Riquethaus

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Riquethaus by Paul Lange, 1909
Schuhmachergäßchen
Leipzig, September 2024

“The Riquet is one of the few remaining coffee houses in the city center and impresses with a mix of Art Nouveau and Chinese architecture. The former commercial building was built in 1908 and 1909 on behalf of the company Riquet & Co. and was one of the most modern and original new buildings in Leipzig at the time. The two copper-embossed elephant heads that flank the entrance door to the coffee house are the trademark of the Riquet company. Since the restoration, you can once again admire the listed interior of the corner shop in all its beauty.” (Kaffeehaus Riquet, Leipzig Travel)

Monument to Giacomo Puccini

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Monument to Giacomo Puccini by Vito Tongiani, 1994
Piazza Cittadella
Lucca, June 2024

"Giacomo Antonio Domenico Michele Secondo Maria Puccini (22 December 1858 – 29 November 1924) was an Italian composer known primarily for his operas. Regarded as the greatest and most successful proponent of Italian opera after Verdi, he was descended from a long line of composers, stemming from the late-Baroque era. Though his early work was firmly rooted in traditional late-19th-century Romantic Italian opera, he later developed his work in the realistic verismo style, of which he became one of the leading exponents. His most renowned works are La bohème (1896), Tosca (1900), Madama Butterfly (1904), and Turandot (1924), all of which are among the most frequently performed and recorded of all operas." (Giacomo Puccini, Wikipedia)

Semperoper

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Semperoper by Gottfried Semper, 1841-78
Theaterplatz
Dresden, September 2024

"The Semperoper is the opera house of the Sächsische Staatsoper Dresden (Saxon State Opera) and the concert hall of the Staatskapelle Dresden (Saxon State Orchestra). It is also home to the Semperoper Ballett. The building is located on the Theaterplatz near the Elbe River in the historic centre of Dresden, Germany. The opera house was originally built by the architect Gottfried Semper in 1841. After a devastating fire in 1869, the opera house was rebuilt, partly again by Semper, and completed in 1878. The opera house has a long history of premieres, including major works by Richard Wagner and Richard Strauss." (Semperoper, Wikipedia)

Cathedral of San Martino

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Cathedral of San Martino
Piazza San Martino
Lucca, June 2024

“Lucca Cathedral (Italian: Duomo di Lucca, Cattedrale di San Martino) is a Roman Catholic cathedral dedicated to Saint Martin of Tours in Lucca, Italy. It is the seat of the Archbishop of Lucca. Construction was begun in 1063 by Bishop Anselm (later Pope Alexander II). Of the original structure, the great apse with its tall columnar arcades and the fine campanile remain. The nave and transepts of the cathedral were rebuilt in the Gothic style in the 14th century, while the west front was begun in 1204 by Guido Bigarelli of Como, and consists of a vast portico of three magnificent arches, and above them three ranges of open galleries adorned with sculptures.” (Lucca Cathedral, Wikipedia)

Betlémská kaple

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Betlémská kaple (Bethlehem Chapel)
Betlémské náměstí, Staré Město
Prague, September 2024

“The Bethlehem Chapel (Czech: Betlémská kaple) is a medieval religious building in the Old Town of Prague, Czech Republic, notable for its connection with the origins of the Bohemian Reformation, especially with the Czech reformer Jan Hus. The chapel is named for the Innocents massacred in Bethlehem by Herod the Great in an attempt to kill the newborn Jesus Christ. The Bethlehem Chapel was founded in Prague in 1391 by Wenceslas Kříž (known as 'the Merchant'), and John of Milheim, and taught solely in the Czech vernacular, thus breaking with German domination of the Medieval Bohemian church. The building was never officially called a church, only a chapel, though it could contain 3,000 people; indeed, the chapel encroached upon the parish of Sts. Philip and James, and John of Milheim paid the pastor of that church 90 grossi as compensation. Hus became a rector and a preacher in March 1402. After Hus's excommunication in 1412, the Pope ordered the Bethlehem chapel to be pulled down, although this action was rejected by the Czech majority on the Old Town council. After Hus's death, he was succeeded by Jacob of Mies.” (Bethlehem Chapel, Wikipedia)

San Paolino

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Church of San Paolino
Via San Paolino
Lucca, June 2024

"San Paolino or Santi Paolino e Donato is a Renaissance- style minor basilica church in Lucca, Tuscany, central Italy. It is dedicated to Saint Paulinus of Antioch, patron of the city. A church at the site was documented in 738, and named San Giorgio. After the year 1000, the church was rebuilt and dedicated to St Anthony. After 1261, the discovery of the relics of San Paolino, led to construction of a new church, in the process demolishing the adjacent church of San Donato. In 1515, the architect Baccio da Montelupo made the original designs for the present church, and these were completed by Bastiano Bertolani. The entrance portal of the marble façade is flanked by niches containing statues (1710) of Saints Donato and Paolino." (San Paolino, Wikipedia)

Licht und Bewegung

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“Licht und Bewegung” (Light and Movement) by Otto Piene, 1966
Hohe Straße
Cologne, September 2024

“Otto Piene's art in architecture, ‘Light and Movement’ (1966), was commissioned by the art-loving men's clothing retailer Theo Wormland for his Cologne department store. A total of 629 flat metal pyramids on a square surface cover the two fronts of the corner building. Metal structures reminiscent of round-headed pins, which are fitted with light sources, are applied to them in an irregular distribution. A wheel at the top right condenses the pins onto several differently rotating axes, and a rod points up from the facade into the sky. Unfortunately, the light and movement that gives the work its title is currently nowhere to be seen. The wheel has been standing still for years and the light sources are switched off. There is still no money for the necessary renovation of the electrical system and subsequent operation.” (Licht und Bewegung, Kulturraum.NRW)