vvanhanen

A new train shed in NYC

The destruction of the old Penn Station in New York in 1963 was pure vandalism – this 1910 structure was modelled after the baths of Diocletian, and provided a suitable combination of steel construction and Roman-inspired grandeur for the golden age of train travel. The rabbit warren of the modern Penn Station that followed wasContinue reading “A new train shed in NYC”

Ribe: Medieval magic

Ribe is the oldest town – and had the first church – in Scandinavia. It was founded early in the 8th century and became quickly a thriving port. The current cathedral (below) was completed in 1250 after more than hundred years of works, although it sits in the place of an earlier church from the middleContinue reading “Ribe: Medieval magic”

The faded glories of Spa

The Belgian town with many mineral springs – known already to the Romans – has given its name to all spas in English. In the 19th and the early years of the 20th century, it was the leading resort of its type, where aristocracy and crowned heads came to take the waters. Besides cures for the body,Continue reading “The faded glories of Spa”

Wuppertal: Hanging in there

The city of Wuppertal is not particularly famous – a string of towns joined together administratively in 1929. However, it does boast one tourist attraction: the Schwebebahn – or suspension railway. This is the world’s oldest suspended railway and the only one in Germany. The 13 km railway runs mostly above the Wupper river, withContinue reading “Wuppertal: Hanging in there”

Art in Antwerp

After 11 years of works, the Antwerp Museum of Fine Arts (officially Koninklijk Museum voor Schone Kunsten Antwerpen, or KMSKA for short) has reopened its doors. Mind you, in the Belgian context that time is nothing – scaffolding has surrounded the Palais de Justice in Brussels for more than 40 years – and counting. InContinue reading “Art in Antwerp”

The Riches of the Savoyards

One of the sights of Turin is its royal palace. These royals were not your everyday small-kingdom-rulers, although the county and later duchy of Savoy was originally not very large. However, the family extended their reach to Sicily and Sardinia and finally became the kings of Italy in 1861. Thus, the palace needed to reflectContinue reading “The Riches of the Savoyards”

Egypt in Turin

Go to Turin to learn about the ancient Egypt – it is closer. And the Egyptian Museum (Museo Egizio) in Turin hass the second most important collection of Egyptian antiquities after the Egyptian Museum of Cairo. The collection grew out of the acquisitions of the Savoyard kings since the 1750s. The presentation is approximately chronological,Continue reading “Egypt in Turin”

Kykuit: the Rockefeller lookout

Sometimes even seriously rich people need houses that are more comfortable than showy. The Rockefellers had Kykuit as their modest retreat. From the patriarch of the family, oil magnate John D. (1839-1937) to Vice-President Nelson (1908-1979) and his sons, generations of Rockefellers lived in Kykuit on the Hudson River. The Dutch colonists had named theContinue reading “Kykuit: the Rockefeller lookout”

Bourse de Commerce: the lives of a building

Good buildings can have many lives over the centuries – they can store grain, merchants or art, depending on the needs of the population. The Bourse de Commerce in central Paris started its life as a grain storage facility. The growth of Paris made the previous facilities too small, but upholding public order required havingContinue reading “Bourse de Commerce: the lives of a building”

Speyer Cathedral: Emperors, kings, bureaucrats

The Cathedral in Speyer (or Domus sanctae Mariae Spirae) was built at the initiative of Conrad II, first emperor of the Salian dynasty. The minor detail of actually getting anywhere took a couple of decades (and emperors), but the cathedral was consecrated in 1061, although further construction and expansion continued until 1106. The cathedral was heavilyContinue reading “Speyer Cathedral: Emperors, kings, bureaucrats”