hidden europe 21

Innovation vs. imitation

by hidden europe

Summary

We are great fans of quirky museums. The Museum of Plagiarism in the German town of Solingen is definitely worth a visit.

We must admit to not being very assiduous at visiting museums and taking in the traditional ‘sights' mentioned in guidebooks. But every now and again some truly oddball museum catches our attention. You may feel that a visit to the Louvre is not a necessary part of a stay in Paris, but if you are travelling through the Rhine-Ruhr area of Germany don't miss the Museum of Plagiarism in Solingen.

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With the disintegration of the Soviet Union, the Baltic port of Kaliningrad found itself strangely isolated from the rest of Russia. Hemmed in by the European Union, the city of Kaliningrad is rethinking its role in the modern world. It is a remarkable city in a remarkable region.

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Amid the parks and palaces of Potsdam (near Berlin) is an area known as the Neuer Garten ('New Garden'). For almost fifty years, part of it was an extraordinary 'forbidden city' - a place reserved for the Russian military and the KGB. hidden europe explores this area through the eyes of one woman.

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