Monday, December 31, 2018
Santa Maria dei Servi
Basilica of San Clemente in Santa Maria dei Servi
Piazza Alessandro Manzoni
Siena, April 2017
“The Church of Santa Maria dei Servi is a Romanesque style, Roman Catholic church in the Terzo of San Martino in the city of Siena, Tuscany, Italy. The church is built on the site of the former Church of San Clement, which was acquired by the Servite order in the Medieval era. The original Basilica was built in the 13th century, but later underwent reconstruction and transformation which continued until the 15th-16th century. The façade is simple and unadorned, with a single doorway and a rose window (indications of another can be discerned on the wall). It is in the Romanesque period style. The adjoining Campanile is likewise of the 13th century, richly embellished by four orders of windows. It was entirely restored in the 20th century. The church building stands atop it is cook entrance stairs, with views over the Duomo and the Palazzo Publico of Siena.” (Santa Maria dei Servi, Wikipedia)
Sunday, December 30, 2018
ORP Błyskawica
Museum ship ORP Błyskawica (Lightning)
Nabrzeże Pomorskie
al. Jana Pawła II
Gdynia, September 2018
“On the night of 4–5 May 1942, Błyskawica was instrumental in defending the Isle of Wight town of Cowes from an air raid by 160 German bombers. The ship was undergoing an emergency refit at the J. Samuel White yard where she had been built and, on the night of the raid, fired repeated rounds at the German bombers from outside the harbour; her guns became so hot they had to be doused with water from the River Medina. Extra ammunition had to be ferried over from Portsmouth. This forced the bombers to stay high, making it difficult for them to target properly. The ship also laid down a smokescreen hiding Cowes from sight. The town and the shipyard were badly damaged, but it is generally considered that without this defensive action, it would have been far worse. In 2002 the crew's courage was honoured by a local commemoration lasting several days to mark the 60th anniversary of the event. In 2004 an area of Cowes was named Francki Place in honour of the ship's commander. The Isle of Wight Council approved the idea of having Błyskawica return to Cowes in 2012 to celebrate the 70th anniversary of the event and the 75th anniversary of the ship's commissioning. There were large celebrations commemorating the 70th anniversary of Cowes's defence in 2012 lasting several days and attended by Polish warship ORP Toruń. Another large event to commemorate Blyskawica's 75th anniversary was organised by Friends of the ORP Błyskawica Society in May 2017, the Polish Navy Minelayer ORP Gniezno arrived at the port to take part in the celebrations.” (ORP Błyskawica, Wikipedia)
Saturday, December 29, 2018
Jubilee Gardens and Shell Centre
Jubilee Gardens and Shell Centre
Belvedere Road
South Bank
London, September 2015
“The Shell Centre, in London, is one of the two central offices, and serves as the registered address, of oil major Shell (the other, its main headquarters, is in The Hague). It is located on Belvedere Road in the London Borough of Lambeth. It is a prominent feature on the South Bank of the River Thames near County Hall, and now forms the backdrop to the London Eye. The original Shell Centre comprised the tower building and three now demolished adjoining nine storey wings (collectively formerly known as the ‘Upstream Building’). The original development also included a separate building known as the ‘Downstream Building’, which was separated from the Upstream Building by the railway viaduct between Charing Cross and Waterloo East. The Downstream Building was disposed of by Shell in the 1990s, and is now a block of residential apartments known as the White House, and has been heightened by a storey.” (Shell Centre, Wikipedia)
Friday, December 28, 2018
Thursday, December 27, 2018
Kościół Opieki św. Józefa
Kościół Opieki św. Józefa (Church of St. Joseph of the Visitationists), 1761
Krakowskie Przedmieście
Warsaw, September 2018
“Church of St. Joseph of the Visitationists (Kościół Opieki św. Józefa w Warszawie) commonly known as the Visitationist Church (Polish: Kościół Wizytek) is a Roman Catholic church in Warsaw, Poland, situated at Krakowskie Przedmieście 34. One of the most notable rococo churches in Poland's capital, its construction was begun in 1664 and completed in 1761.” (Visitationist Church, Wikipedia)
