At Gamla Staden in Malmö

Stortorget

Malmö is the third largest city in Sweden with a rich cultural mix of over 150 nationalities. It had an estimated population of 328,000 in 2016 but it seems like a sleepy hamlet compared to its neighbor, Denmark. I happened to be in Malmö on Sweden Day and watched the celebrations on Stortorget, its main square. A small crowd was gathered to watch the performances. I was grateful for the empty benches because I needed to sit and rest for a few minutes after all the walking I did. But where had all locals gone?

Gamla Staden or Old Town is in the center of the city, just a short walk from the railway station. Much of Malmó's historic architecture from brick Gothic to Dutch Renaissance style are concentrated in the old town. It is also a gathering place for visitors and locals alike with its cafés and outdoor restaurants.

Lilla Torg

Lilla Torg (Little Square) is a stone's throw from Stortorget. This cobblestoned square was built in 1592 as a market square. It is surrounded by well preserved buildings from the 1600-1800.

Lilla Torg

One of the best places to people watch is from any of the outdoor restaurants and cafés on Lilla Torg. There are free concerts on the square during the summer months. In the vicinity is the Form and Design Center which displays the latest developments in design, architecture and art.

Faxeska Gården

This half timbered house on Lilla Torg was once owned by a burgher and dates to the 1760's.

Flensburgska Huset

The Flensburgska house on Störgatan was a former warehouse built in the 1590s in the Dutch Renaissance style.

Sank Petri Kyrka

Sank Petri Kyrka or Saint Peter's Church is the oldest building in Malmö. Construction of the Church started in early 14th century. It is a brick Gothic style structure with a steeple rising to 344 ft. and was modeled after St. Mary's Church in Lübeck, Germany. The current tower is from the 1890s.

Sankt Petri Kyrka

The interior of Saint Peter's was whitewashed in 1555 during the Protestant Reformation and most of its medieval murals are gone. The wooden altarpiece is from 1611.

Krämarekapellet

The only murals left in the entire church is in the Krämarekapellet (Trademen's Chapel) in the rear of the church and restored in the early 20th century. The mural on the vaulted ceiling shows St. Peter (identified by the keys he's carrying) and St. John the Evangelist (in dark robe) holding the image of Jesus Christ on a piece of white cloth. They are surrounded by exuberant foliage.

Governor's Residence

The Governor's Residence is from the late 16th century. The façade was updated in 1851. Notice the tower of St. Peter's Church in the background.

Old Light House and marina

The lighthouse and marina are just outside the Central Train Station.

There's so much more to see in Malmö but I was pressed for time so I only covered the Gamla Staden area. It was a special treat to have gone to Malmö by way of the famous Øresund Bridge and to cross the Øresund (the Sound).

How to get to Malmö from Denmark:

Take the train from Copenhagen Central Station for the short ride across the Øresund Bridge to Malmö Station. At the first stop after crossing the bridge, Immigration officials will board the train and check the passports of all passengers before the train can proceed to other destinations in Sweden.

*****

Images by TravelswithCharie

The Art of Carlos Botong Francisco - Progress of Medicine in the Philippines

Pre-colonial period Pag-unlad ng Panggagamot sa Pilipinas (The Progress of Medicine in the Philippines) is a group of four large-scale paintings depicting healing practices in the Philippines from pre-colonial times to the modern period. Carlos Botong Francisco was commissioned in 1953 by Dr. Agerico Sison who was then the director of Philippine General Hospital (PGH) together with Dr. Eduardo Quisumbing of the National Museum, Dr. Florentino Herrera, Jr. and Dr. Constantino Manahan. These oil on canvas paintings measure 2.92 meters in height and 2.76 meters in width (9.71 ft x 8.92 ft) and were displayed at the main entrance hall of PGH for over five decades. Owing to its location, the artworks were in a state of "severe deterioration" at the beginning of the 21st century from exposure to heat, humidity, dirt, dust, smoke, insect stains, grime, termites and an oxidized synthetic resin used in an earlier restoration. These canvases were restored three times, the last was

Filipino Struggles in History - Carlos Botong Francisco

In 1968, Antonio Villegas (then Mayor of Manila), commissioned Carlos "Botong" Francisco to paint the history of Manila for Manila City Hall. The series of large scale paintings was called Kasaysayan ng Maynila (History of Manila). The paintings deteriorated over time and no attempt was made to preserve these historical canvases until 2013 when Mayor Amado Lim sent them to the National Museum for extensive restoration. Four years later, in 2017, Mayor Joseph Ejercito Estrada and the Manila City Council signed an agreement with the National Museum to leave the paintings at the museum so they may reach a larger audience in exchange for museum grade reproductions to replace the originals. Kasaysayan ng Maynila was later renamed Filipino Struggles in History and is now on display at the Senate Hall of the National Museum . Carlos "Botong" Francisco died in March 1969, a few months after completing the paintings. He is one of the first Filipino modernists and

8 Heritage Houses of Iloilo

Lizares Mansion The province of Iloilo on the island of Panay has a rich trove of heritage houses, left over from the sugar industry boom in the 19th century. Iloilo also had the largest port in the Philippines at that time which facilitated the export of sugar to foreign shores and deposited money in the hands of the sugar barons. The barons dropped their earnings into the acquisition of properties in Negros and the construction of beautiful homes in Iloilo, many of which are located in the vicinity of the Jaro Cathedral. The Lizares Mansion was built in 1937 by Don Emiliano Lizares for his wife, Concepcion Gamboa and five children. The family fled to safety when World War II broke out and the house was occupied by the Japanese military. The family returned to the house after the war but left once again after the demise of Don Emiliano. It was sold to the Dominican order in the 1960s and was converted in 1978 to a private school, Angelicum School. The mansion now houses the

TravelswithCharie

Search This Blog