20th Century – Page 7 – The Unexpected Traveller

A photo of the facade of the Municipal House - Prague, Czechia

The lost Royal Palace of Prague

Posted by Antoine P Borg
Posted on 2017-09-042026-02-12
Posted in History

Tourists mistake any old-looking structure as something which is ancient and "worthy of attention." Whether this is true or not, it's always worth looking into the detail of anything you see on your travels. This article focuses on Prague's magnificent Municipal House.

A photo of Castello Lanzun - San Gwann, Malta

The Knights of St Lazarus

Posted by Antoine P Borg
Posted on 2017-08-142026-01-12
Posted in History

The Knights of Malta (to give them their full name, the Knights of St John of Jerusalem, Rhodes and Malta) are certainly familiar to followers of this site. I was

The view from the Metronome - Prague, Czechia

Prague’s Metronome – and Communist Past

Posted by Antoine P Borg
Posted on 2017-04-242026-02-17
Posted in History

With a hand that is around 75 feet long (22.8 metres), the metronome that waves above Prague is impressive enough as it is. Its location is no random choice and

A photo of the Eiffel Tower - Paris, France

The con man who sold the Eiffel Tower

Posted by Antoine P Borg
Posted on 2017-04-172025-02-05
Posted in History

One of the smoothest con men who ever lived managed to fool people into buying France’s Eiffel Tower from him. Twice. His name is Victor Lustig and he was Czech.

Hearst Castle

Posted by Antoine P Borg
Posted on 2017-01-092025-06-09
Posted in History

You expect to find castles everywhere in Europe. You can barely drive for an hour without seeing signs for some stately home, castle or palace here. I wasn’t expecting to

A photo of Soviet Sgraffito - Prague, Czechia

Renaissance Pavillions … and Communism?

Posted by Antoine P Borg
Posted on 2016-12-052026-02-21
Posted in History

The Royal Garden beside the castle in Prague is a joy to behold. There is a Renaissance pavilion there which seems to have a connection to Czechia’s recent communism-tainted past.

A photo of the Communist Astronomical Clock - Olomouc, Czechia

The Communist Clock of Olomouc

Posted by Antoine P Borg
Posted on 2016-11-142026-02-17
Posted in History

In Prague, tourists push one another to catch a glimpse of the Astronomical Clock in the Old Town Square. In Olomouc, there are not that many tourists in front of the

A photo of the Church of St John of Nepomuk - Czechia

The Tongue of St John (Of Nepomuk)

Posted by Antoine P Borg
Posted on 2016-04-252026-02-23
Posted in History

I’ve written before about the Czech saint St John of Nepomuk – but I hadn’t visited the main church dedicated to him, right in the middle of Czechia.

A photo of the Admiralty Arch - London, England

The Admiralty Arch and Queen Victoria

Posted by Antoine P Borg
Posted on 2016-03-072026-02-23
Posted in History

Stand in Trafalgar Square in the middle of London and gaze south-west at the landmark Admiralty Arch that leads to the Mall. Its association with Britain’s Queen Victoria is not

A photo of the bar at the English Pub - Bucharest, Romania

Skullduggery and Cocktails in Bucharest

Posted by Antoine P Borg
Posted on 2015-10-122026-02-23
Posted in History

It’s not every day that you get to sit at a bar drinking with the ghosts of spies long-dead and conspiracies long-confounded. And yet, that is what you can do

Tag: 20th Century