Wednesday, December 26, 2018
Saint Joan of Arc
Equestrian statue of Saint Joan of Arc by Hippolyte Lefebvre, 1926
Basilique du Sacré-Cœur (Basilica of the Sacred Heart), Montmartre
Quartier de Clignancourt, 18th arrondissement
Paris, July 2009
“The overall style of the structure shows a free interpretation of Romano-Byzantine features, an unusual architectural vocabulary at the time, which was a conscious reaction against the neo-Baroque excesses of the Palais Garnier cited in the competition. Many design elements of the basilica symbolise nationalist themes: the portico, with its three arches, is adorned by two equestrian statues of French national saints Joan of Arc (1927) and King Saint Louis IX, both executed in bronze by Hippolyte Lefebvre; and the nineteen-ton Savoyarde bell (one of the world's heaviest), cast in 1895 in Annecy, alludes to the annexation of Savoy in 1860.” (Sacré-Cœur, Wikipedia)
Tuesday, December 25, 2018
Pope Julius III
Statue of pope Julius III by Fulvio Signorini, 1609
(papa Paul V Borghese)
Palazzo Chigi-Saracini
Via di Città
Siena, April 2017
Monday, December 24, 2018
Kazimierz Town Hall
Ratusz kazimierski (Kazimierz Town Hall)
plac Wolnica
Kraków, September 2018
“What remained of the former splendour of the town was only a stately, albeit ruined, town hall in the middle of Wolnica square. Initially Gothic (relics of 14th-century walls remained in the cellar), it burnt down twice and was rebuilt each time. During the works conducted in the years 1578 and 1623 respectively, the Renaissance shape of the edifice was consolidated, with a tower topped with a modest roof and crenelated attics, which are rare in Kraków. After the incorporation of Kazimierz to Kraków in 1800 within an initiative whose purpose was to "beautify" the city, new alignments of streets were laid out and that was when Wolnica Square obtained its present borders. The town hall, completely rebuilt in 1876, became the seat of a school, and after World War II it contained the Ethnographic Museum. In 1907, a plaque was embedded in its eastern wall to commemorate the arrival of Jews in Poland. In 1970, a fountain was placed on the square, with a sculpture entitles Three musicians by Bronisław Chromy.” (Wolnica Square and the City Hall of Kazimierz, krakow.pl)
Sunday, December 23, 2018
Canon Barnett Primary School
Canon Barnett Primary School mosaic
Commercial Street
Spitalfields
London, September 2015
“The School Board for London built this primary school as Commercial Street School in 1900–1. Designs in the latest and most evolved of the Board’s styles were prepared under the supervision of T. J. Bailey. The builders were Ebenezer Lawrance & Sons of the City Road. The site had been Black Horse Yard to the east and the John Bull brewery to the west. Until the Second World War the school was entered via a path from Commercial Street to its south side that had previously given access to the brewery. The school for 800 pupils, rectangular in plan and on four levels, was for infants, boys and girls, with a special section for physically disabled students. The main south elevation has large windows for halls and a top-floor blind arcade, flanked by turret- roofed stair towers set slightly forward. There were full-height outer classroom wings, east and west, principally lit from their return elevations. The north side backed onto St Jude’s National Schools.” (Canon Barnett Primary School, Survey of London)
Saturday, December 22, 2018
Sant'Alessandro in Zebedia
Church of Sant'Alessandro in Zebedia
Piazza Sant'Alessandro
Milan, November 2016
“The original church was built by the Barnabite order in the 9th century, on the ruins of the Pretorium which tradition holds was the prison that held the martyred Sant'Alessandro. Its construction for the Barnabite order began in 1601 to a design by Lorenzo Binago, Francesco Maria Richini also contributing to the project. It comprises a principal building on the Greek cross plan with a central dome, and a separate presbytery which also has a dome. The façade, with decorations in bas-relief, has two campaniles. The interior includes works by important Lombard Baroque artists including Camillo Procaccini (an Assumption, a Nativity and a Crucifixion) and Daniele Crespi (a Flagellation). There is also an altarpiece in the first chapel on the right by Ossana.” (Sant'Alessandro in Zebedia, Wikipedia)
