The Abbey of Bath is a prime example of England’s Pendicular Gothic architecture style. Another would be the Cathedral of Gloucester. Medieval churches tend to be very dark and somewhat sinister. The Abbey of Bath, though, is different. The light coming through the beautiful stained glass windows flows through the building, giving attractive accents and tones.
Before it was discovered by English royalty, Brighton was a little fishermen’s town. It all changed in the 19th century when the railway was built, and the people of Britain were getting accustomed to the concept of vacation. That’s when Brighton Pier was built with a length of over 500 Meters, and people began to take sunbaths at the beachfront. New hotels were made for the masses, and the royal family needed a new home. The famous John Nash built the Crystal Palace, heavily inspired by Indian architecture. Today, the town is visited by Britons but even more by foreign language students, who spend part of their vacations in the former fishermen’s village. The palace is a museum now. Presumably, Brighton got too crowded for the Royals.
The city of Wrocław is the historical capital town of Silesia. A prosperous land in the center of Europe close to Bohemia. The town changed its affiliation several times. Founded by a Czech duke in the 10th century, it became part of the first Polish state and a political center of the Kingdom. In April 1241, during the First Mongol invasion of Poland, the city was abandoned by the inhabitants and burned down for strategic reasons. Later, it was repopulated by German settlers and became part of the German region of Silesia. After the 2nd World War and the westward border shift, Wrocław became Polish again. The city always was open to different ethnicities and languages, though. It is one of the most visited places in Poland and welcoming to tourists worldwide.
The evangelical Church of Świdnica in southern Poland is truly something extraordinary. It was built after the Peace of Westfalen (hence called Church of Peace), which followed a long battle between Catholics and Evangelicals in the German-speaking countries. The Catholic emperor Ferdinand II. won, but he had to make some concessions to the evangelical communities. Some reformed communities were allowed to build their own churches, but only outside the city walls, and they had to be constructed almost entirely of wood within one year. Three communities rose to the occasion, and two churches from the early 18th century still exist, the one in Świdnica being the largest and most opulent. Since 2001, the sacral building has been a UNESCO World Heritage sight.
The Centennial Hall (pl. Hala Stulecia, dt. Jahrhunderthalle) is one of three UNESCO sights in Silesia, Poland. It was built in the early 20th century by the renowned German architect Max Berg in Wroclaw / Breslau. The monument is accompanied by the Iglica, a needle-like monument built in 1948, a beautiful pergola, and a large fountain.
Impressions from Northern Poland. Shot in May and July 2019.
Michael Hoffman Photography 