What is Behind the Old Doors of Europe?

I’ve never been the type of person to collect dolls, coins, stamps, teapots, or beanie babies.  “Less is more” for me. However, I’ve taken to collecting the amazing and quirky old doors I’ve stumbled upon while walking through the streets of Europe.

I love taking photographs of them because each has its own peculiar personality. My favorites have been found in medieval city centers and ancient hill towns. They’re creaky, ornate, and mysterious.

Who walked through them centuries ago and what went on behind them when the doors were closed? You’ve got to wonder how most of the old doors survived during wars, conflicts, disasters, and even poop thrown down at them from upstairs chamber pots.

Living in Southern California, we have very few old doors. I guess that’s why I’m so enamored with them.

My travels have taken me to some amazing old cities, but there are many more I’d love to see. You can bet I’ll be adding them to this collection in the future.

Old doors I found in Poland

My obsession with European old doors began when I had the privilege of visiting the medieval Market Square in Krakow, Poland. Krakow is a city you don’t often hear about, but also don’t want to miss. It has the largest market square in Europe with historical houses, palaces, and churches, and is a UNESCO World Heritage site. The city is one of the few in Poland that wasn’t destroyed during WWII.

The doors below were only a few of the amazing old doors, I found there.

Budapest portals

Old Buda is another European city where old doors are in abundance. These are just a few I found.

Austria entrances

We were in Austria to visit the Christmas Markets but found some doors that were cool there.

Spanish entree ways

Spain has fabulous old doors with some mixed with Arab influences. I hadn’t developed my old European door obsession yet on that trip but the doors below are significant. The one of the left was part of an old synogogue that was made into a church. Before that it was a mosque. The door on the right is Moorish in design. Both were in Seville.

Italian portos

Another trip we took was to Italy and the Mediterranean. It yielded a smorgasbord of creaky old doors. We spent 3 weeks traveling through Rome, Tuscany, Sorrento, and the Amalfi Coast before departing on a cruise of the Mediterranean on the Cunard Queen Elizabeth.

I wish I could have found even more.

French gateways

Oh, if those old European doors could talk. . .  What would they say?

When you’re traveling, what do you love to photograph?  Please leave a comment below.