Die ungewöhnliche Stadt St. Petersburg wirkt so jung, so unkonventionell, als hätte sie der Seewind erschaffen. Und doch ist ein Besuch von Russlands Kulturhauptstadt für jeden eine Bereicherung. Die glanzvolle Peter-und-Paul-Festung, der Schlossplatz mit dem weltberühmten Eremitage-Museum, der unvergleichliche Newski Prospekt, die malerische Auferstehungskirche und die unvorstellbar prächtigen Sommerresidenzen der Zaren in Peterhof, Zarskoje Selo und Pawlowsk – sie alle erzählen die Geschichte nicht allein von Russland, sondern von ganz Europa.
Ungarn ist ein Land mit vielen Gesichtern. Seine umfangreiche Geschichte an der Kreuzung von Süd- und Nordeuropa kennt den Glanz ebenso wie die Zerstörung. Spuren seiner Vergangenheit und des großartigen künstlerischen Erbes sind in den größeren Städten zu sehen, allen voran in Budapest, einer der hübschesten und elegantesten Städte Mitteleuropas. Ungarische Tradition und Kultur jedoch findet man außerhalb der Städte in den Dörfern auf dem Land, wo die Natur noch unberührt ist, entlang der Donau und der Tisza, in den Weinbergen um den Plattensee und in den sanften Hügeln des Westens.
Prague stands at the cross roads of history, a city once humiliated and then reborn as the capital of a strong and independent nation, representing the aristocratic appeal of Old Europe and the beating heart of region long and unjustly considered to be far removed from the West. Its castle, occupying much of the centre of the city, is an architectural jewel overlooking a maze of lanes, bridges and low medieval houses. Set against a backdrop of emerald-green countryside, this ancient Bohemian city continues on its romantic journey, caught between the past and the future. Places and History: celebrating the world's most beautiful cities and its most fascinating and exotic regions. Celebrating their historic and cultural importance, and their natural beauty. The history of each location is shown in original prints and paintings. The modern scene is explored in glorious colour photographs and with a travel writer's experienced eye.
More than a thousand years have passed since the new, warrior people of the Hungarians settled in the Danube Valley under the leadership of the legendary chieftain Árpád, having arrived from Asia. Their history has been shaped by grand figures such as the state founder King Stephen I and Matthias Corvinus, during whose reign the Italian Renaissance found a home in Hungary at its peak. The Turkish rule from the mid-16th century to the end of the 17th century was followed by Habsburg oppression, which lasted until 1918, with the dissolution of the Austro-Hungarian Monarchy. Hungary paid a heavy price for its freedom. After World War II, it fell under Soviet influence, from which it was liberated only in 1990, becoming a democratic republic. The signs of a past that now lives in peaceful harmony with the present can be found in one of Europe’s most enchanting cities, Budapest, rich in historical monuments and artworks dating back to Roman times, as well as in other ancient cities like Esztergom, Győr, Eger, and Sopron, or in the soaring Benedictine abbey at Pannonhalma. The charm of this country, rich in folk traditions, is complemented by wonderful landscapes: the picturesque Danube Bend, the plains dotted with grazing sheep, and the silver-glimmering, mirror-smooth waters of Lake Balaton, the "Hungarian Sea."
Illustrated throughout, this book celebrates the most beautiful cities in Hunbgary, focusing on their historic and cultural importance, and their natural beauty. The history of each location is shown in original prints and paintings.
