Lord Mayor's Show in London, England

My friend called it last time Lord Mayor's Parade. Others named it Lord Mayor's Show. As long as it means the same celebration and I had a wonderful time watching this event, it really does not matter how it is called. It was raining very hard as we were on our way to witness this parade. I am very happy that once in my life I was there and was able to experience one of London's historical event, the Lord Mayor's Show. Here are some pictures I took when I visit London last 2008

the costumes of the participants are quite interesting and the horse carriages brought more attention to the watchers of this historical event. I believed, I am lucky to be there!

The Lord Mayor's Show is one of the longest established and best known annual events in London which dates back to 1535. The Lord Mayor in question is that of the City of London, the historic centre of London that is now the metropolis's financial district, informally known as the Square Mile. A new Lord Mayor is appointed every year and the public parade that is made of his inauguration reflects the fact that this was once one of the most prominent offices in England. The ancient position of Lord Mayor of the City of London has a role in the Square Mile, whilst the Mayor of London (which has existed only since 2000) is a different individual entirely, namely the elected head of the Greater London Authority.

The event is a street parade which in its modern form is a fairly light-hearted combination of traditional British pageantry and elements of carnival. On the day after being sworn in, the Lord Mayor and several others participate in a procession from the City of London to the Royal Courts of Justice in the City of Westminster, where the Lord Mayor swears his allegiance to the Crown.
more infos here

My Euro Travel in Oberpfälzer Freilandmuseum in Neusath-Perschen, Germany

What a great day today! I am thanking God for it! We made a trip today in different interesting places in the Oberpfalz or Upper Palatinate in Bavaria, Germany. One of the interesting places we visited was the Oberpfälzer Freilandmuseum in Neusath-Perschen in the state of Bavaria, Germany. This museum is now owned by the District of Upper Palatinate since 1977. This museums features the Life and Living of the people in the Upper Palatinate in the past centuries. I really found it very interesting and fascinating. This museum is also considered to be the oldest museum of its kind in Bavaria.

The Freilandmuseum is divided into different places wherein it represent the different regions in the Oberpflaz or Upper Palatinate. The places are called the following;
* Stiftlanddorf
* Naabtaldorf
* Waldlerdorf
* Juradorf
* Mühlental

It was a lot of walking we had today. I thought the first place called Stiftlanddorf is the only one. I was surprised that it where a lot and requires a lot of walking too...a great exercise for me today. These are some photos I had from today. Feel free to visit my other sites later for more pictures.
I'm striking a pose in the very old house of Stiftlanddorf in Oberpfälzer Freilandmuseum in Neusath-Perschen. This house was built around 1600. You can see here different farming gadgets used during those times by the people.

see these very old farming equipments and machinery here...very amazing how the preserved such things!

Hohensalzburg Castle in Salzburg, Austria

hello everyone! I am here again! I'll let you travel this time to one of the largest medieval castles in Europe, the Hohensalzburg castle in Salzburg, Austria.

This is one thing I love in Europe, the historical buildings like castles, churches and cathedrals. It has a length of 250 meters and a width of 150 meters. isn't it huge? It is enough for me to see the castle because I know that I don't have the chance to have one...lol! This castle is considered to be one of the most preserved castles in Europe...amazing! To give you more historical information about the castle, I consulted the help of Wikipedia. Keep reading below and know some history.

that's me in front of the Neptunbrunnen or Neptune Fountain in Salzburg, Austria

History of Hohensalzburg Castle

Construction of the fortress began in 1077 under Archbishop Gebhard von Helfenstein. This original design was just a basic bailey with a wooden wall. In Salzburg, the Archbishops were powerful political figures, and they expanded the castle to protect their interests. The Investiture Controversy influenced the expansion of the castle, with the Salzburg Archbishops taking the side of the Pope. The castle was gradually expanded during the following centuries. The ring walls and towers were built in 1462 under Burkhard II of Weißpriach. Prince Archbishop Leonhard von Keutschach further expanded the castle.

The only time that the fortress came under siege was in 1525, when a group of miners, farmers and townspeople tried to oust Prince Archbishop Cardinal Matthäus Lang, but failed to take the castle. During the Thirty Years' War, Count Paris of Lodron strengthened the town's defenses, including Hohensalzburg. He added various parts to the fortress, such as the gunpowder stores and additional gatehouses. The fort was surrendered without a fight during the Napoleonic Wars. In the 19th century, it was used as a barracks, storage depot and dungeon before being abandoned as a military outpost in 1861.

