gothic architecture - ilivetotravel's travel log

The town of Toledo, in the heart of Spain, is loaded with history, faith and meaning for Spain. This town, perched high and surrounded on three sides by the river Tagus, served as capital of Spain – last time until the second half of the 16th century. Toledo’s Cathedral is its most impressive, but far from the only, great attribute. And definitely one of the most beautiful I have ever seen (and I have visited many!).

A unique setting is one of Toledo’s assets

Its position up high by the river can be best appreciated across the river instead of within the town itself. If you come from the train station, you will -all of a sudden- see the Alcazar fortress prominently on display, and a couple of bridges across the river. One of these bridges is made of stonework and is very impressive. Once you cross, you can either climb up steps and ramps to arrive at the main square or take the electric stairs that seem to be endless. If you are able to, I recommend the walk even if you go slowly so you can appreciate more the setting/

toledo, espana, spain, mountaintop town, catedral de toledo, toledo cathedral, el greco in toledo

A crossroads of cultures and history

It is famous for so many things. It blended Christian, Jewish and Moorish cultures and their unique monotheistic faiths. One can see this manifested most strongly in the architectural details all over the old town. The old town is a maze of alleys, some pedestrian, some not, and it is easy to get lost but, thankfully, the town is small and contained by city walls for the most part.

El Greco rules

Among the many valuable cultural treasures are many paintings of El Greco (many of them in the Cathedral). But one of his most famous paintings, the Entierro del Conde de Ordaz (the Burial of the Count of Orgaz) from 1586 resides in a small church called the Church of Santo Tomé. Friends of my family had a copy of the painting in their home during my childhood and I spent much time observing the painting, fascinated by the scene it portrays. So getting to see the real – and much larger – painting is a real treat.

Entierro Conde Orgaz, El Greco painting, Spanish art, Toledo santo tome

El Greco’s paintings usually portray people with elongated faces which I feel adds more drama to any scene he is painting. The museum at the Cathedral has a few more beautiful works of El Greco!

El Greco paintings, pinturas del Greco, catedral de Toledo, arte

And now to Toledo’s Cathedral

I have traveled a lot as you can tell from the blog and have seen many churches of many types and sizes. So it means something when I say this is in the top 5, if not top 3, in terms of how amazing it is in every which way. Upon first sighting the structure, it is not as striking as other cathedrals or large churches I have seen…

toledo, espana, spain, mountaintop town, catedral de toledo, toledo cathedral, el greco in toledo, gothic church

But that is the only shortfall in my book for Toledo’s 13th century Gothic cathedral!

The choir of Toledo’s cathedral

Its choir is something to admire, not just for pure woodwork, but for all the history that the woodwork depicts.

toledo, espana, spain, mountaintop town, catedral de toledo, toledo cathedral, el greco in toledo, choir, woodwork, virgin mary statue in toledo

toledo, espana, spain, mountaintop town, catedral de toledo, toledo cathedral, el greco in toledo, catholic cathedral choir, tiled vault ceiling

Side chapels and ceilings are works of art of their own!

Don’t miss checking out the altars and side chapels. And do not forget to look up. The artwork is amazing in every corner of Toledo’s cathedral.

spain, catedral de toledo, toledo cathedral, catholic cathedral choir, tiled vault ceiling, painted ceiling, religious mural

The most spectacular altar

The cathedral’s altar is a jewel onto itself. A large, massive jewel! It is a wonder of man-made craft inspired by faith. Certainly, one is inspired to connect with God when standing, sitting or kneeling in front of it, which is the idea in the end…

The retable (or the main golden piece shown in the photo) at its center rises five stories high. The paintwork was done by many famous painters, architects and sculptios of the time and area.

catedral de toledo, toledo cathedral, el greco in toledo, catholic cathedral choir, tiled vault ceiling, golden altar, gilded altar

Behind the altar is more amazing artwork!

It would be so hard to not be moved as a Christian when walking around Toledo’s cathedral. In every corner there is major artwork! The backside of the altar is no exception.

grandiose painted ceiling, toledo cathedral, statue of virgin mary, rococo altar — The status above the altar magnified on the right

I am no art expert. I believe this is Baroque style: very elaborated! It certainly stands in contrast to the rest of the Cathedral’s Gothic style. I was very surprised when I saw it.

And then I looked up and saw the painted ceiling as it rose to a painted dome. Who thought of all this and how hard was it to design it and paint it?!

I learned later this altar is called “El Transparent” as it focuses light from the “skylight” above on the tabernacle at certain times of the day.

Until next time, Toledo!

A very inspiring and awe-inducing visit, even if not my first time there. 30 years between visits does take its toll in my memory bank from pre-smartphone days (and the ease of photographing freely). I am very fortunate to have been able to return and re-encounter Toledo and its cathedral.

Lübeck is the best example of medieval architecture in northern Germany (so I read). In this post, I hope to share with you what to see in Lübeck whether you are planning a visit or just want to check out a lesser-known destination in Germany! I see little or nothing in blogs or social media about Lübeck. I am grateful that friends who live in Germany knew better and I got to explore Lübeck, now a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Lübeck suffered during WW II but many medieval structures survived (two of the four city gates survived) or were re-constructed (like St. Mary’s Church); another thing to be grateful for.

A bit about the Hanseatic League

Before sharing what to see in Lübeck, a little background / history… The Hanseatic League was a commerce and defense league that operated from the 14th until the 17th century in northern Europe on the coasts of the North Sea and Baltic Sea. The town of Lübeck, in north Germany, was its capital.

