Tom`s travels: Gothic

Showing posts with label Gothic. Show all posts

Wednesday, September 16, 2020

Brandenburg an der Havel (19/07/2019)

After three consecutive sunny days, a cloudy day prompted me to take a closer day trip, this time to the nearby town of Brandenburg an der Havel, just west of Berlin. So after taking a local S-bahn train I reached the small town in just about one hour. After getting off the train I headed towards the city center, first passing by the Jakobskapelle, a small brick gothic church which was unfortunately closed. After a little bit of walking I reached the old town proper, marked at its southern end by the Steintorturm, a medieval tower which used to be part of the fully defensive complex of walls that surrounded the town. This part of the town was actually the Neustadt, or New town, which was probably formed around the 12th-13th centuries alongside the Old Town. The two were joined together not long after to consistute the town of Brandenburg. The long Main Street of the Neustadt then led me to one of the city's main churches, the church of St Catherine. Considered as the largest in town, it is built in a beautiful brick gothic style dating to the end of the 14th century. It's structure reminded me a lot about the churches from the northern part of Germany, and in fact I learnt that Brandenburg had as well been part of the Hanseatic league thus having the influx of the architecture from that part of Germany. The interior held some interesting and rich furnishing including some beautiful gothic altarpieces. After visiting the church I walked through the center and reached the northern end of the Neusdtadt, where another tower, the Muhlentorturm singladded that part of the defensive walls. The walls of the town have long since gone, however the two towers and the outline of the houses and streets, seen particularly well from above, clearly marked the trace of where they once stood. Continuing further north I then reached the St Peter and Paul Cathedral. Founded by King Otto I during the 10th century, the building then commenced during the 13th century and was only completed 300 years later in its current Gothic structure. Its interior was quite simple with whitewashed walls, but featured some interesting furnishing. Particularly noteworthy was the annexed convent which could be visited freely and held many restored rooms showing the early structure of the Cathedral including some Romanesque and Gothic capitals. A little museum also showcased some altarpieces, liturgical objects and paraments. The city lies on the Havel river, hence its name, however many other small rivers and affluents encircled or flowed through the city center. After crossing one of the main branches I reached the part where the Old Town is set. Here I visited the church of St Gotthardt, one of three main ones together with the Cathedral and St Catherine. The church was started during the 12th century, that's when the west tower dates from, and was later finished during the 15th century from when the rest of the church dates to. The Gothic interior was well furnished and quite colourful with some Baroque additions as well. Right in front of the church, a curious bronze statue of a dog with antlers was placed, but I could not figure out why and what it represented. Not far from there I then reached the western end of town where the Rathenower Torturm was set, another of the towers characterising the old walls. Walking a little further I then reached the old town hall, built in gothic brick during the 15th century with the typical Roland statue standing in front of the entrance dating to 1474. At 5.35m high it is one of the tallest and most impressive Roland statues in Germany. In from of the statue and town hall a fountain was set with another bronze statue of the same dog I had previously seen right next to it. After having crossed another bridge I reached a nice area where boats and canoes were being rented and a open air museum featuring a reconstructed ancient slavic settlement had been set up. I then crossed yet another bridge and crossed through the Neustadt once more to reach the National Archaeological Museum. Housed in what was once the Monastery of St Paul, it features archaeological remains from the Stone Age all the way to the modern period. The lady at the main desk was very friendly, and though not able to speak English tried to tell me everything in German with me being barely able to understand anything at all. I really enjoyed touring around it, admiring the objects in such a historic setting which had been wonderfully restored not long before, in 2008. Once the visit was over I decided it was time to go so headed back to the train station from where I got the next ride bound to Berlin.

