weberwest Loc: Ferndale WA

In today's set we enjoy a feast of color and design while looking at the Merchant Houses adjacent to the Old Town Hall in the center of the Stary Rynek square. See below a history of these buildings found in a post on "Ancient and medieval architecture":

MERCHANTS' HOUSES - In the first half of the 15th century, a group of narrow houses was erected south of the town hall. These houses, or as they were originally called – "Herring Stalls", belonged to slightly poorer merchants, unlike the patrician houses in the frontages of the market square. At the beginning of the 16th century, some of them received brick arcades, and in 1534 the city authorities agreed that the building guild should erect arcades for all houses. Then, over time, the arcades were walled up, creating small shops. In the 16th century, due to the increase in the number of inhabitants, the process of renting out old cloth stalls, converted into tenement houses, was also taking place.

In the second half of the 16th century, tenement houses and market buildings began to be transformed in the Renaissance style, and in the 17th and 18th centuries they received Baroque forms, while the original, still medieval layout was preserved. The central block and the surrounding tenement houses were almost completely destroyed during World War II as a result of fires and artillery shelling. After the war, most of the buildings around the market square and some of the downtown buildings were reconstructed, but they were restored to the form obtained in early modern times.


Notes
TRIP INFO: Set # 1 provides a brief introduction, maps and information for the entire series. Find it at:
https://www.uglyhedgehog.com/t-693834-1.html

DETAILS ON POLAND: Set 56 provides an intro, see: https://www.uglyhedgehog.com/t-700547-1.html

DETAILS ON POZNAN/POSEN: Set 68 provides an intro, see: https://www.uglyhedgehog.com/t-701970-1.html

EARLIER POSTS of this series: Access my topic list, the new posts are listed in reverse chronological order:
https://www.uglyhedgehog.com/user-topic-list?usernum=45105

Thank you for visiting, I recommend viewing the downloads and look forward to your comments and questions.

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1 - Eastern side of the square with some of the Merchants' Houses at left, the Town Hall and buildings on the northern frontage at right

(Download)

2 - In the eastern center of the square, a set of 15 narrow Merchants' Houses, constructed in the 16th century

(Download)

3 - Closer view of a cluster of these houses

(Download)

4 - … and another cluster …

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5 - … and the cluster closest to the Old Town Hall

(Download)

6 - Details of two of the Merchant Houses

(Download)

7 - More details

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8 - … and yet more details

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9 - Final details of the striking red Merchant House at the corner of the group

(Download)

10 - Off Stary Rynek/Old Market Square on Zydowska street: Tiny Church of the Holy Blood of Jesus, founded in the 18th century and located in a former tenement house

(Download)

weberwest Loc: Ferndale WA

City map of the center of Poznan/Posen for your reference

(Download)

ELNikkor

Beautiful! Bet none of them are for the "poorer" merchants now!

Longshadow Loc: Audubon, PA, United States

Wow, so different that the US.

UTMike Loc: South Jordan, UT

That really is a colorfest, Joe!

weberwest Loc: Ferndale WA

Thank you ElNikkor for looking in on the tour again! That is probably a fair bet, even though I could imagine that nowadays the shopkeepers are not necessarily the owners but rather lease the space.

weberwest Loc: Ferndale WA

Yes Bill, and I have to say that this is definitely the most colorful place we visited in Poland, and among the very top worldwide!

weberwest Loc: Ferndale WA

Thanks Mike, it felt like a never-ending smorgasbord on this square: New building shapes and decorations wherever you looked and then at the end the highlight of the "fireworks" with these merchant houses.

kpmac Loc: Ragley, La

What an awesome place to photograph, Joe. You did a great job documenting that square.

weberwest Loc: Ferndale WA

Thanks Ken, plenty of eye candy here, it was a photographer's paradise!

NMGal Loc: NE NM

WOW Joe. That is REALLY colorful. If you are staggering drunk you could find your place just by color. Lol.

weberwest Loc: Ferndale WA

Thank you Barbara - these colors sure kept me going! - and I like your thoughts on the guiding system for the inebriated!

angler Loc: StHelens England

Superb set Joe.

weberwest Loc: Ferndale WA

Thank you Jim!

joecichjr Loc: Chicago S. Suburbs, Illinois, USA

Spectacular and breathtakingly beautiful compositions 🖤💙💛💜🧡💚❤️