Friday, December 21, 2018
Pomnik Poległych Stoczniowców 1970
Pomnik Poległych Stoczniowców 1970 (Monument to the Fallen Shipyard Workers of 1970)
By Bogdan Pietruszka, Wiesław Szyślak, Wojciech Mokwiński and Jacek Krenz, 1980
Plac Solidarności
Gdańsk, September 2018
“The Monument to the fallen Shipyard Workers 1970 (Pomnik Poległych Stoczniowców 1970) was unveiled on 16 December 1980 near the entrance to what was then the Lenin Shipyard in Gdańsk, Poland. It commemorates the 42 or more people killed during the Coastal cities events in December 1970. It was created in the aftermath of the Gdańsk Agreement and is the first monument to the victims of communist oppression to be erected in a communist country." (Monument to the Fallen Shipyard Workers of 1970, Wikipedia)
Thursday, December 20, 2018
Room with a View
Room with a view by Sabina Lang and Daniel Baumann
Palais de Tokyo (Palace of Tokyo)
Avenue du Président-Wilson
Quartier de Chaillot, 16th arrondissement
Paris, July 2008
“Last October, in Paris Trocadéro, a strange green space capsule was hovering over Palais de Tokyo, which harbors the site of contemporary art creation. Everland hotel had landed in Paris. It was created by two Swiss artists, Sabina Lang and Daniel Baumann for a swiss national exhibition in 2002. In Paris it is shown as a sculpture and occupied as hotel room from yesterday November 1 up to next year’s end. Everland hotel‘s only room is booked up to 2008 January 1, so at the present time you can make a reservation on Wednesday January 2 , if you wish to start the year in an unusual and spectacular way. You can’t book for more than a single night : 333 euros on Sundays, Tuesdays, Wednesdays, 444 euros on Thursdays, Fridays, Sundays – Mondays closed – . Price includes free use of minibar contents, a collection of selected vinyl records for the mood, breakfast in bed, and you may feel free to leave with the embroidered bath towels.” (Paris: a room with a view, on top of, Paris Connected)
Wednesday, December 19, 2018
Last Supper Rose Window
Last Supper rose window by Pastorino dei Pastorini, 1549
Duomo di Siena (Siena Cathedral)
Piazza del Duomo
Siena, April 2017
Tuesday, December 18, 2018
Świętokrzyska metro station
Świętokrzyska metro station
Ulica Świętokrzyska
Śródmieście
Warsaw, September 2018
“The Warsaw Metro (Metro Warszawskie) is a rapid transit system serving the city of Warsaw, the capital of Poland. It currently consists of two lines, the north–south Line M1 that links central Warsaw with its densely populated northern and southern districts, and the initial segment of the east–west Line M2 that opened on 8th March 2015. Line M2 is yet to be expanded, and a third line (M3) is planned. The first section was opened in 1995 and gradually extended until it reached its full length in October 2008. There are additional plans to construct two more stations on this north–south line omitted during initial construction due to costs. The contract for the construction of the initial central section of the second line, running east–west, was signed on 28th October 2009 and construction began on 16th August 2010. This section is 6.3 kilometres (3.9 miles) long (including a tunnel under the Vistula river) with seven stations, one of which (Świętokrzyska) includes a transfer between the two lines.” (Warsaw Metro, Wikipedia)
Monday, December 17, 2018
Liverpool Street station
Liverpool Street station
Liverpool Street
City of London
London, September 2015
“Liverpool Street station, also known as London Liverpool Street, is a central London railway terminus and connected London Underground station in the north-eastern corner of the City of London, in the ward of Bishopsgate Without. It is one of the busiest railway stations in London, serving as the terminus of: the West Anglia Main Line to Cambridge; the busier Great Eastern Main Line to Norwich, local and regional commuter trains serving east London and destinations in the East of England; and the Stansted Express service to Stansted Airport. The station opened in 1874, as a replacement for Bishopsgate station as the Great Eastern Railway's main London terminus. By 1895, it had the most platforms of any London terminal station. During the First World War, an air raid on the station killed 16 on site, and 146 others in nearby areas. In the build-up