2 day trip to and trough Estonia (day 1 )

This summer i decided to go on a trip to Estonia, because this was least traveled baltic country for me. Lets start : DAY - 1 Parnu We didnt had much time so we just drove trough... this is the only pic i made trough the window Varbola stopped by to see old castle mound and some siege equipment And now i got up on that siege tower Keila- Joa Somewhere near Tallinn i just love this retro Tallinn Fisrt we went to Pirita district to have a refreshing swin as it was almost +30 temperature! On the way to Pirita yacht-club Police on-duty Ofcourse... Tallinn manhattan district ( i like to call it real manhattan) [img]cc[/img] Ofcourse i also went to have a look at twin towers...looks impressive Tallinn oldtown ( have to admit didnt fascinate me because i have seen soo many old towns they dont impress me anymore ) Some random shots of Tallinn made while riding trough monument for those who died in ferry ESTONIA catastrophie --------------------------------------------------------------------- Famous SAku suurhall One of Tallins park's, this one is near presidents palace Maardu Little town very close to Tallinn. We went there to see 2nd largest stone in Baltics End of day - 1>

Lithuanian meet-up in London :D

It was quite unexpected. Just day before singing tram dropped a line in a forum that he's allright and alive, I PM'ed him asking if he's not gonna come to London and if so we could meetup somewhere. Tram replied that he's gonna be in London in a few days and a small mini meet-up was arranged on Thursday night Just after work John went to Tesco to get some beer and Tram promised to bring some Wine since he and his buddy Marcius were coming straight from Paris where alcohol is appearantly cheaper than in London . ST phoned me up when he and Marcius were arrived in Heathrow just before midnight and we met up at Hyde Park corner tube station at about 00:30. Unfortunately it appeared that they didn't have a proper ticket and thus couldn't get through the gates, they were lucky since the station officer let them get away without paying a penalty fare (which is £20). After that the biggest surpriose followed, it appeared that Singing tram and his friend Marcius were actually leaving to Thailand and Cambodia just on the next day where they are about to stay until Chinese New Year (which is some time in February 2006). So we took a walk around Hyde Park, then Oxford street, Piccadilly Circus, St.James Park, Trafalgar square and finally Victoria Station where we split up and ST and Marcius left to Gatwick airport from where they went to Bangkok and poor John left to his home from where he went to work the very same day (it was early morning as our meet-up ended), appearantly I wanted to go to Bangkok as well . Well maybe some day later. So here are a few accidental photos taken during the meetup. Quality might be not excellent because the photographer (ST) according to him was celebrating his Thailand trip for the last few weeks so obviously he wasn't really capable to photograph (or even walk straight for that matter). Piccadilly Circus A photo somewhere near Trafalgar Square, Singing tram, Marcius and John posing London Eye ST was amazed by this building, from his reaction it seemed that he fell in love with it forever, we even missed a night bus to Victoria station in order to take this picture ST and John trying to take a photo of theirselves, still in the same location waiting for a bus And some bonus shots from another amazing city - Bangkok - where ST and Marcius is having difficult time trying to adapt to the climate and food (and perhaps to recover from their celebrations which took place all around Europe during the last few weeks of their travelling) This was one of the greatest and best meetups ever (and the drunkest one, too). Thanks ST and Marcius! The next international Lithuanian meetup should take place in Thailand or Cambodia some time in Autumn (hopefully) if I'll make it to there (why not! ) . According to what I've heard Ozelis is also about to go there shortly. As for now let's keep waiting for more pictures of Bangkok from Singing tram and Marcius. (all photos taken by singing tram with his SLR camera and sent minutes ago straight from Bangkok )>

Stiklestad

Stiklestad Verdal - Norway Stiklestad is where one of, or perhaps the most famous battles took place 1000 years ago, in 1030. The battle was between the Norwegian viking king, and rebellions who was allies of the Danish king. Olav Haraldsson, or Olav den Hellige was christian and wanted to introduce christianity, though he never did that after his 13 years as king. But the Danish king, Knut had won allies among local Norwegian chieftain. Olav Haraldsson had to escape to Russia (Gardarike). A Ladeearl took over his position, but drowned soon after. He returned to Norway and tried meet his opposition. That happend in Stiklestad, 29. july 1030, where the final battle took place. The rebellion army was twise as large as Olav's army, about 7 000 (that number is highly uncertain). Olav died in the battle, and was burried in Nidaros, where they later built Nidarosdomen. Today this battlefield is a large National museum and cultural park, where they also replay this battle on a outside theater during the summer season. That theater is the largest outside play in Scandinavia, with 600 000 visitorys each year. Old painting of Olav been killed. Stiklestad kirke, built in 1180. One of many old traditional Norwegianbuilding in the park. Longboat. >

Photos Oslo

All photos taken between 3-4 Jul 2005. 1. Watch your steps with these gutters in the pavement, also seen in Stockholm. 2. Inpection of the Royal Guard at the Royal Palace, sunday morning 7:25. 3. Flats in suburban area Vestli. 4. Metro station (left) and shops in suburban area Vestli. 5. Taking the bus boat #92 to the Oslo island Nakholmen, passing a ferry ship. 6. Bus boat #92. 7. View from bus boat #92 towards city centre of Oslo. 8. Leisure cottages of Oslo people on the island Nakholmen. 9. The bus boat leaves the jetty. 10. View from the island Nakholmen towards Oslo city centre. 11. People waiting for the bus boat. 12. Grønland district, city centre. 13. T-banelinje (underground metro). 14. View from the Holmenkollen ski jump tower towards Oslo city centre (right). 15. Major-Stua district. 16. Major-Stua district. 17. Major-Stua district. 18. Major-Stua district. 19. City centre, Pile-stredet street. 20. City centre, Pile-stredet street. 21. City centre, Kristian IV's gate street. 22. City centre, Kristian IV's gate street. 23. City centre, Karl Johans gate street. 24. City centre, Karl Johans gate street, in the background the Royal Palace. 25. Det Kongelige Slott (Royal Palace). 26. View from Aker Brygge towards Rådhuset (City Hall). 27. Oslo Sentralstasjon (main train station). 28. City centre, SAS Radisson hotel. 29. T-banelinje (underground metro). 30. T-banelinje (underground metro). 31. 7-Eleven 24/7 convenience store with slot machines. These shops, and also ones from the Narvesen chain, are everywhere in the city. >

Baltic and Nordic SKyline contest!

