sachsenhausen berlin

Today the whole world knows the horrific history of the Second World War and the atrocities that occurred in the Nazi concentration camps. Perhaps the best known was the Auschwitz Camp, but throughout Germany there were many other concentration camps, such as Sachsenhausen

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The Sachsenhausen concentration camp takes its name from the Sachsenhausen district, (Oranienburg), located only at 35km from Berlin. It operated between 1936 and 1950. Sachsenhausen was destined to be the model to follow and most important of all the concentration camps. Of the 200.000 prisoners that were sent there, about 50,000 were brutally murdered. From 1936 to 1945 Sachsenhausen was controlled by the Nazi regime, but from 1945 to 1950 it fell into the hands of the occupying Soviet forces. But at first, like all the concentration camps in the area, it was built by the Nazis and designed to massively annihilate political opponents, Jews, Gypsies, homosexuals and war prisoners.

Visit the Sachsenhausen Concentration Camp is almost a requirement if you travel to the German capital. Rent Apartments in Berlin and immerse yourself in world history.

sziget festival – sziget 2009 festival | Apartments in Hungary

The Sziget 2009 Festival is a special event that will be openly circulated throughout the different types of media. This is a musical, artistic expression and a meeting point between different cultures and tendencies. This is the biggest festival in Europe and the third in the world! Also known as “Woodstock on the Danube”, the festival celebrates its seventeenth edition. The festival lasts for seven days without stopping, has 1,000 shows, 70,000 campers, and expects an attendance of 400,000 people throughout the week.

This is a unique event where you can hear everything: from Pop, Rock, or Heavy Metal, to Blues, Hip Hop, reggae, African music, World music, Folk, Dance, Jazz, Classical or many other sounds. But the Sziget Festival also offers other things like theatre, exhibitions, dance, film, video festivals, extreme sports and international cuisine.

The best artists from around the world meet at this festival. It is like a dream come true!
There is no shortage of great performances from world renowned artists. In recent years, bands and singers such as Eisbär, David Bowie, Lou Reed, Iggy Pop and Patty Smith, amongst others have put on shows! In this edition, however, the festival will announce the best of the international rock scene, such as: The Prodigy, Placebo, Fatboy Slim, The Offspring, Bloc Party, Snow Patrol, Ska-P, Ting Guración, Péndulo or Calexico.

Óbuda Island, where the festival is held, is only two kilometres from the Budapest centre – a charming capital, divided by the Danube in Buda and the old residential area, Pest, the centre of all commercial activities.

Transport is very efficient. There are special connections to go to the festival day and night and there will be all sorts of amenities for these special days! Obuda is like “being on another planet,” one feels free and there is a peaceful, pleasant and respectful atmosphere. Every one respects each other’s culture and tradition. You can create new friendships, new loves and new ideas. You’re going to explore new feelings as if you were not in a real world, very distant from our everyday life.

Would you like to discover this beautiful city? Rent apartments in Budapest right now to find the cheapest accommodation! The Sziget 2009 Festival will transform your summer into a true paradise.

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Malasaña Madrid – manuela malasaña madrid | Apartments Blog

alasaña or the “Wonders District” is one of the most beautiful districts in Madrid. This city offers many possibilities to spend a fantastic holiday. Charming neighbourhoods, a great nightlife and a delicious cuisine all make Madrid a very popular city for tourists from around the world.

Malasaña is located in the city centre and corresponds to the east area of the university district. It is limited by the Gran Via, Fuencarral , Calle San Bernardo and the area of Plaza Bilbao. To arrive by Metro there are two stops: Tribunal and Noviciado. There is also a night bus that goes through the city centre.

The neighbourhood owes its name to the young woman Manuela Malasaña, who took part in the Dos de Mayo Square defense during the invasion of Spain by Napoleon. This is a well known area, with an alternative atmosphere and nightlife, very similar to Camden Town in London, the East Village in New York or the Bairro Alto in Lisbon.

At night the streets of Malasaña are filled with people. Many young people gather in the parks to practice the botellón, a ritual practiced widely among the Spanish youth. They drink alcohol and listen to music in public places like parks, squares or streets. The streets are crowded all the night, even on weekdays.

Even the famous singer Manu Chao wrote a song called me gustas tú where he makes reference to the Malasaña neighbourhood. This is not a nightclub zone but rather an area with small and cosy premises, where different types of music like rock, reggae and punk are played. This is a very authentic and alternative neighbourhood. It breathes a very particular atmosphere: the street lamps emanate a yellow and magical light at night.

The Sideral is one of the historic premises in Malasaña, but the Via Láctea in the Calle Valverde is probably the most famous pub in the neighbourhood because Pedro Almodóvar used to go there.

If you want to have fun and at the same time get to know this fascinating city full of art, monuments and good food, you just have to book a flight to the Spanish capital. Rent Apartments in Madrid and you will have cheap and wonderful holiday.

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Capitoline Museum – Capitoline Museums in Rome | rome blog

Among the various museums that Rome has, in addition to the city itself, which is like an outdoor art gallery, full of monuments and statues (especially in the historic centre), there is one group of museums that you should not miss: the Capitoline Museums.

