Preview: hidden europe 56

Summary

A look ahead at issue 56 of hidden europe magazine which will be published in mid November.

hidden europe 55 / Preview / By hidden europe

Issue 56 of hidden europe, due out in mid November, will see us return to Switzerland with an article on the Swiss Jura. Elsewhere in that upcoming issue we shall feature Mohács in Hungary, a remarkably multicultural town on the bank of the River Danube. It’s been a while since we covered Italy in the magazine, so we'll make space in issue 56 for an article on the Isole Borromee, a wee archipelago which includes one of Italy’s most densely populated islands.

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Editorial hidden europe 55
Editorial

By hidden europe

We take time out in hidden europe 55 to sample Switzerland’s excellent white wines made from the Chasselas grape, visit the Ukrainian city of Lviv and the Abkhaz-Georgian borderlands and explore the art of falconry in Lower Austria. We also take a walk along the Thames to savour local history and suggest that we should rediscover the rivers which have been redirected into subterranean culverts beneath the streets of European cities.

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The Art of Falconry
Feature

By Rudolf Abraham

Falconry has invariably been associated with a measure of privilege and wealth. So it's no surprise that the French Revolution led to a downturn in falconry. Wider access to modern weapons (guns in particular) also helped sideline the art of falconry. But, somewhat against the odds perhaps, the ancient traditions of falconry have survived in many European countries. Rudolf Abraham explores a sport with mediaeval origins.

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Between East and West: The Ukrainian City of Lviv
Feature

By Nicky Gardner

The city of Lviv, located in the western reaches of Ukraine, is in many respects a classic central European city, a place which has more in common with Wien, Trieste and Budapest than with other cities in the former Soviet Union – of which Lviv was of course a part. We report from a city which has a complex and layered history, something which makes Lviv all the more interesting.

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Lakeside Tradition: Exploring the Lavaux Vineyards
Feature

By Nicky Gardner

The Lavaux area in Switzerland is one of Europe's oldest winegrowing regions, a distinction which has earned for Lavaux a place on UNESCO's World Heritage List. The Lavaux vineyards drape the north shore of Lake Geneva at the western end of the Montreux Riviera. It is an area of immense charm, a perfect region to linger and enjoy the local Chasselas wines which take so much of their character from the local soil.

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The Mingrelian Question
Feature

By Karlos Zurutuza

The green and white stripes of the Abkhaz flag give a striking splash of colour. But the schoolteacher speaks of the Mingrelian language and culture. Karlos Zurutuza goes in search of a minority group in the Republic of Abkhazia, a small territory on the north shore of the Black Sea which has for a quarter of a century asserted its status as an independent state.

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Bag Tag
Flightscan

By Nicky Gardner

Frequent flyers know that it's perfectly reasonable to fly from JFK to WAW via AMS. Just as they appreciate that it makes no sense at all to fly ARN to HEL via CDG. Those innocuous codes on airline baggage tags are the key to the geography of air travel and some have a dash of history too.

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The Tender Touch of an Angel
Hidden histories

By Patricia Stoughton

Tucked away in the country lanes of Brittany (in the north-west corner of France) are a number of shrines and sculptures which feature an angel tenderly holding back Christ's hair on the crucifix. Patricia Stoughton goes in search of a peculiarly Breton touch in religious art.

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Corridor Trains
Routes

By Nicky Gardner

Corridor trains (Korridorzüge in German) have a privileged status in international law which makes provision for the trains of one country to transit another country's territory without onerous bureaucracy and border checks. With the fading of borders in Europe, the corridor train is no longer as important as once it was. We look at some examples of corridor trains past and present.

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Summer Retreats
Special spaces

By Nicky Gardner

These gorgeous summer days are a chance for a change of pace. We look at the recuperative appeal of retreating to the lakes or the hills.

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On a Bend in the River: History and Community along the Thames Path
Walks

By Duncan JD Smith

Urban explorer Duncan JD Smith has a real knack for mapping the lesser-known parts of cities, discovering aspects of urban history which most visitors miss. In a special piece for hidden europe, Duncan explores one loop of the River Thames just upstream from London.

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Reclaiming Our Rivers: Europe's Lost Waterways
Perspective

By Nicky Gardner

Do not the rivers which once powered urban economies deserve more visibility in a post-industrial age? Clean rivers should surely not be hidden away in subterranean culverts. Let's bring them back to the surface and let them help with the rejuvenation of tired cityscapes.

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Flights to the Faroes
Snippet

By hidden europe

Are the Faroe Islands perhaps thinking of emulating Iceland's success in attracting North Atlantic stopover traffic? Might travellers a few years hence stop off in the Faroe Islands en route from North America to the European mainland? We take a look at the islands' national airline, Atlantic Airways, as the carrier marks its 30th anniversary of linking the Faroes to the wider world.

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Reading Matters
Snippet

By hidden europe

Russian Railways (RZD) have launched their Library for Young Travellers programme with a selection of books for kids on trains to holiday destinations across Russia. Hop aboard for fairy tales, classic novels and a wide choice of poetry by Russian and international writers.

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Lviv Rail Links
Snippet

By hidden europe

News that a new night train, aimed largely at travellers from Ukraine, will link Przemyśl with Berlin from later this year is a sure sign that Ukrainians are making the most of visa-free access to the Schengen group of nations. The new demand for cross-border trains means that rail links to Lviv from the EU have greatly improved over the past year.

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Lake Geneva By Boat
Snippet

By hidden europe

From the Bodensee in the north to Lago Maggiore in the south, Swiss lakes are blessed with a wide range of scheduled boat services. We take a look at services which ply the waters of Lake Geneva, serving over two dozen ports across the lake.

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In from the Cold
Snippet

By hidden europe

The thrills and spills of top-class soccer are just part of the appeal of the FIFA World Cup. Sport aside, it's been a chance for visitors to feel the warmth of Russian hospitality. An amiable wolf called Zabivaka has been doing his bit to make visitors feel welcome.

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Preview: hidden europe 56
Preview

By hidden europe

A look ahead at issue 56 of hidden europe magazine which will be published in mid November.

Read on

hidden europe 55

Preview: hidden europe 56

Summary

Editorial

Feature

Feature

Feature

Feature

Flightscan

Hidden histories

Routes

Special spaces

Walks

Perspective

Snippet

Snippet

Snippet

Snippet

Snippet

Preview

City of the Muse: Barga

Polar quest: the 1928 Nobile expedition

The city of St George: Genoa