Doors are not simply doors; they are not merely gateways separating the private sphere from the public sphere. Doors denote pride, privacy or public engagement. They can be places of refuge, of safety while looking upon the comings and goings of the world beyond the doors. Doors, and gates, entrances, whatever function they perform, are architectural elements that can be displays of artistry and locales for human interaction as well as having the function to seal off the private domain from the public one. 

     Doors also have different functions in different parts of the world. Günther Komnick takes us on a journey to some of the most unusual and evocative doorways and city gates. In ancient times city gates performed the same function as doors – controlling who goes in and who stays beyond the city walls. In Italian, for example, the word "porta” is the same for door and gate, emphasising the function rather than the dimension of the entrance. A "portone” suggests a big door, with a smaller door nestled in one corner of a larger door, which once opened would let through merchandise or large vehicles. People congregate in doorways, fulfilling their function as social spaces in close proximity to a safe and domesticated environment.

     We take doors for granted, but they demarcate the realms which we can control and those others control. 

by Dr Wilhelm Snyman, Auckland, New Zealand