The Baltic island of Bornholm

21 December 2012 | Author/Destination: | Rubric: General Reading Time:  6 minutes

Half-timbered houses in Svaneke © Ipigott

Half-timbered houses in Svaneke © Ipigott

Bornholm is a Danish island in the Baltic Sea located to the east of (most of) the rest of Denmark, south of Sweden, and north of Poland. The main industries on the island include fishing, arts and crafts such as glass making and pottery using locally worked clay, and dairy farming. Tourism is important during the summer. The topography of the island consists of dramatic rock formations in the north, sloping down towards “pine and deciduous forests” and farmland in the middle and sandy beaches in the south. It also refers to Bornholm Regional Municipality, the municipality (Danish: kommune) which covers the entire island. Bornholm was one of the three last Danish municipalities not belonging to a county – the others being Copenhagen and Frederiksberg. On 1 January 2007, the municipality lost its short-lived (2003 until 2006) county privileges and became part of Region Hovedstaden.   read more…

Karelia, the historical landscape in Northern Europe

15 August 2012 | Author/Destination: | Rubric: General Reading Time:  6 minutes

Kotkatjärvi village © MaSii

Kotkatjärvi village © MaSii

Karelia, the land of the Karelian peoples, is an area in Northern Europe of historical significance for Finland, Russia, and Sweden. It is currently divided between the Russian Republic of Karelia, the Russian Leningrad Oblast, and Finland (the regions of South Karelia and North Karelia).   read more…

Stockholm, the Venice of the North

12 July 2012 | Author/Destination: | Rubric: General, European Union, European Capital of Culture, UNESCO World Heritage Reading Time:  9 minutes

National Museum © Jonas Bergsten

National Museum © Jonas Bergsten

Stockholm is the capital and the largest city of Sweden and constitutes the most populated urban area in Scandinavia. Stockholm is the most populous city in Sweden, with a population of 864,324 in the municipality, 1.4 million in the urban area, and around 2.1 million in the 6,519 km2 (2,517.00 sq mi) metropolitan area. As of 2010, the Stockholm metropolitan area is home to approximately 22% of Sweden’s population.   read more…

The Archipelago Sea in Finland

22 June 2012 | Author/Destination: | Rubric: General, UNESCO World Heritage Reading Time:  7 minutes

Archipelago Sea seen from the ferry between Pargas and Nagu © LPfi

Archipelago Sea seen from the ferry between Pargas and Nagu © LPfi

Archipelago Sea is a part of the Baltic Sea between the Gulf of Bothnia, the Gulf of Finland and the Sea of Åland, within Finnish territorial waters. By some definitions it contains the largest archipelago (island group) in the world by the number of islands, although many of the islands are very small and tightly clustered. The larger islands are inhabited and connected by ferries and bridges. The Åland Islands, including the largest islands of the region, form an autonomous region within Finland. The rest of the islands are part of Finland Proper. The Archipelago Sea is a significant tourist destination.   read more…

Die Stadt Wyborg in der historischen Region Karelien

7 June 2012 | Author/Destination: | Rubric: General Reading Time:  5 minutes

Embankment © Sergey Galchenkov

Embankment © Sergey Galchenkov

Vyborg is a town in Leningrad Oblast, situated on the Karelian Isthmus near the head of the Bay of Vyborg, 130 kilometers (81 mi) to the northwest of St. Petersburg and 38 kilometers (24 mi) south from Russia’s border with Finland, where the Saimaa Canal enters the Gulf of Finland. Population: 80,000. The Hanseatic city lies in the boundary zone between the East Slavic/Russian and Finnish/Scandinavian worlds and has changed hands several times in history, most recently in 1944 when it was taken by the Soviet Union from Finland during World War II.   read more…

Åland in Finland

21 May 2012 | Author/Destination: | Rubric: General Reading Time:  7 minutes

Åland map © Ulamm

Åland map © Ulamm

The Åland Islands form an archipelago in the Baltic Sea. They are situated at the entrance to the Gulf of Bothnia and form an autonomous, demilitarised, monolingually Swedish-speaking region of Finland. The islands collectively constitute the smallest region of Finland, with only 0.49% of its land area, and 0.50% of its population.   read more…

The Baltic seaside resort of Travemünde

16 March 2012 | Author/Destination: | Rubric: General Reading Time:  5 minutes

Kurhaus Hotel © Asterion

Kurhaus Hotel © Asterion

Travemünde is a borough of Lübeck, located at the mouth of the river Trave in Lübeck Bay. It began life as a fortress built by Henry the Lion, Duke of Saxony, in the 12th century to guard the mouth of the Trave, and the Danes subsequently strengthened it. It became a town in 1317 and in 1329 passed into the possession of the free city of Lübeck, to which it has since belonged. Its fortifications were demolished in 1807.   read more…

The first 5-star Marina on Germany’s Baltic Sea coast!

24 February 2012 | Author/Destination: | Rubric: General, Hotels, Sport Reading Time:  5 minutes

© yachthafen-hohe-duene.de

© yachthafen-hohe-duene.de

The Yachthafen Hohe Düne offers 750 berths, half of which are available for visiting yachts. The marina is complemented by one of the most exclusive and impressive hotel complexes on the Baltic Sea, the Yachthafenresidenz Hohe Düne. Close at hand are ship builders, technicians, engine specialists, sailmakers and more. Along with the attractions of the hotel complex, including its diverse restaurants and spa, numerous additional restaurants and bars can be found nearby, while for the more energetic there is a diving school, which offers not only training courses but also assistance with keel or propeller problems.   read more…

Damp Marina

20 February 2012 | Author/Destination: | Rubric: General, Hotels, Sport Reading Time:  6 minutes

Damp Marina © Xocolatl

Damp Marina © Xocolatl

Here the Baltic Sea is just one pier away: On the tip of Schwansen (located 54° 35‘ North/10° 016‘ east) the Damp marina welcomes you with its 14 footbridges and 365 moorages of which 100 are reserved for guests. Irrespective of where you dock your boat, a hose connection for drinking water and a 220 V socket are available directly in front of the boat. In addition the depth of the water is perfect for docking: Water depth in the outer harbour is 3 meters, in the inner harbour it’s even 3.20 meters and in the outer area 4 meters.   read more…

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