Okey, Let´s see who can post the most impressive high-rise skyline. Here is Copenhagen from Emprios, In my eyes very Impressive. >

Oldtown. Kaunas

Sunday morning in Kaunas Street near cathedral : Castle: Views from castle tower: Cathedral Building near city hall: Nemunas: Some unseen places: Egyptian place: Inside yard: Cat Dauksos street: Fontan: Tourists: Asian motives: >

Quick photo tour in Turku, the former capital

I took these photos few weeks ago before and after an entrance exam to Turku School of Economics and Business Administration. Photos themselves are nothing special, but they show little bit of this 170,000 inhabitant city that used to be the capital. It's a bit small-town like, but has a sense of really old history present in few places, something that Helsinki lacks. Thought you might be interested, even though the photos are just usual snapshots -- nothing groundbreaking in that sense. I would really like to hear criticism, if possible. Vicinity of the Turku Cathedral Cathedral (old pic from 2004 ) From inside the Cathedral City Center Museum of Arts Other parts of the inner city Hope you liked. >

Little phototour in Tartu.

Here is a phototour, enjoy! This is statue of an Estonian composer Ed Tubin. Can You see those mushroom-like chairs This is St Johns Church, famous for its numerous terracota sculptures. Picture is taken from the platform called Morgensterns yard on Toome hill Y'all know this landmark building in the centre of Tartu I guess(our minimized and older version of Saules Akmens ) Once more from different angle and again with the statue of the Stonebridge One famous pedestrian bridge in Tartu, built by soviets(by the way, I have walked over that bridge ) on replacing the historical Stonebridge, gift from czarina Catherine (statue can be seen in the bottom left). Russians built the Stonebridge in 1784 and demolished it during the WWII. Stone bridge on historical picture.>

MEGA project by Massimiliano Fuksas for Vilnius???

"ŪBIG" togeather with "Hanner" today officially proposed ~200 mio EUR project (the sum is aproximate and investors said that they'll invest as much money as there will be needed). The whole complex consists of: 21 000-29 000 places stadium with sliding roof, ~2000 places congress center, 3 and 5 star hotels, office building, etc. The architect is Massimiliano Fuksas. Some small renderings: Personally I still can't believe it and I'm quite sure that it'll not be approved since they plan to demolish old sport hall (municipality some time ago said that they'll not allow to do so) and those high-rises will be too close to old town. Anyway this seems for me somehow unreal although investors are very real and they officialy proposed this project in municipality of Vilnius today. I hope for the best. Maybe anyone can get more renderings?>

Skyscrapers! Turning Torso! Street scenes! A tuesday evening in Malmö.

Turning Torso seen in the growing urbanity of Västra Hamnen. Japanese tourists (they are taking over!) on the viewpoint and Öresund Bridge. The cranes are gonna be here for a long while I guess. Nice Porsche though. Sunset viewpoint. More TT. The waterfront walk. Ribershus seen in the background. Waterfront walk. There was a couple of these strange creatures (known as "iller" in Swedish, I think) playing by the rocks. Crowded restaurant "Salt & Brygga". View towards Riberghus. Kronprinsen is visible in the background. This grass area is going to be appartment buildings (taller than the Bo01 buildings, but shorter than Ribergshus buildings) in a couple of years. It was a nice evening with an astonishing sunset. This pic is taken inside the Bo01 area. The twisted vista! This house is incredible. So is the skyscraper visible in the background. Passenger ferry bound for Travemünde, Germany. TT, seen from the northwest parts of Västra hamnen. This giant cargo ship (Wallenius) is probably here to unload some Toyota cars (Malmö is the Scandinavian terminal for Toyota, and soon Honda etc.). Kramer hotel on Stortorget. Some nightclub at Stortorget. Not so many people on a tuesday night. Södergatan, pedestrian street. Södergatan, view towards Gustav Adolfs Torg. Parts of Stortorget. This pic is taken in the future "Nyhamnen" area. The Slagthuset highrise on the left and Öresundshuset highrise seen in the background. The new teachers' university building. Massive! View from University bridge. Kockumshuset seen in the background, and behind it the tip of Turning Torso is visible. Dockan. A new highrise (20+ storeys) is going to be built on this side of the Sigma building. This is also where the America's Cup boats are going to be "parked". That's it. Peace.>

Summer in Kaunas

Summen in Kaunas Musical theatre: Free avenue beginning Vasario 16 street Resurrection Church: BLC Nemunas island: Looking in another side - Karmelitų church and "Akropolio" place Oldtown, Vilnius street Oldtown beginning Some panoramas Invidual houses The end >

Jape-sdes-OL meet: Best Skyline Views of Hki (Ever? ;))

Today was the "Helsinki Day", which meant plenty of activity in the inner city. Me, sdes and Jape decided to meet each other by the Erottaja firestation near downtown, since its 60m tall tower was open for the public. These are my photos of the event View toward Johannes Church and Agricola Church, away from downtown. Hotel Torni Same thing again Downtown (Notice the old building with cloth covering it It's being renovated so they put that thing around it) Downtown continued Sdes descends the firestation stairs NRJ Finland and the City of Helsinki were hosting a massive outdoor concert in the Kaivopuisto park, near the downtown. Artists included various Finnish bands and singers such as 69 Eyes, Technicolour and Maija Vilkkumaa. Melanie C of Spice Girls fame also did few songs. Me and sdes headed for the park together and said goodbye for Jape who had to go. Here are my photos from the park Grocery store Alepa had established a mobile store in the park A contestant tries to climb the ladders (very, very difficult since they were swinging from side to side) to get the prize: 50 EUR People by the rocks of the old Astronomy building We didn't stay there for very long. Sdes looks at his photos Three dads on a seaside walk together WTC Helsinki I've got few more photos left (I took 380 of them), but I'll wait for others first. >

How my camera saw Latvia in June/July 2005...

Time to show some pics I shot in Latvia while I was there in June and July for a summerchill... Station clock seen through a park. Old Riga, not far from "Centrs" mall. Livu square - heart of Old Town with nice cafe's - always full in the warm, summer evenings. Hlf of them locasl and half foreigners. Perfect spot for many italian guys out on a hunt for the beautiful latvian girls... Me on the other side of Livu square. I like this pic - it's very colourful Caka street, nice urban view. This used to be the street where prostitutes hung out at nighttime. Now - a pleasant street with good architecture and nice shops. Dome square- biggest open square in the Old Town - many festivities and concerts are being held here. In this pic - one of the (smaller) concerts for youth sing-and-dance festival (similar to the well known big sing-and-dance festival, held once in the 4 years where almost every choir, dance organisation in Latvia participates). Another Dome square side and some street. Nicely renovated buildings. Railway station square and the station clock. Old clock which was of similar height, used to be the highest station clock in Europe. The one on the pic is some 3-4 years old, the whole square was renovated then. Stockmann mall and Forum Cinemas building - many people think it looks like shit and shouldn't been built. I don't think it looks so bad here...I like the urbaniby it brought to this place. This pic I like the most - me and my sugar in Old Town, near Club "Melnais Kakis" (The Black Cat). Beach and dunes near Jurmala. It was not so hot that day and it was already late afternoon, so no people on the beach on this pic...Last week of my trip it was really crazy crowded on the beach near Majori... Morning in Jomas street in Majori, Jurmala - main pedestrial street with lots of cafe's shops. Shashlick (spiced, barbecued pieces of pork) and fries time, in a summer restaurant on Jomas street. That's about it - I hope you don't mind I don't show you Saules Akmens and other highrises or construction sites - you will agree - we all have seen already enough of them lately >

Largest Comuter rail network in scandinavia?

