Zwickau | Germany | Hauptmarkt | Week 15

Zwickau, founded in the 12th century, lies 60 km south of Leipzig and about 150 km northwest of Prague at the foot of the ore mountains [german: Erzgebirge], 4th largest city in the german state Saxony and 88th largest city in Germany (2014).

Population: 91.000 (2014) | 122.000 (1988) | 85.000 (1930) | 56.000 (1900)

Zwickau quickly gained importance after its foundation and was a free imperial city in the early 14th century. Besides Wittenberg it was an early centre of the Lutheran Reformation. From the 15th to the 20th century Zwickau was a centre of the mining industry in Germany, especially for hard-coal from Zwickau and silver from the ore mountains. Hence the city played an important role in german industrialisation and was for centuries one of the main economic and cultural centres of Saxony. It is also a cradle of the german automobile industry with Audi and Horch being founded in the city, while during the GDR times it was the city of the Trabant, the most well known car of the eastern bloc.

Here we see a night view in christmas lighting of the southern side of the main market square (Hauptmarkt), which includes two of the cities main buildings, the Gewandhaus on the left and the town hall in the centre. The Gewandhaus (cloth merchants‘ hall) was built in the 16th century and today serves as the main theatre of the city. The town hall was built in 1404 and features the elaborate city emblem above its portal. The last building on this side of the square on the far right, which was unfortunately hidden by christmas stalls for this photography, is the birthplace (and museum) for the famous composer Robert Schuhmann.

Visit our archive for other streetline panoramas from Saxony.

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Zwickau Gewandhaus Rathaus Hauptmarkt

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Zwickau Gewandhaus

Strasbourg | France | La Petit France | Week 14

Strasbourg [german: Straßburg; dutch: Straatsburg], founded by the Romans as Argentoratum in 12 BCE, lies 100 km west of Stuttgart, 200 km south of Frankfurt and about 450 km east of Paris, largest city of the french region Alsace and 7th largest city in France.

Population: 274.000 (2012) | 252.000 (1990) | 181.000 (1931) | 151.00 (1900)

Strasbourg is the capital of the Alsace (german: Elsass) region, however today it is also one of the capitals of europe, being the seat of the several european institutions like the Council of Europe and the European Parliament as well as the International Institute of Human Rights. Strasbourg’s historic city centre, the Grande Île, has been declared an UNESCO world heritage site in 1988. Historically the city often changed sides between german or french rulers. Since the late 17th century mainly french, german was still the main language till the end of WWII. Strasbourg is an important economic centre and its port is the second largest on the Rhine after Dusiburg, Germany.

La Petit France is a historic quarter in the centre of Strasbourg, part of its UNESCO world heritage site. Here the river Ill forms a number of channels with half timbered houses lining up on the shores and the narrow streets, most of them dating from the 16th and 17th century. La Petit France is now one of Strasbourg’s main tourist attractions.

Visit our archive for other streetline panoramas from France.

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Panorama Strasbourg La Petit France

For classic view (german link):

Strasbourg Petit France

In our archive other streets and squares from Strasbourg are documented. Two unfinnished examples can be seen below.

Grand Rue

Strasbourg Grand Rue Panorama

Rue des Grandes Arcades

Architecture Strasbourg Rue des Grandes Arcades

Istanbul | Turkey | Istiklal Avenue | week 13

Istanbul [old english: Constantinople; old german: Konstantinopel, Byzanz], founded as Byzantium by greek settlers around 660 BCE, lies on both sides of the Bosphorus partly on the european and partly on the asian continent, largest city in europe (though not completely situated on the european continent) and 5th largest city in the world.

