Whenever you take tours in European cities with professional tour guides, history will probably be the subject your guide will chat about the most. However something you will be told quite a lot of will be their historical architecture. Unfortunately, a great deal of it had been ruined by war, in particular in the bombings for the duration of World War II. A lot of the city centers were literally wiped out, and with a few exceptions (Paris which is one), so you will see those architectural wonders alongside of a block of sixty year old structures which were obviously thrown up in a rush.
But when you will observe one of these architectural marvels, your trip guide will say it's "early Gothic" or "Baroque", as if you should recognize what that is. So here we will attempt to give an extremely quick summary of a few of the architecture styles you may see, and what eras they had been from.
1. Romanesque (500-1200 AD). You will see this kind of architecture in France, and to a lesser amount in Germany in addition to other countries. Meaning "descended from Roman", it displays simplicity in contrast with the following wave of Gothic. This was a period of great castle-building, however the style is observed more commonly with church buildings of this era.
2. Gothic Architecture (1100-1450 AD). Initiated in France and originally called the French Style, the style was possible as new methods of construction allowed them to build pointed arches, ribbed vaulting supported with columns, flying buttresses, stained glass windows and really elaborate sculptures. As styles changed and the French Style fell from favor, it came to be disdainfully referred to as "Gothic" after the Germanic (Goth) barbarians, which of course wasn't true.
3. Renaissance Architecture (1400-1600 AD). Renaissance in French equates to born anew, and as contrasting to the unbalanced Gothic, this had been a send back to the symmetrical and proportioned structures which are Classical Greece and Rome. Look for classical columns and arches, with domes and niches that will hold sculptures.
4. Baroque (1600-1830). In Italian barocco means "bizarre", and this style is marked with extravagance. Europe during this point was getting a lot more affluent, and it reveals in this architecture, highlighted with massive domes, vast spiraled columns, marble of several 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 being a softer form of Baroque, it has more pale colors and more soft curves. You will more likely see this in eastern and central Europe in countries like Austria, Russia and Germany, to name a few.
6. Georgian Architecture (1720-1800). Beginning in Great Britain along with Ireland, this will be characterized by its square, symmetrical shape influenced by Greek Classical architecture. This style is seen in large, elegant homes at a point in time when more wealth was being accumulated among the upper classes. In America, the style were to become the rage within the American colonies.
7. Victorian Architecture (1840-1900). Seen within 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 new materials and technologies to create an assorted blend of architectures that are prominent still in Great Britain and America.
This is clearly just a quick review of a very broad, but fascinating subject. There is so much more to know about this subject matter, but hopefully you may have a little to associate with when your excursion guide points up the architectural type of a building 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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