As a former typographer and ‘drive-by proofreader,’ I’ve usually got my eyes open for interesting signs well-designed and inviting. I’ve shared a few collections here in the past; this collection includes samples from a trip to Berlin, Vienna and Prague a few years ago.
Above, in Berlin, a 1904 Art Nouveau gem that was the headquarters of the Gebrüder Tietz retail chain, one of Germany’s pioneer department stores. The full facade of the building is below.
ErikViol/Wikimedia Commons
Also in Berlin, another Art Nouveau gem building with a different feel. Built as a clubhouse for the Berlin Craftsmen’s Guild, it was an important venue for political events. Over its time, it has also hosted Yiddish theater, a Nazi forced labor camp, and today is again a theatre.
St Hedwig’s, built in the 1840s, was Berlin’s first Catholic hospital; I’ve no idea why its sign says ‘hospital’ rather than ‘Krankenhaus.’
In Vienna, a less formal installation highlights a beer garden…
At Prague’s beautiful main rail station, this installation honors Prague as “mother of cities” and commemorates the proclamation of the Czechoslovak Republic on October 28, 1918.
A final Prague example, but you’ll have to provide your own interpretation of “Life is Capital.”
If you’ve an interest in seeing more ‘lovely letters’ from previous TravelGumbo blogs, click HERE
https://www.travelgumbo.com/bl…derer-s-collection-1
https://www.travelgumbo.com/resource/lovely-letters
https://www.travelgumbo.com/blog/lovely-letters-paris
