Wander Lord

Interesting on art, nature, people, history

Category Archive: Countries and cities

Fortress of Krak des Chevaliers

Fortress of Krak des Chevaliers

Fortress of Krak des Chevaliers


Crusades to Palestine in XI-XII centuries forced knights to build defenses on their way. The fortress of Krak des Chevaliers in today’s Syria is one of the most notable in architectural terms. Historians and archaeologists consider it to be the most outstanding military construction of the Middle Ages. In 2006, the fortress was added to the UNESCO World Heritage List of Humanity.
Pope Urban II, a Frenchman by birth, blessing the Knights in 1095 for the first Crusade, proclaimed from the steps of the cathedral, that all fighters with unbelievers would be forgiven any sins. They had to win the Tomb of Christ in Jerusalem, purify the Holy Land. Fame and wealth were ahead of them. And after death, they were ready to go to heaven. Jesus himself would be the leader in the struggle. The answer of the crown was the wild cries of ecstasy. The holy psalms began to sound and the army of many thousands people moved on a campaign to the east, to Constantinople and then Jerusalem. The procession was headed by representatives of the pope, princes, aristocrats. They were waiting for an amazing adventure, glory and wealth.
More »

CN Tower in Toronto

CN Tower in Toronto

CN Tower in Toronto


In Canada CN Tower is considered a symbol of the country, it is admired, it is photographed, it is proud of. Every year, two million tourists visit the TV tower. At 350 m, or even at 450 m a magnificent panorama of Toronto can be seen.
The tower together with the antenna is not very high – 553 m, only a couple of tens of meters higher that the Ostankino TV tower in Moscow. But in 1975, when it was erected, it became a record holder, it was the national triumph of Canadians. It took them only 40 months to build the Tower.
More »

Baba-Yaga – fairy tale character

Baba-Yaga - fairy tale character

Baba-Yaga – fairy tale character


Baba-Yaga is an old witch, possibly, the best known of all Slavic legendary characters. She is an immortal shape-changer, like most Russian witches. However, she is more dangerous creature and much more powerful than an ordinary witch. Baba-Yaga is the personification of death.
The oldest surviving stories of Baba-Yaga suggest that she is an ancient deity. Her origin is, perhaps, as long ago as Paleolithic times, when she was the patroness of herds and herdsmen, the goddess of horses, and the patron goddess of farmers and farming.
She lives in a cottage on hen’s legs in the most remote and inaccessible part of a deep forest. This cottage revolves either freely in the wind or when some unheard word is spoken.
More »

History of Statue of Liberty

History of Statue of Liberty

History of Statue of Liberty


For any traveler first arriving from Europe to the US by sea, the first acquaintance with New York begins with the Statue of Liberty. Frederic Auguste Bartholdi wanted a majestic female figure to reflect the symbol of friendship between Europe and America, between France and the United States.
The French historian Edouard de Laboulaye planned the statue in 1865 to symbolize liberty, and to commemorate the friendship of France with the United States. It was designed by Frederic Auguste Bartholdi and built by the company owned by Alexandre Gustave Eiffel. Alexandre Gustave built his famous Eiffel Tower in Paris.
More »

Amazing Skyscrapers all over the world

Amazing Skyscrapers all over the world

Amazing Skyscrapers all over the world


A skyscraper is a very tall building with many stories. Today some skyscrapers have more than 100 stories. The modern city, center of economic activity and capital of culture, is unimaginable without skyscrapers.
Before the middle of the 1800s the tremendous weight of each story made it impossible to build very high. Some architects used an iron frame to support taller buildings. In the 1860s steel became widely available. It is stronger and lighter than iron. Chicago’s Home Insurance Company Building was the first skyscraper to use steel construction. Built in 1884–85, it was 10 stories high.
In 1853 an American inventor Elisha Graves Otis introduced an elevator.
More »

Crimea – between Europe and Asia

Crimea - between Europe and Asia

Crimea – between Europe and Asia


People came to the territory of modern Crimea about 100 thousand years ago. This is evidenced by the findings of the Neanderthal sites in the Kiik-Koba cave. Then, however, the Crimea was not a peninsula, but part of a plateau. About 8000 years ago the Mediterranean Sea broke through the Bosporus, flooding vast areas of land. It was then that the Azov Sea was formed, and the Crimea became a peninsula connected to the mainland by a narrow isthmus. The Crimean Peninsula even in prehistoric times became a place for different civilizations, a kind of melting pot for many peoples.
More »

Wonderful bridges around the world

Wonderful bridges around the world. Pont du Gard, France

Wonderful bridges around the world. Pont du Gard, France


There are a lot of bridges all over the world. Travel on land is easier, safer, and more direct with bridges. Footbridges allow people to cross roads, rivers, and railroads safely.
The first bridges were made by placing tree trunks across rivers. Later, people made rope bridges by weaving plants together and built stone bridges with strong arches. Today bridges are built with concrete and other strong, modern materials instead of natural materials.
The Akashi-kaikyo bridge in Japan, has the longest single span of any bridge. The central span is 1,991 m long.
There are various ways of building bridges. Most of them rest on solid supports. Pontoon bridges float on the surface of the water.
More »