Kirkwall and Ring of Brodgar, Orkney Islands скачать в хорошем качестве

Kirkwall and Ring of Brodgar, Orkney Islands

The photos in this slideshow were taken by Michael Pietrusewsky while on an excursion to Kirkwall and the Ring of Brodgar on the mainland island in the Orkney archipelago courtesy of Viking Ocean cruises on April 29, 2025. Kirkwall is the largest town and capital of the Orkney Islands, an archipelago to the north of mainland Scotland. The town was first mentioned in the Orkneyinga saga in the year 1046, when it was recorded as the residence of Rögnvald Brusason, the Earl of Orkney, who was killed by his uncle Thorfinn the Mighty. For centuries Kirkwall was the capital of the Norse-held Nordreyjar – the Northern Isles. But that ended in 1469 when Christian I of Norway failed to pay the dowry promised to his son-in-law, James III of Scotland; James called in the debt by assuming sovereignty of Orkney and Shetland. St. Magnus Cathedral known as the ‘Light in the North’ was founded in 1137 by the Viking, Earl Rognvald, in honor of his uncle St. Magnus who was martyred here in Orkney. The Cathedral’s distinctive red sandstone edifice is an unmistakable landmark of Orkney’s largest town. The Bishop’s and Earl’s Palaces survive mostly intact, and they are among the most fascinating ancient buildings in all Scotland. The Bishop’s Palace was built around the same time as St Magnus’s Cathedral, in the early 12th century. The builder may well have been Bishop William ‘the Old’ (1112-1168), crusader and friend of Earl Rognvald, St Magnus’s nephew and patron of the new cathedral. The ancient palace has had a checkered history, and what remains today is bewildering. But when the later alterations and additions are peeled away, what remains is a straightforward, two-story hall house. Little of the first-floor hall remains, but the ground level is still largely intact. The narrow windows through the west wall, built of alternating red and yellow stones, are mirrored in the cathedral itself. . The Earl’s Palace was built around 1606 by Patrick, Earl of Orkney. Known as ‘Black Patie’, the tyrannical Patrick ruled the Northern Isles with an iron fist from 1592 until his execution 23 years later. It was declared at his trial that he used slave labor to build his residences. His Kirkwall residence is a building of extraordinary refinement, spacious and masterfully planned. It still has the power to impress. Externally, the eye is drawn to the frontal façade, while internally it’s the great hall that overwhelms most, with its huge, 5m-wide fireplace. The building also reflects the owner’s obsession with privacy and security, for his own apartment lay beyond the top end of the great hall, well away from those occupied by his household officials and guests. Tankerness House Gardens Originally the private garden of the Baikie family, who moved into Tankerness House in the mid 1600s, this green space is fully open to the public. Tankerness House is now the Orkney Museum and the gardens offer an added attraction when learning more about Orkney's ancient history. Common gorse (Ulex europaeus), with its bright, beaming yellow flowers with the scent of coconut is seen growing wild throughout Scotland, the British Isles and Ireland. The Ring of Brodgar is a Neolithic henge and stone circle in Mainland, Orkney, Scotland. It is the only major henge and stone circle in Britain which is an almost perfect circle. Most henges do not contain stone circles; Brodgar is a striking exception, ranking with Avebury and Stonehenge among the greatest of such sites. The ring of stones stands on a small isthmus between the Lochs of Stenness and Harray. These are the northernmost examples of circle henges in Britain. The henge is generally thought to have been erected between 2500 BCE and 2000 BCE, and was, therefore, the last of the great Neolithic monuments built on the Ness. Music track: “Echo of Antiquity” by SergePavkinMusic from Pixabay Music https://pixabay.com/music/main-title-... https://pixabay.com/service/license-s...