2016
Heritage Tours 1
Contact: Barbara Zander Heritage Tours Co-ordinator Lange Voorhout, 35 2514 EC The Hague The Netherlands T: +31 70 302 40 54 F: +31 70 361 78 65 E: bz@europanostra.org
Heritage Tours Committee: Tom Henkemans (Chairman) Reinildis van Ditzhuyzen Robert Engels Walter Hagg Jeanette Scholz Barbara Zander (Secretary)
Heritage Tours 2016: Discovering Brandenburg 11 – 16 May 2016 Private Châteaux of Normandy 11 – 16 September 2016 Spanish Basque Country 17 – 23 October 2016
Cover: Château de Canisy
This page: Château de Brécy
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Dear Members, First of all, many thanks to those of you who took the trouble to send us your tour comments and suggestions. These have been very welcome, and were useful when preparing the three special tours we will be offering you in 2016. I am delighted that again you will have a choice of some highly original and interesting tours. The spring tour, in May, will take us to some lesser known parts of Brandenburg (Berlin and its surroundings). It will be a journey of discoveries, since many of the places we shall visit may not be visited otherwise. Few people are aware that several castles and mansions in and around Germany’s capital have now been restored; these may be visited by special arrangement only. Hence, we are very pleased that owners proved willing to allow us access to their properties, offering you quite a chance to explore some of the hidden heritage of Brandenburg. Early autumn is a perfect season to spend in captivating Normandy. The tour we have devised for September is a partial repeat of the two highly successful tours we mounted in 2005, but with a major difference in that we managed to find many attractive private properties, which were not in the itinerary at the time. In fact, the majority of visits will be new even to those who joined ten years ago. This week in Normandy promises to give you a wonderful impression of the important history and the magnetism of this fascinating French region, whilst your accommodation will be nothing less than that of a castle owner.
Mid October takes us to that magnificent, but less visited part of Spain, the Basque country. An impressive variety of fine private homes, exciting buildings, stunning architecture, charismatic towns and villages, remarkable art collections and beautiful landscapes will be shown to you with the almost certain guarantee that you will fall in love with this glorious region of Spain. Even its culinary fame will not be overlooked. All in all, a perfect tour to discover this splendid area in a very exclusive way. We do hope that many of you will avail of these unique opportunities Specialtours and Europa Nostra have created for you. Please book as early as possible, since some of the tours happen to be full within weeks after appearance of this brochure. I should also like to repeat that your participation in our tours will help funding some of the important activities of Europa Nostra, viz. the ‘Seven Most Endangered’ campaign and the Hans de Koster Fund, which supports activities in central and eastern Europe. My colleagues on the Heritage Tours Committee and I wish you a most enjoyable travelling season, and we hope to see many of you on one or more of our 2016 tours. Thank you for your much valued support.
Tom Henkemans Chairman of the Heritage Tours Committee
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Schloss Neuhardenberg
Discovering Brandenburg 11 – 16 May 2016 The dynamic city of Berlin is at the heart of a peaceful rural region, with a network of rivers, canals and lakes. Castles speak of a rich history, for in 1701, Brandenburg’s Elector, Frederick III, was crowned as King of Prussia. It was under the enlightened rule of his son, Frederick the Great, that the court at Potsdam became a centre of culture and connoisseurship. In Berlin, we shall be staying at the supremely elegant Regent hotel, just off Unter den Linden.
