Streets of Vienna
Russia
One vast country, two very different metropoles. Last October I had the chance to visit St. Petersburg and Moscow. The Russian capital is a sprawling metropolis, seemingly endless in size and grand in scope (picture 2). With the medieval Kremlin (picture 7) being in the center, caring the weight of the old Russian culture. Moscow is also very much a Russian city. Impressive still are the old Soviet monuments like the seven sisters (again picture 7) and the subway system (picture 3). St. Petersburg is different. The city is much younger than Moscow and was erected by the Russian Tsar Peter the Great in 1703. Build on a former swamp it was conceived as European city (pictures 1, 8). Many channels divide the city and make it seem like a northern Venice or Amsterdam (picture 5). As the former capital of the Russian monarchy it contains many beautiful palaces like the Eremitage (picture 4) and the Katherine’s Palace (pictures 6, 9). All in all the visit of both St. Petersburg and Moscow makes an interesting mix and enables one to get different perspectives on a interesting country with a multifaceted history and soul.
City in Construction: Seestadt at Sunset
On the sight of a former airfield a new city planned from scratch is being build to accommodate thousands of new people Vienna is expected to grow by in the upcoming decade. A city within the city basically. Seestadt translated in English means lake city and is named due to the artificial lake which will be in the center of the town. As to date there is not much to see besides the newly build metro station (the violet line U2), a lot of cranes and a giant mud hole in the middle (the lake to be). But especially at sunset the symphony of cranes has beauty on its own. There is also an exhibition worthwhile visiting with a lot of information about the project and a wooden panorama tower with a nice view (last picture). Local artists were allowed to spray the container in which the exhibition is happening, giving the place an urban flair already. Although the city itself is yet missing…
Afternoon Project: London Pt. 2
Shot during one afternoon on the 10th of November. More information about the series in the last post.
Michael Hoffman Photography 