Still looking for an explanation of this sign. I'll just have to go back to the shop and ask.
Update: Another reader, Wellingtonia, has found the answer (see the comments). The snake represents wisdom and the tools are those of the blacksmith (as reader Lewi suggested yesterday. This is the coat of arms of the blacksmith guild of Zürich (Wiki).
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Detail on an old fire hydrant in Brugg. They don't make them like this anymore.
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Another one I didn't get a label for. This concludes the series. Which one did you like best?
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What Gilge is, I have not been able to find. From the image I would guess a spear, or a spearhead.
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To the blue stork. Actually, the little blue stork. The diminutive form is très popular in Switzerland.
Many of you have already gathered that I'm rather partial to architectural details and shop signs. For the next few days, I'll be showing you some photos I took in Zürich when I met up with blogger Janet of DC Confidential.
P. S. I'm away from Villigen at the moment and the Blogger 'bot will be taking care of business in so far as I've scheduled posting.
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I mentioned in yesterday's post that the reverse side of the note has the German and Rumantsch labels. The impressions of the text on the front can also be seen in this photo. Two of the motifs here are the Hall of Justice at Chandigarh in India and a depiction of Corbusier's Modulor scale of measure which is based on the Fibonacci series. Here are a couple of old posts mentioning the Fibonacci series: 20070310 Too pretty to eat and 20070201 Fibonacci sequence at the Zürich Hauptbahnhof).
Do you see the creases that divide the note into quarters? Many Swiss (mostly female, now that I think about it) fold their notes in this fashion and stuff them into their Portmonnaies. Now I've started to do the same... crikey!
This series of banknotes is the eighth in Swiss history and it started in 1995. A new series is in the works. A competition was held in 2005 and the outcome was rather controversial. The first place went to a design that was widely disliked by the masses. The upshot is that the design of the second place winner has been selected as the one with which to go forward. Apparently there will be additional changes to the initial designs but you can get an idea of them here: Swiss National Bank Competition Results.
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As the first of the month, today is the City Daily Photo theme day and while I didn't sign up for it, I wanted to acknowledge it anyway. Please visit the community webpage to see what the participants have put up. Click here.
Pictured above is the ten Swiss franc note (CHF 10) featuring the architect Le Corbusier (an old post mentioning him is here). This side of the note is labelled in French and Italian. German and Rumantsch appear on the reverse side.
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All these details on old buildings. I can spend long periods staring at them.
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The overview shot. Not my preferred photo by far, but for the sake of completeness I'm including it before moving onto a different topic.
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Detail of the area above the lintel of the Lateinschulhaus. There are inscriptions in Hebrew (as seen in the cartouche here), Latin and Greek all over the facade.
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The present form of the Lateinschule (grammar/primary school) building dates back to 1638 and it has a beautifully frescoed east facade. Rudolf Schwerter from Baden did the facade in 1640 in Grisaille (Wiki on Grisaille). In 1885 it was redone in the brown-red tones seen here. The last renovation was in 1930 by Otto Kälin. (Source: Brugg 1984 - Anlass der Jubiläumsfeierlichkeiten 700 Jahre Stadtrecht Brugg).
City daily photo theme day: Spheres/Circles. Alas, once again I failed to sign up for the Daily Photo Blog theme day. But, to my pleasant surprise I realized that my planned post actually fits it with the topic, with the celestial sphere held aloft by Astronomia here.
Click here to see thumbnails from all registered theme day participants (doesn't include me).
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The door handle to the Lateinschulhaus (Latin school house) in Brugg. I'll be posting more photos of this building over the next few days.
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Detail of the iron gate to the building that used to be the property recording office (Landschreiberei/Grundbuchamt) in Brugg.
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Back in Villigen the restaurant Hirschen has this iron sign. One of several old posts about Hirschen here. Sadly, the dessert sampler I had mentioned back then is no longer on the menu.
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