Bristol Cathedral / Heather Cowper

The scale of business grew and grew, until there was a small harbor built. Bristol waters were treacherous and the ships that docked there were subject to huge currents, that often resulted in the timber of the ships getting damaged. Because of this sailors had to reinforce their ships, and it quickly put Bristol on the map for their ship craftsmanship. The harbor is still in use today, and it makes the perfect destination for you to visit and learn more about UK history. One of the most famous ships in the UK- the SS Great Britain, which was the first iron hulled propeller-driven ship to travel over the Atlantic. It’s now rested in Bristol, and you can visit the ship. It’s a very popular tourist attraction within Bristol.

Of course with all the ships and the great harbor that Bristol is home to; it’s no surprise that Bristol was notorious for pirates. The city was home to many a pirate, and today; the streets are still the same! If you’re into history, then you’ll be able to find yourself taking a step back into time with a walk around Bristol.

The famous UK soap casualty was filmed in and around Bristol, so if you’re a fan of the show you’ll be able to set foot in the city where it was filmed, until 2009, when the show hung up its production line. The show was filmed in an old warehouse in the city, and numerous places in and around Bristol!

Bristol is home to many museums, and you can find yourself entertained for days by visiting some of them. In fact, it’s home to the Clifton suspension bridge museum, the Bristol museum and art gallery, and Blaise’s castle house and museum. This is just a selection of the museums you can visit when in the city. There are others that will have you flabbergasted and spoilt for choice!

Of course, like any other city, Bristol is also home to many events, including the recently hosted Olympic flame torch- and the shopping in the city is fantastic. It’s home to many a UK retailer where you can just let your shopping devil let rip, and you can shop until you drop!

And when the day is done, Bristol is home to some of the best hotels. Including, the Doyle hotel in Bristol. Where you’ll be able to kick off your shoes and rejuvenate ready for the next day’s sightseeing and shopping!

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Helmond Castle is everything you expect from a visit to the typical medieval castle. All archaeological treasures, replicas, guns, tools, pictures, paintings and other historical items that you can see here, will give you the opportunity to have a concrete idea of ​​life at the Castle Helmond. In combination with the view of this picturesque castle, your visit gets an unforgettable experience.

Helmond Castle has a square floor plan, in the corners there are rounded towers and is completely surrounded by the moat. There are other similar castles in the Netherlands, for example Ammersoyen Castle, Muiden Castle and partially preserved Radboud Castle. Helmond Castle’s walls are only 1.3 meters wide, therefore the castle has originally a double moat. This kept cannons during a possible attack at a safe distance from the castle.

Helmond Castle also serves as a museum, which is located in the basement of the castle. You will find here something about the history of the castle and the city of Helmond and art gallery.

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Helmond Castle was built around 1420 by the family Van Berlaer to replace their former castle. This, originally wooden fort, was already built in 1350 and its remains were found during the excavation about 250 m southwest of the castle. In 1549 Helmond Castle was strongly damaged by fire. During The Eighty Years’ War the castle was on the side of Spain. The castle was under siege several times in its history, in 1581 even by the government troops. Although the city of Helmond was conquered, Helmond Castle was not, so the army had to leave the town.

In 1587 the soldiers came back again, but the castle remained unconquered again. Thus, despite the thin walls, Helmond Castle was very well situated from a military point of view. In 1602, however, luck turned. The castle was besieged by the government troops under the command of Prince Maurits. He used six cannons. All 45 soldiers at the castle was forced to surrender. All those sieges caused many damages. In 1603 the castle was conquered again, this time by the soldiers of the Walen.

This happened during the reign of the family Van Cortenbach who were not much interested in the Castle Helmond, mostly because its members lived on their sites in the southern Netherlands (today Belgium). Therefore, in the 18th century, they sold the Castle Helmond to the lower nobles of Utrecht. He renovated and re-arranged the castle and his heirs lived here until 1920, when it was sold to the city council. They established a city hall here. Since 1982 Helmond Castle does not serve as the town hall anymore, but still hosts weddings and other festive ceremonies.

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The first mention of Dupnitsa is from the 15th century. Major attractions include the Art Gallery, Historical Museum of Dupnitsa, the clock tower and the churches in the city. About 7km east of town there is a monastery Resilovo. 14 km northeast, near the town of Sapareva Banya you can find the ruins of the ancient Roman town of Germania. Nearby is also a spa and mountain resort Panichishte, which offers excellent conditions for hiking and relaxing and in winter for skiing.

Dupnitsa is also called The Green and Shady Town because of the huge number of trees in the town. But it is also called The Little Italy of Bulgaria because lots of people left to work to Italy and returns in summer for vacation when the city is full of Bulgarian “Italians”.

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