Norway transposed

Summary

There are about two dozen remaining fine examples of Norwegian stave churches. Most are in Norway. But one of the best is, somewhat improbably, in the mountains on the Polish-Czech border.

hidden europe 18 / Snippet / By hidden europe

One doesn't run across a lot of runes in the Karkonosze mountains. These great rounded hills, forested almost up to their summits, straddle the border between Poland and the Czech Republic. Silesia to the north and the eastern reaches of Bohemia away on the southern side of the international frontier. Just on the Polish side of the border is a very fine example of a Norwegian wooden stave church.

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Editorial hidden europe 18
Editorial

By hidden europe

Welcome to hidden europe 18. This issue of hidden europe travel magazine covers articles on sworn virgins in Albania, the Vrbas valley Bosnia, the city of London. new lakes in Lusatia and more besides.

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Women's lives in High Albania
Feature

By Antonia Young

Under the kanun code, which governs life in the mountains of northern Albania, women do not inherit. They barely even have a name. Yet, under certain circumstances, it is possible for women to break free from this patriarchal strait-jacket. Join us as we explore the world of Albania's sworn virgins.

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City of illusions: London
Feature

By Nicky Gardner

The City of London - the very heart of the English capital - has long been a melting pot for cultures and religions. And today the area has striking contradictions in wealth and social status. We report from the city of illusions.

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A terrible peace: Bosnia
Feature

By Nicky Gardner

The Dayton Accord may have been a sensible way of bringing a terrible war in Bosnia to an end. But what of the peace ushered in by Dayton? We examine life in Muslim communities in the Vrbas valley in central Bosnia.

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From coal to tourism: creating new landscapes
Feature

By Nicky Gardner

We take a look at an extraordinary landscape regeneration programme that is bringing new life to a former industrial region in eastern Germany. Where once coal was king, now new lakes are being created to promote tourism. And what about the mighty F60?

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Temples of pleasure
Special spaces

By Nicky Gardner

Many modern shopping centres are parodies of the elegant glazed arcades that were, in many nineteenth-century European cities, focal points for shopping and relaxation. From Brussels to Milan, Cardiff to Genoa the arcaded gallery became a byword for style. Many of the best still survive.

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Slow travel: Europe by train
Routes

By Nicky Gardner

Had you realised that it is not compulsory to take the fast train? Comb the timetables, and you still find the lazy slowcoach of a train that dawdles from one country station to the next. We celebrate the delights of the slow train.

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Europe's fading borders
Borderpost

By Nicky Gardner

With the expansion of the Schengen zone to encompass nine more countries, Europe's borders are fading fast. Communities once divided by international frontiers are happily united. But there is a downside, for fading borders within the European heartland are creating some formidable frontiers further east in Europe.

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Life in Lovas
Outpost

By Nicky Gardner

Take one village, a seemingly pleasant and unassuming place not far from the Danube. Look more closely, and there is more to life in Lovas than first meets the eye.

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Helsinki by tram
Capital moments

By Nicky Gardner

Public transport is often a fine way to get a feel for a foreign city. We take a look at a circular tram route in Helsinki that takes in most of the city's main sights.

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An icon of identity: the Faroese flag
Message in a bottle

By Nicky Gardner

Fámjin is all the better for being difficult to reach. It is a tiny place, a mere pinprick on the map of the Faroes. But Fámjin has something of the Faroese soul about it, for it here that the national flag was first flown. We look at some places that enshrine icons of national identity.

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Jewish legacies in southeast France
Hidden histories

By Peter Wortsman

The vestiges of Jewish life and culture are waiting to be discovered in southeast France. From hill towns in the Dauphiné to old synagogues in Cavaillon and Carpentras, there are remnants of Les Juifs du Pape (the Pope's Jews).

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A London palindrome
Snippet

By hidden europe

Yet more on palindromes! Yes, we really like palindromes. This time one from London.

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Train times
Snippet

By hidden europe

A good train timetable is a book to cherish. So when the British authorities decided that printing a national train timetable was a waste of time and money, we were distraught. Fortunately, a latter-day Bradshaw has stepped in to fill the gap.

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Norway transposed
Snippet

By hidden europe

There are about two dozen remaining fine examples of Norwegian stave churches. Most are in Norway. But one of the best is, somewhat improbably, in the mountains on the Polish-Czech border.

Read on
Preview hidden europe 19
Preview

By hidden europe

a look ahead at hidden europe 19

Read on

hidden europe 18

Norway transposed

Summary

Editorial

Feature

Feature

Feature

Feature

Special spaces

Routes

Borderpost

Outpost

Capital moments

Message in a bottle

Hidden histories

Snippet

Snippet

Snippet

Preview

Rivers of memory: Wrocław

Semper fidelis: the city of Wroclaw

Marking Time: New Train Services for 2020