Wings Over Northern Europe

Berlin, city and state (1991 est. pop. 3,450,000), 341 sq mi (883 sq km), in E Germany on the Spree and Havel rivers, de jure capital of the country. It is within, but administratively not a part of, Brandenburg. Berlin is Germany’s largest city, its historic capital, and a major cultural center. The city’s manufactures include electrical equipment, chemicals, and clothing. Among its many cultural institutions are the renowned Berlin Philharmonic, the gallery of the Charlottenberg Palace, with its collection of Rembrandts, and the Pergamum museum, known for classical art. Formed from two villages chartered in the 13th cent., Berlin was a leading member of the Hanseatic League and became prominent as a commercial, cultural, and communications center of Central Europe. It was the capital of Prussia and of the German Empire after 1871 and the Weimar Republic (see Germany) after World War I. In World War II it was badly damaged by Allied bombing and a Soviet artillery attack.

In 1945 it was divided into British, American, and French occupation zones (West Berlin) and a Soviet zone (East Berlin). The status of divided Berlin became a major cold war issue, and in 1948-49 the Western powers carried out a large-scale airlift to supply West Berlin during a Soviet land and water blockade. In 1949 East Berlin was made the capital of East Germany; in 1950 West Berlin was established as a state within, and the de jure capital of, West Germany, with Bonn as
the de facto capital. In August 1961 East German authorities erected the 29 mile (47km) Berlin Wall along the line of partition to halt the exodus of refugees to the West. As the East German Communist regime collapsed (1989-90), the Wall was breached (Nov. 9, 1989). Upon German reunification in Oct. 1990, the new, all-German parliament held a symbolic session in Berlin in the old Reichstag building, and in 1991 it voted to move the federal government to the city. The move is to be completed by the end of the year 2000; some government offices will remain in Bonn.

Restless, enduring and wonderful, London is Europe’s largest city. And surely, if you have the choice to visit only two or three cities of the world in your lifetime, by all means make one of them London.

The Romans started it all. The city they developed was “the square mile,” – and Londoners still hunt for Roman relics in the Thames. History is everywhere you look in London, yet today the city is as modern and metropolitan as any city on earth.

By day, London is buzzing with the frenetic pace of commerce not even Dickens could have imagined. By night, the excitement and glitter of theatres, cinemas, pubs and restaurants beckons throngs of travellers from around the world. But there is another London, a peaceful London of cool museums, quiet tea rooms, immaculate gardens and hushed churches.

There is Royal London – ancient pageantry in a modern kingdom – with its palaces, pomp and precise manoeuvres at the Changing of the Guard. And there’s outrageous London, the urban gathering ground for Cockney pitchmen, “fringe” theatre and the city’s youth, with their own distinctive style.

There is also Greenwich, easily accessed from central London by public transport, or take a more scenic route and arrive by riverboat. Notable for both its maritime history and royal heritage, it is perhaps best known for giving its name to the Greenwich Meridian (0° longitude) and Greenwich Mean Time, based at the Royal Observatory.

London, this extraordinary city of contrasts, holds a stunning abundance of hidden-round-the-corner surprises. You owe it to yourself to explore them all. Here, then, is the London you’ll come to know and remember.

Reykjavik, is the capital of Iceland. It is the country’s chief port and center of its cod fishing industry.

Founded in 874 A.D., it is the home of the Althing, or Icelandic parliament, the oldest in Europe. The city’s heating system uses nearby hot springs. Reykjavik was the site of 1986 disarmament talks between the U.S. and USSR.

Wasn’t Leningrad here a minute ago? Maybe a few years ago, but since the fall of Communism this shining jewel of a city has reverted to its original name, St. Petersburg, named for Peter the Great, who built it as a fortress in 1703.

Elegant facades, glorious cathedrals and grand residences were built along the city’s canals. Construction flourished under Catherine the Great, and the city gained new splendor with elaborate palaces, lovely parks and magnificent squares designed by French and Italian architects. St. Petersburg is the most European city in Russia, and the most
spectacular.