During the early 20th century it was used as a prison, holding Italian prisoners of war during World War I and Nazi activists (before the Anschluss with Germany) in the 1930s. It was refurbished in the 20th century and became a major tourist attraction, with a cable car, built in 1900, leading up from the town to the Hasengrabenbastei. It stands today as one of the best preserved castles in Europe.

The Hohensalzburg was recently selected as main motif for the Austrian Nonnberg Abbey commemorative coin minted in April 5, 2006. This was the first coin of the series "Great Abbeys of Austria". It shows the Benedictine convent of Nonnberg Abbey. In the hilltop on the background, the castle and the Kajetaner church can be seen. Also in 1977 the Austrian Mint issued a coin for the 900th anniversary of the Hohensalzburg. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hohensalzburg_Castle

Mother Shipton's Cave in Knaresborough, England

Have you heard of Ursula Southeil or Mother Shipton from Knaresborough, England? I tell you guys, I have been to the birthplace of this famous prophetess from England last Nov. 11, 2008 to be exact. The bad thing is, I was not able to go inside her ugly cave. That sounds quite interesting and horrible!! I guess not really but probably a good adventure. My friend, Ross from Harrogate accompanied me as we went to Knaresborough. We don't have the time to go inside Mother Shipton's cave because I have to catch up my trip back to Birmingham. In short I don't have the chance to have a little adventure. But anyway, I enjoyed seeing this small but interesting town of Knaresborough. keep reading below for more information about Mother Shipton!!
Ursula Southeil (c. 1488 - 1561) (possibly Ursula Sonthiel), better known as Mother Shipton, was an English soothsayer and prophetess who is said to have made dozens of unusually accurate predictions, including the Great Plague of London, the Spanish Armada, and the Great Fire of London.

Although documented evidence cannot be found it is generally accepted that the figure of Mother Shipton must have existed, although some of her prophecies were composed by others in retrospect, after her death. Her prophecies were apparently recorded in a series of diaries, the first publication of her work did not appear until 1641, eighty years after her death and said to have been compiled from the recollections of a Joanne Waller, a maid to Ursula Sontheil. The most notable book of her prophecies was published in 1684. It states that she was born in Knaresborough, Yorkshire, in a cave now known as Mother Shipton's Cave, and was reputed to be hideously ugly. The book also claims that she married Toby Shipton, a local carpenter, near York in 1512 and is said to have told fortunes and made predictions throughout her life.

It is recorded in the diaries of Samuel Pepys that whilst surveying the damage to London caused by the Great Fire in company of the Royal Family they were heard to discuss Mother Shipton's prophecy of the tragic event. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ursula_Southeil

Happy Thanksgiving day!!

I would like to greet everyone especially to all my American friends a Happy Thanksgiving day!! More blessings and graces to come!! God bless us all!!

I am sharing a little history about the first thanksgiving..courtesy of Random History
http://www.randomhistory.com/2008/10/23_thanksgiving.html

The First Thanksgiving

The tradition of Thanksgiving in the United States is now four centuries in the making. The first Thanksgiving Day is considered by most to have been celebrated as a result of the first bountiful autumn harvest in the Plymouth Colony of modern-day Massachusetts. The Pilgrims who crossed the Atlantic landed into a bleak November winter and saw half of their numbers perish during the course of the cold season, as food was in short supply after the long journey. Having had better luck through the subsequent summer, the grateful people “established a day of thanksgiving and invited the local Indians to share their bounty” (Appelbaum 1984).

In Charles Schulz’s A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving (1973), the familiar story is succinctly told by Linus Van Pelt in a Thanksgiving dinner blessing: “In the year 1621, the Pilgrims held their first Thanksgiving feast. They invited the great Indian chief Massasoit, who brought ninety of his brave Indians and a great abundance of food. Governor William Bradford and Captain Miles Standish were honored guests. Elder William Brewster, who was a minister, said a prayer that went something like this: ‘We thank God for our homes and our food and our safety in a new land. We thank God for the opportunity to create a new world for freedom and justice.’”

While Brewster’s tidy benediction is apocryphal, it nevertheless captures the sentiment and religious spirit of the holiday. It is true that the pilgrims shared a celebratory harvest meal with the natives that included New World crops planted with the assistance of the interpreter Tisquantum (or Squanto, who also helped negotiate a peace treaty that lasted for 50 years). The traditions of that meal also remain embedded in the modern sense of Thanksgiving, but they are not the only ones that belong, and that day of harvest celebration was not a day of thanksgiving in the Puritan and Protestant Separatist sense—but it has been appropriated as one, the first one (Appelbaum 1984).

