophy that he vehemently supported religious tolerance. Puritan values formed his growing ideals, early in life and he remained a powerful advocate for work, education, temperance , frugality, charity and concern for the community. From his young days, he forged his own destiny when he left Boston for Philadelphia and created a profitable career for himself as a printer and civic leader. He was probably the first American citizen who was comfortable in other environments of different countries, leaving an impact with his American identity, particularly in Europe. He always hoped that ultimately; goodness shall triumph so that all men and women who were created equal could live together in harmony and freedom. *******

The impact of Expanding Projects of Liquefied Natural Gas

Big companies dealing with natural gas do not mention to the lay people around the world that natural gas is in a way poison to them and to the air and climate around them. Liquefied Natural Gas is, in reality, fracked gas. Fracking is hydraulic fracturing. It is a technique to recover gas and oil from shale rock. It involves drilling into the earth’s core and injecting a high pressure mixture of water, chemicals and sand at the layers of a rock to have the gas, that is within, to be released. Hydraulic fracturing or fracking is a technique for recovering gas and oil from shale rock. It involves drilling into the earth and directing a high-pressure mixture of water, sand and chemicals at a rock layer to release the gas inside. This fracked gas is cooled at approximately (-) 160°C and condensed into a liquid in coastal or offshore terminals. This liquefied natural gas is then shipped, converted back to gas and burnt all over Planet Earth. Big banks and their corporate heads, along with their fossil fuel clients love to present LNG as a kind of `bridge fuel’. They fail to mention that the main component that is being dealt with is methane. This is eighty times more dangerous to the climate than carbon. LNG has become the fastest growing fossil fuel sector now. It is expanding fast with many new projects and all this is happening at a time when scientists are telling us that we cannot afford new fossil fuel expansion projects. To give a clear idea, Citibank, Morgan Stanley, J.P. Morgan Chase, Bank of America and Goldman Sachs are the leading five LNG banks, right in the midst of USA. They are not going to advocate the non-expansion of LNG projects. Let us understand that new and fracked gas terminals are going to cost anywhere from ten to twenty billion dollars and they will take anywhere from three to four years. All it says is that we are going to be locked into many more decades of dependence on LNG and fossil fuels. International Energy Agency is warning that there is no room for new natural gas fields to achieve Net Zero emissions. This does not seem possible with LNG liquefaction facilities that are under construction or at the planning stage. There is news that new LNG export terminals are being made ready for the Gulf Coast and the communities there are being overburdened with destructive climate impact and toxic pollution. This article is meant to convince people that LNG is going to be a major contributor to the emergency status of our climate on Earth. If the banks defunded this climate chaos, it would be an advisable move for energy transition. All fossil fuel expansion projects need to have their funding cut off. There is complacency around such a warning but people have not realised that certain disasters in the recent past are a direct result of big banks funding the fossil fuel bigwigs. The heat wave that affected California last summer around Fall is one example and thousands that got killed with millions displaced due to extreme flooding in Pakistan is another example. No one talks about the fires that are ravaging in the Amazon jungles in South America.

