1.
Replica
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A replica is an exact reproduction, such as of a painting, as it was executed by the original artist or a copy or reproduction, especially one on a scale smaller than the original. A replica is a copying closely resembling the original concerning its shape, an inverted replica complements the original by filling its gaps. It can be a used for historical purposes, such as being placed in a museum. Not all incorrectly attributed items are intentional forgeries, in the same way that a museum shop might sell a print of a painting or a replica of a vase, copies of statues, paintings, and other precious artifacts have been popular through the ages. In arts or collectible automobiles, the replica is used for discussing the non-original recreation. In motor racing, especially motorcycling, often manufacturers will produce a street version product with the colours of the vehicle or clothing of a famous racer. This is not the vehicle or clothing worn during the race by the racer. These high-performance race-look products termed Replica, are priced higher and are usually more sought-after than plain colours of the same product, because of gun ownership restrictions in some locales, gun collectors create non-functional legal replicas of illegal firearms. Such replicas are also preferred to real firearms when used as a prop in a film or stage performance, a prop replica is an authentic-looking duplicate of a prop from a video game, movie or television show. Replicas represent a copy or forgery of another object and we think of forgeries we think of paintings but, in fact, anything that is collectible. Replicas have been made by people to preserve a link to the past. This can be linked to a historical past or specific time-period or just to commemorate an experience, replicas and reproductions of artifacts help provide a material representation of the past for the public. Replicas of artifacts and art have a purpose within museums and research and they are created to help with preserving of original artifacts. Replicas and their original representation can be seen as fake or real depending on the viewer, good replicas take much education related to understanding all the processes and history that go behind the culture and the original creation. To create a good and authentic replica of an object, there is to be a skilled artisan or forger to create the authentic experience that the original object provides. This process takes time and much money to be done correctly for museum standards. Authenticity or real feeling presented by an object can be “described as the experience of an ‘aura’ of an original. ”An aura of an object is what an object represents through its previous history and experience. Replicas work well in museum settings because they have the ability to look so real, through the context and experience that a replica can provide in a museum setting, people can be fooled into seeing it as ‘original’
Replica
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A General Terracotta Replica Warrior 1.1 m (3 1 ⁄ 2 ft)
Replica
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The replica Difference Engine No. 2 in the
Science Museum, London
2.
Statue of Liberty
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The Statue of Liberty is a colossal neoclassical sculpture on Liberty Island in New York Harbor in New York City, in the United States. The copper statue, a gift from the people of France to the people of the United States, was designed by French sculptor Frédéric Auguste Bartholdi, the statue was dedicated on October 28,1886. The Statue of Liberty is a female figure representing Libertas. She holds a torch above her head, and in her left arm carries a tabula ansata inscribed July 4,1776, a broken chain lies at her feet. The statue became an icon of freedom and of the United States, due to the post-war instability in France, work on the statue did not commence until the early 1870s. In 1875, Laboulaye proposed that the French finance the statue, Bartholdi completed the head and the torch-bearing arm before the statue was fully designed, and these pieces were exhibited for publicity at international expositions. The torch-bearing arm was displayed at the Centennial Exposition in Philadelphia in 1876, fundraising proved difficult, especially for the Americans, and by 1885 work on the pedestal was threatened due to lack of funds. Publisher Joseph Pulitzer of the New York World started a drive for donations to complete the project attracted more than 120,000 contributors. The statue was constructed in France, shipped overseas in crates, the statues completion was marked by New Yorks first ticker-tape parade and a dedication ceremony presided over by President Grover Cleveland. The statue was administered by the United States Lighthouse Board until 1901 and then by the Department of War, public access to the balcony surrounding the torch has been barred for safety reasons since 1916. The project is traced to a conversation between Édouard René de Laboulaye, a staunch abolitionist and Frédéric Bartholdi, a sculptor. The National Park Service, in a 2000 report, however, deemed this a legend traced to an 1885 fundraising pamphlet, in order to honor these achievements, Laboulaye proposed that a gift be built for the United States on behalf of France. Laboulaye hoped that by calling attention to the recent achievements of the United States, according to sculptor Frédéric Auguste Bartholdi, who later recounted the story, Laboulayes comment was not intended as a proposal, but it inspired Bartholdi. Given the repressive nature of the regime of Napoleon III, Bartholdi took no action on the idea except to discuss it with Laboulaye. Sketches and models were made of the work, though it was never erected. There was a precedent for the Suez proposal, the Colossus of Rhodes. This statue is believed to have been over 100 feet high, any large project was further delayed by the Franco-Prussian War, in which Bartholdi served as a major of militia. In the war, Napoleon III was captured and deposed, Bartholdis home province of Alsace was lost to the Prussians, and a more liberal republic was installed in France
Statue of Liberty
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Statue of Liberty
Statue of Liberty
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Bartholdi's design patent
Statue of Liberty
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Bartholdi's
Lion of Belfort
Statue of Liberty
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Detail from a fresco by
Constantino Brumidi in the
U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C., showing two early symbols of America:
Columbia (left) and the Indian princess
3.
Jardin du Luxembourg
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The garden today is owned by the French Senate, which meets in the Palace. It covers 23 hectares and is known for its lawns, tree-lined promenades, flowerbeds, model sailboats on its circular basin, and picturesque Medici Fountain, built in 1620. In 1611, Marie de Medici, the widow of Henry IV and she purchased the hotel du Luxembourg and began construction of the new palace. She commissioned Salomon de Brosse to build the palace and a fountain, in 1612 she planted 2,000 elm trees, and directed a series of gardeners, most notably Tommaso Francini, to build a park in the style she had known as a child in Florence. Francini planned two terraces with balustrades and parterres laid out along the axis of the chateau, aligned around a circular basin and he also built the Medici Fountain to the east of the palace as a nympheum, an artificial grotto and fountain, without its present pond and statuary. The original garden was just eight hectares in size, in the center he placed an octagonal basin with a fountain, with a perspective toward what is now the Paris observatory. Later monarchs largely neglected the garden, in 1780, the Comte de Provence, the future Louis XVIII, sold the eastern part of the garden for real estate development. The architect Jean Chalgrin, the architect of the Arc de Triomphe and he remade the Medici Fountain and laid out a long perspective from the palace to the observatory. He preserved the famous pepiniere, or nursery garden of the Carthusian order, and the old vineyards, the building of new streets next to the park also required moving and rebuilding the Medici Fountain to its present location. The long basin of the fountain was added at this time, during this reconstruction, the director of parks and promenades of Paris, Gabriel Davioud, built new ornamental gates and fences around the park, and polychrome brick garden houses. He also transformed what remained of the old Chartreux nursery garden, at the end of the park, into an English garden with winding paths. He kept the regular pattern of the paths and alleys. The garden is famed for its calm atmosphere, surrounding the bassin on the raised balustraded terraces are a series of statues of former French queens, saints and copies after the Antique. In the southwest corner, there is an orchard of apple and pear trees, the gardens include a large fenced-in playground for young children and their parents and a vintage carousel. The orangerie displays art, photography and sculptures, the École nationale supérieure des Mines de Paris and the Odéon theatre stand next to the Luxembourg Garden. It was installed as part of the development of the avenue de lObservatoire by Gabriel Davioud in 1867, most importantly Jean-Baptiste Carpeaux sculpted the four nude women supporting the globe, representing the Four Continents of classical iconography. Open hours for the Luxembourg Garden depend on the month, opening between 7,30 and 8,15 am, closing at dusk between 4,45 and 9,45 pm. The garden contains just over a hundred statues, monuments, and fountains, surrounding the central green space are twenty figures of French queens and illustrious women standing on pedestals
Jardin du Luxembourg
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Luxembourg Palace and Gardens
Jardin du Luxembourg
Jardin du Luxembourg
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Garden of the
Petit Luxembourg
Jardin du Luxembourg
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People relaxing in Luxembourg Gardens
4.
Exposition Universelle (1900)
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The style that was universally present in the Exposition was Art Nouveau. The staging of the first International Exhibition in 1855 was motivated by a desire to re-establish pride, the succession of exhibitions followed the same theme, the regeneration of nationality after war. Eight years before the launch of the 1900 Paris Exposition Universelle, countries from around the world were invited by France to showcase their achievements and lifestyles, the Exposition Universelle was a uniting and learning experience. It presented the opportunity for foreigners to realize the similarities between nations as well as their unique differences, new cultures were experienced and an overall better understanding of the values each country had to offer was gained. The learning atmosphere aided in attempts to increase cultural tolerance, deemed necessary after a period of war, the early announcement and the massively positive response disenchanted the interest that had been circling around the first German International Exposition. It is suspected that the Exposition Universelle did not do as well financially as expected because the public did not have the funds to participate in the fair. The 1900 Paris Exposition Universelle was so expensive to organize and run that the cost per visitor ended up being about six hundred more than the price of admission. The exhibition lost a total of 82,000 francs after six months in operation. Many Parisians had invested money in shares sold to raise money for the event, with a much larger expected turnout the exhibit sites had gone up in value. Continuing to pay rent for the sites became increasingly hard for concessionaires as they were receiving fewer customers than anticipated, the concessionaires went on strike, which ultimately resulted in the closure of a large part of the exposition. To resolve the matter, the concessionaires were given a refund of the rent they had paid. The financial consequences of the 1900 Exposition Universelle were devastating for many Parisians, the Exposition Universelle was where talking films and escalators were first publicized, and where Campbells Soup was awarded a gold medal. At the exposition Rudolf Diesel exhibited his engine, running on peanut oil. Brief films of excerpts from opera and ballet were apparently the first films exhibited publicly with projection of both image and recorded sound, the exposition also featured many panoramic paintings and extensions of the panorama technique, such as the Cinéorama, Mareorama, and Trans-Siberian Railway Panorama. The centrepiece of the Palais de lOptique was the 1. 25-metre-diameter Great Exposition Refractor and this telescope was the largest refracting telescope at that time. The optical tube assembly was 60 meters long and 1.5 meters in diameter, light from the sky was sent into the tube by a movable 2-meter mirror. Partly organized by Booker Washington and W. E. B, du Bois, this exhibition aimed at showing African Americans positive contributions to American society. Many of the buildings constructed for the Exposition Universelle were demolished after the conclusion of the exposition, many of the buildings were built on a framework of wood, and covered with staff, which was formed into columns, statuary, walls, stairs, etc
Exposition Universelle (1900)
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Exposition Universelle view
Exposition Universelle (1900)
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Photos of the
Hampton Institute by
Frances Benjamin Johnston, which were displayed in the Exposé nègre to demonstrate Afro-Americans' positive contributions to American society
Exposition Universelle (1900)
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Exposition Universelle
Exposition Universelle (1900)
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Tour du Monde pavilions displaying oriental architectures; such as Siam, Japan, and India
5.
French Revolution
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Through the Revolutionary Wars, it unleashed a wave of global conflicts that extended from the Caribbean to the Middle East. Historians widely regard the Revolution as one of the most important events in human history, the causes of the French Revolution are complex and are still debated among historians. Following the Seven Years War and the American Revolutionary War, the French government was deeply in debt, Years of bad harvests leading up to the Revolution also inflamed popular resentment of the privileges enjoyed by the clergy and the aristocracy. Demands for change were formulated in terms of Enlightenment ideals and contributed to the convocation of the Estates-General in May 1789, a central event of the first stage, in August 1789, was the abolition of feudalism and the old rules and privileges left over from the Ancien Régime. The next few years featured political struggles between various liberal assemblies and right-wing supporters of the intent on thwarting major reforms. The Republic was proclaimed in September 1792 after the French victory at Valmy, in a momentous event that led to international condemnation, Louis XVI was executed in January 1793. External threats closely shaped the course of the Revolution, internally, popular agitation radicalised the Revolution significantly, culminating in the rise of Maximilien Robespierre and the Jacobins. Large numbers of civilians were executed by revolutionary tribunals during the Terror, after the Thermidorian Reaction, an executive council known as the Directory assumed control of the French state in 1795. The rule of the Directory was characterised by suspended elections, debt repudiations, financial instability, persecutions against the Catholic clergy, dogged by charges of corruption, the Directory collapsed in a coup led by Napoleon Bonaparte in 1799. The modern era has unfolded in the shadow of the French Revolution, almost all future revolutionary movements looked back to the Revolution as their predecessor. The values and institutions of the Revolution dominate French politics to this day, the French Revolution differed from other revolutions in being not merely national, for it aimed at benefiting all humanity. Globally, the Revolution accelerated the rise of republics and democracies and it became the focal point for the development of all modern political ideologies, leading to the spread of liberalism, radicalism, nationalism, socialism, feminism, and secularism, among many others. The Revolution also witnessed the birth of total war by organising the resources of France, historians have pointed to many events and factors within the Ancien Régime that led to the Revolution. Over the course of the 18th century, there emerged what the philosopher Jürgen Habermas called the idea of the sphere in France. A perfect example would be the Palace of Versailles which was meant to overwhelm the senses of the visitor and convince one of the greatness of the French state and Louis XIV. Starting in the early 18th century saw the appearance of the sphere which was critical in that both sides were active. In France, the emergence of the public sphere outside of the control of the saw the shift from Versailles to Paris as the cultural capital of France. In the 1750s, during the querelle des bouffons over the question of the quality of Italian vs, in 1782, Louis-Sébastien Mercier wrote, The word court no longer inspires awe amongst us as in the time of Louis XIV
French Revolution
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The
August Insurrection in 1792 precipitated the last days of the monarchy.
French Revolution
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The French government faced a fiscal crisis in the 1780s, and King Louis XVI was blamed for mishandling these affairs.
French Revolution
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Caricature of the Third Estate carrying the First Estate (clergy) and the Second Estate (nobility) on its back.
French Revolution
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The meeting of the Estates General on 5 May 1789 at Versailles.
6.
Pont de Grenelle
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The pont de Grenelle is a bridge in Paris, France, that crosses the Seine river. It connects the citys 15th and 16th arrondissements, and passes through the Île aux Cygnes, constructed of steel, it is a girder bridge. The current bridge was constructed in 1966, replacing a bridge that had stood since 1873. The bridge passes behind a replica of the Statue of Liberty
Pont de Grenelle
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The pont de Grenelle is the second bridge from the top, passing through the southern tip of the
Île aux Cygnes.
Pont de Grenelle
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The bridge can be seen behind the replica of the Statue of Liberty.
7.