Population: 14.377.000 (2014) | 6.620.000 (1990) | 741.000 (1935) | 943.000 (1900)

Istanbul is the most prominent and most populous city in Turkey, though the capital is Ankara. However it was the imperial capital for sixteen centuries for the East Roman Empire, the Byzantine, the Latin (being called Constantinople during all that time) and the Ottoman Empire. It is still the seat of the Orthodox Patriarchate. Istanbul is amongst the ten most visited tourist destinations in the world, with its attractive historical centre (an UNESCO world heritage site), its cosmopolitan Beyoglu side, the Bosphorous strait and its asian side.

This is a section of the 1.4 km long Istiklal Avenue (turkish: Istiklal Caddesi) meaning Independence Avenue, also  known by its former name Grande Rue de Péra. Until the 1920s it was the cosmopolitan artery of Péra, where lots of greek, italian, french and other foreigners, and especially merchants, lived for centuries. Péra (also called Galata) itself developed as a city next to Constantinople across the Golden Horn under Genoese (and partly Venetian) control from the 13th century. Most of the late Ottoman Style buildings in the street date to the 19th and early 20th century. The street experienced a long decline in the 20th century especially following anti-greek movements between the 50s and 70s. However since the 1990s the street regains its popularity, the old trams run through it again and buildings get restored, as can also be seen in this streetscape panorama.

We documented a number of streets and places in Istanbul, find a preview in our Istanbul overview.

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Istiklal Avenue Panorama Turkey

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Cityscape Istanbul Panorama

Düsseldorf | Germany | Königsallee | Week 12

Düsseldorf [Dutch: Dusseldorp], founded in 12th century, got city rights in 1288, lies on the shores of the Rhine, 30 km north of Cologne and 170 km east of Brussels, 2nd largest city in the Bundesland Nordrhein Westphalen (Northrhine-Westphalia), 7th largest in Germany and 66th largest in europe.

Population: 605.000 (2014) | 576.000 (1990) | 478.000 (1930) | 214.000 (1900)

Düsseldorf is the capital of the german Bundesland Northrhine-Westphalia and a centre of the Rhine-Ruhr Metropolitan Area. A newly founded city of the 12th century it was named after the small river Düssel which flows into the Rhine here. It became the residence city of the Duchy of Berg in the 14th century. Today Düsseldorf is an important trade fair city and economic centre in germany. It is also well known for its carnival and its art academy (the Kunstakademie Düsseldorf).

Here we have one block along the west side of the Königsallee in Düsseldorf. Locally nicknamed the „Kö“, the street is one of the main luxury shopping streets of germany. This however is its so called „quiet side“, with mainly banks and hotels residing, instead of shops. The street is also known for its landscaped canal, lined with large old sycamore trees, running along the old site of the cities fortifications.

Visit our archive for other streetline panoramas from the Bundesland Northrhine-Westphalia.

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Kö Königsallee Düsseldorf Ansicht View

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Düsseldorf Kö Königsallee luxury shopping

In our archive other streets from Düsseldorf have been documented, including the Kurze Strasse, the Mittelstrasse or the market square amongst others. A finnished panorama of the media harbour has been published to our archive before (english link):

Medienhafen in Düsseldorf, Germany

Deauville | France | Rue du Casino | week 11

Deauville, first mentioned around 1060 as A Enilla, lies on the Normandy coast, west of Trouville, separated by the river Touques, also about 175 km west of Paris.

Population: 3.800 (2012) | 4.300 (1990) | 4.800 (1931)  | 2.900 (1901)

Deauville was just a small farming village up to the 1850s. Then Charles de Morny, half brother of Napoleon III., transformed it into an elegant seaside resort. With its race courses, marinas, villas, harbour, Grand Casino, international Festivals and the close proximity to Paris it became the „Queen of the Norman Beaches“. Deauville is home to several festivals and horse events throughout the year, the most prestigious being the Deauville American Film Festival. Marcel Proust worked on his novel „In search of lost time“ during his summers in Deauville.