Governor Bradford was quick to call days of thanksgiving when they were warranted. In the first three years, the pious colonists used these “holy days of solemn prayer” to try to inspire divine grace for the struggling colony. The first proclamation came with the first autumnal harvest, and another followed a day of fasting and prayer that was called in a subsequent summer to try to supplant the devastating drought with life-bringing rain. Bradford called a day of Thanksgiving on that June 30, 1623, a day sometimes cited as the first Thanksgiving, given its appropriately reverent quality.

Other “first Thanksgivings” that occurred throughout the New World contribute to the tradition, though these days were usually not intended to be annual, let alone a day late in November. The Massachusetts Bay colonists similarly arrived too late to properly prepare for the winter. They, however, had the opportunity to send a ship back to England for supplies. When the ship was delayed, the colonists feared the worst. After many difficult months, Governor John Winthrop “convert[ed] grim necessity into an act of piety” by declaring a day of fasting and prayer for the already starving colonists (ibid). By chance, on that twenty-second day in February set aside for the fast, the ship returned and the day was changed to one of thanksgiving.

Elsewhere in the New World, Francisco Vásquez de Coronado offered a thanksgiving service on behalf of abundant supplies of food and water in western American territory as early as 1541, while French Huguenots in present-day Florida “sang a psalm of Thanksgiving unto God” in 1564. Days of thanksgiving were also offered in the early Maine settlement of the Plymouth Company charter, as well as in the first permanent English settlement at Jamestown early in the seventeenth century. But the most clearly articulated intent of early settlers to celebrate an annual Thanksgiving came at the Berkeley Hundred colony in Virginia where Captain John Woodleaf included in their charter a designation for the day their ships safely arrived to “be yearly and perpetually kept holy as a day of thanksgiving to Almighty god.” Alas, that colony was devastated by an Indian attack and abandoned within three years of the charter (ibid).

Nuremberg Castle, Germany

photo by: Euroangel

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nuremberg_Castle
Nuremberg Castle is located on a sandstone rock in the north of the historical city of Nuremberg, Germany. It comprises three parts: the Emperor's buildings ("Kaiserburg"), the mostly built buildings of the rulers of Nuremberg ("Burggrafenburg"), and the buildings on the eastern side ("städtische Burganlage"). The castle was damaged in the Second World War but then reconstructed; today it is one of the main landmarks in Nuremberg.

HISTORY

Archeological investigations during recent years indicate that the place was already settled around the year 1000, although this has not been backed up by any documentary proof. Although Nuremberg was first recorded in 1050,

when Henry III visited the town, there is no specific mention of the castle. The castle does not appear in any documents until 1105. Between 1050 and 1571, all Kaisers and kings of the Holy Roman Empire resided in the castle. In 1140, King Conrad III started building a second castle on the site, to be the royal residence.

In the 13th century, Nuremberg became an Imperial Free City, and the castle fell into the care of the city. Of all the parts of the castle built during this time, the Luginsland tower, begun in 1377, literally stands out. In 1381, the good king baron Eppelein von Gailingen famously escaped death on the gallows when his horse leapt into the castle moat.

In the second quarter of the 19th century, measures were taken to preserve the buildings, in particular by Carl Alexander Heideloff, August von Voit and August Essenwein.

In the Second World War, the castle was heavily damaged in 1944-45, with only the double chapel remaining entirely intact. After the war, all the parts of the castle were restored to their historical form, including the Luginsland tower which had been completely destroyed, with the exception of the Nineteenth century additions, which had been partly removed in 1934/35.

Today, the emperor's old mews is used as a youth hostel.

Venice, Italy

I am feeding the hungry pigeons in Piazza San Marco (St.Marks Square) Venice, Italy. This was already my second trip to Venice last April 2006. The first time I was there was in October 2005. I love this place. I am still hoping to be backed there the next time. I got some infos about Venice courtesy of Wikipedia..

photos by: Euroangel


ORIGINS AND HISTORY OF VENICE
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Venice

While there are no historical records that deal directly with the origins of Venice, the available evidence has led several historians to agree that the original population of Venice comprised refugees from Roman cities such as Padua, Aquileia, Altino and Concordia (modern Portogruaro) who were fleeing successive waves of Germanic invasions and Huns.[2] Some late Roman sources reveal the existence of fishermen on the islands in the original marshy lagoons. They were referred to as incola lacunae (lagoon dwellers).

