St. Maria Lyskirchen is the smallest of the twelve Romanesque churches in Cologne. It was founded in 948, and the present building dates from 1210-1220, with some later additions in the Gothic style. The upper parts of the west front were rebuilt in the 19th century. The church is in the form of a three-aisled basilica, with a chancel flanked by two towers, only one of which was constructed to its full height, and an eastern apse. The building received only minor damage during the wars.
The church has a sculptured Romanesque portal, and a cycle of 13th century ceiling paintings. Rediscovered in the 19th century, they are unique in Cologne and show stories from the Old and New Testaments. The church contains the 'Schiffermadonna' (Seaman's Madonna), a wooden statue of 1420. A triptych by Joos van Cleve, with a central panel of the Lamentation, was sold in 1812; a few years later it was replaced with a copy by Benedikt Beckenkamp, which remains in the church.
References:The Beckov castle stands on a steep 50 m tall rock in the village Beckov. The dominance of the rock and impression of invincibility it gaves, challenged our ancestors to make use of these assets. The result is a remarkable harmony between the natural setting and architecture.
The castle first mentioned in 1200 was originally owned by the King and later, at the end of the 13th century it fell in hands of Matúš Èák. Its owners alternated - at the end of the 14th century the family of Stibor of Stiborice bought it.
The next owners, the Bánffys who adapted the Gothic castle to the Renaissance residence, improved its fortifications preventing the Turks from conquering it at the end of the 16th century. When Bánffys died out, the castle was owned by several noble families. It fell in decay after fire in 1729.
The history of the castle is the subject of different legends.