April 2, 2011

Ruins and Reflections

On the far side of the neo-classical National Bank of Romania, which you may already have seen on my earlier post, are part of the ruins of a 17th century inn. 

A few years ago, I was told, there was a heated debate on the city council between those who wanted to preserve the remains and those who were content to ignore it and cover it up. The preservers of history won the day.

To protect the archaeological site from the elements of nature and man, it was encased in glass. So now you'll have to look carefully (easier when enlarged) to distinguish the brick arch under spot light beneath the glass from the reflection of the bank on its surface.

Bucharest, 2011

From another angle:


And these are my Weekend Reflections.

26 comments:

DeniseinVA said...

Lovely reflections in these photos. Impressive looking buildings.

lotusleaf said...

So ingenious!

Sylvia K said...

Ingenious it is! Such a great way to preserve it! Wonderful! Great reflection for the day, Francisca! I do hope you have a lovely weekend!


Sylvia

genie said...

Francisca....I am getting where I am really looking forward to each of your posts. They are all so fascinating and are such grand shots from a part of the world I know very little. I love the idea of the site has been preserved under glass. It must be quite the experience to stand there and see all of that history beneath your feet.

Unknown said...

It likely is easier to see at night. A glass lid on such a large space seems fragile. Very interesting.

Francisca said...

@Bill... I am informed that it is some kind of "hard" glass, not just ordinary window pane.

Oakland Daily Photo said...

You've captured a topsy turvy world.

Dina said...

Great! Good for the preservers!
Jerusalem has ruins under glass in the basements of buildings, but I've never seen such a thing in the middle of the sidewalk as you show. Wow

cieldequimper said...

Good. We need lots of preservation. And cool reflections too.

'Tsuki said...

Quite unusual, those floor reflection...
Great idea of spotting !

Andy said...

Another great shot Francisca. You seem to find your way to a lot of interesting sites.

Birdman said...

That's a cool reflection. You could get lost in there.

jabblog said...

That is incredible! I'm glad the conservationists won the argument.

Anita Johnson said...

I LOVE these...!

VP said...

An excellent solution!

Unknown said...

I've seen this in Verona, it's way too cool.

joo said...

Clever idea and superb photo.
Have a nice weekend Francisca:)

tapirgal said...

This is quite fascinating, and an excellent photo. I love preservations like this, although "like this" . . . none are the same, but the layers of history you see when they use glass to preserve the old within the new(er).

EG CameraGirl said...

Interesting reflection. It's wonderful that some of the old is being preserved in Romania.

Inger-M said...

Beautiful reflections over ancient treasures!

paul said...

Interesting story, and great reflections, Francisca.

Thanks for visiting auckland-west - let us know if/when your travels lead you in our direction.

Unknown said...

I've never seen anything like that. I am fascinated. Well done, Francisca.

My entry is at The Pagan Sphinx

Kaori said...

That is a smart way to preserve...and I love the reflections you caught on the glass, too! :-)

Lowell said...

The reflections are superb, but it's that sunlight that puts the perfect finishing touch on them!

James said...

These are great! I like the look of the old buildings reflected in glass.

Pat Tillett said...

Very nice! I'm so glad when the old things are preserved. There are too many people more than willing to knock it down and bulldoze it all away...