Theme Week Warsaw – The Palace of Culture and Science

31 July 2013 | Author/Destination: | Rubric: General, Museums, Exhibitions, Palaces, Castles, Manors, Parks Reading Time:  5 minutes

© Stanislav Kozlovskiy/cc-by-sa-3.0

© Stanislav Kozlovskiy/cc-by-sa-3.0

The Palace of Culture and Science in Warsaw is the tallest building in Poland, the sixth tallest building in the European Union. The building was originally known as the Joseph Stalin Palace of Culture and Science, but in the wake of destalinization the dedication to Stalin was revoked; Stalin’s name was removed from the interior lobby and one of the building’s sculptures. Currently it is the 187th tallest building in the world.   read more…

Aberystwyth in Wales

30 July 2013 | Author/Destination: | Rubric: General Reading Time:  7 minutes

National Library of Wales © Rhyshuw1/cc-by-sa-3.0

National Library of Wales © Rhyshuw1/cc-by-sa-3.0

Aberystwyth (English: Mouth of the Ystwyth) is a historic market town, administrative centre and holiday resort within Ceredigion, Wales. Often colloquially known as Aber, it is located near the confluence of the rivers Ystwyth and Rheidol. Since the late 19th century, Aberystwyth has also been a major Welsh educational centre, with the establishment of a university college there in 1872. At the 2001 census, the town’s population was 16,000. During nine months of the year, there is an influx of students – to a total number of 10,400 as of September 2012 – but there is no reliable measure of the number of those students whose family residence is outside Aberystwyth.   read more…

Theme Week Amsterdam – Canals of Amsterdam

27 July 2013 | Author/Destination: | Rubric: General, UNESCO World Heritage Reading Time:  6 minutes

© Dohduhdah

© Dohduhdah

Amsterdam, capital of the Netherlands, has been called the “Venice of the North” for its more than one hundred kilometres of canals, about 90 islands and 1,500 bridges. The three main canals, Herengracht, Prinsengracht, and Keizersgracht, dug in the 17th century during the Dutch Golden Age, form concentric belts around the city, known as the Grachtengordel. Alongside the main canals are 1550 monumental buildings. The 17th-century canal ring area, including the Prinsengracht, Keizersgracht, Herengracht and Jordaan, were placed on the UNESCO World Heritage List in 2010.   read more…

The Mediterranean island of Elba

27 July 2013 | Author/Destination: | Rubric: General Reading Time:  5 minutes

Porto Ferraio © Nova77/cc-by-sa-3.0

Porto Ferraio © Nova77/cc-by-sa-3.0

Elba is a Mediterranean island in Tuscany, Italy, 20 kilometres (12 mi) from the coastal town of Piombino. The largest island of the Tuscan Archipelago, Elba is also part of the Arcipelago Toscano National Park, and the third largest island in Italy, after Sicily and Sardinia. It is located in the Tyrrhenian Sea, about 50 kilometres (30 mi) east of the French island of Corsica.   read more…

Grafenegg Castle in Lower Austria

24 July 2013 | Author/Destination: | Rubric: General, Palaces, Castles, Manors, Parks Reading Time:  6 minutes

© Zairon/cc-by-sa-3.0

© Zairon/cc-by-sa-3.0

Seven centuries of history can be seen in the architecture of Grafenegg Castle. Extended in the 19th century, it has become Austria’s most important example of historicism and in Grafenegg it is possible to find stylistic traces from Gothic through Baroque and Biedermeier to elegant Neo-gothic. With its soaring tower, grandiose façades, stylish staircases, atmospheric arcades and attractive chapel, Grafenegg has become an emblem of Lower Austria.   read more…

Chester in North West England

23 July 2013 | Author/Destination: | Rubric: General Reading Time:  7 minutes

Northgate Street © geograph.org.uk - John Firth/cc-by-sa-2.0

Northgate Street © geograph.org.uk – John Firth/cc-by-sa-2.0

Chester, is a city in Cheshire, England. Lying on the River Dee, close to the border with Wales, it is home to 119,000 inhabitants, and is the largest and most populous settlement of the wider unitary authority area of Cheshire West and Chester, which had a population of 328,100. Chester was granted city status in 1541.   read more…

The Pantanal Conservation Area

20 July 2013 | Author/Destination: | Rubric: General, UNESCO World Heritage Reading Time:  7 minutes

© Alicia Yo/cc-by-sa-3.0

© Alicia Yo/cc-by-sa-3.0

The Pantanal is one of the world’s largest tropical wetland areas, and is located mostly within the Brazilian state of Mato Grosso do Sul, but it extends into Mato Grosso and portions of Bolivia and Paraguay. It sprawls over an area estimated at between 140,000 and 195,000 square kilometres (54,000 and 75,000 sq mi). Various subregional ecosystems exist, each with distinct hydrological, geological and ecological characteristics; up to 12 of them have been defined.   read more…

Trenčín in western Slovakia

20 July 2013 | Author/Destination: | Rubric: General Reading Time:  7 minutes

© Abphoto/cc-by-3.0

© Abphoto/cc-by-3.0

Trenčín is a city in western Slovakia of the central Váh River valley near the Czech border, around 120 km (75 mi) from Bratislava. It has a population of more than 56,000, which makes it the ninth largest municipality of the country. It lies in the Trenčín Basin of north-western Slovakia, which is surrounded by the Strážov Mountains, Považský Inovec and White Carpathians, with the last mentioned being a protected area. The Váh River flows in the north-south axis.   read more…

Périgueux in Aquitaine

18 July 2013 | Author/Destination: | Rubric: General, UNESCO World Heritage Reading Time:  < 1 minute

Town Hall © Père Igor/cc-by-sa-3.0

Town Hall © Père Igor/cc-by-sa-3.0

Périgueux is a commune in the Dordogne department in Aquitaine in southwestern France. Périgueux is the prefecture of the départment and was the capital of the historic County of Périgord. The city has 30,000 inhabitants and is the biggest city in the Dordogne department. River Isle flow from east to west through the city.   read more…

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