Beginning in 166-168, the Quadi and Marcomanni destroyed the main center in the area, the current Oderzo. The Roman defenses were again overthrown in the early 5th century by the Visigoths and, some 50 years later, by the Huns led by Attila. The last and most enduring inruption was that of the Lombards in 568. This left the Eastern Roman Empire a small strip of coast in current Veneto, and the main administrative and religious entities were therefore transferred to this remaining dominion. New ports were built, including those at Malamocco and Torcello in the Venetian lagoon.

The Byzantine domination of central and northern Italy was subsequently largely eliminated by the conquest of the Exarchate of Ravenna in 751 by Aistulf. During this period, the seat of the local Byzantine governor (the "duke/doux", later "doge") was situated in Malamocco. Settlement across the islands in the lagoon probably increased in correspondence with the Lombard conquest of the Byzantine territories.

In 775-776, the bishopric seat of Olivolo (Helipolis) was created. During the reign of duke Agnello Particiaco (811-827) the ducal seat was moved from Malamocco to the highly protected Rialto (Rivoalto, "High Shore") island, the current location of Venice. The monastery of St. Zachary and the first ducal palace and basilica of St. Mark, as well as a walled defense (civitatis murus) between Olivolo and Rialto were subsequently built here.

In 828, the new city's prestige was raised by the theft of the relics of St. Mark the Evangelist from Alexandria, which were placed in the new basilica. The patriarchal seat was also moved to Rialto. As the community continued to develop and as Byzantine power waned, it led to the growth of autonomy and eventual independence.

Dachau Concentration Camp: Where Horrible Story Begun

all photos taken by Euroangel

Dachau Concentration Camp, I was here last August 2006, seeing for the first time the mark and the memories of horror in this place. As we went around with my husband in this place, I was really feeling scared trying to imagine what and how life was here before especially for the victims of brutality and cruelness of the Nazis. I also bought 2 books wherein the full story of this place was written. I can't wait to read the book as we came home from here. That was really a very horrible story that no people can ever imagine why this brutality happened.

Please visit also my other site Travel and Explore Germany. I will be posting here more detailed story of the Dachau Concentration Camp.

you can see this shield near the car park wherein you also need to pay for parking

one of the buildings of the concentration camp

courtesy of: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dachau_concentration_camp

Dachau was a Nazi German concentration camp, and the first one opened in Germany, located on the grounds of an abandoned munitions factory near the medieval town of Dachau, about 16 km (10 miles) northwest of Munich in the state of Bavaria which is located in southern Germany.

Opened in March 1933, it was the first regular concentration camp established by the coalition government of National Socialist (Nazi) NSDAP party and the Catholic Zentrum party (dissolved on 6 July 1933). Heinrich Himmler, Chief of Police of Munich, officially described the camp as "the first concentration camp for political prisoners."

Dachau served as a prototype and model for the other Nazi concentration camps that followed. Almost every community in Germany had members taken away to these camps, and as early as 1935 there were jingles warning:

"Dear God, make me dumb, that I may not to Dachau come."

Its basic organization, camp layout as well as the plan for the buildings were developed by Kommandant Theodor Eicke and were applied to all later camps. He had a separate secure camp near the command center, which consisted of living quarters, administration, and army camps. Eicke himself became the chief inspector for all concentration camps, responsible for molding the others according to his model.

In total, over 200,000 prisoners from more than 30 countries were housed in Dachau of whom two-thirds were political prisoners and nearly one-third were Jews. 25,613 prisoners are believed to have died in the camp and almost another 10,000 in its subcamps, primarily from disease, malnutrition and suicide. In early 1945, there was a typhus epidemic in the camp followed by an evacuation, in which large numbers of the weaker prisoners died.

Together with the much larger Auschwitz, Dachau has come to symbolize the Nazi concentration camps to many people. Konzentrationslager (KZ) Dachau holds a significant place in public memory because it was the second camp to be liberated by British or American forces. Therefore, it was one of the first places where the West was exposed to the reality of Nazi brutality through firsthand journalist accounts and through newsreels.

Famous Charles Bridge in Prague, Czech Republic

The Charles Bridge is considered to be the second most popular attraction in Prague. I could remember also my short trip in Wuerzburg, Germany where its historical bridge also looks like the same with Charles Bridge which has statues and monuments in it.