Seine
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The Seine is a 777-kilometre-long river and an important commercial waterway within the Paris Basin in the north of France. It rises at Source-Seine,30 kilometres northwest of Dijon in northeastern France in the Langres plateau, flowing through Paris and it is navigable by ocean-going vessels as far as Rouen,120 kilometres from the sea. There are 37 bridges within Paris and dozens more spanning the river outside the city, examples in Paris include the Pont Alexandre III and Pont Neuf, the latter of which dates back to 1607. Outside the city, examples include the Pont de Normandie, one of the longest cable-stayed bridges in the world, the Seine rises in the commune of Source-Seine, about 30 kilometres northwest of Dijon. The source has been owned by the city of Paris since 1864, a number of closely associated small ditches or depressions provide the source waters, with an artificial grotto laid out to highlight and contain a deemed main source. The grotto includes a statue of a nymph, on the same site are the buried remains of a Gallo-Roman temple. Small statues of the dea Sequana Seine goddess and other ex voti found at the place are now exhibited in the Dijon archeological museum. The Seine is dredged and oceangoing vessels can dock at Rouen,120 kilometres from the sea, commercial riverboats can use the river from Bar-sur-Seine,560 kilometres to its mouth. At Paris, there are 37 bridges, the river is only 24 metres above sea level 446 kilometres from its mouth, making it slow flowing and thus easily navigable. The Seine Maritime,105.7 kilometres from the English Channel at Le Havre to Rouen, is the portion of the Seine used by ocean-going craft. The tidal section of the Seine Maritime is followed by a section with four large multiple locks until the mouth of the Oise at Conflans-Sainte-Honorine. Multiple locks at Bougival / Chatou and at Suresnes lift the vessels to the level of the river in Paris, upstream from Paris seven locks ensure navigation to Saint Mammès, where the Loing mouth is situated. Through an eighth lock the river Yonne is reached at Montereau-Fault-Yonne, from the mouth of the Yonne, larger ships can continue upstream to Nogent-sur-Seine. From there on, the river is only by small craft. All navigation ends abruptly at Marcilly-sur-Seine, where the ancient Canal de la Haute-Seine used to allow vessels to continue all the way to Troyes and this canal has been abandoned for many years. The average depth of the Seine today at Paris is about 9.5 metres. Until locks were installed to raise the level in the 1800s, the river was much shallower within the city most of the time, today the depth is tightly controlled and the entire width of the river between the built-up banks on either side is normally filled with water. The average flow of the river is low, only a few cubic metres per second
Seine
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The Seine in Paris
Seine
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Seine source
Seine
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The
Pont de Normandie over the Seine, between
Le Havre and
Honfleur, on the
Normandy coast
Seine
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The Seine and Eiffel Tower
8.
United States Declaration of Independence
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Instead they formed a new nation—the United States of America. John Adams was a leader in pushing for independence, which was passed on July 2 with no opposing vote cast, a committee of five had already drafted the formal declaration, to be ready when Congress voted on independence. The term Declaration of Independence is not used in the document itself, John Adams persuaded the committee to select Thomas Jefferson to compose the original draft of the document, which Congress would edit to produce the final version. The next day, John Adams wrote to his wife Abigail, The Second Day of July 1776, will be the most memorable Epocha, but Independence Day is actually celebrated on July 4, the date that the Declaration of Independence was approved. After ratifying the text on July 4, Congress issued the Declaration of Independence in several forms and it was initially published as the printed Dunlap broadside that was widely distributed and read to the public. The source copy used for printing has been lost. Jeffersons original draft, complete with changes made by John Adams and Benjamin Franklin, the best known version of the Declaration, a signed copy that is popularly regarded as the official document, is displayed at the National Archives in Washington, D. C. This engrossed copy was ordered by Congress on July 19, the sources and interpretation of the Declaration have been the subject of much scholarly inquiry. Having served its purpose in announcing independence, references to the text of the Declaration were few in the following years. Abraham Lincoln made it the centerpiece of his rhetoric, and his policies and this has been called one of the best-known sentences in the English language, containing the most potent and consequential words in American history. The passage came to represent a standard to which the United States should strive. Believe me, dear Sir, there is not in the British empire a man who more cordially loves a union with Great Britain than I do. But, by the God that made me, I will cease to exist before I yield to a connection on such terms as the British Parliament propose, and in this, I think I speak the sentiments of America. By the time that the Declaration of Independence was adopted in July 1776, relations had been deteriorating between the colonies and the mother country since 1763. Parliament enacted a series of measures to increase revenue from the colonies, such as the Stamp Act of 1765, Parliament believed that these acts were a legitimate means of having the colonies pay their fair share of the costs to keep them in the British Empire. Many colonists, however, had developed a different conception of the empire, the colonies were not directly represented in Parliament, and colonists argued that Parliament had no right to levy taxes upon them. This tax dispute was part of a divergence between British and American interpretations of the British Constitution and the extent of Parliaments authority in the colonies. In the colonies, however, the idea had developed that the British Constitution recognized certain fundamental rights that no government could violate, after the Townshend Acts, some essayists even began to question whether Parliament had any legitimate jurisdiction in the colonies at all
United States Declaration of Independence
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1823 facsimile of the engrossed copy
United States Declaration of Independence
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Thomas Jefferson, the principal author of the Declaration
United States Declaration of Independence
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The Assembly Room in Philadelphia's
Independence Hall, where the Second Continental Congress adopted the Declaration of Independence
United States Declaration of Independence
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This idealized depiction of (left to right) Franklin, Adams, and Jefferson working on the Declaration (
Jean Leon Gerome Ferris, 1900) was widely reprinted.
9.
Storming of the Bastille
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The Storming of the Bastille occurred in Paris, France, on the afternoon of 14 July 1789. The medieval fortress, armory, and political prison in Paris known as the Bastille represented royal authority in the center of Paris. The prison contained just seven inmates at the time of its storming but was a symbol of abuses by the monarchy, in France, Le quatorze juillet is a public holiday, usually called Bastille Day in English. During the reign of Louis XVI, France faced an economic crisis, partially initiated by the cost of intervening in the American Revolution. The king initially opposed this development, but was forced to acknowledge the authority of the assembly, which subsequently renamed itself the National Constituent Assembly on 9 July. The commoners had formed the National Guard, sporting tricolour cockades of blue, white and red, formed by combining the red and blue cockade of Paris and the white cockade of the king. These cockades, and soon simply their colour scheme, became the symbol of the revolution and, later, Paris, close to insurrection and, in François Mignets words, intoxicated with liberty and enthusiasm, showed wide support for the Assembly. The press published the Assemblys debates, political debate spread beyond the Assembly itself into the public squares, the Palais-Royal and its grounds became the site of an ongoing meeting. The Assembly recommended the imprisoned guardsmen to the clemency of the king, they returned to prison, the rank and file of the regiment, previously considered reliable, now leaned toward the popular cause. News of Neckers dismissal reached Paris in the afternoon of Sunday,12 July, the Parisians generally presumed that the dismissal marked the start of a coup by conservative elements. Crowds gathered throughout Paris, including more than ten thousand at the Palais-Royal and this very night all the Swiss and German battalions will leave the Champ de Mars to massacre us all, one resource is left, to take arms. By early July, approximately half of the 25,000 regular troops in Paris, the crowd clashed with the Royal German Cavalry Regiment between the Place Vendôme and the Tuileries Palace. From atop the Champs-Élysées, the Prince de Lambesc unleashed a cavalry charge that dispersed the protesters at Place Louis XV—now Place de la Concorde. The Royal commander, Baron de Besenval, fearing the results of a blood bath amongst the poorly armed crowds or defections among his own men, then withdrew the cavalry towards Sèvres. Meanwhile, unrest was growing among the people of Paris who expressed their hostility against state authorities by attacking customs posts blamed for causing increased food, the people of Paris started to plunder any place where food, guns and supplies could be hoarded. That night, rumors spread that supplies were being hoarded at Saint-Lazare, a property of the clergy. An angry mob broke in and plundered the property, seizing 52 wagons of wheat and that same day multitudes of people plundered many other places including weapon arsenals. The Royal troops did nothing to stop the spreading of chaos in Paris during those days
Storming of the Bastille
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Prise de la Bastille by
Jean-Pierre Houël
Storming of the Bastille
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Jacques Necker (1732–1804), French minister of finance
Storming of the Bastille
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The
Bastille of Paris before the Revolution.
Storming of the Bastille
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Engraving, c.1789: French soldiers or militia hoisting the heads of Flesselles and the
marquis de Launay on pikes. The caption reads "Thus we take revenge on traitors".
10.
National Treasure: Book of Secrets
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National Treasure, Book of Secrets is a 2007 mystery adventure film directed by Jon Turteltaub and produced by Jerry Bruckheimer. It is a sequel to the 2004 film National Treasure and is the part of the National Treasure franchise. The film stars Nicolas Cage, Diane Kruger, Justin Bartha, Jon Voight, Harvey Keitel, Ed Harris, Bruce Greenwood, and Helen Mirren. It was stated in the first films commentary that there were no plans for a sequel, but due to the first films impressive box-office performance, a sequel was given the go-ahead in 2005. The film premiered in New York City on December 13,2007, five days after the end of the Civil War, John Wilkes Booth and Michael OLaughlen, both members of the Knights of the Golden Circle, enter a tavern and approach Thomas Gates to decode a message. Thomas recognizes the message as using the Playfair cipher and begins to translate it, while he does so, Booth leaves for Fords Theatre to assassinate President Abraham Lincoln. Thomas solves the puzzle and realizes the men are loyal to the Confederacy. A fight breaks out, and Thomas rips several pages from the diary, Thomas is shot, and the gunman retrieves only a page fragment. More than 140 years later, Ben Gates is telling his great-great-grandfathers story at a Civilian Heroes conference, Ben sets out to prove the innocence of Thomas. Using spectral imaging, Ben, his estranged girlfriend Abigail Chase, Ben and Riley travel to Paris, where they find a clue engraved on the torch of the scale model of the Statue of Liberty, referring to the two Resolute desks. Ben and Riley then head to London to look at the desk at Buckingham Palace and Abigail shows up, from the Queens desk, he obtains an ancient wooden plank. Meanwhile, Wilkinson broke into Patrick Gates house and cloned Patricks cell phone to track Bens whereabouts, Wilkinson eventually obtains the wooden plank, but not before Ben manages to photograph the symbols carved into the plank. At Bens insistence, Patrick reluctantly asks his ex-wife and Bens mother, Dr. Emily Appleton, for help in translating the symbols. She does so, but points out some of the glyphs are partial, leading Ben to conclude that another plank must be hidden in the other Resolute desk. Ben and Abigail coax Abigails new love interest, Connor, a curator for the White House, Ben discovers that the second plank is missing, but he does find a stamp bearing the seal of the Presidents Secret Book. Riley tells Ben that the Book of Secrets contains documents collected by Presidents, for Presidents eyes only, covering such subjects as the JFK assassination, Watergate. Ben crashes the Presidents birthday party at Mount Vernon to convince the President to follow him into a tunnel under the House. The President warns Ben that his actions will be interpreted as an attempt to kidnap the President, Ben convinces the President to reveal the location of the book, which is at the Library of Congress
National Treasure: Book of Secrets
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Theatrical release poster
National Treasure: Book of Secrets
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Shooting of the film in London
11.
Maquette
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A maquette is a small scale model or rough draft of an unfinished sculpture. An equivalent term is bozzetto, from the Italian word that means sketch and it is used to visualize and test shapes and ideas without incurring the cost and effort of producing a full-scale product. It is the analogue of the cartoon, modello, oil sketch or drawn sketch. For commissioned sculptures, especially monumental public sculptures, a maquette may be used to show the client how the work will fit in the proposed site. The term may refer to a prototype for a video game, film. Modello, unlike the terms, is also used for sketches for two-dimensional works such as paintings. Like oil sketches, these works in progress can be at least as much sought after as completed works by highly regarded artists, showing the process of developing an idea. Gian Lorenzo Bernini, a sculptor from the Baroque period, made his bozzetti from wax or baked terracotta to show his patrons how the piece was intended to look. Eleven of these bozzetti were displayed in an exhibition at the Art Institute of Chicago in 2004, some museums specialize in collections of maquettes, such as the Museo dei Bozzetti in Pietrasanta, Italy. The dictionary definition of maquette at Wiktionary Tate Gallery definition of maquette retained in The National Archives s recording of the Tate Gallerys glossary
Maquette
–
Jean-Baptiste Carpeaux ' maquette for the fountain he donated to
Valenciennes
12.
Flame of Liberty
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The monument, which measures approximately 3.5 metres in height, is a sculpture of a flame, executed in gilded copper, supported by a pedestal of gray-and-black marble. It is located near the end of the Pont de lAlma, on the Place de lAlma. It was offered to the city of Paris in 1989 by the International Herald Tribune on behalf of donors who had contributed approximately $400,000 for its fabrication and it represented the culmination of that newspapers 1987 celebration of its hundredth anniversary of publishing an English-language daily newspaper in Paris. This project was overseen by the director of the French craft unions at that time, Jacques Graindorge. He foresaw an installation of the Flame of Liberty in a square called Place des États-Unis in the 16th arrondissement. After a protracted period of negotiations, it was decided that the Flame would be placed in an area near the intersection of lAvenue de New-York. The monument was dedicated on May 10,1989 by Chirac, on the base of the monument, a commemorative plaque recounts the following story, The Flame of Liberty. An exact replica of the Statue of Libertys flame offered to the people of France by donors throughout the world as a symbol of the Franco-American friendship, on the occasion of the centennial of the International Herald Tribune. Anthropologist Guy Lesoeurs said, Most people who come here think this was built for her, a new Flame of Liberty, a sculpture by Jean Cardot, was unveiled on June 14,2008. It symbolizes the warm and respectful relations between the French and the Americans
Flame of Liberty
–
The Flame of Liberty, which was offered to the people of France by donors throughout the world as a symbol of the
Franco-American friendship.
13.