to the Second World War, the station served as the entry point for thousands of child refugees arriving in London as part of the Kindertransport rescue mission. The station was damaged by the 1993 Bishopsgate bombing and, during the 7 July 2005 bombing, seven passengers were killed when a bomb exploded aboard an Underground train, just after it had departed from Liverpool Street. Liverpool Street was built as a dual-level station, with provision for the Underground. A tube station opened in 1875 for the Metropolitan Railway; it is now served by the Central, Circle, Hammersmith & City and Metropolitan lines. It is in fare zone 1.” (Liverpool Street station, Wikipedia)
Sunday, December 16, 2018
Saturday, December 15, 2018
Banach and Nikodym
Stefan Banach and Otto Nikodym, by Stefan Dousa, 2016
Planty Park / Straszewskiego
Kraków, September 2018
“In 1916, in Kraków's Planty gardens, Banach encountered Professor Hugo Steinhaus, one of the renowned mathematicians of the time. According to Steinhaus, while he was strolling through the gardens he was surprised to overhear the term ‘Lebesgue integral’ (Lebesgue integration was at the time still a fairly new idea in mathematics) and walked over to investigate. As a result, he met Banach, as well as Otto Nikodym. Steinhaus became fascinated with the self-taught young mathematician. The encounter resulted in a long-lasting collaboration and friendship. In fact, soon after the encounter Steinhaus invited Banach to solve some problems he had been working on but which had proven difficult. Banach solved them within a week and the two soon published their first joint work (On the Mean Convergence of Fourier Series). Steinhaus, Banach and Nikodym, along with several other Kraków mathematicians (Władysław Ślebodziński, Leon Chwistek, Alfred Rosenblatt and Włodzimierz Stożek) also established a mathematical society, which eventually became the Polish Mathematical Society. The society was officially founded on 2 April 1919. It was also through Steinhaus that Banach met his future wife, Łucja Braus.” (Stefan Banach, Wikipedia)
Friday, December 14, 2018
Promenade plantée
Coulée verte René-Dumont (Promenade plantée)
Quartier des Quinze-Vingts, 12th arrondissement
Paris, July 2014
“The Coulée verte René-Dumont or Promenade plantée (French for tree-lined walkway) or the Coulée verte (French for green course) is a 4.7 km (2.9 mi) elevated linear park built on top of obsolete railway infrastructure in the 12th arrondissement of Paris, France. It was inaugurated in 1993.” (Coulée verte René-Dumont, Wikipedia)
Thursday, December 13, 2018
Mangia Tower
Torre del Mangia, 1348
Piazza del Campo
Siena, April 2017
“The upper-middle part in stone was built by Agostino di Giovanni to the design of one Mastro Lippo pittore, probably identifiable with Lippo Memmi. It consists of a parapet resting on corbels. The pronounced petal-like arches between the corbels have led writers to describe the structure as a tulip or lily.” (Torre del Mangia, Wikipedia)
Wednesday, December 12, 2018
Hochhaus Neue Donau
Hochhaus Neue Donau by Harry Seidler, 2002
Wagramer Straße
Donaustadt (Donau City)
Vienna, June 2018
“The extended triangular plan shape of the 32 storey tower is derived from the aim to maximise the fine water views for all apartments. The longer wing faces the Danube to the south and the shorter one toward the Kaiserwasser and the Alte Donau to the east. The vertical core contains lifts and services. It connects the two wings with the tower’s third 7-storey wing, which is used for offices. The central entry hall can be approached from two opposing sides of the surrounding pedestrian plaza, one facing the U1’s Donauinsel Station, the other, the UN Station. A cafe with outdoor seating spilling out onto the plaza, shops and community facilities, with meeting rooms, fitness centre, gymnasium, saunas, etc., open off the partially 2-storey high entry space. The top of the building contains five split level penthouse apartments, each with continuous terraces facing the panoramic views. The first seven floors contain small studio apartments. Above them are one and two bedroom units each with a balcony. These are shaped to allow the placing of outdoor seating groups with a table and four chairs.” (Harry Seidler & Associates)
Tuesday, December 11, 2018
Quis separabit?
“Quis separabit?” (Who will separate [us]?)
