Letter from Europe

Issue 50 of hidden europe magazine

Issue no. 2016/24

Picture above: Surveying the scene: the small town of Krupka on the edge of the Ore Mountains in Bohemia. The region features in issue 50 of hidden europe magazine (photo © hidden europe).

Summary

Today is special. On account of an anniversary. Today sees the publication of issue 50 of hidden europe magazine. For a niche travel magazine which appears just thrice annually, hidden europe has punched far above its weight, often covering travel stories overlooked by mainstream media.

Dear fellow travellers

Today is special. On account of an anniversary. Today sees the publication of issue 50 of hidden europe magazine. For a niche travel magazine which appears just thrice annually, hidden europe has punched far above its weight, often covering travel stories overlooked by mainstream media. We venture to places ignored by the majority of travel writers. We tend to avoid glitz and gloss and we have never taken a dip in an infinity pool, preferring instead to get under the skin of communities across Europe. If you have never seen a copy of the print magazine, why not take a look at Issue 50. An investment of just a few euros is all that's needed to have a copy winging its way to you soonest. We always use fast international airmail.

The animating purpose of hidden europe remains unchanged after fifty issues. We still celebrate the diversity of Europe as much as we did in our very first issue. We are motivated by that same clear vision of states cooperating in a fruitful and friendly union — along the lines suggested by Alcide De Gasperi and Jean Monnet. In designing the fiftieth issue of hidden europe, we have very purposefully revisited places which featured in the very first issue of the magazine. They include Albania, Bohemia and the Outer Hebrides. Elsewhere in this new issue you’ll also find reports from Bessarabia, the Poprad Valley in Slovakia, Oxford and the coast of Croatia.

The animating purpose of hidden europe remains unchanged after fifty issues. We still celebrate the diversity of Europe as much as we did in our very first issue.

There has been a lot of talk about identity in Europe these past months. A wave of refugees prompted us all to consider quite who we are. So often we define ourselves with reference to others. That's why Europe's border regions are so fascinating, for it is often in such areas that issues of identity are negotiated on a daily basis.

The June referendum in the United Kingdom (on Britain's future status in or out of the European Union) raised complex issues about allegiance and identity. It often glossed over the complexities of identity. It is perfectly possible to be French by birth and Irish by choice; or English by birth and a Berliner by choice. Modern citizenship is about balancing a variety of interests (family, community, city, country and the wider fraternity of nations); it is not, as some would have us believe, about raising your colours on a nationalist flagpole.

We started hidden europe as a challenge to nationalist instincts, convinced that there was a niche for an open and liberal style of travel writing which showcases the full gamut of European culture and communities. Our readers have been unfailingly responsive to that message. So, as we mark the publication of hidden europe 50, we offer a very real vote of thanks to those who have supported us by buying the magazine or by contributing ideas and articles to hidden europe. Why not be part of our future by taking out a subscription today? An annual sub (three issues) costs just 23 euros for delivery anywhere in Europe. It's just an extra 3 euros for worldwide delivery.

Nicky Gardner and Susanne Kries
(editors, hidden europe magazine)

Related articleFull text online

Admiralty Handbooks: Baedekers with a Twist

Some of the best academic minds in Britain spent the Second World War writing guidebooks about far-flung places. We explore a clandestine area of professional geographical endeavour which resulted in the Naval Intelligence Guides – often called the Admiralty Handbooks.

Related articleFull text online

Changing Fortunes: Guidebooks and War

It's hard to imagine these days that any guidebook might ever sell 100,000 copies each month. But 100 years ago, in the second half of 1919, Michelin was managing just that. We explore how guidebooks fared in the years after the end of the First World War. As Baedeker fell into disfavour among English readers, other companies were quick to fill the gap.

Related articleFull text online

Viking voyages: Eirik Raudes Land

For a brief period in the early 1930s, the Norwegian flag fluttered over two remote settlements in eastern Greenland: Myggbukta and Antarctichavn. This is the story of Eirik Raudes Land (Erik the Red Land), an upstart territory named in honour of one of the Viking World's most celebrated mediaeval scoundrels.