Have you ever been to the smallest city in the world? Maybe you saw a lake that turns into a park in the summer? We bring you a list of the most unusual cities in Europe: each is unique, we hope that at least one will make you pack your bags immediately (when the borders open).
Huelva, Spain
Huelva is not as famous as the Rio Tinto , the river that is home to this picturesque town. What's so special about the river? From Spanish the name is transferred as " painted ": it got its name because of the red brick color. Locations along the coast have been used as mines for the extraction of copper, gold, tin and other metals for centuries. Three centuries of iron mining have saturated the river's waters with iron, making them extremely sour and red like blood.
Hum, Croatia
The town of Hum, crowning the Istrian peninsula, is often called the smallest settlement in the world - although this is not so. The city was founded in the XI century and since then has never been subjected to devastation or invasion by a foreign army - therefore it still retained the title of a city. The 2011 Croatian census revealed two streets and a little over 30 inhabitants.
- The modest size did not prevent the city from becoming the homeland of mistletoe tincture , which can be found only here.
- Every year at the end of September, Dalmatian and Istrian cognac producers gather at the Hum fair to taste the whole variety of local cognacs.
- Another local gem is the Glagolitsa Alley , a seven-kilometer road adorned with a series of 11 monuments, the final chord of which is the gates of the city of Hum.
Popeye Village, Malta
40 years ago, this village was not on the project until Disney Productions decided to use the location for the movie Popeye. Popeye Village , known as Sweethaven , was influenced by Segara's European comics. This village is where Popeye returns, hoping to find his own parent. Today the village is a popular amusement park for families, where you can meet Popeye, Olive and Wimpy, take a boat trip, river bike or speedboat on the village lagoon or witness the colorful costume shows crowning every day of the week.
The entrance fee to the settlement does not exceed 15 euros; The price includes rest in the park and a free mug of wine at the gate (food is not included in the price).
Giethoorn, Netherlands
How do you view life in a place devoid of communications? There are no roads in the Dutch village of Overijel. At all. The settlement is built on microscopic islands connected by canals and connected by two hundred wooden bridges. People call this place the Dutch Venice. Giethoorn has attracted travelers for several decades. But the locals were much more fortunate - a typical day consists of micro-trips by boats and river trams, and there are boat docks on all the islands.
The Giethoorne Olde Maat Uuse Museum is a must-see - here the visitor can learn how people lived in this village three hundred years ago. Clay pipes and wooden shoes are common souvenirs in these places.
Pamukkale, Turkey
The Cotton Castle in Denizl, Turkey certainly deserves a place on this list. Pamukkale is located in the Asian part of Turkey, but as long as the Turks are trying to penetrate the European Union, we will give them their due.
The village is surrounded by a nature reserve that makes you think about the wisdom and inscrutability of the ways of the Almighty. It is a significant tourist attraction in the country, and is included in the top ten tourist destinations. Pamukkale attracts people with geothermal springs and stone terraces made of granite, sandstone and travertine. The temperature of the waters in the springs varies from 30 to 100 degrees Celsius, most of them are inaccessible to tourists and are not suitable for swimming.
Throughout the territory of the geothermal resort, it is allowed to move only on foot - this is done so that tourists do not pollute the water that has risen to the surface from the depths of the Earth.
Mont Saint Michel, France
A kind of fort - a town surrounded by medieval fortifications - one of the most famous places of interest in France. More than 4 million people annually choose Mont Saint-Michel as their tourist destination. Mont - as the French call it - is included in the list of UNESCO World Heritage Sites. More precisely, the Monta Bay is included in the list.
By the way, you can get to the island only at low tide - or via a pedestrian bridge built specifically for the needs of tourists. The island is crowned by the Benedictine monastery of St. Michael ; on St. Michael's Day, up to 50,000 pilgrims come here every year.
The monastery houses a museum with an amazing collection of ancient weapons and armor, paintings and sculptures of the French Renaissance, as well as the prison of the Sun King Louis XIV . People come here for souvenirs made by the hands of local monks, pancakes with lingonberry jam, and nearby Monta there is a one-of-a-kind martinette factory (a special whip for raising children in the spirit of the French Enlightenment, consists of a dozen narrow straps on a wooden handle; currently serves as a souvenir and a pet training tool).
Holy Trinity Monastery, Kalambaka, Greece
An Orthodox Orthodox institution, perhaps the most unusual monastery in the world. Built on meteor rocks in the middle of a clear sky. Not the only such monastery in Greece - there are 24 such institutions, but only six of them are open to the public.
This type of monasteries was popular in the XIV-XV centuries: the monks were convinced that building on high rocks allows them to be closer to the Lord. You can climb to the monastery by a rope ladder or by cable car from the top of a nearby hill. A similar monastery is described in one of the films of the series "The Chronicles of Young Indiana Jones" - about adventures with his father.