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Heading north from Berlin, our first visit will be to Schloss Rheinsberg, on the banks of Lake Grienerick. Frederick the Great lived here for four years when he was Crown Prince, and loved the place. The Baroque castle was restored after the re-unification of Germany and has fascinating rococo and neo-classical interiors. Nearby, in a scenic lakeside setting, is Neuruppin, birthplace of the architect Karl Friedrich Schinkel, with a neo-classical town centre. We will be shown the Amalthea Garten, where the rococo temple was the first commission of Georg-Wenzeslaus von Knobelsdorff, Frederick’s favourite architect. Dinner will be at a private villa in Berlin, owned by the von Bismarck family. The following day, we drive north-west along the gentle rolling hills of the Elbe Valley. We will pause in Bad Wilsnack, an important place of pilgrimage in medieval times, and visit the late Gothic Schloss Plattenburg, the oldest moated castle in northern Germany. Lunch will be at Schloss Reichenow, which is being restored by its young owners. Later we visit Schloss Neuhardenberg, which was built by
Schinkel and the park landscaped by Peter Joseph Lenné and Prince Hermann von Pückler-Muskau. On Saturday we will explore the peaceful Spreewald. Our first visit is to Schloss Wiepersdorf, a small Baroque manor house which belonged to the Romantic literary couple, Bettina and Achim von Arnim. Here we will be welcomed by Baroness Annabell von Arnim-Baas. We continue for a private lunch with Graf Pückler in the grounds of Schloss Branitz, a late Baroque palace remodelled and decorated by Gottfried Semper. It is famed for the naturalistic landscaped garden designed by Prince Pückler from 1846. We continue to our hotel in the Dutch Quarter of Potsdam. A day will be devoted to the less visited royal palaces of Potsdam, in the company of Baroness Suzanne von der Osten-Sacken. These include three palaces designed by Schinkel: the Charlottenhof, in classical Italianate style, the Glienicke Palace, built for Prince Carl and the summer residence of Babelsberg, inspired by Windsor Castle. We will be shown the beautifully-furnished private apartments of the Marble Palace (by the architects of the Brandenburg Gate) and, by special permission, the Grotto. Our farewell dinner will be held at Palais Lichtenau. The final highlight of our tour will be a visit to Schloss Tegel, where a member of the von Heinz family, descendants of the celebrated von Humboldt brothers, will show us the evocative and atmospheric interior of their historic family home.
Marble Palace
Schloss Neuhardenberg
Glienicke Palace
Price: € 2,400 Single Room Supplement: € 270 The tour price includes accommodation at a luxury hotel in Berlin (3 nights) and a first-class hotel in Potsdam (2 nights) / All meals except one dinner / Ground transport by private coach / Guides / Entrance fees / Taxes The tour price is based on 20 participants. We hope it will not be necessary, but should the number fall below this we reserve the right to charge a supplement.
Europa Nostra Representative: Mrs Jeanette Scholz Tour Organiser: Mrs Harriet Landseer
Schloss Rheinsberg
The tour starts on Wednesday 11 May at the Hotel Regent, Berlin and ends at Berlin Tegel Airport on Monday 16 May by 14.00.
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Château Canisy
Private Châteaux of Normandy 11 – 16 September 2016 Members will be welcomed as exclusive guests by Comte Denis de Kergorlay at his historic home, Canisy, an impressive and stylish château which has been in the family for 1,000 years. The accommodation consists of a range of beautifully-furnished and very comfortable bedrooms. We will return each evening for drinks in the elegant Salon, followed by dinner in the grand Dining Room. Our tour will be accompanied by expert guide, Nicole Sarda.
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On Monday we will explore the region of Calvados. We see the exterior of the majestic Château de Balleroy, built by Francois Mansart, on our way to another splendid 17th-century château, Brécy, owned by M. Didier Wirth. Here we will be shown the fine formal parterre garden. We continue for lunch at the Château de Brouay, an historic family estate producing award-winning organic cider and calvados. After lunch with Baron and Baroness d’Aboville, we will enjoy a stroll in the apple orchards. Next, we proceed to the elegant Château de Bény, home of retired publisher and editor M. Yannick Guillou. This immaculate house, dating from 1685, contains beautiful furniture and objets d’art as well as a very rare collection of harpsichords. The next morning we venture north to the Cotentin peninsula, where we will enjoy privileged access to several stately homes. The first is Château de Servigny, home of Comte and Comtesse de Pontac, with furniture and paintings of the 18th century. It was in the drawing room at Servigny that the surrender of Cherbourg, the only peace
treaty of the second World War, was signed in June 1944. We continue through the pastureland of the Saire Valley to the architecturally impressive Château de St Pierre Eglise, for a visit with the Marquis and Marquise de Blagny. Lunch will be at the neighbouring Château de Tocqueville, by courtesy of Comtesse Stéphanie de Tocqueville. Here we will be shown the Library of historian Alexis de Tocqueville, author of ‘Democracy in the United States’ (1835), a masterpiece of political science. Finally, we envisage a short walk in the charming fishing port of Barfleur. The Château de Vendeuvre is a delightful country house on the banks of the river Dive, built as a summer residence in the mid 18th century and set in magnificent gardens. Comte and Comtesse de Vendeuvre will show us the elegant enfilade of reception rooms, with lovely carved panelling and trompe-l’oeil decoration, as well as their superb collections of East India Company porcelain and miniature furniture. After lunch in the Orangery, we continue to Bayeux to visit the imposing Cathedral and admire the famous Tapestry. The following morning we plan to visit the Pointe du Hoc and Omaha Beach, where so many young men gave their lives on D-day. Lunch will be at a fine fortified manor house, the Manoir de Quesnay, private home of M. and Mme. Fourcade. On our last evening, a concert will be arranged for us in the music room at Canisy before our farewell dinner. On the day of departure, we have arranged to visit the splendid 17th-century Château de Champ de Bataille, with state rooms and formal gardens immaculately restored by owner and interior decorator Jacques Garcia. The Grand Staircase, Louis XVI dining hall, opulent drawing room, Egyptian-style library and outstanding collection of furniture provide an impressive conclusion.
