The first question any Anchor Friend asks when looking at these pictures
is: "How did he managed to get all those circular stones for the towers?"
More knowledgeable builders and collectors recognize immediately that
many of these circular stones were never part of the Richter selection.
And they are quite correct, as Ernst is one of the very best, and most
prolific, of the modern "stone fabricators". This particular model
took him many months to complete because he had to make well over a thousand
stones in over 100 non-Richter shapes. In addition the more than 150
window frames and doors were also made by Ernst. European builders
seem to object to empty windows far more than American builders do.
Perhaps they have seen more of them than they like to remember.
Part of the significance of Ernst's castle Egmond is that the Spanish burned it down in 1573. The foundation exists, as do several 17th century drawings. Needless to say the drawings, made from memory, ruins and imagination do not all agree. Ernst had to put together a "happy medium" drawing, which took him over two months. For the first time in centuries, people have been able to see what Egmond Castle looked like. For that reason Ernst kept this building standing for over two years, and invited many people to view this former Dutch castle.
You can expect these pictures to be changed about once a month. I will not repeat the same builder immediately, but you can expect to see additional Romanesque churches of Köln, by Peter Hartel, in the near future.
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