Page:A History of Architecture in All Countries Vol 2.djvu/109

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Bk. IV. Ch. VII.
93

Bk. IV. Ch. VII. DANTZIC — HANOVER. 03 pleasing specimen of architecture. Its two western towers are of the form typical in Lubeck. They are just 400 English ft. in height, and with these dimensions ouglit to be imjiosing objects, but they certainly are not so, being in fact as bad specimens as could be of Gothic towers. As usual in Germany, there is no door at the west end of any of these churches, and the principal entrances are in all cases lateral ; one of those attached to the cathedral is an elaborate and beautiful ])iece of stone architecture, but it is the only one apparently that is at all remarkable. Some of the rood-screens are covered with carving, and the taber- nacles, or receptacles for the holy elements, are, as in jnost parts of Germany, elaborately oi'namented. They are nearly of the same age and of the same style as those at Nuremberg, one of which is repre- sented in Woodcut No. 527. Dantzic possesses several large churches very similar, both in style and arrangement, to those of Lubeck. The j^rincipal of these is the cathedral, or Marien Kirclie, commenced in its present form in 1.343, and completed in the year 1502. It is 316 feet long and 105 in width, with a transept extending to 206 feet. The whole area of the churcli is al)Out 42,000 ft., so that though not among the largest, it may still be considered as a first-class church ; and, being of a good age, it is as effective in design as any of the brick churches of the province. It has one tower at the west end 230 ft. in height. The church of St. Catherine is in part older than the cathedral, having been founded in 1185, though it was to a great extent rebuilt at a subsequent period. Its dimensions as it now stands are 210 ft. long, and 120 ft. wide over all. Neither it nor any of the other churches of the town seem to have any remarkable fea- ture of design or construction worthy of being alluded to. The town of Luneberg retains not only its public buildings, but its street architecture, nearlv as left from the Middle Ao-es : and its quaint gables and strange towers and s])ires give it a character that is picturesque and inter- esting, but cannot be said to be beautiful. Nor is there anything in its arcliitecture that is =^36. Tower in the KoebUn- ■^ ^ ger Strasse, Hanover. worthy either of admiration or imitation. The form of church tower found there, and indeed generally in the district, is a modification of that at Paderborn (Woodcut No. 471), and is well exemplified by that in the Koeblinger Strasse at Hanover