Princess Diana
–
Diana, Princess of Wales, was the first wife of Charles, Prince of Wales, who is the eldest child and heir apparent of Queen Elizabeth II. Diana was born into a family of British nobility with royal ancestry and was the child and third daughter of John Spencer, Viscount Althorp. She grew up in Park House, situated on the Sandringham estate, in 1975, after her father inherited the title of Earl Spencer, she became known as Lady Diana Spencer. She came to prominence in February 1981 when her engagement to Prince Charles was announced and her wedding to the Prince of Wales on 29 July 1981, held at St Pauls Cathedral, reached a global television audience of over 750 million people. While married, Diana bore the titles Princess of Wales, Duchess of Cornwall, Duchess of Rothesay, the marriage produced two sons, the princes William and Harry, who were then respectively second and third in the line of succession to the British throne. As Princess of Wales, Diana undertook royal duties on behalf of the Queen and she was celebrated for her charity work and for her support of the International Campaign to Ban Landmines. She was involved with dozens of charities including Londons Great Ormond Street Hospital for children, Diana remained the object of worldwide media scrutiny during and after her marriage, which ended in divorce on 28 August 1996. Media attention and public mourning were extensive after her death in a car crash in Paris on 31 August 1997, Diana was born on 1 July 1961, in Park House, Sandringham, Norfolk. She was the fourth of five children of John Spencer, Viscount Althorp, the Spencer family has been closely allied with the British Royal Family for several generations. Both of Dianas grandmothers had served as ladies-in-waiting to Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother, on 30 August 1961, Diana was baptised at St. Mary Magdalene Church, Sandringham, with wealthy commoners as godparents. Diana had three siblings, Sarah, Jane, and Charles and her infant brother, John, died shortly after his birth one year before Diana was born. The desire for an added strain to the Spencers marriage. Diana grew up in Park House, situated on the Sandringham estate, the Spencers leased the house from its owner, Queen Elizabeth II. The Royal Family frequently holidayed at the neighbouring Sandringham House, and Diana played with Princes Andrew, Diana was seven years old when her parents divorced. Her mother later had an affair with Peter Shand Kydd and married him in 1969, Diana lived with her mother in London during her parents separation in 1967, but during that years Christmas holidays, Lord Althorp refused to let Diana return to London with Lady Althorp. Shortly afterwards he won custody of Diana with support from his former mother-in-law, Ruth Roche, in 1972, Lord Althorp began a relationship with Raine, Countess of Dartmouth, the only daughter of Alexander McCorquodale and Dame Barbara Cartland. They married at Caxton Hall, London in 1976, as an upper-class child at the time, Diana was first educated under the supervision of her governess, Gertrude Allen. She began her education at Silfield Private School in Gayton, Norfolk, and moved to Riddlesworth Hall School, an all-girls boarding school near Diss
Princess Diana
–
The Princess of Wales raising money for cancer research in
Chicago, Illinois, June 1996
Princess Diana
–
Charles and Diana's wedding commemorated on a 1981 British
Crown
Princess Diana
–
The Prince and Princess of Wales after the
wedding of
the Duke and
Duchess of York in 1986
Princess Diana
–
Charles and Diana visit
Uluru, Australia, March 1983
14.
Rouen
–
Rouen is a city on the River Seine in the north of France. It is the capital of the region of Normandy, formerly one of the largest and most prosperous cities of medieval Europe, Rouen was the seat of the Exchequer of Normandy during the Middle Ages. It was one of the capitals of the Anglo-Norman dynasties, which ruled both England and large parts of modern France from the 11th to the 15th centuries. The population of the area at the 2007 census was 532,559. People from Rouen are known as Rouennais, Rouen and its metropolitan area of 70 suburban communes form the Agglomeration community of Rouen-Elbeuf-Austreberthe, with 494,382 inhabitants at the 2010 census. Rouen was founded by the Gaulish tribe of Veliocasses, who controlled an area in the lower Seine valley. The Gauls named the settlement Ratumacos and the Romans called it Rotomagus, Roman Rotomagus was the second city of Gallia Lugdunensis, after Lugdunum. In the 5th century, it became the seat of a bishopric, in the 10th century Rouen became the capital of the Duchy of Normandy and the residence of the dukes, until William the Conqueror established his castle at Caen. During the early 12th century the population reached 30,000. In 1150, Rouen received its charter, which permitted self-government. During the 12th century, Rouen was probably the site of a Jewish yeshiva, at that time, about 6,000 Jews lived in the town, comprising about 20% of the total population. The well-preserved remains of a medieval Jewish building, that could be a yeshiva, were discovered in the 1970s under the Rouen Law Courts. In 1200, a destroyed part of Rouens Romanesque cathedral, leaving just St Romains tower, the side porches of its front. New work on the present Gothic cathedral of Rouen began, in the nave, transept, choir, on 24 June 1204, Philip Augustus entered Rouen and annexed Normandy to the French Kingdom. The fall of Rouen meant the end of Normandys sovereign status and he demolished the Norman castle and replaced it with his own, the Château Bouvreuil, built on the site of the Gallo-Roman amphitheatre. A textile industry developed based on wool imported from England, competing with the northern County of Flanders, the city found its market niche in the Champagne fairs. Rouen also depended on the traffic of the Seine for its prosperity. Wine and wheat were exported to England, with tin and wool received in return, in the late 13th century urban strife threatened the city, in 1291, the mayor was assassinated and noble residences in the city were pillaged
Rouen
–
Top: View of Downtown Rouen and Seine River from Bois Bagneres Hill. Middle left: Twilightview of Archives department of Seine Maritime building. Center: Night view of
Gros-Horloge. Middle right:
Pont Gustave-Flaubert (Gustave-Flaubert Bridge). Bottom: Night view of Rouen Notre-Dame Cathedral and Seine River.
Rouen
–
City Hall and
Church of St. Ouen, Rouen
Rouen
–
Primitive 14th century
timber framing, rue du Petit Mouton
Rouen
–
For the
royal entry of
Henry II in Rouen, 1 October 1550.
15.
Jean-Paul Belmondo
–
Jean-Paul Belmondo is a French actor initially associated with the New Wave of the 1960s and one of the biggest French film stars of the 1960s, 1970s and 1980s. His best known credits include Breathless and That Man from Rio, Belmondo was born in Neuilly-sur-Seine, Hauts-de-Seine, west of Paris. Belmondos father, Paul Belmondo, was a Pied-Noir sculptor who was born in Algeria of Italian descent, whose parents were of Sicilian, as a boy he was more interested in sport than school, developing a particular interest in boxing and soccer. Belmondo made his boxing debut on 10 May 1949 in Paris when he knocked out Rene DesMarais in one round. Belmondos boxing career was undefeated, but brief and he won three straight first round knockout victories from 1949 to 1950. I stopped when the face I saw in the begin to change. As part of his military service, he served in Algeria as a private for six months. His last teenage years were spent at a drama school. He studied under Raymond Giraud then when to the Conservatoire of Dramatic Arts when he was twenty and he studied there for three years. The incident did make front page news, Belmondos acting career properly began in 1953, with two performances at Theatre deAtelier in Paris, Jean Anouilhs Medee and Georges Neveuxs Zamore. Belmondo began touring the provinces with friends including Annie Girardot and Guy Bedos, Belmondo first appeared in the short Moliere. Belmondo had a role in the comedy Be Beautiful But Shut Up, followed by a role as a gangster in Young Sinners. Jean Luc Godard directed him in a short, Charlotte and Her Boyfriend and he supported Bourvil and Arletty in Sunday Encounter. Belmondos first lead role was in Les copains du dimanche and he had a supporting part in An Angel on Wheels with Romy Schneider then appeared in Web of Passion for Claude Chabrol. He played Dartgnan in The Three Musketeers for French television, around this time he had a notable success on stage in Oscar in Paris which led to being offered the leads in star parts. The first of these was Consider All Risks, a story with Lino Ventura. The second was in Jean-Luc Godards Breathless, which him a major figure in the French New Wave. In the words of the New York Times it led to his having more acting assignments than he can handle and he followed it with Trapped by Fear, then the Italian film Letters By a Novice
Jean-Paul Belmondo
–
Belmondo at the
2001 Cannes Film Festival
Jean-Paul Belmondo
–
Jean-Paul Belmondo at the
1988 Cannes Film Festival.
Jean-Paul Belmondo
–
Jean-Paul Belmondo's handprint on the pavement in front of the
Palais des Festivals et des Congrès in
Cannes.
Jean-Paul Belmondo
–
Belmondo at the
2011 Cannes Film Festival.
16.
Bourvil
–
For his performance in Le Corniaud, he won a Special Diploma at the 4th Moscow International Film Festival. His father was killed in the First World War before Bourvil was born, as a result, he spent his entire childhood in the village of Bourville, the name of which inspired his stage name. He married Jeanne Lefrique on 23 January 1943, after a battle with Kahlers syndrome, which attacks the bone marrow, he died at the age of 53. He is buried in Montainville, Yvelines, bourvils characters not only managed to make viewers laugh, but also to save themselves, often unwittingly, from the Machiavellian designs of his adversaries. Bourvil was, however, also capable of more roles such as the handyman in LArbre de Noël. In this role he observes the relationship between a man he works for and the son who has fallen ill. The audience can identify with the character played by Bourvil, just as they can in his comic roles, one can also note his role of Thénardier in the film adaptation of Les Misérables, and his last role as the policeman Mattei in Jean-Pierre Melvilles Le Cercle rouge. In March 1948, Bourvil took part in the recording of Offenbachs The Tales of Hoffmann with artists of the Paris Opéra-Comique conducted by André Cluytens
Bourvil
–
André Bourvil in 1967
17.
Bordeaux
–
Bordeaux is a port city on the Garonne River in the Gironde department in southwestern France. The municipality of Bordeaux proper has a population of 243,626, together with its suburbs and satellite towns, Bordeaux is the centre of the Bordeaux Métropole. With 749,595 inhabitants and 1,178,335 in the area, it is the fifth largest in France, after Paris, Lyon, Marseille and Lille. It is the capital of the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region, as well as the prefecture of the Gironde department and its inhabitants are called Bordelais or Bordelaises. The term Bordelais may also refer to the city and its surrounding region, Bordeaux is the worlds major wine industry capital. It is home to the main wine fair, Vinexpo. Bordeaux wine has been produced in the region since the 8th century, the historic part of the city is on the UNESCO World Heritage List as an outstanding urban and architectural ensemble of the 18th century. After Paris, Bordeaux has the highest number of preserved buildings of any city in France. In historical times, around 300 BC it was the settlement of a Celtic tribe, the Bituriges Vivisci, the name Bourde is still the name of a river south of the city. In 107 BC, the Battle of Burdigala was fought by the Romans who were defending the Allobroges, a Gallic tribe allied to Rome, the Romans were defeated and their commander, the consul Lucius Cassius Longinus, was killed in the action. The city fell under Roman rule around 60 BC, its importance lying in the commerce of tin, later it became capital of Roman Aquitaine, flourishing especially during the Severan dynasty. In 276 it was sacked by the Vandals, further ravage was brought by the same Vandals in 409, the Visigoths in 414 and the Franks in 498, beginning a period of obscurity for the city. In the late 6th century, the city re-emerged as the seat of a county and an archdiocese within the Merovingian kingdom of the Franks, the city started to play a regional role as a major urban center on the fringes of the newly founded Frankish Duchy of Vasconia. Around 585, a certain Gallactorius is cited as count of Bordeaux, the city was plundered by the troops of Abd er Rahman in 732 after storming the fortified city and overwhelming the Aquitanian garrison. After Duke Eudess defeat, the Aquitanian duke could still save part of its troops, the following year, the Frankish commander descended again over Aquitaine, but clashed in battle with the Aquitanians and left to take on hostile Burgundian authorities and magnates. In 745, Aquitaine faced yet another expedition by Charles sons Pepin and Carloman against Hunald, Hunald was defeated, and his son Waifer replaced him, who in turn confirmed Bordeaux as the capital city. During the last stage of the war against Aquitaine, it was one of Waifers last important strongholds to fall to King Pepin the Shorts troops. Next to Bordeaux, Charlemagne built the fortress of Fronsac on a hill across the border with the Basques, in 778, Seguin was appointed count of Bordeaux, probably undermining the power of the Duke Lupo, and possibly leading to the Battle of Roncevaux Pass that very year
Bordeaux
–
Clockwise from top:
Place de la Bourse by the
Garonne, Allees du Tourny and Maison de Vin,
Pierre Bridge on the Garonne, Meriadeck Commercial Centre, front of Palais Rohan Hotel, and
Saint-Andre Cathedral with
Bordeaux Tramway
Bordeaux
Bordeaux
–
Coins of the
Bituriges Vivisci, 5th–1st century BC, derived from the coin designs of
Greeks in pre-Roman Gaul.
Cabinet des Médailles.
Bordeaux
–
Merovingian tremisses minted in Bordeaux by the Church of Saint-Étienne, late 6th century.
British Museum.
18.
September 11, 2001 attacks
–
The September 11 attacks were a series of four coordinated terrorist attacks by the Islamic terrorist group al-Qaeda on the United States on the morning of Tuesday, September 11,2001. The attacks killed 2,996 people, injured over 6,000 others, two of the planes, American Airlines Flight 11 and United Airlines Flight 175, were crashed into the North and South towers, respectively, of the World Trade Center complex in New York City. A third plane, American Airlines Flight 77, was crashed into the Pentagon in Arlington County, Virginia and it was the deadliest incident for firefighters and law enforcement officers in the history of the United States, with 343 and 72 killed respectively. Suspicion for the attack fell on al-Qaeda. The United States responded to the attacks by launching the War on Terror and invading Afghanistan to depose the Taliban, many countries strengthened their anti-terrorism legislation and expanded the powers of law enforcement and intelligence agencies to prevent terrorist attacks. Although al-Qaedas leader, Osama bin Laden, initially denied any involvement, al-Qaeda and bin Laden cited U. S. support of Israel, the presence of U. S. troops in Saudi Arabia, and sanctions against Iraq as motives. Having evaded capture for almost a decade, bin Laden was located and killed by SEAL Team Six of the U. S. Navy in May 2011. S. many closings, evacuations, and cancellations followed, out of respect or fear of further attacks. Cleanup of the World Trade Center site was completed in May 2002, on November 18,2006, construction of One World Trade Center began at the World Trade Center site. The building was opened on November 3,2014. The origins of al-Qaeda can be traced to 1979 when the Soviet Union invaded Afghanistan, Osama bin Laden traveled to Afghanistan and helped organize Arab mujahideen to resist the Soviets. Under the guidance of Ayman al-Zawahiri, bin Laden became more radical, in 1996, bin Laden issued his first fatwā, calling for American soldiers to leave Saudi Arabia. Bin Laden used Islamic texts to exhort Muslims to attack Americans until the stated grievances are reversed, Muslim legal scholars have throughout Islamic history unanimously agreed that the jihad is an individual duty if the enemy destroys the Muslim countries, according to bin Laden. Bin Laden, who orchestrated the attacks, initially denied but later admitted involvement, in November 2001, U. S. forces recovered a videotape from a destroyed house in Jalalabad, Afghanistan. In the video, bin Laden is seen talking to Khaled al-Harbi, on December 27,2001, a second bin Laden video was released. In the video, he said, It has become clear that the West in general and it is the hatred of crusaders. Terrorism against America deserves to be praised because it was a response to injustice, aimed at forcing America to stop its support for Israel, the transcript refers several times to the United States specifically targeting Muslims. He said that the attacks were carried out because, we are free, and want to regain freedom for our nation. As you undermine our security we undermine yours, Bin Laden said he had personally directed his followers to attack the World Trade Center and the Pentagon
September 11, 2001 attacks
–
Top row: The Twin Towers of the
World Trade Center burning
September 11, 2001 attacks
–
1997 picture of Osama bin Laden
September 11, 2001 attacks
–
Khalid Sheikh Mohammed after his capture in 2003
September 11, 2001 attacks
–
Flight paths of the four planes used on September 11
19.
Colmar
–
Colmar is the third-largest commune of the Alsace region in north-eastern France. It is the seat of the prefecture of the Haut-Rhin department, the town is situated on the Alsatian Wine Route and considers itself to be the capital of Alsatian wine. The city is renowned for its old town, its numerous architectural landmarks and its museums. Colmar was founded in the 9th century, and is mentioned as Columbarium Fiscum by the monk Notker Balbulus in a text dated 823 and this was the location where the Carolingian Emperor Charles the Fat held a diet in 884. Colmar was granted the status of an imperial city by Emperor Frederick II in 1226. In 1354 it joined the Décapole city league, during the Thirty Years War, it was taken by the Swedish army in 1632, who held it for two years. In 1635 the citys harvest was spoiled by Imperialist forces while the shot at them from the walls. The city was conquered by France under King Louis XIV in 1673, with the rest of Alsace, Colmar was annexed by the newly formed German Empire in 1871 as a result of the Franco-Prussian War and incorporated into the Alsace-Lorraine province. The Colmar Treasure, a hoard of precious objects hidden by Jews during the Black Death, was discovered here in 1863, Colmar is 64 kilometres south-southwest of Strasbourg, at 48. 08°N,7. 36°E, on the Lauch River, a tributary of the Ill. It is located directly to the east of the Vosges Mountains, in 2013, the city had a population of 67,956 and the metropolitan area of Colmar had a population of 126,957 in 2009. Colmar is the center of the arrondissement of Colmar-Ribeauvillé, which had 199,182 inhabitants in 2013, Colmar has a sunny microclimate and is one of the driest cities in France, with an annual precipitation of just 607 mm, making it ideal for Alsace wine. It is considered the capital of the Alsatian wine region, mostly spared from the destructions of the French Revolution and the wars of 1870–1871, 1914–1918 and 1939–1945, the cityscape of old-town Colmar is homogenous and renowned among tourists. An area that is crossed by canals of the river Lauch is now called little Venice, Maison Adolph – 14th century Koifhus, also known as Ancienne Douane –1480 Maison Pfister –1537. Cour dAssises –1840 Théâtre municipal –1849 Marché couvert –1865, the citys covered market, built in stone, bricks and cast iron, still serves today. Préfecture –1866 Water tower –1886, oldest still preserved water tower in Alsace. Gare SNCF –1905 Cour dappel –1906 Église Saint-Martin – 1234–1365, the largest church of Colmar and one of the largest in Haut-Rhin. Displays some early stained glass windows, several Gothic and Renaissance sculptures and altars, the choir is surrounded by an ambulatory opening on a series of Gothic chapels, a unique feature in Alsatian churches. Now disaffected as a church, displays Martin Schongauers masterwork La Vierge au buisson de roses as well as 14th century stained glass windows, the adjacent convent buildings house a section of the municipal library
Colmar
–
Old town
Colmar
–
The Lauch River running through Colmar
Colmar
–
Maison Pfister. The house can easily be spotted in
Howl's Moving Castle.
Colmar
–
St Martin's Church, Colmar (Église Saint-Martin)
20.
Saint-Cyr-sur-Mer
–
Saint-Cyr-sur-Mer is a commune in the Var department in the Provence-Alpes-Côte dAzur region in southeastern France. It neighbours La Ciotat to the west, Bandol to the east, in addition to Saint-Cyr itself, the commune includes the villages of Les Lecques, a port and beach resort, and La Madrague, a small port. The town square of Saint-Cyr contains a replica of the Statue of Liberty donated by Frédéric Bartholdi and it is also the Team Base Camp for the Turkish national football team for the UEFA Euro 2016 Agriculture and tourism are important industries in the area. Fruit, vegetables, olives and wine are produced in the commune, tourist attractions include the sandy beach at Les Lecques, the coastal footpaths and the Musée de Tauroentum, a museum which displays artifacts from the Roman site of Tauroentum. Saint-Cyr-sur-Mer is twinned with, Città della Pieve, Italy Denzlingen, Germany Communes of the Var department INSEE Saint-Cyr tourist office Website of Saint-Cyr commune
Saint-Cyr-sur-Mer
–
A replica of the Statue of Liberty in the town square
Saint-Cyr-sur-Mer
–
Panorama of Les Lecques from its beach with view on the old and new port.
21.
Poitiers
–
Poitiers is a city on the Clain river in west-central France. It is a commune and the capital of the Vienne department, Poitiers is a major university centre. The centre of town is picturesque and its streets include predominant historical architecture, especially religious architecture and this battles consequences partly provoked the Jacquerie. The city of Poitiers is strategically situated on the Seuil du Poitou, the Seuil du Poitou connects the Aquitaine Basin to the South to the Paris Basin to the North. This area is an important geographic crossroads in France and Western Europe, poitierss primary site sits on a vast promontory between the valleys of the Boivre and the Clain. The old town occupies the slopes and the summit of a plateau which rises 130 feet above the streams which surround it on three sides, thus Poitiers benefits from a very strong tactical situation. This was an important factor before and throughout the Middle Ages. Inhabitants of Poitiers are referred to as Poitevins or Poitevines, although this denomination can be used for anyone from the Poitou province, as of 2015, the population of Poitiers was 298,339. One out of three people in Poitiers is under the age of 30 and one out of four residents in Poitiers is a student, the climate in the Poitiers area is mild with mild temperature amplitudes, and adequate rainfall throughout the year. The Köppen Climate Classification subtype for this type of climate is Cfb, Poitiers was founded by the Celtic tribe of the Pictones and was known as the oppidum Lemonum before Roman influence. The name is said to have come from the Celtic word for elm, after Roman influence took over, the town became known as Pictavium, or later Pictavis, after the original Pictones inhabitants themselves. There is a history of archeological finds from the Roman era in Poitiers. In fact until 1857 Poitiers hosted the ruins of a vast Roman amphitheatre, remains of Roman baths, built in the 1st century and demolished in the 3rd century, were uncovered in 1877. In 1879 a burial-place and tombs of a number of Christian martyrs were discovered on the heights to the south-east of the town, the names of some of the Christians had been preserved in paintings and inscriptions. Not far from these tombs is a dolmen, which is 6.7 metres long,4.9 metres broad and 2.1 metres high. The Romans also built at least three aqueducts and this extensive ensemble of Roman constructions suggests Poitiers was a town of first importance, possibly even the capital of the Roman province of Gallia Aquitania during the 2nd century. The first foundations of the Baptistère Saint-Jean can be traced to that era of open Christian evangelization and he was named Doctor of The Church by Pope Pius IX. In the 4th century, a thick wall 6m wide and 10m high was built around the town and it was 2.5 km long and stood lower on the naturally defended east side and at the top of the promontory
Poitiers
–
Historic centre of Poitiers with
Church of Saint-Radegund,
Cathedral of Saint-Pierre and
Palace of Justice in the background
Poitiers
–
Charles-de-Gaulle place and its medieval heritage
Poitiers
–
Church of St. Hilary le Grand
Poitiers
–
Church of Notre-Dame la Grande
22.
Lunel
–
Lunel is a commune in the Hérault department in southern France. According to legend, Lunel was founded by Jews from Jericho in the first century and it had a Jewish population by the first millennium, and an ancient synagogue is located there. Lunel is located 21 km east of Montpellier and 28 km southwest of Nîmes, the ancient Roman site of Ambrussum is located nearby. The troubadour Folquet de Lunel was from Lunel, Lunel was a centre of Jewish learning. It is thought that the family of Rashi, the great Rabbi and commentator, Lunel was the birthplace of Louis Feuillade, film director from the silent era. The artist Jean Hugo lived in the Lunel area for most of his life, the Parc Jean Hugo in the centre of the town was named after him. Since the 20th century, the town has been a destination for Muslim immigrants from Algerian, in 2015 the New York Times reported that 10% of all the French people killed fighting in Syria for ISIS came from Lunel. Hachmei Provence Communes of the Hérault department INSEE Official website
Lunel
–
Town hall
23.
Chaumont Air Base
–
Quartier Général dAboville, formerly Chaumont-Semoutiers Air Base, is a French Army artillery base in France. During the early years of the Cold War, Chaumont-Semoutiers air base was used by United States Air Forces in Europe, the area around Chaumont has a long history of American military presence. During World War I the Haute-Marne département was one of the bloodiest areas of France with many battles fought on its soil, in 1917, the headquarters of the American Expeditionary Force was located in the city of Chaumont, Haute-Marne. Starting in the mid-1930s, an airstrip was used near Chaumont by the French Air Force for training. After the fall of France, the German Luftwaffe also used the facility as a training station, after the war, the airstrip was left unused. During the negotiations for selection of sites, the World War II airfield at Chaumont was proposed for expansion into a air base. The airfield was unused since the war and there were no plans for French civil or military use, an agreement was reached to develop Chaumont into a NATO facility and station United States Air Force tactical fighter-bombers there by 1953. Construction of Chaumont-Semoutiers Air Base started on 25 January 1951, with much effort being made to have facilities ready by November. Various delays, however, pushed runway construction back to October, typically the marguerite consisted of fifteen to eighteen hardstands around a large central hangar. Each hardstand held one or two aircraft, and allowed the planes to be spaced approximately 150 feet apart, each squadron was assigned to a separate hangar/hardstand complex. This construction can be clearly in the satellite image link at the bottom of this article. Minimum facilities were ready for USAF use by April 1952, the facilities consisted of 255 tent frames built on concrete floors, and 24 prefabricated wooden buildings with utilities. The entire facility was a work in progress, however, until 1956, in May 1952, the 137th Fighter-Bomber Wing activated at Chaumont with the 125th, 127th, and 128th Fighter Squadrons flying the Republic F-84G Thunderjet. The unit was part of the Oklahoma Air National Guard and was called to duty on 10 October 1950 during the Korean War. By 27 November, the wing assembled Alexandria Municipal Airport Louisiana for conversion training in the newer F-84Gs. Deployment of the wing was delayed, however, by the need to transfer pilots to Korea from training and delays in receiving engines for the F-84Gs, training and delays continued throughout 1951. Due to these delays, most of the activated National Guard airmen were released from active duty, the only hardened facilities at Chaumont was a concrete runway and a handful of tarpaper shacks. At Chaumont, the 137th flew 61 F-84Gs, approximately 20 aircraft per squadron, in addition, there were two C-47s, a T-6F, and three T-33A support aircraft
Chaumont Air Base
–
Main Gate - 1962
Chaumont Air Base
–
Republic F-84G-20-RE Thunderjet Serial No 51-1231 137th/48th Fighter Bomber Wing - 1953.
Chaumont Air Base
–
Republic F-84G-1-RE Thunderjets 51-890 of the 494th Fighter Bomber Squadron and 51-830 of the 493d FBS. Note the Pierced Steel Planking being used for the parking apron as concrete pads have not yet been poured. Both aircraft were eventually sold to the Belgian Air Force as Serials FZ-175 and FZ-199. 890 was destroyed on 25 May 1955 at Sylt, West Germany.
Chaumont Air Base
–
F-86F-35-NA Serial 53-1222 of the 494th Fighter-Bomber Squadron, 1955
24.
Limoges
–
Limoges is a city and commune, the capital of the Haute-Vienne department and the administrative capital of the Limousin in west-central France. Limoges is known for its medieval and Renaissance enamels on copper, for its 19th-century porcelain and for its oak barrels which are used for Cognac, some are even exported to wineries in California. Scarce remains of settlements have been found in the area of Limoges. The city proper was founded as Augustoritum by the Romans, around 10 BC, the foundation was part of the reorganization of the province by the emperor Augustus, hence the new name. The Roman city included an amphitheatre measuring 136 x 115 metres, a theatre, according to tradition, a temple consecrated to Venus, Diana, Minerva and Jupiter was located near the modern cathedral. The city was on the typical Roman square plan, with two main crossing in the centre. It had a Senate and a currency of its own, a sign of its importance in the imperial age, Limoges was evangelized by Saint Martial, who came to the city around 250 with two companions, Alpinianus and Austriclinienus. However, in the late 3rd century it was increasingly abandoned, the population was concentrated instead in a more easily fortifiable site, the modern Puy Saint-Étienne, which is the centre of the modern Limoges. Starting from the 11th century, thanks to the presence of the Abbey of St. Martial and its large library, Limoges became a flourishing artistic centre. It was home to an important school of music composition. In the 13th century, at the peak of its splendour, the town proper, with a new line of walls encompassing the Vienne River, inhabited mainly by clerks and workers. It has a bridge on the Vienne river named after Saint-Étienne, built by the bishops, sacked in 1370, it never recovered entirely. The castle, with 12 meter-high walls, including the abbey and controlled by the abbot, traces of the walls can still be seen in the city centre. Outside the lines of walls were the popular quarters, in 1370, Limoges was occupied by Edward, the Black Prince, who massacred some 300 residents, perhaps a sixth of the normal population, with another 60 members of the garrison of 140 dead as well. The city and castle were united in 1792 to form the city of Limoges. During the French Revolution several religious edifices, considered symbols of the Ancien Régime, were destroyed by the population, some years later the porcelain industry started to develop, favoured by the presence of kaolinite which was discovered near Limoges in 1768. Factories in Limoges and St Junien still produce luxury leather shoes, gloves, in the 19th century Limoges saw strong construction activity, which included the destruction and rebuilding of much of the city centre. The unsafe conditions of the population is highlighted by the outbreak of several riots, including that of July–November 1830
Limoges
–
The city hall
Limoges
–
Limoges enamel ciborium with
champlevé enamel, and center rim in
pseudo-Kufic script, circa 1200.
Limoges
–
Yale Mobile Hospital Unit No. 39 stationed at the Limoges factory, Christmas, 1917
Limoges
–
The Cathedral of Limoges
25.