Château de Brécy
Château de Vendeuvre
Château de Vendeuvre
Price: € 3,290 Single Room Supplement: € 275 The tour price includes accommodation at Château de Canisy (5 nights) / All meals / Ground transport by private coach / Guides / Entrance fees / Taxes Please note that suites and luxury rooms will be allocated on a first come, first served basis. The tour price is based on 20 participants. We hope it will not be necessary, but should the number fall below this we reserve the right to charge a supplement.
Europa Nostra Representative: Mr Robert Engels Tour Organiser: Mrs Susie Orso
Château Canisy
Château de Tocqueville
The tour starts on Sunday 11 September at the Novotel, Charles de Gaulle airport by 14.00 (light lunch available from 13.00) and ends there on Friday 16 September by 16.30.
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Collegiate Church of Santa Juliana, Santillana del Mar
Spanish Basque Country 17 – 23 October 2016 The northern coast, known as ‘Atlantic Spain’ or ‘Green Spain’, offers an impressive heritage and an array of exceptional contemporary architure. We will explore the splendid hinterland of the Basque Country and the rich region of Cantabria. The tour will be led by well-known art historian, Sofia Barroso. Our introduction to the famously regenerated port of Bilbao will include the Metro, designed by Sir Norman Foster; new buildings by Rafael Moneo and Alvaro Siza; a warehouse restored by Philippe Starck and the hanging bridge of Portugalete, awarded a Europa Nostra prize in 2002. We will walk in the Old Town, with the famous ‘Seven Streets’ and the Cathedral, before dinner at a renowned restaurant. The following day we will visit the striking Guggenheim Museum by Frank Gehry and have lunch at a typical caserio, or
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historic Basque farmhouse. There will be time to visit the Fine Arts Museum before a private reception in the residential quarter of Las Arenas, home of the industrial oligarchy at the turn of the last century. Next, we depart for the Chillida-Leku Museum, a private foundation based at a wonderful 17th-century caserio, where Eduardo Chillido’s sculptures are displayed in the house and garden. We will be welcomed by a member of the family. A drive around San Sebastian will be followed by lunch on the harbour and a stroll through the Old Quarter. Here, located in a former convent, we discover the San Telmo Museum (originally a 16th-century convent), devoted to Basque culture. Our second excursion from Bilbao will be to Arrietacua de Motrico, the private historic manor house of the Counts of Motrico, an aristocratic Basque family linked with the navy, politics and diplomacy. Refreshments will be hosted. We continue to the home of the artist Ignacio de Zuloaga (1870-1945), where we will be welcomed by
Ignacio and Margarita Suarez-Zuloaga. After lunch at a famous restaurant in the beautiful fishing village of Guetaria, we will admire the historic houses of Elorrio, with tea at Tola Palace, private home of the Marquis of Gaytan. Back in Bilbao, dinner will be on your own. On Friday we leave for the region of Cantabria. We will be shown an 18th-century private house in Lierganes, by kind arrangement with the Saenz de la Cuesta family, continuing to the village of Esles to visit the Finca Cotubin, with the private gardens of the Gonzalez-Camino family. We will lunch at the home of Luis and Alicia Gomez-Camino. Afterwards, we will visit the home and garden of artist Fernando Bermejo and his wife, landscape designer Maria Gonzalez-Camino. A panoramic tour of Santander will include a visit to the new Botin Foundation, by Renzo Piano. Located on the waterfront, it has gardens by Fernando Caruncho, Spain’s top landscape designer. We arrive in the evening at the parador in Santillana del Mar, in time for dinner. Santillana del Mar is one of Spain’s most charming medieval villages. We will enjoy a leisurely visit on foot, including the Collegiate church with a beautiful Romanesque cloister. There will be an excursion to the celebrated Altamira Museum, beautifully integrated into the landscape, before lunch at a tower house, home of the collector and artist Barbara Rueda. Drinks at an historic private home will precede our farewell dinner at the parador.
