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 shaped the landscape we know today. Humans have settled and enhanced 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 lavish 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 an eccentric 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.
Unfortunately, the king never got to see his castle completed, 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.
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Neuschwanstein slott i Tyskland
2. Giant’s Causeway | Northern Irland
Northern Ireland’s biggest attraction is shrouded in mystery, with stunning views across to neighboring Scotland. As the rays of the sun sparkle on the surface of the Atlantic Ocean, you can stand on one of the three outcrops 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 enable him to cross the channel to Scotland to teach another giant, Benandonner, a lesson. The reality, however, is much less exciting. The rocky outcrops are 60-million-year old lava which has solidified into more than 40,000 tangled basalt columns that are both overwhelming and awe-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.
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Giant's Causeway i Nord-Irland
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 archways and sparkling blue fountains. The Alhambra doesn’t just have one castle, but three!
What was originally a Roman fortress was rebuilt by the Moorish Nasrid dynasty with roots in present-day 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 re-Christianised in 1492, the Catholic kings and queens built their own castles in the same place. Their objective 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 provides a stark contrast to the Nasrid dynasty buildings.
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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 northwesternSlovenia, close to the village of Bled. This idyllic location is surrounded by mountains and forests, and the medieval castle of Bled sits high above the lake on the Northern shore, making the surroundings even more magnificent.
The focal point 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, dating back to 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.
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Bledsjøen i Slovenia
5. Meteora | Greece
Greece is famous for its abundance of monasteries, churches and other religious sites, often built on inaccessible mountain peaks and rocky islets in the ocean. However, none of these test a visitor’s devotion as much as the monasteries of Meteora, a city in the sky, where six monasteries cling to the cliff’s edge.
Religious people, including monks, nuns and even hermits, have lived in this remote 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 inaccessible as possible.
When at its most popular, there were 24 different religious haunts in the Meteora Mountains. Today there are only six left. All six are open to the public. Inside, you can explore ancient frescoes that still shine in the light, painstakingly painted chapels, well-kept gardens and even ingenious technology that makes the life of the monks on the cliffs a little bit easier.
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Meteora i Hellas
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 commissioned by the eccentric 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 acquired and restored by the local council. Visitors can explore fascinating buildings, mysterious monuments and fairytale gardens, whilst searching for hidden symbols in your surroundings.
The design and architecture of Quinta da Regaleira is meant to provide 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 otherworldly experience.
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Quinta da Regaleira i Portugal
7. Tsarskoje Selo | Russia
Tsarskoye Selo is one of the most lavish tourist attractions in Russia, situated 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 boast 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 residence for Empress Catherine I of Russia, Peter the Great’s second wife. Catherine’s daughter Empress Elisabeth 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.
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Tsarskoje Selo i Russland
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 elongated 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 eroded 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. Admittedly, 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 lush forests, home to many endangered species.
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Plitvice i Kroatia
9. Stonehenge | Great Britain
This is one of the most recognisable landmarks in Britain. However, nobody is really sure how it came to be. 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 inhabited islands, which all have more than just sun, sea and sand to offer. Each individual island is a unique blend of history and culture. The idyllic islands are scattered around the Ionian Sea to the west of the mainland, with the Aegean Sea to the east.
Crete is the largest of the Greek islands, with a diverse landscape, from mountains to coastal towns and beaches. There is a huge variety of attractions, making Crete one of the best islands for first-time visitors. The island has a particularly 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 evident 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. Crescent-shaped Santorini and its neighboring islands are actually the remains of a largely flooded and dormant volcano, which had one of the largest eruptions 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 of all of the Greek islands is the remote Navagio Bay – also known as Shipwreck beach – on the Ionian island of Zakynthos. The beach is featured on many brochures and postcards, and was voted one of the best beaches in the world in 2017. The rusty shipwreck is the centerpiece of the narrow strip of white sand, at the base of a steep, forested limestone cliff surrounded by crystal clear turquoise water.
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Santorini i Hellas
Sources:
- 101 steder du må oppleve (før du dør) (2020)
Orage Forlag AS
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