Church of St Andrew, Krakow, Poland

The church of St Andrew

The Church of St Andrew was captured in March 2016 as part of my Auschwitz photography trip. Krakow main square is home to some beautiful architecture and great bars and restaurants. In the Old Town district of Krakow, Poland located at Grodzka Street, is a historical Romanesque church built between 1079 and 1098 by a medieval Polish statesman Palatine Sieciech. It is a rare surviving example of the European fortress church used for defensive purposes.

Built in Romanesque style, it is one of the oldest buildings in Krakow and one of the best-preserved Romanesque buildings in Poland. It was the only church in Krakow to withstand the Mongol attack of 1241. Along the lower part of the broader section of its facade are small openings that served as defensive windows at a time when the church was a place of refuge from military assaults.

From 1320 it was used by the Religious Order of Poor Clares. The building has been renovated many times. The present Baroque interiors have decorations by Baltazar Fontana, paintings by Karol Dankwart and gilded altars. The Baroque domes atop the octagonal towers were added in 1639 — Wikipedia

Photography Tips:

Shooting architecture wherever you may be, requires planning. It is recommended to know the location, weather and what equipment you think you will need. Generally speaking most photographer shooting architecture would use a wide angle lens, but this does depend on the location settings. I personally would take a wide angle and a small zoom lens, unlikely you will need massive telephoto lenses. If you have the time to do some geographical research before your shoot, you can identify the best possible shooting locations.