ULM MÜNSTERPLATZ Just over 100 miles (170 kilometers) from Freiburg, Germany, the city of Ulm straddles the banks of the Danube River, and although the two cities' cathedral squares — Münsterplätze — have slightly different birthdates, they are virtual twins. They grew up over the same five-and-a-half centuries, only to be laid low in the same bombing raids of 1944. — Published 2010.0929
	KOLUMBA ART MUSEUM In Cologne, Germany, a city ravaged by World War II, the Kolumba Art Museum embraces and preserves centuries of culture and pays poetic tribute to the layers of civilization unearthed on its site. Designed by reclusive Swiss architect Peter Zumthor, the museum provides a stunning exception to the city's drab urban landscape built after the war. — Published 2009.0107
	POSTCARD FROM JAISALMER Dear ArchitectureWeek, In medieval times, camel caravans heading towards Arabia, Persia, and Central Asia, laden with silks and spices, would have seen Jaisalmer, India shimmering in the desert haze much as it appears today. The ancient fort, the oldest in Rajasthan, rises above a maze of streets, squares, palaces, and clusters of dwellings, all in the local golden yellow sandstone. — Published 2005.0420
	OLD AND NEW IN ESTONIA In the expressive silhouette of Tallinn, Estonia's capital city and largest port, visitors approaching from the Baltic Sea see a distinct personality split into the new and the old. The split can be traced back to 1227, when the medieval town in northeastern Europe was conceded to an order of crusading knights. — Published 2001.1010
	ROOFS OF DUBROVNIK Walking on the ramparts of the walled city of Dubrovnik feels like being part of a Renaissance painting. It is so picture-perfect that even George Bernard Shaw's over-quoted observation of Dubrovnik being "paradise on earth" seems like a British understatement. From the viewpoint on the ramparts, the homogeneous architecture of Dubrovnik is distinct; every single building in the old city bears clay roof tiles, red and honey rooftops that glitter in contrast with the turquoise sea. — Published 2001.0718

Medieval Architecture