Die Königsburgen von Wales

Name of traveller

Wolfang Metternich (b. 1948)

Reason for travel

• taking photographs of Welsh castles for the production of a travel guide and monograph

Date of travel

undated

Content

• the book as such is not a travel account, but the author himself took most of the photos that are used in the publication
• architecture:
  • ruins and surroundings are depopulated
  • almost all pictures show modern additions, e.g. the wooden walkways, beams and handrails added by CADW for the visitors’ safety while visiting the ruined castles
  • author glosses over relative modernity Telford’s suspension bridge in Conwy  and incorporates it simply into the medieval structure of the castle
• art: black and white photographs as a travel account by-proxy
• history: recounting medieval Welsh history via castle ruins
• terrain:
  • castle ruins in spring-time landscapes
  • conflates the names of the castles and keeps with the place names where they are located
  • some interference as some of the castles are either located outside any settlement or their names do not match that of the surrounding town

Nationality of traveller

German

Language of publication

German

Gender of traveller

Male

Type of publication

photography; travel guide

Citation

Metternich, Wolfgang. Die Königsburgen von Wales. Darmstadt: Wissenschaftliche Buchgesellschaft, 1984. Print.