Santillana del Mar
Palacio Caja Cantabria
Guggenheim Museum
Price: € 2,960 Single Room Supplement: € 380 The tour price includes accommodation at a first-class hotel in Bilbao (4 nights) and at a first-class parador in Santillana del Mar (2 nights) / All meals except one dinner / Ground transport by private coach / Guides / Entrance fees / Taxes The tour price is based on 20 participants. We hope it will not be necessary, but should the number fall below this we reserve the right to charge a supplement.
Europa Nostra Representative: Mr Tom Henkemans Tour Organiser: Mrs Sofia Barroso The tour starts on Monday 17 October at Hotel Carlton, Bilbao at 16.00 and ends on Sunday 23 October at Bilbao Airport by 11.00.
Chillida-Leku Museum
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Europa Nostra The Voice of Cultural Heritage in Europe In a globalised world cultural heritage is vital to a better understanding and a deeper respect between Europe’s citizens. Cultural heritage builds bridges between past, present and future generations, and represents beauty, enchantment and meaning, all vital elements in everybody’s life. In 50 years, Europa Nostra has built a pan-European network of 250 member organisations (heritage associations and foundations with a combined membership of more than five milliuon people), 150 associated organisations (governmental bodies, local authorities and corporations) and also 1500 individual members who directly support our mission. Europa Nostra is a partner of the European Union, the Council of Europe and UNESCO in heritage matters. We celebrate the best of cultural heritage achievements through our annual awards, we campaign against the many threats to Europe’s built and natural heritage, and we offer opportunities for sharing your cultural heritage experiences and concerns through our network, website, magazines and public debates. The Europa Nostra Heritage Tours are exclusively created for, and especially tailored to, Europa Nostra’s Individual Members and offer high quality and value. Members of Europa Nostra Member Organisations may also join these tours. Every booking on these tours financially benefits the Hans de Koster Mobility Fund for Central and Eastern Europe as well as the important activities related to Heritage in Danger. For full details about Europa Nostra’s rapidly expanding activities, please visit our website:
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Making a booking Making a booking As places on each of the three tours are limited, especially single accommodation, we recommend that initially you telephone us on 0044 (0)20 7386 4690 or email us on info@specialtours.co.uk to make a reservation. Thereafter, please complete the booking form and forward it to The Ultimate Travel Company Limited. At this stage a non-refundable deposit of €350 per person is required, payable by bank transfer or debit / credit card as indicated on the booking form. We have the facility to accept payment by most major credit and debit cards and are now able to take these payments in Euros at no additional charge. If you are booking less than eight weeks prior to departure the full cost of the tour is payable. On receipt of your booking form and deposit we will confirm your booking in writing, then no less than 10 weeks before departure we shall send you further information relevant to the tour you have booked, together with a final invoice which will also show any surcharges due (if applicable). You must pay the invoice within 14 days of the invoice date otherwise we reserve the right to treat the booking as cancelled and apply the cancellation conditions as set out below. Your travel documents will be dispatched approximately 10 days before the date on which the tour actually begins.
Fitness to travel Whilst we do not impose any age limitations on joining a tour, participants must be reasonably fit. The ver y nature of the sightseeing involved in our tours (and the difficulties of direct access by coach in various places) means that a considerable amount of walking and standing is unavoidable on almost all tours. We regret that our tours are not suitable for people who have difficulty in walking, may require wheelchair assistance at any time, or are unable to keep pace with the group. If you are in any doubt as to the suitability of a tour, please make this known to us before you book and we will advise you accordingly. The Ultimate Travel Company reserves the right to decline a reservation without necessarily giving a reason.
Passport, Visas & Health All clients are personally responsible for ensuring that they have a valid passport / identity card, any required visa, and conform to the health regulations required by the relevant countr y.
Booking Conditions The tours featured in this brochure are operated by Specialtours at The Ultimate Travel Company Limited, which is registered in England under company number 3528325. Suppliers The Ultimate Travel Company Limited acts only as agent for the owners of accommodation and services provided, for all carriers by air or otherwise and for road transport proprietors, and all bookings must be accepted subject to the ticket or transport conditions and regulations of the carriers or transport proprietors, and also subject to the laws of the country in which such carriage or other facility is required.
