Todd Hartley

<BR>I am an architect from canada planning a fall excursion to Europe to seek out architectural marvels and am seekinf a concise guide book to find my way to all the known sites, city and countryside included. Please help.

Jen Z

There is a book called _History 101: History and Art for the Traveler_ by Rick Steves and Gene Openshaw (published by John Muir Publications). They admit in the preface that they might drive experts nuts with 'gross generalizations, sketchy dates, oversimplifications, and shoot-from-the-hip opinions', so it might not be enough for you, being an architect. But it does have good lists of where to see what, and architecture is part of it. Might be a good starting point for drawing up your itinerary. For example, I'm just now looking at the bit on Romanesque Architecture and it has a list of towns or churches: <BR> <BR>Durham Cathedral, England <BR>Aix-la-Chapelle, Aachen, Germany <BR>Bayeux Tapestry, Bayeux, France <BR>Vezelay Cathedral, France <BR>Santiago de Compostela, Spain <BR>Cathedral of Pisa (Leaning Tower and Baptistry), Italy <BR>Worms and Speyer cathedrals, Germany <BR>Basilique St.-Sernin and Augustins Museum, Toulouse, France <BR>Carcassone, southern France <BR>Sarlat town, southern France <BR>Dom, Trier, Germany <BR> <BR>There are also lists of: Roman Art and Architecture in Italy, Byzantine Sights, Top Medieval Castles, Gothic Cathedrals, Renaissance Architecture, Baroque and Rococo Architecture, Neoclassical Art and Architecture, Industrial Revolution Sights, Art Nouveau Sights, World War II, Fascist and Nazi Sights (includes some architecture), and Modern Architecture Sights. <BR> <BR>I hope this helps. Other than that, perhaps you could ask some of your colleagues...? Sounds like a great theme to plan a trip around! Have fun!

wes fowler

Todd, <BR>I think the Blue Guides to various countries, cities and regions might be your best bet. These guides are extremely comprehensive in their discussions of the architectural features of buildings. The Blue Guide for Paris is, for example, over 1600 pages long and devotes most of its text to the buildings of Paris. They are certainly not concise and, in fact, not practical to carry with you because of their number and size but preliminary research in their contents and a lot of photocopying of key information would probably fill the bill. Your book store or library should have them.

Ben Haines

<BR>You have had good suggestions for historic buildings: I especially think well of the Blue Guides as serious summaries of the cultural history of places you'll see. ............................................. <BR> <BR>The twentieth century is more of a problem. Can you get to a library or an architectural bookshop with a book or two to help you find the monuments of the great movements ? Off the top of my head I think of the cathedral at Barcelona, Coventry Cathedral (right out of fashion now, but it is too good a building to be forgotten long: you should try to be there for Evensong, about 3.30), La Defense and the Centre Pompidou (currently closed) in Paris, Corbusier's blocks in Marseilles, Europe's (perhaps the world's) first pedestrian street in Rotterdam, the Stalinallee (now Frankfurtallee) and Hitler's Olympic stadium in Berlin, the Bauhaus in Dessau (between Berlin and Leipzig), workers' flats and Jugendstil (especially the Golden Cabbage and the Post Ofice) in Vienna, and art nouveau in Ljubljana or Riga. ........................................ <BR> <BR>Beyond these "marvels", you may like to look at work in keeping and re-using as flats small, old, decrepit buildings. In Cambridge Kettle's Yard and (with the Porter's agreement) the eastern side of Magdalen College, in London the wharves on the south bank just east of Tower Bridge, and in Goerlitz, on the Oder, in the south eastern corner of Germany, current recovery work. ........................................ <BR> <BR>If you're in London it would be a pleasure to give you a pub lunch and ask you your impressions so far, and whether they'll affect your work. Meanwhile, please write again if I can help further. Welcome to the continent of marvels -- including the marvellously bad. ......................................... <BR> <BR>Ben Haines <BR>

wes fowler

Todd, <BR>You might enjoy Le Corbusier's chapel in Ronchamps, France on the outskirts of Basel.

doug

hi todd <BR>everytime i travel i break out my old architectural history books, i had sir bannister flecther's history on architecture, it's a great reminder of hours spent learning the history of arch. also he really does mention just about every building that has any architectural merit. if you don't have the book you certainly can find it a library. if i can be of any help please feel free to email. <BR>doug

mike

Also an architect, I've had difficulty trying to locate a concise and well written book containing architecture through the 20th century in Europe. I was given a book called "Modern Architecture in Europe- a guide to buildings since the industrial revolution" by Dennis and Elizabeth De Witt published by EP Dutton 1987 which is pretty good for an overview of Europe. Also helpful is Kenneth Frampton's "Modern Architecture- a critical history." These two help fill in contemporary work, but good luck with anything earlier than that- there's just too much... any art and architecture history book works well- just flip through looking at the pictures and see what catches your eye- sounds a little child-like, but you know how much architects like pictures. The Micheliin Green Guides are definitely well-written and often have enough architectural specific information to tide me over until I get home and can do further research on specific sites. <BR>Have fun, Mike <BR>