Spring is in the air and as I reflected on Winter in my last “Random Picture Post” I will look forward to Summer today. This is a picture taken on a alpine meadow in the Bregenzer Wald region of Vorarlberg. It shows a little chapel, planned by the Vorarlberg Architects Crukrowicz Nachbaur. In the background you can see Lake Constance.
Filed under random pictures from great places
Saturday I managed to see some amazing places in Berlin. I got up rather late, as the days before were exhausting and I was disappointed to see, that it was raining. But anyways, there is nothing like bad weather for a traveller and I hit the road. First I got myself some breakfast to charge my batteries. Afterwards I walked a rather long distance through the streets of Berlin. First I walked towards the Spree-Insel, where the most famous museums of Berlin are located. They are located next to the Berlin Dom. Unfortunately they were rather busy, and as I had an appointment to visit the Reichstags-/Bundestag Building I decided to do something else. I took the Bus towards Brandenburger Tor.
Brandenburger Tor is the last gate remaining from the old city walls. It is probably the most famous landmark in Berlin and therefore was very busy. It was just on the Eastern Side of the Berlin Wall and the street towards East “Unter den Linden” got a major renovation after the German Unification. You can find the Hotel Adlon there, and there are also a lot of embassies located in this area: e.g. the French, the US or the Russian embassy. Continue reading
Filed under Traveling in Europe
Innsbruck is famous for its medieval pedestrian area in the City Centre, which surrounds the “Goldene Dachl” – you will not find to many tourists, that leave Innsbruck without a picture in front of this landmark taken. But there is also a different Innsbruck – places where you can see modern architecture, created by some of the most famous Architects in the world. I would like to point out the five most important buildings to see – most of them do not only offer great architecture, but also unique sights to the mountains and the city.
1. Berg Isel Ski Jump
The Berg Isel is well known as it hosted the opening ceremony of two Olympic Winter Games – above it sits the huge Berg Isel Ski Jump. This was completely rebuild in 2001/2002. It was planned by Star Architect Zaha Hadid. The Jump can be seen from a lot of places in the City and you will see, that it has lights that change colors on, during the night. On top of the Ski Jump there is a panoramic restaurant and a viewing platform – they allow great views towards Innsbruck and the mountains behind it on one side, and to the Vipptal (direction towards Brenner) on the other side.
2. Town Hall
Architect Dominic Perrault planned the new town hall, which was built between 1996 and 2002. This town hall is more than just a community building – it features shopping arcades, restaurants, a hotel and offices. Its roofs are partly made of glass, therefore it opens itself to the City. There are especially great views from the two restaurants on top of two Glass towers – the Lichtblick (restaurant) and the 360° (a bar)
Filed under Architectural Tourism
Image via Wikipedia
Liechtenstein is one of the smallest and one of the richest countries in the World. Many people who visit Western Austria or Eastern Switzerland have it on their To-Do List for one reason, its another country to visit, without too much effort. Most of them go to Vaduz, the Capital of Liechtenstein and are somehow disappointed after their visit – there is not too much to see. But there are some places that should be considered and I want to give you a short list of them:
Filed under Traveling in Europe
Today I have an article published over at http://www.whatsdoto.in – it is about “Vorarlberg – a must see for lovers of good architecture”
To accompany that article I would love to highlight 5 buildings in my region, that I like especially:
This is one of Vorarlbergs best architectural building – planned by Peter Zumthor, who won the Pritzker Prize for this building and the Therme Vals (click here for more about that), this is a must see for all architecture fans. As a plus you might find some architectural exhibitions inside the building, as it houses the Museum for Modern Art of Vorarlberg. Do not forget to take a coffee afterwards in the Museum café as this is a good example for good interior architecture.
Bregenz Festspielhaus (Photo credit: digital cat )
A short walk from the Kunsthaus Bregenz next to Lake Konstanz takes you to the Festspielhaus Bregenz. This building was planned by Dietrich-Untertrifaller, a architectural company from Vorarlberg. This building might look familiar to you, there were parts of “James Bond – Quantum of Solace” shot in this building. Every summer there are the Bregenzer Festspiele – an opera festival, with one opera being staged on the lake arena. Its one opera for two years, and every two years the whole stage is completely rebuild – do not miss out on this.
Nordwesthaus and office building, Hafen Rohner, Fussach
Image via Wikipedia
In Fussach, a small village at the Lake Konstanz you can see this two great buildings by Baumschlager-Eberle. One, looking a little bit like a gun, is an office building, the other one, with its crystalline structur is a place for events and exhibitions – they both are parts of the “Hafen Rohner” (Port Rohner).
Angelika Kauffmann Museum, Schwarzenberg
This museum offers something different, to the other buildings. Dietrich Untertrifaller, the architects of this building, had the task to take a 500 year old house and adapt it to a modern museum. Here you can see a mixture of old traditional architecture with modern Vorarlberger wood-architecture. The museum itself is great to see as well – Angelika Kauffmann was one of Austrias most famous neoclassical painters.
At this stop you will not only see great architecture, you can also have great food and an impressive landscape. Looking like a typical ski hut, this building offers a lot for people, who love the “hidden details” of houses.
You can find details to all mentioned buildings by clicking on their name. Unfortunately they are in german – but I believe the pictures give you a good idea about the buildings.
Filed under Architectural Tourism
At the moment it is freezing cold in Vorarlberg and there would be nothing better than a couple of days of relaxing in a beautiful Spa – and one of my favorite Spas lies in the heart of Switzerland. Vals is a small Walser-community in Graubünden, which lies in a beautiful valley, formed by the Valser Rhine. The village is famous for its thermal spring and it´s typical Walser Architecture.
The thermal spring is used for the production of bottled water – Valser Wasser is one of Switzerlands leading mineral water brands. But they use it also for their spa. It was planned by Peter Zumthor, Prizker price winner 2009, and the building is simply breathtaking. It is built out of Valser quarzite slabs and on top of it there is grass, which gives the cubic building a look as if it has been there for ages (it was build in the 90ies).
Inside the spa is as minimalistic as outside, but the different pools and treatment areas offer anything you can ask for. A day inside this spa is simply incredible relaxing. Moreover there is a very nice restaurant in the Hotel, which belongs to the spa – so everything is set for a perfect day. But when you visit Vals you should also have a look at the Village – a short stroll through the village gives you the feeling of going back in time, as the houses are build in a very traditional way. You can also have great views of the village, when you do one of the hikes up the surrounding hills, which are not too steep at the beginning. And if you love the mountains you get plenty of opportunities to do longer hikes up on one of the surrounding mountains.
The Valser Valley is not too easy to be reached – the next village is a couple of miles down a winding road – but this is probably the reason, why the village kept so much of its historical charm. Whenever you get into this region, you should treat yourself with a great day at Vals – a hidden gem inside the Alps.
More information about Therme Vals on their website: http://www.therme-vals.ch/en
Filed under Hidden Gems
Heartland Europe 