In the post for “Doll House” I talked about “micro architecture” pictures that I include in my goals for photo walks. By micro architecture I mean photographs that focus on a portion of a building, be it windows, doors, door knobs, or other features of the building.
In that image I showed a beautiful little house in a hamlet in southern Czechia. This image is from a walk in Potsdam, Germany, leading up to the grounds that include the Sanssouci Palace. Potsdam is a short train ride from Berlin and was the residence of kings and kaisers until the first world war.
There is so much history, both inspiringly good and heart-rendingly bad, that can be explored in both Berlin and Potsdam. For me, this image reflects that rich history. On first glance it is tempting to look at this doorway merely as an all-too-common example of a dilapidated door in a run-down building that’s likely to be torn down. I hope that doesn’t happen to this building.
The degree of wear on the stairs speaks to the untold number of feet that have climbed there to pass through these doors. Was it a place of business or a gathering place of courtiers? What drew so many sets of feet to traverse those stairs?
The elegance of the entryway makes me wonder who built the house. Was it a merchant showing his importance to the community by adding elegance to the design of his house? Was it a government functionary trying to climb the social ladder in the royal courts?
The artful graffiti begs the question as to why the door – and the building of which it is a part – has been allowed to go into such a state of disrepair.
There is an arc of history being told by this entryway into an old building – history that should be preserved.