European houses

European house 7

Human rights

Greek Democracy
Although there are some previous examples of primitive democracy in other parts of the world, the creation of democracy is attributed to the ancient Greeks around the fifth century BC.
We all know how current democracy works, but what we now know as democracy has nothing to do with what the Greek democracy was like, the pioneer democracy. The main differences are:
• Greek democracy was not based on trusting people who argue and approve new laws, but in them, all the free people participated in politics.
• They met in the squares and, all together, they dealt with the government and political practice.
• Before, slaves, women, foreigners and children were excluded from politics, and now, all those over 18 can participate (though not directly, as in Greek democracy) in politics.

Socrates: The first victim of democracy.

Our funny Green figure is a bust of the Greek philosopher Socrates. His death sentence is a well-known episode; the philosopher did not write anything and his thoughts are known thanks to his disciples like Plato. His death is an example nowadays and allows us to see the fundamental importance of laws in democracy.

Due to his untiring questioning and curiosity, he was tried for corrupting the youth and for not respecting the official religion. It was an unfair trial and the magistrates finally sentenced Socrates to death penalty. He could escape from his fate with some friends’ help. However, he said: “Absolutely not. That would mean the laws are useless”. After that, he ingested hemlock and died.

This is consider the first trial and the first death sentence for democracy. Socrates teach us an important and maybe extreme lesson about laws and discipline. He strongly thought, “It is better to suffer an injustice than commit it”.

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• The EU wants to have human rights so that no World War III is created and all are treated equally. They were declared on 10.12.1948 and contain 30 articles.
• Martin Luther enabled everyone to understand his or her rights by translating the bible, where fundamental human rights were defined very early on. -> Ablasshandel abolished
• The quote from Shirin Ebadi shows well what we understand by human rights. Everyone has a right to them in every religion and every civilization.
• The hand is the logo for human rights. It was created in 2011 from the International Initiative "A Logo for Human Rights". The goal was to create an internationally recognized logo that supports the global human rights movement.

European house 6

Gastronomy and sports

GASTRONOMY

The cuisine of Spain is a varied way of preparing dishes, which is enriched by the contributions of the various regions that make up the country. Original cuisine that oscillates between rural and coastal styles, represents a diversity that is the fruit of many cultures, as well as landscapes and climates.Spanish cuisine is strongly influenced throughout its history by the peoples that conquer its territory, as well as like of the towns that later conquers and colonizes. This situation has provided a great variety of culinary techniques and ingredients.

The most typical dishes in Spain are:

- Serrano Ham: is a food obtained from the salting and air drying of the hind legs of the pig. The pig may be white or of the race called Iberian. Today is one of the most consumed food in Spain (a Spanish eats an average of 5 kg of ham per year), this is because in addition to having a precious taste, it is very suitable for health, and very easy to eat. combine with all kinds of foods.

- Tortilla de patata: It is one of the most well-known and emblematic dishes of Spanish cuisine, being a very popular product that can be found in almost any bar or restaurant in Spain.

- Paella: is a recipe based on rice, originating in the Valencian Community and today very popular throughout Spain and also in other countries. In this recipe the rice is cooked together with other foods in a pan, generally wide and with handles. The name paella refers to both the recipe or cooked dish and the container used to make it.

SPORTS

The three sports most practiced in Spain are soccer, with 21600 clubs throughout the country, basketball with 3800 clubs and tennis, with 1278 federated clubs.

- Football: In Spain is well known worldwide due to the Spanish Professional Football League, as it is one of the most famous, this league hosts world-class players such as Lionel Messi or Antoine Griezmann; and teams like FC. Barcelona, ​​Atlético de Madrid, Real Madrid or Real Valladolid (the one of our city). We also have a national team with elite players like Sergio Ramos, Jaime Mata or Álvaro Morata. The Spanish league has one of the most media parties in the world called El Clásico, where two of the best teams in the world play, Barcelona and Real Madrid.

