Buildings and Architecture in Europe
Potsdam has always been an important and rich city and was the home for kings untill the beginning of the 20th century. During the 18th century Frederick the Great made it even more splendid by constructing Sanssouci Park. Besides flowers, terraces, and fountains, the huge park contained several palaces (including Sanssouci and the gigantic Neues Palais), temples and even a golden Chinese tea pavilion. Even more buildings were added under Frederick William IV. Sanssouci Park is, along with a group of parks and palaces in Berlin, enlisted as one UNESCO World Heritage site.
This house doesn't look like much, when you pass it on the beach. Hidden behind protective granite walls and not many windows, it looks exactly like its nickname "Le Petit Fort". But the house is 472 square metre, three-storey, with both outdoor swimming pool and a sauna. Due to its exposed location; first row and facing the Atlantic Ocean, it's designed to protects itself from the surrounding landscape and bad weather. For instance, the owner can only look out of the top windows, if they sit down. Of course, all this is lost to you, because it's a private home and off limits. The house featured in the British tv-show "Grand Designs - house of year 2016".
Since Riga didn't get as destroyed during WWII as Germany, it has today some of the finest examples of Art Nouveau architecture. These buildings got built in the late 19th century and early 20th century with heavy ornamentation. The elaborated facades can contain anything from flowers and pillars to semi naked women and grotesque faces stirring down at you from high above. While you probably need to be some kind expert to appreciate all the nuances, you can easily distinct the Art Nouveau from the concrete and even older wooden houses which it shares the neighbourhood with.
The charm of Riga's Old Town lies in the fact that it's still very much alive, and not some tarted up open air museum with pretty churches. The rugged streets are worn and the old houses holds more great things than souvenirs shops. There are lots of bars and clubs, with a thriving nightlife as a consequence. But there are also forgotten corners with dilapidated buildings and walls which just adds to the great atmosphere of Old Riga. UNESCO have been kind enough to enlist the historical part of Riga consisting of Old Town along with the 'newer' suburbs of Art Nouveau houses and wooden buildings in neoclassical style.
This 108 m tall monster of classic Soviet architecture is locally known as 'Stalin's birthday cake'. Officially is the Academy of Science, Zinātņu Akadēmija, but today it's less science with more space taken up by anyone from astrologists to private enterprises. It was built between 1953-56 and is similar to other Stalin-era skyscrapers like the Moscow State University, Palace of Culture in Warsaw and Hotel Ukrania in Kiev. It was completed without the Stalin portrait that was supposed to be a part the facade, for Stalin died during the construction in 1953 and was quickly disowned afterwards - but the Latvians were probably alright with that.
Can it become more classic than this. The Casino of Monte Carlo is world famous, if not for anything else than appearing in a couple of James Bond movies. The elegant building oozes of history and is a splendid architectural piece, with a rich decorated interior kept in mostly golden and marble. However, the gaming floor is surprising small and old fashion and seems to attract mostly curious tourists, but the high rollers are probably hiding in the VIP area. There is an entrance fee and a strict dress code in the evening - locals are not allowed inside the casino.
The area around the tranquil town of Bar is known for old olive trees (more than 2000 years old), Stari Bar (the old town that lies in ruins after some attack by the Turks in 1878), an ancient aqueduct, and has apparently some nice beaches too. But the sight that will make the deepest impression on you, will be the shopping mall in the center of the new town. It is designed in an eighties-futuristic style and looks like a fleet of space ships ready to take off. It is a bit drape, but we give points for uniqueness.
Even if churches aren’t your thing, this one is well worth a visit. For one thing, it’s got four wooden dragon heads on the roof. That’s right – it’s a church with dragons on it! It’s also very beautiful, more reminiscent of a Chinese temple than a church. The inside has a mixture of Norse and Christian carvings and decorations, and there are even a few rune carvings. From the late 12th century, Borgund is the best preserved (although neither the oldest nor the largest) of Norway’s 28 stave churches – so named because of the load-bearing posts or ‘staves’. Visiting at least one stave church should definitely be on any to-see list!
Of Norway's 28 remaining medieval stave churches, Haddel is the largest. It was built in the 13th century, and is the only one with three towers. During summer, it's still used as the main church for the parish.
The beautiful wooden church in Lom is one of Norway's 28 remaining medieval stave churches. It was originally built around 1160 and is among the oldest. In the 17th-century extensions to the main building were added. It's one of the few stave churches, where the original medieval crest with a dragon head has survived. The church is still in use and is closed for visitors during service.