The university city of Wrocław is the capital of Lower Silesia and often ranks among the most liveable places in Europe. Wrocław ‘s past is unbelievably complex, and over the last 1,000 years it has come under the control of eight different kingdoms and empires. Under the Habsburg Monarchy in the Early Modern Age Wrocław …
In the 18th century Northampton bounced back from its Great Fire of 1675 to become England’s shoemaking and leather capital. And if you need to see a monument to this prosperity, the Neo-Gothic Guildhall (1861-64) is a masterpiece. Long before, Northampton had been the site of one of England’s largest Norman castles, and Parliament regularly …
On the edge of the low-lying Fens, Peterborough is a city commanded by a superlative cathedral. This is one of the few complete examples of 12th-century Romanesque architecture, with a Gothic facade that looks like nothing else in the UK or Europe. Peterborough emerged as an industrial city in the mid 19th century when a …
England’s 9th largest urban centre has the cachet of being both a historic cathedral city and a modern manufacturing hub. The 14th-century St Michael’s Cathedral was bombed out in the war and its ruins have been conserved as a symbol of peace next to a bold, modern cathedral built in the post-war period. In the …
Poland’s third largest city was built on the back of the textiles industry in the 19th-century. The cityscape is still shaped by this period: Gargantuan brick spinning mills have been turned into trendy cultural centres, malls and open monuments, while the entrepreneurs who made their fortunes from the factories built lavish villas that are now …
A city with two millennia of history to unpack, York has stupendous historical wonders in a quaint Medieval cityscape. The Romans founded York as a fortress in AD 71, and the emperors Hadrian, Septimus and Constantius I all had their British seat in York while on campaigns. Constantine the Great was declared Roman Emperor at …
The definition of an English seaside resort, Great Yarmouth has enticing golden sands in front of a cheerful beachside dubbed the Golden Mile. The resort is endearingly old-fashioned in its Victorian piers, miniature village and amusement parks with vintage wooden roller coasters. Great Yarmouth has the extra appeal of being a port with military, fishing …
UNESCO World Heritage city, Kraków was the throne of the Polish monarchs for half a millennium up to the 17th century. After being ransacked by the Mongols in the 13th century the Old Town was built anew, and the layout has barely changed since then. Kraków was at the height of its powers in the …
It is not hyperbole to say that Warsaw is a city that has risen from the rubble. In 1945 85% of the city was irretrievably destroyed. But you could now walk the streets of the Old Town without comprehending the carnage that took place during the German invasion of 1939, the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising of …
A manufacturing city 100 kilometres south of Warsaw in the Masovian Voivodeship, Radom has many of the region’s big institutions and government buildings. In Medieval times the city gained a lot of prestige, as kings like Władysław II Jagiełło would stay here on their way from Kraków to Vilnius and host foreign envoys in the …