I had a great trip to Prague with my husband and friends.

at the Charles Bridge..I don't imagine how many people were here during our visit...seems like an Oktoberfest in Munich..

A little info about Charles Bridge from pargue.cz
http://www.prague.cz/charles-bridge/

The Charles Bridge over the river Vltava is definitely one of the most beautiful places in Prague. It is the oldest bridge in the city, built between the 14 ^th and 15 ^th century, and it spans the river with 16 pillars. It is lined with statues and lamps and this scenery together with the Gothic bridge towers on both ends makes the Charles Bridge a breathtaking historical monument. There is no better place in Prague for a walk in the evening.

History of the Charles bridge

The Charles Bridge was built by Petr Parler and finished after his death in the beginning of the 15th century. It is about 515 metres long and 9.5 metres wide. It was originally called “Stone Bridge” or “Prague Bridge”, the name Charles Bridge was established around 1870. It was damaged by flood several times: in 1432, when the water demolished 5 pillars, in 1784 and especially in 1890, when 2 pillars and 3 arches were demolished.

Oil lamps were placed on the Charles Bridge in 1723 and the staircase leading to Kampa Island underneath it is from 1844. Prague public transport could run over the Charles Bridge since the 19 th century. Horse-drawn trams run there since 1883, and they were replaced by electrical trams in 1905. Buses could drive over the bridge later, but all this transport threatened the bridge, so it lasted only to the World War II. Cars could drive over the bridge till 1965.

Prague, Czech Republic Trip..More Photos

photo taken at the historical and famous Charles Bridge by my husband
I can't imagine how many people from all over the world visited this place everyday..

photo taken in front of one of the Gardens in Prague Castle...looks like Parthenon in Greece..

Ancient Prague
source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prague

The area on which Prague was founded was settled in ancient times since the Paleolithic Age. Around 200 BC the Celts had a settlement in the south, called Závist, but later they were replaced by Germanic tribes. The Slavs conquered the site from the 4th century AD onward, though for a period were subdued by the Eurasian Avars. According to a legend, Prague was founded by the Princess Libuše and her husband, Přemysl, founder of the dynasty with the same name. Whether this legend is true or not, Prague's first nucleus was founded in the latter part of the 9th century as a castle on a hill commanding the right bank of the Vltava: this is known as Vyšehrad ("high castle") to differentiate from another castle which was later erected on the opposite bank, the future Prague Castle. Soon the city became the seat of the dukes and kings of Bohemia. It was an important seat for trading where merchants coming from all Europe settled, including many Jews, as recalled in 965 by the Jewish merchant and traveller Ibrahim ibn Ya'qub. The Old New Synagogue of 1270 survives. The city became a bishopric in 973.

King Vladislav II had a first bridge on the Vltava built in 1170, the Judith Bridge, which crumbled down in 1342. The Charles Bridge was later built on its foundations.

In 1257, under King Otakar II, Malá Strana ("Lesser Quarter") was founded in Prague in the future Hradčany area: it was the district of the German people. These had the right to administrate the law autonomously, pursuant to Magdeburg Rights. The new district was on the opposite bank of the Staré Město ("Old Town"), which had a borough status and was defended by a line of walls and fortifications.

European Union

In 1990 after the fall of the Iron Curtain, the former East Germany became part of the Community as part of a newly reunited Germany.^[14] With enlargement toward eastern Europe on the agenda, the Copenhagen criteria for candidate members to join the European Union were agreed.

The Maastricht Treaty came into force on 1 November 1993.^[15] Maastricht established a revised structure and the name 'European Community' officially replaced the earlier 'European Communities'. The European Community now formed one of three pillars of the new European Union, which included co-operation in matters of foreign policy and home affairs. The term European Union generally replaced the term European Community, which will be abolished by the Treaty of Lisbon along with the pillar system.

Austria, Sweden and Finland joined in 1995. The Amsterdam Treaty in 1997 amended the Maastricht treaty in areas such as democracy and foreign policy. Amsterdam was followed by the Treaty of Nice in 2001, which revised the Rome and Maastricht treaties to allow the EU to cope with further enlargement to the east.

In 2002, twelve member states adopted the euro as a single currency. Since then, the Eurozone has increased to encompassing fifteen countries. In 2004, the EU saw its biggest enlargement to date when ten new countries, most of which former parts of the Eastern Bloc, acceded the Union.^[16] Three years later, two more joined.^[16]

A treaty establishing a constitution for the EU was signed in Rome in 2004, intended to replace all previous treaties with a single document. However, it never completed ratification after rejection by French and Dutch voters in referenda. In 2007, it was agreed to replace that proposal with a new Reform Treaty, that would amend rather than replace the existing treaties. This treaty was signed on 13 December 2007 in Lisbon and is known as the Lisbon treaty.^[17] It will come in effect in January 2009 if ratified by that date.