Haute-Vienne
–
Haute-Vienne is a French department named after the river Vienne. It is one of the 12 departments that constitute the French region of Nouvelle-Aquitaine. The neighbouring departments are, Creuse, Corrèze, Dordogne, Charente, Vienne, the chief and largest city in the department is Limoges, the other towns in the department each having fewer than twenty thousand inhabitants. Haute-Vienne is part of the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region and it is bordered by six departments, Creuse lies to the east, Corrèze to the south, Dordogne to the southwest, Charente to the west, Vienne to the northwest and Indre to the north. The department has two rivers which cross it from east to west, the Vienne, on which the two main cities, Limoges and Saint-Junien, are situated, and the Gartempe, a tributary of the Creuse. To the southeast of the department lies the Massif Central, the source of the Charente is in the department, in the commune of Chéronnac, near Rochechouart. Artefacts from the Bronze Age include axe heads found at Châlus, with the coming of the Romans, trade was opened up and gold and tin were mined. Agriculture developed and grapes were grown, amphorae for storing wine were found at Saint-Gence, during the reign of Augustus, the city of Augustoritum was founded at a strategic ford across the Vienne. The Romans built roads from here to Brittany, Lyon and the Mediterranean, the city declined in the 3rd Century when barbarian invasions of the region took place. The domination of the Visigoths was short-lived and Clovis I seized control of Limousin after the battle of Vouillé in 507, by 674, the region was attached to the duchy of Aquitaine, and the Viscount of Limoges was created. There followed a period with various powers vying for control. In 1199, Richard Cœur de Lion was mortally wounded during the siege of the Château de Châlus-Chabrol, the region was much involved in the Hundred Years War and at the Treaty of Brétigny in 1360, France granted England a large area of territory comprising much of Limousin. Limoges city rebelled and gave its allegiance to the French crown, after a revolt by the peasants, Henri IV brought peace and prosperity to the region of Limousin. He visited Limoges in 1607 and was greeted enthusiastically, the Counter-Reformation led to the creation of numerous convents and religious orders, especially in Limoges. In 1761, Anne Robert Jacques Turgot was appointed intendent of Limoges and he negotiated a reduction in taxes payable by the region and developed fairer methods of collecting taxes, as well as improving the road system and encouraging agricultural development. Around 1765, kaolin was discovered near Saint-Yrieix-la-Perche in the south of the department, at first it was given the number 81, but in the nineteenth century, the number was changed to the 87th department, when further land to the east and northeast was added. It takes its name from the reaches of the Vienne which flows through it. In 1998, the southwest part of the department, together with the part of the region of Périgord was designated as the Parc Naturel Régional Périgord-Limousin
Haute-Vienne
–
Prefecture building of the Haute-Vienne department, in Limoges
Haute-Vienne
–
Château de Montbrun
Haute-Vienne
–
Ruins of
Oradour-sur-Glane
Haute-Vienne
–
Saint-Yrieix-la-Perche
26.
Minimundus
–
Minimundus is a miniature park in Klagenfurt in Carinthia, Austria. It displays over 150 miniature models of architecture from around the world, since its opening in 1958, more than 15 million visitors have visited the 26,000 square meters park. The proceeds benefit the childrens help organization Rettet das Kind, which owns the park, a small selection of the models, St. Madurodam Mini-Europe Minimundus website
Minimundus
–
Model of St. Stephen's Cathedral
27.
Miniature park
–
A miniature park is an open space that displays miniature buildings and models, and is usually open to the public. A miniature park may contain a model of a city or town, often called a miniature city or model village. They have been developed as recreational and tourist attractions, with roots in Japanese miniature gardens. Most examples are located in landscaped outdoor spaces, but the definition has widened in recent years to encompass large-scale miniature landscapes indoors. There is evidence to suggest the existence of model villages and miniature parks since the 19th century. Early examples include Bekonscot in the UK and Madurodam in The Hague, most model villages and parks are built to a consistent scale, varying from 1,76 as used by the intricately detailed Pendon in England up to the 1,9 scale of Wimborne Model Town. Continental Europe and Asia have tended to favour the scale of 1,25, whilst North American and UK examples have been based upon 1,12 and other variants. PIPKA There has been a move away from the village concept since the mid- to late 20th century towards a miniature park concept. Model villages are typically larger-scale, sit in a miniature landscape and allow viewing and physical interaction with the exhibits, such as publicly accessed streets. Miniature parks however, are concerned with the display of exhibits in their own right. Model railways, rivers and roads may provide a continuation between miniature parks exhibits, the most common forms are model railroads and dollhouses. Diorama with miniature replicas of Mexico´s wonders and monuments, tiny Town in Morrison, Colorado opened in 1921, is an amusement park. Tiny Town in Springfield, Missouri, opened in 1925, is the first miniature park village, Miniature train and village at the Germany Pavilion in Epcot at Disney World. Agilitynut feature The Gauge One Model Railway Association The Miniature Plant Files Database at All Things Miniature
Miniature park
–
Part of the one-ninth scale model of
Bourton-on-the-Water,
Gloucestershire,
England
Miniature park
–
Cockington Green, miniature village in
Canberra,
Australia
Miniature park
–
Summer Palace at
Splendid China miniature park,
Shenzhen,
China
Miniature park
–
Temple Mount and
Western Wall at
Mini Israel
28.
Carinthia (state)
–
Carinthia is the southernmost Austrian state or Land. Situated within the Eastern Alps, it is noted for its mountains and its regional dialects belong to the Southern Bavarian group. Carinthian Slovene dialects, which predominated in the part of the region up to the first half of the 20th century, are now spoken by a small minority. Carinthias main industries are tourism, electronics, engineering, forestry, the multinational corporations Philips, Infineon and Siemens have large operations there. The etymology of the name “Carinthia”, similar to Carnia or Carniola, has not been conclusively established, the Ravenna Cosmography referred to a Slavic “Carantani” tribe as the eastern neighbours of the Bavarians. In his History of the Lombards, the 8th century chronicler Paul the Deacon mentions “Slavs in Carnuntum, likewise the Slovene name *korǫtanъ may have been adopted from the Latin *carantanum. The toponym Carinthia is also claimed to be related, deriving from pre-Slavic *carantia. The state stretches about 180 km in east-west and 70 km in north-south direction, with 9,536 km2 it is the fifth largest Austrian state by area. Most of the larger Carinthian towns and lakes are situated within the Klagenfurt Basin in the southeast and these Lower Carinthian lands differ from the mountainous Upper Carinthian region in the northwest, stretching up to the Alpine crest. The Carinthian lands are confined by mountain ranges, the Carnic Alps, the High Tauern mountain range with Mt Grossglockner,3,797 m, separates it from the state of Salzburg in the northwest. To the northeast and east beyond the Pack Saddle mountain pass is the state of Styria, the main river of Carinthia is the Drava, it makes up a continuous valley with East Tyrol to the west. Tributaries are the Gurk, the Glan, the Lavant, carinthias lakes including Wörther See, Millstätter See, Ossiacher See, and Faaker See are a major tourist attraction. The capital city is Klagenfurt, which in Slovenian is called Celovec, the next important town is Villach, both strongly linked economically. While some of these Slovene place names are official designations, the majority are Slovene colloquial usage, Carinthia has a humid continental climate, with hot and moderately wet summers and long harsh winters. In recent decades, winters have been exceptionally arid, the summer precipitation maxima often takes the form of heavy rain and thunderstorms, especially in the mountainous regions. The main Alpine ridge in the north is a divide with pronounced windward and leeward sides where foehn occurs regularly. Due to the terrain, numerous distinct microclimates exist. Nevertheless, the amount of sunshine hours is the highest of all states in Austria
Carinthia (state)
–
Heiligenblut with
Grossglockner.
Carinthia (state)
–
Flag
Carinthia (state)
–
Youth of Magdalensberg, replica of a Roman bronze statue unearthed near
Magdalensberg (
Kunsthistorisches Museum, Vienna)
Carinthia (state)
–
Prince's Stone, exhibited at the Landhaus Klagenfurt
29.
Graz Opera
–
Graz Opera is an Austria opera house and opera company based in Graz. Opera had been performed in Graz since the 17th century, originally in a coach house on the Habsburg royal estates. The National Theatre, constructed in 1776, saw many performances of Mozarts operas. The citys first dedicated opera house and the predecessor of the Graz Opera was the Thalia Theatre. Plans for a new theatre suitable to the size and importance of the city. The building suffered damage during World War II bombings but was repaired and re-opened after the war, the current Intendantin of the company is Nora Schmid, since 1 January 2015, in succession to Elisabeth Sobotka. Past general music directors of the company have included Niksa Bareza, Philippe Jordan, Dirk Kaftan is the current company GMD, since 2013. He is scheduled to step down from the post at the end of the 2016-2017 season, in the autumn of 2016, Oksana Lyniv made her first guest-conducting appearance with the company, in a production of La traviata. In February 2017, the announced the appointment of Lyniv as its next GMD. Lyniv is the first female conductor to be named GMD of Graz Opera, herbert Albert Nikša Bareza Philippe Jordan Johannes Fritzsch Dirk Kaftan Oksana Lyniv Stråth, Bo. ISBN 90-420-0745-1 Media related to Graz Opera at Wikimedia Commons Official website of Oper Graz
Graz Opera
–
Exterior of Graz Opera House
Graz Opera
–
Main auditorium
Graz Opera
–
Main stairs
30.
Legoland Billund Resort
–
Legoland Billund, the original Legoland park, opened on June 7,1958 in Billund, Denmark. The park is located next to the original Lego factory and Denmarks second busiest airport Billund Airport, over 1.9 million guests visited the park in 2011 and since the opening more than 50 million guests have visited the park. This makes Legoland the largest tourist attraction in Denmark outside of Copenhagen, the Legoland parks that have since been built are modelled upon Legoland Billund, most noticeably the Miniland area which is made up of millions of Lego bricks. The first Legoland was built next door to the Lego factory that was founded by Ole Kirk Christiansen in 1949 and his son, Godtfred, took over the family business in 1957 when his father died and just two years later he bought out his three brothers. In 1958 Godtfred decided to open a 14-acre Legoland Park to promote his toy business, the park became an instant success and has over the years added many original rides and been divided into specific themed worlds. The now 45-acre park is divided into 9 themed areas,1, today, Legoland Billund is the most visited tourist attraction in Jylland. In 2005 the investment firm Blackstone bought a 70% controlling stake in Legoland, the parks are operated under the Merlin banner. Mini Land is the heart of any Legoland park, the Lego Top offers a nice view of the entire park. The structures were made using more than 25 million Lego Bricks, Duplo Land contains rides and attractions for young children, with the Lego Duplo brand name. The Duplo Playhouse is an area for children ages 2–6. They can build using Lego, or play on fake planes, there are also slides, stairs, interactive elements and a role-play area. The Duplo train, which is a train ride that looks like a train made of Duplo Bricks. Duplo Planes is a ride similar to Disneys Dumbo ride. Duplo driving school is a car ride for children ages 2–6 and this zone contains the Lego Studio, a purpose built 600 seat 4-D Theater, complete with special effects and a giant screen. There are 4 movies that play daily, these are Lego Racers, Spellbreaker, Bob the Builder 4D, Lego Atlantis by Sea Life was added in 2007. The attraction starts off with a movie, featuring Lego figures. There is also a Sea Life aquarium and other hands on activities with more than 800 sea creatures, numerous Lego figures and models are in and around the aquarium. LEGOREDO Town is a Western-themed land which contains the rides Lego Canoe, LEGOLDMINE, Westernride, Timber Ride, there is also an Indian camp led by the popular Chief Long Ears
Legoland Billund Resort
Legoland Billund Resort
–
View from the observation tower (click to enlarge).
Legoland Billund Resort
–
A
Norwegian fishing village
Legoland Billund Resort
–
Observation tower
31.
Billund, Denmark
–
Billund is a small town in Jutland, Denmark, most notable as the home of the Lego Group head office. A typical company town, it is known for its theme park, Legoland. The airport opened in 1964 and was built by the Lego Group, with a population of 6,194, Billund is the second largest town in Billund Municipality, Region of Southern Denmark, following the municipal seat of Grindsted. On the outskirts of the town there is a Lego factory, adjacent to the companys headquarters is the first Legoland theme park, which opened in 1968 and is called Legoland Billund. In addition to the Lego Group, Sun Air of Scandinavia has its office in Billund. Billund has long been part of the parish of Grene Kirke whose original Romanesque building was first mentioned in 1291, the towns name was first mentioned as Byllundt in 1454 and as Billund in 1510. In 1880, the towns first windmill was built on the road between Vejle and Varde, in 1895, the mill burned to the ground but was rebuilt in 1897, this time in the style of Dutch windmills. That same year, a railway was built from Vejle to Billund, in 1916, Ole Kirk Christiansen, who later founded Lego, bought a Billund furniture company that was founded in 1895. He invested in the town, creating a new dairy and the Skjoldbjerg church a few south of town. In 1930, Kirk Christiansen began producing utility items such as ironing boards, stepladders and his first toys were created from scraps from the production of his other goods but his true toy production started in 1932. In 1934, the toy factory was named Lego, in the late 1930s Billund experienced growth due to the factories and began to build waterworks, a gymnasium, and the town hall, though the local power station was closed and relocated. During the Nazi occupation in World War II, the old Lego Factory was destroyed by fire in 1942, in 1946, the railway track from Grindsted was extended to the Lego factory. Plastic Lego Bricks were first released from the factory in 1949, the 1950s brought a recession to Billund with the closing of the railroad. In response to the poverty, the Billund Housing Association was founded and created affordable housing as well as a retirement home. Lego created a park north of town with a playground, outdoor scene, toboggan hill. In 1962 the Billund Airport was inaugurated, first as the Lego Groups private airport, Legoland opened in 1968, and Billund again began to experience growth. Billund is located approximately 13 kilometers from Grindsted,56 kilometers from Esbjerg, as of 2012 the town had 6,146 residents. In the beginning of the 1930s Billund was still a village with only 300 residents
Billund, Denmark
–
Billund Kro
Billund, Denmark
–
LEGOLAND amusementpark, view from the tower.
Billund, Denmark
–
Skulpturpark Billund, a landscape
sculpture park.
32.