- Basketball: Spain has one of the best leagues in Europe, the ACB, which houses teams like Real Madrid, FC. Barcelona, ​​Valencia Basket or Saski Baskonia. The Spanish team has players like Ricki Rubio, current Utah Jazz player or basketball legends like the Gasol brothers. It is one of the best national teams in the world, being the current bronze of the 2016 Olympics.

- Tennis: Rafael Nadal Parera: better known as Rafa Nadal, is a professional Spanish tennis player who currently occupies the second position of the ATP ranking. He is considered one of the best tennis players in history and the best of all time on clay courts.

European house 5

Sustainable Economy

The term Smart City has three characteristics: it protects the environment, uses ICT as tools for intelligent management and the last last sustainable development. In short, a city that improves the quality of life and the local economy in the context of an efficient Europe in the use of a source. The resources, more ecological and competitive. This term is represented by the following projects:

PE4Trans

PE4Trans aims to achieve improvements in transport policies through participatory processes to include citizens in the process of sustainable transport design and implementation, in order to change their routines and promote the use of mobility solutions that contribute to a reduction significant carbon footprint.

Remourban

This project will develop a model of sustainable urban regeneration, addressing the implementation in cities of innovative technological solutions in the energy, transport and ICT sectors.

S2City

Its main objective is the improvement of the services that the municipality offers to residents and visitors, through ICT. To do this, the creation of a single access to public services appears through the citizen card and / or the mobile device.

TransformingTransport

The project will demonstrate, in a realistic way, the transformations that Big Data brings to the mobility and logistics market. The aim is to validate the technical and economic viability of Big Data to form new transport processes and services.

URBAN GreenUp

To contribute in a remarkable way to achieve more sustainable cities not only from the environmental point of view but also economic and social, making them more attractive, competitive and inclusive, as well as more resilient in the face of climate change.

R2Cities

Project for the renovation of residential urban spaces towards cities almost zero energy, in which Valladolid participates along with other 6 countries. The objective of the project is to develop innovative technologies for energy saving and the reduction of CO2 emissions.

CommONEnergy

Energy efficiency model for shopping centers throughout Europe, facilitating the integration of control systems and energy management.

Storm Cloud

Series of digital public services of citizen interest. It will be provided through the Internet, using the latest virtualization technologies based on what is currently known as a cloud.

Livecity

It is a practical practice and a demonstration of services and applications in the field of electronic administration, citizen information and tourist information, all of them.

Intellycity

Open Data Platform that makes available to the citizen, companies and Public Administrations all the information generated by the city.

Recharge VYP

It has a network of charging points in Valladolid for public use and aims to improve the habits of future users and disseminate the advantages of electric mobility among potential users.

Blue Parking

Permite pay in the regulated parking area (ORA) of Valladolid, and pay for this parking through mobile devices.

European house 4

Science and Technology

Science and technology are two important fields in the developed world of today. They are constantly under new advances, changes and their evolution seems that they haven’t got an end.

Both in Spain and Germany, there are important scientists and significant figures in the technological and informatic field. But, for making more notable this evolution, we can divide it in three stages: past, present and future.

Let’s start with the origin of technology.

We date back to 2.4 million years ago with the Homo habilis who began to create tools which made easier their daily activities. The stone was the first one of this revolutionary elements; if you sharp it, it cuts. They discovered soon their multiple uses: for hunting, for cuting the meat, for tearing clothes…

According as new materials were discovered, more tools and devices were invented. And the development of science was simultaneous to the hominids evolution.

Along the history we can distinguish discoveries as the vaccine, the penicillin, even the antibiotic so important in our lifes. The electricity, media, transports. The are only a few of the most remarkable advances of the last centuries, and without them our life wouldn’t be, absolutly, the same we know.

Then we are going to remark important advances and contributions of several Spanish and German characters since the XIX century until nowadays. When, definitely, this scientific and technological revolution was higher.