The Iron Curtain's fall enabled eastward enlargement. (Berlin Wall)

source:http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/European_Union

The Member States of the European Union

The following 27 states are the members of the European Union:

• Belgium (member since 1958)
• Germany (member since 1958)
• France (member since 1958)
• Italy (member since 1958)
• Luxembourg (member since 1958)
• the Netherlands (member since 1958)
• Denmark (member since 1973)
• United Kingdom (member since 1973)
• Ireland (member since 1973)
• Greece (member since 1981)
• Portugal (member since 1986)
• Spain (member since 1986)
• Austria (member since 1995)
• Finland (member since 1995)

• Sweden (member since 1995)
• Czech Republic (member since 2004)
• Estonia (member since 2004)
• Cyprus (member since 2004)
• Latvia (member since 2004)
• Lithuania (member since 2004)
• Hungary (member since 2004)
• Malta (member since 2004)
• Poland (member since 2004)
• Slovenia (member since 2004)
• Slovak Republic (member since 2004)
• Bulgaria (member since 2007)
• Rumania (member since 2007)

EU History

The political climate after the end of World War II favoured Western European unity, seen by many as an escape from the extreme forms of nationalism which had devastated the continent. One of the first successful proposals for European cooperation came in 1951 with the European Coal and Steel Community. This had the aim of bringing together control of the coal and steel industries of its member states, principally France and West Germany. This was with the aim that war between them would not then be possible, as coal and steel were the principle resources for waging war. The Community's founders declared it "a first step in the federation of Europe"", with the hope that this would enable Europe to pursue the development of Africa. The other founding members were Italy, and the three Benelux countries: Belgium, the Netherlands, and Luxembourg.

Two additional communities were created in 1957: the European Economic Community (EEC) establishing a customs union, and the European Atomic Energy Community (Euratom) for cooperation in developing nuclear energy. In 1967 the Merger Treaty created a single set of institutions for the three communities, which were collectively referred to as the European Communities, although more commonly just as the European Community (EC).

In 1973 the European Communities enlarged to include Denmark, Ireland and the United Kingdom. Norway had negotiated to join at the same time but a referendum rejected membership and so it remained outside. The first direct, democratic elections of members of the European Parliament were held in 1979.

Greece, Spain and Portugal joined in the 1980s. The Schengen Agreement in 1985 created largely open borders without passport controls between most member states. In 1986 the European flag began to be used and leaders signed the Single European Act. This revised the way community decision making operated to take account of its greater membership, aimed to further reduce trade barriers and introduce greater European Political Cooperation.

In 1990 after the fall of the Iron Curtain, the former East Germany became part of the Community as part of a newly reunited Germany. With enlargement toward eastern Europe on the agenda, the Copenhagen criteria for candidate members to join the European Union were agreed.

The Maastricht Treaty came into force on 1 November 1993. Maastricht established a revised structure and the name 'European Community' officially replaced the earlier 'European Communities'. The European Community now formed one of three pillars of the new European Union, which included co-operation in matters of foreign policy and home affairs. The term European Union generally replaced the term European Community, which will be abolished by the Treaty of Lisbon along with the pillar system.

Austria, Sweden and Finland joined in 1995. The Amsterdam Treaty in 1997 amended the Maastricht treaty in areas such as democracy and foreign policy. Amsterdam was followed by the Treaty of Nice in 2001, which revised the Rome and Maastricht treaties to allow the EU to cope with further enlargement to the east. In 2002 euro notes and coins replaced national currencies in 12 of the member states. In 2004 ten new countries (eight of which had formerly been Eastern Bloc countries) joined the EU. At the start of 2007 Romania and Bulgaria joined the EU and the euro was adopted by Slovenia. On 1 January 2008, Malta and Cyprus joined the Eurozone.

A treaty establishing a constitution for the EU was signed in Rome in 2004, intended to replace all previous treaties with a new single document. However, it never completed ratification after rejection by French and Dutch voters in referenda. In 2007, it was agreed to replace that proposal with a new Reform Treaty, that would amend rather than replace the existing treaties. This treaty was signed on 13 December 2007 in Lisbon and is known as the Lisbon treaty. It will come in effect in January 2009 if ratified by that date.

