Whenever you take vacations in European metropolitan areas with professional tour guides, history will probably be the subject the guide is going to discuss the most. But something you will hear quite a lot of is their historical architecture. Tragically, a great deal of it had been ruined by war, especially during the bombings during World War II. Many of the city centers became literally destroyed, and with a few exceptions (Paris being one), so you will observe these architectural wonders alongside of a block of sixty year old structures that had been obviously thrown up in a rush.
But whenever you do observe one of those architectural marvels, your tour guide will say it is "early Gothic" or "Baroque", as if you ought to recognize what that is. Therefore here we will try to give an extremely quick summary of a few of their architecture styles you may notice, and what eras they were from.
1. Romanesque (500-1200 AD). You will notice this kind of architecture in France, and to a lesser amount in Germany and other countries. Meaning "descended from Roman", it reflects simplicity compared to the next wave of Gothic. This had been a phase of great castle-building, but the style will be observed more frequently in the churches of this period.
2. Gothic Architecture (1100-1450 AD). Started in France and initially referred to as the French Style, the design had been possible as novel methods of construction allowed them to build pointed arches, ribbed vaulting supported by columns, flying buttresses, stained glass windows and really elaborate sculptures. As styles changed and when the French Style fell from favor, it came to be disdainfully known as "Gothic" after the Germanic (Goth) barbarians, and that certainly wasn't true.
3. Renaissance Architecture (1400-1600 AD). Renaissance in French means born anew, and as contrasting to the unbalanced Gothic, this had been a send back towards the symmetrical and proportioned structures which are Classical Greece and Rome. Look for classical arches and columns, with domes and niches that will hold sculptures.
4. Baroque (1600-1830). In Italian barocco means "bizarre", and the style will be marked with extravagance. Europe during this time was getting a lot more affluent, and it shows within this architecture, highlighted with massive domes, huge spiraled columns, marble of multiple colors, and enormous murals. There are going to be variations for this in Italy, France, Great Britain and Spain.
5. Rococo (1650-1790). This came on as a variant of the Baroque Era, with some exceptions. Adopted as a softer version of Baroque, it has colors that are more pale and more soft curves. You will more likely notice this in central and eastern Europe in places like Germany, Austria and Russia, to name a few.
6. Georgian Architecture (1720-1800). Beginning in Great Britain and Ireland, this will be characterized by its square, balanced shape influenced by Greek Classical architecture. The style will be seen in great, stately houses at a time as greater wealth was being accumulated among the upper classes. In America, the style were to become the fashion in the American colonies.
7. Victorian Architecture (1840-1900). Seen in the British Isles and it isn't surprising the dominant architecture of this era would come from one of the centers of world trade, and also of great wealth. Due to the Industrial Revolution, they were able to make use of innovative materials and technologies to create an assorted mixture of architectures which are prominent still within Great Britain and America.
This is clearly just a brief overview of a very broad, but interesting subject. There is a lot more to learn about this subject matter, but hopefully you may have something to relate to when your tour guide points up the architectural type of a structure they point out.
Author Resource:
There are so many great examples of architecture throughout the ages in Europe, and especially in Italy and around the Mediterranean . Check out http://bestvacationeurope.com/transportation-in-europe/ for inexpensive and hassle-free ways to get around Europe by train. Glen Wheaton is an avid traveler and writer now living in Chicago.
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