Moreover, we are going to reference people who broadcast a science sight in the future through their researches o just being a model to follow to the next generations.

Rochs Wilhelm and The Deutsche Biographie

Rochus Wilhelm Traugott Heinrich Ferdinand von Liliencron Was born the 8th of December 1820, in Germany, and he died the 5th of March 1912. He was a writer, a musician, a musicologist, editor and creator of the Allegmeine Deutsche Biographie.

This is a well-knownencyclopedia, literally translated as “Universal German Biography”, which was the antecedent of the Neue Deutsche Biographie, which is a really big data base, which covers more than 25.000 people and families who lived in the German spoken place.

This German Wikipedia, was first published as a volume, in alphabetical order, in 1953. The last published volumen was published in 2016, th 26th volume, and covers the different names until V.

As I said, more than 22.500 different biographies have been published, and more than 1600 will be added in the last 2 volumes which will close this encyclopedia in 2021.

The articles from this encyclopedia usually have many different information such as date and place of birth and death, parents, grandparents, marriages, divorces, number of children, born name, alternative name, academic information, curriculum, different things about political, economic, social, scientific, technic, and artistic achievements of the person...

The access to this site is completely free, and you can easily enter to all the articles which it has, from Aachen, to Vocke.

The web is in German, but it also has an English version so everyone can understand it, and there you can read all the information you want.

https://www.deutsche-biographie.de/home

Furthermore, now they’ve added a new feature that lets you search the different names through a map, and you can locate it with just the place.

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We designed our house with some pictures of spanish and german important people of the past and some of the future:

• Spain
Narcís Monturiol i Estarriol:
Narcís Monturiol i Estarriol is the inventor of the first manned submarine powered by a combustion engine. He was born on September 28th 1819 and died on September 6th 1885. He was the founder of the magazine “La Fraternidad“, the company Monturiol, Font, Altadill y Cía.
Margarita Salas Falgueras:
Margarita Salas Falgueras is a Spanish biochemist. She has contributed decisively to boost Spanish research in the field of biochemnistry and molecular biology. Margarita Salas Falgueras was born on Novemer 30th 1938. She received the noble title of “Marquesa de Canero“.

• Germany
Albert Einstein:
Albert Einstein was born on March 14, 1879 in Ulm. He is considered one of the most important theoretical physicists in the history of science and the world's most famous scientist of modern times. His research on the structure of matter, space and time as well as the nature of gravity significantly changed the previously valid Newtonian world view. In 1922 he received the Nobel Prize in Physics. Einstein was a Jew and fled to Switzerland and the USA before World War II. In 1955 he died in the United States.
Carl Benz:
On November 25, 1844, Carl Benz was born the son of a locomotive driver in Karlsruhe. The study at the Polytechnic University in Karlsruhe is followed by a two-year internship.
He was a German engineer and automotive pioneer. His Benz Patent Motor Car number 1 from 1885 is considered the first practical automobile. On January 29, 1886 he applied for a patent for his motor car.

• Future
Lisa Sauermann:
Lisa Sauermann (born 25 September 1992) is a mathematics student from Germany who was the most successful participant in the International Mathematical Olympiad in 2011. As of January 2018, she is ranked No.3 in the International Mathematical Olympiad Hall of Fame, having won four gold medals and one silver medal at this event. In all of those occasions she represented Germany. She was the only student to achieve a perfect score at IMO 2011. She won the Franz Ludwig Gehe Prize in 2011 and the gold medal in the age group III, the 11th–12th grade competition. As a result, she won a trip to the Royal Academy of Sciences in Stockholm. To achieve this, she presented a new mathematical theorem with a proof in a work entitled "Forests with Hypergraphs". In 2011 she began studying mathematics at the University of Bonn. She is a graduate student of Jacob Fox at Stanford University. 
Ricardo Vergaz Benito:
Ricardo Vergaz Benito, born 1972 in Valladolid, is a spanish physicist in the University Carlos 3. in Madrid, Spain. He develops his investigations n diverse areas of work: Electro-optic devices made of new materials (intelligent glasses that change color to improve visual acuity for people with vision difficulties). 
Design and development of domotic applications (intelligent windows, environment controls), optical communications, and assistive technologies (technical aids to mobility, communication and perception of disabled people). 

