Your Favroite Public Squares?
Oct 29th, 2010, 07:35 AM
#1
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Your Favroite Public Squares?
Europe is known for its many large neat town squares.
which ones are your favroites?
I'll start with:
Trafalgar Square, London - something about Nelson's column that makes it magic as does the National Gallery on its north end and great for people watching
Place de la Concord - Paris - I love to sit on a park bench in the Tuileries Gardens high above the square and just watch the never-ending traffick scoot thru the huge square - with the Elysee Palace on its north side and the many monuments surrounding it.
Belgium - just about any square in any town - with the ubiquitous soaring belfry - Bruges and Brussels Grand' Place are sublime examples.
Rome - Piazza Navona to me is one of Europe's sweetest squares - especially with Bernini's famous fountain now once again spitting water.
The Vatican - the square in the front with its curving collonades is so so majestic.
Venice - St Mark's square - though more a rectangle to me is simply the most majestic, most gorgeous square in Europe - especially at night when the many 'orchestras' are playing at outdoor caffes.
Florence - the square in front of the Uffizi, with its clone of the David statue and backgropped by ancient buildings is so so romantic.
Siena, Italy's simply sprawling main square in front of the multi-hued Duomo is one of my very favorites.
Marienplatz, Munich - so-so square architecturally but so so animated when the figures on the huge clock do their dance at certain hours.
WHAT ARE YOUR FAVORITE SQUARES?
which ones are your favroites?
I'll start with:
Trafalgar Square, London - something about Nelson's column that makes it magic as does the National Gallery on its north end and great for people watching
Place de la Concord - Paris - I love to sit on a park bench in the Tuileries Gardens high above the square and just watch the never-ending traffick scoot thru the huge square - with the Elysee Palace on its north side and the many monuments surrounding it.
Belgium - just about any square in any town - with the ubiquitous soaring belfry - Bruges and Brussels Grand' Place are sublime examples.
Rome - Piazza Navona to me is one of Europe's sweetest squares - especially with Bernini's famous fountain now once again spitting water.
The Vatican - the square in the front with its curving collonades is so so majestic.
Venice - St Mark's square - though more a rectangle to me is simply the most majestic, most gorgeous square in Europe - especially at night when the many 'orchestras' are playing at outdoor caffes.
Florence - the square in front of the Uffizi, with its clone of the David statue and backgropped by ancient buildings is so so romantic.
Siena, Italy's simply sprawling main square in front of the multi-hued Duomo is one of my very favorites.
Marienplatz, Munich - so-so square architecturally but so so animated when the figures on the huge clock do their dance at certain hours.
WHAT ARE YOUR FAVORITE SQUARES?
Oct 29th, 2010, 08:19 AM
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Bitter - I agree and was doing a quick recall and I do believe Haarlem's Grote Markt to be one of the finest - I have passed thru that square so so many times as I often use Haarlem as a base. Of course the great church dominates the square and on many days there is an open-air market.
Oct 29th, 2010, 08:44 AM
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I've been to several of the squares mentioned above and all are beautiful. For me though my breath was taken away one evening when I rounded the corner and entered the main square in Krakow, Poland. Maybe it was because the sun was setting and made the yellow buildings glow, or because the twinkling lights were coming on at all the cafes lining the square, but it just felt magical to me.
Oct 29th, 2010, 09:01 AM
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I agree with adrienne & lowcountryislander, the main square in Telc, Czech Republic (ringed with pastel colored buildings), & the main square in Krakow with the lovely yellow cloth Hall & St. Mary's church.
And Old Town Square in Prague immediately comes to mind, as well.
And Old Town Square in Prague immediately comes to mind, as well.
Oct 29th, 2010, 09:34 AM
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OK, many of these are just marvelous, and I love remembering the ones I've seen, like Kracow giant square and the Gendarmenmarkt in Berlin, and the Campo in Siena, of course, the Place des Vosges --- but
Have any of you seen Smith Square in London, with St. John's church in the middle of it? St. John's is called the "Footstool church" becasue it looks like an upturned footstool, with toweres or belfries on each corner.
Go there and hear a concert some Sunday afternoon, after having a delicious snack in the basement cafe.
Have any of you seen Smith Square in London, with St. John's church in the middle of it? St. John's is called the "Footstool church" becasue it looks like an upturned footstool, with toweres or belfries on each corner.
Go there and hear a concert some Sunday afternoon, after having a delicious snack in the basement cafe.
Oct 29th, 2010, 10:09 AM
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A lot of these are great, I really like them also (Nancy, Madrid, Prague and Krakow are favorites). Trafalgar, not so much. I am not a big fan of place de la Concorde, either. I do like Brussels, also. There isn't any big "square" in Paris that I like that much, actually, although I like some smaller places in that city.
I would add the main square of Wroclaw, Poland as one I really liked a lot, and the one in Avignon.
I would add the main square of Wroclaw, Poland as one I really liked a lot, and the one in Avignon.
Oct 29th, 2010, 10:19 AM
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Ditto Bitter. The Grote Markt in Haarlem. I formerly lived a few blocks away and have been back many times, maybe as many times as PalenQ. The active night life around the Grote Kerk is an added bonus.
Oct 29th, 2010, 12:14 PM
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Pl. Sol in Barcelona (Gracia district).. at night, in one of the bars that line the square.. with anyone from "alternative" people to families with kids have a good time.. a small town in the big city
Gendarmenmarkt.. worked 2 minutes walking distance away from there for 6 years.. was always nice to sit with some lunch on the steps of the concert house in the sun
funny, but some squares are more "inviting" while others may look more spectacular but remain somewhat empty or not too inviting to stay
Gendarmenmarkt.. worked 2 minutes walking distance away from there for 6 years.. was always nice to sit with some lunch on the steps of the concert house in the sun
funny, but some squares are more "inviting" while others may look more spectacular but remain somewhat empty or not too inviting to stay
Oct 29th, 2010, 01:00 PM
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There is a square in Bruges, I think it is called Simonsplein (or something like that). It is where the Halve Maan Brewery is. It isn't grand or anything - rather small and kind of cramped with just 1-2 storey buildings around it. But it has nice trees and the buildings are neat. During the day there are lots of people around - lively atmosphere. We walked through there at night when no one was around and it was really neat. I could imagine that we were in the 17th century.
