From the Byzantines to Brutalism, here's a brief introduction to the architecture of Eastern Europe:
The architectural history of Eastern Europe is fascinating — and differs greatly from Western Europe. It is also ancient: the oldest gold treasure in the world was discovered in Bulgaria, a country which is also home to the ancient tombs of the kings of Thrace:
The Greeks and Macedonians, and after them the Romans, dominated what we now loosely call Eastern Europe. Thus some of the best-preserved classical architecture is found there — like the colossal Pula Arena in Croatia, built during the reign of Augustus over 2,000 years ago:
After the fall of the Western Roman Empire it was Carolingian, Romanesque, and finally Gothic architecture that flourished in western Europe. But in eastern Europe it was the Byzantine Empire that held sway — with their domes, semi-domes, round arches, mosaics, and icons:
From this Byzantine heritage regional forms of architecture emerged during the Middle Ages in modern-day countries like Bulgaria, Ukraine, Serbia, Romania, and Belarus. In all cases they were totally different from the religious architecture of western Europe at the same time:
Then, in the 14th century, the Ottomans burst onto the scene. They swept through Turkey, defeated the Byzantine Empire, and proceeded to conquer vast swathes of the Balkans and Eastern Europe. Their most famous legacy here is perhaps the Mostar Bridge in Bosnia and Herzegovina:
But Ottoman Architecture left a much broader, lasting influence on parts of Eastern Europe. Ottoman mosques are scattered around the Balkans, for example, usually with their distinctive domes, such as the 17th century Sinan Pasha Mosque in Prizren, Kosovo:
Still, the Ottoman Empire only ruled in the Balkans. In other parts of Central and Eastern Europe there were different architectural forces at work. In Prague, for example, the fabulous Vladislav Hall is a perfect example of Bohemian Gothic architecture:
In Russia, meanwhile, incredibly distinctive forms of religious architecture emerged, in no case more famously than that of St Basil's Cathedral, built during the 16th century:
And in Armenia a totally unique form of architecture had emerged during the Middle Ages, defined by conical spires raised on slender barrels, often built in isolated locations. Like the fantastical Tatev Monastery:
Another rather unusual subgenre of Gothic Architecture also emerged in Northern, Central, and Northeastern Europe. It was called "Brick Gothic", for obvious reasons, and the Church of St Anne in Vilnius is one of its best examples:
Baroque Architecture also became popular in parts of Eastern Europe, especially the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth. The unique Church of St. Peter and St. Paul in Vilnius, built at the beginning of the 18th century, is covered in thousands of pure white stucco decorations: