square

The Old Market Square in Poznań with the Town Hall and Cloth Hall; Poland

Old Market Square | Poznan, Poland

Poznan Square is known for its colourful old tenement houses, which occupy the central part of the square and surround it. In the past they were the headquarters of rich merchants who sold their goods in the lower parts of their houses. Each tenement house was painted in a different colour to mark the property of a given merchant.

Cascais City Centre - The Square of 5th October; Portugal.

The Square of 5th October | Cascais, Portugal

Apart from being a crossing point for many touristic paths, Praça 5 de Outubro is a lively place with many local restaurants and bars. The beach across the street in Cascais, makes a perfect place to spend an entire day, just enjoying the sun.

InterContinental Hotel in Palácio das Cardosas in Porto; Portugal

Palácio das Cardosas | Porto, Portugal

The centre of Porto is a fabulous place for a photographer to be. In comparison with other cities in Portugal, whereby architecture is marked by baroque, the architecture of Porto is rather monumental and dominated by granite constructions.

Vilnius in Lithuania with its cathedral square is the perfect location for New Year’s Eve.

New Year’s Eve | Vilnius, Lithuania

The square was built in the 19th century after the reconstruction of Vilnius Cathedral. It is now the biggest square of Vilnius, a former area dense with public renaissance and medieval buildings. This photo of the cathedral square with the Christmas Tree was taken a day before celebrating New Year’s Eve in Vilnius a few years ago.

Piazza del Duomo at sunrise – Milan, Italy.

Piazza del Duomo | Milan, Italy

Milano Duomo is the 5th largest Cathedral in the world and among this list of five – it is the oldest Cathedral. The day before I took this photo, we were enjoying some “Spritz” with a friend in a rooftop bar. From there, we had a view of the top of the Cathedral. From a bird’s eye view, you can see the many sculptures that are decorating the Duomo Towers.

Venice St Mark’s Square with St Mark’s Basilica and St Mark's Campanile – summer in Italy

St Mark’s Square | Venice, Italy

Piazza San Marco, internationally known as St Mark’s Square gained its own nickname “La Piazza” – THE Square, and I think it says a lot about Venice’s importance. There is a legend that Napoleon called it “the drawing room of Europe”. In our day, I would say the “photographing room of Europe”.

II Campo in Siena, Italy following the II Campo Race.

Piazza Il Campo At Sunrise | Siena, Italy

Piazza Il Campo is the beating heart of this city, especially during the annual horse racing “Palio di Siena” which we witnessed. They take place exactly there, under the Torre del Mangia (The Tower above) and the Palazzo Publico (The building on the side). It was the first city that I saw the city square that was built in the shape of an amphitheatre – the sign of Palio’s importance for Siena’s communities.

Porto Praça de Carlos Alberto on a sunny day, Portugal.

Praça de Carlos Alberto | Porto, Portugal

We almost passed the square of Carlos Alberto in Porto without realising. We changed our course and slowly walk in and around the Praça de Carlos Alberto. The brilliance of the colors and cheerful atmosphere of this find, set us in the perfect mood for further sightseeing of Porto but there was more of this square to be seen.

The Market of Our Lady of Africa in Santa Cruz de Tenerife (El Mercado de Nuestra Señora de África), Spain.

The Market of Our Lady of Africa | Santa Cruz, Spain

The Market of Our Lady of Africa, had three small squares with different groceries stalls, Canarias products, Spanish tapas, meats and many other local products. The whole design of the place had a very neoclassical colonial style. What I learned later struck a chord; that the architect of the Basilica of the Virgin of the Candelaria was also the exact same architect of this area.

The Royal Palace of Madrid and The Plaza de la Armeria during a sunny day in the winter.

The Royal Palace and The Plaza de la Armeria | Madrid, Spain

For this very photograph, I had to take x30 photos in total to be able to depict The Royal Palace of Madrid (Palacio Real de Madrid) without people strolling around the square, The Plaza de la Armeria. Despite the winter months, Madrid is still eagerly visited by many tourists. The climate is very much like Berlin in the late spring, which means that it is a very convenient time to visit this capital.

Photo of Náměstí Jiřího z Poděbrad Square in Prague, taken at night.

Jiřího z Poděbrad Square | Prague, Czech Republic

The name of the Vinohrady district of Prague literally means ‘vineyards’ in English. While nowadays this is an urban area, in the middle ages this land was covered in vineyards. On the photo you can also see the Roman Catholic Church “Nejsvětějšího Srdce Páně” or “Church of the Most Sacred Heart of Our Lord”. Another significant city sight, visible here, is the Žižkov Television Tower, adding a high-tech touch to the landscape.

Rynek Market Square and City Hall in Wroclaw, Poland at night

Sounds of Wroclaw | Poland

Wrocław has one of the biggest market squares in Europe and its city hall is the biggest one in Poland. Late at night the city wraps itself in silence and is only disturbed now and again by the hushed voices of people returning home from a night out. I wanted to capture the intriguing atmosphere of this place, but also show as much as possible of this very beautiful market square painted in the crisp autumn light at night.

The main street Stradun and bell tower in Dubrovnik, Croatia at night

Dubrovnik at night | Dubrovnik, Croatia

To be precise, the title should read: Dubrovnik in the very early morning because this picture was taken at exactly 4:58 am on a morning during the summer. Even at that hour of the day, you meet quite a few tourists on their way into another eventful day of their holiday. This is probably due to the high number of cruise ships which stop in the harbor of Dubrovnik.

Old Town Square with Church of Our Lady before Tyn in Prague, Czech Republic at night.

The lights of the Old Town Square | Prague, Czech Republic

The picture shows the Old Town Square while it is shining bright in the light of the night. The eye catcher in this picture is, without doubt, the Church of Our Lady before Tyn, which is with its two towers one of the most famous buildings in the golden city of Prague. The construction of this monumental gothic basilica started in the 14th century, but was not completed until the beginning of the 16th century. This church together with the entire Old City of Prague is included in the UNESCO list of World Heritage Sites since 1992 and is always worth a visit.

Plaza de la Virgen at night in Valencia, Spain

Plaza de la Virgen | Valencia, Spain

When we reached the Plaza de la Virgen, a traditional gathering place in the center of Valencia, I knew where I wanted to be for the dawn. I memorized the way and went early in the morning in direction of the central square in the old town of Valencia. Actually, I could just follow my nose and was not surprised to encounter many drunken bodies on the Plaza de la Virgen.