Tiny romantic Kotor is pressed by the mountains to the very edge of a narrow bay that cuts deep into the mainland. Its powerful fortifications, crawling along the steeps, cover a tight tangle of narrow streets, squares paved with marble slabs the size of a handkerchief, Catholic and Orthodox churches, palaces of the nobility, between…
Category: Europe
COLLAPSE OF THE EASTERN BLOC
Until the late 1980s, Europe remained divided into two warring blocs by the East-West conflict. On the one hand there were the Eastern bloc states allied with the Soviet Union, on the other hand the western countries sympathizing with the United States of America. A momentous event was the beginning of perestroika in 1985(Russian: “transformation”) under the new General Secretary of the CPSU, Mikhail Gorbachev. While the reform program in the Soviet Union made sluggish progress, the democratization process quickly spread to the allied states, where the old rulers had to bow to popular pressure and – since the Soviet Union refused to intervene – had to give way to democratically elected governments. With the exception of Romania, this change of power was largely peaceful.
The collapse of the Eastern Bloc in 1990 enabled the reunification of the two German states proclaimed in 1949, but also a division of Czechoslovakia, which took place in 1993 after the Slovak republic had declared its independence a year earlier. National liberation efforts had also led to the separation of Slovenia and Croatia from Yugoslavia in 1991. Their recognition by the Federal Republic of Germany kicked off a sustained and extremely bloody civil war, in the course of which the multi-ethnic state of Yugoslavia split up into the seven autonomous states of Slovenia, Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Serbia, Macedonia, Montenegro and Kosovo.
DWARF STATES AND AUTONOMOUS AREAS
Greenland and the Faroe Islands are parts of the Danish state with autonomous status. The outer area of Svalbard, which includes the Svalbard archipelago and the Bear Islands, belongs to Norway. Gibraltar has been British owned since 1704. In a referendum in 1967, an overwhelming majority voted to remain with Great Britain, and the peninsula has had its own constitution since 1969.
Cyprus was once a British colony, became independent in 1960 and has been divided into the Greek Republic of Cyprus (with two sovereign British military bases) and the internationally unrecognized Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus by a demarcation line since 1974. For more information about the continent of Europe, please check militarynous.com.
Malmö, Sweden
Malmö is the center of the province of Skåne, one of the richest farming regions in Sweden. It is a small, pretty and very friendly town where almost everything is within walking distance. Not so long ago, the city “won” the land from the sea and built new quarters with interesting modern architecture on it….
Obzor, Bulgaria
In the Bulgarian town of Obzor, the sea is always 3-5 degrees warmer than in Albena and Golden Sands. It is mainly families with children who prefer a more relaxing holiday than in busy resorts. For children, Obzor has a fair number of attractions and playgrounds, and local health centers treat bronchitis and asthma. The…
Things to Do in Antwerp, Belgium
According to All City Codes, Antwerp is the capital of the Belgian province of the same name. Antwerp is very popular among Dutch tourists. This is partly due to its location fairly close to the Dutch-Belgian border. Geographical location is not enough to make a destination a success. Above all, Antwerp is a very nice…
Sights of Granada, Spain
The fact that the Spanish city of Granada was ruled by the Moors for a number of centuries is still clearly visible. The Arabic influences are clearly visible in various places in the city. Especially in the many palaces that the city has, there are many beautiful details from the past to be seen. Certainly…
Holiday at the Baltic Sea
The most beautiful islands in the Baltic Sea There are six Baltic Sea islands in Germany: Rügen, Fehmarn, Usedom, Poel, Ummanz and Hiddensee. If you also count the Fischland-Darss-Zingst peninsula , you get seven. We present our favorite islands for a Baltic Sea holiday here. Rügen The largest island in Germany According to RC Toy’s…
Attractions in Leon, Spain
According to Computer Do, 50 km southwest of León is the ancient city of Astorga. It is located at the intersection of two important historical routes: the pilgrimage Way of St. James (El Camino de Santiago), which leads to the tomb of the Apostle James, located in the far north of the kingdom in the…
Zaonezhye Peninsula, Russia
According to Cell Phone Explorer, the main natural and cultural attraction of the Medvezhyegorsk region is the Zaonezhye Peninsula, which is located in the northern part of Lake Onega. Here are monuments of wooden architecture – churches, chapels, houses, mills and barns built in the 17th – the first third of the 20th centuries. It…
Netherlands Attractions
Cycle The best way to explore the country is on the Dutch’s most popular means of transport, the bicycle. There is a more than 17,000 km well-developed cycle path network, which not least because of the flat landscape offers the ideal conditions for a cycle tour. The province of Drenthe has a particularly large number…
