Load Bearing

Find magical places with openstreetmap

I love places that evoke magic sans effort. Places like Mt. Saint Michel and Konstanz. Fortresses on waters. Where nymphs who hand out swords as basis for rulership definitely dwell.

My latest obsession is the island church of Blea, Slovenia. It looks like this...

A church in the middle of a lake on a bright summer day, by Gilad Topaz

So I am off to find more. God knows I will never live in Rivendell, but at least I can approximate it to a few decimal places.

[out:json][timeout:180][maxsize:2147483648];
(
  relation["natural"="water"]["water"="lake"]({{bbox}});
)->.lakes;

way(r.lakes:"inner")->.lake_islands;
.lake_islands map_to_area->.lake_areas;

(
  nwr["amenity"="place_of_worship"](area.lake_areas);
  nwr["building"="church"](area.lake_areas);
);

out body;
>;
out skel qt;

And through the magic of the wonderful people and volunteers at OSM(OpenStreetMap) and Overpass API and its German+ hosts, we can write programmable queries that basically says: please find me church and place of worship within the area enclosed by lakes within my viewport.

A dozen or so churches around the Alps that sits in the middle of a lake

I am off to find magic.[1]

[1] The churches are: ["Basilica di San Giulio, Italy", "Abbazia Mater Ecclesiae, Italy", "Chiesa di San Vittore (Isola Bella), Italy", "Chapel (Isola Madre), Italy", "Chiesa di San Vittore (Isola dei Pescatori), Italy", "Chiesetta di Sant'Anna della Rocca, Italy", "Chiesa di San Pietro in Mavino, Italy", "Chiesa di Santa Maria Maggiore, Italy", "Church (Isola di Garda), Italy", "Chiesa di San Salvatore, Italy", "Chiesa di San Michele Arcangelo, Italy", "Church (Isola Maggiore), Italy", "Chiesa di San Giuliano, Italy", "Schlosskirche (Mainau), Germany", "Seekapelle Hl. Kreuz, Germany", "Ehem. Domstiftskirche, Germany", "St. Maria (Herrenchiemsee), Germany", "Mariä Opferung, Germany", "St. Martin (Ufnau), Switzerland", "St. Peter und Paul (Ufnau), Switzerland", "Heilig Hüsli, Switzerland", "St. Otmar-Kapelle, Switzerland", "St. Nikolaus-Kapelle, Switzerland", "Kapelle Schwanau, Switzerland", "Cerkev Marijinega Vnebovzetja, Slovenia", "Mala Marijina kapela, Slovenia", "Kapela Lurške Matere Božje, Slovenia", "Maria (Walchensee), Germany", "Chapel (Mondsee), Austria", "crkva Gospe Visovačke, Croatia", "crkva Blagovijesti, Croatia"]