I wuld like to see wich comuter system is greatest i fear the war will be hardest between copenhagen and Stockholm! But me myself i vote for stockholm! wich has 4 comuter rail lines, and 7 subway lines, green subway: T17, T18, T19 and red lines: T13, T14 and blue lines T11, T10 But there also exist Roslagsbanan wich is a comuter rail network narrow gauge, quiet large though ! and meny other comuter rail systems to exist in stockhom, in the future meny extentions is planed! but for now here is the comuter rail network in stockholm it is in PDF http://www.sl.se/ficktid/karta%2Fsom...zoner%5FA4.pdf>

Controversial graffiti! MTV-vans! Art Deco scrapers! A tuesday night in MALMÖ!

Here we go again. I was out shooting a "famed" graffiti piece yesterday, and I though I could as well take some other pics aswell. Exploding London double decker. Close up of the crew tag. Notice the small street signs and the ticking bomb bag. The piece itself is maybe 25 metres long. Norra Vallgatan is pretty busy even though it is a tuesday at around 12 AM. Notice the tip of Slagthuset in the background. Hamngatan with its pompeus buildings. I don't know what MTV are doing here. Anyone knows about this "The Block" show? Malmö Central Station. In a couple of years it will be twice the size (Citytunneln extension). Slagthuset seen in the background. The classic Savoy Hotel. Now on Stortorget. The bright thing down left is a fountain, not a fire. View towards Södergatan. Notice the old school billboards on the side of the building to the left. View towards Gustav Adolfs Torg. Look at the moon! The entrance of the Hilton Malmö City hotel at Triangeln. A kilometre down that street to the left (Södra Förstadsgatan) is Möllevångstorget, "Möllan". And this one is dedicated to my man _tictac_ (this was the best pic I managed to take on the Hilton, since I don't have a tripod). I kinda like the elevators on this f*cker. Remember. There are always cool Malmö pics for you all out there. Just ask. >

New, rare pics from Copenhagen/Malmö

Last weekend I in Copenhagen to visit the Dream of Tower exhibition at The Danish Centre of Architecture in Christianshavn. It is an exhibition about 46 skyscrapers in different part of the world, see more in its own thread. But I also took some other photos. The weather was as usual in Copenhagen bad for summer, so the pics could be better. Turning Torso and Bunkeflo kyrka at the limestone quarry. Malmö skyline from the bridge: Turning Torso, chimney in Limhamn, Strand Hotel, Petri Church, Kronprinsen. Vor Frelsers Kirke in Christianshavn. Very cool with its spiral roof. Especially interesting since it is named and drawn in a book of Jules Verne I was reading some days ago (about a journey to the center of the Earth). Christians Kirke, also in Christianshavn. It was a bit hard to figure out the name of the church. Christians Kirke mirroring in a nearby building. EricssonÂ's Danish HQ. Modern skyline of Copenhagen with Sorte Diamant, HK-huset etc. Copenhagen Airport, Kastrup, with the Hilton to the right and the new Terminal 3 to the left.>

Dream of Tower SKYSCRAPER EXHIBITION in Copenhagen

Last weekend I was at at the Dream of Tower exhibition at The Danish Centre of Architecture in Christianshavn in Copenhagen. It is an exhibition about 46 skyscrapers in different part of the world. It was cool. The positive surprise was that the models where taller than I expected; 2-3 m, taller than I am and I am tall! But the models didnÂ't have any façade painted, they where just white. However, I donÂ't think that is should be necessary to paint the facades. There were also some pictures, a lot of skyscraper books for sale, TV screens and lightshows. The show was much focused on Turning Torso in my neighbouring hometown of Malmö. The exhibition last 13 May to 01 October 2005, so if you like tall buildings (you wouldnÂ't be here otherwise, would you?) and live close to the Copenhagen/Malmö region, it is highly recommended to go there. Website: http://www.dac.dk/ Entrance fee: 40 DKR, about 4 euros (students 25DKR) On the wall there was a huge poster with all 46 towers on the same skyline. In the background also Millennium Tower, Chrysler Building and Kölner dom. Beijing and Russia. Burj Al Arab, Dubai. The worldÂ's tallest hotel. Canary Wharf, London. Empire State Building, New York. Freedom Tower (old design), Monument to the 3rd international in St Petersburg (2nd tallest structure on the exhibition) and Shanghai Financial Center. The St Petersburg monument was proposed in 1919 and was meant to be 400m high! Unions Square, Hong Kong. Jingling Tower, Nanjing. A 320m tall proposed ower I never heard about. Big surprise, I will make an own thread about it! Swiss Re, London and Torre Agbar, Barcelona. As I visited both cities the 2 latest summers, even I have noticed their shapes similarity. Millennium Tower, Tokyo. A proposed 840m city in the sky. The tallest structure on the exhibition. Reflections of light towers. Sears Tower, the now destroyed WTC and Taipei 101, currently the worldÂ's tallest building. Skin Tower, a strange project in a strange material, and Jin Mao Building in Shanghai. Turning Torso in Malmö. The only model that had light. This is the building that got most focus! A fictive Turning Torso interior. And there are a lot more towers, like Petrona Towers, Bank of China and John Hancock Center.>

Ekenäs skärgård - my summer in the archipelago

A short phototour in the place I love most and where I've spent most of my summers. My grandfather was wise enough to buy this land and water before the war, when it was cheap. Our property includes three islands and 50 hectares water. Our boat, a Buster RS. The sauna - can't live without one of these The sauna again. My daughter has cought her first fish. Svartholmen The was built in the 1930's and renovated a few years ago. Interiors The head of a huge pike. A large adder, you see these every summer here and this is where they belong. Where the archipelago ends and open sea begins. The rough nature. Some perches I cought. No electricity here. The sunset is sometimes just breathtaking. Hope you enjoyed it.>

hi,some pics from Visaginas?

i wants to show to my mother pics from modern Visaginas(she emmigrated to Israel from Lithuania 28 years ago) thanx to all>

