Eastern Europeans do a grand ceiling. Their cathedrals and museums set the tone and then went on to inspire their hotels, railway stations and shopping malls.
This post brings you ceilings throughout the ages, from Moscow, Berlin, St Petersburg, Vilnius (Lithuania), Prague and - Auschwitz.
Yes. Auschwitz. Some ceilings are the pride of Europe. Others, such as those from Auschwitz, are a testiment to its shame.
And somewhere in between is the humble ceiling - it too has a place in this post.
We'll start with the trendsetters, such as St Basil's in Moscow and the Hermitage in St Petersburg.
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| St Basil's, Moscow |
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| Bolshoi Ballet theatre, Moscow |
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| The Hermitage |
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| The Hermitage |
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| A crystal viking ship in Vilnius |
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| The spider web ceiling in a Vilnius church |
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| Budapest |
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| Wieliczka Salt Mines, Krakow: the chandeliers are rock salt. |
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| Wilanow Palace, Warsaw |
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| Here he is: somebody to hold up all these ceilings |
Moving right along: European hotels met our needs for pillars and chandeliers.
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| Ritz Carlton, Berlin |
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| Grand Hotel Europe, St Petersburg |
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| Grand Hotel Europe, St Petersburg |
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| Marriott, Moscow |
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| Then there are the ceilings that hold up the sky, such as this Berlin suburban railway station |
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| The glass and mirror dome over the Reichstag |
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| An atrium strung between hi rise buildings in Berlin |
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| GUM Department store, Moscow |
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| Budapest market hall |
Ceilings of another sort: the underbellies of bridges. This one features the graffiti of Berlin.
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| Underneath a Berlin bridge, with graffiti |
These two bridges are designated 'No standing' bridges...
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| The Blue Bridge |
Read on to admire the ceilings of buses, trains, stations and then, the best for last..the grand finale...the ceiling to beat all ceilings...
But first, to the lowest of low ceilings: Auschwitz...
(CLICK ON 'READ MORE' below)
