As befits a city in a region that has a colourful history, Wroclaw has had its share of overlords. Besides Poland (kingdom and republic), also Bohemia, Hungary, Austria, Prussia and Germany have ruled it. Thus it is befitting that it is still disputed whether the name comes from a Bohemian duke (Vratislav), or somebody elseContinue reading “Wroclaw, gnomes and all”
Category Archives: Worlds
Jagellonian University
A clock that plays Gaudeamus Igitur with an academic procession, or a chocolate bar from 1787, anybody? Old universities have their curiousities, and the Jagellonian University founded in Kraków in 1364 by Casimir III has more than most. To satisfy your curiousity, the chocolate block was made to honour the visit of King Stanislaus AugustContinue reading “Jagellonian University”
From the scrapheap of Berlin history
Berlin is well-known to have an overload of history. In fact, so much that some of it has been cleaned away to the cupboards. One such is in the Spandau Zitadelle, where unwanted statues have found their last resting place. Here we have a whole range of medieval knights, Prussian electors and kings, assorted supportingContinue reading “From the scrapheap of Berlin history”
Doria Pamphilj – An embarrassment of riches
The Palazzo Doria Pamphilj is the largest in Rome still in private ownership. The family has its roots in Genoa and have appeared in history under various guises. They fought for the French at the battle of Crécy, led Genoa (Andrea Doria), had the papacy (Innocent X), and were princes of the Holy Roman EmpireContinue reading “Doria Pamphilj – An embarrassment of riches”
Exhibiting Vermeer
Usually, when museums stage exhibitions of Johannes Vermeer, they are built around a few paintings by him and complemented with other genre paintings from the Dutch golden era. This is because there are only 37 known Vermeer paintings, and it is difficult to build a one-man show. Thus the 2021 Dresden exhibition was built aroundContinue reading “Exhibiting Vermeer”
Cape Horn, Beagle Channel and the Chilean Fjords
Cape Horn is the famous southernmost point of South America, the meeting point of Pacific and Atlantic Oceans. It is named after the city of Hoorn in the Neherlands by Willem Schouten and Jacob Le Maire who sailed around it in 1616. Even though it is notorious for stormy seas, strong winds, currents and icebergs,Continue reading “Cape Horn, Beagle Channel and the Chilean Fjords”
Port Lockroy, Antarctica
Port Lockroy is a former British base on a postage stamp-sized island off the larger Wiencke island on the West coast of Antarctica. The bay was discovered in 1904 and named after Edouard Lockroy, a French politician helping to fund the French Antarctic Expedition. It has been renovated over the years since 1996, and isContinue reading “Port Lockroy, Antarctica”
Deception Island, South Shetland Islands, Antarctica
Deception Island is actually the caldera of an active volcano, creating a sheltered harbour, 10 km long and 7 km wide. It belongs to the South Shetland Islands and is administered as part of the Antarctic Treaty. There was a whaling station here until 1931, and in the summer, Argentina and Spain still maintain researchContinue reading “Deception Island, South Shetland Islands, Antarctica”
Cuverville Island, Antarctica
Cuverville island on the West coast of the Antarctic Peninsula was discovered by the Belgian Antarctic Expedition of 1897-1899. The leader of that expedition, Adrien de Gerlache, named the island after Jules de Cuverville, vice-admiral of the French Navy. The strait where the island lies is named after Gerlache himself. The bay of the islandContinue reading “Cuverville Island, Antarctica”
Aitcho Islands, South Shetland Islands, Antarctica
The curiously named Aitcho Islands get their name from ’H.O.’, i.e. Hydrographic Office of the UK Admiralty who mapped them in 1935. These days the inhabtants are mostly gentoo and chinstrap penguins (below a chinstrap). As this is peak hatching time, many gentoos had chicks peeking out from between their legs, where it is safeContinue reading “Aitcho Islands, South Shetland Islands, Antarctica”
Rails, wines, worlds 