NETHERLANDS #11

Thanks Marleen!

NL-3117436

RUSSIA #23

The volcanoes of Kamchatka are a large group of volcanoes situated on the Kamchatka peninsula. The Kamchatka River and the surrounding central side valley are flanked by large volcanic belts containing around 160 volcanoes, 29 of them still active. The peninsula has a high density of volcanoes and associated volcanic phenomena, with 29 active volcanoes being included in the six UNESCO World Heritage List sites in the Volcanoes of Kamchatka group, most of them on the Kamchatka Peninsula.

Thanks Elena!

RU-3960524

CZECH REPUBLIC #8

Velké Meziříčí is a town in the Vysočina Region, Czech Republic. It is situated under the original Gothic castle in a valley framed by the hills of the Bohemian-Moravian Highlands. It is situated on the confluence of the Oslava and Balinka rivers near the Highway D1 with the Vysočina Bridge. The first written records of the town come from the 12th century. The settlement obtained full town privileges in 1408 - the celebrations of the 600th anniversary of this event took place in 2008, including the publishing of a representative book; the rights were approved by the king of Bohemia Václav IV. in 1417

Thanks Naty!

CZ-695148

USA #20

South Dakota is a state located in the Midwestern region of the United States. It is named after the Lakota and Dakota Sioux Native American tribes. South Dakota is the 17th most extensive, but the 5th least populous and the 5th least densely populated of the 50 United States. Once the southern portion of the Dakota Territory, South Dakota became a state on November 2, 1889, simultaneously with North Dakota. Pierre is the state capital and Sioux Falls, with a population of about 165,000, is South Dakota's largest city.

Thanks Sha!

US-3352924

NETHERLANDS #10

Volendam is a town in North Holland in the Netherlands, in the municipality of Edam-Volendam. Volendam is a popular tourist attraction in the Netherlands, well known for its old fishing boats and the traditional clothing still worn by some residents. The women's costume of Volendam, with its high, pointed bonnet, is one of the most recognizable of the Dutch traditional costumes, and is often featured on tourist postcards and posters (although there are believed to be fewer than 50 women now wearing the costume as part of their daily lives, most of them elderly). There is a regular ferry connection to Marken, a peninsula close by. Volendam also features a small museum about its history and clothing style, and visitors can have their pictures taken in traditional Dutch costumes.

Thanks Nikita!

NL-3120392

GERMANY #23

Thanks Ines!

DE-4472807

FRANCE #3

Metz is a city in northeast France located at the confluence of the Moselle and the Seille rivers. Metz is the capital and the prefecture of both the Lorraine region and the Moselle department. Located near the tripoint along the junction of France, Germany, and Luxembourg, the city forms a central place of the European Greater Region and the SaarLorLux euroregion. Metz a rich 3,000-year-history, having variously been a Celtic oppidum, an important Gallo-Roman city, the Merovingian capital of the Austrasia kingdom, the birthplace of the Carolingian dynasty, a cradle of the Gregorian chant, and one of the oldest republics in Europe. The city has been steeped in Romance culture, but has been strongly influenced by Germanic culture due to its location and history

Thanks Constance!

FR-570226

INDONESIA #6

Songket is a fabric that belongs to the brocade family of textiles of Indonesia, Malaysia and Brunei. It is hand-woven in silk or cotton, and intricately patterned with gold or silver threads. The metallic threads stand out against the background cloth to create a shimmering effect. In the weaving process the metallic threads are inserted in between the silk or cotton weft (latitudinal) threads in a technique called supplementary weave.

Thanks Eni!

IDN-1264

RUSSIA #22

Krasnoyarsky Krai, National Park Ergaki, Gornyh Duhov stream (Mountain Spirits stream)

Thanks Julia!

RUS-5740

TAIWAN #3 Direct Swap

The Double-heart of Stacked Stones or the Twin-Heart Fish Trap is a stone weir located on the north side of Qimei Township, Penghu County, Taiwan. It is a well-preserved ancient fish trap made by stacking stones to form a trap that resembles a flying heart

Thanks Judy!

RUSSIA #21 Direct Swap

List of lighthouses in Russia.

Thanks Lucy!

GERMANY #22 Direct Swap

Seligenstadt’s most important building is the Einhard-Basilika with Saints Marcellinus’s and Peter’s relics. Since 1925 it has borne the honorary title of minor basilica, bestowed by Pope Pius XI. Although the building was heavily modified over the centuries, this is nonetheless one of the most impressive basilicas with a basic Carolingian structure north of the Alps.The Benedictine monastery, dissolved in 1803, that abuts this on the south with its Baroque wings and broad estate and garden complexes has been fully restored. Seligenstadt had its first documentary mention on 11 January 815 in a donation document, under its then current name of Obermühlheim. The town was founded by Charlemagne’s biographer Einhard. 

Thanks Sam!

MALAYSIA #6

The Istana Seri Menanti, also known as the Istana Lama Seri Menanti, is one of the famous landmarks in Negeri Sembilan. It is a timber palace constructed between 1902 to 1908. Today, the palace has been turned into a royal museum. This four-storey building is special because it was constructed without using any nails. Hardwood rods were instead used to piece the timber together. The roof of this palace represents a buffalo's horns. The buffalo horns are widely regarded as the protective symbol of the palace.

Thanks Isabella!

MYS-2351

RUSSIA #20

One of the most beautiful Russian actresses Irina Alferova was born on 13 March, 1951, in Novosibirsk. During her fourth year studying at theatrical institute she got the role of Dasha in TV series “The Road to Calvary.” In 1976, Alferova was invited to the Moscow Theater – Lenkom. Here she meto her future husband – actor Aleksandr Abdulov, with whom she lived for fifteen years. In many films she played together with her husband, later she starred together with her daughter actress Ksenia Alferova.