The BIG thread about Nice & Monaco

some weeks ago i as usual took the plane down to the La Midi area, but sadly this time we hand't got time for Sète and the rest, just Nice and Monaco this time, but they're nice cities. Nice is after Marseille the biggest city on the french mediterranean coast and the biggest city in cote d'azur. The population is about the same size as Gothenburg but most likely a but smaller. On the picture you think you see the famous Promenade des anglais but right under us we got "the" quai des etats-unis flowering agave spikes, the plant which you make tequila of on the other side of the castle mountain (well hill if you're norwegian) you see the little quite harbor. opuntia ficus-indica, has really taken over the mediterranean flora. It's sad. I saw the exact same thing in the high atlas area, but the fruits are nice this flowering shrub is called Nerium oleander and its very common but its actually deadly. very poisonus so dont touch it too much just a tip. People have died just inhaling the smoke from dead leaves. just guess i bought some olive oil from them, at the top of the museum of modern art remember this, central park some couple of years ago. Nice has only been french for some 120 years. The old italian name for it is Nizza and a lot of french-italians live here. Nice also got a big russian population, russians who fled Russia after the revolution. the harbor and the Corse-ships in the mountains (hills) outside the city center you have this, an old roman city unfortunetly i cant remember the name but it wasnt a mayor city just a smaller one so it really doesn't matter, that very much it's really nothing much to cheer about but its okey. i really love to photograph in this light the matisse house. mmmmm ancient... roman ruin and the matisse house roman architecture= perfectian for me on our way towards Monaco we passed Franche-sur-mer. bienvenue a Monaco the european hong kong?? back to Nice rue paradis tout droit. Avenue de Suede a gauche. Avenue de Verdun a droite. inside the old town. Peter i presume.. the ocean promenade des anglais from the top of Le Meridien Vive la France!! modern art on the beach time to go home Copenhagen>

Latvian churches are beautiful!!!

You thought that Latvia has nothing special regarding the church architecture http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showth...4&page=5&pp=20 So I had to do something about it and to make this thread.. Tried to limit the number of pictures as far as possible – but upon the necessity am ready to shoot out some more hundreds of pics Most are mine, but rather many (mostly interiors) – not mine. - - - Have got data about 808 churches in Latvia, but there could be at least 1000 of them. The oldest existing (in ruins) is Ikskile church, constructed in 1184. There have been constructed earlier churches – around 10th century there has been built at least one church in Northern Kurzreme by Danes, as well as several churches in 11th-12th century along Daugava by Polotsk kingdom – but no traces left of these. Nowadays Latvia has three main confessions of Christianity – Lutheran, Catholic and Orthodox, all three having similar influence. Fourth important confession is Oldbelievers – more ancient version of Orthodox. Many other confessions are present too. Happily these different confessions have not divided people here, no incidents have happened since the Reformation. But all confessions are competing among themselves, trying to lure in people. Picture shows two lutheran churches and Anglican church in Riga This has lead to the following: each more or less important town and larger villages have got at least three churches. In medium sized and larger towns this leads to competition to build better church. BUT - „betterÂ" in diverse parts of Latvia and among diverse nationalities is understood in a different way. Eastern Latvians (Latgallians) and Russians appreciate much ornamentation, intricate forms, epxensive materials. Due to this in Eastern Latvia and bigger cities there have been built many extremely ornate Barocco, Roccoco and Neo-Byzantine churches. Latvians (western) with the word „beautifulÂ" understand elegance of simpler forms which point to the sky, down-turned colours, impressive size. As a result we have got many diverse and interesting churches for different tastes. - - - - - Romanic style There is no church in Latvia in pure Romanic style but at least 10 have details in Romanic style. This was very beginning of masonry in Latvia, high-end masters were not brought here. But these buildings have their simple beauty. Krimulda church near Riga – main body built in 1205, tower added recently St. George Church in Riga – built in 1207, initially it was part of the first Riga castle, which is destroyed. - - - - - Gothic style Most important church in Latvia, the main stronghold of Western Christianity in Eastern Baltics – Riga Dom (St. Mary Cathedral) – construction started in 1211. This church many times has been part of the mainstream history of the West and is surrounded with many unusual stories. When the order of Templars was destroyed in France in 1307, many important people escaped to here, lots of the financing of templars flooded in present day Latvia and southern Estonia, here were built more than 100 castles and many churches simultaneously. Another story – just in 2001 archaeologists managed to find in Riga Dom one of the main stone idols of the local Livic tribes – it was moved and hidden here many centuries ago. Both Templars and local paganic (converted?) priests have influenced the ornamentation inside the church. The church has been more than 140 m high once, but now – „onlyÂ" 90 m. Tower – Barocco style. Organ – one of the biggest in the world Gothic facade Gothic capitul room – many important decisions for the history of this region have been made here. Now – Sunday school. Enormous medieval glassworks Smaller part of Gothic cloister next to Dom Entrance in cloister St. Jana Church in Riga, 13th century. Nice late Gothic style Net vaults inside – unusual structural element, which serves for beauty as well. St. Peters church – initially built in 1209, rebuilt multiple times. Tower is Baroco, main body of the church – Gothic, with Romanic details. It has been 136 m high, but now – „onlyÂ" 123 m. Barocco portal Gothic structural elements. St Jekaba Cathedral – seat of Latvian Catholic church in Riga. 13th century, Romanic and Gothic styles. 