The aesthetic
Chinese Garden
features majestic bridges, pagodas, a stoneboat, a
teahouse and a
Suzhou-style Bonsai Garden
.
Brief History of Singapore
The earliest
known mention of
Singapore was a 3rd century Chinese account
which described
Singapore as "Pu-luo-chung"
("island at the end of a
peninsula"). Little is
known about the island's history at that
time but
this matter-of-fact description belies
Singapore 's colourful
past.
By the 14th century, Singapore
had become part of the mighty
Sri Vijayan empire
and was known as Temasek (" Sea Town ").
Located at
the natural meeting point of sea routes at
the tip of the Malay
Peninsula, Singapore had
long known visits from a wide variety
of sea
craft, from Chinese junks, Indian vessels, Arab
dhows and
Portuguese battleships to Buginese
schooners.
During the 14th
century, this
small but strategically-placed island had earned
a new name -
"Singa Pura" (" Lion City ").
According to legend, a visiting
Sri Vijayan
prince saw an animal he mistook for a lion and
Singapore 's
modern day name was born. The British provided the
next notable
chapter in the Singapore story. During
the 18th century, they
saw the need for a
strategic "halfway house" to refit, feed and
protect the
fleet of their growing empire, as
well as to forestall any
advances by the Dutch
in the region.
It was against this
political backdrop that
Sir Stamford Raffles
established Singapore as a trading
station. The
policy of free trade attracted merchants from
all over Asia and
from as far afield as the US
and the Middle East . By 1824,
just five years after
the founding of modern Singapore , the
population had
grown from a mere 150 to 10,000.
In 1832, Singapore
became the centre of
government for the Straits Settlements of
Penang,
Malacca and Singapore . The opening of
the Suez Canal in 1869
and the advent of
telegraph and steamship increased Singapore
's
importance as a centre for the expanding trade
between East and
West.
Singapore had been the site of
military action in the 14th
century when it
became embroiled in the struggle for the Malay
Peninsula
between Siam (now Thailand ), and the
Java-based Majapahit
Empire. Five centuries later, it was
again the scene of
significant fighting during
World War II. Singapore was
considered an
impregnable fortress, but the Japanese overran
the island in
1942. After the war, Singapore
became a Crown Colony. The
growth of nationalism
led to self-government in 1959 and on 9
August 1965,
Singapore became an independent republic.
For more
information on
Singapore 's history, visit the Singapore
Infomap.
Image courtesy
of the Singapore Tourism
Board www.visitsingapore.com
Surrounded by
beautiful gardens, the
majestic red sandstone building is
situated 300 feet
above the city. The construction was begun
around 1300
and lasted over 400 years. Later on, ramparts,
outbuildings and
palaces in all styles from Gothic to
High Renaissance were added.
Over four centuries,
Heidelberg Castle served as the residence of
the Prince
Electors of the Palatinate . During the 30 Year´s
War,
Heidelberg suffered destruction and plundering.
Later,
Karl-Ludwig rebuilt castle and university. To keep
peace with
France , his daughter Liselotte married the Duke
of Orléans,
brother of Louis XIV. After the death of
Karl-Ludwig´s son, the
French laid claim to the
Palatinate , which resulted in French
invasions in 1689
and 1693 - and in vast destructions of town and
castle.
Detailed History
It was Prince
Elector Ruprecht III
(1398 - 1410) who had erect the
first representative building as
a regal residence in
the inner courtyard. The exterior of the
building,
divided into a ground floor made of stone and
framework
upper levels, seems quite unpretentious today.
Another regal
building is located opposite to the Ruprecht
Building : the
Fountain Hall. Prince Elector Philipp
(1476 - 1508) is said to
have arranged the transfer of
the hall´s columns from a decayed
palace of Charlemagne
to Heidelberg .
The Prince Electors of the 16th
and 17th century
turned the fortress into a castle and
added two representative
palace buildings to the
complex. The two dominant buildings at
the eastern and
northern side of the courtyard were erected
during the
rule of Ottheinrich (1556 - 1559) and Friedrich IV
(1583 - 1610).
Today, they are considered to be two of the
most important
buildings in German architectural
history. Under Friedrich V
(1613 - 1619), the main
building of the westside was erected, the
so called
"English Building".
The Castle and its garden
were destroyed, however, during the 30 Years' War.
Later, it was rebuilt by Prince Elector Karl
Ludwig (1649 - 1680), only to be destroyed once
again by French troops. Prince Elector Karl
Theodor who resided in Schwetzingen tried to
restore the castle to make it inhabitable once
again, but in vain: Lightning struck the Castle in
1764. In the centuries that followed, the Castle
was misused as a quarry - castle stones helped to
build new houses in Heidelberg . This was stopped
in 1800 by Count Charles de Graimberg who made any
effort he could to preserve the Heidelberg Castle
. Inspite of its Gothic interior, it was not
before 1934, that the King's Hall was added.
