Hometowns
Hradec Králové:
By the end
of the 9th century, Hradec Králové was created on a
height on the confluence of the rivers Elbe and Orlice. At this time it
was only a stately site of a fortified settlement. It is one of the oldest
towns in Bohemia.
At the beginning
of the 14th century its significance rose and in 1306 became the dowry
town of the Czech queens ( Hradec Králové means "the queen's
castle" ).
Conquered
in 1420, it became one of the centers of the Hussites. At the time of the
Hussite wars, many buildings were destroyed, including the royal castle,
and later a Gothic reconstruction of the town was made.
After losing
its political and economic significance in 1547, the town started to flourish
again in the second half of the 16th century. But then the Thirty Years'
War began a real disaster. When the Swedish army conquered the town
in 1639 several hundred houses were destroyed.
In 1636 the
Jesuit order came and iniciated the construction of the church of the Assumption
of Virgin Mary. And in 1664 a Papa Bull established the Hradec Králové
bishopric.
The construction
of the town's fortress started in 1766 and changed completely the city
and affected its whole surroundings. It took almost 25 years to complete
the whole project.
The founder
of the Czech modern architecture, Prof. Jan Kotera, also marked the standard
of Hradec Králové contemporary architecture.
After a short
break caused by the First World War, the urban development continued. The
Hradec Králové architectural and civil engineering activities
in the 1920s and 30s received positive response at home and abroad. Gradually,
the city was gaining the aspect of a metropolis.
In spite
of all the limitations of the period between 1950s and 80s, the original
urbanistic idea was kept and the quality of the new buildings were preserved.
In the 1990s, Hradec Králové has proved to be not only one
of the largest cities in the Czech Republic, but also one of the most beautiful.
Links
about this town.
Rio de Janeiro:
The city of São
Sebastião do Rio de Janeiro was created on March 1st, 1565 by Estácio
de Sá near the Sugar Loaf with the name of San Sebastian to honor
the king of Portugal. It's located by the Guanabara Bay and great part
of it is near the sea.
When the
royal family came to Brazil, the city became a social and cultural attraction
center. There the abolition of slavery was signed and the Republic proclaimed.
Between 1822
and 1960, Rio de Janeiro was the capital of the country. At this time the
city wasn't part of any state. After 1960, it formed the Guanabara State
and only in 1975 it became the capital of the new State of Rio de Janeiro.
The city
is best known for its tourits attractions and natural beauties. The beaches
of Copacabana and Ipanema are famous world wide, like the hill of Corcovado
with the huge statue of Jesus Christ and the Sugar Loaf with its cable
trains from where it's possible to see the whole Guanabara Bay. The world's
largest urban forest is there too. The National Park of the Tijuca's Forest
was a platation area that was turned into a rainforest area again thanks
to the work of black slaves.
When it comes
to celebrations the Carnaval is for sure the best known of all. The main
parade takes place on Passarela do Samba, an avenue that is closed to the
schools-of-samba. Since the pre-fabricated bleachers were build in 1984
the number of foreign tourists has been increasing year after year.
But Rio de
Janeiro doesn't have only nature and parties. It's an important cultural
city too. The great number of museums all over it is another good reason
to visit it. Downtown one can find the Fine Arts Museum, the Modern Art,
the Historical and a lot of cultural centers with many exhibitions. In
the South Zone, the Telephone, Republic (used as the residence of
presidents when Rio was the capital of the country) and Folklore Museums,
all in Catete and the Naiff Art in Laranjeiras. For planes lovers the North
Zone offers the Air Force Museum with a great variety of exemplaries in
excellent condition.
Links
about the town.
LINKS
Picture of Hradec Králové by Miroslav
Podhrázský from the book "Hradec Králové",
printhouse Garamond, 1997.
The same book was also used as resource for the text
about the town of Hradec Králové.