Asia and Britannia by E.G. Gillock, 1920
Cockspur Street
City of Westminster
London, September 2015
Monday, December 10, 2018
Sunday, December 9, 2018
Europejskie Centrum Solidarności
Europejskie Centrum Solidarności (European Solidarity Centre)
plac Solidarności
Gdańsk, September 2018
“The European Solidarity Centre (Europejskie Centrum Solidarności) is a museum and library in Gdańsk, Poland, devoted to the history of Solidarity, the Polish trade union and civil resistance movement, and other opposition movements of Communist Eastern Europe. It opened on 31 August 2014. The design of the building, by Polish firm FORT Architects, was the winner of an international competition held in 2007. The walls evoke the hulls of ships built at the Gdańsk Shipyard. Construction started in 2010. It was completed at a cost of 229 million złoty, of which 113 million złoty (38.4 million euro) was provided by the European Union, and the rest locally. The opening ceremony took place on 31 August 2014, on the anniversary of the signing of the Gdańsk Agreement, the 1980 victory for striking shipyard workers which led to Solidarity's foundation. The ceremony was attended by Lech Wałęsa, the co-founder of Solidarity and later President of Poland, the President of Poland Bronisław Komorowski and the Chairman of Solidarity Piotr Duda. The preceding day was celebrated as a Citizens' Day in which over 12,000 former Solidarity members and others took part. The centre awards Medals of Gratitude to foreigners who assisted the Polish opposition to Communism.” (European Solidarity Centre, Wikipedia)
Saturday, December 8, 2018
Les Abeilles
Les Abeilles (The Bees) Gourmet Grocery Store
Rue de la Butte aux Cailles
Quartier de la Maison-Blanche, 13th arrondissement
Paris, July 2005
Friday, December 7, 2018
Gargoyles and Saints
Gargoyles and Saints on the façade
Duomo di Siena (Siena Cathedral)
Piazza del Duomo
Siena, April 2017
Thursday, December 6, 2018
Złote Tarasy
Złote Tarasy (Golden Terraces)
Warsaw, September 2018
“The Złote Tarasy (Golden Terraces) is a commercial, office, and entertainment complex in the center of Warsaw, Poland, located next to the Warszawa Centralna railway station between the Jana Pawła II and Emilii Plater streets. It opened on 7 February 2007." (Złote Tarasy, Wikipedia)
Wednesday, December 5, 2018
Traffic People
Traffic People shop
Old Spitalfields Market
Spitalfields
London, September 2015
“Old Spitalfields Market is a covered market in Spitalfields, London. There has been a market on the site for over 350 years. In 1991 it gave its name to New Spitalfields Market in Leyton, where fruit and vegetables are now traded. In 2005, a regeneration programme resulted in the new public spaces: Bishops Square and Crispin Place, which are now part of the modern Spitalfields Market. A range of public markets runs daily, with independent local stores and restaurants - as well as new office developments.” (Old Spitalfields Market, Wikipedia)
Tuesday, December 4, 2018
Sandro Pertini Fountain
Fountain (Via dei Giardini side)
Monument to Sandro Pertini by Aldo Rossi, 1990
Via Croce Rossa
Milan, November 2016
“Completed in 1990, Piazza Croce Rossa was designed by the architect Aldo Rossi to evoke a typically ‘quiet little Lombard piazza’ facing out over Via Manzoni. At the centre stands a monument erected in memory of the former Italian President Sandro Pertini. It takes the form of a hollow cube, 8 metres on each edge, with one side punctuated by a triangular fountain and a slit-like opening, which can be reached from the inside via a staircase. The monument is clad in alternating blocks of grey and pink stone, including the same Candoglia marble used on the facade of Milan Cathedral.” (Monument to Sandro Pertini, From House to House)
Monday, December 3, 2018
Piotr Skrzynecki
Piotr Skrzynecki by Grażyna Borkowska-Niemojewska and Łukasz Niemojewski, 2000
Vis a Vis Cafe, Rynek Glowny
Stare Miasto (Old Town)
Kraków, September 2018
“Piotr Cezary Skrzynecki (1930–1997) was a Polish choreographer and director, cabaret impresario, best known for his involvement with the cabaret Piwnica pod Baranami (Cellar under the Rams), of whose he was the founder. Skrzynecki was born 12 September 1930 in Warsaw. He was the son of a Pole Marian Skrzynecki, lieutenant colonel in the Polish Army and a Jewess Magdalena Endelman. His father died during the Soviet invasion of Poland, when he was the commander of the 7-th Lubelski Cavalry Regiment. After World War II his family moved to Łódź. There he attended a theater school associated with the National Film School in Łódź. Next he moved to Kraków where he begun studies in history of art at the Jagiellonian University. There, at the age of 26, in 1956 he organized student club which, in time, became Piwnica pod Baranami, with its first performance in December that year. Until his death, he would be the leading member of Piwnica. It became the most popular intellectual cabaret in postwar Poland, and one of the symbols of Kraków. Although it was not primarily a political humor group, coming in the wake of the liberalization of Polish October, the Piwnica cabaret became famous for its satirical criticism of the People's Republic of Poland communist regime. Polish magazine Przekrój wrote that ‘For 41 years [Skrzynecki] and his cabaret persuaded us that, despite the system, we had come into this world for happiness and joy.’.” (Piotr Skrzynecki, Wikipedia)
Sunday, December 2, 2018
Giraffe
Giraffe by Mosko et Associés, 2004
Boulevard Arago
Quartier de Croulebarbe, 13th arrondissement
Paris, July 2004