Cathedral Basilica of St Stanislaus and St Ladislaus of Vilnius

7 January 2022 | Author/Destination: | Rubric: General Reading Time:  13 minutes

Christmas 3D video projected on the Cathedral © flickr.com - Guillaume Speurt/cc-by-sa-2.0

Christmas 3D video projected on the Cathedral © flickr.com – Guillaume Speurt/cc-by-sa-2.0

The Cathedral Basilica of St Stanislaus and St Ladislaus of Vilnius is the main Roman Catholic Cathedral of Lithuania. It is situated in Vilnius Old Town, just off Cathedral Square. Dedicated to Saints Stanislaus and Ladislaus, the church is the heart of Catholic spiritual life in Lithuania.   read more…

Soomaa National Park in Estonia

26 May 2020 | Author/Destination: | Rubric: General, Environment Reading Time:  9 minutes

The Fifth Season © Aime Pae/cc-by-sa-3.0

The Fifth Season © Aime Pae/cc-by-sa-3.0

Soomaa National Park is a national park in south-western Estonia. Soomaa (“land of bogs“) protects 390 km², the park was created in 1993. Soomaa is Important Bird Area since 1989 and a Ramsar site of protected wetlands since 1997 and a Natura 2000 area since 2004. The national park, situated in Vahe-Eesti (aka Meso-Estonia), was created in 1993 to protect large raised bogs, flood plain grasslands, paludified forests, and meandering rivers. The territory of the national park is mostly covered with large mires, separated from each other by the rivers of the Pärnu River basin — the Navesti, Halliste, Raudna and Lemmjõgi rivers. Of the raised bogs, the most noteworthy is the Kuresoo raised bog, whose steep southern slope, falling into Lemmejõgi, rises by 8 metres over a distance of 100 m.   read more…

Choral Synagogue of Vilnius

14 October 2019 | Author/Destination: | Rubric: General Reading Time:  3 minutes

© Kontis Šatūnas

© Kontis Šatūnas

The Choral Synagogue of Vilnius in Lithuania is the only synagogue in Vilnius that is still in use. The other synagogues were destroyed partly during World War II, when Lithuania was occupied by Nazi Germany, and partly by the Soviet authorities after the war.   read more…

Vilnius, Rome of the East

24 April 2015 | Author/Destination: | Rubric: General, Architecture, European Union, European Capital of Culture, UNESCO World Heritage Reading Time:  6 minutes

Skyscrapers in Vilnius © Arroww

Skyscrapers in Vilnius © Arroww

Vilnius is the capital of Lithuania, and its largest city, with a population of 560,000 (850,000 together with Vilnius County). It is the seat of the Vilnius city municipality and of the Vilnius district municipality. It is also the capital of Vilnius County. Vilnius has been rapidly transformed, and the town has emerged as a modern European city. Many of its older buildings have been renovated, and a business and commercial area is being developed into the New City Centre, expected to become the city’s main administrative and business district on the north side of the Neris river. This area includes modern residential and retail space, with the municipality building and the 129-metre (423′) Europa Tower as its most prominent buildings. Vilnius was selected as a 2009 European Capital of Culture, along with Linz, the capital of Upper Austria. Its 2009 New Year’s Eve celebration, marking the event, featured a light show said to be “visible from outer space”. In preparation, the historical centre of the city was restored, and its main monuments were renewed. Besides the many official programs for the Cultural Capital year, there have been efforts to promote subcultural venues, such as the Kultflux and Vilnus Triennale program, showing young arts from all over Lithuania and Europe to a general public, both in public spaces, such as on the river shore of Neris river, and in several vacant buildings within the city centre.   read more…

Tallinn in Estonia

20 November 2014 | Author/Destination: | Rubric: General, European Union, European Capital of Culture, UNESCO World Heritage Reading Time:  8 minutes

