Heritage: Architecture which appeals to tourists
ARTICLES
Living Art Nouveau in Brussels
At the turn of the 19th and 20th century, Brussels went through a period of unrivalled effervescence. The city was beautified under the impetus of King Leopold II, new districts were divided into plots and turned into neighbourhoods in formerly suburban municipalities such as Ixelles, Schaerbeek or Saint-Gilles, the boundaries of which tend to merge with those of Brussel. Naturally, the middle class, merchants and artists opted to have their houses built in the style in vogue: Art Nouveau.
Sagrada Familia: remaining the icon
Barcelona , March 15 th 1878.- The professors of the School of Architecture of Barcelona meet the students who have successfully finished their architecture degree. Professor Elías Rogent, director of the school, initiates the presentation ceremony of the degrees. Among them stands out a young man with blond hair and blue eyes from the Campo of Tarragona. Aged 26 years old, this man would later move the world of architecture with his own personalised style.
Prague – an art nouveau city
Not only do Barcelona, Brussels, Paris, Vienna and other major cities of the Old Continent boast world-famous gems designed in Art Nouveau style. While you will not find the works of such masters as Gaudí or Horta in Prague, you will see that the architects of several of the city’s buildings definitely followed in their footsteps.
Out of the Beaten tracks
Why not go out of the beaten tracks now and discover numerous other marvels?
In order to understand the wide spread diffusion of Art Nouveau architecture, we have to recall the main factors of development for an architecture style at such a large scale : the primary factor is information and interest about this style (magazines like "Jugend", art studies and commercial trips, international exhibitions like world fairs). This has been combined to rural exodus and an important wealthiness (belle ...
Castles of America: tours of opulent mansions
From the auto baron estates of Detroit to the high-society mansions in Newport, Rhode Island, visits to the most sumptuous houses in America provide a window on how the rich and famous lived out their wildest dreams.
Everyone is curious about the lifestyles of people blessed with unlimited cash. And we've all envisioned our own ideal home, fantasizing how we would relax and entertain in a showplace castle designed to satisfy our every whim.
Scandinavian design attracts tourists
Funky furniture, trendy tableware and amazing architecture - Scandinavian designers have been at the cutting edge of design since the 60s and are still creating some of the most usable and aesthetically pleasing objects today.
The opera House: a temple to Australian-ness
What makes you look forward to going home at night-time? Is it the thought of the view from your back deck? Or the simple pleasure of cooking in your well-designed kitchen?
According to philosopher and author, Alain de Botton, it's not uncommon for the places we live and work to feature so prominently in our consciousness - and our sub-conscious. His new book, The Architecture of Happiness, looks at how profoundly the buildings around us can affect us.