Grunewald in Berlin

30 November 2016 | Author/Destination: | Rubric: General, Berlin Reading Time:  6 minutes

Villa Konschewski am Hundekehlesee by Oskar Kaufmann © Lienhard Schulz/cc-by-sa-3.0

Villa Konschewski am Hundekehlesee by Oskar Kaufmann © Lienhard Schulz/cc-by-sa-3.0

Grunewald is a locality within the Berliner borough of Charlottenburg-Wilmersdorf. Famous for the homonymous forest, until 2001 administrative reform it was part of the former district of Wilmersdorf. The locality is situated in the western side of the city and is separated from Spandau by the river Havel. The Grunewald forest is 10 km away from Berlin. The name derives from the Grunewald hunting lodge of 1543, the oldest preserved castle in Berlin, which is, however, officially located on the grounds of the adjacent Dahlem locality. It was erected in an Early Renaissance style by order of Elector Joachim II Hector of Brandenburg and named Zum Gruenen Wald. A corduroy road leading from the Berlin Stadtschloss to the lodge was laid out, which later would be known as the Kurfürstendamm boulevard. Today, Grunewald is one of the most prestigious and expensive residential areas in Berlin.   read more…

Theme Week West Jerusalem – Yad Vashem, the Holocaust Martyrs’ and Heroes’ Remembrance Authority

19 September 2015 | Author/Destination: | Rubric: General, Museums, Exhibitions, Union for the Mediterranean Reading Time:  13 minutes

Aerial view of Yad Vashem © Godot13/cc-by-sa-3.0

Aerial view of Yad Vashem © Godot13/cc-by-sa-3.0

Yad Vashem is Israel’s official memorial to the victims of the Holocaust. Established in 1953, Yad Vashem is located on the western slope of Mount Herzl on the Mount of Remembrance in Jerusalem, 804 meters (2,638 ft) above sea level and adjacent to the Jerusalem Forest. The memorial consists of a 180-dunam (18.0 ha; 44.5-acre) complex containing the Holocaust History Museum, memorial sites such as the Children’s Memorial and the Hall of Remembrance, The Museum of Holocaust Art, sculptures, outdoor commemorative sites such as the Valley of the Communities, a synagogue, a research institute with archives, a library, a publishing house, and an educational center named The International School/Institute for Holocaust Studies.   read more…

Bełżec in Poland

18 August 2015 | Author/Destination: | Rubric: General Reading Time:  6 minutes

Orthodox church of St. Vasily from 1756 © Yarek shalom/cc-by-sa-3.0

Orthodox church of St. Vasily from 1756 © Yarek shalom/cc-by-sa-3.0

Bełżec is a village in Tomaszów Lubelski County, Lublin Voivodeship, in eastern Poland with 2,600 inhabitants. It is the seat of the gmina (administrative district) called Gmina Bełżec. It lies approximately 8 kilometres (5 mi) south of Tomaszów Lubelski and 114 km (71 mi) south-east of the regional capital Lublin.   read more…

Thessaloniki, Greece’s co-capital

8 August 2015 | Author/Destination: | Rubric: General, Architecture, European Union, European Capital of Culture, UNESCO World Heritage Reading Time:  10 minutes

White Tower © MaurusNR

White Tower © MaurusNR

Thessaloniki, historically also known as Thessalonica or Salonica, is the second-largest city in Greece and the capital of the periphery of Central Macedonia as well as the de facto administrative capital of the Greek regions of Macedonia and Thrace. Its honorific title is Συμπρωτεύουσα (Symprotévousa), literally “co-capital”, a reference to its historical status as the Συμβασιλεύουσα (Symvasilévousa) or “co-reigning” city of the Byzantine Empire, alongside Constantinople. According to the 2001 census, the municipality of Thessaloniki had a population of 364,000, while its Urban Area had a population of 773,000. The Larger Urban Zone of Thessaloniki has an estimated 996,000 residents, while its area is 1,455.62 km² (562.02 sq mi). With a history of over 2,300 years, it is one of Europe’s oldest cities. Thessaloniki is Greece’s second major economic, industrial, commercial and political centre, and a major transportation hub for the rest of southeastern Europe; its commercial port is also of great importance for Greece and the southeastern European hinterland. The city is renowned for its events and festivals, the most famous of which include the annual International Trade Fair, the Thessaloniki International Film Festival, and the largest bi-annual meeting of the Greek diaspora.   read more…

Chișinău, the capital of Moldova

19 July 2015 | Author/Destination: | Rubric: General Reading Time:  6 minutes

City hall © Mirek237

City hall © Mirek237

Chișinău, historically also known as Kishinev, is the capital and largest city of the Republic of Moldova. It is Moldova’s main industrial and commercial center, and is located in the middle of the country, on the river Bîc. According to January 2014 official estimates, Chișinău proper has a population of 675,000 and the municipality of Chișinău is home to 805,000 residents.   read more…

Theme Week Dresden – New Synagogue

17 June 2015 | Author/Destination: | Rubric: General Reading Time:  6 minutes

New Synagogue © Maros M r a z/cc-by-sa-3.0

New Synagogue © Maros M r a z/cc-by-sa-3.0

The New Synagogue is a synagogue in Dresden. The edifice was completed in 2001 and designed by architects Rena Wandel-Hoefer and Wolfgang Lorch. The building was shortlisted by the jury for the European Union Prize for Contemporary Architecture in 2003. It was built on the same location as the Semper Synagogue (1839–1840) designed by Gottfried Semper, which was destroyed in 1938, during the Kristallnacht.   read more…

Wroclaw in Poland

28 May 2015 | Author/Destination: | Rubric: General, Architecture, European Union, European Capital of Culture, UNESCO World Heritage Reading Time:  8 minutes

Wroclaw Panorma © Lukaszprzy

Wroclaw Panorma © Lukaszprzy

Wrocław is the chief city in south-western Poland, situated on the River Oder (Polish: Odra). Wrocław is the former capital of Silesia and today, capital of Lower Silesian Voivodeship. Over the centuries, the city has been either part of Poland, Bohemia, Austria, Prussia or Germany. According to official population figures for June 2009, its population is 632,000, making it the fourth largest city in Poland. Wrocław, along with San Sebastián, Spain, will be the European Capital of Culture in 2016.   read more…

Cluj-Napoca, in the historic region of Transylvania

24 May 2015 | Author/Destination: | Rubric: General Reading Time:  8 minutes

City Centre © Alexmandru

City Centre © Alexmandru

Cluj-Napoca (German: Klausenburg; Hungarian: Kolozsvár), commonly known as Cluj, is the second most populous city in Romania and the seat of Cluj County in the northwestern part of the country. Geographically, it is roughly equidistant from Bucharest (324 km / 201 mi), Budapest (351 km / 218 mi) and Belgrade (322 km / 200 mi). Located in the Someşul Mic River valley, the city is considered the unofficial capital to the historical province of Transylvania. In 1790–1848 and 1861–1867, it was the official capital of the Grand Principality of Transylvania.   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…

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