LA BISBAL D'EMPORDÀ, Catalunya, Spain. Torre Maria

Torre Maria.
Carrer de l'Aigüeta, 17-21.

The Torre Maria, in the Noucentista style, was commissioned in 1932 by Ángel Pérez, a Cuban settler in the region, who was the beneficiary of a great inheritance. The building is surrounded by gardens. It is currently owned by the town council and houses municipal offices and a tourist office. In the image you can see the left side façade, with the access ramp to the entrance and a gallery of arches topped by one of the first floor terraces of the building with balustrades.

Photo © Albert Lázaro-Tinaut, 03.2024.

VALENCIA, Spain. Mercat Central

One of the rear façades of the Mercat Central (Central Market), seen from the confluence of Plaça de la Ciutat de Bruges and Avinguda de l'Oest.

One of the two towers that flank a rear façade of the market, topped with domes on which are weather vanes in the shape of animals. The building, as a whole, is Modernist in style with eclectic elements and iron architecture. Construction began in 1914 and the works, interrupted, were not completed until 1928: in fact, it opened in November of that year. Four architects participated in its design and construction: first, Francesc Guàrdia i Vial (Barcelona 1880 -1940) and Alexandre Soler i March (Barcelona 1873-1949), and later Enric Viedma i Vidal (Valencia 1889-1959) and Àngel Romaní Verdeguer (Vilanova del Grau, Valencia, 1892 - Valencia 1973). The market, which has an area of ​​more than 8,000 square meters, was rehabilitated between 2004 and 2010.

Photo © Albert Lázaro-Tinaut, 12.2022.

GIRONA, Spain. Casa Miquel Gómez

Casa Miquel (or Miguel) Gómez.
Facade over the Onyar River.

This is a modernist building conceived by the Catalan architect Rafael Masó i Valentí (Girona, 1880-1935), built in 1914. Part of the house had to be demolished in 1916 to be able to build the passage also called Miquel Gómez, which gave access to the bridge over the Onyar River of the same name (Pont de Gómez, also known as Pont de la Princesa or Pont de la Creu Blanca). In the image you can partially see the railing of the bridge.

Photo © Albert Lázaro-Tinaut, 03.2024.

GIRONA, Spain. Sundial of the Casa Adroher (1802)

Casa Adroher.
Carrer de Santa Llúcia, 3.

Sundial
Jo sense sol i tu sense fe no valem res / 1802 - 1975
[I without sun and you without faith are worthless]

The dates are the construction of the baroque building of the Adroher House (1802) and the restoration of the sundial (1975).

Photo: Albert Lázaro-Tinaut, 03.2024.

VALENCIA, Spain. Mural (Street Art)

Carrer de la Carda.

Photo © Albert Lázaro-Tinaut, 12.2022.

TALLINN, Estonia. Aleksander Nevski Orthodox Cathedral

TALLINN
Aleksander Nevski Orthodox Cathedral. Three of the five domes.

This is an Eastern Orthodox cathedral in central Tallinn, on the Toompea hill. It was built in 1894–1900, when the country was part of the former Russian Empire. It was designed by the Russian architect Mikhail Preobrazhensky (1854-1930) in a typical Russian Revival style, although based on the traditional characteristics of Russian cathedrals. The base of the building is made of Finnish granite. The temple is richly decorated and has eleven bells cast in St. Petersburg, the largest of which weighs about 16 tons, more than the other ten combined. It has three altars and five onion-shaped domes, on which there are gilded iron crosses. The gilding of the domes was carried out in 1898 by the master Piotr Abrosimov. Inside there are three iconostases made of carved and gilded wood with icons painted on copper and zinc plates in the Petersburg workshop of academician Aleksandr Novoskoltsev. The windows are decorated with stained glass, made by Emil Steinke, and there are also paintings and mosaics. The facades are decorated with mosaic panels made in Aleksandr Frolov's workshop in Saint Petersburg. The 58-meter-high building was completely restored at the end of the 20th century, after the restoration of the Republic of Estonia (1991).

Photo © Albert Lázaro-Tinaut, 08.2005.

BARCELONA, Spain. Lamp

Estació del Morrot (Zona Franca - Port).

Artistic lamp.

Photo © Albert Lázaro-Tinaut, 10.2022.

RHODOS / ΡΟΔΟΣ, Greece. Supporting arches

RHODOS
Supporting arches.

In some streets of the old city of Rhodos you can see supporting arches between the facades of the buildings.

Photo © Albert Lázaro-Tinaut, 11.2011.

TARRAGONA, Spain. Mural of Orion Leim

Carrer de Sant Joan, el Serrallo.

Mural:
Fishermen of the Serrallo (2020), work of the street artist Orion Leim, pseudonym of Isaac Muñoz, born in Barcelona on 15 August 1988.

Photo © Albert Lázaro-Tinaut, 12.2023.

VILADECANS (Catalunya), Spain. Cal Raurich

VILADECANS
Carrer de Sant Joan Nº 4.