European Union

The European Union (EU) is a political and economic community of twenty-seven member states, located primarily in Europe.

The EU comprises a single market created by a system of laws which apply in all member states, guaranteeing the freedom of movement of people, goods, services and capital. It maintains a common trade policy, agricultural and fisheries policies, and a regional development policy. In 1999 the EU introduced a common currency, the Euro, which has been adopted by fifteen member states. It represents its members in the World Trade Organization (WTO) and observes at G8 summits and at the United Nations (UN). It has also developed a role in foreign policy, and in justice and home affairs. Twenty-one EU countries are members of NATO. Passport control between many member states has been abolished under the Schengen Agreement. The EU countries together have almost 500 million citizens generating an estimated 31% share of the world's nominal gross domestic product (GDP) (US$16.6 trillion) in 2007.

Much of the EU's functioning depends on agreement between members, an intergovernmental feature it shares with most international organisations. However, it also has supranational bodies, able to make decisions binding upon member states. Important institutions and bodies of the EU include the European Commission, the European Parliament, the Council of the European Union, the European Council, the European Court of Justice and the European Central Bank. EU citizens elect the Parliament every five years.

The EU traces its origins to the European Coal and Steel Community formed among six countries in 1951 and the Treaty of Rome in 1957. Since then the EU has grown in size through the accession of new member states and has increased its powers by the addition of new policy areas to its remit. In 1993, the Maastricht Treaty established the current legal framework. The Treaty of Lisbon signed in December 2007 is intended to amend the existing treaties to update the political and legal structure of the union, if ratification is completed in 2008.

History of Munich

Origin and Middle Ages

The year 1158 is assumed to be the foundation date, which is only the earliest date the city is mentioned in a document. By that time the Guelph Henry the Lion, Duke of Saxony and Bavaria, had built a bridge over the river Isar next to a settlement of Benedictine monks - this was on the Salt Route and a toll bridge.

Almost two decades later in 1175 Munich was officially granted city status and received fortification. In 1180, with the trial of Henry the Lion, Otto I Wittelsbach became Duke of Bavaria and Munich was handed over to the Bishop of Freising. Otto's heirs, the Wittlesbach dynasty would rule Bavaria until 1918. In 1240 Munich itself was transferred to Otto II Wittelsbach and in 1255, when the Duchy of Bavaria was split in two, Munich became the ducal residence of Upper Bavaria.

Duke Louis IV was elected German king in 1314 and crowned as Holy Roman Emperor in 1328. He strengthened the city's position by granting it the salt monopoly, thus assuring it of additional income. In the late 15th century Munich underwent a revival of gothic arts - the Old Town Hall was enlarged, and a new cathedral - the Frauenkirche - constructed within only twenty years, starting in 1468.

Capital of reunited Bavaria

When Bavaria was reunited in 1506 Munich became capital of the whole of Bavaria. The arts and politics became increasingly influenced by the court (see Orlando di Lasso, Heinrich Schuetz and later Mozart and Richard Wagner). During the 16th century Munich was a center of the German counter reformation, and also of renaissance arts. Duke Wilhelm V commissioned the Jesuit Michaelskirche, which became a center for the counter-reformation, and also built the Hofbräuhaus for brewing brown beer in 1589. The Catholic League was founded in Munich in 1609. In 1623 during the Thirty Years' War Munich became electoral residence when Maximilian I, Duke of Bavaria was invested with the electoral dignity but in 1632 the city was occupied by Gustav II Adolph of Sweden. When the bubonic plague broke out in 1634 and 1635 about one third of the population died. Under the regency of the Bavarian electors Munich was an important center of baroque life but also had to suffer under Habsburg occupations in 1704 and 1742.

In 1806, the city became the capital of the new Kingdom of Bavaria, with the state's parliament (the Landtag) and the new archdiocese of Munich and Freising being located in the city. Twenty years later Landshut University was moved to Munich. Many of the city's finest buildings belong to this period and were built under the first three Bavarian kings. Later Prince Regent Luitpold's years as regent were marked by tremendous artistic and cultural activity in Munich (see Franz von Stuck and Der Blaue Reiter).

