Krakow’s Rynek Glowny is the central square in the middle of Old Town and is the largest medieval square in Europe. In the center of the square stands a large building called Sukiennice, or Cloth Hall for easier pronunciation. The Cloth Hall is built in a Renaissance style and was a symbol of trade in the olden days, but nowadays it is a symbol of tourist cash and postcards.

The open and domelike halls were probably once filled with vendors and artisans all over Eastern and Western Europe and was probably a sight to see. The open framework alongside the side of the building is inviting and allows for passersby to have a good look as to what is going on inside. In the upper floors houses a museum of art, where polish paintings and sculptures reside. So much history is embedded in this style of architecture that one can’t simply recreate a carbon copy of it again anywhere else.

Admittedly the Cloth Hall itself has been renovated and rebuilt before due to the countless amount of conflicts that have happened in Eastern Europe, but rebuilding this building to its original state is only really acceptable because the nature of the original building itself. If one were to build an exact replica in Tulsa, it would feel forced and contrived. What if there erupts a conflict in this part of the world that leads to the destruction of this building. Would we rebuild it in the same exact manner as before? Perhaps it is because the fact the town itself has so much history we feel that rebuilding in the same manner is the way we preserve the history of the building. Honestly I wouldn’t know the exact answer, but it is an interesting question to think about when we approach old architecture.

The one answer I do know is when is the best time to visit. It is right at the tail end of the New Year’s tourism season, the winter decor is still up and the vendors and festivities are still there but without the massive crowds. So grab a cheap mulled wine and buy a pack of cigarettes from that gypsy vendor who’s selling them for half of the market price. Take a seat on a bench and take in all of the history that is embedded in this beautiful piece of architecture. You only live once, but this building will definitely outlive you.

“The bridge needs its bodies” An old saying said by those who have been around the bridge on the River Drina long enough. Mehmed Paša Sokolović Bridge is its official name and it is the only way for this small town Višegrad to remain connected across this wide river. I was in town right at the beginning of spring, which is when the River Drina starts to swell and rage from the spring water rushing down the mountainside. I arrived early in the morning, only to be greeted by a torrential downpour that seemed to only increase the intensity of the river as I crossed the bridge.

The bridge has seen its fair share of bloodshed as of recent there were thousands of Bosniak Muslims who met their end atop this bridge due to the civil unrest that followed the fall of Yugoslavia. The bodies were pushed over the edge of the bridge, as the local militias felt the bodies weren’t dignified enough to be buried. The horror stories of refugee camps downriver pulling out bodies and about a child who has the misfortune of pulling out the body of his own mother. It is after hearing chilling stories like these, you can start to feel the echoes of the past when standing atop this bridge.

The stoic and bold pattern, one can’t but appreciate the simplicity that comes with this bridge standing silently over the River Drina. If there were a piece of architecture that one could blame for human cruelty, perhaps it would be this one. “The bridge needs its bodies” is something you understand better when you start walking off of the bridge. I just did not wish for mine to be one of them. I confess that the entire town is a beautiful sight to see, nestled away in mountains in Eastern Bosnia, it is a hidden gem from much of the world. Shame its inhabitants are all part of a generation filled with cold-blooded, murdering racists.