Cal Raurich, also known as Cal Fusteret, is a late modern style building, designed by the Catalan architect August Planella i Poletti and built between 1919 and 1920. Its main feature is a small tower on the left side of its façade. Also notable are its continuous wrought iron balcony, the upper railing with rounded crowns, on a sloping cornice, with corbels, and the dentillation that decorates the upper part of the windows and doors. 

Photos © Albert Lázaro-Tinaut, 11.2020.

EL PRAT DE LLOBREGAT (Catalunya), Spain. Market

Plaça de la Vila Nº 12.

Municipal Market.

The market building, designed by the Catalan architect Antoni Bartra i Boada (1886-1912) and built in the "noucentista" style in 1921. It is made up of three naves joined by an octagonal central nave. A series of rectangular openings that function as windows are characteristic of the façade. The ornamentation of green ceramic tiles also stands out.

Photo © Albert Lázaro-Tinaut, 11.2022.

BARCELONA, Spain. Balconies. Ornamental sculptures

Passeig de Gràcia Nº 61.

The building was built in 1936.

Photo © Albert Lázaro-Tinaut, 11.2022.

VILADECANS, Catalonia, Spain. Can Modolell

Plaça de la Vila. Con Modolell (Ajuntament / City hall).
Can Modolell.

Can Modolell is the result of a renovation carried out in 1892 of a fortified house with a defense tower built in the 16th century. This reform is the work of the Catalan modernist architect Josep Azemar i Pont (Figueres, 1862 - Barcelona, 1914). After the death of its owner, Magdalena Modolell i Freixas (1915), her heirs agreed to transfer the building to the Viladecans City Council, which became effective on March 31, 1920. The clock tower, visible in the photo, was added in the 1940s.

Photo © Albert Lázaro-Tinaut, 11.2020.

BARCELONA, Spain. Baroque building

Can Querol, Baroque building in Passeig Maragall.

Can Querol was a country house whose existence has been documented since the 17th century. The current building, however, was built between 1773 and 1775. In 1950 the Fundació Valldejuli established a residence for elderly couples there. It is a late-baroque building with four winds protected as an Asset of Local Interest. On its facades you can still distinguish, although very deteriorated, the sgraffito that decorated them. The porthole windows in the attic are also characteristic, typical of the architecture of the time.

Photo © Albert Lázaro-Tinaut, 11.2022.

VALENCIA, Spain. Plaça Redona

The Plaça Redona (Round Square), in the Mercat (Market) neighborhood of Valencia, was designed by the architect Salvador Escrig i Melchor (1765-1833) and was finished after his death, in 1840. It is an interior square with a circular floor plan in which there are various shops, which have replaced the old market stores. It was rehabilitated between 2008 and 2012.

Photo © Albert Lázaro-Tinaut, 12.2022. 

BARCELONA, Spain. Sgraffito on an 18th century building

Carrer de Sant Pere Més Baix No. 94.

Sgraffito on the facade of an 18th century baroque building, built in 1781, with mythological figures and other ornamentation.

Photo © Albert Lázaro-Tinaut, 03.2023.

CIUDAD DE MÉXICO. Basílica de Santa María de Guadalupe

CIUDAD DE MÉXICO / MEXICO CITY

Basílica de Santa María de Guadalupe (Basilica of Our Lady of Guadalupe). Central part of the southern façade. This Catholic church, designed by the Mexican architect Pedro de Arrieta (Real de Minas de Pachuca, ? - Ciudad de México, 1738), was built in Baroque style between March 1695 and 1 May 1709, when it opened. In the early 19th century as a result of the construction 
of the Capuchin convent on its eastern side, she suffered serious damage and its interior was remodeled in Neo-Classical style. 
In 1904 the temple was consecrated Basilica. In 1926, due to the serious situation because of the Mexican Revolution, the Basilica closed its doors and was not reopened for worship until 1929, when new restoration work began and renovated inside again. In 1974, because of new structural damage, the temple was closed, and in 1979 new and long restoration work began.

Photo © Rosa Laconich, 10.2016.

CIUDAD DE MÉXICO. Castillo de Chapultepec

CIUDAD DE MÉXICO / MEXICO CITY

Castle of Chapultepec (Castillo de Chapultepec). El Caballero Alto or Torreón en el Alcázar, built in 1844 as a watchtower. It also functioned as an astronomical observatory.

Photo © Rosa Laconich, 10.2016.

CIUDAD DE MÉXICO. Castillo de Chapultepec

CIUDAD DE MÉXICO / MEXICO CITY

Part of one of the façades of the Castle of Chapultepec (Castillo de Chapultepec), built between 1778 and 1788 by order of the Spanish Viceroy Bernardo de Gálvez. It was also a Military Academy, and Emperor Maximilian I of Mexico used it as a residence between 
10 April 1864 and 15 May 1867. He underwent expansions and renovations during the 19th century and early 20th. From 27 September 1944 it is home to the National Museum of History 
of Mexico.

Photo © Rosa Laconich, 10.2016.

TARNOBRZEG, Poland. Guardhouse of the Dzików Castle

TARNOBRZEG, Poland.
Dzików

Guardhouse in Neo-Gothic style, built in the late 19th century next to the front door of the Castle.

Photo © Kazimierz R. Leszczyński, 09.2016.