Look Up!

After the discussion last week about all the streets lined with rows upon rows of flats, I need to show you how the builders try to make their building distinctive. Many of these apartments are decorated with statues, paintings, etc, but the pedestrian needs to LOOK UP to see them.



On almost every block that I walk, if I remember to look up, I'll see some sort of adornment to a building. It might be balconies on the upper floors or etchings into the stone facades.

Just down the street (picture on the right), we have statues flanking the main door of the building. Often they look like Greek gods holding the building up.

In some instances, the ornamentation is built right into the pattern of the stone used in the building.  The picture on the right is one of the national art galleries on the hill near Prague Castle. The pattern on the blocks gives the impression that there are raised portions on the blocks, but in reality, the building walls are smooth with etchings into the blocks. It makes the walls of the gallery beautiful.




Likewise, the picture on the left. The entire wall of the building is filled with pattern to make it unique.


The different decorations on the apartments make walking through the city an interesting experience. Not only do you need to see the sights on the street level, but a glance up can bring you another beautiful view of how an artist enhanced the walls of a building more than one hundred years ago.




Sometimes the statues are in various stages of undress. It's wise to use caution if you have young children accompanying you. These stores are located across the street from a shopping center and busy tram stop. Of course, most people don't even notice the figures standing above them here in one of the main downtown tourist areas.



Our own flat has one of these adornments around our windows. In our case, the artist carved a hunter into the wall at the right side of our windows along with his wife along the left side (photo below). We don't have an open balcony, but instead a little area with windows surrounding it between the two carvings.The lower windows in the left picture are for our apartment.
Hunter's wife carving




One last warning when you're strolling the Prague streets. While you're looking up to see the beautiful art work on the surrounding buildings, don't forget to look down, also. You don't want to step in one of the presents that a doggie has left for you in the middle of the sidewalk. I can assure you that happens every day to pedestrians of Prague. Thankfully not, so far, to my husband or myself.

Comments

  1. LOL! I love your last warning! I so love fancy work on buildings! Such art work seems left behind today! :)

    ReplyDelete

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