With its development into the prime seaside resort in the Normandy, Deauville attracted the wealthy and famous french (including Coco Chanel, André Citroen, Yves Saint Laurent, Josephine Baker, Gustave Flaubert amongst others) and became the Parisian Riviera. Hence one could and can also find the high-class fashion labels in Deauville, with a concentration in the Rue du Casino (Casino Street), right opposite the Casino Barrière de Deauville. The flamboyant style of half timbered houses in Deauville is a product of the neo norman style of the late 19th century.

Visit our archive for other streetline panoramas from the Normandy.

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Architecture Deauville France

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neonormannischer Stil in Frankreich, Deauville

Potsdam | Germany | Kurfürstenstraße | week 10

Potsdam [Sorbian: Podstupim], first mentioned in 993, lies directly south-west of Berlin and 120 km north of Leipzig on the shores of the river Havel, largest city of the state Brandenburg and 45th largest in Germany.

Population: 164.000 (2014) | 140.000 (1990) | 73.000 (1930) | 60.000 (1900)

Potsdam is the capital of the german state Brandenburg, which surrounds Berlin. From the 17th century the city has been a residence city of the Prussian Monarchy, resulting in several castles and parks, including the famous palace Sanssouci, all of which are included in the UNESCO world heritage list. The Filmstudio Babelsberg was the first large movie studio of the world (Metropolis by Fritz Lang was made here) and the Alexander Nevsky Memorial Church is the oldest russian orthodox church of western europe.

Here we see a carré of the Dutch Quarter (german: Holländisches Viertel) in Kurfürstenstrasse. The dutch quarter was built by architect Jan Bouman 1732-1742 on order of the prussian king Friedrich Wilhelm I. to attract dutch workers to the rapidly growing city. Potsdam’s dutch quarter is europe’s largest collection of dutch style houses outside the Netherlands.

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Potsdam Holländisches Viertel Straßenansicht

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Potsdam Holländisches Viertel Foto Bild

In our archive other streets from Potsdam have been documented, including the Brandenburger Strasse and the Nauener Tor which continues the panorama above and can be seen in a preview below.

Nauener Tor Potsdam

San Bartolomé de Tirajana | Spain | Fataga | Week 9

San Bartolomé, the Guanches (the old canary people) have settled in the area at least 2.000 years ago, lies in the south of Gran Canaria, largest municipality by area and 4th largest by population on Gran Canaria

Population: 54.000 (2014) | 24.500 (1991) | 4.700 (1900)
Population Fataga: 370 (2011) | 650 (1900)

San Bartolomé de Tirajana, Tirajana refers to a tribe of the Guanches that settled here before the spanish invaded Gran Canaria. Besides the historical village Fataga, San Bartolomé is also known for the sand dunes, the beaches and the lighthouse of Maspalomas. It is one of the touristic centres of the island Gran Canaria.

Fataga (Photography by Victor Lavilla) is a small village with historic significance within the municipality of San Bartolomé de Tirajana. It lies in its mountainous region in the Barranco de Fataga, also known as the „Valley of a thousand palms“. Here some of the final battles between the Guanches and the Spanish took place. In the 16th century the village was known as Adfatagad. Today, with its preserved centre it is a role model for a characteristic village of Gran Canaria, attracts large numbers of tourists and has been declared an UNESCO world heritage site.

Visit our archive for other streetline panoramas from Spain.

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Fataga Gran Canaria Panorama Photography

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Fataga Gran Canaria

Cologne | Germany | Schildergasse | Week 8

Cologne [German: Köln, Latin: Colonia], founded over 2.000 years ago, lies in western Germany on the shores of the Rhine, ca. 160 km east of Brussels and 50 km south of the Ruhr region, largest city in the german state Northrhine-Westphalia, 4th largest in Germany and 29th in Europe.

