Photo licensed under the Creative Commons, created by Sebastian Fuss

Once planning your trip to Harz National Park, beware of the cooler and rainy mountains – although this is not a high mountain range, but due to its geographical location is under constant onslaught of moist ocean air from the North Sea. Local climate is therefore similar to high mountains, reaching the altitude of about 2,000 metres above sea level. Be also prepared for a huge number of tourists, Harz National Park is one of the most visited places in Germany.

Among the most beautiful places to visit are Rübeland cave, the highest peak of national park – Brocken (1,141 m) which is also the highest peak of Northern Germany, Hohneklippen crags, Eckerstausee lake, Falkenstein Castle, Harzgerode Castle, hill top resort of Sankt Andreasberg, or saltwater spa and climatic health resort of Bad Harzburg.

Photo licensed under the Creative Commons, created by Mike Jentsch

The management of national park: Nationalparkverwaltung Harz, Lindenallee 35, D 38855 Wernigerode, Deutschland
Official Website: nationalpark-harz.de

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The interior of the greenhouse is divided into three separated parts with different temperature and humidity. The visitors can see the vegetation of the tropical and partly subtropical regions. Plants are arranged to evoke the idea of ​​natural plant communities. Unlike in other greenhouses there are numerous species of plants that are very common in the tropical areas and apparently have little significance. However an overall collection of these species is very valuable.

Visitors at first see the dry Australian bush and rare flora from the island of Madagascar. Then walk through xerophilic vegetation of southern Mexico and some areas of Africa, among which the most popular are Namaqualand and Little Karoo. The middle and largest part of the greenhouse is humid lowland rain forest. It is connected to other parts by an underground tunnel which is built between two large freshwater aquariums. Here you can see a number of tropical fish and other animals.

The biggest part consists of tropical plants of South America, and selected locations of Central America. Other parts are reserved for flora of Australia and Oceania, Africa and Madagascar, Vietnam, Sunda Islands and the Philippines. Visitors can watch the life in tropical lakes, or may rest for a moment on the panoramic terrace listening to a nearby waterfall. The last part is cold and evoke the life in the high mountains. There are plants from American Andes. The central part of the exhibition is devoted to rare vegetation of table mountains in Venezuela.

Trip to tropical nature is not only a dream, any more. Walk across exotic mountains, forests and semi-deserts in Europe.

Tropical greenhouse Fata Morgana is a part of Prague’s Botanical Garden in Troja and the basic admission is 70CZK (€3). For further details see the official website of Prague’s Botanical Garden.

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The first records of settlements in the island of Corsica comes from the times of ancient Greece, when the island was inhabited by Greeks, Etruscans and Carthaginians. The entire island of Corsica contains of a huge mountain massif, which dominates the hill of Monte Cinto, which is with his elevation of 2706 m the highest mountain on the island of Corsica. The administrative center is the city of Ajaccio. The biggest and most important port is Bastia.

Corsica is the pearl of the Mediterranean Sea. It offers a beautiful diverse nature. There you will find high mountains with lakes and meadows with streams and creeks, as well as beautiful white beaches and clear sea. Parts of the island are registered on the UNESCO World Heritage Site. The best known is the Gulf Port, where is the Gulf Girolata, Cape Porto, and Scandola Nature Reserve. These sites provide habitat for protected plants and animals such as gulls, cormorants and sea eagles. Gulf Port is therefore registered on UNESCO World Heritage List since 1983.

Among the most important monuments on the island of Corsica is a prehistoric menhirs and dolomens, mountain cascades, and the historic city of Bonifacio.

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