512. Hotel Xenia-Iraklion, Crete, Greece

Dear Mel,

"To be traditional means to be always contemporary"
(Aris Konstantinidis)

Best.
R

511. Vancouver, British Columbia New Public Library

Dear Sven,

"The design has a connection with history. This is what
I wanted to achieve in this design, the memory of what
ancient libraries might have been like" (Moshe Safdie)

Regards.
R

510. Bern. Lorrainebrücke

Dear Johann,

"A bridge is like a house. Each bridge and each house
is a special case; each must be constructed and shaped
according to the environment with which it must cope
and the function it is to have " (Robert Maillart)

Respectfully
R

509. St. Hallvard kirke og Kloster, Enerhaugen, Oslo

Dear Peter,

I came to Oslo and experienced the spiritual power of
darkness at St. Hallvard kirke. The convex ceiling, a
sort of anti cupola, evokes a motherly gesture, a one of
being under God's care and protection.

Best regards.
R

508. Domazlice, Sokolovna

Dear Alena,

This is the old Sokol building in Domazlice. The Sokol
movement was an important Slavic youth organization
founded in Prague by Miroslav Tyrs and Jindrich Fugner.
Although primarily focused on gymnastics, the
organization was also a forum venue for the spread of
Czech nationalist ideologies. Domazlice was also an
important nationalist center until the WWII. In 1939 a
large Czech protest demonstration against the German
occupation took place on this beautiful town.The
architect of this little functionalist gem, that I doubt if
still standing, is also unknown but might be architect
Otakar Novotny who built at least two more Sokol
halls in 1910 and 1912.
Please let me know if you gather more information about
this superb building.

Best regards.
R

507. Santuario Madonna della Consolazione. Borgomaggiore

Querida Maria,

El Santuario de la Madonna della
Consolazione en San marino es obra
del arquitecto toscano Michelucci.
Enclavado sobre la falda de una
montaña, parte de esta tuvo que ser
excavada para dar cabida a la iglesia.
Michelucci reinterpreta esta
circunstancia recreando en el interior
de la misma paredes rocosas con formas
cavernosas e introduce luz cenital
indirecta que recrea un imaginario
mundo subterraneo.

Un abrazo.
R

506. Museo de Arte de Ponce. Puerto Rico

Querida Sandra,

Este edificio fue diseñado por el célebre arquitecto
norteamericano Edward Durell Stone, autor entre otros
del Radio City Hall o del primer MoMA ambos en
Nueva York. El museo aloja una de las mejores
colecciones de Pre-rafaelistas de todo el mundo y está 
considerado como el museo mas prestigioso de todo el
Estado Libre Asociado de Puerto Rico.

Afectuosamente
R

505. Jerusalem. Hadassah Hospital

Abuelo,

Desde Monte Scopus, donde esta enclavada la Universidad Hebrea de Jerusalem, se ve a un lado la ciudad y al otro el Mar Muerto. En la foto el Hospital Hadassah, el mayor edificio construido por Erich Mendelsohn en Palestina entre los años 1936 y 1939.

Besos.
R

504. Candie (Crete). Le Musee Archealogique

Dear Dimitris,

The Archaelogical Museum of Herakleion in Crete
houses the world's most important collection of Minoan
Art. Designed in 1933 as a "machine for exhibitions", it
is among the most significant buildings of European
Rationalism.

Respectfully.
R

503. Dneprostroy (Dnieper dam)

Dear Leonid,

By the time it was built in 1932, the Dnieper dam was the
largest hydroelectric power station in Europe. This huge
architectural ensemble became a symbol of man's victory
over natural elements.

Respectfully.
R