The history of Greece dates back to ancient times. Undoubtedly, Greek civilization is of great importance for the entire modern world. World art, science, politics, philosophy, and languages are closely linked to the culture and history of Greece.

It is located in the south of Europe, on the Balkan Peninsula. The area, together with the islands adjacent to the coast of Asia Minor, is almost 132,000 km². The population is more than 10 million people. The capital of Greece, Athens, is one of the oldest and most beautiful cities in the world, founded in about the 7th millennium BC.

Ancient Greece consisted of about 1,500 separate city-states, the largest of which was Athens. The “Golden Age” in the history of Greece is considered to be the 5th century BC. This period is primarily associated with the rise of this city-state.

The city of Athens is named after the Greek goddess. It was she who gave the city the best gift – an olive tree. Poseidon competed with her and gave the citizens water. At first they were happy, but when they found out that it was salty, Athena was recognized as the winner.

Greece is known for its beautiful nature, fascinating history, and rich culture. This relatively small country has made a huge contribution to world culture: medicine, politics, art, literature, and theater. To this day, the ancient Greek myths serve as a source of inspiration for many people, are studied and retold.

It is rightly called the “cradle of European civilization”, the birthplace of democracy and philosophy, mathematics and physics, as well as the Olympic Games. Ancient archaeological sites and a rich cultural heritage make Greece one of the most mysterious countries in Europe. Interestingly, the official name of the country is Hellas. The Greeks themselves use the word “Greece”, which has Latin roots, only in communication with foreigners.

It was in ancient Greece that the first philosophical concepts were formulated, which laid down the fundamental knowledge of the universe that is used by modern science.

The Greek historian Herodotus literally became the “father of history”; his historical works are the models for the works of subsequent generations of historians.

The Greek physician Hippocrates became the “father of medicine,” and his famous “Hippocratic Oath” still expresses the moral and ethical principles of a doctor’s behavior.

The playwright Aeschylus became the creator of theatrical drama, and his contribution to theater art and the development of theater is enormous.

As well as the enormous contributions of the Greeks Archimedes and Pythagoras to the development of mathematics. And the philosopher Aristotle can be called the “father of science” in the broadest sense of the word, since it was Aristotle who formulated the fundamental principles of scientific knowledge of the world.

Greece is filled with various attractions, many of which date back to ancient times. In Greece – in Athens or Delphi, in Thebes or Meteora, on the holy mountain of Athos or in rocky monasteries – everything impresses with the richness of architecture and interesting sights.

The best examples of ancient Greek architecture, sculpture, and art are in some ways unsurpassed, and new generations of artists study them, and researchers are trying to unravel the mystery of their harmony and aesthetic impact. Europe has been returning to this great ancient heritage time and again in its cultural and political development.

An ancient legend about the creation of the world says that Greece appeared when God sifted the earth and threw the stones left in the sieve over his shoulder. They became the foundation of this country.

Greece has more than 2,000 islands, of which almost 200 are inhabited by people. The most famous is the island of Crete, it is the largest. The whole history, culture and modern life of this island is woven out of paradoxes. This is its magnetic power and magic. In fact, the history of Greece and Greek civilization begins on the island of Crete in about the sixth millennium BC, in the Neolithic era.

Perhaps the most interesting thing about Crete is its history. After all, this island was the birthplace of the oldest known civilization in Europe, the Minoan civilization. It originated more than 4,000 years ago and was so highly developed that archaeologists are still finding its remains. We are talking about ancient artifacts: dishes, weapons, works of art.

The ancient Greeks considered Crete to be the birthplace of Zeus. It was there that his mother, Rhea, gave birth to the future thunderer and hid him from his father, the titan Cronus, who devoured his children. Having given him to the nymphs for upbringing, Rhea rescued Zeus and he, already being the head of Olympus, returned to his homeland. According to legend, the kings of ancient Crete, including the most prominent one, Minos, descended from Zeus. It was his wife who gave birth to the minotaur, a monster with the head of a bull and the body of a man.

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Vigeland Park is an insanely attractive and strange place in Oslo, it impresses with its originality and mystery, evoking different emotions in visitors: incomprehension, surprise, irritation, curiosity and admiration. These sculptures caused great controversy during the author’s lifetime and continue to do so today.

