Klaipėda (German: Memel) is a city in Lithuania situated at the mouth of the Curonian Lagoon where it flows into the Baltic Sea with a population of 186,000. It is the third largest city in Lithuania and the capital of Klaipėda County. The city has a complex recorded history, partially due to the strategic regional importance of the Port of Klaipėda, a usually ice-free port on the Baltic Sea. It has been controlled by the Teutonic Knights, the Duchy of Prussia, the Kingdom of Prussia, the German Empire, the Entente States immediately after World War I, Lithuania as a result of the 1923 Klaipėda Revolt, and the Third Reich following the 1939 German ultimatum to Lithuania. The city was incorporated into Lithuania during its tenure as a Soviet Socialist Republic and has remained within Lithuania following its re-establishment as a independent state. Popular seaside resorts found close to Klaipėda are Nida to the south on the Curonian Spit, and Palanga to the north. read more…
Plzeň (English: Pilsen) is a city in western Bohemia in the Czech Republic. It is the capital of the Plzeň Region and the fourth most populous city in the Czech Republic. It is located about 90 km west of Prague at the confluence of four rivers–the Radbuza, the Mže, the Úhlava, and the Úslava–which form the Berounka River. The city is known worldwide for Pilsener beer. Pilsen was in September 2010 selected by an official jury to be put forward to join the Belgian city of Mons as the European capital of culture in 2015. read more…
Gdańsk is a city on the Baltic coast in northern Poland, at the centre of the country’s fourth-largest metropolitan area. The city lies on the southern edge of Gdańsk Bay (of the Baltic Sea), in a conurbation with the city of Gdynia, spa town of Sopot, and suburban communities, which together form a metropolitan area called the Tricity (Trójmiasto), with a population of over 800,000. Gdańsk itself has a population of 435,830 (June 2010), making it the largest city in the Pomerania region of Northern Poland. Gdańsk is Poland’s principal seaport as well as the capital of the Pomeranian Voivodeship. It is also historically the largest city of the Kashubian region. The city is close to the former late medieval/modern boundary between West Slavic and Germanic lands and it has a complex political history with periods of Polish rule, periods of German rule, and extensive self-rule, with two spells as a free city. It has been part of modern Poland since 1945. read more…
Rotterdam is a city and municipality in the Dutch province of South Holland, situated in the west of the Netherlands. The municipality is the second largest in the country, with a population of 600,000. The greater Rotterdam area is often known as “Rotterdam-Rijnmond”/”Rijnmond region” (Rijnmond literally translates into “Rhine’s mouth”, referring to Rotterdam’s location at the end of the Rhine-delta and its economic position as Europe’s main port), yet other versions can be suggested for greater Rotterdam. Depending on what version is chosen, the area contains between 1.2 and 1.4 million people. When including The Hague, with whom Rotterdam now shares the Rotterdam The Hague Airport and city-lightrail RandstadRail, the enlarged region approaches 2.5 million inhabitants. It forms the southern part of the Randstad, the sixth-largest metropolitan area in Europe, with a population of 6.7 million. read more…
Florence is the capital city of the Italian region of Tuscany and of the province of Florence. It is the most populous city in Tuscany, with 370,000 inhabitants (1.5 in the metropolitan area). read more…
With round 245.000 inhabitants, Braunschweig is the biggest city in the area between Hanover and Berlin. It is the centre of the region, as much today as it has been in the past. Today’s attractive profile of the Lion City is due to its rich and proud history, its steady development as a dynamic place for business, trading, sciences and research as well as its extensive cultural activities. Braunschweig’s history is closely linked to the Guelph, Henry the Lion, and his son Otto IV. who was the first and only Guelph emperor. Places of interest like St. Blasii Cathedral or Dankwarderode Castle remind us even today of the powerful Guelph Duke who made Braunschweig his residence in the middle of the 12th century. His lion, in the form of a bronze statue, has stood on the Burgplatz for centuries as a reminder of his power and is still the heraldic sign of the city. read more…
Dresden is the capital city of the Free State of Saxony in Germany. It is situated in a valley on the River Elbe, near the Czech border. The Dresden conurbation is part of the Saxon Triangle metropolitan area. Dresden has a long history as the capital and royal residence for the Electors and Kings of Saxony, who for centuries furnished the city with cultural and artistic splendour. The city was completely destroyed by the controversial Allied aerial bombing towards the end of World War II. The impact of the bombing and 40 years of urban development during the East German socialist era have considerably changed the face of the city. Some restoration work has helped to reconstruct parts of the historic inner city, including the Katholische Hofkirche, the Semperoper and the Dresdner Frauenkirche. Since the German reunification in 1990, Dresden has regained importance as one of the cultural, educational, political and economic centres of Germany. read more…
Skagen (The Skaw) is a projection of land and a town, with a population of 8,636 (1 January 2010), in Region Nordjylland on the northernmost tip of Vendsyssel-Thy, a part of the Jutland peninsula in northern Denmark. Skagen is located in Frederikshavn municipality. The area is extremely picturesque, and distinguished by its low, yellow houses with red tile roofs nestled into the beach areas. The impressive and wild landscape was largely formed by a severe process of desertification that hit the area in the 18th and 19th centuries. Problems with moving dunes and desertification were brought under control in the latter 19th and early 20th centuries by large-scale plantations of grasses, bushes and fir trees. Two significant migratory dunes remain in the area, including the enormous Råbjerg Mile. read more…
The Island of Rügen, together with the Island of Hiddensee and some smaller islands form Rügen County the county town Bergen. Other cities are Sassnitz, Putbus and Garz and the seaside resorts Binz, Sellin, Göhren, Baabe and Thiessow. Rügen is visited by many travelers from all around the world for its rich landscape and the long, sandy beaches. On the relatively small island area the full range of German history can be found, in addition to the partially resurrected seaside resort tradition and architecture, it is said that the famous pirate Klaus Störtebeker hide and buried his treasure here and a lot of modern history happened too. The Island of Hiddensee, a holiday hideaway for the SED leaders of the former communist East Germany, as well as the still-existent 4.5 km long KdF resort in the seaside resort Seebad Prora from the Nazi past – for any epoch tangible architecture, art and culture can be found. Rügen, more than any other baltic seaside resorts, managed the change of times in a short period and established itself as a sustainable holiday destination for national and international visitors. read more…
