The river Arno flows through Florence and the bridges connect its banks in the narrowest point probably since Etruscan times. In ancient times Florence was situated on an important route the Via Cassia connecting Rome with the main cities of the north. Bridges were the only way to get across the river Arno. However due to flooding they had to be frequently renewed, but did not survive anyway and were torn down by floods completely. The present bridge was built in 1345 and Florentines gave it the name of the Ponte Vecchio, which means “old bridge”. They wanted to distinguish it from another one – Ponte alla Carraio. Although this bridge is much older (built in 1218), they already called it the Ponte Nuovo, the “new bridge”.

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Ponte Vecchio was built by an architect Neri di Fioravante, who created an elegant building with three arches. Today, the Ponte Vecchio is also known as “The bridge of jewelers” because on its both sides you can find plenty of shops and boutiques, mostly jewelry. The first shops were open here in the 13th century, but originally there were fish traders, tanners and butchers. The river served them as an excellent dump. Above the second arch, in the middle of the bridge was therefore a small space available, through which they could throw garbage straight into the river. Fortunately this free space does not serve to its original purpose any more, but it allows a nice view of the river and other neighbouring bridges.

In 1593 Grand Duke Ferdinando I. kicked all the existing traders off the bridge and replaced them with jewellers and goldsmiths. About 50 of them settled in wooden shops and thanks to them the bridge got its distinctive character. Above the shops there is a Vasari Corridor which was built in 1564 by order of Grand Duke Cosimo I, who wanted to have sheltered and safe walkway from Palazzo Vecchio square to Palazzo Pitti. In the middle of the bridge you can see a bust of one of the most famous Florentine goldsmith, Benvenuto Cellini (1500 – 1571), created in 1900 by sculptor Raffaello Romanelli.

Ponte Vecchio can boast the title of one of the most famous symbols of Florence or the most beautiful bridge in the world.

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In Vilnius you can see the castle ruins, mosque, synagogue, and almost 40 churches. Old Town and the Cathedral Square form the heart of Vilnius. Three bronze statues on the shield of the cathedral are Saint Casimir on the south side, Saint Stanislaus on the north and Saint Helena in the centre. Chapel of Saint Casimir, located at the side of the ship was built in Baroque style. The tomb of Alexander Jagiello – Grand Duke of Lithuania, is located below the chapel.

It is very easy to get lost in Vilnius thanks to the dozens of narrow streets and a number of squares. Thus you can miss some of the most architecturally interesting buildings, such as the church in the shape of a pyramid. The old Jewish quarter, ghetto, the presidential palace, the university and the observatory are among other city’s sights.

The presidential palace was originally the residence of general governors, in 1812 the residence of Napoleon and after his expulsion it was a residence of Marshal Kutuzov. University areal consists of several buildings, including the church, which are interconnected by courtyards.

Magnificent example of Lithuanian Gothic architecture is St. Anne’s Church from the 16th century. Next to it there is a church of the Bernardine Monastery from the same period. In front of this complex there is a statue of Adam Mickiewicz (Polish-Lithuanian poet, publisher and political writer of the Romantic period).

You can pass through one of eight city gates which are remainings of the city walls, which dates from the 16th century. If you get off the Hill of the Three Crosses, which still commemorates three monks that were allegedly tortured to death here, you will obtain a beautiful view of the city. More to the west, lies the new town, where you can find City Hall. In the past, it housed the Gestapo, then KGB and now it houses the Museum of Genocide of Lithuanian nation.

Less than thirty kilometres north of the city there is the geographical middle of Europe, which was established by the French National Geographical Institute. This centre symbolizes the pyramid, which contains the names of all major European cities and their distance from the center of Europe.

Vilnius was European Capital of Culture in 2009, together with Linz (Austria).

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Malbork Castle by DerHexer

Castle of the Teutonic Order in Malbork is the former seat of the Grand Master of the Teutonic Knights. The castle complex consists of three parts – Bottom castle, Middle castle and Upper castle. Teutonic Knights started to build the castle in 1274. About 2 years later the settlement that arose here during the castle construction  obtained city rights.

Between 1309-1457, the Malbork Castle was the seat of Grand Master. During the thirteen-year war (1454 – 1466) – known also as the War of the Cities, the castle was bought by the Casimir IV Jagiellon (Grand Duke of Lithuania from 1440, and King of Poland from 1447 – until his death). Since then until 1772 the castle became one of the residences of Polish kings. Later on, during the wars with Sweden, Napoleonic wars and Poland splitting, the castle was damaged.

Reconstruction works began in 1817 and were completed in 1923. After that, during the World War II, the Castle of the Teutonic Order in Malbork was occupied by the Nazis and during the fighting with the Red Army the half of the castle was destroyed.

After the war, the reconstructions started again, but have not been finished yet. Since 1997, the Castle of the Teutonic Order in Malbork and its museum are included in UNESCO World Heritage List.

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