Here is an extended table of contents for hidden europe 9 with brief summaries and excerpts of every article published in this issue of the magazine. Of course you can read the full version of all articles in the print edition of hidden europe 9, which is still available for sale. It was published in July 2006. So much of what features in hidden europe is timeless - as relevant and thought provoking today as it was on the day it was published.
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editorial
Welcome to hidden europe 9. This issue explores the Georgian Military Highway, discovers Istria, reports on Adriatic small states, and follows the old postal route of the Aland Islands.
feature
Travel one of the most intriguing roads in the Caucasus with hidden europe guest author Laurence Mitchell. Along the way, we encounter decapitated despots, feral horses roaming free in tunnels and a Russian bear.
feature
Hidden europe explores the coast and its hinterland in Istria, nowadays part Croatia and part Slovenia. On the coast, echoes of Venetian style mingle with Habsburg elegance and Slavic confidence. Inland, we encounter the endangered cultural traditions of Croatia's Istro-Romanian community.
feature
Montenegro's reappearance on the political map of Europe as an independent state encourages us to look at geopolitical curiosities in the Adriatic region. We examine Ragusa, Poljica and some former Italian island outposts.
feature
We explore a rocky landscape of firs and lichens, convoluted coastlines and eerily silent bays that lies on the old mail route from Stockholm to St Petersburg. full article available online
words
The notion of a world language is an intriguing one. Welcome to Bialystock in Poland, the home of Esperanto.
consuming matters
Inns, pubs, cafés and bars are often the very essence of travel. We check out two of our favourites, one in Berlin and one in Prague.
outpost
The street kiosk is a little temple of tradition, an iconic element of the European urban scene.
borderpost
Four times a day the small border village of Kuznica Bialostocka comes alive. hidden europe looks at cross-border trade at the Poland-Belarus frontier.
message in a bottle
Bang in the middle of the Atlantic, equidistant from Lisbon and Newfoundland, the island of Corvo is one of the most isolated European communities.
performance
The true story of how a small town in the Czech Republic confronted the normality of everyday life and made a spring Saturday very special.
perspective
In praise of local wines, the ones made from grapes native to the local area, rather than the big name varietals.
special spaces
We refresh our wearied and wandering minds in two intriguing gardens. We visit a secret garden in Prague, and hidden europe reader Mervyn Benford reports on a humble Swedish postman who followed in Linnaeus' footsteps.
snippet
Nineteenth century poets often nurtured the flower of national consciousness; today they are rewarded with pride of place on many European banknotes.
snippet
Karlos Zurutuza reports on a summer day in Ulcinj, a coastal town in southern Montenegro.
snippet
Migrant communities are often some of the most intriguing in Europe. We look at Senegalese settlers in Lombardy and Vietnamese entrepreneurs in Berlin.
snippet
A fine collection of lawnmowers attests to the collective obsession of the English to secure the perfect lawn.
snippet
An essay inspired by the Pope's telephone number! The politics of dialling codes that somehow contrive to associate Greenland with Africa.
