All posts tagged: architecture

Bratislava in Contrast

This city is undoubtedly on the way to being named a “must-see” trendy European destination in the near future, and the charming old town will make many visitors feel like they’ve stepped directly into a fairy tale (we posted a few images here). What lies under the surface is the otherworldly contrast that is seen between the grey Communist blocks and the playfully ornate art deco and Austro-Hungarian buildings outside of the tourist stomping grounds. An embarrassingly quick history of this gritty Eastern European capital: once a part of Czechoslovakia, the city of Bratislava was under the control of the USSR following WWII and it fell behind the iron curtain during the Cold War with the United States. In 1993 the nation was split into the Czech Republic and Slovakia, with Bratislava becoming the capital of the latter. Slovakia is now a free nation and is a part of the E.U., but the Communist influence remains. ^^^Sights like these make for an interesting landscape: the infamous Blue Church (of St. Elisabeth) sits directly beside a …

Bratislava or Bust!

Published by thealternativeatlas

After months of traveling and exploring many of Europe’s major cities, this impossibly charming little place remains one of my favorite capitals in the world. The word hidden gem only begins to describe the allure of this city. We visited Bratislava on a whim while staying in Vienna, and we were mesmerized. Bratislava is the capital of Slovakia, and is located along the border with Austria and neighboring Hungary. We took a one-hour bus ride from Vienna (only 37 miles way!) and arrived in the center of the sunny 18th century old town without any idea what to expect… and the blanks filled in quickly! The old town is adorable and full of little passages and cobblestone side-streets. Wandering around those little alleys is so much fun, and it is common to emerge from a dilapidated passageway into a bright and spectacular backstreet… ^^^…shared only by the nuns attending their errands. The contrasting nature of the buildings in Bratislava offers a feast for the eyes and makes for an unbelievably photogenic city. The graffiti-covered walls, Communist …

Amsterdam’s Crooked Canal Houses

Published by thealternativeatlas

The canal houses in Amsterdam are an iconic feature of the city. These tall (and often very crooked) buildings lean precariously over the narrow streets and canals, bestowing a magical and elementary fun-house quality into the cozy neighborhoods. At first glance it seems like the entire city is a bit tipsy! The houses are often very narrow, as property was assigned value based on width during the early days of the city. Also, the roofs of the houses are often adorned with a hook for lifing furniture into the top floors, as staircases in the city are infamously steep. Having a house that leans forward a little bit would be beneficial if you are using the hook to hoist up furniture from the ground, but why do some of the buildings lean so dramatically? The city is built below sea-level and the ground is very soft. Most houses will shift a bit after being built (our Dutch host refered to this process as settling), and once a house has settled it will stay put for …