When creating sculptures, Vigeland emphasized the inner state of a person, which is reflected in his works.

The park features 227 sculptures made of bronze, granite and wrought iron. Each sculpture reflects the complexity and versatility of human nature, the whole range of emotions and contradictions: stormy joy, care, self-sacrifice, anger and despair, fear and anxiety. The sculptures laugh and cry, are born and die.

Most of them depict people in various activities, such as hugging, running, wrestling, dancing, etc.

The Garden of People, as the sculpture park is also called, is not just a reflection of the author’s views on the world, it is an attempt to convey the psychology of people who are so different and yet so similar.

Human time on earth is only a part of the eternal cycle of time movement without beginning and end. All the creations have a deep philosophical meaning, depicting human life from the moment of birth to death.

Almost all the sculptures presented in the park are nude. Most of the sculptures are arranged in compositions that amaze the imagination and make you think.

The playground is an illustration of the first year of human life. Here you can also meet four babies who represent the four human temperaments. The most famous of the babies is an angry boy, who has long been the emblem of the park.

The rest of the park is an illustration of human life in all its manifestations. For example, there are 58 sculptures on the bridge dedicated to the relationship between a man and a woman and the relationship between adults and children in all possible colors and shades.

Right behind the bridge is a group of fountains. One of them – “The Burden of Life” – represents the cycle of human life. There are compositions around the perimeter of the fountain that represent different stages in a person’s life.

The trees of life represent first love and first loss, loneliness and harmony, happy offspring and even death.

The culmination of the Garden of People is the Monolith Plateau, in the center of which is a grandiose 17-meter obelisk – the pinnacle of Gustav Vigeland’s work, of which he said: “This is my religion”.

The monolith consists of intertwined human bodies depicting the whirlpool of life. At the bottom are the dead bodies of those who did not survive the general struggle for life and the elderly. Closer to the top are young people, and at the very top of the Monolith are babies. Moving upward is a movement toward the light, a desire to comprehend the divine, to become closer to the spiritual, and a movement into the future.

Each sculpture is imbued with imagery and symbolism of different cultures. This is the main reason why Vigeland Park differs from other sculpture parks around the world.

The author wanted to convey to the viewers the idea that the meaning of life lies in spirituality and the pursuit of light forces.

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The bridge, which connects the island of Borneo with the Sporenburg peninsula, was built in 2001 in a high-tech style. It was designed by Adriaan Heise for the West 8 architectural firm. Later, the bridge won the title of the most beautiful pedestrian bridge in the world.

The name of the bridge fully reflects its peculiarity – it is shaped like a snake, bending from bank to bank, so it was named Python.

The bright red bridge is 90 meters long and is equipped with very beautiful handrails with many intricacies, which makes its appearance even more attractive. The main material for it was high-strength steel, capable of withstanding enormous loads.

Despite its metal construction, many people like it almost as much as the elegant medieval stone bridges over the canals that abound in Amsterdam. The Python Bridge is considered a true work of art, not just an architectural structure.

Due to the very curved span and steep stairs, the bridge is exclusively pedestrian, even cyclists cross it on foot, pushing their bikes up a specially equipped ramp.

It has become the best example of the creativity and freedom of Dutch craftsmen.

This amazing bridge looks really fantastic and seems as if it takes us to some other, magical and fairy-tale world.

Due to its unusual shape, the Python Bridge is always included in the ratings of the most beautiful bridges in the world.

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The Vatican does not have its own official language. Documents are most often published in Italian and Latin, and people speak English, Italian, French, German, Spanish, and other languages.

The Vatican is an enclave state: it is completely located within the territory of another country, Italy. The Vatican, despite its tiny size, has everything that is usually associated with the concept of a state: its own army, postal and telegraph services, its own postage stamps, its own radio station, mint, national flag, and even a small prison, which, however, has been empty for years.

On the territory of 0.44 km² there is perhaps the richest collection of works of art in the world. Its palaces, libraries, and archives contain books, documents, and works of art whose value to humanity is expressed not so much in monetary terms as in cultural and historical terms. Michelangelo’s wall frescoes in the Sistine Chapel, depicting the Last Judgment, are among the most impressive works of Western art.

