Coimbra – University and medieval capital of Portugal
Coimbra, today one of the largest cities in Portugal, is associated as a medieval capital and, above all, the seat of the oldest university in the country. However, the history […]
Tag: old town
Pula – Roman amphitheater and monuments of ancient Pola
Pula associated with ancient monuments, and above all with the Roman amphitheater, like many other Istrian cities, was founded by the Illyrians several centuries before the advent of the Romans. […]
Rovinj (Rovigno) – Venetian fortress on the Istrian coast
Long before the Romans conquered Istria, around the 7th century BC, there was already a settlement founded by the Illyrians or Venets tribes in the place of modern Rovinj. After […]
Poreč – Euphrasian Basilica and charming Venetian old town
Poreč is a city located on the Istrian peninsula in western Croatia, in the area inhabited since prehistoric times. Parentium, an ancient settlement in the vicinity of modern-day Poreč was […]
Shanghai, colonial and modern – pearl of the Far East
About 900 years ago, Shanghai was a tiny settlement under Suzhou Prefecture. The name Shanghai simply means “Upon the Sea”. During the Song Dynasty (960–1279), the town developed as a […]
Andrássy Avenue and Budapest thermal waters
Andrássy út is a 2.5 km avenue connecting Pest downtown with the City Park. Initially, it was called the Ray (Sugár út), because its architecture referred to Parisian alleys. However, […]
Elegant Lipótváros district and Budapest Parliament
The rapid growth of Pest–Buda population at the end of the 18th century (from 3,500 at the beginning to 20,000) and increasing pressure of cities’ expansion led to demolishing of […]
Belváros – the oldest district of the former Pest
The first mention of Pest comes from 1061. The origin of the name Pest itself has many theories. One of them is associated with the Slavic word “piec” (furnace), which […]
Buda – the castle side of Budapest
Around 890, the Magyar tribes invaded the Carpathian Basin. According to the tradition, Arpad, the leader of Magyars, erected a fortress on the ruins of the amphitheater in Aquincum. The […]