The Steintorturm part of the defensive walls

The church of St Catherine

Interior of St Catherine

A street in the old town

The St Peter and Paul Cathedral

The church of St Gotthardt

Interior of St Gotthartd

The Roland statue in front of the town hall

The Monastery of St Paul where the Archaeological museum is located

Monday, June 15, 2020

Magdeburg (17/07/2019)

The day after my trip to Dresden, I decided to head once more on a day-trip this time to the historic city of Magdeburg, just west of Berlin. After taking a bus I reached the city in just two hours' drive. Founded by Charlemagne, it is one of the oldest cities in Germany, and thanks to the Holy Roman Emperor Otto I, it became an extremely important archbishopric just 100 years later. One of the largest and most prosperous cities in the Empire, it also spread throughout central and Eastern Europe its version of German town laws known as Magdeburg rights. Unfortunately, its demise came in 1631 when, during the Thirty Years' War, it was sacked by the Catholic League and a large part of the population was killed. The city then suffered another fatal blow during WWII when it was nearly completely destroyed by Allied bombings. So after reaching the bus station, I got off the bus and headed towards the city center on foot. I first reached and entered the Cathedral Church of St Sebastian, known as a Cathedral as it is the seat of the Catholic Church in the diocese. Built in 1170 in the Romanesque style, it was later turned into a Gothic structure in the 15th century after several fires had damaged it. From the Romanesque period remain the transept and the two towers of the facade typical of this area's architecture. From the church, it was then a short walk to reach the Domplatz, the large square next to the Magdeburger Dom, or the city's main Cathedral dedicated to Saints Maurice and Catherine. I first decided to walk around the building and first passed through what looked like the remains of some defensive structures. Known as Bastion Cleve this defensive tower, now just showing the foundations, was once part of the large fortress structure used to defend the city back in the 16th century. I then completed the tour of the Cathedral's perimeter and decided to enter and visit the interior. The first church was built in 937 which was then substituted by the current one begun in 1209 and completed 300 years later in 1520 with the two steeples reaching 99m and 100m in height respectively. It is considered as the country's oldest Gothic cathedral. Its height and size were impressive, and I marveled at the beautiful interior while walking along the main nave. As I reached the apse I then admired the tombstone where Emperor Otto I the Great was buried. To the south of the church building, I then went through a door and reached the cloister with beautiful greenery at its center and an interesting perspective of the side and towers. Its southern side was spared by a fire during the beginning of the cathedral's construction and thus featured some interesting Romanesque capitals. After a thorough visit of the Cathedral, I then headed out and crossed the Cathedral square to reach the so-called Grune Zitadelle or Green Citadel. This complex building made up of apartments, shops, cafes, etc, was supposed to be an "oasis for humanity and nature in a sea of rational houses" with its colorful and uncommon structure. In the sunlight, it gleamed and gave a sense of happiness and color and filled with trees and plants among buildings that were built during the communist and now modern times without character to their design. The structure was completed in 2005 and was the last design of the Austrian architect Friedensreich Hundertwasser. To the north of the Cathedral square, I then passed by the Monastery of Our Lady built during the 11th century and now housing the city's art museum which I decided not to visit. Continuing on I then passed yet another church, dedicated to Saint John. A mix of Romanesque and Gothic architecture with the former showing in its facade and towers and the latter in the rest of the building. It was closed so I continued a little further and reached the Alter Markt, the old town market square. At one end stands the town hall and close to it the typical Roland statue, the knight with the drawn sword signaling the town privileges of a medieval city in the Holy Roman Empire. Another structure, in from of the town hall was also the so-called Magdeburg Knight, a niche holding the sculpture of a knight on horseback. The current sculpture is a gilded bronze copy of a stone original from the 13th century now held in the city's art museum. As I continued northwards I then encountered two more religious buildings: the university church of St Peter, with a single thick romanesque steeple and gothic nave, with the gothic Magadelene Chapel standing apart from it to the south and the Wallon church built in Gothic style and completely rebuilt at the end of the 1960s after the war. Both were closed so that prompted me to head back towards the city center, this time by walking alongside the banks of the Elbe river. After a nice stroll, I reached the city center once again and decided to find a nice spot in the small park just south of the Cathedral to enjoy the sun and view. After relaxing for a bit there I then decided to have a last look at the impressively detailed facade of the city's main monument, the Cathedral, before finally heading back to the bus station from where I took my ride back to Berlin.