Latvia Encyclopedia
Northern European state ; it borders to the North with Estonia, to the East and SE with Russia and Belarus, to the South with Lithuania, while to the West it faces the Baltic Sea for about 500 km, which forms the Gulf of Rīga. Physical characters The territory of Latvia constitutes a strip of the…
Iceland Medieval Arts
Island in the North Atlantic Ocean, located close to the Arctic Circle, at a distance of over km. 800 from the coast of Scotland and over km. 1000 from those of Norway. On the basis of the data available so far, the first permanent settlement in Iceland dates back to the 10th century. 9 °…
Italy Theater
In the theater, where romanticism had finally destroyed, at least in practice, the prejudice of a separation of the comic from the tragic genre, the historical drama, without completely disappearing, yielded to the drama of psychology or modern custom and towards the drama of psychology and manners bent comedy. After the feeble continuers that Goldoni had…
Vatican City State Overview
Vatican City. Official name, Stato della Città del Vaticano (Vatican City State), independent state under the absolute authority of the Pope of the Roman Catholic Apostolic Church. It is an enclave within the city of Rome, with an area of 44 hectares. It is the smallest independent country in the world, it was founded in 1929, fulfilling the terms of the Lateran Pacts, ratified…
Romania Language and Music
LANGUAGE The Romanian is a Romance language formed on the territory of Dacia. Chronologically, it was configured as a novel idiom between the 6th and 10th centuries. The settlement of the Slavic populations in the North Danube region starting from the 6th century. it did not substantially alter the Romance structure, but the influence of…
Russia History from Ivan III to the Rise of the Romanovs
With Ivan III (1462-1505) the Grand Duchy of Moscow began an expansion policy which ended with the formation of a great empire. Ivan was surrounded by enemies: the mighty Novgorod to the N, the Tatars to the SE and S, the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, now united with the Polish kingdom, to the W and…
Attractions in Cologne, Germany
The street grid, the course of the wall, the location of the forum (Hohe Straße / Schildergasse) and the Capitol, the praetorium (town hall complex), the sewer system (including under the Kleine Budengasse), known outside cemeteries, glass and ceramic workshops; the Ara Ubiorum, the altar for Augustus and Roma (10 BC) is only suspected (at the forum)….
U.K. Landmarks
Blenheim Palace Blenheim Palace is a private country palace near Woodstock in Oxfordshire, England. It is already inhabited by the 12th generation of the Dukes of Marlborough. The imposing country house with 12,000 m² of living space is one of the largest castles in England and is on the UNESCO World Heritage List. The outdoor…
Quimper and Saint-Jean-de-Luz, France
Quimper Culture and romance 15 kilometers from the Atlantic coast Quimper, a town worth seeing, with around 64,000 inhabitants, is located in Finistère, the western part of the French region of Brittany, and can be easily reached from Paris in around four hours with the TGV high-speed train. What sights does Quimper have to offer?…
United Kingdom Culture
Literature British literature refers to the literature associated with the United Kingdom, the Isle of Man, and the Channel Islands, as well as the literature of England, Wales, and Scotland prior to the formation of the country. Most of the works of British literature were written in the English language. The UK publishes about 206,000…
Czech Republic History: The First Republic (1918-1939)
According to Abbreviationfinder, the Paris suburban treaties of Saint-Germain-en-Laye (September 10, 1919) and Trianon (June 4, 1920) confirmed that Bohemia, Moravia (Silesia), Slovakia and Carpathian -Ukraine belonged to Czechoslovakia; in addition there was the “Hultschiner Ländchen” (Hlučín), which Germany had to cede to the new state. An armed border dispute with Poland broke out in…
Georgia Culture
CULTURE: GENERAL INFORMATION According to a2zcamerablog, Georgia is a country located in Europe. Georgia is a country with a rich and ancient cultural past, open to the influences exercised by the great peoples who gradually alternated in the domination of the territory and by the religious traditions of which these empires were bearers (Christian, Orthodox,…
City of Rauma (World Heritage)
According to mathgeneral, Rauma was one of the most important cities and trading centers in Finland in the Middle Ages and early modern times. The old town of the third oldest city in the country has richly decorated wooden facades from the 18th and 19th centuries and has been able to preserve its street network…
Basel, Switzerland Sightseeings
City highlights Basel City Hall The Basel City Hall is not only the seat of the municipal, but also the seat of the cantonal government of Basel-Stadt. Historisches Museum Basel One of the largest and most important museums in Switzerland according to internetsailors. Botanical Garden One of the oldest parks in the entire German-speaking area….
