EUROPE
MADRID, SPAIN (OCTOBER 1997)
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Madrid, capital of Spain since 1562, is located in the very center of the Iberian Peninsula. Its high altitude and the nearby mountain ranges influence the climate of warm summers and relatively cold winters. Certainly it is a monumental city, among the highlights being the medieval center built at the time of the Habsburg empire, and that unique picture-gallery, the "Prado". Madrid's cultural offer makes it worth visiting it, but Madrid as well is a really lively capital with pubs, concert-cafés and discotheques open until late in the night. Don't be surprised to get involved in a traffic-jam at 4 a.m., and most of the people you meet at this time certainly are not on their way to work. What more could I tell you in short terms about a city that is one of the great European capitals...
LONDON, ENGLAND (FEBRUARY 1987)
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Once the capital of the greatest empire the world has ever known, London is embedded in the culture, vocabulary and dreams of every English speaker on the planet. It's still the largest city in Europe, peopled not only with some seven million present-day inhabitants, but also with the ghosts of countless figures from history and literature. `When a man is tired of London, he is tired of life', said Samuel Johnson, but at times it is London that looks tired of man, woman and child, traffic, graffiti and the clammy English weather. At times it will be colder, greyer, dirtier and more expensive than you believed possible; at others, it will be more grand, evocative and beautiful than you could have imagined. Every visitor to Britain should soak in London's overabundance of history, culture, monuments, dynamism and squalor.
BIRMINGHAM, ENGLAND (FEBRUARY 1987)
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Lying in the heart of England and served by Europe's first purpose built "hub and spoke" airport, Birmingham provides a communications system that links Britain to Europe and to the world. The city is the Regional Capital of the West Midlands and situated at the centre of Britain's motorway network approximately 115 miles (185 km) to the north-west of London. Birmingham is surrounded by the counties of Warwickshire, Hereford and Worcester, Staffordshire and Shropshire. There is direct access to the city from the North, South, East and West by the M5, M6, M40 and M42. The unrivalled rail communications network provides direct links to all major UK cities. Birmingham International Airport is growing rapidly and boasts daily direct flights to the USA, Canada and many major European cities amongst its extensive range of destinations. The Buildings and architecture span every age of British commercial life, setting the modern along side the Victorian. The spirit of innovation that made Birmingham a unique European city flourishes as strongly as ever. In the arts and the sciences as in commerce. The Birmingham region encompasses Birmingham City, Wolverhampton, Sandwell, Dudley, Solihull and Walsall.
CAMBRIDGE, ENGLAND (FEBRUARY 2000)
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Cambridge University and thus the city itself are famous as one of the great learning centres of Europe and indeed the world. But suprisingly, the city did not initially grow because of the University. The University is thought to have started in 1209. By the 14th Century, it had become a powerful force in Cambridge - this still being true today. Although it has rarely been the centre of National affairs, Cambridge as had a continuos stream of Royal visitors, and a parliament has been held here at least once.
EDINBURG, SCOTLAND (FEBRUARY 2000)
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Edinburgh, the capital of Scotland, is one of the most beautiful cities in Europe. This distinction is partly an accident of Nature, for the city is built upon a jumble of hills and valleys; however, during the 18 and 19 centuries the natural geography was enhanced by the works of a succession of distinguished Georgian and Victorian architects. The result today is high drama; there are countless pots where Edinburgh looks less like a city and more like a theatrical backdrop. The view from Edinburgh's Calton Hill, across the River Forth to Fife, looks more like a scene from ancient Rome. Edinburgh incidentally, is named after Edwin, a king of ancient Northumbria; it has been a Royal Burgh since at least the twelfth century, and has been recognised as the capital of Scotland since the fifteenth. Edinburgh's face is her fortune, for it was this dramatic beauty which, in the first instance, made the Scottish capital's name familiar throughout the modern world. But there are other, less tangible factors involved, for Edinburgh is a city that delights the mind as well as the eye. It is a city where the past lives comfortably with the present. It is a gracious place, in the way that many other cities used to be.
BRUSSELS, BELGIUM (FEBRUARY 2000)
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Brussels is a little bit of everything: an agglomeration of 19 communes forming one of the three Regions of the federal Belgian state; the capital of the Kingdom of Belgium; the headquarters of the French and Flemish Communities. Brussels is also the home of the European Commission and the Council of the European Union. Brussels is well-known as the headquarters of the European institutions, but it is also the headquarters of many other international organisations. Its international character is also evident in the large number of diplomatic missions present. Brussels, in the heart of Europe, is open to the world, welcoming nearly 16,000 business congresses every year. Nearly a third of the capital's population is made up of foreigners, giving the region a truly cosmopolitan flair. Renowned since time immemorial for its good food and its good-natured inhabitants, Brussels offers a multilingual welcome and a wide variety of accommodation. All types of leisure activities await visitors from the four corners of the earth.
AMSTERDAM, HOLLAND (FEBRUARY 2000)
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Amsterdam has a reputation for hospitality, history and culture. A thriving flower market; old churches; canalside houses; cafés and terraces; old masters; street organs: it is difficult to be bored here. The city of Amsterdam enjoys great fame for being the proud owner of one of the most important intact historical city centres in the world. The distinctive Amsterdam cityscape is dominated by canal houses, most of them built as residences for wealthy citizens. These rich mansions are characterised by narrow, relatively tall facades, crowned by richly ornamented gable tops. Amsterdam Heritage includes an introduction to the history of Amsterdam as well as an outline of the topographical development of the city. Moreover, this website offers you a unique opportunity to take part in a virtual guided tour along the most significant historic buildings and sites. Detailed information on the architecture and on the preservation of historic buildings is presented along the way.