Mittwoch, 3. November 2010

Leptis Magna


Leptis Magna is one of the only completely preserved Roman cities in the world and among the most attractive tourist destinations in Libya. Situated on the Mediterranean coast of North Africa in the Libyan province, this unique ancient monument Leptis Magna was built under the rules of the Roman architectural tradition.

Located about 120 km east of Tripoli near the town of Al-Khoms, Leptis Magna is an ancient cultural and commercial center. Leptis Magna occurred around 10th century BC as a Phoenician trading colony.

At the time of Julius Caesar, Leptis Magna population was around 100 000 people. During Trajan's, Leptis Magna became a colony, but at the time of Severus, who was born there, the city gets called ius italicum, which means more tax exemptions. The location is the end point of trade routes, so pr...[ More on Leptis Magna]

More: Ancient Cities

Berkeley Castle


Berkeley Castle is another medieval treasure in the territory of England. On September 21st 1327, after months of torture there, Edward II was brutally murdered because of his homosexual relations with unknown men. This palace is located in the southeastern part of the city bearing the same name, which is located in the English county of Gloucestershire.

The construction of Berkeley Castle was started in 1154 by order of Henry II. The fortified building was erected to protect Bristol, which was then an important time for the Severn Estuary and the Welsh border. It is believed that the construction of Berkeley had ended somewhere around 1189.

Merciless murder of Edward II at the palace, according to many is a fact, although there is no real information and no evidence. Today you can still see in the authentic ...[ More on Berkeley Castle]

More: Medieval castles

Herrenchiemsee Castle


Herrenchiemsee Castle is the most opulent palace built by the Bavarian King Ludwig II in the 19th century. Designed as a copy of the palace at [Versailles], Herrenchiemsee is as it rises over the majestic island Herreninsel, the largest island located in the middle of the large lake Chiemsee. This area is located in southern Bavaria, between [Munich] and [Salzburg].

Beautiful Herrenchiemsee may remind you of the neo-romantic masterpiece, Neuschwanstein, although Chiemsee is not a popular tourist destination, the castle is the Disney logo. However, the beautiful architecture and beautiful park of the castle gardens attract thousands of tourists annually from around the world.

While walking around you will be filled with calm and pleasant emotions and you can rely on the fact that you will not be crowded with...[ More on Herrenchiemsee Castle]

More: Bavarian castles

Latest discoveries from the Dinosaur Era

Latest discoveries from the Dinosaur Era

On an island in the remote Arctic archipelago of Svalbard laid the remains of a giant meat eating sea monster, it was known to have patrolled the oceans during the reign of the fabulous dinosaurs.

It was described as the most significant Jurassic discoveries ever made. The Norwegian fossil hunters firstly recovered the rear half of the reptiles skull south west of Spitsbergen. It was identified as a new species know as pliosaur.

The pliosaur was described as a group of extinct aquatic reptiles that had huge skulls, short necks and four flippers to aid them with swimming. The evidence of the findings allowed us to tell that the this magnificent creature was in fact on top of the food chain, measurements of the partial skull and 20, 000 other bone fragments teaches us this was really the biggest aquatic dino...[ More ]

More: DinosaursPliosaurSea MonsterTyrannosaurusPaleontologists

Donnerstag, 23. September 2010

Machu Picchu in Peru


Machu Picchu is one of the wonders of the world and one of the most popular worldwide cultural and historical attractions. Machu Picchu is relatively a small architectural complex that remnants of past grandeur of a major civilization and is located in the lands of the present day country of Peru.

Built by the [Inca]s in the 15th century, Machu Picchu is now included in the list of World Cultural and Natural Heritage of UNESCO. Aka, Lost City of the Incas, Machu Picchu is located at 2430 m altitude in the Andes, 112 km from Cusco, at the foot of the Sacred Valley of the Incas.