86 m high. Detail of tower Entrance. Inside. This is one of the „dark inetriorsÂ", where you feel away from the crowd, with yourself. St. Magdalena Catholic church in Riga – Gothic, built after 1255. There are many Gothic style churches in countryside. Straupe church (some 80 km from Riga) still is part of medieval castle. Built before 1263. New, Art Nouveau glassworks inside. In Kurzeme (Courland) rural Gothic style churches are very simple from outside – like this one in Edole (150 km from Riga): But very often they hide later Barocco and Roccoco interiors inside (Edole): Burtnieki church – built around 1270ies. Barocco tower influenced by St. Peters church in Riga. St. Simanis church in Valmiera – 1283. Nice, simple Gothic style church with Barocco tower. - - - - - Barocco and Roccoco times have left rich and diverse legacy here. Churches in Eastern Latvia were influenced by Polish (Italian) Barocco, while the churches in Western part of country have Western, Nordic Barocco influences. LetÂ's start with Eastern Latvia. Basilica in Aglona (1768) – built near very important paganic sacred site – nowadays the main place of Catholic pilgrimage in Latvia. Interior: Pasiene Catholic church (1761) – outpost of western architecture some km from Russia. Very slowly restored now. Kraslava catholic church – 1755. Unfortunately could not find pictures of the beautiful interior. Small village – Piedruja near Belarus – got this church in 1774. there are similar churches in many villages in Latgale: Interior In smaller villages there are wooden churches in Barocco style: Karsava: Pusa (1743) Borne: Small chapel at Daugava river, near Jersika: Barocco and Roccoco in Western Latvia: The outer look of the churches was kept simple, but interiors were nearly as impressive as in the East. Liepaja Trinity church (lutheran), 1672. Organ inside the church was the biggest in the world until 1912. Now it is the largest mechanical organ in the world. This was my church in childhood. Lots of churches in western part of Latvia have intricate woodcuts, made by Dutch artisans, who lived in Ventspils. Here – their work in Ugale church: Apriki church is one of the small rural churches in Western Latvia with Roccoco interior: Usma wooden church – now mowed to Riga Open Air Museum: Skaistkalne church and cloister are located on border with Lithuania, church built in 1692 Matisi church in Northern Latvia – fusion of Gothic and Barocco styles, built in 1688. Most rural churches in this part of country have such simple beauty. When catholics started to build their largest church in early 20th century, they used pure Barocco style. St. Albert church in Pardaugava, 1908. - - - Classicism - there are many churches of this style around Latvia, but I am sure – you would find most of them rather boring. But I like their simple, unpretencious interiors! Jesus church in Riga, Maskacka, 1818. Highest wooden building in Riga, some 37 m, if I remember correctly. St. Nikolai church in Ventspils, 1835: - - - - - - Neogothic style seems to be the most common in Latvia – it is more common for Lutheran churches but many Catholic churches use this style as well. Old St. Gertrude church in Riga (nearby is the similar New St. Gertrude church as well) – 1865. St. Martin church – has got two towers but it is Lutheran. 1851 – 1888. Tornakalns church in Riga – typical representative of Neogothic churches around the country: St. Franciscus Catholic church in Maskacka is nearly 60 m high. Yesterday I made some pictures of interior: Bikava catholic church – village church in Eastern Latvia, nearer to Vidzeme. Still the church is larger than village churches in the West. Liksna church (1909) – to my mind some 60 m high. Located some 20 km from Daugavpils. Have been used the old construction methods of Gothic times. One of the catholic churches in Rezekne, built in 1936: Interior of Vilaka catholic church (1890). Vilaka is small town in eastern Latvia. - - - - Neobyzantine style In the times of Historism (19th century) Catholics and Lutherans built their churches in Gothic style – to recall the greatest times of Western Christianity. Orthodox church in this time recalled its best times with Byzantine style. Latvia has got some very good examples – btw. nearly all designed by architects of German and Latvian nationality. OK, first comes Orthodox Cathedral in Riga, 1873, architect R. Pflug. Currently on-going renovation, in few years it will shine in birght colours. In Soviet times interior was nearly eliminated, now the interior step by step is renovated. Sea Cathedral in Liepaja (1903) is bigger than the Cathedral in Riga. In Soviet times it was badly damaged by army people, painted with oil-based blue and brown colours inside. Now they bring back the former beauty. Little known Trinity church in Riga, Kr. Barona Street. Took the pictures yesterday. Turns out – this is the most sacred place for Orthodox people in Riga, they have got cloister, beautiful gardens. Smaller Orthodox churches are very diverse, come in all colours, there are several hundreds of those small beauties around the country. Stameriena Orthodox church in north-east, 1904. There is large crystal of quartz in upper part – at certain moment the Sun sends a sunshine through it to nearby palace. Small church in Riga, 1891 St. Simeon Church in Jelgava - - - Art Nouveau This style has not been much used for churches here. Dubulti lutheran church in Jurmala, 1909 Grebenschikov Oldbelievers church and cloister in Riga, Maskacka. For longer time this was the only place in the world where OldbelieverÂ's theological thought was maintained and developed. To recognise it this is the only Oldbelievers church with golden dome in world. Simple but beautiful Orthodox church in Kalna Street, Maskacka (Riga) – to my mind this has some Art Nouveau. - - - Here I stopped. More modern churches are less interesting here. Just one Functionalism church in Riga, to show that they exist >