One of the most magnificent churches in the Vatican is St. Peter’s Basilica. This temple really impresses with its beauty, sculptures, altars, statues, tombstones, wall paintings, size and architecture.

St. Peter’s Basilica is the largest building in the Vatican and one of the largest Christian churches in the world. It is among the ten tallest churches in the world. The construction lasted 120 years. A huge 136-meter dome rises above the cathedral, and it is one of the symbols of Rome.

The Vatican Library is one of the richest book collections in the world. It houses the largest collection of manuscripts from the Middle Ages and the Renaissance. The library’s funds include about 1.6 million printed books and 150 thousand manuscripts. Only the Vatican has a collection of such value and scope. There is also a secret archive where personal collections and royal collections are kept. In total, the library has 13 halls, each of which has its own funds, and there is also the Biblioteca segreta archive, which contains especially valuable and classified documents. Only the Pope has access to some of them.

In June 1475, the opening of the Vatican Library was documented. However, the collection of books and the creation of archives began much earlier, in the fourth century.

The library also owns a laboratory for the restoration of ancient documents and manuscripts and a School of Librarians.

The Vatican authorities have digitized their entire library and provided free access to everyone.

The Vatican is the only state that is fully on the UNESCO list. Given its high historical value and cultural significance.

There are no traffic lights in this country. And 95% of Vatican City residents are men.

The Vatican is home to the world’s oldest pharmacy, founded in 1277. It sells rare medicines that are not always found in Italy.

The Vatican is a vast complex that has been built over the centuries and has been the residence of the Popes since 1377.

However, the main treasure of the Vatican is its museums. They include a complex of unique buildings and the most valuable collections of antiquities.

The Gregorian Etruscan Museum, located in the palace of Innocent VIII, has 18 halls. It presents household items of ancient settlements from the early Bronze Age, which is the 9th-8th centuries BC. Each hall tells a story in chronological order, demonstrating frescoes, ivory, statues and luxurious dishes.

The Historical Museum is extremely interesting. A collection of carriages, cars, and various paraphernalia that can be used to trace the history of the Vatican. There is also a collection of contemporary church art, galleries of ethnographic maps, candelabra, and a chariot hall.

The Vatican museums are a step into history, religion, and art, revealing the unknown secrets of the past.

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The San Marino River flows on the border and another river called the Ausa flows inside the country.

In 1292, the papal throne confirmed the country’s independence.

Residents of San Marino do not consider themselves Italians, but Sanmarinians, because they are very proud of their country and its history.

This country maintains its own calendar, where the starting point is the date of the founding of the Republic of San Marino, so it is now the seventeenth century.

The country is located at an altitude of 738 meters above sea level on the southwestern slope of the Monte Titano mountain range.

About 80 percent of the country’s territory is covered with rocks.

On the top of Mount Titano in the 16th century was built the fortress of Cesta.

The regions of San Marino are called “castelli”, which means “fortifications”, “towers”.

One of the symbols of the state of San Marino is the three towers, which can be found on the national flag and coat of arms. They are symbols of freedom in San Marino. The oldest of all the towers, Guaita, was built in the tenth century directly on a rock without a foundation.

The second tower, La Cesta (or De La Fratta), was built in the XI century and stands on the highest peak of Monte Titano. A museum was opened in this tower in 1956.

The third tower, Montale, built in the XIII century, is located on the lowest of the peaks of Monte Titano.

San Marino has the title of the oldest republic in the world, which has existed without changing the state system for 16 centuries. According to ancient sources, San Marino was founded in 301 by the Christian mason Marinus, who arrived in this area with his friends from the island of Rab (today the territory of Croatia).

The first name of the republic was “Land of San Marino”, which meant “land of St. Marino”.

He opened quarries in the Monte Titano mountain, and then built a cell on the top and withdrew from worldly life. The fame of his holy life attracted many believers who began to arrive in these places. Thus, a monastery named after him, St. Marinus, was built here.

Since July 2008, the historic center of San Marino and Mount Monte Titano have been a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

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