Art Nouveau in Europe

When you have seen a lot of the major sights in Europe, you can make your visits to the Continent more interesting by going in search of particular things--styles of design such as Art Nouveau could be a good place to start. Pictured above is the House of Chimeras in Kiev, Ukraine, one appealing example of the style.

Art Nouveau, also known as Style Moderne or Jugendstil, swept the Continent at the end of the 19th and start of the 20th century. Today it can be found in many places, but some cities are particularly well-known for it. Barcelona is one, since it is the setting for most of the work of the famous architect Antonio Gaudi, whose Sagrada Familia Cathedral is still unfinished.

Glasgow, Scotland is another place where the style, known in Britain and North America as Arts and Crafts, flourished. According to an article on www.eurocheapo.com, following a fire there is now one less example, since the Glasgow School of Art lost its Charles Rennie Macintosh Library. But there are still plenty of other buildings, such as the House for an |Art Lover in Glasgow and Hill House in Helensburgh nearby.

Riga, Latvia obtained its rating as a UNESCO World Heritage site because of its Jugendstil quarter, which is well-preserved and centred around Albert Street. In Moscow, the Beliorussia railway station is built in Art Nouveau fashion, as is the Metropol Hotel.  In Berlin, check out the Brohan Museum for its collection of Jugendstil and Art Deco interior design. Darmstadt, Germany is also a centre, and so is Helsinki, Finland.

Prague and Vienna are other places with many examples of the style, and Brussels was one of its centres. In Paris, some Metro stations preserve the curlicued metalwork often associated with Art Nouveau.