European house 3

Literature / Languages

What?

A project on Literature about different Spanish and German writers.

Where?

In Spain and Germany

When?

From different times of History

Why?

Because we want to share what we know about Literature with other

German students, in addition to gaining a deeper insight into their culture.

That will for sure enrich us!

Who?:

MIGUEL DE CERVANTES

Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra was a Spanish writer of the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries, key author in the set of literature in Castilian, in whose literary legacy remain several influential novels, in addition to poetry and theater. Among his work, El Quijote undoubtedly stands out, for it is often considered the undisputed top of Spanish literature and one of the most important works of universal literature. In this novel, Cervantes displays an absolute control of Castilian and all its possibilities. For his new and original approach towards prose and narrative, Cervantes is considered one of the pioneers of the modern novel and the greatest exponent among the authors of Spanish literature.

GOETHE

Johann Wolfgang von Goethe was a German erudite, poet, dramatist, novelist and scientist of the 18th and 19th centuries. His enormous intelligence and curiosity led him as a child to try to cover all branches of knowledge and to accumulate a culture of immense proportions. His work, wide and varied, ranges from capital novels of German literature such as The sufferings of young Werther, tragedies such as Faust and many other poetic and dramatic works to curious scientific essays. All this production, of supreme quality, added to its contribution to the neoclassical movement and its influence on Romanticism, make Goethe the most important German man of letters and a true giant of universal literature.

THOMAS MANN

Thomas Mann was a German writer, considered one of the most important European writers of his generation. Taking as his main references the Bible and the ideas of Goethe, Freud, Nietzsche and Schopenhauer, he made a deep critical analysis of the European and German soul in his novels. In his work, mainly of a novelsitic nature, are highlightsDoktor Faustus, The Magic Mountain and The Buddenbrooks, work for which he won the Nobel Prize for literature and which consolidated his legacy as one of the most important novelists of the twentieth century.

ZORRILLA

José Zorrilla y Moral was an important poet and playwright of the 19th century and one of the most influential and celebrated representatives of Spanish Romanticism. The influence of a strict father figure, his life full of adventures, marked by economic troubles and problems of mental health, and love are widely reflected in his work, which presents a considerable variety of genres. His works, especially the theatrical ones, enjoy great fame even today and some of them, like Don Juan Tenorio are habitual in the cycles of representations of the theaters of all Spain.

European house 2

History

CHARLES I OF SPAIN AND V OF GERMANY

Charles I of Spain and V of Germany (Ghent, Flanders, 1500-Yuste, Extremadura, 1558). Son of Joanna the Mad and Feli Philip the Handsome of Castile. He was educated in the Netherlands by Adrian of Utrecht and William the Croÿ.

In 1516 he accepts to be crowned King of Spain and on 1520 the emperor of the Holy Empire (Germany). In 1517 It came to Spain, but it was not well accepted because he had been tutored abroad and his court was made up of foreign nobles.

During his reign, he had four clashes with France; most of the european powers supported France because they are feared of that the power of this emperor would continue to grow.

In 1555 he abdicated from the empire, and he gave it to his brother Fernando; a year later he abdicated his peninsular territories and he handed them over to his son Felipe. Two years later he dies.

GERMANY'S INTERVENTION IN THE CIVIL WAR

The Nazi German helped the Side Of the rebels, because Hitler considered that His victory would favour the interests of Nazi Germany; In addition, its ideals were very similar, both based on the fascism of Mussolini.

In the uplifted area the Condor Legion, air unit sent by Germany with help, was deployed. The Civil War was used by German soldiers as training, anticipating the next European war (WWII). This Legion put into practice the weapons and tactics they would use in the WWII.