Aachen, Germany Overview
Aachen – The old coronation city of the emperors According to mathgeneral, the city in the border triangle of Germany, Belgium and the Netherlands was the coronation city of the German kings (936 – 1531) for almost 600 years. The first king to be crowned here was Otto I – the Great (912-973). He was…
Transportation in United Kingdom
ON THE GO Traveling by plane According to internetsailors, British Airways (BA) flies several times a day to Belfast, Birmingham, Edinburgh, Glasgow and Manchester, among others. The following airlines also offer flights within the UK: KLM Cityhopper (WA), flybe (BE) (www.flybe.com), easyJet (EZY) (www.easyjet.com) and Ryanair (FR) (www.ryanair.com). Note on air travel British Airways: As…
Council of Europe (COE)
Human rights mechanisms In addition to the European Convention on Human Rights and its control bodies, there are a number of agreements that have been concluded since the late 1980’s. One of the most important is the 1987 Convention for the Prevention of Torture and Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment. All Member States have…
Scotland Universities
University of St. Andrew This Scottish university is the oldest university in Scotland and is located in St. Andrews, a town with a population of 17,000 on the east coast of Scotland – about 50 km north-east of Edinburgh as the crow flies. Classes began here three years before the University was officially founded by…
Wales Political System
Wales is part of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, whose government is based in the English capital, London. The Parliament of Great Britain has its seat in England’s capital London. It consists of the House of Lords and the House of Commons. Parliament, along with the Queen, represents the sovereign power…
Kosovo Serbia Agreement
The historic agreement of April 19, 2013 On April 19, 2013 the delegations from Belgrade and Pristina met for an additional negotiation round. A modified proposal submitted by the EU representatives brought about the breakthrough. In the presence of Lady Ashton, the Serbian Prime Minister Dačić, his Deputy Aleksandar Vučić and Kosovo’s Prime Minister Thači…
Experience Cozy Geilo
Geilo is one of Norway’s oldest ski resorts and realizes everything you imagine Norwegian ski resorts should be. Here it is family friendly, close to everything and there is also a lot to do in addition to skiing. Traditional Geilo is located in a valley between Bergen and Oslo, right on the border of Norway’s…
Innsbruck Travel Guide
Innsbruck has two attractions: a charming historic city and is surrounded by the Alps. The city is called the capital of the Alps, which is indicated at least by the number of tourists visiting Innsbruck. If the idea of a holiday involves adrenaline rushes on the mountain slopes or eating a mouth-watering chocolate cake in…
Rovaniemi Travel Guide
Rovaniemi’s nightless nights and bustling frosts exude the exoticism of Lapland. Whatever the season, Lapland’s nature offers the tourist experiences. Rovaniemi is known above all as a winter destination, but it is also worth traveling to the capital of Lapland in summer. Enjoy the sunless night sun and the magic of the Arctic Circle and experience the enchantment…
Vatican City 2009
Yearbook 2009 Vatican City. At the beginning of the year, the tension in the Vatican’s relations with Israel rose since Israel on January 8 condemned a high-ranking Vatican official, Cardinal Renato Martino, for comparing the Gaza Strip to “a large concentration camp.” Cardinal Renato Martino leads the Vatican’s Council for Peace and Justice. See ABBREVIATIONFINDER for…
United Kingdom 2009
Yearbook 2009 UK. According to countryaah, the international recession hit the UK economy hard, and according to a government forecast in the spring, GDP would fall by 3.5 percent in 2009. To try to boost the economy, the Bank of England cut its key rate during the first quarter of the year to 0.5 percent,…
Ukraine 2009
Yearbook 2009 Ukraine. On New Year’s Day, Russian gas supplies to Ukraine were stripped after the country refused to join the Russian Federation’s price increase for 2009. According to countryaah, the countries also disagreed on the terms of Ukraine’s unpaid debts. The conflict led to energy crisis in several EU countries in Central Europe, which…
Switzerland 2009
Yearbook 2009 Switzerland. According to countryaah, nearly 60 percent of voters voted in a referendum in February for continued free movement of labor between Switzerland and the EU. The agreement was also extended to include the newest EU members Bulgaria and Romania. The anti-immigrant right-wing party SVP (Swiss People’s Party), the country’s largest party, campaigned…
Sweden 2009
History Christianity and the rise of the kingdom During the Middle Ages, about 1000–1300, a national unit with a state-bearing royal power was stabilized in Sweden, and the country was Christianized. Mission is known as early as the 8th century, but only after the year 1000 did the new religion get its breakthrough. A church…
Spain 2009
Yearbook 2009 Spain. When regional elections were held in the Basque country in March, the Basque nationalist party PNV lost power for the first time since regional self-government was introduced in 1978. According to countryaah, a new coalition government was formed by the dominant national parties, socialists and the right-wing party PP. They are usually…
Slovenia 2009
Yearbook 2009 Slovenia. According to countryaah, a border dispute between Slovenia and Croatia that has raged since the former Yugoslav republics declared independence in 1991 was called for during the year. EU country Slovenia blocked the neighboring country’s continued negotiations for EU membership and demanded that the border dispute first be resolved. The dispute involved…
Slovakia 2009
Yearbook 2009 Slovakia. According to countryaah, Slovakia introduced the euro at the New Year and thus became the sixteenth country in the EU to move to the single European currency. The transition was celebrated by about 100,000 people at a ceremony in Bratislava. Immediately after the New Year, there was a state of Christianity in…