Cancellation You or any member of your party may cancel your tour at any time providing that the cancellation is made by the person who signed the booking form and is communicated in writing. Cancellation charges, based upon the length of time prior to departure when said cancellation is received, will apply. The sum due, shown below, is stated as a percentage of the total tour cost. More than 70 days Deposit 69 to 30 days 50% 29 to 15 days 75% 14 days or less 100% If you are obliged to cancel you may, with reasonable notice, transfer your booking to a third party who satisfies any conditions necessar y to take that tour; in which case we reserve the right to levy an administration charge.
Alterations by The Ultimate Travel Company We will do our utmost to provide the tour arrangements that have been confirmed, but we must retain the right to modify or cancel any tour, flight schedule, accommodation or arrangement should unforeseen circumstances amounting to ‘force majeure’ arise. In such circumstance we will inform you as soon as possible, and, should the change be such that it alters the nature of the tour, we will give you the choice of an alternative tour or a full refund of all monies paid. In recognition we will absorb all financial loss, except personal expenditure, consequent upon cancellation due to ‘force majeure’. We shall not cancel any tour for reason of political tension or natural disaster unless specifically recommended to do so by the relevant government office.
Tour Cancellation The price of a tour is based on a varying minimum number of passengers travelling. If the minimum number is not reached, at least 8 weeks prior to the scheduled departure date we will either cancel the tour and offer a full refund, or we may propose a supplementary charge which, subject to passengers agreement, will enable the tour to operate.
Travel Insurance We believe travel insurance is essential and reserve the right to cancel a booking if cover is not obtained. Care should be taken to ensure you have adequate cover particularly for cancellation and emergency repatriation in the event of medical problems.
Complaints & Arbitration We endeavour to resolve any complaints on the spot, however if the matter cannot be resolved please write our Managing Director, Nick Van Gruisen, within 14 days of the end of the tour. We will endeavour to resolve the problem as promptly as possible. In the unlikely event that the problem is not amicably resolved the case may be referred to arbitration, if the customer so wishes, under a special Scheme arranged by the Association of British Travel Agents and provided by CEDR Solve, Europe’s leading commercial and workplace mediation service. The scheme provides for a simple and inexpensive method of arbitration on documents alone with restricted liability on the customer in respect of costs. The Scheme does not apply to claims for an amount greater than €5,000 per person. There is also a limit of €25,000 per booking form. Neither does it apply to claims which are solely in respect of physical injur y or illness or their consequences. The Scheme can however deal with compensation claims which include an element of minor injur y or illness subject to a limit of €1,500 on the amount the arbitrator can award per person in respect of this element. The application for arbitration and Statement of Claim must be received by ABTA, who will forward them to CEDR Solve, within eighteen months of the date of return from the holiday. Outside this time limit arbitration under the Scheme may still be available if the company agrees, but the ABTA Code does not require such agreement. Full details will be provided on request or can be obtained from the ABTA website (www.abta.com).
Baggage & Personal Effects These remain your responsibility and risk at all times.
Final Note The tour organiser, in conjunction with the appropriate medical advice if applicable and in consultation with Europa Nostra, has the right to disqualify any client at any time during the course of the tour, if considered necessary for the medical well being or safety of the individual or in the tour organiser ’s opinion, the client’s actions are materially affecting the enjoyment of the tour for the remainder of the group. Any decision with regard to any reimbursement for any part of the tour not completed will be decided between the Managing Director of The Ultimate Travel Company Limited and the tour organiser.
Our Liabilities We do not exclude or limit any liability to our clients which may arise from proven negligence by any person employed directly by us or by our suppliers and subcontractors, servants or agents of the same whilst acting in the course or their employment (other than air and sea carriers performing any domestic internal or international carriage of whatsoever kind) in respect of death, bodily injury or illness. Such liabilities shall be subject to English law and all proceedings shall be within the exclusive domain of the English courts.We shall endeavour to afford general assistance to our clients in the event of illness, injury or death during the period of the tour. We accept responsibility for ensuring that all parts of the tour are supplied as described and that all services shall reach a reasonable standard. These obligations and responsibilities shall be limited to where international conventions in respect of air or sea carriers apply. We do not assume responsibility for loss or expense due to war, riot, strike, terrorist activity or natural disaster.
Data Protection Statement Please be assured that we have measures in place to protect the personal booking information held by us. Full details of our data protection policy are available upon request.
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For further details and reservations please contact: 0044 (0)20 7386 4690 or info@specialtours.co.uk
Specialtours at The Ultimate Travel Company 25 - 27 Vanston Place, London SW6 1AZ T 0044 (0) 20 7386 4690 E info@specialtours.co.uk www.specialtours.co.uk
Specialtours