Wednesday, June 07, 2006

Crossaxe Castle :: a 17th Century Time Machine

I’ve been thinking about time a lot lately.* There’s not enough of it. We’re time poor. I read somewhere that Musrum himself was once was so strapped for time that he accepted the offer of the year 1489 from an itinerant pedlar. He, of course, used it to construct the North American Continent.

Show-off.

I’ve been unable to locate a time-pedlar, so now I’m investigating alternate time-generation methods.


Polish aristocrat Krzysztof Ossoliński had Krzyżtopόr Castle built between 1631 and 1644. Ingeniously, the castle is a live-in calendar. What an opportunity to make time! The castle had four towers (one for each season), 12 large halls (one for each month), 52 chambers (weeks), and 365 windows (plus one extra which remained boarded up on all years save for the leap year). It was destroyed quite soon after completion as is the fate of most calendars, but is an imposing, yet poignant, ruin.




I have sent the details to MoD’s architect. I feel that there are valuable ideas here that he could incorporate into his plans for our museum. Imagine, I’d be able to go back in time simply by entering an earlier room.

Krzyżtopόr Castle is located in the town of Ujazd in Southeast Poland (near Sandomierz). Obviously far too close to the pulse of world history to be anywhere near Terra Incognita. So I am indebted to Byram Abbott ** for making it so rewarding to visit virtually.
See the entire set >>



Abbott’s photographs of the ruins are important primary sources – but the cherry CAN be iced. The perennially generous Abbott himself drew our attention to a very special virtual tour. The romantic flavor of the English combined with a brisk Slavic enthusiasm make the entire visit unforgettable.
“If we were lifted we would be able lo see ihe building of a shape of a five-pointed star, or using a morę poetic language - a shadow, an outlinc picture of an eagle covering the suń with ils spre-ad wings for a short moment and sho-wlng Its shape on ihe ground.”
CROSSAXE CASTLE IN UJAZD >>

*Mostly whilst keeping out of the way of the continuing attempts to re-confine the spongecats. If only Inky’s spongegun had worked. I wonder whether the engineer’s oversight was actually deliberate sabotage…

** Briefly a towering figure in the local Polish community***, Mr Abbott would send home his photographic impressions by holding them above his head. They are clearly visible in the aforementioned North American Continent.
You can see all of them here
>>

***Mr Abbott can now only wonder whether he is qualified for this remarkable career opportunity as a Bone Refurbisher. >>
Certainly it would be perfect background for a job in the Bone Room here.

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