Our beautiful world – Europe

Our world is made up of countless unique, magical and beautiful places. Over the course of millions of years, nature has formed the landscape we know today. Humans have settled and improved the landscape with magnificent architecture and beautiful art. In this article we’ll take a look at some examples of this from Europe. These are ten of the most special places on the continent.

1. Neuschwanstein Castle | Germany

Neuschwanstein Castle in Bavaria, Germany, is a maze of towers, twisted staircases and stained-glass windows, and has been one of the main sources of inspiration for Walt Disney’s castle. Unlike the Disney version, Neuschwanstein is 100 percent real, and you can actually explore the glorious rooms and halls, just like Cinderella.

Neuschwanstein was built in the late 19th century as a castle for King Ludwig of Bavaria, an unhappy man with a strange taste. It is located on a steep hill at the foot of the Alps, just by an idyllic lake, and it is easy to see why the king chose this place to build his dream house.

Sadly, the king never got to see his finished castle, as he died during construction. Some claim that is was suicide, others murder, but the king mysteriously drowned in the lake. Neuschwanstein was opened to the public to raise money to help complete it, a wonderful tribute to the king.

1 / 3

2. Giant’s Causeway | Northern Irland

Northern Ireland’s biggest attraction is mysterious, with stunning views across to Scotland. As the sun sparkles on the surface of the Atlantic Ocean, you can stand on one of three parts made of volcanic rock which are frozen into perfect hexagonal columns, and almost feel like time has completely stopped.

Legend has it that the Causeway was created by the giant Finn McCool. He threw large stones into the water to be able to cross the channel to Scotland to teach another giant, Benandonner, a lesson. The reality, however, is much less exciting. The rocky parts are 60-million-year old lava which has hardened into more than 40,000 basalt pillars that are both overwhelming and very inspiring at the same time.

It is easy to understand why the Giant’s Causeway made it onto the UNESCO World Heritage List in 1986. This is Northern Ireland’s only attraction on the list. The place is of geological interest and is valued highly in both science and art.

1 / 3

3. Alhambra | Spain

Located in the Andalusian city of Granada, the Alhambra is one of Europe’s finest examples of Islamic art and architecture with its Instagram-friendly gardens, geometric arches and sparkling blue fountains. The Alhambra doesn’t just have one castle, but three!

What was at first a Roman fort was rebuilt by the Moorish Nasrid dynasty with roots in today’s Saudi Arabia. The 12th-century ruler Muhammad I of Granada saw the potential of the old fortress and rebuilt it with a view over the city.

After Spain became Christianised again in 1492, the Catholic kings and queens built their own castles in the same place. Their goal was to overshadow what had been built by the nation’s former Muslim rulers. Charles V’s castle was built in a classic Renaissance style and is a stark contrast to the Nasrid dynasty buildings.

1 / 3

4. Lake Bled | Slovenia

Lake Bled is a travel photographer’s dream, with its beautiful blue water and idyllic surroundings. The lake is located in the Julian Alps in northwestern Slovenia, close to the village of Bled. This idyllic place has mountains and forests around, and the medieval castle of Bled is high above the lake on the Northern shore, making the surroundings even more magnificent.

The center of all this beauty is an island in the middle of the lake. There are a few other buildings on the island, but the main one is the pilgrimage church dedicated to the Assumption of the Virgin Mary. The church was built in the 17th century and has a 52-meter tower and 99 steps in baroque style that lead up from the water’s edge.

If you’d like a different view of the world famous lake, you can take a trip to Bled Castle. From there you have a fantastic view of the water, the island and surrounding mountain peaks. The castle, from the 12th century, has an impressive architecture and museum collection. You can learn about the art of printing in the castle’s very own printing works.

1 / 3

5. Meteora | Greece

Greece is famous for its many convents, churches and other religious places, often built on unavailable mountain tops and rocky islets in the ocean. But none of these test a visitor’s devotion as much as the convent of Meteora, a city in the sky, where six convents cling to the cliff’s edge.

Religious people, including monks, nuns and even hermits, have lived in this isolated part of Greece since the early days of Christianity. The threat of invasion forced them to move up into the mountains. Eventually, the buildings were built on shaky stone pillars, or right on the edge of high cliffs, so that they would be as unavailable as possible.

When at its most popular, there were 24 different religious places in the Meteora Mountains. Today there are only six left. All six are open to the public. Inside, you can explore ancient paintings that still shine in the light, beautifully painted chapels, well-kept gardens and even genius technology that makes the life of the monks on the cliffs a little bit easier.

1 / 3

6. Quinta da Regaleira | Portugal

Quinta da Regaleira is located near Portugal’s historic center of Sintra – a unique World Heritage Site that you have to see to believe. It was ordered by the strange Brazilian millionaire Antonio Augusto Carvalho Monteiro in the late 1800s. The design was a combination of his passion for nature, mythology and philosophy. The result is a property that has no parallel anywhere in the world.