The Wonders of the Atmosphere of Earth

The Earth's atmosphere is a marvel of natural phenomena, providing the conditions necessary for life as we know it. It protects us from harmful radiation, regulates temperature, and provides the air we breathe. Key wonders include the protective ozone layer, the greenhouse effect, and the movement of air masses creating weather patterns. Protection from Harmful Radiation The ozone layer in the stratosphere absorbs most of the sun's harmful ultraviolet radiation, preventing it from reaching the Earth's surface and causing damage to living organisms. Without this protective layer, life as we know it would be impossible, as ultraviolet radiation can cause sunburn, skin cancer and other health problems. Temperature Regulation The atmosphere traps some of the sun's heat, creating a greenhouse effect that keeps the Earth warm enough to support life. This is important because without the atmosphere; the Earth's average temperature would be far below freezing. The atmosphere also acts as a blanket, moderating temperature fluctuations between day and night. Weather Phenomena The atmosphere is constantly in motion, driven by temperature differences and pressure variations, leading to the formation of clouds, rain, wind and other weather patterns. Jet streams and powerful winds high in the atmosphere can influence weather systems around the globe. The formation of hurricanes and other powerful storms is also a result of atmospheric dynamics. Atmospheric Refraction The way light bends as it passes through the atmosphere creates stunning visual effects like sunsets and sunrises. Atmospheric refraction also causes the sun to appear above the horizon even when it is actually slightly below it. The Northern and Southern Lights (Aurora Borealis and Aurora Australis) are caused by charged particles from the sun interacting with the Earth's magnetic field and atmosphere. Atmospheric pressure keeps liquid water on the surface of the Earth and allows life to exist. The atmosphere also protects us from meteoroids, which burn up as they enter the atmosphere, preventing them from reaching the surface as large impacts. The atmosphere is as much a part of our planet as its crust with the molten rock within. Atmosphere is one of the most extraordinary features of Planet Earth but unfortunately; the least considered among the features. The layer of gases from the atmosphere extends about five hundred kilometres or three hundred miles into space. There are two principal gases that make up about ninety-nine per cent of the air around the Earth – Nitrogen accounts for about 78% and Oxygen makes up about 21%. The remaining one per cent is Argon, along with bits of carbon dioxide, neon, helium, krypton, xenon, hydrogen, methane and nitrous oxide. There are four layers as per scientists. The lowest part is the troposphere. It holds most of the dust and moisture, up to ten miles upwards. The temperature drops steadily the higher we go. The next layer is the stratosphere that extends to further twenty miles. Th third layer is the mesosphere which extends to about further twenty miles into space. The last layer is the thermosphere that extends into space and has no limit. The lower part of the thermosphere is called the ionosphere and this region is full of electrically charged air particles that are known as ions. These particles receive their charge as a result of radiation from the sun’s ultra violet rays and they reflect amplitude modulation radio waves down to Earth. They are also used for long distance radio transmissions in long, medium and short wave bands. Frequency Modulation (FM) waves pass through this ionosphere and travel out into space. The feature that most of us miss out on of the atmosphere is that it forms a shield that protects the Earth against effects of mass of energy from the Sun in the form of cosmic rays and large particles of metallic and stony matter that are known as meteors. A Comet is a celestial body that moves around the sun and when it passes close to the surface of the Earth, it emits a spectacular display such as fireworks. One of the most famous examples is that of Halley’s Comet. Moisture and dust in the air give off many phenomena in the earth’s atmosphere. The blue colour of the sky is caused by the light from the Sun which is scattered by the atoms in the air. The variations in the colour of the sky are mostly due to dust and pollution. After the fierce Krakatoa Volcano’s explosion in 1883, all places on Earth were witness to a series of spellbinding red sunsets for almost a year until the dust of the lava ash finally settled. The Northern Lights (Aurora Borealis) and Southern Lights (Aurora Australis) are also caused by sub-atomic particles from the Sun that collides with atmospheric particles, causing them to change their electrical charge and reflect lights like a fluorescent lamp. Different colours can be seen, depending n the charged atoms in the atmosphere. Mirages are also caused by the juxtaposition of layers of air of different temperatures. These layers are of different density and they cause the waves of light to bend at the junction between the layers. When the light from the sky is reflected on the ground, people think that it could be a body of water. Speaking of effects in the atmosphere, the Cirrocumulus clouds seems like piles of curled up white cotton wool in the skies. It is a rae cloud formation that usually takes place at around thirty-five thousand feet high above the surface of the Earth. These clouds are made up of ice crystals and often produce snow but if there are no lower clouds to reinforce them, the snow may evaporate before it reaches the ground. Tornadoes are produced by wind currents that may rotate at speeds up to three hundred miles an hour. The whirling columns of cloud or funnels strike downward towards the ground, raising clouds of dust as they strike the earth, causing considerable damage. At sea, the same factors cause water spouts.