witch country in the S&B have the most beutiful churches??

we all know that theres many beutiful churches in the S&B, but witch country have the most beutiful churches??>

Shanghagen? Jin Mao in Copenhagen!

When I was at the architecture exhibition in Copenhagen, I got a new architecture magazine for free called KBH. There is a big article about skyscrapers in it and on the front cover and inside was a rendering of Shanhai's Jin Mao Bldg in the middle of Copenhagen's old town, close to Nikolaj Kirke. Would you like it if this was the only opportunity to build a real skyscraper in Copenhagen?>

55 pics of my beloved Tallinn

I have done some pictures of my beloved Tallinn. Even after 8 months living here I am still strongly impressed by commieblocks in Mustamäe and Lasnamäe and other places. I see them every morning I go to work but I am still not satisfied of looking them! I am still not satisfied of discovering Tallinn! This is The City of Estonia. [Following pictures take 6,5MB.] First some pictures of our National Library in 01.07.06. These are done in 17.07.06 in the coastline... Guess, how far from the ground? 21.07.06 between Mustamäe and Nõmme. Really nice and strange living buildings are there... 21.07.06 in Kadaka way or avenue. Near Mustamäe and Väike-Õismäe and Astangu. 25.07.06 in Laagri --- a little living area touching Tallinn. Half of it is part of Tallinn as I understand. 30.07.06 Estonian Energy building in Mustamäe. This one is directly visible in my windows and is about 1 kilometer away. 30.07.06 in Tuuliku way. Zoo fence on the right. 31.07.06 in Pirita coast. 28.08.06 in Pirita coast. 23.08.06 in Pärnu road. 23.08.06: a new building in the Pärnu road, in Tondi. 26.08.06. 24.08.06 in the center of the city. 26.08.06: new buildings in Kadriorg. 26.08.06: very nice building in Narva road built in 1980. 26.08.06: is it trying to flow on the air? We were with Rivkin and Karevi in the coast that day and I made some pictures, too. 26.08.06: Tammsaare way in the morning in Mustamäe. 26.08.06 in Tondi street. A big hospital in Mustamäe is right there. Very nice view I think. I was first time in that street and it was a strange experience, because... ... I fall back in time! There were some old old buildings of red and dirty-yellow bricks. Those buildings were so depressive and abandoned. Did Russian soldiers once live there? I made just one picture of one of those scary buildings which was being renovated! That look I caught in the picture "reminds" me 1850's... 28.08.06 happened that I caught the nuclear mushroom... somewhere near Helsinki? My camera is not good enough to take night photos so I had to gamma correct the picture, it became strange one. 05.09.06 in Viimsi. 08.09.06 a nice view from my window. But 11 days later... ... 19.09.06. 09.09.06 was a windy but even sunny day! Waves were strong enough to go over their limits in Pirita way. I made videos there, made many pictures. Some green seaplants were thrown onto my jacket when I walked there! :-) 10.09.06: these two beauties are located in the edge of Tallinn, perhaps it is Pääsküla. In the Pärnu road actually which is a really long road. 10.09.06 in Mustamäe in Sõpruse avenue. Strange planes fly over the Mustamäe sometimes... :-) 15.09.06 in Kadriorg. 16.09.06 in Mustamäe, of course. One of my favourite styled buildings. There are many of them. 16.09.06 in Mustamäe way. 22.09.06 in Narva road. A high time or how should I say about 18:39. 23.09.06. That's in Schnell park near old town and railway station. 24.09.06 in Mustamäe. Very nice building! 24.09.06 in Ehitajate way in Mustamäe. Very nice view! Probably already been in some of my threads. 29.09.06. Maybe you can see the label above about Helsingi and Stockholm. 30.09.06. This is a very nice relatively new building. But I don't know if it is a renovated old one or really new one. A corner of Kaarli church is in the right. 08.10.06. Many of us know what thay all are and where thay are. I thought that I'd black out that stupid large commercial but I was just too lazy for that. 08.10.06 in Tartu road. 16.10.06. Now some really good views from that violet building on the right in the previous picture, from about the 6th store in the center --- one of my relatives lives there! 16.10.06. In the morning of the same day was the first day of my holidays and I decided to film the biggest crosses in Mustamäe. I also made some pictures. That traffic is just lovely! I like that very much! It's so... urban. I've been in those traffic jams in trolleys, but I still like them! If other people hurry and are impatient, I don't and am not, respectively. I feel very relaxed in those jams :-) I look at it like it is some kind of a network with flows. I see cars, not people in them. Done in between 8:30 and 9:30. Some pictures are dark, but thay look good being dark. Sõpruse avenue. Sõpruse avenue crossing Tammsaare way. Sõpruse avenue crossing Vilde way and Sütiste way. I think you know in which direction is the center of Tallinn :-) Tammsaare way. Tammsaare way. Vilde way. >

Impressive pics of a monster-commie!

Welcome to Täby, a municipality north of Stockholm. Here can you find the biggest(?) commie-block in Sweden, Storstugan! It was built in 1970, it has got 17 floors and a cool shape. Check it out! Requires many parking-places... Pics from www.brfstorstugan.se >

Kaknästornet or Taipei 101?

I found this picture on the internet of Kaknästornet, formerly Sweden's tallest structure. The strange thing is that I thought that the green thing on the construction work make it look like a bit like Taipei 101! Does it sound crazy?>

Riga and Jurmala in May and June by Gatis

Some said that they like my pictures + explanations. Fine! So - here in chaotic order comes a bunch of pictures from Riga and Jurmala taken by me over the last two months. Dod not have much time to lazy around, but there were some opportunities. 1. Southern part of Old Riga still looks like left in medieval age. OK, BMW is not really medieval. This is Alksnaja Street, living last days of poor life. In the background you see the works on-going - facades have been left, but behind them is built new quartal. 2. Factory VEF (Latvian version of Finnish Nokia or Czech Skoda) has left rich architectural legacy, located outside Centrum. The renovated Jugendstil part will come in "renovations'2005" thread. Here - noce Functionalism piece from late 1920ies. This tower has got 10 floors, together with the letters VEF should comply with highrise standards. But I don't know the exact height. Currently turned into offices, works on-going. 3. Roofs in Centrum. Beautiful Jugendstil buildings have just common metallic roofs - who needs anything better if it is not seen from the street? Could be good illustration for stories about Carlson 4. View at TV centrum and TV tower - my view every morning when going out with dog. 5. Two wagabonds fishing in Lucavsala. Most part of the island still is like jungle, covered with weird "gardens". May be you have heard bout plans to invest 920 mio EUR there? Let' s wait when politicians will end their fights and constructors will start to work 6. TV centrum from Salu bridge 7. Riga City 8. Maskacka - looks not bad from here... 9. The Old Gertrudes church in Centrum 10. View through inner passage to Guilds, Old Riga 11. Jurmala! Jomas Street - the main pedestrian street - some 1,8 km long - was capitally reconstructed around 2000. Now the city is reconstructing and landscaping side streets - in better quality than Jomas Street. 12. Jurmala SPA hotel was opened in this week, after 17 mio EUR investment. Former commieblock has turned into elegant, black, shiny 11-floor building. This pictures unfortunately does not favour 13. Back to Riga. Kanalmalas apstadijumi - smaller park in Boulevards. 14. The same place, just turning a bit. 15. Going to Centrum along Maskachka - Krasta Street. If you are interested - the yellow sign says "Drink and drive!" (and shown vehicle for your driving for the remaining life) 16. Southern part of Old Riga. This building is listed monument - old postal office. Unfortunately it is not possible to renovate it - the brick is of bad quality and you can crush it with fingers. Currently one investor is pushing through the process to remove it from the list, to demolish it and to build something else here instead. The buildings would be surrounded by stylish modern buildings anyway. 17. This place has a bit better condition Livu laukums - one of the smaller squares in Old Riga. 18. The same Livu laukums. In the background - >10 mio EUR renovations of "Fitinghofa nams" with the painted facade on the protective curtain. 19. Small square in front of Opera 20. Looking over the second ring of Boulevards, Vermana parks. Btw. previous picture showed the first ring. On this picture you see two large reconstructions. Nearer - reconstruction of Orthodox cathedral. This is expensive reconstruction based just on charity. Their Webpage - www.svet.lv. In this case we see that only short-sighted actions of politicians divide Russians and Latvians here. For the charity action both nations are working nicely together. A bit further you see renovation of former 11-floor factory building, located in Centrum. This is highrise 37 meters 21. "Dragon slayer" in the centrum of Jurmala. In the background you see Lielupe river. Here several quartals of Jurmala have been totally (buildings, parks, streets, piping etc) reconstructed and this all looks very picturesque. That's it for now>