The site has been open to the public since 1998, after being bought and restored by the local council. Visitors can explore fascinating buildings, mysterious monuments and fairytale gardens, while searching for hidden symbols in the surroundings.

The design and architecture of Quinta da Regaleira is meant to offer a link between the physical and the spiritual worlds, and reflects the journey to enlightenment and insight. The best location to experience this atmosphere is when looking up from the bottom of the well, a 27-meter-deep ‘tower’ underground. Walking through the dark tunnels to get to the well, and then going up the spiral staircase ten floors up to reach the sky is an almost supernatural experience.

1 / 3

7. Tsarskoje Selo | Russia

Tsarskoye Selo is one of the most extravagant tourist attractions in Russia, just 24 kilometers from St Petersburg. The castle is located in the village of Pushkin, which is named after the great Russian poet Aleksandr Pushkin. The castle and park show some of the world’s most magnificent architecture, including the famous Katarina Palace, a baroque royal residence from the 18th century.

The castle was built as a summer place under the rule of Catherine I of Russia, Peter the Great’s second wife. Catherine’s daughter rebuilt the castle in the rococo style during her reign, in order to compete with the Palace of Versailles in France. When Catherine the Great took the throne, she disliked the style and had architect Charles Cameron upgrade the inside to a neoclassical style, whereas the outside had a slightly more baroque style to it.

The palace is also surrounded by an idyllic park of 5.6 square kilometers which is called Catherine Park. It consists of two parks, a formal garden which was created for Tsarina Elizabeth, and an English landscape garden for Catherine the Great. Particularly the latter is full of magnificent buildings and monuments, such as the cave pavilion and the pagoda, which are examples of Chinese architecture.

1 / 3

8. Plitviče Lakes | Croatia

Why visit just one lake when you can visit 16, all linked by spectacular waterfalls? As you wander across the wooden bridges that criss-cross the Plitviče Lakes in Croatia, you are surrounded by emerald green waters which have shaped the landscape for thousands of years.

The lakes are actually part of the long river that flows between the mountains Mala Kapela and Plješivica, but over time it has divided due to a natural phenomenon called karst. The minerals in the river stream, which give the lakes their characteristic color, react with organisms in the water which slowly wash up new layers of rocks that form natural ponds. Some of these were formed over 200 million years ago, but thanks to the cascades of water, they have vanished and transformed into a system of waterfalls and lakes that are constantly changing.

It is this incredible geology that earned the Plitviče Lakes a place on the UNESCO World Heritage List in 1979, and it is still Croatia’s most popular tourist attraction. The lakes are only a small part of the national park, making up only 1 percent of the total park which consists of 300 square kilometers of huge forests, home to many threatened species.

1 / 3

9. Stonehenge | Great Britain

This is one of the most well-known landmarks in Britain, but nobody is really sure how it was made. The stones have stood there for at least 3,500 years, and their age is what makes them exciting for tourists. The mystery that surrounds them is probably the reason why so many tourists visit the place each year.

10. The Greek Islands | Greece

Greece has more than 200 populated islands, which all have more than just sun, sea and sand to offer. Each individual island is a unique mix of history and culture. The idyllic islands are all around the Ionian Sea and to the west of the mainland, with the Aegean Sea to the east.

Crete is the largest of the Greek islands, with a variety of landscapes from mountains to coastal towns and beaches. There is a huge variety of attractions, which makes Crete one of the best islands for first-time visitors. The island has a very interesting history, archeology and mythology, as it was actually where the very first European civilization, the Minoans, lived.

Another historic island is Rhodes, which is part of the Dodecanese Islands. Over the centuries it has been influenced by Romans, the Byzantine, the Geonese, Ottomans and Italians. This influence is seen in the old town found in the north, where you can admire the winding, cobbled streets within the city walls.

With its picturesque villages and famous sunsets, Santorini, the jewel of the Aegean, is one of the most visited Greek Islands. Half-moon-shaped Santorini and its neighboring islands are actually the remains of a largely flooded and sleeping volcano, which had one of the largest outbursts in history around 3,600 years ago. This explosion shaped the island’s steep cliffs, creating a stage where the sun can be watched sinking into the sea.

Perhaps the most famous attraction in all of the Greek islands is the isolated Navagio Bay – also known as Shipwreck beach – on the Ionian island of Zakynthos. Many brochures and postcards have a picture of this beach, and it was voted one of the best beaches in the world in 2017. The rusty shipwreck is the center of the narrow strip of white sand, at the base of a steep, forested limestone cliff surrounded by crystal clear turquoise water.

1 / 5

Sources:

101 steder du må oppleve (før du dør) (2020)
Orage Forlag AS

Image and video rights:

1. Getty Images
2. Getty Images
3. Getty Images
4. Getty Images
5. Getty Images
6. Getty Images
7. Getty Images
8. Getty Images
9. Getty Images
10. Getty Images
11. Getty Images

Fag

Kjerneelementer

Tverrfaglig tema

navigasjonssidefelt

Utdanningsinnhold