Stairway to heaven (part 1)

Whenever I travel I am entranced by stairs. For me these are as interesting as doorways. Perhaps because like doorways they are not an affectation, like a grotesque or a facade but a necessity for getting from one level of your home or library or palace to the next level. How you choose to make those stairs or staircases reveals something about you.

Here are some recent stairs that caught my eye.

These are the side stairs within the Winter Palace of Queen Mother Emma of the Netherlands, which I visited because it houses the Escher Exhibition. These are not the grand stairs in the centre of the house but the more practical side stairs. Still pretty neat.

And this is looking down the elegant central stairs which take the long way up!

By way of contrast these are the stairs for accessing the public shelves at UT Delft library. They let all of the light through and blend into the overall structure.

Whilst at Leiden University Library these stairs have more rugged and substantial feel to them and draw the eye.

Meanwhile at Chalmers University Library the stairs have a more stone and metal feel, though sufficiently broad and elegant to do the job.

To be continued...