Seas and Lakes

More than three quarters of the surface of the Earth is covered by water in the form of oceans, seas and lakes. The volume of water from these bodies is drawn up into the clouds by the effect of the heat received from the sun and it descends as rain, keeping life in existence, today. Several parts of the ocean floors are more than ten miles, stretching below the surface and some abysses are even deeper than that. There are many wonders in the oceans that are even found close the land shores and they include deep harbours, coral reefs, sandbars and gravel banks which are built by the action of the ocean waves and the ebb and flow of the tides which is caused by the pull of the Moon. Most of the islands that are found in the middle of the oceans emerge from the sea floor directly. The coral reefs are made up of small coral animals that are also known as polyps or planktons and they are related to sea anemones and jellyfish. They occur in seas that have temperatures exceeding eighteen degrees Celsius or sixty-five degrees Fahrenheit. These corals exist in colonies and they build external skeletons from calcium that is extracted from the seawater. These combined skeletons build huge deposits that turn into atolls and reefs. The Power of Seas and Lakes The seas and lakes have the power to change the face of Planet Earth. It has to be noted that the waves crash on to already heavily eroded rocky shores. Atolls also begin as fringing reefs around volcanic islands. They emanate from the rims of craters. On account of the subsidence, the centres of islands are left submerged to form lagoons and the reefs form atolls. The longer reefs appear off continental coasts. A fine example is the Great Barrier Reef, off the North-Eastern coast of Australia. Many people imagine lakes to be limited in size and area. There are some lakes in this world that look as big as the oceans, themselves. Take Lake Superior or the Caspian Sea for example. Caspian Sea is the largest in the world and it covers an area of one hundred and forty-four thousand square miles. It is located in a great depression, east of the Caucasus Mountains and it lies about ninety feet below the sea level. In contrast, the Aral Sea is located about two hundred and twenty miles to its east and lies about one hundred and sixty-five feet above the sea level. The Great Salt Lake in Utah in the United States of America is the saltiest in the world. Lake Eyre, the largest lake in Australia is often wholly dry and is covered with a thick crust of salt, covering its bed. It gets filled only in times of heavy rainfall. Lake Baikal in Southern Siberia is the deepest lake in the world. It fills a deep rift valley with its bed being close to five thousand feet below the sea level at the lowest point. Lake Superior is the largest freshwater lake in the world. It forms one of the five great lakes in North America. The Tarn House in Cumbria to the north of England is a fine example of a mountain lake, occupying a hollow that was created by snow and ice. Lake Titicaca in Bolivia is the highest situated lake in the world. Its surface is at around twelve thousand feet above the sea level.

The Trans Mountain Pipeline – Is it worth the big risk?!

So far, eighteen insurers have already dropped Trans Mountain because of the detrimental impact on local communities and drinking water issues but Liberty Mutual has remained silent. This project is in direct violation of human rights, as it does not have consent from indigenous communities. It has to be noted that if that isn’t bad enough, Liberty is also known for dropping coverage for people in areas most affected by climate disasters. Liberty Mutual maybe sensitive to any threats that spoil their `wholesome’ and `community-driven’ brand reputation. Whatever, The Trans Mountain pipeline is not worth the risk involving the health and safety of frontline communities and the threat to local wildlife. Trans Mountain poses massive threats to surrounding wildlife. From Anna’s hummingbirds to Orcas in the northern Pacific, this pipeline risks animals all along its route through Western Canada. Entire ecosystems are at risk and that is a big threat to local communities too. It looks like Liberty Mutual will decide the fate of the Trans Mountain Pipeline — and the fate of so many lives — when they decide whether or not to renew its insurance certificate The Trans Mountain pipeline, at some point, will break and leak, causing toxic tar sands oil to pollute drinking water and wild salmon habitats. Communities have called for a stop to the pipeline in order to protect the salmon — a food source and a large part of local economies; but their demands have been ignored. Ecosystems are connected. It’s not just a risk to a few animals in the short- term. Projects such as these cover hundreds of miles, carrying thousands of tons of tar sands oil. It harms everything along their path - people, animals, water and air. Despite the risks to protected animals, drinking water, frontline communities and our shared climate — construction has continued as the project continues to be insured. Tar sands oil releases three times more pollution than conventional oil and the Trans Mountain pipeline expansion will triple the pipeline’s oil capacity — making it one of the most carbon intensive projects in the world. That’s why it’s so critical to consider about this expansion, NOW! The science is telling us that we cannot afford any new fossil fuel expansion. Trans Mountain Pipeline is literally a life-threatening expansion project. Will the government heads think about our environment and stop their greedy planning?!

Englischer Garten Muenchen - The English Gardens in Munich Germany

Munich’s Largest Park The "Englischer Garten" (English Garden) is Munich's largest park. In addition to its beer gardens, this location is a recreational dream for all hobby athletes: cyclists and joggers who have a great chance to use paths spreading across seventy-eight kilometres. In spring, summer and fall, tightrope walkers stretch their slack lines between trees, Frisbee players throw their discs and amateur kickers meet for soccer games. Kleinhesseloher See The Kleinhesseloher See (lake) at the border of the northern English Garden is a fine place to relax. It has to be remembered that the lake is not suitable for swimming, but you can spend a calm day on the water with a rowing or pedal boat. Hundreds of people like to sit at the shore during summer and look the swans and Mallard ducks that glide through it. These swans, geese and Mallard ducks also fearlessly move out of the lake and have a gala feeding time across vast expanse of fields and lawns. Monopteros Temple No matter what time of the day or year, the Monopteros offers a spectacular view of streams and trees, making you feel fine. It is no wonder then that the temple in the English Garden has come to embody the cosmopolitan nature of the city of Munich. The Monopteros is about fifty-five feet in height and reaches almost as deep into the ground. The stylish temple is built upon a strong brick foundation that is elegantly hidden by a man-made hill. This gives the Monopteros a secure base while offering a superlative view of the city and makes it a part of the English Garden that can be seen from afar. Along with the Chinesischer Turm (Chinese Tower), it is one of the best known locations in this world-famous park. History King Ludwig I specially ordered his court architect Leo von Klenze to build a Greek-style temple. The Monopteros was constructed between 1832 and 1837 in honour of Elector Karl Theodor and King Maximilian. A green dome with a red top was supported by ten columns made of Kelheim limestone. The construction of a temple was first suggested by the urban planner Friedrich Ludwig Sckell, who proposed the idea of a pantheon in a specially designed wooded area in 1807. It was visualised as a place to honour Bavarian personalities. His nephew, the landscape gardener Carl August Sckell, managed to convince King Ludwig I to put those plans into action. Sckell Jr. spent many years designing the embankment around the firm foundations and planting trees in certain areas. Ludwig I of Bavaria modeled Munich into his own “Athens on the Isar” thought and many of the city buildings still are evidence of his undertaking today.

