Hotel Intercontinental / from PKiN

Architect: Tadeusz Spychala, 2003. 48 floors over 5 basement levels. Notable for the lower-half cut-out to reduce daylight restriction to its neighbours. Ul. Emilii Plater 49, Warsaw, Poland.

(CC BY-NC-SA)

PKiN observation deck / north vista

North vista of Warsaw from floor XXX of the Palace of Culture & Science (Pałac Kultury i Nauki). The skyscraper to the left is Cosmopolitan Twarda designed by Helmut Jahn, 2014. Warsaw, Poland.

(CC BY-NC-SA)

PKiN level XXX / ceiling

At level 30 of the Palace of Culture & Science where, looking up, a chandelier hangs from the vaulted ceiling. This is the level of the public observation deck, although there are 42 floors in all. Pałac Kultury i Nauki,  plac Defilad 1, Warszawa, Poland.

(CC BY-NC-SA)

Złota 44 / from PKiN

Architects: Studio Daniel Libeskind and Artchitecture sp. z o.o., 2016. Engineers: Arup. Poland's tallest residential tower of 192m, 54 floors. Seen from the viewing deck of the Palace of Culture & Science. Ulica Złota 44-46, Warsaw, Poland.

(CC BY-NC-SA)

Centrum LIM / from PKiN

Centrum LIM, 1989, designed by  Jerzy Skrzypczak, Andrzej Bielobradek, and Krzysztof Stefanski, aka the Marriott, 43 floors. Seen from the viewing deck of the Palace of Culture & Science. Downtown Warsaw, Poland.

(CC BY-NC-SA attribute: Images George Rex)

Supreme Court / Krasinski Square (2 images)

Architect: Marek Budzynski. 1999, Supreme Court of the Republic of Poland. Also the important 'Warsaw Uprising Monument', 1989, by sculptor Wincenty Kućma and architect Jacek Budyn. Warsaw, Poland.

(All Rights Reserved)

(All Rights Reserved)

Doorway / 9 New Town Market

Door with swan decoration over transom. At 9 Rynek Nowego Miasta, Warsaw, Poland.

(All Rights Reserved)

Teatr WARSawy / facade

Theatre established 2013 in the New Town Market district. I think this building used to be a cinema, but its frieze now has some frescos/paintings on a theatrical theme. New Town Market 5, 00-229 Warszawa, Poland.

(CC BY-NC-SA)

New Town / Warsaw

View from beside the theatre in New Town Market. "New" is a bit misleading as the location dates from the C15 and lies just north of the Old Town, connected by Freta St. However, like the Old Town, this neighbourhood was razed to the ground by the Nazis after the 1944 Warsaw Uprising and has been reconstructed using historical plans and images. Warsaw, Poland.

(CC BY-NC-SA)

POLIN / Warsaw

Lahdelm & Mahlamaki Architects (Finland), 2013. Museum of the History of the Polish Jews, on the site of the old Warsaw Ghetto. Main materials are glass, copper and concrete.  Muranów, Warsaw, Poland.

(CC BY-NC-SA)

Cosmopolitan Twarda / Warsaw

Architect: Helmut Jahn, 2014. Residential 165m tower with 44 floors, 254 apartments, hotel, office and retail.

(CC BY-NC-SA)

Elevator exterior / Złote Tarasy

Exterior detail of passenger elevator hoistway at Złote Tarasy. With horizontal fins, translucent panels and contrasting red signage. Downtown Warsaw, Poland.

(All Rights Reserved)

Złote Tarasy / Golden Terraces (2 images)

Architects: The Jerde Partnership, 2007. Large shopping mall with undulating glass roof. In central Warsaw, Poland.

(Both images CC BY-NC-SA)

Hard Rock Cafe / Warsaw

Downtown Warsaw, Poland.

(All Rights Reserved)

Mail Box / Warsaw

Wall-mounted mail box, Warsaw, Poland.

(CC BY-NC-SA)

Oxford Tower / Centrum LIM

Left: Oxford Tower, 1979, designed by Jerzy Skrzypczak, H. Świergocka-Kaim, and Wojciech Grzybowski, 42 floors.

Right: Centrum LIM, 1989, designed by  Jerzy Skrzypczak, Andrzej Bielobradek, and Krzysztof Stefanski, aka the Marriott, 43 floors.

The low building in the foreground is a cross-city railway station. Downtown Warsaw, Poland.

