I remember as a young man being enthralled by the national uprising in Poland back in 1985. Throughout my short life, I had only known a world in the shadow of the cold war. What started in Poland back then was the catalyst for Europe’s Arad spring. I never thought I would see a Europe without walls.

A short while ago, I decided to visit Krakow to see for myself how Poland had transformed after 30 years of independence. To be honest, I thought that the streets would be filled with slightly overweight women with head scarfs driving around in rickety, ox driven carts. But how wrong was I. Poland is a clean, tidy, bustling country to rival any other in Europe and a real testament to how the European experiment has indeed triumphed.

I was particularly taken by the architecture of Krakow. Thankfully, Krakow’s stunning architecture was largely untouched by the war, which is more than can be said for its population. For a weekend break, I would have no hesitation in recommending Krakow.

Being a bit of an ironmongery and architecture nerd, I took it upon myself to shoot a load of images around Krakow town with the theme being “Doors”. Some were taken in the old town showing some magnificent examples, whilst others were taken around the old run down Soviet parts. I hope you enjoy them.