The Bastion Cleve and the Cathedral in the background

The southern side of the Cathedral

The Gothic interior of the Cathedral

View of the apse

The cloister

Hundertwasser's Green Citadel

The Alter Markt

The Roland statue

The Magdeburger's Dom impressive facade

Saturday, March 2, 2019

Poznan, Gniezno, Bydgoszcz & Torun (09-11/06/2018)

After having gone to Hamburg for the wedding of Ania´s best friend, Kerstin, we came back to Poland to finish our thesis and for my graduation in late June. We thought though to take a few days to see a few cities in Poland while we were still in the country. So after taking a regional train, we slept a night in Katowice and the next morning took a train to Poznan. The journey took four hours and after reaching the destination we found a locker to put our bags and then explore the city on foot. We passed in front of the monument of the crosses commemorating the 1956 protests, several massive protests which took place in that period against the communist government ruling the country at that time. Right by the monument stand the imposing Imperial Castle, built in 1910 for the German Emperor William II when the city was under German rule. It was part of a larger project which involved also the city of Strasbourg in France. Being these two cities, recently annexed the Empire had in mind to germanize them and build new buildings to exalt the fact. The castle was thus built in the Neo-Romanesque style as it was felt that architectural style best represented the German Empire as the successor of the Holy Roman Empire. After seeing the building from the outside we continued on and passed the large Plac Wolnosci reaching the National Museum set at its eastern end. The entrance was free on that day and the building houses a large and nice collection. It centered mostly on Polish art from the 16th to 18th centuries, European art from various centuries, Antiquity and middle ages, and a part dedicated to modern art. Right behind the museum, we then passed by the church of St Anthony of Padua, built during the 17th century in the Baroque style. We decided to check the interior as the doors were open and were amazed by the lavish Baroque decorations and fittings, and particularly by the impressive red main altar. Next to the church, on a small hill, stands the Royal Castle, differing from the Imperial one we previously passed, as this one was built during the 13th century and served the kings of Poland. As it was mostly destroyed during WWII, what can be seen now is a 2010 reconstruction, which reminded me more of a Disney building or a Lego construction. From there we finally reached the Stary Rynek or Old Town Market Square. Like in many other Polish cities and towns it was lined with beautiful tenement and burgher colorful houses. As the town suffered heavy damage during WWII most of them had to be rebuilt, but the process was done beautifully and they now shine with their renaissance splendor. At the corners of the square are fountains representing the Roman gods Apollo, Neptune, Mars, and Proserpina. There is also a statue of St John Nepomucene and the punishment post typical of medieval cities. At the center of the square are the Waga Miejska, the weighing house originally built during the 16th century and rebuilt like other structures around, and the Town Hall which we proceeded to visit next. Built when the city received its first charter during the 13th century, it was then rebuilt in its present Mannerist style by the Italian architect Giovanni Battista di Quadro between 1550 and 1560. Above the main entrance is a clock which holds one of the most popular attractions in the city. At noon, in fact, the clock strikes, the bugle play (like the hejnal in Krakow) and two mechanical billy goats butt their heads against each other. We then entered the building and after paying the ticker, explored the small museum hosted inside. The museum presents objects detailing the history of the city, and the rooms have nice decorations particularly the Great Hall which still features the original Renaissance stuccoes. After reaching the top, we had a nice view from the windows of the top floor and then descended back down at street level. We gave another round of the square, admiring the view and walking through the markets stalls, and then headed along one of the streets radiating out of the square and reaching the scenic Lesser Basilica of St Stanislaus at the end of the street. As it was built during the 18th century for the Jesuit order, it already announced beauty and lavishness. This was, in fact, already evident by its beautiful and imposing red facade. Once inside, in fact, the amazement did not end and confirmed its richness and beauty reminding me greatly of the Baroque churches in Rome. Next to the church, and once part of the complex, stands the former Jesuit College now holding a ballet school. It was here that Napoleon resided in 1806, 1807 and 1812 during his campaigns. In front of the college is a small monument with the statues of the two clock