© Brunswyk/cc-by-sa-3.0-de

© Brunswyk/cc-by-sa-3.0-de

Tallinn is the capital and largest city of Estonia. Tallinn occupies an area of 159.2 km2 (61.5 sq mi) and has a population of 432,000. It is situated on the northern coast of the country, on the shore of the Gulf of Finland, 80 km (50 mi) south of Helsinki, east of Stockholm and west of Saint Petersburg. Tallinn’s Old Town is listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Sites. It is ranked as a global city and has been listed among the top 10 digital cities in the world. The city was a European Capital of Culture for 2011, along with Turku in Finland. Tallinn is the financial and business capital of Estonia. The city benefits from the high level of economic freedom, liberal economic policy and has a highly diversified economy with particular strengths in information technology, tourism and logistics. Daily Mail called Tallinn one of world’s seven smartest cities. Tallinn is internationally renowned as a tourist destination, receiving more than 1.5 million visitors annually. The number of visitors has been growing steadily over the past decade. Tallinn Passenger Port is one of the busiest cruise destinations on the Baltic Sea, serving more than 520 000 cruise passengers in year 2013. From year 2011 regular cruise turnarounds in cooperation with Tallinn Airport are organised.   read more…

Jelgava in Semigalia

18 September 2014 | Author/Destination: | Rubric: General Reading Time:  6 minutes

Jelgava Castle © Marcin Szala/cc-by-sa-3.0

Jelgava Castle © Marcin Szala/cc-by-sa-3.0

Jelgava is a city in central Latvia about 41 kilometres (25 miles) southwest of Riga with about 63,000 inhabitants. It is the largest town in the region of Zemgale (Semigalia). Jelgava was the capital of the united Duchy of Courland and Semigallia (1578-1795) and the administrative center of the Courland Governorate (1795-1918).   read more…

Daugavpils in Latvia

16 September 2014 | Author/Destination: | Rubric: General Reading Time:  6 minutes

Daugavpils Fortress, artillery arsenal Rothko at night © Karlis.Rasis/cc-by-sa-3.0

Daugavpils Fortress, artillery arsenal Rothko at night © Karlis.Rasis/cc-by-sa-3.0

Daugavpils is a city in southeastern Latvia, located on the banks of the Daugava River, from which the city gets its name. Daugavpils literally means “Daugava Castle”. With a population of over 100,000, it is the second largest city in the country after the capital Riga, which is located some 230 kilometres (143 miles) to its north-west. Daugavpils has a favorable geographical position as it borders Belarus and Lithuania (distances of 33 km (21 mi) and 25 km (16 mi) respectively). It is located some 120 km (75 mi) from the Latvian border with Russia. Daugavpils is a major railway junction and industrial centre. The city is surrounded by many lakes and nature parks. Daugavpils is an important cultural center in eastern Latvia. More than 1,000 teachers and engineers graduate from Daugavpils Pedagogical University (now Daugavpils University) and the local branch of Riga Technical University annually.   read more…

Narva, the easternmost city of Estonia

6 September 2014 | Author/Destination: | Rubric: General Reading Time:  7 minutes

Narva Castle on the left, Ivangorod Castle on the right. Narva river is the border between Estonia and Russia © LHOON/cc-by-sa-3.0

Narva Castle on the left, Ivangorod Castle on the right. Narva river is the border between Estonia and Russia © LHOON/cc-by-sa-3.0

Narva is the third largest city in Estonia. It is located at the eastern extreme point of Estonia, by the Russian border, on the Narva River which drains Lake Peipus. The capital of Ida-Viru County, Jõhvi, lies 50 km (31 mi) to the west. The Estonian part of the Narva Reservoir lies mostly within the territory of Narva, to the southwest of city center. The mouth of the Narva River to the Gulf of Finland is about 13 km (8 mi) downstream from the city.   read more…

Haapsalu on the west coast of Estonia

2 September 2014 | Author/Destination: | Rubric: General Reading Time:  6 minutes

View from castle © Therese-Liise Aasma/cc-by-sa-3.0

View from castle © Therese-Liise Aasma/cc-by-sa-3.0

Haapsalu is a seaside resort town located on the west coast of Estonia. As the administrative centre of Lääne County it has a population of 11,000. Haapsalu has been well known for centuries for its warm seawater, curative mud and peaceful atmosphere. Salt mud spas frequented by the Russian Romanov family still operate. Narrow streets with early 20th century wooden houses repeatedly lead to the sea. Haapsalu has been called the “Venice of the Baltics”, although this positioning has been criticized as exaggerating. The name “Haapsalu” is from Estonian haab ‘aspen’ and salu ‘grove.’   read more…

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