Heide Park
–
The Heide Park Resort is a theme park in Soltau, Lower Saxony, Germany. With an overall area of over 850,000 m², it is the largest amusement park in Northern Germany and it is part of the British-based Merlin Entertainments. The site originally belonged to the Heidenhof Wildlife Park, which was named after the chapel that was there in 1350. After the zoo was closed in 1972 following a devastating storm, when Heide Park opened in August 19,1978 it offered only six rides, the Monzapiste, the Heide Park Express, the Oldtimerrundkurs, the Floßfahrt, the Wichtelhausenbahn and the Hochbahn. In its first season, the Heide Park had just under 200,000 visitors,1979 saw the first dolphin show, for which they built a large domed roof a year later. The Heide-Dorf, a detailed replica of typical buildings from the Lüneburg Heath, was inaugurated in the 1988 season. In 1996/97 the Dutch section of the park was built with a windmill, with the growth of the park, the catchment area grew as well. In the 1990s, up to two people visited Heide-Park each season with 2.100.000 guests in 2001. The following year the UK-based Tussauds Group bought the park and since then attendance to the park has decreased to 1.5 -1.6 million visitors per annum, Hans-Jürgen Tiemann still has influence in the park by shares and as an advisory director of the Tussauds Group. In early 2007 the Merlin Entertainments Group bought the majority of the shares of Tussauds Group from Dubai International Capital, which had taken over the shares in 2005. The most recognizable landmark in the park is a 1/3 scale replica of the Statue of Liberty, at the end of 2011 the whole structure was relocated to stand within the roller coaster Colossos. The parks mascot is a bear called Wumbo, in the 1990s, Hans-Jurgen Tiemann was successful as a driver and sponsor on the touring-car racing circuit, while his son Marcel Tiemann began a career as a professional race car driver. The music played at Heide Park is a combination of tracks, library music. The following composers have had their music played at the park, Graham Smart, Ian Habgood, David Buckley, Crispin Merrell, halloween in October is a special event. Hotel Port Royal was opened in 2007 with 150 family rooms and 16 suites, there is also a Holiday Camp that opened in 2005 with 81 wooden houses in Caribbean style with a total of 536 beds. The park is divided into five areas, Heide Park currently has about 40 rides which are mainly aimed at families but its thrill rides are also very popular. The latest attraction is the wing coaster Flug der Dämonen and it is Germanys first wing coaster and reaches a maximum of 4G positive during the ride. - a 7 min horror maze, Heide Park and this indoor horror maze has 7 different scenes in the 300 sq m building with plenty of special effects and live actors as well
Heide Park
Heide Park
–
Entrance in 2012
Heide Park
–
Mascot Mumbo Wumbo at the Holiday Camps
Heide Park
–
Panoramic view of Colossos
33.
County Donegal
–
County Donegal is a county of Ireland. It is part of the Border Region of the Republic of Ireland and is in the province of Ulster and it is named after the town of Donegal in the south of the county. Donegal County Council is the council for the county and Lifford serves as the county town. The population of the county is 158,755 according to the 2016 census and it has also been known as Tyrconnell, after the historic territory of the same name. In terms of size and area, it is the largest county in Ulster, uniquely, County Donegal shares a small border with only one other county in the Republic of Ireland – County Leitrim. The greater part of its border is shared with three counties of Northern Ireland, County Londonderry, County Tyrone and County Fermanagh. While Lifford is the county town, Letterkenny is by far the largest town in the county with a population of 19,588, Letterkenny and the nearby city of Derry form the main economic axis of the northwest of Ireland. Indeed, what became the City of Derry was officially part of County Donegal up until 1610, there are two Gaeltacht districts in the west, The Rosses, centred on the town of Dungloe, and Gweedore. Another Gaeltacht district is located in the north-west, Cloughaneely, centred on the town of Falcarragh, the most northerly part of the island of Ireland is the location for three peninsulas of outstanding natural beauty, Inishowen, Fanad and Rosguill. The main population centre of Inishowen, Irelands largest peninsula, is Buncrana, in the east of the county lies the Finn Valley. The Laggan district is centred on the town of Raphoe, according to the 1841 Census, County Donegal had a population of 296,000 people. As a result of famine and emigration, the population had reduced by 41,000 by 1851, by the time of the 1951 Census the population was only 44% of what it had been in 1841. The 2006 Census, undertaken by the States Central Statistics Office, had County Donegals population standing at 147,264, according to the 2011 Census, the countys population had grown to 161,137. It has an indented coastline forming natural sea loughs, of which both Lough Swilly and Lough Foyle are the most notable. The Slieve League cliffs are the sixth-highest sea cliffs in Europe, the climate is temperate and dominated by the Gulf Stream, with warm, damp summers and mild wet winters. Two permanently inhabited islands, Arranmore and Tory Island, lie off the coast, Irelands second longest river, the Erne, enters Donegal Bay near the town of Ballyshannon. The River Erne, along with other Donegal waterways, has been dammed to produce hydroelectric power, the River Foyle separates part of County Donegal from parts of both counties Londonderry and Tyrone. A survey of the marine algae of County Donegal was published in 2003
County Donegal
–
Poison Glen (Gleann Nimhe), in North West Donegal.
County Donegal
–
Seen from Space: County Donegal with the Ulster coastline with
Lough Swilly and
Inishowen west of
Derry and
County Londonderry with
Lough Foyle east thereof.
County Donegal
–
Horse riding on Tramore Beach in
Downings
34.
Visnes, Rogaland
–
Visnes is a village in Karmøy municipality in Rogaland county, Norway. The village is located on the shore of the island of Karmøy. The 0. 57-square-kilometre village has a population of 569, giving the village a population density of 998 inhabitants per square kilometre, Visnes has a local copper mine that provided material for the Statue of Liberty in New York City. The copper at this site was first discovered in 1865, Visnes was the site of one of the most active of the Norwegian copper mines in history. During the 1870s, it was the largest copper mine in Norway, up to 70% of Norways copper export came from Visnes, which at that time was one of northern Europes largest mines. This mine was in operation throughout much of the latter half of the 19th century and was not fully closed until 1972. The copper mine has its own museum, Visnes Gruvemuseum
Visnes, Rogaland
–
View of the
Statue of Liberty replica in Visnes
Visnes, Rogaland
35.
Bleik
–
Bleik is a fishing village in the municipality of Andøy in Nordland county, Norway. It is located on the part of the island of Andøya. The 0. 36-square-kilometre village of Bleik has a population of 460, the population density is 1,278 inhabitants per square kilometre. The triangle-shaped island off the coast is called Bleiksøya and this island is the biggest resort of puffins in all of Norway. The lake Bleiksvatnet lies just south of the village, Bleik has one of the longest beaches in Norway, and it is said that the beach is the reason for the villages name. The beach is white, and bleik is a word for white/pale in the Norwegian language, in the village, there is a horse barn, a school, and a small convenience store. Tourist information, puffin safari, a site and pubs are also available in the village
Bleik
–
View Bleik seen from Mount Røyken
Bleik
–
Bleiksøya with its sea bird colony
36.
Nordland
–
The county was formerly known as Nordlandene amt. The county administration is in Bodø, the remote Arctic island of Jan Mayen has been administered from Nordland since 1995. In the southern part is Vega, listed on the UNESCO World Heritage Site list, the county is divided into traditional districts. These are Helgeland in the south, Salten in the centre, in the northwest lie the archipelagoes of Lofoten and Vesterålen. Nordland is located along the northwestern coast of the Scandinavian peninsula in Northern Norway, due to the large distance to the densely populated parts of Europe, this is one of the least polluted areas in Europe. Nordland extends about 500 km from Nord-Trøndelag to Troms, the distance by road from Bindal in the far south of the county to Andenes on the northern tip is roughly 800 km. Nordland has a coastline, with many fjords. From south to north, the main fjords are Bindalsfjord, Vefsnfjord, Ranfjord, Saltfjord-Skjerstadfjord, Folda, Tysfjord, Ofotfjord and Andfjord, which is shared with Troms county. The best-known is perhaps the Vestfjorden, which is not really a fjord, the Raftsundet strait, with its famous branch Trollfjord, is the shortest waterway connecting Lofoten and Vesterålen. The continental shelf is very narrow west of Andenes, nowhere else in Norway is the ocean only a few kilometres from shore. Saltstraumen whirlpool is just southeast of Bodø, and Moskenstraumen is located in southern Lofoten, the southern part of Norways largest island, Hinnøya is in Nordland, as is the third largest island, Langøya. In the fjords, the brim is much less developed, There might be a more gradual slope, with hills, towards the mountains. There are often valleys at the head of fjords, usually with a river at the centre of the valley, Mo i Rana, Mosjøen and Rognan are situated in such valleys. Norways second largest glacier, Svartisen, the second largest lake, Røssvatnet, the largest river is Vefsna which forms the Laksforsen waterfall. The Saltfjellet mountain range forms a border between Helgeland and Salten, and is where the Arctic Circle cuts through the county. The interior of Nordland, towards the border with Sweden, is dominated by the Kjølen Mountains, the highest mountain in Nordland is Oksskolten in Okstindan range, the second highest is Suliskongen in Fauske, and the third is Storsteinfjellet in Narvik. Stetind in Tysfjord has been voted as Norways national mountain, There are many glaciers in the mountains, like Blåmannsisen, Okstindbreen, the Sulitjelma Glacier, and Frostisen -7 of the 15 largest glaciers in continental Norway are located in Nordland. This Cambrian - Silurian bedrock, much of it mica schist, is by far the largest area in Norway with soft bedrock rich in nutritions good for plant growth
Nordland
–
Nordland fylke
Nordland
–
Ballstad in Lofoten
Nordland
–
Autumn near
Trollfjord in
Hadsel. Nordland is home to innumerable fjords and fjord branches.
Nordland
–
The majority of the population is located at the Strandflaten lowland. Berg in
Sømna.
37.
First Carlist War
–
The First Carlist War was a civil war in Spain from 1833 to 1839, fought between factions over the succession to the throne and the nature of the Spanish monarchy. It was fought between supporters of the regent, Maria Christina, acting for Isabella II of Spain, the Carlists supported return to an absolute monarchy. At the beginning of the 19th century, the situation in Spain was extremely problematic. During the Peninsula War, the Cortes met in Cádiz and elaborated the Spanish Constitution of 1812, at that point possibly the most modern and most liberal in the world. The 1805 Battle of Trafalgar had all but shattered the Spanish navy, with the Peninsular War leaving the Spanish society overwhelmed by continuous warfare and badly damaged by looting. While the Spanish Empire collapsed, the maritime trade trickled to the Americas and Philippines, the customary overseas revenue to the metropolis was at a historic low, the royal coffers were empty. Financing and recruitment to the military became a concern for the Spanish Crown, with the governments under King Ferdinand VII failing to provide new solutions. During the Trienio Liberal, the progressive liberals decided to resort to the money lenders to revert the economic meltdown Spain was facing. They turned to Paris, and particularly London, where liberals had fled on Ferdinand VIIs comeback. In London and Paris, the liberals ruling Spain engaged in negotiations with the financiers Nathan Rothschild, for more than a decade, the pending liberal debt became for Ferdinand VIIs negotiators a persistent sticking point with these financiers during talks for new loan requests. Against a backdrop of on-off bankruptcy and solvency issues, towards the end of his life, Ferdinand VII of Spain had no male descendant, but two daughters, Isabella and Luisa Fernanda. So he promulgated the above Pragmatic Sanction, to allow Isabella to become Queen after his death, without the above Pragmática Sanción, Carlos de Borbón, the kings brother, would have normally become king. He and his followers, such as Secretary of Justice Francisco Tadeo Calomarde, but the agonizing Ferdinand kept his decision and when he died on 29 September 1833, Isabella became the legitimate queen. As she was only a child, a regent was needed, a strong absolutist party did not want to lose its position. Cea Bermudezs centrist government inaugurated a period of opening and return to Spain of many exiles in London and Paris, however, with state coffers yet again empty, the impending war, and the Trienio Liberal loan issue with the Rothschilds still not settled, Cea Bermudezs government fell. Brother against brother – father against son – best friend turned to bitterest foe – priests against their flocks – kindred against kindred, the autonomy of Aragon, Valencia and Catalonia had been abolished in the 18th century by the Nueva Planta Decrees that created a centralised Spanish state. The resentment against the intervention of Madrid and the loss of autonomy was considerably strong. Meanwhile, the Spanish courtiers wanted to suppress the Basque fueros, the newly appointed Spanish courtiers supported some of the great powers against the Basques at least since the abolition of the Jesuit order and the Godoy regime
First Carlist War
–
The
Battle of Mendigorría, 16 July 1835.
First Carlist War
–
Francisco Cea Bermudez, an important official during the Trienio Liberal, presided over the 1832-1834 cabinet
First Carlist War
–
James (Jacob) Rothschild, head of the French branch of the family
First Carlist War
–
Nathan Rothschild and his brother James increasingly involved in Spain, providing the key financial platform for the Spanish governments
38.
Spain under Franco
–
It is the opinion of several historians that during the Spanish Civil War, Francos goal was to turn Spain into a totalitarian state based on fascism like Nazi Germany and Fascist Italy. Franco was also able to take advantage of the resources of the Axis Powers, Francos regime evolved into a more classic autocratic regime. The Spanish Civil War started as a coup by the Spanish military on the peninsula, the coup escalated into a civil war lasting for three years once Fascist Italy and Nazi Germany agreed to support Franco, starting with airlifting of the africanistas onto the mainland. However, the Falange remained the party throughout Francos regime and its ideology, National Syndicalism. At the end of the Spanish Civil War, according to the regimes own figures, there were more than 270,000 men and women held in prisons, large numbers of those captured were returned to Spain or interned in Nazi concentration camps as stateless enemies. Between six and seven thousand exiles from Spain died in Mauthausen and it has been estimated that more than 200,000 Spaniards died in the first years of the dictatorship, from 1940–42, as a result of political repression, hunger, and disease related to the conflict. This changed with the Cold War that soon followed the end of hostilities in 1945, independent political parties and trade unions were banned throughout the duration of the dictatorship. On July 26,1947 Spain was declared a kingdom, Franco was to be succeeded by his Prime Minister Luis Carrero Blanco as head of government with the intention of continuing the Francoist regime, but those hopes ended with his 1973 assassination. With the death of Franco on 20 November 1975, Juan Carlos became the King of Spain and he initiated the countrys subsequent transition to democracy, ending with Spain becoming a constitutional monarchy with an elected parliament. After Francos victory in 1939, the Falange was declared the legal party in Spain. The Organic Law made the government ultimately responsible for passing all laws, as all ministers were appointed and dismissed by Franco as the Chief of state and government, he was effectively the only source of legislation. The law of national referendums, passed in 1945 approved for all laws to be approved by a popular referendum. Local municipal councils were appointed similarly by heads of families and local corporations through elections, however, Carrero Blanco was assassinated on the same year and Franco named a civilian, Carlos Arias Navarro as the countrys new Prime Minister. Concerns about the situation, Spains possible entry into World War II. The army maintained a strength of about 400,000 men until the end of the war, Spain attempted to retain control of the last remnants of its colonial empire throughout Francos rule. During the Algerian War, Madrid became the base of the Organisation armée secrète right-wing French Army group which sought to preserve French Algeria, despite this, Franco was forced to make some concessions. Henceforth, when French Morocco became independent in 1956, he surrendered Spanish Morocco to Mohammed V, the year after, Mohammed V invaded Spanish Sahara during the Ifni War. Only in 1975, with the Green March and the military occupation, in 1968, under United Nations pressure, Franco granted Spains colony of Equatorial Guinea its independence, and the next year, ceded the exclave of Ifni to Morocco
Spain under Franco
–
By decision of King Juan Carlos I, Franco is entombed in the monument of
Santa Cruz del Valle de los Caídos.
