Bridges, Arches, Columns, Tunnels and Walls

Bridge of Sighs, Oxford, England

http://www.redspottedhanky.com/images/209/original/bridge-of-sighs-oxford_oxford_311870.jpg

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@raprap,

That's wild - to me, have never seen that done before.

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@vonny,

I remember seeing a building called the "camera" in Oxford. It is round, isn't it?

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@cicerone imposter,

Radcliffe Camera is round, and just a minute walk from the Bridge of Sighs

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@Walter Hinteler,

And apparently, it's going digital next year.

The circular building in the middle.....

http://www.andrewcusack.com/net/wp-content/uploads/noradclox1.jpg

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The Osthofentor in Soest, our district town, is a former city gate, built with local greenish sandstone (aka "Anröchter Sandstein") in the period from 1523 to 1526. The gate is the only one remaining of the ten that guarded the old Hanseatic city. It now houses a museum of municipal history, and has a collection of 25,000 medieval crossbow bolts.

http://i1334.photobucket.com/albums/w641/Walter_Hinteler/a_zps386196e0.jpg

http://i1334.photobucket.com/albums/w641/Walter_Hinteler/b_zps28de9931.jpg

That "hole in the wall" is the gate's toilet, the English term for a medieval or Renaissance toilet and/or for a close stool is "garderobe" I've just learnt.

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@Walter Hinteler,

The "Herdecke Viadukt", a railway viaduct over the river Ruhr and valley between Herdecke and Hagen in Northrhine-Westphalia/Germany

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@Walter Hinteler,

Garderobe in Swedish means wardrobe, which has nothing to do with toilet in that sense, but a place to put your cloth. Guess it comes from French.

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@Walter Hinteler,

Walter, that second picture is a jewel. Thanks for sharing.

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@Lordyaswas,

Also, as I recall, Oxford has about -*guessing- 37 universities.

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@cicerone imposter,

Oxford has a college system, each college is fairly autonomous but they're all part of Oxford University. There are other non affiliated, completely separate, higher education institutions like Ruskin College, which was set up by trade unions, but unless you count the Oxford University colleges as separate institutions there's no way near as many as 37 Universities.

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@saab,

saab wrote:

Garderobe in Swedish means wardrobe, which has nothing to do with toilet in that sense, but a place to put your cloth. Guess it comes from French.

Quote:

"The toilets, called garderobe, are all on the side away from the city so the subjugated Londoners wouldn't see the conquering Norman poo dribbling down the side of the walls.

"The name garderobe - which translates as guarding one's robes - is thought to come from hanging your clothes in the toilet shaft, as the ammonia from the urine would kill the fleas."

Source

Quote:

A Garderobe was the name for a Medieval toilet. The Origin and Meaning of the word 'Garderobe' derives from the French word 'garder' meaning to keep and robe ( as in clothes). The garderobe was originally used to store clothes as the pungent smells deterred moths! This became the origin of the modern word Wardrobe.

Source

(In German, it's "Abtritterker" or "Aborterker".)

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@Walter Hinteler,

Thank you - that was interesting.
We used some years ago klosett for a toilet, which came from the English word closet and wc vattenklosett = watertoilet and tc was for torrklosett = dry toilet = one without water.
Guess you in Germany still have the word in Klo

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@Walter Hinteler,

Walter Hinteler wrote:

saab wrote:

Garderobe in Swedish means wardrobe, which has nothing to do with toilet in that sense, but a place to put your cloth. Guess it comes from French.

Quote:
"The toilets, called garderobe, are all on the side away from the city so the subjugated Londoners wouldn't see the conquering Norman poo dribbling down the side of the walls.

"The name garderobe - which translates as guarding one's robes - is thought to come from hanging your clothes in the toilet shaft, as the ammonia from the urine would kill the fleas."
Source

Quote:
A Garderobe was the name for a Medieval toilet. The Origin and Meaning of the word 'Garderobe' derives from the French word 'garder' meaning to keep and robe ( as in clothes). The garderobe was originally used to store clothes as the pungent smells deterred moths! This became the origin of the modern word Wardrobe.
Source

(In German, it's "Abtritterker" or "Aborterker".)

According to Wikipedia you are both right.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Garderobe

The definition is incomplete without both of your input thanks! Smile

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@saab,

Remember years ago when travellling in Germany and there was Abort on the door to the WC in the train. For me that meant abortion or miscarriage.

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@saab,

If someone would drink a glass "öl" [not øl Wink

] here ...

"Abort" is the "abgelegene Ort" = the far off location.
"Abtritt" meant (as used here)in medieval times "the secret place/hall in a building".

("Ab-" has the same origin as af)

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