Theme Week Belgium – Charleroi in Wallonia

9 August 2012 | Author/Destination: | Rubric: General, UNESCO World Heritage Reading Time:  5 minutes

Charles II Square on market day © Jean-Marie Hoornaert

Charles II Square on market day © Jean-Marie Hoornaert

Charleroi is a city and a municipality of Wallonia, located in the province of Hainaut. As of 1 January 2008, the total population of Charleroi was 201,593. The metropolitan area, including the outer commuter zone, covers an area of 1,462 square kilometres (564 sq mi) and had a total population of 522,522 as of 1 January 2008, ranking it as the fifth most populous in Belgium after Brussels, Antwerp, Liège and Ghent. The inhabitants are called Carolorégiens or simply Carolos. The municipality contains an industrial area, iron and steel industry, glassworks, chemicals, and electrical engineering. Charleroi is in the center of a coal basin, called Pays noir. Many slag heaps still surround the city. Dupuis is a publisher of Franco-Belgian comics, located in Marcinelle.   read more…

Rüdesheim on the Rhine

6 August 2012 | Author/Destination: | Rubric: General, UNESCO World Heritage Reading Time:  6 minutes

Rüdesheim on the Rhine around 1900

Rüdesheim on the Rhine around 1900

Rüdesheim is a winemaking town in the Rhine Gorge and thereby part of the UNESCO World Heritage Site. It lies in the Rheingau-Taunus-Kreis district in the region of Darmstadt in Hesse.   read more…

Dundee is the fourth largest city in Scotland

4 August 2012 | Author/Destination: | Rubric: General, UNESCO World Heritage Reading Time:  8 minutes

Caird Hall and Desperate Dan © Gerd Thiele

Caird Hall and Desperate Dan © Gerd Thiele

Dundee is the fourth-largest city in Scotland and the 38th most populous settlement in the United Kingdom. It lies within the eastern central Lowlands on the north bank of the Firth of Tay, which feeds into the North Sea. Under the name of Dundee City, it forms one of the 32 council areas used for local government in Scotland.   read more…

Theme Week Algarve – Évora

17 July 2012 | Author/Destination: | Rubric: General, UNESCO World Heritage Reading Time:  5 minutes

© Joananv22

© Joananv22

Due to its well-preserved old town centre, still partially enclosed by medieval walls, and a large number of monuments dating from various historical periods, including a Roman Temple, Évora is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. It is also a member of the Most Ancient European Towns Network.   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 port city of Cartagena in Colombia

25 June 2012 | Author/Destination: | Rubric: General, UNESCO World Heritage Reading Time:  9 minutes

Colonial street © Cbrough

Colonial street © Cbrough

Cartagena de Indias is a large Caribbean beach resort city on the northern coast of Colombia in the Caribbean Coast Region and capital of Bolívar Department. The city had a population of 892,545 as of the 2005 census, making it the fifth-largest city in Colombia and giving the Cartagena urban area the status of fifth-largest urban area in Colombia. Cartagena is a centre of economic activity in the Caribbean, as well a popular tourist destination. Activity and development of the Cartagena region is dated back to 4000 B.C. around Cartagena Bay by varying cultures of indigenous peoples. The Spanish colonial city was founded on June 1, 1533 and named after Cartagena, Spain. Cartagena served a key role in the development of the region during the Spanish eras; it was a center of political and economic activity due to the presence of royalty and wealthy viceroys. In 1984, Cartagena’s colonial walled city and fortress were designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site.   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…

Tivoli, city of art, history, culture and monuments

21 June 2012 | Author/Destination: | Rubric: General, UNESCO World Heritage Reading Time:  6 minutes

View from Monti Tuburtini © Kleuske

View from Monti Tuburtini © Kleuske

Tivoli, the classical Tibur, is an ancient Italian town in Lazio, about 30 km east-north-east of Rome, at the falls of the Aniene river where it issues from the Sabine hills. The city offers a wide view over the Roman Campagna.   read more…

Bern, capital of Switzerland

18 June 2012 | Author/Destination: | Rubric: General, UNESCO World Heritage Reading Time:  8 minutes

The Zytglogge clock tower and the citys medieval covered shopping promenades © Daniel Schwen

The Zytglogge clock tower and the citys medieval covered shopping promenades © Daniel Schwen

The city of Bern or Berne is the Bundesstadt (federal city, de facto capital) of Switzerland, and, with a population of 133,920, the fourth most populous city in Switzerland. The Bern agglomeration, which includes 43 municipalities, has a population of 349,000. The metropolitan area had a population of 660,000 in 2000. Bern is also the capital of the Canton of Bern, the second most populous of Switzerland’s cantons.   read more…

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