world reviewer
Kynan Wieltz
Areas of expertise
Member statistics
- Member since
- 2nd July 2007
Kynan Wieltz initially trained as an architect where he developed a great appreciation for buildings constructed for prayer and for spiritual ends. He has been involved in the construction of several regional churches as well as civic buildings and buildings with large internal spaces are his preferred brief. A native of the Bavarian regions he now shares his love of religious architecture with international visitors in small tour groups, though he has also spoken on individual locations for larger groups.
He's main focus for 2007 and 2008 is the completion of his doctorate and the research book he is working on in conjunction with his studies.
Kynan Wieltz's activity
- 05 Jun 2008
Kynan Wieltz reviewed Umm Qais and Gadara in Irbid, Jordan
The ruins of the glorious old Roman city of Gadara have been part covered by the less magnificent modern city of Umm Qais. Gadara was a fort city set on a hill and the ruins are still surrounded by the ancient walls, crumbled and part submerged in place…"
- 07 Dec 2007
Kynan Wieltz reviewed Saint-Sophia Cathedral in Kiev, Ukraine
The fresh white walls, green, gold tipped domes of the Saint Sophia Cathedral in Kiev make it one of the city’s most striking and familiar monuments. There seems to be some local pride in it. Byzantine in style the cathedral was painstakingly erected…"
- 10 Oct 2007
Kynan Wieltz reviewed Margat - Castle of the Watchtower) in Tripoli, Lebanon
Like Krak des Chevaliers, Margat was a Syrian fortress, built on the highest point in the region and held during the crusades by the Knights Hospitaller. Its original Arab foundations were built on by the Byzantines before being sold to the Hospitallers…"
Kynan Wieltz reviewed Krak des Chevaliers in Syria
Krak des Chevaliers is one of the great Syrian Crusader fortresses. In excellent repair it is considered by many to be one of the most complete pieces of military architecture dating from this period in history. It also holds some of the best preserved…"
Kynan Wieltz reviewed Babak Castle in Iran
Straight out of a Crusader era epic drama, Babak rises out of sheer gorges almost half a kilometre deep. It was essentially a fort, which is why the situation is so remote and difficult to get to and it’s most famous owner was Babak Korramdin who promot…"
- 04 Oct 2007
Kynan Wieltz reviewed Qalaat Saladin (Saladin’s Castle or Saone) in Syria
This is one of the most magnificent and best preserved of the Crusader Castles, the current incarnation was also renovated for one of the most important rulers of the day and thus was large and solid (however it is questioned whether Saladin ever actual…"
- 16 Jul 2007
Kynan Wieltz reviewed Burg Frankenstein in Frankfurt, Germany
This is the castle which inspired Mary Shelly to write her famous monster story. Situated on a hilltop it has an excellent view of the Rhine Plain, but the building itself was left uncared for over several hundred years and though it was restored in the…"
Kynan Wieltz reviewed Schloss Neuschwanstein in Bavaria, Germany
Schloss Neuschwanstein Bavaria, Germany Began in 1869, Schloss Neuschwanstein is a Bavarian castle in the romantic medieval architectural style, designed and over seen by a theatrical set designer rather than an architect and commissioned by a monarch …"
- 15 Jul 2007
Kynan Wieltz reviewed Schloss Schönbrunn in Vienna, Austria
This is one of Vienna’s best known attractions, but despite it’s popularity and many tourists, visitors are still provided with an excellent insight of imperial life in baroque period Vienna. Schonbrunn has been imperial home and the seat of generations…"
Kynan Wieltz reviewed Chateau de Chillon in France
Picturesque photos of this castle are plentiful and its tall simple white walls and pointed roofs and backdrop of Swiss mountain peaks and Lake Geneva may be familiar to you. Built on the very edge of the lake on an island, its walls are heavily forti…"
Kynan Wieltz reviewed Gravensteen (Castle of the Counts) in Ghent, Belgium
As the sole surviving Castle of the Counts, built by the necessarily nomadic Counts of Flanders, this is a historically as well as architecturally interesting castle. The first stone structure on this site was constructed around 1000AD, but it is thoug…"
- 12 Jul 2007
- 02 Jul 2007
Kynan Wieltz reviewed Lausanne Cathedral in Lausanne, Switzerland
The accentuated fragility of Lausanne Cathedral’s ornate architecture has given the building a reputation as one of Switzerland’s most impressive pieces of gothic architecture; consecrated in 1275 it is still incomplete as far as the original plans sugge…"
Kynan Wieltz reviewed Wormser Dom (Worms Cathedral) in Rheinland, Germany
The Wormser Dom is a one of the best examples of the Romanesque style with it’s round towers, domes and red brickwork. The style is less ornate than the gothic grandeur of many of the Rhine regions other doms, but the simplicity of both the interior and…"
Kynan Wieltz reviewed Dom St. Peter (Trier Cathedral) in Trier, Germany
The Dom St. Peter is included as Germany’s oldest church. Less grand than the other churches on this list it is historically significant and rightly for it’s status, houses an impressive collection of art and relics. Unlike most historic buildings the …"
Kynan Wieltz reviewed Aachen Cathedral in Aachen, Netherlands
Construction on the Aachen Cathedral was commenced by Charlemagne in 786, making it the oldest cathedral in northern Europe. The founder’s bones are interred in a shrine inside the cathedral. The coronations of thirty German rulers have taken place in …"
Kynan Wieltz reviewed Kolner Dom (Cologne Cathedral) in Cologne, Germany
The World Heritage listed, Kolner Dom (Cologne Cathedral) is one of the most recognizable pieces of grand and gothic German architecture. It houses one of the most significant religious relics, the Shrine of the Three Kings (commonly known of as the Thr…"
Kynan Wieltz reviewed Onze-Lieve-Vrouwekathedraal in Antwerp, Belgium
The Onze-Lieve-Vrouwekathedraal’s lace stonework spire is still the tallest structure of Antwerp’s skyline and the whole building is recognized as a major piece of intricate masonry and grand gothic design. Though most of the cathedral’s extensive col…"
Kynan Wieltz reviewed Katedrala sv Vita (St. Vitus Cathedral) in Prague, Czech Republic
You can see it’s boned spires from all over the city; St. Vitus is Prague’s most imposing and important church, site of the coronation of numerous monarchs and the internment of Czech royalty, nobles and church leaders. It is located inside the Prague C…"
Kynan Wieltz reviewed Stephansdom (St. Stephen’s Cathedral) in Vienna, Austria
Stephansdom is Vienna’s oldest church, built on the site of an ancient graveyard dating back to the fourth century. Its major feature is its high southern tower from which watchmen protected the city and worked as a fire alarm. The northern tower was i…"
Kynan Wieltz reviewed St. Michaelskirche (St. Michael’s Church) in Munich, Germany
St. Michaelskirich, completed near the end of the 16th Century, is a former Jesuit church constructed in the Renaissance style, and a particularly notable piece of architecture thought to have influenced the German baroque style. It’s most notable featu…"
Kynan Wieltz reviewed Salzburger Dom in Salzburg, Austria
The Salzburger Dom or Cathedral, Salzburg’s ecclesiastical center and one of it’s most important pieces of architecture, is most recognizable for it‘s elaborate elevated dome, frescos depicting scenes from the Old Testament and organ built by one of the …"
- 15 May 2007
Kynan Wieltz reviewed Alhambra in Granada, Spain
The calm tinkle of water is the overriding first impression of the Alhambra palace. Built in a particularly arid spot, it is none the less a veritable park of water features; fountains run into ponds into little man made streams and channels into larger…"