Mediavel Oslo

IÂ've been a few times over to eastern Oslo to get some pictures of the remains of the mediavel city there. This thread is meant to give a brief presentation of old mediavel Oslo. For those of you unfamiliar with the history of Oslo, here is a short run down: Oslo is believed to have become what we can consider a city around year 1000. King Haakon V of Norway established a permanent administration here in 1314, thus making it the capitol of the kingdom. The city was at its largest and most influential during the 14th century. At this time, the city had two castles and nine churches. Sweden and Denmark also took their turns in being ruled from here. The city then went into long-term decline as political power was lost and poverty, frequent fires and plagues ravaged the area. The site was finally abandoned after a fire in 1624. The same year saw the founding of the city of Christiania, 1-2 km west of the old city. The area concerned became farmland and what remained of the city was razed down and used to build the new city. What we have today is a series of excavated ruins, which in turn has led it to be termed Â'Pompey of the nordicsÂ'. Untill fairly recently, much of the area was hemmed in by port activity, railroads and motorways. It is now a series of parks open to the public. The burrough is now called the old town and lies to the east of the modern city centre, which shifted even further west in the 19th century, principally because of the construction of the royal palace. The big square designates roughly the location of the city. The first set of pictures were taken before christmas. There was no snow but the cold weather had created a layer of frost over the park. These are the remains of the oldest church in Oslo, the church of St. Clemence (Clemenskirken). It is believed to have stood finished around 1100. Traces of an older wooden church have also been found. They have also been able to establish that streets, properties and squares from that time corresponded in a fashion suggesting regulation by a central authority, thus giving it claim to the status of city. Written records (SnorreÂ's sagas) state that the city was founded in 1050, but historians suspect this to be propaganda. Year 1000 is an educated guess, useful for being a round number. Oslo was at this time associated with Denmark rather than Norway which was more orientated towards the west. The divide between the two nations can sometimes be hazy. These pictures show the royal residence (Kongsgaarden) and the royal church dedicated to the virgin mother (Mariakirken). They are situated further south and were more Â'modernÂ' than the rest. The Church of St. Mary was probably the most extravagant church in the city, with two western towers and built in the gothic style. Remodeled in the 14th century.>

4 cities. 4 photos. 1 China.

Shanghai Shenzhen Nanjing Hong Kong >

New Göteborg pictures.

I made these ones quite big just to make you realise that it's time to move up from your 56k modem and 17" monitor. Nah, I was too lazy rescaling them ;-) Vallgatan. A street inom Vallgraven. Most buildings are low here because it the "old town" and it was built on clay ground. Norra Hamngatan: Stora Teatern: Kungstorget with Saluhallen (covered food market). To the left is Biopalatset, a cinema. In the foyer you can see the ruins of the old city wall. Staden inom vallgraven, "the town within the moat". It equals Gamla Stan in Stockholm, it was the original town with defined borders. But the city wall was levelled in the early 19th century and the row of buildings you see here are the ones that could be built instead. In the building to the left in the panorama above, Göteborgs Universitet (the school of teachers education) has moved in. Also a new glassed building was added and this is what it looks like: Good old harbour: Otterhällan, one of the hills in the center. It's an interesting place with a lot of big buildings cramped on the hill. I'll go up there some day and take some pics. Stora Hamnkanalen: These were taken some weeks ago. Brunnsparken: Landshövdingehus in Majorna. Soon to be demolished... for as long I can remember! Typical Majorna. It used to a workers neighbourhood. It still have a lazy and almost threadbare character. But quite nice also. Finally pics from the Opera and the place next to it: >

UNIQUE! Massive aerials of Malmö taken by staff from helicopter!

Yeah, that's right. Me, a couple of friends, and a photographer from Aftonbladet (expect a large article about TT:s inauguration soon) took a helicopter ride over Malmö and captured some great views of the continental southern swedish city. Malmö is truly beautiful seen from above. I have to warn you though. Taking photos from a bumpy helicopters results in shaky and blurry pics most of the times. I've picked out the ones that came out ok. Let's begin: In the foreground, the America's Cup area is visible. Behind that is Dockan, and even further lies central Malmö. You get a great perspective of things up here. Seaside Malmö in the lower parts of the picture, the bridge, and Copenhagen on the other side of Öresund. This is what Sweden's most dense city looks like from the sky. The west parts of Västra hamnen and Dockan, taken a couple of seconds after lift-off. Gamla Stan (Old Town) in central Malmö. Malmö Central Station, Nyhamnen, Gamla Stan and the huge Kungsparken (King's Park). These are extremely wealthy parts of the city. It almosts looks like suburbs, American style. The long city beach is visible by the shore. This one is almost too blurry. However, the view is too good to be excluded. Well, do I have to comment this one? Have you seen it like this before? Maybe I'm the first one to catch the torso on photo from this perspective. The Toyota terminal in the harbour. All Toyota (and Honda-) cars that are sold in Northern Europe goes through here. Värnhem. I currently work in a building in the square situated in the center of this photo. Hope you enjoyed. A thread about my last visit to Copenhagen, and the Dream of Tower expo, is soon available in this forum too. Peace.>

Frikirkjan i Reykjavik

Frikirkjan i Reykjavik >

A few observations from a stroll through Copenhagen-borough Valby

I went for a walk through the Copenhagen borough of Valby / Vigerslev this Saturday and had the opportunity to take a few pictures of buildings that made me think of high rises one way or the other: This is the main building of the worldwide market leading designer of cement plants F. L. Smidth - Fuller Engineering. Numerous high rises have been built using concrete / cement from plants designed by them. The eight or nine-story red brick building may not look that impressive but when you consider that it was built in Denmark as far back as 1956 it may make you see things in a different light: Also on the F. L. Smidth premises is this building erected somewhat later and of a somewhat uglier build quality. I believe it is around 11 or 12 stories high. Back in the last century I was doing my bachelor's project at the company and we were allocated an office in a floor of that building (only around 3rd or 4th I believe. The entire floor was vacated save for us - not sure about the other floors - and when the academic excesses became too much we had great fun riding down the central hallway linking all the officess in an office chair wielding a long thin plank as a sort of lance trying to hit the mouth of a 1/2 litre coke bottle. Right next to the F. L. Smidth property you will find this council housing-like building, which at least confirmed to me why buildings may sometimes be more interesting if they are built in the height rather than spread out low: These three office blocks on Toftegårds Plads are inhabited by the regional public transportation company 'Movia'. I can't help wondering how it would have affected the square if they had instead chosen to build the three blocks on top of each other: And finally I'd like to point out to my fellow Copenhageners one interesting albeit not that well known point of observation on Valby Bakke (Valby Hill) from where you can actually enjoy the view of the underappreciated 86 metre /21 stories high Carlsberg Silo (renovation designed by Vilhelm Lauritzen architects in 1997) alongside what I believe to be the Codan building and the spire of the Vor Frue cathedral in the medieval city centre. This view may well be blocked once new buildings arise on the Carlsberg property so be sure to enjoy it while it lasts: >