goats, which have become a symbol of the city. After exiting the old town and a little walking we then reached the Ostrow Tumski. Like its counterpart in Wroclaw, this cathedral island sits between two branches of the Warta river, and as its name suggests, is where the city cathedral is located. This was the oldest settlement of the city, and after the slow relocation to where now the old town is, this part came to the exclusive use of the Bishop. After crossing the bridge and entering the island we passed by the church of Our Lady in Summo built during the 15th century in the Gothic style, which was unfortunately closed, and then reached the main monument in the area: the Cathedral. Built during the 10th century, it is considered as one of the oldest churches in the country. It was then rebuilt in the Gothic style during the 14th and 15th centuries, and again in the 17th century in the Baroque style. Finally, after the war, the decision to return it to its original Gothic aspect was chosen giving us its present form. It was in this Cathedral that Mieszko I was baptized thus marking the official beginning of the Polish nation. After seeing the rather plain yet historical interior, we then headed out and passed by the church of St Margaret, located in a small pretty square and then through the Brama Poznania, once the eastern entrance gate to the city and now turned into a modern museum containing an exhibition on the history of Ostrow Tumski. After that, we headed back to the city center where we gave one last look at the main square before heading to the train station and catching our train to Gniezno, our next stop.
After reaching the city, as it was rather late already, we decided to head to our accommodation which was right on the Rynek, the town´s main square. After checking in, we had dinner with some stuff we had brought with us and then went to bed feeling quite tired. The next morning, we woke up early and decided to explore our surroundings. Gniezno is in fact supposed to be the cradle of the Polish nation, even before the baptism of Mieszko I in Poznan, in fact, it was here, as the legend goes, that Lech, one of the three brothers, arrived and after seeing an eagle decided to found a settlement and call it Gniezno, or eagle´s nest. The three brothers were, in fact, responsible for founding the three nations of the Russians, Poles, and Czechs. We thus headed to explore the Cathedral, the town´s main monument and one of the most famous in Poland. Built in the 10th century it was then modified a few times, including the interior in the Baroque style during the 17th century; after WWII it was then returned to its original Gothic structure. The Cathedral is famous for containing the perfectly preserved pair of bronze doors dating to the 12th century and detailing the life of St Adalbert, or Wojciech in Polish. It is also known for being the first coronation site of the Kings of Poland, from the country´s first king Boleslaw I the Brave until about three-hundred years later when it was moved to Krakow. We entered the Cathedral and admired it from the inside, even though a mass was taking place but was at its final moments. I particularly like the gilded Baroque baldachin which covers the tomb of St Adalbert. After the tour, we then exited, walked through the town, grabbed our luggage from the accommodation and headed to the train station to take our ride to the next destination: Bydgoszcz.
After reaching the destination, we decided to head towards the city center on foot, as usual. We passed by some nice neighborhoods; the city, in fact, is known for its Art Nouveau, Neoclassicist, Neo-Baroque, Neogothic and modernist architecture. We reached the beginning of what was once the old town and passed by the Poor Clare´s Church, built in the Gothic style, which was unfortunately closed. We crossed the Brda river and admired the nice refurbished old granaries which now hold a museum. Just a bit ahead we then reached the Stary Rynek, we admired the typical squared structure and then crossed it to reach the Cathedral. Dating to the 15th century it presents a brick Gothic style typical of this area, The interior was quite unexpected, as it featured a bright polychrome covering all the walls and ceiling. After seeing the church we headed out and walked over to the Mill island, a large area surrounded by the Brda river, which contains some refurbished mills and granaries which used to fill up the place. It is now used mostly for events and recreation and in fact, the Jarmark Świętojański, or St John´s fair, was taking place as we visited. There were several stalls selling all kinds of stuff and a stage was set up with local people dressed up in traditional clothes and performing traditional dances. After hanging out for a while and enjoying the event, we decided to head to the train station and take a ride to our last destination of the trip: Torun.