In fact, Machu Picchu is not with grandiose proportions, it was a small town. It has no more than 200 structures, representing the most common types of temples, residences, warehouses and other facilities. Most of these buildings are bu...[ More on Machu Picchu]

More: WondersLost Cities

Freitag, 17. September 2010

Hluboka Castle

Hluboka Castle is an excellent example of the royal ruler of a castle in Medieval times. Built in the mid 13th century, there emerged a political "sensitive" area for that time the boundary between two possessions were in today's Czech territory. Hluboka, built in the style of [Windsor] and is located in Bohemia of today's Czech Republic.

Hluboka Castle is one of the first Gothic castles in the world and was built around 1250. During the middle Ages the castle was alternately an aristocratic title and subject of the King administration. In 1562 King Ferdinand I sold Hluboka palace with the right of inheritance to the Lords of Hradec, which quite changed the castle. Hluboka has become a great example of Renaissance architecture.

Nearly a century later the possession of the island was bought by Jan Adolf Schwar...[ More on Hluboka Castle]

More: Czech RepublicBohemia

Biltmore Castle

The castle is an impressive Biltmore family domain, which is located near Asheville in the U.S. state of North Carolina. Many voted Biltmore as the most beloved family house of the Americans. This definition comes from a rating of the American Institute of Architects, which was made in 2007 in order to sort the list of favorite architectural structures in America.

Biltmore Castle was built in the years between 1889 and 1895 by George Washington Vanderbilt II. Biltmore is considered the largest private estate built in the U.S. It is situated on a total area of 16, 300 square meters, and throughout the building are 20 separated impressive rooms. As a tourist attraction Biltmore castle was open for public visits in March 1930 when Cornelia Stephenson (Cornelia Stuyvesant Vanderbilt) decided to tackle the difficult economic si...[ More on Biltmore Castle]

Kamianets-Podilskyi Castle

Kamianets-Podilskyi is a massive medieval fortress which is located in the town in western Ukraine located between the towns Khmelnitsky and northwest Chernivtsi, which are only 25 km away. Kamianets-Podilskyi is built like a peninsula surrounded by the river Smotrich, which is a tributary of the Dniester. Kamenets-Podolski Castle, was built to protect the so-called. bridge of the castle which was once the only entrance to the city.

The first part of the name of the fortress and the city comes from the Slavic word "kaminy", which literally means stone. The second word in the composition of the name of the [medieval castle] comes from the name of the local historic area Podillia. According to some historians in antiquity the site was inhabited by the Dacians, who lived in present-day countries Romania, Moldova and parts of U...[ More on Kamianets-Podilskyi Castle]

More: Ukraine

Florence in Italy

Florence is the cradle of the Renaissance or the soul of Italy. This historic city with the capital Rome built the remarkable cultural image of Italy and is popular worldwide.

Florence is situated among the incredibly beautiful and scenic natural area, around the town are queues of vineyards and elegant estates of typical architecture. Some of these houses are owned by one of the richest and most influential people in Italy or belong to stars of world rank.

Florence is located just above the central part of Italy, in the picturesque Tuscany region. The River Arno passes right through the city. Florence extends around the river area of about 102 sq. km and has a population of around 360 000 people.

The history of Florence begins in 59 BC, when it exists in the Latin name Florentia, which transla...[ More on Florence]

More: Medieval cities

Angkor Wat

When you speak of Angkor in no way do our minds pass the thought of the glory of an ancient civilization. This ancient city is one of the greatest historical monuments throughout Asia and in general the largest temple complex in the world.

Situated in southeast Asia, the territory of today's, Kingdom of Cambodia and these fundamental human past archaeological sites are located near Siem Reap which is about 309 km from Phnom Penh.

Aka "Lost City" Angkor was opened in 1860 and in 1992 became a part of world heritage of UNESCO, which it incorporated into their programs for the conservation of the area.

The ancient city occupies an area of 400 square kilometers, which includes a large wooded area. Here they were able to largely preserve the ancient Khmer ruins of several empires over the period fr...[ More on Angkor Wat]