Tur/Retur Østersund - Trondheim

Tur/Retur Østersund - Trondheim As perhaps you know i went to Østersund to meet Wolkenkrabber and a french tourist. Stayed two nights to wolkenkrabber, and was guided around the town, this time mainly outside downtown. After Østersund we went to Trondheim. Weather was great whole the time, exept some local showers both in Østersund and in Trondheim. Østersund I From a lopsided hilltopp, with view over Østersund. Panorama from Arcture, the "skyscraper" of Østersund. Frösö Kyrka, built in the 13th century, though it has been renovated and reconstructed a several times. View towards the mountains towards Norway. More pics is comming...>

Copenhagen Nordhavn (Northern Harbour)

Took these pictures on a stroll in the northern harbour today. Some of them are rather low quality - they were taken with the mobile as my camera regrettably broke down just as I got to the best shots (Fyrtårnet, Company House) ... The Paustian Complex - designed by Jørn Utzon and sons: Detail from the building that houses SAP's Danish headquarters - designed by 3xNielsen and built by Sjælsø Gruppen. The building houses both a very impressive atrium with a view of the water - Black Diamond style - and a cosy, BBQ suitable rooftop terrace: This is the courtyard of the building that houses the attorneys Kromann Reumert (designed by Schmidt, Hammer & Lassen): The ugly piece of junk that is "Domus Portus" - a 14 story building designed by some guy named Ole Hagen in 1960, who apparently also bestowed upon the city such eye pleasures as Domus Vista and Lyngby Storcenter. Somebody should have restrained that guy. The ground floor houses a well reputed restaurant although why they want to be there and not at the top floor is beyond me. Perhaps the architect envisioned that as the best solution at the time... On the other side of the railway in the inner basin of the Northern Harbour you will find this disused silo for seed and animal feed. At the public event at the city hall a few weeks back this was one of the favourite locations to place a major high-rise landmark in the Turning Torso class: Looking southeast from the same position you will see the main ferry terminal and in the background the 62 metre / 16 story high Copper Tower (designed by Arkitema and built by TK Development) that houses the headquarters of the attorneys "Plesner Svane Grønborg". The tower is situated in the area around the so-called "Amerika Plads", which is entering its final phase of urbanisation resulting in a very dense, urban area. Notice the crop harvester in the lower right corner, which seems to be going on a holiday in Poland: The Copper Tower is practically as monotonous as Domus Portus but since the facade is entirely clad in copper one can only hope that it will experience a bit of random variation as the copper ages and turns green-ish. This is the construction site of what will become Zinkhuset (Zinc House) - a typical 6 story residential building - albeit on pillars - built by Sjælsø Gruppen and designed by Hvidt & Mølgaard: This box was one of the first of the new office/residential buildings that sprang up in the Northern Harbour after the port authority was charged with developing the area. It houses the headquarters of Nestlé in Denmark and was designed by Rørbæk & Møller in 1997: Another early building - in fact I think it was the first or among them - is the socalled "Company House" designed by PLH Arkitekter and originally built for the Danish East Asiatic Company in 1995. Today the 12-story building houses the insurance company Almindelig Brand: The 12-story residential Fyrtårnet ("The Lighthouse") is among the most recent high buildings to be added to the Northern Harbour. As you can see from this panoramic shot it is still under construction. Designed by Lundgaard & Tranberg and built by NCC: On my way home I passed by this hugely ugly example of a commie block dressed in some green plastic cladding that looks like it was nicked from some garage. It is situated in the Copenhagen borough of Østerbro on the corner of Nyborggade and Østerbrogade. Contrasted with the Lighthouse it shows pretty well that there are many different ways to design a 12+ story building: >

Iceland MotoPark

Thougt I'd let you in on the latest project dreams here in Iceland: The Iceland MotoPark. Plans to build a Formula 1 compatable track near the international airport in Keflavik (some 20km from Reykjavik) and develop motor oriented facilities. Personally, I think that with regards to market potential, location and so on and so on this will be a tough adventure. But the pics are nice though, especially those rather organic looking towers! More here Iceland MotoPark>

This is Tallinn:

this is where i'll post photos of my trips in different parts of tallinn. part 1 - kopli lines [it's quite necessary to read the introduction before seeing the photos ] kopli is a borough of tallinn, covering the kopli peninsula. it is the main industrial and harbour area of tallinn, and is home to +15.000 inhabitants. kopli is the place where you wouldn't want to hang out at night... about kopli lines - in ~1913 the russian-baltic ship factory was built in kopli. this of course meant lots of russian workers who came to live here. kopli lines is a bunch of barracks that were built for them. because of its planning, the area was called "the lines", and the streets there are also called lines - 1st line, 2nd line, ... and 5th line. this area is often referred to as the worst place in tallinn... in terms of living conditions and crime... in a few years the barracks will be renovated and rebuilt. it will be a splendid living quarter. map of tallinn - red circle = old town, brownish circle = city area. the first photos are from the blue-dotted area, rest of the photos are from the black area... green arrow = kopli lines. some photos of the district of pelgulinn... this part of pelgulinn is a perfect example of soviet urban planning. it has big quarters in stalinistic style, as well as tons of 60's so-called hruschovkas, and 80's commie-blocks... it's brutal, i tell you. and now we're inside the black circle... this is the administrative building of the ship factory. built in 1913. nowadays it's home to the tallinn technical university. this is where trolleys and trams turn back... as there's nowhere else to go. the rest of the peninsula is restricted to common people (: the main door of the building - simple, yet elegant. the peninsula has many suburbian stalinistic buildings... in very bad shape... this clearly says: do not enter. there are many working and non-working turn-of-the-century factories... they're impressive. but not this one. a commie, probably built for the factories' workers. even tourists have found their way here (: (the car's got a polish plate) and now - view towards the infamous kopli lines. (my camera's lense was dirty, but it adds a dramatic impression, hehe) the workers even got their own church (orthodox, of course). it was built in 1936 and in my opinion - it is the ugliest church in tallinn. some of the lines' houses are fully neglected. yet some are not. depressing. fortunately it will soon be a top-notch area (: many of the lines' buildings are demolished and/or burnt down. they will be rebuilt using original plans. geographically it is in a very nice place - some hills, and the sea is just a couple of steps away. many streets are cobble-stoned. this is funny. it says "toomas is duumb". "duumb", not "dumb" ah, what potential this area has! we were greeted by the local swans. damn they were aggressive! i see some people have long discovered the potential worth of these apartments (: hhhee. "what's a car like you doing in a dump like this?" (: photo taken just before some old man kicked open his door and shouted something like "bljabljbhhggnn nahhui!" (; and away we go... last look at the lines. some garages/warehouses/industries? in the neighborhood... alright, this is it for now. actually tallinn's not that bad, in these photos i just showed you the worst of this town next i hope to show you some more fancy stuff (: hope you enjoyed, khmm-khmm, until next time!>