Named for the five museums located on it, Museum Island lies in the River Spree in Berlin's central Mitte district. These world-class museums – Altes Museum, Neues Museum, Alte Nationalgalerie, Bode Museum and Pergamon Museum - are each unique in their architectural structure, as well as in their contents and themes. Museum Island was added to the UNESCO World Heritage Sites list in 1999, being described as a social phenomenon owing its origins to the Age of Enlightenment in the 18th ce...
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Nestled in a valley between sandstone, vine-covered hills in Germany's Mosel wine region, the city of Trier is thought to have been established in 16 BC by Roman Emperor Augustus. Trier lies on the banks of the Moselle River which flows through France, Luxembourg and Germany, watering the fertile land surrounding it. The city has abundant evidence of its Roman origins, bearing testimony to its reputation as having been the Roma Secunda, or Second Rome, during the time of Roman rule. Among...
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Built in an era that came to be known as Sweden's Age of Greatness, the 17th century Skokloster castle is located on the shores of Lake Mälaren in the Svealand region of Sweden. The Baroque-style castle was designed by Swedish architect Nicodemus Tessin the Elder, and constructed for Carl Gustaf Wrangel, a high-ranking Swedish military commander, statesman and count. Construction started in 1654 and the castle was completed in 1676. After changing ownership a number of times, it was boug...
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Traveling north from the capital city of Lisbon, visitors to this scenic part of Portugal will come across the popular coastal resorts of Estoril and Cascais before reaching the charming village of Sintra. With its heavily forested hilltop, Sintra was once the summer getaway for Moorish lords and the kings of Portugal as they sought relief from the city in the heat of the summer months. Sintra is an amalgamation of three villages which were at one time separate. This can prove confusing t...
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