Great Mill, Gdańsk, Poland - SpottingHistory.com

Built by the Teutonic Knights in 1350, the Great Mill with its rising tiled roof is the grandest civil construction in Gdańsk. Until 1356 when the Radunia Canal was built, the mill was powered by slaves turning 18 huge wheels. It was the largest industrial plant in Europe during the Middle Ages and functioned until the end of WWII. Unfortunately, this treasure has since been turned into a shopping centre. At least there's a small exhibition of old equipment from the mill. The surrounding grain and flour stores, dating to 1400, are home to a few small shops.

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User Reviews

Михаил Смирнов (2 years ago)
Цегляний млин на штучному острівці на каналі Радуні, побудований у 1350 році тевтонцями. Це одна з найбільших промислових споруд середньовіччя, працювала за первісним призначенням аж до другої світової війни. Млин мав спочатку 12, а потім 18 колес. В приміщенні знаходилися також склад та пекарня.

Bogumiła Trojanowska (3 years ago)
Nieczynne wewnątrz na zewnątrz warte obejrzenia

MrBashmat (3 years ago)
Великий млин, побудований ще в середині XIV століття лицарями Тевтонського ордену. В ці часи він був найбільшим сільськогосподарським будинком середньовічного міста.

Tomasz Puchalski (3 years ago)
Kiedyś jedna z pierwszych galerii handlowych w Gdańsku. Obecnie pusto. Ma być tam przeniesione Muzeum Bursztynu, które obecnie mieści się w Katowni.

SaMeh ARCOMINDLW (3 years ago)
Beautiful building, but nothing to do there other than taking photos from outside.

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Mosque–Cathedral of Córdoba

The Mosque–Cathedral of Córdoba, also known as the Great Mosque of Córdoba and the Mezquita is regarded as one of the most accomplished monuments of Moorish architecture.

According to a traditional account, a small Visigoth church, the Catholic Basilica of Saint Vincent of Lérins, originally stood on the site. In 784 Abd al-Rahman I ordered construction of the Great Mosque, which was considerably expanded by later Muslim rulers. The mosque underwent numerous subsequent changes: Abd al-Rahman II ordered a new minaret, while in 961 Al-Hakam II enlarged the building and enriched the Mihrab. The last of such reforms was carried out by Almanzor in 987. It was connected to the Caliph"s palace by a raised walkway, mosques within the palaces being the tradition for previous Islamic rulers – as well as Christian Kings who built their palaces adjacent to churches. The Mezquita reached its current dimensions in 987 with the completion of the outer naves and courtyard.

In 1236, Córdoba was conquered by King Ferdinand III of Castile, and the centre of the mosque was converted into a Catholic cathedral. Alfonso X oversaw the construction of the Villaviciosa Chapel and the Royal Chapel within the mosque. The kings who followed added further Christian features, such as King Henry II rebuilding the chapel in the 14th century. The minaret of the mosque was also converted to the bell tower of the cathedral. It was adorned with Santiago de Compostela"s captured cathedral bells. Following a windstorm in 1589, the former minaret was further reinforced by encasing it within a new structure.

The most significant alteration was the building of a Renaissance cathedral nave in the middle of the expansive structure. The insertion was constructed by permission of Charles V, king of Castile and Aragon. Artisans and architects continued to add to the existing structure until the late 18th century.

Architecture

The building"s floor plan is seen to be parallel to some of the earliest mosques built from the very beginning of Islam. It had a rectangular prayer hall with aisles arranged perpendicular to the qibla, the direction towards which Muslims pray. The prayer hall was large and flat, with timber ceilings held up by arches of horseshoe-like appearance.

In planning the mosque, the architects incorporated a number of Roman columns with choice capitals. Some of the columns were already in the Gothic structure; others were sent from various regions of Iberia as presents from the governors of provinces. Ivory, jasper, porphyry, gold, silver, copper, and brass were used in the decorations. Marvellous mosaics and azulejos were designed. Later, the immense temple embodied all the styles of Morisco architecture into one composition.

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