(All Rights Reserved)

Palace Mostowskich / Warsaw

Architect: Antoni Corazzi, 1820s, in neo-classical style. The current building is a restoration by architect Zygmunt Stępiński, 1949.  Now the HQ of the Metropolitan Police. Warsaw, Poland.

(CC BY-NC-SA)

Soldier Monument of the 1st Polish Army / by Xawery Dunikowskiego

Designed by sculptor Xawery Dunikowskiego (1875-1964), grey granite, height 8m, 1963, commemorating the 20th anniversary of the Battle of Lenino. At the Square of Political Prisoners of Stalinism, Warsaw, Poland.

(All Rights Reserved)

PKiN / Hall of Congress

Architect: Lev Rudnev, 1955, part of the Palace of Culture & Science (Pałac Kultury i Nauki). The neo-classical style Congress Hall can seat almost 2,800 delegates on 4 levels. Downtown Warsaw, Poland.

(All Rights Reserved)

PKiN / Warsaw (2 images)

Architect: Lev Rudnev, 1955, in a Stalinist-Gothic style similar to the seven Stalinist Skyscrapers in Moscow. The Palace of Culture and Science (Pałac Kultury i Nauki) was a controversial "gift" from the USSR. Now seen in historical perspective, a symbol of the city and a contrast to the modern high-rises surrounding. Downtown Warsaw, Poland.

The top of the spire reaches 237m; I was told that there was a proposal to have a statue of Stalin here, but fortunately wiser thoughts prevailed! The clock faces were added at the turn of the Millennium. 

(Both pics CC BY-NC-SA)

Royal Castle / Warsaw

Original architect: Giovanni Battista Trevano, 1619, last reconstruction completed 1984. Plac Zamkowy 4, 00-277 Warszawa, Poland.

(CC BY-NC-SA)

Street Sign / Love Lane

Street sign fixed to knapped flint wall, Margate, Thanet District, Kent, UK.

(CC BY-NC-SA)

The Droit House / Margate (2 images)

Originally built 1828 as a harbour-dues/customs office, now an Information Centre. Destroyed by enemy bombing in WW2, it was rebuilt in 1947 to the original plans. Later refurbished and given a circular extension using designs by Terry Farrell and Partners, c.2002.

Above the portico is a neon installation "I Never Stopped Loving You" (2010) gifted by artist and past Margate resident Tracey Emin. Stone Pier, Margate, Thanet District, Kent, UK.

(Both pics: All Rights Reserved)

Turner Contemporary / Margate (3 images)

David Chipperfield Architects, 2011.  RIBA Regional Building of the Year Award 2012. Art gallery on the seafront at Margate,  Thanet District, Kent, UK.

(CC BY-NC-SA)

(CC BY-NC-SA)

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Houses & Huts / Broadstairs Beach

Broadstairs, Thanet District, Kent, UK.

(CC BY-NC-SA)

The Old Curiosity Shop / Broadstairs

Built 1588 but C18 façade. No connection with the Dickens' novel, Grade II listed. Broadstairs, Thanet District, Kent, UK.

(CC BY-NC-SA)

Millennium Cliff Lift / Broadstairs

Hydraulic 53ft lift/elevator with 14 person capacity. Tower is brick built, rendered and painted to match the surroundings. Opened in 2000 to provide easy access to the beach from Victoria Parade. Broadstairs, Thanet District Council, Kent, UK.

(CC BY-NC-SA)

Beach Hut / Ramsgate

 Ramsgate, Thanet District Council, Kent, UK.

(All Rights Reserved)

Seaside Shelter / Ramsgate

Edwardian cast-iron shelter, one of fourteen along the town's seafront. Restored 2012 by the Ramsgate Society using various funding sources including the Monument Trust and National Lottery.  Ramsgate, Kent.

(CC BY-NC-SA)

Flower Barrel / Granville Marina

 Ramsgate, Kent.

(CC BY-NC-SA)

'Beach Retreat' / Ramsgate

Architect: Ian Horswell Ltd., Developer: Kentish Projects Ltd., 2015. Seven residential apartments right on the seafront at Marina Esplanade, Ramsgate, Kent.

(CC BY-NC-SA)

Lifeguard Station / Ramsgate

Last time I saw something like this it was on Miami Beach... This Deco-influenced rescue station on the beach at Ramsgate, Kent, UK. (CC BY-NC-SA)