Poland | Jeannie's Travel Addiction

ST. NICHOLAS CHURCH in Gdansk, Poland

09 Jun 2015 2 Comments

by jeannieadams in Uncategorized Tags: Poland, St. Nicholas Church in Gdansk

St. Nicholas Church, 1348

May 15, 2015

While meandering the side streets of Gdansk, I stumbled upon St. Nicholas Church. Walking inside, I was surprised to see so many alters and particularly how they were lined up all in a row, 5 on each side of the outside of the pews.

Interestingly, when Gdansk was bombed during WWII, nearly 90 percent of the city was destroyed and all of the churches in the city were reduced to a pile of rubble. But St. Nicholas was the only church in the city to escape any damage.

the church organ

Statues were everywhere in this church – even in the light fixtures.

Interesting wall hanging – looks to me like there are more heads than bodies.

Another fancy confessional.

The main alter.

Thanks for reading!

ARTUS COURT IN Gdansk, Poland

07 Jun 2015 2 Comments

by jeannieadams in Uncategorized Tags: Artus Court in Gdansk, Poland

Artus Court

May 14th, 2015

In the Middle Ages, the city provided meeting halls for the brotherhoods, wealthy merchants and guilds that existed at the time, which consisted of all men. Artus Court in Gdansk is named after King Arthur of the Round Table and was built in 1350, then rebuilt in 1476 after a fire and again after WWII. Meeting Halls were common but this is the only original one that has survived. Inside are 7 giant model ships suspended from the ceiling and other interesting and elaborate decorations. A 36 foot tall stove/ furnace from 1545 is particularly eye-catching with its 520 tiles featuring great leaders of Europe. All of the tiles are original, having survived the WWII bombs.

Enjoy the walk back into time….

The ceiling also stands out…

1 of the 7 ships

Very interesting and I wish I could explain….

3-D mural

Again, I have no words…..

Beautiful ship and an interesting outfit…

Another 3-D wall decoration

The 36 foot furnace with 520 tiles

close up of some of the furnace tiles

After seeing Artus Court, this example of the front room of a “typical” mansion of the day was next door for viewing.

Doorman at the exit.

Just a reminder – if you double click on a photo, it will enlarge it so you can better see the interesting details of the decorations. Thanks for reading!

GDANSK, POLAND – A WONDERFULLY MYSTICAL PLACE

03 Jun 2015 1 Comment

by jeannieadams in Uncategorized Tags: burgher mansions, Gdansk, Gdansk's nautical crane, Magpie, Poland, Statue of Neptune

Gdansk’s River Front Embankment

May 14, 2015

Gdansk , Poland was my last stop before going home and what a breathtaking stop it was! It sits on the Baltic Coast and is an awe-inspiring, medieval, nautical city. Gdansk can be traced back to 997 and, obviously, has a very long history of events. In 1793 it became part of Poland and flash-forward to September 1, 1939, Hitler started WWII when he invaded Gdansk. The city suffered major destruction during WWII and has been rebuilding ever since. Most of the reconstruction replicates Gdansk’s ” Golden Age” of the 16th and 17 century.

Hope you enjoy the introductory photos…….

15 century crane, The Zurah, was used for loading ships, up-righting masks and picking up ships for repair to the capacity of 4 tons. It was originally powered by men walking inside 2 huge wooden wheels – very similar to a hamster wheel. Today it belongs to the Maritime Museum.

Statue of Neptune, god of the sea, sits in Long Square.

Samplings of the beautiful “burgher mansions” on Dlugi Targ.

Random residential side street while strolling about.

16th century Armory

Enough of the buildings – also Polish is the bird of the day – a Magpie.

And, look at this darling little face – my last thought as I walked back to the hotel was how could I lure this dog away from it’s owner and get it back to the US.

Stay tuned – more of Gdansk to come…

WAWEL HILL in Krakow, Poland

29 May 2015 4 Comments

by jeannieadams in Uncategorized Tags: Poland, Wawel Cathedral, Wawel Hill in Krakow

You gotta love the royal downspouts of the past.

May 12, 2015

Wawel Hill is a most important cathedral and castle complex in Krakow, Poland. There has been a castle on this hill since Poland’s recorded history, and according to legend, a fire-breathing dragon lived in the caves under the hill before that. Wawel Cathedral is the national church of Poland. It also is home to the tombs of Poland’s most important rulers and historical figures, including the much loved King Kazimierz of Poland’s 14th century. Wawel Hill is the most visited sight in Poland.

It takes effort and patience to try and decipher the different buildings and add on’s in this complex. The white building tucked in the middle is the original part of the cathedral and , over the centuries, 20 or so chapels have been added to an outcome of many assorted styles of architecture. The castle now holds several museums and one of the towers is available for climbing.

As a side note, the Hindu concept of Chakra believes there are seven chakra points on earth where a powerful energy field is concentrated. In one corner of the castle’s courtyard is, supposedly, one of those seven points. The Wawel administration will not discuss the belief and has done it’s best discourage Chakra-seekers by blocking off the point from the public.

It was a wonderful day to enjoy and marvel at the beauty and complexity of all the buildings hugging each other like a Lego creation …..or maybe I was feeling the effects of the Chakra.