5 highlights awaiting you on our “Scandinavia and Russia“ tour
Northern Europe has many cultural attractions to offer. In this article, you will be able to find what we will discover in the circuit “Viking Adventure and Russia” together.
The Little Mermaid
Copenhagen is not only a romantic port city, but also the cultural center of Denmark. Consequently, the number of sights that can be discovered here is very high. However, the most important landmark of the city is the “Little Mermaid”, a bronze figure of the sculptor Edvard Eriksen, who place it on the seafront of Langelinie in 1913.
The fact that we can still see the work of art inspired by Hans-Christian Andersen’s fairy tale of the same name can not be taken for granted, by the way: in the past, the figure was repeatedly the victim of destruction and vandalism. Between the 1960s and 1990s, the bronze statue “lost” its head twice and its right arm once, before even being removed from the rock in 2003. However, thanks to its restoration, the statue was able to take its place on the promenade again and again.
Sognefjord Fjord
The Sognefjord in the Norwegian province of Sogn og Fjordane is not only the longest in Europe, but also the deepest. In view of the astounding nature, there is little time to think about it: the stunning mountain landscapes with mainly wooded slopes that rise on both sides of the fjord surprise all visitors.
Make sure you have your camera ready. You’d never forgive yourself for not taking souvenir photos in the Sognefjord.
Vigeland Sculpture Park
We’ll visit a park of different nature in the Norwegian capital, Oslo: in the Sculptural Park of Vigeland we’ll find the monumental works of the sculptor with the same name on each corner. Created between 1907 and 1942, most of the 200 sculptures out of bronze, wrought iron and natural stone are dedicated to the cycle of human life.
The bronze figures of “Little Trotsky” (Sinnataggen) and “Wheel of Life” (Livshjulet) are especially suitable as backdrops for one or the other Selfie.
Hermitage
Stopping in St. Petersburg without visiting the Hermitage is a real crime: It is one of the most important art museums, but unfortunately it does not possess UNESCO World Heritage status.
The museum sets new standards not only in terms of optics, but also in magnitude: the Hermitage archive contains almost three million objects, and visitors can expect around 65,000 pieces in the museum’s more than 350 rooms. You can admire works by ancient masters such as da Vinci, Rembrandt and Rubens, as well as archaeological finds and paintings by Gauguin, Matisse and Picasso. In order to keep this huge collection accessible, the museum has more than 2,500 employees.
Kremlin
St. Petersburg has the Hermitage, Moscow the Kremlin, which belongs to the oldest part of the Russian capital. Originally dating back to the Middle Ages, the castle of Moscow was rebuilt as a citadel in the late 15th century and subsequently served as the residence of the Grand Dukes and Czars.
But even after the October Revolution of 1917, the Kremlin remained a center of state power: firstly, as the seat of the Soviet government and then in 1992 as the president’s headquarters – a circumstance that has made his name a synonym of the Russian state leadership to this day.
You want to learn more?
On our journey “Viking Adventure and Russia”, of course, there is much more to discover. We’d love you to join us on this exploration adventure.
See you soon in the Far North!