Spain under Franco
–
Flag
Spain under Franco
–
Equestrian statue of Generalisimo Franco in the Plaza del Ayuntamiento (City Hall Plaza) of
Santander. It was taken down in late 2008.
39.
Barcelona
–
Founded as a Roman city, in the Middle Ages Barcelona became the capital of the County of Barcelona. Barcelona has a cultural heritage and is today an important cultural centre. Particularly renowned are the works of Antoni Gaudí and Lluís Domènech i Montaner. The headquarters of the Union for the Mediterranean is located in Barcelona, the city is known for hosting the 1992 Summer Olympics as well as world-class conferences and expositions and also many international sport tournaments. It is a cultural and economic centre in southwestern Europe, 24th in the world. In 2008 it was the fourth most economically powerful city by GDP in the European Union, in 2012 Barcelona had a GDP of $170 billion, it is leading Spain in both employment rate and GDP per capita change. In 2009 the city was ranked Europes third and one of the worlds most successful as a city brand, since 2011 Barcelona has been a leading smart city in Europe. During the Middle Ages, the city was known as Barchinona, Barçalona, Barchelonaa. Internationally, Barcelonas name is abbreviated to Barça. However, this refers only to FC Barcelona, the football club. The common abbreviated form used by locals is Barna, another common abbreviation is BCN, which is also the IATA airport code of the Barcelona-El Prat Airport. The city is referred to as the Ciutat Comtal in Catalan. The origin of the earliest settlement at the site of present-day Barcelona is unclear, the ruins of an early settlement have been excavated in the El Raval neighbourhood, including different tombs and dwellings dating to earlier than 5000 BC. The founding of Barcelona is the subject of two different legends, the first attributes the founding of the city to the mythological Hercules. In about 15 BC, the Romans redrew the town as a castrum centred on the Mons Taber, under the Romans, it was a colony with the surname of Faventia, or, in full, Colonia Faventia Julia Augusta Pia Barcino or Colonia Julia Augusta Faventia Paterna Barcino. It enjoyed immunity from imperial burdens, the city minted its own coins, some from the era of Galba survive. Some remaining fragments of the Roman walls have incorporated into the cathedral. The cathedral, also known as the Basilica La Seu, is said to have founded in 343
Barcelona
–
Central business district,
Sagrada Família,
Camp Nou stadium,
The Castle of the Three Dragons,
Palau Nacional,
W Barcelona hotel and beach
Barcelona
–
A marble plaque in the Museu d'Història de la Ciutat de Barcelona, dated from around 110-130 AD and dedicated to the Roman colony of Barcino
Barcelona
–
Basilica of La Mercè (Mare de Déu de la Mercè)
Barcelona
–
Barcelona in 1563
40.
Anarchism
–
Anarchism is a political philosophy that advocates self-governed societies based on voluntary institutions. These are often described as stateless societies, although several authors have defined them more specifically as institutions based on non-hierarchical free associations, Anarchism holds the state to be undesirable, unnecessary, and harmful. While anti-statism is central, anarchism entails opposing authority or hierarchical organisation in the conduct of all relations, including, but not limited to. Anarchism does not offer a fixed body of doctrine from a particular world view. Many types and traditions of anarchism exist, not all of which are mutually exclusive, Anarchist schools of thought can differ fundamentally, supporting anything from extreme individualism to complete collectivism. Strains of anarchism have often divided into the categories of social. The term anarchism is a word composed from the word anarchy and the suffix -ism, themselves derived respectively from the Greek ἀναρχία, i. e. anarchy. The first known use of this word was in 1539, various factions within the French Revolution labelled opponents as anarchists although few shared many views of later anarchists. The first political philosopher to call himself an anarchist was Pierre-Joseph Proudhon, on the other hand, some use libertarianism to refer to individualistic free-market philosophy only, referring to free-market anarchism as libertarian anarchism. The earliest anarchist themes can be found in the 6th century BC, among the works of Taoist philosopher Laozi, zhuangzis philosophy has been described by various sources as anarchist. Zhuangzi wrote, A petty thief is put in jail, a great brigand becomes a ruler of a Nation. Diogenes of Sinope and the Cynics, their contemporary Zeno of Citium, Jesus is sometimes considered the first anarchist in the Christian anarchist tradition. Georges Lechartier wrote that The true founder of anarchy was Jesus Christ, the first anarchist society was that of the apostles. This is exemplified when the glorification of the state is viewed as a form of sinful idolatry, the French renaissance political philosopher Étienne de La Boétie wrote in his most famous work the Discourse on Voluntary Servitude what some historians consider an important anarchist precedent. The radical Protestant Christian Gerrard Winstanley and his group the Diggers are cited by authors as proposing anarchist social measures in the 17th century in England. The term anarchist first entered the English language in 1642, during the English Civil War, as a term of abuse, used by Royalists against their Roundhead opponents. By the time of the French Revolution some, such as the Enragés, began to use the term positively, in opposition to Jacobin centralisation of power, by the turn of the 19th century, the English word anarchism had lost its initial negative connotation. Modern anarchism emerged from the secular or religious thought of the Enlightenment, as part of the political turmoil of the 1790s in the wake of the French Revolution, William Godwin developed the first expression of modern anarchist thought
Anarchism
–
William Godwin, "the first to formulate the political and economical conceptions of anarchism, even though he did not give that name to the ideas developed in his work".
Anarchism
–
A sympathetic engraving by
Walter Crane of the executed "Anarchists of Chicago" after the
Haymarket affair. The Haymarket affair is generally considered the most significant event for the origin of international May Day observances.
Anarchism
–
Italian-American anarchist
Luigi Galleani. His followers, known as Galleanists, carried out a series of bombings and assassination attempts from 1914 to 1932 in what they saw as attacks on 'tyrants' and 'enemies of the people'
41.
Freemasonry
–
The degrees of freemasonry retain the three grades of medieval craft guilds, those of Apprentice, Journeyman or fellow, and Master Mason. These are the degrees offered by Craft Freemasonry, members of these organisations are known as Freemasons or Masons. There are additional degrees, which vary with locality and jurisdiction, the basic, local organisational unit of Freemasonry is the Lodge. The Lodges are usually supervised and governed at the level by a Grand Lodge or Grand Orient. There is no international, worldwide Grand Lodge that supervises all of Freemasonry, each Grand Lodge is independent, modern Freemasonry broadly consists of two main recognition groups. Continental Freemasonry is now the term for the liberal jurisdictions who have removed some, or all. The Masonic Lodge is the organisational unit of Freemasonry. The Lodge meets regularly to conduct the formal business of any small organisation. In addition to business, the meeting may perform a ceremony to confer a Masonic degree or receive a lecture, at the conclusion of the meeting, the Lodge might adjourn for a formal dinner, or festive board, sometimes involving toasting and song. The bulk of Masonic ritual consists of degree ceremonies, candidates for Freemasonry are progressively initiated into Freemasonry, first in the degree of Entered Apprentice. Some time later, in a ceremony, they will be passed to the degree of Fellowcraft. In all of ceremonies, the candidate is entrusted with passwords, signs. Another ceremony is the installation of the Master and officers of the Lodge. In some jurisdictions Installed Master is valued as a separate rank, in other jurisdictions, the grade is not recognised, and no inner ceremony conveys new secrets during the installation of a new Master of the Lodge. Most Lodges have some sort of calendar, allowing Masons. Often coupled with events is the obligation placed on every Mason to contribute to charity. This occurs at both Lodge and Grand Lodge level, Masonic charities contribute to many fields from education to disaster relief. These private local Lodges form the backbone of Freemasonry, and a Freemason will necessarily have been initiated into one of these, there also exist specialist Lodges where Masons meet to celebrate anything from sport to Masonic research
Freemasonry
–
Lodge in Palazzo Roffia,
Florence set out for French (Moderns) ritual
Freemasonry
–
The Masonic
Square and Compasses. (Found with or without the letter
G)
Freemasonry
–
Freemasons Hall, London, home of the
United Grand Lodge of England
Freemasonry
–
Freemasons' Hall, London, c. 1809
42.
Ukraine
–
Ukraine is currently in territorial dispute with Russia over the Crimean Peninsula which Russia annexed in 2014 but which Ukraine and most of the international community recognise as Ukrainian. Including Crimea, Ukraine has an area of 603,628 km2, making it the largest country entirely within Europe and it has a population of about 42.5 million, making it the 32nd most populous country in the world. The territory of modern Ukraine has been inhabited since 32,000 BC, during the Middle Ages, the area was a key centre of East Slavic culture, with the powerful state of Kievan Rus forming the basis of Ukrainian identity. Following its fragmentation in the 13th century, the territory was contested, ruled and divided by a variety of powers, including Lithuania, Poland, the Ottoman Empire, Austria-Hungary, and Russia. A Cossack republic emerged and prospered during the 17th and 18th centuries, two brief periods of independence occurred during the 20th century, once near the end of World War I and another during World War II. Before its independence, Ukraine was typically referred to in English as The Ukraine, following independence, Ukraine declared itself a neutral state. Nonetheless it formed a limited partnership with the Russian Federation and other CIS countries. In the 2000s, the government began leaning towards NATO, and it was later agreed that the question of joining NATO should be answered by a national referendum at some point in the future. Former President Viktor Yanukovych considered the current level of co-operation between Ukraine and NATO sufficient, and was against Ukraine joining NATO and these events formed the background for the annexation of Crimea by Russia in March 2014, and the War in Donbass in April 2014. On 1 January 2016, Ukraine applied the economic part of the Deep, Ukraine has long been a global breadbasket because of its extensive, fertile farmlands and is one of the worlds largest grain exporters. The diversified economy of Ukraine includes a heavy industry sector, particularly in aerospace. Ukraine is a republic under a semi-presidential system with separate powers, legislative, executive. Its capital and largest city is Kiev, taking into account reserves and paramilitary personnel, Ukraine maintains the second-largest military in Europe after that of Russia. Ukrainian is the language and its alphabet is Cyrillic. The dominant religion in the country is Eastern Orthodoxy, which has strongly influenced Ukrainian architecture, literature, there are different hypotheses as to the etymology of the name Ukraine. According to the older and most widespread hypothesis, it means borderland, while more recently some studies claim a different meaning, homeland or region. The Ukraine now implies disregard for the sovereignty, according to U. S. ambassador William Taylor. Neanderthal settlement in Ukraine is seen in the Molodova archaeological sites include a mammoth bone dwelling
Ukraine
–
Gold
Scythian pectoral, or neckpiece, from a royal
kurgan in
Ordzhonikidze, dated to the 4th century BC
Ukraine
–
Flag
Ukraine
–
Principalities of
Kievan Rus', 1054-1132
Ukraine
–
The baptism of the Grand Prince Vladimir led to the adoption of Christianity in
Kievan Rus'.
43.
Lviv
–
Lviv, the largest city in western Ukraine and the seventh largest city in the country overall, is one of the main cultural centres of Ukraine. Named in honor of the Leo, the eldest son of Rus King Daniel of Galicia. It was the capital of the Kingdom of Galicia–Volhynia from 1272 to 1349, from 1434, it was the regional capital of the Ruthenian Voivodeship in the Kingdom of Poland and was known as Lwów. In 1772, after the First partition of Poland, the city became the capital of the Habsburg Kingdom of Galicia and Lodomeria and was renamed to Lemberg, in 1918 in a short time was the capital of the West Ukrainian Peoples Republic. Between the wars, the city was again as Lwów and was the centre of the Lwów Voivodeship in the Second Polish Republic. After World War II, it part of the Soviet Union. Administratively, Lviv serves as the center of Lviv Oblast and has the status of city of oblast significance. Lviv was the centre of the region of Galicia. The historical heart of the city, with its old buildings and cobblestone streets, survived Soviet, the city has many industries and institutions of higher education such as Lviv University and Lviv Polytechnic. Lviv is also the home of many cultural institutions, including a philharmonic orchestra. The historic city centre is on the UNESCO World Heritage List, Lviv celebrated its 750th anniversary with a son et lumière in the center of the city in September 2006. Lviv is located on the edge of the Roztochia Upland, approximately 70 kilometers from the Polish border and 160 kilometers from the eastern Carpathian Mountains, the average altitude of Lviv is 296 meters above sea level. Its highest point is the Vysokyi Zamok,409 meters above sea level and this castle has a commanding view of the historic city centre with its distinctive green-domed churches and intricate architecture. The old walled city was at the foothills of the High Castle on the banks of the River Poltva, in the 13th century, the river was used to transport goods. Lvivs climate is continental with cold winters and mild summers. The average temperatures are −3.1 °C in January and 18.3 °C in July, the average annual rainfall is 745 mm with the maximum being in summer. Lviv approximately receives 1,804 hours of sunshine annually, archaeologists have demonstrated that the Lviv area was settled by the 5th century. The area between the Castle Hill and the river Poltva was continuously settled since the 9th century, in 1977 it was discovered that the Orthodox church of St. Nicholas had been built on a previously functioning cemetery
Lviv
–
View of the
Market Square, and
Theatre of Opera and Ballet.
Lviv
Lviv
–
Lviv satellite view (
Landsat 5, 14 November 2010)
Lviv
–
The castle of Lwów in 1681, made by Georg Matthäus Vischer (1628–1696)
44.
Leandro Marconi
–
Leandro Marconi was a Polish architect, active mainly in Warsaw. His father was Enrico Marconi, also an architect associated with that city, while his cousin was Leonard Marconi. He was born Leandro Jan Ludwik Marconi April 23,1834 in Warsaw and his father Enrico Marconi was a noted architect, who moved to Poland in 1822 and settled in Warsaw, while his mother was Małgorzata née Heiton, a lady of Scottish descent. Marconi graduated from the gymnasium in Warsaw and started career as an architect under the tutelage of his father. Initially both Marconis collaborated at the construction of the expensive Hotel Europejski and he also collaborated with his father and Jan Kacper Heurich at the construction of a parochial church in Wilanów. His first major project was a built for a mighty Rau family of entrepreneurs. The building was considered successful and soon Marconis career started for good, the best-known of his designs - the Great Synagogue in Warsaw - was commissioned in 1877, after two successive architectural competitions were unsuccessful. For many years he supervised the reconstruction of the Wilanów Palace and he is also said to be the author of Nożyk Synagogue, though his authorship is not certain. He died October 8,1919 in Montreux, gallery of selected works by Marconi
Leandro Marconi
–
Model of the Great Synagogue in Warsaw
Leandro Marconi
–
Rau palace (rebuilt 1948-1949)
Leandro Marconi
–
Little White Palace in Frascati Street
Leandro Marconi
–
Sobańskis palace, Warsaw
45.
