Plaça de Catalunya in Barcelona

10 November 2023 | Author/Destination: | Rubric: General Reading Time:  7 minutes

© Tango7174/cc-by-sa-4.0

© Tango7174/cc-by-sa-4.0

Plaça de Catalunya (meaning in English “Catalonia Square”; sometimes referred to as Plaza de Cataluña, its Spanish name) is a large square in central Barcelona that is generally considered to be both its city centre and the place where the old city (Barri Gòtic and Raval, in Ciutat Vella) and the 19th century-built Eixample meet.   read more…

Fraenkelufer Synagogue in Berlin

9 November 2023 | Author/Destination: | Rubric: General, Berlin Reading Time:  11 minutes

© Jörg Zägel/cc-by-sa-3.0

© Jörg Zägel/cc-by-sa-3.0

The synagogue on Fraenkelufer (German: Fraenkelufer Synagoge) in Berlin‘s Kreuzberg district was built as an Orthodox Synagogue between 1913 and 1916 according to plans and under the direction of the master builder of the Jewish Community of Berlin, Alexander Beer. The structure was located on Kottbusser Ufer 48–50, today’s Fraenkelufer 10-16. On Kristallnacht, the evening of November 9-10th, 1938, the main building of the synagogue was badly damaged. Further destruction in the following years led to the structures ultimate demolition in 1958/1959 after the end of World War II. Today the surviving outbuilding, previously used for the youth service, has been renovated and is home to a Conservative Synagogue. A complete reconstruction of the main synagogue that was destroyed by the Nazis is being planned for its original location.   read more…

Hôtel Beauharnais in Paris

9 November 2023 | Author/Destination: | Rubric: General, Paris / Île-de-France Reading Time:  8 minutes

Inauguration of the German embassy residence, 1968 © Bundesarchiv - B 145 Bild - F026336-0020/Gathmann, Jens/cc-by-sa-3.0-de

Inauguration of the German embassy residence, 1968
© Bundesarchiv – B 145 Bild – F026336-0020/Gathmann, Jens/cc-by-sa-3.0-de

The Hôtel Beauharnais is a historic hôtel particulier, a type of large French townhouse, in the 7th arrondissement of Paris. It was designed by architect Germain Boffrand. Its construction was completed in 1714. By 1803, the structure was purchased by Eugène de Beauharnais, who had it rebuilt in an Empire style. It has been listed as an official historical monument since July 25, 1951. Today it serves as the official residence of the German Ambassador to France.   read more…

Basilica of Sacré Coeur de Montmartre in Paris

8 November 2023 | Author/Destination: | Rubric: General, Paris / Île-de-France Reading Time:  7 minutes

© OliveiraTP/cc-by-sa-4.0

© OliveiraTP/cc-by-sa-4.0

The Basilica of Sacré Coeur de Montmartre (Sacred Heart of Montmartre), commonly known as Sacré-Cœur Basilica and often simply Sacré-Cœur (French: Sacré-Cœur de Montmartre), is a Roman Catholic church and minor basilica in Paris dedicated to the Sacred Heart of Jesus. It was formally approved as a national historic monument by the National Commission of Patrimony and Architecture on December 8, 2022.   read more…

Mers-les-Bains on the English Channel

3 November 2023 | Author/Destination: | Rubric: General Reading Time:  4 minutes

© Philippe Alès/cc-by-sa-4.0

© Philippe Alès/cc-by-sa-4.0

Mers-les-Bains is a commune in the Somme department in Hauts-de-France in northern France. Much of the older part of town developed in the heyday of seaside bathing, during the latter part of the 19th century. As a consequence, the fine villas that were developed in those times are now subject to preservation orders. Any refurbishment must be in the same materials and colours as the original work. No plastic doors or roller shutters are allowed.   read more…

Sagrada Família in Barcelona

1 November 2023 | Author/Destination: | Rubric: General, House of the Month, UNESCO World Heritage Reading Time:  21 minutes

© Bernard Gagnon/cc-by-sa-3.0

© Bernard Gagnon/cc-by-sa-3.0

The Basílica i Temple Expiatori de la Sagrada Família, shortened as the Sagrada Família, is an under construction church in the Eixample district of Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain. It is the largest unfinished Catholic church in the world. Designed by architect Antoni Gaudí (1852–1926), his work on Sagrada Família is part of a UNESCO World Heritage Site. On 7 November 2010, Pope Benedict XVI consecrated the church and proclaimed it a minor basilica.   read more…

East India House in Amsterdam

1 November 2023 | Author/Destination: | Rubric: General, Architecture Reading Time:  7 minutes

Courtyard © Iijjccoo/cc-by-sa-3.0

Courtyard © Iijjccoo/cc-by-sa-3.0

The East India House (Dutch: “Oost-Indisch Huis”) is an early 17th-century building in the centre of Amsterdam. It was the headquarters of the Amsterdam chamber of the Dutch East India Company (Vereenigde Oostindische Compagnie or VOC). It is a listed Dutch national heritage site (rijksmonument).   read more…

Sendlinger Straße in Munich

30 October 2023 | Author/Destination: | Rubric: General, Shopping Reading Time:  6 minutes

Sendlinger Tor © GraphyArchy/cc-by-sa-4.0

Sendlinger Tor © GraphyArchy/cc-by-sa-4.0

Sendlinger Straße is an important shopping street in Munich‘s city center. It extends into the Munich old town in the south-east-northeast direction from the Sendlinger Tor in the west to the point where Fürstenfelder Straße and the Rindermarkt meet in the east. In July 2016, the conversion from a one-way street into a pedestrian zone was attempted.   read more…

Évreux in Normandy

24 October 2023 | Author/Destination: | Rubric: General Reading Time:  8 minutes

Town Hall © JH Mora/cc-by-sa-3.0

Town Hall © JH Mora/cc-by-sa-3.0

Évreux is a commune in and the capital of the department of Eure, in the French region of Normandy. The city is on the Iton river.   read more…

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