The Hanseatic League was not a kingdom or a state of its own. Rather, it was a confederation of free cities and towns along the North and Baltic Seas located in what today includes The Netherlands, Germany, Sweden, Poland, Estonia, etc. Bottom line: it was about commerce and banding together to protect the towns’ rights. Smart.

Lübeck had a lot to do with the origination of the league. Its strategic location as almost a crossroads between the North Sea and the Baltic Sea, and between inland Germany to Scandinavia sealed its role as the capital of this powerful entity. However, Lübeck had been an important settlement since around the 10th century, a few centuries before the Hanseatic League. Having been afforded the status of a Free Imperial City of the Holy Roman Empire in 1226 (i.e., directly overseen by the Emperor) certainly elevated its prominence and likely helped it become a center of trade that would give it its leading role in the Hanseatic League since it was the most important of all the towns in the region.

Lübeck’s location

Lübeck is in the north of Germany, not quite on the coast but a tiny bit inland. Its river, the Trave, connects to the Elbe River via a canal giving it water access to the North Sea. But Lübeck is almost at the mouth of the Trave River where it hits the Baltic Sea by the beach town of Travemünde. The old part of town is actually on an island in the Trave River but the greater Lübeck area covers a broader area, including the hamlet of Schlutup, where we stayed during our visit to the area. Schlutup was right on the western side of the former West-East Germany border during the Cold War so Lübeck was not that far from the border itself.

Visiting Lübeck is easiest from Hamburg, the closest large city (check this ilivetotravel post for the top free things to do there!). It is a short drive (about an hour or so). A commuter train ride is also possible from Hamburg.

The town’s Gothic architecture is at the heart of what to see in Lübeck

Brick Gothic is an architectural style seen in the northern parts of Europe west and east of Lübeck in Germany and Poland. The lack of stone in the region led to the reliance of bricks for construction. Old town Lübeck is a great representative of this unique architectural style as are other towns like Rostock and Wismar (of which I will write more later). Churches were built in this style but merchants’ and guilds’ buildings also built on this style. Keep an eye out for this architecture style as you see photos in this post!

Market Square

The market square, by city government offices and a short walk from St. Mary’s Church, is fairly small compared to other such squares in Europe but it does have a neat arcade worth checking out.

Also worth checking out is the Niederegger marzipan café with some amazing specialty beverages (like fancy coffee drinks) and even more spectacular desserts, some of the them using Niederegger’s well-known marzipan. Right behind this café outside of the market square is Niederegger’s main store offering a dizzyingly good array of goods. It is worth walking through, even if you are not buying anything!

Burgtor Gate

The northern gate into old town Lübeck crosses a canal from the north. It is one of the two medieval gates in town (the other being the more famous, more beautiful, and more iconic Holstentor Gate, see below…) though its roof is more recent. We entered the old town through this gate after crossing a branch of the Trave River.

Burgtor, Lubeck, Germany, red brick Gothic architecture

Burgtor (city gate)

Trave River, Burgtor, Lubeck, Germany, red brick Gothic architecture

Bridge over part of the Trave River by Burgtor

St. Mary’s Church (St. Marien Kirche)

One of the great examples of Gothic brick architecture in Europe, influencing the design of many other churches in the region, is Lübeck’s St. Mary’s Church, built between 1260 and 1350 on the site of a former church. It is one of the first church built on the French Gothic style but with red bricks as the main construction material.

For someone who has seen Gothic churches elsewhere in Europe, the style rings familiar yet something feels a bit off – it’s the red bricks! It is really cool to see this twist on Gothic. However, it is important to note that what we see today is a reconstruction as WW II saw the ancient church structure destroyed in 1942. A broken bell from the bell tower is displayed inside the church as a sad but lasting remembrance of the ravages war can bring about… See a picture of it and read more about St. Mary’s in this earlier write-up in this blog here.

The Holy Spirit Hospital

This building towards the north end of old town houses one of the oldest social services institution in Europe: the Holy Spirit hospital (Heiligen Geist Hospital). The institution was founded in the 13th century to take care of the sick and elderly. In the early 16th century, it stopped being affiliated by the church and passed to the civilian authorities. The front of the building has an open space, a choir, and hosts frescoes and triptychs. It stopped having residents in the 1960s and now hosts art and craft fairs on occasion.

St. Jacob’s Church

Right near the Holy Spirit Hospital is the Church of St Jacob‘s, the church of seafarers. It may not be the most impressive of the churches in Lübeck, but I still liked seeing the details inside. The church was built in the mid 14th century. It did not suffer damage from World War II so it retains the original boxed pew and organ. I also enjoyed the area around it as I waited for my friends to come out (I was babysitting their dog, Luna – a cute one!).

St. Peter’s Church (St. Petri Kirche)

This church was built in the 13th century and continued to be modified in the 15th and 16th centuries. It lost its roof in World War II and the final renovations from that damage and temporary repairs was completed in 1987. Its best feature, in my book, is the views from its tower.

Holstentor Gate

Lübeck’s most iconic structure represents the city to the world. It is a beautiful building, even as it leans. Holstentor, the western gate into the old town, is just a couple of blocks from St. Peter’s Church.

Holstentor almost got demolished in the 1860s because of a movement to get rid of old fortifications around the town. Unbelievable that locals thought this gate dating from 1464 was not worth keeping!! It has required maintenance over time to stabilize it with the last major restorations being done in the 1930s and the 2000s. Holstentor survived World War II which is a miracle – and, therefore, it is a must-see structure for any visitor to Germany.

And the streets of the old town with the majestic facades!

If you liked any of the above, walking around the old town is even better! The design of the building’s facades felt so new to me, it captivated me… Here are some images of what I so enjoyed. Definitely top of the list of what to see in Lübeck ! ——————————————————————————————————