Preview hidden europe 50

Summary

A look ahead at hidden europe 50 which will be published on 15 November 2016.

hidden europe 49 / Preview / By hidden europe

The next issue of hidden europe will be our 50th. That’s quite a landmark for a modest venture. We’ll return to two areas which we featured in the very first issue of hidden europe, namely the Czech Republic and the island archipelago off Scotland’s west coast known to Gaelic speakers Na h-Eileanan Siar. We shall also visit the Black Sea region again, crossing the River Dniestr to explore Bessarabia. hidden europe 50 will be published on Tuesday 15 November 2016.

Editorial hidden europe 49
Editorial

By hidden europe

Welcome to the 49th issue of hidden europe magazine. In this issue we visit the Ukrainian town of Odessa, explore western Serbia, witness the vanishing art of cowbell crafting in Portugal's Alentejo region and attend the matanza in the Spanish village of Secastilla. All that and much more besides.

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Between the Steppe and the Sea
Feature

By Nicky Gardner

For Odessa writer Issac Babel, his home town was 'the most charming city of the Russian empire'. For many visitors today, Odessa is one of the most striking Black Sea ports. Join us as we head up the Potemkin Steps to discover Odessa.

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And to the Bells, a Voice
Feature

By Rudolf Abraham

The Portuguese tradition of making cowbells is an endangered rural craft. Rudolf Abraham travels to the Alentejo region of Portugal to visit a workshop where cowbells are still crafted in the traditional manner.

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The Hills of Western Serbia
Feature

By Laurence Mitchell

There are many visions of Yugoslavia's past. Laurence Mitchell visits the hills of western Serbia to learn how heritage and history fuel the imagination. It's a journey that starts and ends in Uzice and takes in the famous Sargan Eight narrow-gauge railway.

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Life and Death in Secastilla
Feature

By Kate Wilson

Kate Wilson, a first-time contributor to hidden europe, reports from the village in northern Spain where she lives. This is no ordinary day, for this is el día de la matanza - the day of a ritual pig slaughter. No fun for Tia the pig, but a rich insight into a local tradition.

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The Berry Seller
Books

By Paul E Richardson

Two new books arising from the Spine of Russia project afford a look at everyday life in the Russian Federation. In this preview of one of the books, Paul Richardson swaps notes with Igor, who is selling berries on a roadside in Karelia.

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South to Sicily
Routes

By Nicky Gardner

The latest book from hidden europe editors Nicky Gardner and Susanne Kries is Europe by Rail. Catch the flavour of this new edition with our train journey from Rome to Sicily, specially adapted from the book for this issue of the magazine.

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The Memorial at Devil's Bridge
Hidden histories

By Nicky Gardner

In wild mountain terrain just north of Andermatt in the Alps, the Russian and Swiss flags fly side by side. A nearby memorial recalls how Russian forces led by General Suvorov confronted Napoleon's army in 1799.

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A Visit to the Old Country
Special spaces

By Nicky Gardner

Beside the River Elbe, just downstream from Hamburg, lies the Altes Land. It is one of Europe's most intensive areas of fruit cultivation. Apples, raspberries, cherries and plums aplenty in a region which owes much to early Dutch settlers.

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Platform Zero
Railscan

By Nicky Gardner

At Augsburg station in Bavaria, there is a Platform 801, while a number of stations around Europe have a Platform 0 - among them Aarau in Switzerland and King's Cross station in London. We take a look at the Platform Zero phenomenon.

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A Tale of Two Clarens
Europe beyond Europe

By Nicky Gardner

On the face of it, there is no connection between the Swiss town of Clarens (on the north shore of Lake Geneva) and the South African town of Clarens in the Free State. But the South African town took its name from the eponymous Swiss community. It was in Clarens, Switzerland, that Boer leader Paul Kruger lived in exile.

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Hollandries: Dredging and Draining
Snippet

By hidden europe

Europe's most accomplished dredgers and drainers are the Dutch. Settlers from the Netherlands have industriously drained wetlands and coastal meadows across the continent from Bordeaux to the Baltic. We look at some of the continent's Hollandries.

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The Best of Both Worlds
Snippet

By hidden europe

On a lake to the east of Berlin is Europe's sole surviving example of a ferry which relies on an overhead cable to pick up electricity. The Straussee ferry is an unusual transport oddity.

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Recalling Tito
Snippet

By hidden europe

From Skopje to Moscow, from Sarajevo to New Delhi, the names of roads and squares recall Josep Broz Tito, who was President of Yugoslavia from 1953 until his death in 1980. But what happened to all the Tito towns in former Yugoslavia? Titograd became Podgorica. And the others?

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Bosna-gauge Railways
Snippet

By hidden europe

Had the Balkan region narrow-gauge rail network survived, it would surely today be a cherished asset in promoting tourism over a wide region - in much the same way as the narrow-gauge Rhaetian Railway network has been important in attracting visitors to the Graubünden region of eastern Switzerland.

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Bouvet Island
Snippet

By hidden europe

Bouvet Island, at the southern end of the mid-Atlantic ridge, is 1,800 kilometres away from the nearest landmass (Antarctica) and is thus one of the remotest places on earth. The normal jumping off point for expeditions to this fragment of Norwegian territory is Cape Town.

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Preview hidden europe 50
Preview

By hidden europe

A look ahead at hidden europe 50 which will be published on 15 November 2016.

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