Thanks Natalia!

RUS-6749

USA #19

New York – often called New York City or the City of New York to distinguish it from the State of New York, of which it is a part – is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York metropolitan area, the premier gateway for legal immigration to the United States and one of the most populous urban agglomerations in the world. A global power city, New York exerts a significant impact upon commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and entertainment. Home to the headquarters of the United Nations, New York is an important center for international diplomacy and has been described as the cultural and financial capital of the world

Thanks Nathan!

USA-2147

RUSSIA #19

Smolny Convent or Smolny Convent of the Resurrection (Voskresensky), located on Ploschad Rastrelli, on the bank of the River Neva in Saint Petersburg, Russia, consists of a cathedral (sobor) and a complex of buildings surrounding it, originally intended for a convent. The name "Smolny" derives from the location, in the early days of St. Petersburg the place at the edge of the city where pitch ("smola" in Russian) was processed for use in shipbuilding and maintenance. As a result the locale was called "smolny" - the place of pitch. The convent's main church (catholicon or sobor), a blue-and-white building, is considered to be one of the architectural masterpieces of the Italian architect Francesco Bartolomeo Rastrelli.

Thanks Irina!

RUS-6518

USA #18

Maryland  is a state located in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. Maryland was the seventh state to ratify the United States Constitution. Maryland is also considered to be the birthplace of religious freedom in America, dating back to its earliest colonial days when it was made a refuge for persecuted Catholics from England by George Calvertthe first Lord Baltimore, and the first English proprietor of the then-Maryland colonial grant. Maryland is one of the smallest states in terms of area, as well as one of the most densely populated. Maryland has the highest median household income of any state. The state is officially claimed to be named after Queen Henrietta Maria,[14] wife of King Charles I of England and mother of Charles II and James II, by George Calvert, 1st Lord Baltimore, prior to his death in 1632.

Thanks Karen!

USA-2533

GERMANY #21

Warendorf is a town in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany, and capital of Warendorf District. The town is best known today for its well-preserved medieval town centre, for horse-riding, and the opportunities it provides for cycling. Bicycles are such a common means of transport in the area that many cycle paths have been built, even alongside main roads outside the town. Warendorf has hosted several international events, such as the world skydiving championships, riding events, and the national swimming championships. A notable annual event in Warendorf is the celebration on 15 August of the Feast of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary (Mariä Himmelfahrt).

Thanks Elke!

DEU-1334

AUSTRALIA #6

The Mirsky Castle Complex is a UNESCO World Heritage site in Belarus. It is located in the town of Mir, in the Karelichy District of the Hrodna voblast, 29 km to the north-west from another World Heritage site, Nesvizh Castle. Mir Castle Complex is situated at an elevation of 164 meters. From 1921 to 1939 the castle was located in Poland.

Thanks Laurent!

AUS-185

RUSSIA #18

Irkutsk  is a city and the administrative center of Irkutsk Oblast, Russia, and one of the largest cities in Siberia. The Epiphany Cathedral, the governor's palace, a school of medicine, a museum, a military hospital and the crown factories are among the public institutions and buildings.

Thanks Olga!

RUS-7289

CROATIA #6 Direct Swap

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PORTUGAL #5 Direct Swap

The Rabelo boat is a traditional Portuguese cargo boat that for centuries was used to transport people and goods along the Douro River. Native from the Douro region, it does not exist in any other place of the world. Its history is closely linked to the production and trade of port wine. Before the arrival of the railway, the rabelo was the fastest and the most efficient means of transport between the Douro Valley, where port wine is produced, and the city of Porto, where it was traded and exported world wide.

Thanks Joana!

CZECH REPUBLIC #7 Direct Swap

Franz Kafka (3 July 1883 – 3 June 1924) was a German-language writer of novels and short stories, regarded by critics as one of the most influential authors of the 20th century. Most of his works, such as "Die Verwandlung" ("The Metamorphosis"), Der Process (The Trial), and Das Schloss (The Castle), are filled with the themes and archetypes of alienation, physical and psychological brutality, parent–child conflict, characters on a terrifying quest, labyrinths of bureaucracy, and mystical transformations. His body was brought back to Prague where he was buried on 11 June 1924, in the New Jewish Cemetery in Prague-Žižkov. Kafka was unknown during his own lifetime, but he did not consider fame important. He became famous soon after his death

Thanks Dna!

FRANCE #2 Direct Swap

Bordeaux is a port city on the Garonne River in the Gironde department in southwestern France.Bordeaux is the world's major wine industry capital. It is home to the world's main wine fair, Vinexpo, while the wine economy in the metro area takes in 14.5 billion euros each year. Bordeaux wine has been produced in the region since the 8th century. The historic part of the city is on the UNESCO World Heritage List as "an outstanding urban and architectural ensemble" of the 18th century. Place de la Bourse is one of the most recognisable sights of Bordeaux. Its architect was Ange-Jacques Gabriel. It was built from 1730 to 1775

Thanks Nathalie!

INDONESIA #5

Borobudur Temple Compounds is a term used by the World Heritage designation of the area of three Buddhist temples in Central Java, Indonesia. It comprises Borobudur, Mendut, and Pawon. These three temples are located in a straight line, and have been considered as being built during the Sailendra dynasty circa 8th–9th centuries. Approximately 40 kilometres northwest of Yogyakarta, Borobudur is located in an elevated area between two twin volcanoes, Sundoro-Sumbing and Merbabu-Merapi, and two rivers, the Progo and the Elo. According to local myth, the area known as Kedu Plain is a Javanese 'sacred' place and has been dubbed 'the garden of Java' due to its high agricultural fertility.

Thanks Andrea!

IDN-993