In addition, a small fleet was sent to the Strait of Gibraltar to protect the transporters of weapons and soldiers.

Operation Ursula: Secretly Sending submarines to the Mediterranean to attack Republican ships, it failed because of the inexperience and precariousness.

The Rebel side was financed by Germany and Italy through credits and the supply of raw materials and food; this was decisive for the victory of the rebels in front of the Republic. The way to repay these loans was to increase exports to Germany and Italy and to leave France and Great Britain with shortcomings.

International Brigades: Groupings of soldiers formed by the III International, in which the soldiers of many countries, including Germans opposed to Nazism, participated; They supported the Republic.

PARTICIPATION OF SPAIN IN THE SECOND WORLD WAR

Spain did not participate in the second World War because it had just finished the civil war and there were neither social nor economic forces, but  there were troops fighting for both sides, the División Azul for the Axis and "la Nueve" for the Allies.

The Blue Division was made up of almost 50,000 Spanish volunteers who decided to defend Europe from Communism and defend fascism. It emerged after the beginning of Operation Barbaroja, Germany's invasion of Russia; when Germany asks for the participation of Franco's Spain, which as just out of the civil war the Nazis finally asked for the participation of a group of volunteers. Its main purpose was to defend some fronts occupied by the Germans in the north of the Soviet Union. In 1943 Franco began to see that the Axis began to fall, he sent the Blue division removed; however, there were a group of approximately 3000 men who decided to continue supporting Hitler and called themselves the Blue Legion.

"La Nueve" was the name that was known to the ninth company of the second Armoured Division of the Army of free France formed by approximately 150 Spanish Republicans who had been exiled to France and were under the command of this. They starred in the liberation of Paris and the final assault on the Eagle's Nest of Hitler. La Nueve starred in some of the most risky missions on the front of Normandy and Alsace infiltrating in the enemy lines to be able to open the way.

THE EUROPEAN UNION

After the WWII, Europe was devastated, and resentment and mistrust did not allow for reconciliation. But, taking small steps such as the Schuman Declaration (Creation of the ECSC), European countries were joining commercially and culturally. The EU as such was created in 1993, and it was the definitive union between the countries that formed it. There are Currently 28, and between them are Spain and Germany.

The EU is based on democracy, the freedom and the human rights, so the countries that form it must respect these three principles.

·         Spain is a parliamentary monarchy with universal suffrage since 1978, (Franco dies).

·         Germany is a parliamentary republic since 1949 (the eastern part joined after the fall of the URRS in 1991).

European house 1

Art / Film / Music and Dance

Spanish art is internationally recognized for several reasons: to be varied, innovative and exciting, and includes many works that embody that timeless quality of art thatshocks whoever. Some of the most famous painters and sculptors in the world have been Spanish artists, and Spain has not stopped producing creative talents.

It goes back to the primitive artistic contributions of the prehistoric peoples that populated the Spanish peninsula (Altamira) as well as its archaeological remains in the protohistory. The Phoenician-Punic influence, Greek, Roman and finally the arrival of the Germanic peoples, mainly the Visigoth and some Byzantine influence, would determine, along with European Christianity, Spanish art during the Middle Ages and up to the present.

In Hispania, the orientalizing and northern cultural were two determining factors for the enrichment of peninsular art. The Phoenician and Punic people, with the arrival of the Greeks later would endow a notable influence for the Iberian later.

Its cultural wealth reached its peak in the Spanish Golden Age (mid-16th century until the mid-17th century), highlighting figures in painting such as Diego Velázquez, El Greco, etc. This cultural richness that overflows in his paintings, sculptures and buildings ... besides squares and streets of the Spanish cities, is undoubtedly the result of the symbiosis of Christian and Islamic Spain, which has endowed with great artistic richness during the coming centuries.

