St. Anne’s Church, Vilnius, Lithuania (part 1 of 2)

This is one of the most recognizable landmarks of the Lithuanian capital and a masterpiece of late Gothic architecture. It was built at the turn of the 15th and 16th centuries, and its founder was the Grand Duke of Lithuania and King of Poland, Alexander Jagiellon.

The church was constructed between 1495 and 1500, and its main architect was Michał Enkinger from Gdańsk, although some sources also mention Benedykt Rejt as a possible designer. The church initially served as the chapel of the St. Anne’s Brotherhood and was adjacent to the Bernardine monastery complex.

The building has undergone many repairs and reconstructions – after fires, the collapse of the vaulting in 1563, and during major renovations in the 20th and 21st centuries. An important stage was the restoration from 1902 to 1909 and another one from 2009 to 2010, when the heavily damaged façade and roof were secured.

St. Anne’s Church enchants with its Gothic façade, which was made using as many as 33 types of hand-profiled bricks! Two openwork towers, saddleback arches, and a wealth of Gothic details make the church a true architectural gem and one of the symbols of Vilnius.

#church #kosciol #vilnius #wilno #lithuania #litwa #lietuva #gothicarchitecture #architekturagotycka #architektura #architecture #gotyk #gothic #architekturasakralna #sacralachitecture #monastery #polis #city #miasto #ulica #street #historia #history #photography

Town Hall Square, Vilnius, Lithuania

This is the historic center of the city, with origins dating back to the Middle Ages. As early as the 15th century, a Gothic town hall stood on this square, serving administrative, judicial, and commercial functions – it housed, among other things, the mayors’ meeting hall, an armory, an archive, a prison, as well as the city scales and a pillory used for administering justice. The square was an important place for gatherings and public spectacles.

#pacratuszowy #wilno #litwa #historycznecentrum #sredniowiecze #architektura #zabytki #miasto #staremiasto #kamienice #budynki #ulica #townhallsquare #vilnius #lithuania #historicalcenter #middleages #architecture #monuments #city #oldtown #tenementhouses #buildings #street #photography #fotografia

Foggy morning in Vienna's City Park.
The photo documents yesterday's 5-minute walk through the park. Unfortunately, I didn't have more time.
Have a nice weekend.

#Photography #Cityphotography #City #Wien #Vienna #Park #Citypark #Stadtpark #KursalonHübner #Architecture #Austria #Österreich #MarekJedra #Fotografia #Fotografiamiejska #Miasto #Wiedeń #Parkmiejski #Architektura

The Church of St. Casimir, Vilnius, Lithuania

It is the first Baroque Catholic church in the Old Town of Vilnius. Construction began in 1604, shortly after the canonization of Casimir Jagiellon (1602) – King of Poland and Grand Duke of Lithuania - and was completed around 1618. The initiators of the construction were King Sigismund III Vasa (King of Poland and Grand Duke of Lithuania) and Lew Sapieha (an influential politician and Grand Chancellor of Lithuania). The church was designed by Jesuit architects Giovanni Maria Bernardoni and Jan Frankiewicz, who based it on the Roman church Il Gesù, although the adaptation was innovative.

The church has had a difficult history: it was damaged by fires, successively converted into an Orthodox church, a warehouse, a Protestant garrison church, and during the Soviet era, it housed the Museum of Atheism. Returned to the faithful in 1989, it currently serves as a Jesuit church and a venue for organ music concerts.

#wilno #vilnius #litwa #lithuania #lietuva #kosciol #church #architektura #sacralarchitecture #architecture #miasto #city #ulica #street #historia #history #photography

#bytomodrzański #lubuskie #polska #poland #polen #miasto #city #stadt #święta #christmas #weinachten #choinka #christmastree #weinachtsbaum