Population: 1.047.00 (2014) | 953.000 (1990) | 740.000 (1930) | 372.000 (1900)

Cologne was declared a roman city as Colonia Claudia Ara Agrippensium (CCAA) in the year 50 and was capital of the province Germania inferior. Since then it always retained its prominent role in the region, has been a member of the Hanseatic League, has always been a key city of the Catholics and in more recent history also been famous for its Carnival. Cologne is part of the Rhine-Ruhr metropolitan region (the 6th largest in europe) and home to one UNESCO world heritage site – the Cologne Cathedral, the largest gothic church of Northern Europe.

The Schildergasse (literal english: shields alley) is, despite its modern looks, the second oldest street of Cologne, having been the major east-west street of the roman city. Today it is the cities major shopping street (and one of the most frequented in Germany) with several big department stores and high street labels. Cologne was one of the most severe hit german cities in WWII, so the old town looks rather modern today, as can be seen in this street section. The only historic building here is the Haus Schierenberg, built in 1894.

Visit our archive for other streetline panoramas from the Bundesland Northrhine-Westphalia.

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Cologne Schildergasse Panorama

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Schildergasse Shopping Panorama Foto Image

Helsingør | Denmark | Stengade | Week 7

Helsingør [old english: Elsinore] founded in the 1420s, lies in the north east of the danish main island Zealand on the narrowest point of the Øresund, 40 km north of Copenhagen, west of the swedish city Helsingborg across the Øresund, 13th largest city of Denmark

Population:  46.500 (2015) | 34.400 (2006)

Helsingør has for centuries been the harbour where passing ships had to pay the Sound Dues, for a long time the major income for the danish crown. Today there is an important and much frequented ferry line to Helsingborg in Sweden. However the city is even more famous for Kronborg castle, an UNESCO world heritage site and the place where Shakespeare’s play Hamlet was set. The old harbour has been turned into the Kulturhavn Kronborg (Culture Harbour Kronborg).

The Stengade is the major shopping street of Helsingør, running soutwest to northeast parallel to the sea in the south. Here on the east end of the street, there are some administrative buildings and fewer shops, which are concentrated towards the west end of the street.

Visit our archive for other streetline panoramas from Denmark.

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Cityscape Helsingor Danmark

For classic view (unfinnished):

street panorama denmark Danmark

In our archive other sections of Stengade are included, as well as other streets from Helsingør and the Domkirke. Two unfinnished examples can be seen below.

Sct. Annagade

panorama Sct anna gade helsingor denmark

Domkirke

linear Domkirke in Helsingor

Wels | Austria | Stadtplatz | Week 6

Wels, city foundation as the roman Ovilava in the 2nd century, situated centrally in Upper Austria on the shores of the river Traun, ca. 200 km west of Vienna and 100 km east of Salzburg, 2nd largest city of the Bundesland Oberösterreich (Upper Austria) and 8th largest city in Austria.

Population: 60.000 (2015) | 52.600 (1991) | 26.000 (1934) | 17.000 (1900)

Wels is a Statuarstadt and seat of the county of Wels-Land in Upper Austria. As Ovilava it was an important city in roman times and became capital of the roman province of Noricum Ripensis. An important regional trade centre in the Middle Ages it was often visited by Emperor Maximilian I, who died at Wels Castle in 1519.

This is the north side of the Stadtplatz, the central square in Wels, from the Ledererturm in the west to the Stadtpfarrkirche in the East. The Stadtplatz originates from the 13th century and some buildings still date back to that time. The Ledererturm is the last remaining tower of the medieval walls of Wels and its design dates from the early 17th century. Its name refers to the medieval Lederer business (english: Tanning).

Visit our archive for more streetline panoramas from Austria.

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Austria Wels Stadtplatz City Square Ledererturm

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Wels Stadtplatz Ledererturm Oberösterreich

We also photographed the south side of the Stadtplatz with the town hall, the Salome Alt House and the Kremsmünstererhof to be finnished later. Two more previews of the Medien Kultur Haus (former Sparkasse) and the Bahnhofstrasse can be seen below:

Altes Sparkassengebäude Wels

Wels Bahnhofstrasse Österreich