Now we are going to introduce three Spanish iconic artworks, recognized internacionally:

·         “LAS MENINAS”: This painting was not always known as Las Meninas, but its title has been changed over the years. The most significant titles are Retrato de la señora emperatriz con sus damas y una enana,  La familia del Señor rey Phelipe Quarto y La familia . It will not be until 1843 when, in the Museo del Prado catalog, it appears for the first time with the title Las Meninas. It was painted by Diego Velázquez in 1656. It is preserved in the El Padro Museum.

Diego Velázquez was born in Seville on June 6^th, 1599 and died on August 6th, 1660. He was a Spanish baroque painter considered one of the greatest exponents of Spanish painting and master of universal painting. He painted other paintings such as Adoración de los Magos o El aguador de Sevilla.

·         “EL 3 DE MAYO EN MADRID”: On the night of May 3th, 1808, the French shot, in various parts of Madrid,to  the patriots arrested after their uprising the previous day against the French troops. The "revolution" of Madrid determined the outbreak of the war against Napoleon, and the repression of the French army, indiscriminately arresting and executing innocents and guilty, immediately revealed to the eyes of all the bloodthirsty and cruel of the confrontation, without quarter, that had begun that day between Spanish people and Frenchmen. The two scenes chosen by Goya are very significant, representing the beginning of the heroic national resistance and the sacrifice of the Spanish people. It is preserved in the Museo del Padro.

Francisco de Goya was a Spanish painter and engraver. His work includes easel and mural painting, engraving and drawing. His style evolved from Rococo, through Neoclassicism, to pre-Romanticism, always interpreted in a personal and original way, and always with an underlying feature of naturalism, the reflection of reality. It has other works like Nacimiento de la Virgen or El cacharrero.

·         “EL GUERNICA”: considered by many as the most remarkable painting, not only of Picasso, but of the entire twentieth century, it transports who sees it to that fateful April 26^th, 1937. That day the German Condor Legion and the Italian Legionary Aviation struggled side of the side Revolt against the government of the Second Spanish Republic, massacred without mercy the thousands of people who were that day in the Basque population of Guernica. A perfect test bed for Hitler's aviation and its disastrous future plans that would materialize multiple times, years later, during World War II. It is located in the Reina Sofía National Art Center Museum.

Pablo Picasso was born on October 25^th, 1881 and died on April 8^th, 1973. He is considered since the genesis of the twentieth century as one of the greatest painters who participated in many artistic movements that spread throughout the world and exerted a great influence in other great artists of his time. His works are present in museums and collections throughout Europe and the world. In addition, he addressed other genres such as drawing, engraving, illustration of books, etc. Some words that he cited were: "Artists who live and work with spiritual values ​​can not and should not remain indifferent to a conflict in which the highest values ​​of Humanity and civilization are in danger."

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Flamenco: Flamenco is originally from Andalucia, but nowadays it is a typical dance for Spain.
Flamenco has typical music and when the dancers are done dancing, they shout “OLE”! It is typical, that the girl is wearing a red dress and that the girl has a flower in her hair.

Schuhplatteln: “Schuhplattler” are mostly men, that are dancing in their leather trouses. They clap with their hands on their legs and their shoes. Normally it is only danced in the south- east of Germany, but there are lessons to learn it in a lot of other regions too.

Fluch der Karibik: Pirates of the Caribbean is a movie that Disney produced in 2003. It is an American movie but a very famous actress in it is from Spain. She is called Penelope Cruz and had a leading acting roll.

Penelope Cruz: Penelope Cruz is a Spanish actress but is known world-wide. She already won one Oscar and took part in more than 30 movies.
She is known from the movies “Sex and the City 2” and “Pirates of the Caribbean”.

Guernica von Pablo Picasso: The “Guernica” is one of the most famous art works that Pablo Picasso ever drew. He drew it in 1937, where the city Guernica in Spain got destroyed by the air force. In 1937 was the Spanish Civil War and Picasso drew the picture, because he thought, that the war is awful and he felt like he had to do something