Mozarthaus Wien

The Mozarthaus in Vienna was the residence of the Mozart family from 1784 to 1787. It is also known as the Figaro House. It is located in the old town area of Vienna – Domgasse 5, Stephensplatz. It has now been turned into a museum. History The house was built in the seventeenth century, originally with a couple of floors, and was redeveloped in 1716. Leopold Mozart, Wolfgang Amadeus’ father, rented rooms here from 1784, at which time it was also known as the Camesina House, after the family who had owned it since 1720. The original entrance of the house facing Schulerstraße (the one used by Mozart) was walled up to make room for a shop. The house is entered today from its rear in the Domgasse. In 1941, marking the 150th anniversary of Mozart's death, his former rooms were opened to the public. In 1945, the running of the exhibition was taken over by the Vienna Museum. In 2004, the City of Vienna's Wien Holding Company undertook the renovation of the Mozarthaus and redesigned it for visitors. This was completed in time for Mozart Year 2006 on the 250th anniversary of his birth. The design of the historical courtyard was essentially destroyed by the installation of an elevator. The original seventeenth century stone floor of the kitchen was removed and the original oak door of Mozart's apartment was varnished. Today the Mozarthaus presents information about the composer in combination with historical exhibits and audio-visual installation. Over two hundred thousand visitors come to this museum every year. Layout The Figaro House building has five floors, with private apartments located on the fifth floor. From the fourth floor to second basement level of the house, Mozarthaus Vienna uses as a museum and event rooms. Fourth floor – Business Lounge The `Business Lounge’ is located on the fourth floor of the building. This is an event area consisting of several rooms. The event area is characterised by restored wall paintings in combination with modern wall coverings. Third floor – Vienna in the Era of Mozart The third floor exhibits Mozart's personal and social situation in Vienna. A multimedia installation presents all the places where Mozart lived during his Viennese years. Visitors also learn about Mozart's most important performance venues and people of importance to him. His fondness for social life - balls, gambling, fashion, literature and science along with his connection to the thought world of the Freemasons, are closely explained. Second floor – Mozart's Musical World On this floor, Mozart's most important musician and composer colleagues in Vienna are presented. The exhibition also covers Mozart's collaboration with the librettist Lorenzo da Ponte in the operas The Marriage of Figaro and Don Giovanni. The historical stucco ceilings and wall paintings in these rooms give an impression of the original decoration of the entire house. This exhibition level also describes Mozart's Requiem and the end of his life, as well as a multimedia theatre installation "The Magic Flute - The Divine Laughter", which presents visitors with three-dimensional collages of scenes from The Magic Flute. The `Figaro Parallelo’ is a media installation that offers an up-to-date coverage of various Figaro productions from the world's leading opera houses with the different approaches of their individual directors. First floor – The Mozart Apartment The first floor houses the apartment where Mozart lived with his family from 1784 to 1787 and composed works such as his opera The Marriage of Figaro and three of the six Haydn Quartets. It was the largest and most expensive apartment Mozart ever lived in. It is the only Viennese apartment that has survived to this day. There are four rooms, two cabinets and a kitchen in the apartment and Mozart and his family are described with the help of photos and documents. An impressive flute clock is also on show. It was made around 1790. It plays a variation of the Andante in F Major for a Small Mechanical Organ, K. 616, which Mozart probably composed for this or a similar clock. Second Basement Floor – Concert Hall In the second basement, the historically unique baroque vault was converted into a multifunctional event venue using modern elements. During the restoration, the vault structure of the old brickwork was preserved.