How come old European streets and houses look like they’ve come straight out of fairy tales? What’s up with those slanted roofs? And what are those weird stone demons on the churches? A master architect leads you on a guided tour of Europe’s iconic architecture.

Walking along the streets of an old European town can feel like visiting a fairytale; Bavarian timber-fronted houses, Roman cathedrals, and English alleyways all conjure up images from famous stories and movies. Close inspection of these beautiful feats of architecture leads to many questions: How come the second story of a building juts over the ground floor? What are those weird stone demons up there? Career architect Monlo Hsieh is here to unveil the answers.

Down These Cobbled Streets takes us across western Europe, past many famous and beautiful scenes, and reveals the compelling, quirky, and sometimes dark history behind the most interesting aspects of traditional architecture. Did you know that multi-story buildings often extend the second floor beyond the ground floor because the builders wanted to cheat on taxes? Or that the massive stones embedded in many old sidewalks were to keep carriages from rubbing against buildings? The more questions you ask, the more fascinating history you discover.

Architect and professor Monlo Hsieh will guide you from point to point, phenomenon to phenomenon with clear explanation and a bouquet of beautiful photos taken with his own hands. Once again, you’ll find yourself walking into an imaginary world – except this time, you’ll have your own personal tour guide right beside you.