World War I to World War II

Following the outbreak of World War I in 1914, life in Munich became very difficult, as the Allied blockade of Germany led to food and fuel shortages. During French air raids in 1916 three bombs fell on Munich. After World War I, the city was at the center of much political unrest. In November 1918 on the eve of revolution, Ludwig III and his family fled the city. After the murder of the first republican premier of Bavaria Kurt Eisner in February 1919 by Anton Graf von Arco-Valley, the Bavarian Soviet Republic was proclaimed. When Communists had taken power, Lenin, who had lived in Munich some years before, sent a congratulatory telegram, but the Soviet Republic was put down on May 3, 1919 by the Freikorps. While the republican government had been restored, Munich subsequently became a hotbed of right-wing politics, among which Adolf Hitler and the Nazis rose to prominence.

Bombing damage to the Altstadt. Note the roofless and pockmarked Altes Rathaus looking up the Tal. The roofless Heilig-Geist-Kirche is on the right of the photo. It's spire, without the copper top, is behind the church. The Talbruck gate tower is missing completely.

In 1923 Hitler and his supporters, who at that time were concentrated in Munich, staged the Beer Hall Putsch, an attempt to overthrow the Weimar Republic and seize power. The revolt failed, resulting in Hitler's arrest and the temporary crippling of the Nazi Party, which was virtually unknown outside Munich.

The city would once again become a Nazi stronghold when the Nazis took power in Germany in 1933. The Nazis created the first concentration camp at Dachau, 10 miles (16 km) north west of the city. Because of its importance to the rise of Nazism, the Nazis called Munich the Hauptstadt der Bewegung ("Capital of the Movement"). The NSDAP headquarters were in Munich and many Führerbauten ("Führer-buildings") were built around the Königsplatz, some of which have survived to this day.

The city is known as the site of the culmination of the policy of appeasement employed by Britain and France leading up to World War II. It was in Munich that Neville Chamberlain assented to the annexation of Czechoslovakia's Sudetenland region into Greater Germany in the hopes of sating the desires of the Nazi Party.

Munich was the base of the White Rose (German: Die Weiße Rose), a group of students that formed a resistance movement from June 1942 to February 1943. The core members were arrested and executed following a distribution of leaflets in Munich University by Hans and Sophie Scholl.

The city was very heavily damaged by allied bombing during World War II - the city was hit by 71 air raids over a period of six years.

source: www.wikipedia.org

Munich, Germany

Munich (German: München, pronounced [ˈmʏnçən] listen (help·info); Austro-Bavarian: Minga^[2]) is the capital of the German state of Bavaria and a Gamma World City. There are, in fact, three locations in Bavaria known as "München" - the one referred to as "Munich", one northeast of Nuremberg, and one north of Passau.^[3] Munich is located on the River Isar north of the Bavarian Alps.

Munich is Germany's third largest city after Berlin and Hamburg. The city has a population of 1.5 million and the Munich Metropolitan Region is home to around 6 million people.^[4]

The city's motto was "Die Weltstadt mit Herz" ("The world city with heart") from 1972 to 2005, when it was replaced by "München mag dich" ("Munich likes you"). Its native name, München, stems from an Old German word predating the word Mönche of today's High German, meaning "Monks". Therefore, the figure on the city's coat-of-arms is a monk, and is referred to as the Münchner Kindl, the "child of Munich". Black and gold - the colours of the Holy Roman Empire - have been the city's official colours since the time of Ludwig the Bavarian.

Geography

Munich lies on the elevated plains of Upper Bavaria, about 50 km north of the northern edge of the Alps, at an altitude of about 520 m. The local rivers are Isar and Würm.

Munich is situated in the Northern Alpine Foreland. The northern part of this sandy plateau includes a highly fertile flint area which is no longer affected by the folding processes found in the Alps, while the southern part is covered by morainic hills. In between there are fields of fluvio-glacial out-wash, like around Munich. Wherever these deposits get thinner, the ground water can permeate the gravel surface and flood the area, leading to marshes as in the north of Munich.

Climate

Munich has a continental climate, strongly modified by the proximity of the Alps. The city's altitude and proximity to the northern edge of the Alps mean that precipitation is rather high. Rain storms often come violently and unexpectedly. The range of temperature between day and night or summer and winter can be extreme. A warm downwind from the Alps (a föhn wind) can change the temperatures completely within a few hours, even in the winter.

Winters last from December to March. Munich experiences rather cold winters, but heavy rainfall is rarely seen in the winter. The coldest month is January with an average temperature of −2 °C (30 °F). Snow cover is seen for at least a couple of weeks during winter. Summers in Munich city are fairly warm with average temperature of 19 °C (70 °F) in the hottest month of July. The summers last from May until September.

source: wikipedia.org