Leicester, England
–
Leicester is a city and unitary authority area in the East Midlands of England, and the county town of Leicestershire. The city lies on the River Soar and at the edge of the National Forest, in the 2011 census the population of the City of Leicester unitary authority was 329,839 making it the most populous municipality in the East Midlands region. The associated urban area is also the 11th most populous in England, the name of Leicester is recorded in the 9th-century History of the Britons as Cair Lerion, and in the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle as Ligora-ceastre. In the Domesday Book of 1086, it is recorded as Ledecestre, the second element of the name comes from the Latin castrum which is reflected in both Welsh cair and Anglo-Saxon ceastre. Based on the Welsh name, Geoffrey of Monmouth proposes a king Leir of Britain as a founder in his Historia Regum Britanniae. Leicester is one of the oldest cities in England, with a going back at least two millennia. The native Iron Age settlement encountered by the Romans at the seems to have developed in the 2nd or 1st centuries BC. This area of the Soar was split into two channels, a stream to the east and a narrower channel on the west. The settlement seems to have controlled a ford across the larger channel, the later Roman name was a latinate form of the Brittonic word for ramparts, suggesting the site was an oppidum. The plural form of the name suggests it was composed of several villages. The Celtic tribe holding the area was recorded as the Coritanians. The Corieltauvians are believed to have ruled over roughly the area of the East Midlands and it is believed that the Romans arrived in the Leicester area around AD47, during their conquest of southern Britain. The Corieltauvian settlement lay near a bridge on the Fosse Way, in the 2nd century, it received a forum and bathhouse. In 2013, the discovery of a Roman cemetery found just outside the old city walls, the remains of the baths of Roman Leicester can be seen at the Jewry Wall, recovered artifacts are displayed at the adjacent museum. Knowledge of the following the Roman withdrawal from Britain is limited. Certainly there is continuation of occupation of the town, though on a much reduced scale in the 5th and 6th centuries. Its memory was preserved as the Cair Lerion of the History of the Britons, following the Saxon invasion of Britain, Leicester was occupied by the Middle Angles and subsequently administered by the kingdom of Mercia. It was elevated to a bishopric in either 679 or 680, this see survived until the 9th century and their settlement became one of the Five Burghs of the Danelaw, although this position was short-lived
Leicester, England
–
Leicester landmarks: (clockwise from top-left)
Jewry Wall,
National Space Centre,
Leicester War Memorial,
Central Leicester,
Curve theatre,
Leicester Cathedral and
Guildhall,
Welford Road Stadium,
Leicester Market
Leicester, England
–
St Nicholas's Church and the
Jewry Wall.
Leicester, England
–
Leicester Guildhall, dating from the 14th century
Leicester, England
–
Leicester Abbey ruins, now part of
Abbey Park.
46.
Leicester
–
Leicester is a city and unitary authority area in the East Midlands of England, and the county town of Leicestershire. The city lies on the River Soar and at the edge of the National Forest, in the 2011 census the population of the City of Leicester unitary authority was 329,839 making it the most populous municipality in the East Midlands region. The associated urban area is also the 11th most populous in England, the name of Leicester is recorded in the 9th-century History of the Britons as Cair Lerion, and in the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle as Ligora-ceastre. In the Domesday Book of 1086, it is recorded as Ledecestre, the second element of the name comes from the Latin castrum which is reflected in both Welsh cair and Anglo-Saxon ceastre. Based on the Welsh name, Geoffrey of Monmouth proposes a king Leir of Britain as a founder in his Historia Regum Britanniae. Leicester is one of the oldest cities in England, with a going back at least two millennia. The native Iron Age settlement encountered by the Romans at the seems to have developed in the 2nd or 1st centuries BC. This area of the Soar was split into two channels, a stream to the east and a narrower channel on the west. The settlement seems to have controlled a ford across the larger channel, the later Roman name was a latinate form of the Brittonic word for ramparts, suggesting the site was an oppidum. The plural form of the name suggests it was composed of several villages. The Celtic tribe holding the area was recorded as the Coritanians. The Corieltauvians are believed to have ruled over roughly the area of the East Midlands and it is believed that the Romans arrived in the Leicester area around AD47, during their conquest of southern Britain. The Corieltauvian settlement lay near a bridge on the Fosse Way, in the 2nd century, it received a forum and bathhouse. In 2013, the discovery of a Roman cemetery found just outside the old city walls, the remains of the baths of Roman Leicester can be seen at the Jewry Wall, recovered artifacts are displayed at the adjacent museum. Knowledge of the following the Roman withdrawal from Britain is limited. Certainly there is continuation of occupation of the town, though on a much reduced scale in the 5th and 6th centuries. Its memory was preserved as the Cair Lerion of the History of the Britons, following the Saxon invasion of Britain, Leicester was occupied by the Middle Angles and subsequently administered by the kingdom of Mercia. It was elevated to a bishopric in either 679 or 680, this see survived until the 9th century and their settlement became one of the Five Burghs of the Danelaw, although this position was short-lived
Leicester
–
Leicester landmarks: (clockwise from top-left)
Jewry Wall,
National Space Centre,
Leicester War Memorial,
Central Leicester,
Curve theatre,
Leicester Cathedral and
Guildhall,
Welford Road Stadium,
Leicester Market
Leicester
–
Leicester Guildhall, dating from the 14th century
Leicester
–
St Nicholas's Church and the
Jewry Wall.
Leicester
–
Leicester Abbey ruins, now part of
Abbey Park.
47.
RAF Lakenheath
–
Royal Air Force Lakenheath or RAF Lakenheath is a Royal Air Force station near the town of Lakenheath in Suffolk, England,4.7 miles north-east of Mildenhall and 8.3 miles west of Thetford. Although an RAF station, it hosts United States Air Force units, the host wing is the 48th Fighter Wing, also known as the Liberty Wing, assigned to United States Air Forces in Europe - Air Forces Africa. The 48th Fighter Wing at RAF Lakenheath is the Statue of Liberty Wing, the 48 FW has nearly 5,700 active-duty military members,2,000 British and U. S. civilians, and includes a Geographically Separate Unit at nearby RAF Feltwell. Tactical squadrons of the 48th Operations Group are, 492d Fighter Squadron 493d Fighter Squadron 494th Fighter Squadron Aircraft of the 48th FW carry the tail code LN, the 56th and 57th Rescue Squadrons will re-locate to Aviano Air Base starting 2017. The first use of Lakenheath Warren as a Royal Flying Corps airfield was in World War I and it appears to have been little used, and was abandoned when peace came in 1918. In 1940, the Air Ministry selected Lakenheath as an alternative for RAF Mildenhall, false lights, runways and aircraft diverted Luftwaffe attacks from Mildenhall. In 1941, hard runways were put down with the runway, 04/22, being 2,000 yards. Another 100 yards was added to runway 16/34, hardstands for 36 aircraft were built, along with two T-2s and a B-1 hangar. One T-2 was on the site, the other hangars to the east across the A1065 Mildenhall-Brandon road were reached by taxiways. Lakenheath Airfield was used by RAF flying units on detachment late in 1941, the station soon functioned as a Mildenhall satellite with Short Stirling bombers of No.149 Squadron RAF dispersed from the parent airfield as conditions allowed. The squadron exchanged its Vickers Wellingtons for Stirlings late in during November 1941, after becoming fully operational with its new aircraft, the squadron moved into Lakenheath on 6 April 1942 and remained until mid 1944 when the squadron moved to RAF Methwold. Taking part in more than 350 operations, more than half mine-laying,149 Squadron had one of the lowest percentage loss rates of all Stirling squadrons, middleton was killed when the Stirling, BF372 OJ-H, crashed into the English Channel. In early 1943, three T-2 hangars were erected on the side of the airfield for glider storage,40 Horsa Gliders being dispersed at Lakenheath during that year. On 21 June 1943, No.199 Squadron RAF was established as a second Stirling squadron, commencing operations on 31 July, it laid mines during the winter of 1943–44. At the end of April 1944, after 68 operations, the transferred to No.100 Group RAF for bomber support. No.149 Squadron ended its association with RAF Lakenheath the same month, between them, the two squadrons lost 116 Stirling bombers in combat while flying from Lakenheath. The reason for the departure of the two squadrons was Lakenheaths selection for upgrading to a Very Heavy Bomber airfield. The work entailed removal of the runways and laying new ones comprising 12 inches of high-grade concrete
RAF Lakenheath
–
F-15E Strike Eagles of the 48th Fighter, Statue of Liberty Wing
RAF Lakenheath
–
307th Bombardment Group Boeing B-29A-75-BN Superfortress 44-62328 SAC 8th Air Force, at RAF Lakenheath, England during the
Berlin Airlift, 1948
RAF Lakenheath
–
Boeing B-50D
RAF Lakenheath
–
Boeing KC-97 Stratofreighter, 1951
48.
Coquitlam
–
Coquitlam /koʊˈkwɪtləm/ is a city in the Lower Mainland of British Columbia, Canada. Coquitlam, mainly a city, is the sixth-largest city in the province and is one of the 21 municipalities comprising Metro Vancouver. The current mayor of Coquitlam is Richard Stewart, the Coast Salish people were the first to live in this area, and archaeology confirms continuous occupation of the territory for at least 9,000 years. The name Kwikwetlem is said to be derived from a Coast Salish term meaning red fish up the river, explorer Simon Fraser came through the region in 1808, and in the 1860s Europeans gradually started settling the area. Coquitlam began as a place-in-between with the construction of North Road in the century to provide Royal Engineers in New Westminster access to the year-round port facilities in Port Moody. The District of Coquitlam was incorporated in 1891, by 1908, a mill town of 20 houses, a store, post office, hospital, office block, barber shop, and pool hall had grown around the mill. A mill managers residence was built that would later become Place des Arts, over the next two years, several contingents of French Canadian mill workers arrived from Quebec, and Maillardville was born. Named for Father Edmond Maillard, a young Oblate from France, maillardvilles past is recognized today in street names, the Francophone education system and French immersion programs, French-language guides and scouts, and celebrations such as Festival du Bois. Following World War II, Coquitlam and the rest of the Lower Mainland experienced substantial growth that continues today. The opening of Lougheed Highway in 1953 made the city more accessible, in 1971, Coquitlam and Fraser Mills were amalgamated, which gave the city a larger industrial base. The mill closed in 2001, and is now rezoned into a residential area, Coquitlam is situated some 10 to 15 km east of Vancouver, where the Coquitlam River connects with the Fraser River and extends northeast along the Pitt River toward the Coquitlam and Pitt lakes. Coquitlam borders Burnaby and Port Moody to the west, New Westminster to the southwest, Burke Mountain, Eagle Ridge, and 1,583 m tall Coquitlam Mountain form the northern boundary of the city. Coquitlams area,152.5 square kilometres, dwarfs the other communities in the Tri-Cities, like Vancouver, Coquitlam is in the Pacific Time Zone, and the Pacific Maritime Ecozone. Coquitlams geographic shape can be thought of as a tilted hourglass and these older residences, with larger property dimensions, are increasingly being torn down and replaced with newer and larger homes. The Austin Heights area contains Como Lake, an urban fishing and recreation area. It also contains Mundy Park, one of the largest urban parks in the Metro Vancouver area, in 1984, the provincial government sold 57 hectares formerly attached to Riverview Hospital to Molnar Developments. Shortly afterward, this land was subdivided and became Riverview Heights, the remaining 240 acres of this still-active mental health facility has been the subject of much controversy between developers, environmentalists, and conservationists. Coquitlam Town Centre, was designated as a Regional Town Centre under the Metro Vancouver’s Livable Region Strategic Plan
Coquitlam
–
Coquitlam
Coquitlam
–
Coquitlam City Hall
Coquitlam
–
Lafarge Lake at
Coquitlam Town Centre
Coquitlam
–
Westwood Plateau, with
Burke Mountain behind it and
Golden Ears Provincial Park in the distance
49.
British Columbia
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British Columbia is the westernmost province of Canada, with a population of more than four million people located between the Pacific Ocean and the Rocky Mountains. British Columbia is also a component of the Pacific Northwest and the Cascadia bioregion, along with the U. S. states of Idaho, Oregon, Washington and Alaska. The first British settlement in the area was Fort Victoria, established in 1843, subsequently, on the mainland, the Colony of British Columbia was founded by Richard Clement Moody and the Royal Engineers, Columbia Detachment, in response to the Fraser Canyon Gold Rush. Port Moody is named after him, in 1866, Vancouver Island became part of the colony of British Columbia, and Victoria became the united colonys capital. In 1871, British Columbia became the province of Canada. Its Latin motto is Splendor sine occasu, the capital of British Columbia remains Victoria, the fifteenth-largest metropolitan region in Canada, named for the Queen who created the original European colonies. The largest city is Vancouver, the third-largest metropolitan area in Canada, the largest in Western Canada, in October 2013, British Columbia had an estimated population of 4,606,371. British Columbia evolved from British possessions that were established in what is now British Columbia by 1871, First Nations, the original inhabitants of the land, have a history of at least 10,000 years in the area. Today there are few treaties and the question of Aboriginal Title, notably, the Tsilhqotin Nation has established Aboriginal title to a portion of their territory, as a result of the recent Supreme Court of Canada decision. BCs economy is diverse, with service producing industries accounting for the largest portion of the provinces GDP and it is the endpoint of transcontinental railways, and the site of major Pacific ports that enable international trade. Though less than 5% of its vast 944,735 km2 land is arable and its climate encourages outdoor recreation and tourism, though its economic mainstay has long been resource extraction, principally logging, farming, and mining. Vancouver, the provinces largest city and metropolitan area, also serves as the headquarters of many western-based natural resource companies and it also benefits from a strong housing market and a per capita income well above the national average. The Northern Interior region has a climate with very cold winters. The climate of Vancouver is by far the mildest winter climate of the major Canadian cities, the provinces name was chosen by Queen Victoria, when the Colony of British Columbia, i. e. the Mainland, became a British colony in 1858. The current southern border of British Columbia was established by the 1846 Oregon Treaty, British Columbias land area is 944,735 square kilometres. British Columbias rugged coastline stretches for more than 27,000 kilometres and it is the only province in Canada that borders the Pacific Ocean. British Columbias capital is Victoria, located at the tip of Vancouver Island. Only a narrow strip of the Island, from Campbell River to Victoria, is significantly populated, much of the western part of Vancouver Island and the rest of the coast is covered by thick, tall and sometimes impenetrable temperate rainforest
British Columbia
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Strait of Georgia, near
Vancouver.
British Columbia
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Flag
British Columbia
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The Okanagan region has a climate suitable to vineyards.
British Columbia
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Mount Robson,
Canadian Rockies, BC
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