Author: Ms. R.

Stockholm’s old town is filled with historical buildings and relics, many of which are protected in one way or another. The oddest of these places might be a urinal that’s seen more than a century of active use.  Cities changed dramatically over the course of the 20th century, but the urge to go has always been there, and always been something cities have had to deal with. The Källargränd Urinal dates to 1890, and was built right outside the……

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This library began as the personal collection of one of McGill University’s most famous graduates: Sir William Osler. After his death in 1919, it was bequeathed to McGill. The library and its fittings were disassembled in Oxford, England and shipped to Montreal. After moving several times over the years, it was reconstructed within the modern biomedical library. Now one of the largest and most valuable collections of rare medical books and ephemera in the world, to step into the……

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Almost a century ago, 150 Chinese artisans spent a decade carving and polishing a sculpture of unparalleled craftsmanship. They shaped miniature doors, balconies, and bells; they cut eggshell-thin chains and 400 uniform pillars. The finished piece, an exquisite jade pagoda, stands nearly five feet tall atop a teak altar. Hundreds of thousands flocked to see this delicate work when it debuted in 1933, first at the Chicago World’s Fair and then in several other major American cities over the……

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Kaitoke Regional Park, located a 40-minute drive from Wellington, contains a treat for fans of Lord of the Rings. It is part of a region known as Pakuratahi, at the head of the valley of Te Awakairangi, Heretaunga, also known as the Hutt River. The park also served as the set for Rivendell, hidden refuge of the elves, in the Peter Jackson Lord of the Rings trilogy. The park was opened in 1983, as part of a plan that established a number……

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Several fortification walls protected Athens beginning in ancient times. The Themistoclean Wall was built in 479 B.C., and served as the city’s main line of defense for many years. The Protocheisma, built in 338 B.C., and the Diateichisma, built in 280 B.C., were additional walls built in strategic areas as a second line of defense. While Athenians repaired the Themistoclean Wall, Protocheisma and Diateichisma in 260, they also built the Valerian Wall as an additional fortification to protect the……

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Roughly 130 kilometers (80 miles) south of Kazan, the archaeological complex of Bolghar lies on the shore of the Volga River, not far from its modern descendant, Bolgar.  Evidence shows that Bolghar, the capital of Volga Bulgaria was established in the early Middle Ages. The capital was eventually moved to Bilyar. After the Mongols invaded in the early 13th century, Bolghar became the Golden Horde’s capital. Under the reign of Berke, the Bulgars of the area converted to Islam…….

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