The old town Stade in Germany

Just some 50km west of Hamburg you will find the  Town Stade - the old town is original from the 17th century as it was never bombed during WW II.

It is a pleasure walking the cobbled streets a fine summer evening.

With the washed out sky I like to use the coffee filter for some effect.

More from the net:
Stade is a city in Lower Saxony, Germany, and part of the Hamburg Metropolitan Region (Metropolregion Hamburg).

The city has a population of around 45,152. Administratively, it is the seat of the Stade district which covers approximately 1,266 sq kms.

Water plays the most important part in Stade, which becomes evident at the Old Hansa Harbour with its pretty 17th-century houses, where there is the Fish Market with its reconstructed wooden crane and tread mill, framed by the walls of the quay and some splendid half-timbered houses. In the streets of the old town there are monuments of almost all historical architectural styles, ranging from Gothic to post-modern.

The first human settlers came to the Stade area in 30,000 BC. The city was founded in 994 and, in 1209, Stade received the "Stadtrecht" (town privileges).

In medieval times (from the 1200s to the late 1600s), Stade was a prominent member of the Hanseatic League, but was later eclipsed by Hamburg. Stade was also occupied by Sweden from 1645 to 1712, and some of the buildings built by the Swedes are still in use today. In 1355 and in 1712, Stade suffered a plague epidemic which killed at least 30-40% of the city's population. During World War II, Stade remained completely untouched by allied bombings.

Water reflection in the canal in Stade