One of the most famous cities in Poland due to its large and preserved old town, it was put in the Unesco World Heritage Site List and thus is quite touristy. It is not the typical Polish town, because for most of its history it was first a possession of the Teutonic Order and then part of the Hanseatic League for about two centuries. The city is famous for being the birthplace of the astronomer, Nicolaus Copernicus, and the Torun gingerbread produced here since the middle ages. So after reaching the city and checking in our hostel which looked quite shabby and unsanitary, we headed out to explore the old town. Not far on we reached the Rynek Staromiejski, the old town square, which is one of the main attractions of the city. At its center stands the large town hall, built during the 14th century when the city was administered by the Teutonic Order, so in its most prosperous period. It is a perfect example of brick Gothic with an additional floor built during the 17th century in the Mannerist style. The town hall holds a museum inside which we decided to visit after paying the entry ticket. It detailed the history of the city in the historic halls of the building, starting from the merchant´s hall at the ground floor with gothic arches, containing stained glass windows and objects relating to the medieval merchants´ crafts. On the upper floor were mostly paintings from different centuries both polish and European. After that, we climbed the tower which had an extra price but was well worth it. It is the oldest part of the building, and was first built during the 13th century and then expanded the following century to its present form. It is based on Flemish belfries, as Torun established trade links with that region early on. Once we reached the top, we had a great view of the old town with its typical medieval layout and its many churches scattered around. The weather was not as fine as in the previous days but it was still a great view from there. We then descended back down and headed to visit the Church of the Blessed Virgin Mary. Built in the 14th century, and belonging to the Franciscan order it does not possess a bell tower. The interior holds some nice baroque altars as well as some medieval paintings. After the visit to the church, we walked on and reached an interesting landmark, the Leaning Tower. So-called because its top is displaced to about 1.5 meters from its bottom making it a fun place to test your balancing skills when leaning against it. Built during the 13th century, it is one of the many towers which dot the walls that nearly completely encircle the old town. We walked along the walls, passed through the Brama Klasztorna, or monastery gate, and then passed by the House of Nicolaus Copernicus, a Gothic tenement house considered to be the birthplace of the astronomer. We then walked out of the walls again and admired the view of the Vistula River which passes here before heading north towards the Baltic Sea. We then walked along the walls and past the Brama Mostowa reaching the eastern end of the old town where the ruins of the Castle stand. Built during the 13th and 14th centuries by the Teutonic Order, it was largely destroyed by a rebellion in 1454 and then later fell into disrepair. From there we headed back towards the main square where we decided to have dinner at a place called Manekin, a nalesnik, or polish crepes, chain which I had previously tried in Warsaw. After dinner, we headed back to the hostel to sleep. The next after an early wake-up and breakfast with polish pastries, we then headed to visit the Cathedral of St John, which was closed the previous day. Built in Gothic brick from the 13th to the 15th century, it is one of the largest churches in Poland and has a nice airy interior. It is also famous for holding the baptismal font in which supposedly the young Copernicus was baptized. We then continued walking, passing by a large street filled with shops which eventually led to the Rynek Nowomiejski, or the new town market. Despite its name, this part of town dates to the enlargement of the city which took place at the end of the 13th century so not so New if considering it from today. On the northeastern side of the square stand the large church of St James, erected during the second half of the 14th century. As we entered we found out it was mostly covered in scaffolding, but it was nonetheless really nice, with a large Gothic vault with some medieval frescoes still remaining on the side walls and columns. A particular thing which stroke me was its unusual basilica type structure, more typical outside of Poland and thus differing greatly from the other Gothic churches of the city. As we exited the structure, the sun had decided to shine again, and thus we decided to spend a while touring aimlessly the new and old town's streets while passing by the main landmarks. For lunch, we decided to eat at a place called Chrupiace Pierogi, which as the name suggests, served the polish dumplings. It was more of a semi-fast food chain, and despite quite good we could´ve chosen better. Finally, it was time to go, so we headed towards the train station where we took our five-hour ride back to Krakow.