After running for my wrist in the morning (see previous post), it was lunchtime. I made my way to the city centre to have a drink and see how I was going to spend my free afternoon.
1) a visit to the Baroque Markgravial Opera, founded at the initiative of Margravess Wilhelmine, Frederick the Great's sister, following the marriage of her daughter in 1748. Since 2012, the opera UNESCO world heritage. Impressive and gaudy opera house (main photo), but not really my thing.
2) The masonic museum: those are not so thickly spread in Europe. The museum told the story of the origins of Freemasonry in England, its spread in the rest of Europe, with then more on the German maçonic history. Information on temple values, degrees, rituals, jewellery and clothing and utensils.
Here I do want to comment on the origins of the museum. Bayreuth freemason Georg Niehrenheim had many prints prints of the dedication in the lodge of Margrave Frederick of Brandenburg in 1740. He afterwards donated them to all the lodges in the world he knew, but asked for a local valuable object in return. Thus he collected 80,000 maçonic objects which formed the basis for the museum collection. And in 1935, all 80,000 of them were destroyed by the Nazis....
Print Margrave Frederick of Brandenburg
3) After the Masonic Museum, I had another hour and a half to stroll through the Neues Schloss, the modest retreat of Wilhelmine and her consort. Not really my cup of tea either, so much luxurious excess (except for the toilet).
Neues Schloss
16 September: Opening the door at Diamondway Buddhist Centre in Tallinn The centre's meditation sessions are open