The appreciated Capitoline Museums are housed in two buildings facing each other: the Conservatori Palace and the New Palace. The museum dates back to 1471, when Pope Sixtus IV gave the town a large collection of Lateran bronzes (including the Lupa Capitolina), which was placed in the courtyard of the Conservatori Palace in the Campidoglio Square. Because of that this is the oldest public museum in the world.

The former collection was enriched over time thanks to the donations from other popes. The museum was opened to the public thanks to Pope Clement XII, almost a century later, in 1734. This museum houses several collections: the Art Museum, the Protomoteca, the Castellani Collection and the Medagliere Capitoline. The masterpiece of the museum is the wonderful equestrian statue of Marcus Aurelius. There are two copies: the original one, which is located in the new Glass Room, and a copy, which is located in the centre of the square (the Marcus Aurelius Esedra, in the Roman Garden, behind the Conservatori Palace). In 2005 another wing was added which has been established as a new space to house the statue of Marcus Aurelius, the fragments of the bronze colossus of Constantine and the statue of Hercules. But there are many other important works located in this new wing.

The Capitoline Museums are open every day except Monday, from 9.00 am to 20.00 pm. The normal ticket costs 6.5€ or 4.50€ for young people between 18 and 25 years. For people over 65 it is totally free.

If you like art and you want to take in the Capitoline Museums in Rome travel to the Eternal City and rent apartments in Rome.

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Michael Jackson dead at 50 | The Word Monster

Michael Jackson the ‘King of Pop’, is dead

Today can be considered a Black Friday for music lovers the World over. The “King of Pop” has died at the age of 50 from a heart attack in Los Angeles. The singer was about to go on tour for the last time and return to the stage on 13th July in London. All seats were sold out months ago and thousands of the singer’s fans who wanted to see him for the last time at the 02 Arena are now grieving his death.

Apparently a call was made at 12:26 in the afternoon, Californian time that alerted the need for an ambulance. It appears that Jackson received reanimation treatment before arriving at the University hospital of California in a state of coma. Minutes after his arrival, he was pronounced dead.

Jackson’s health has always been, for the greater part of his life, delicate, for which he has required the need for medical attention on numerous occasions, four of them during the court trial for which he was accused of child abuse in 2005. Nevertheless, the death of Michael Jackson comes as a great surprise to all of his fans and even more so when he was about to perform at the scheduled 50 concerts in London to say a last farewell as a performer on the big stage.

The Los Angeles Police department has opened an investigation to find out the circumstances in which ended with the singer’s sudden death.

The ‘King of Pop’ earned more than 405 awards, being the artist awarded with the most prizes in musical history. Jackson broke all records of sales of his music and it has taken many years to equal this feat by other stars.

The singer leaves three children, Michael Joseph Jackson Jr, Paris Michael Katherine Jackson y Prince “Blanket” Michael Jackson II. He also leaves the music industry and millions of fans orphaned by his tragic death.

via thewordmonster.com

memento park Budapest – statue park Budapest | Apartments in Hungary

Budapest, a city of a thousand resources and full of places to visit, gives us the opportunity to discover its secrets through a fascinating place: the Memento Park. After having visited the city centre, go the outskirts, where the charming Memento Park is located.

After the change of regime in the capital in 1989-1990, unlike many other cities that burned or destroyed all the communist symbols, Budapest preserved part of them. They gathered all the statues representing the great figures of communism like Marx, Lenin, Stalin or Bela Kun, along with the anonymous soldiers and liberators of the USSR and they created this park in their memory. This is one of the most beautiful and curious attractions of the city and a mandatory stop. It looks like a big building full of classical statues, where you can see the attempt of the architect Ákos Eleőd to highlight the nature of the dictatorship.

The different statues and symbols appear to shout out against the dictatorial regime in the name of freedom. Today this park is a place of commemoration and an interesting museum to visit. There are allegoric monuments that symbolize the “Hungarian – Soviet” friendship and the “Liberation” along with statues of the labour movement and the soldiers of the Red Army.

One of the most appreciated statues is the Soviet Liberator Soldier statue. This is a 6 metre tall statue with a fearsome look. It was initially placed at the top of the Gellért hill, so everybody could see it. This soldier has a flag in the hand with a hammer and sickle and a pistol. This park is a unique museum, and an important symbol of this charming city.

The park is located on the outskirts of the capital. There are many remains of ancient statues: for example, there are Stalin’s boots (the only part that remains of the statue), which after World War II dominated Heroes’ Square in Budapest. This is a place for parades and state meetings.

This huge park full of exciting statues is a real honour to the condemnation of any regime. Rent your Apartments in Budapest and don’t miss the Memento Park… It will captivate you!

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Paris Beach – Beach in Paris | Apartments Blog

Who said Paris does not have a beach? Since 2002 the city of lights has had something new to visit every summer: Paris Beach. From July 20th until August 20th , the most touristic city in the world becomes a spa. Because he couldn’t accept the idea that people who were not able to go on vacation couldn’t enjoy sunbathing, the Mayor of the city decided to transform the right bank of the Seine into a large beach along with other sites in the capital such as the Place de l’Hôtel – de-Ville or the pond of the Villette.

Since then, every summer, between the island of Saint Louis and the Island of the Cité, you can find everything that you find when you go on holiday to the beach. Palm trees, paddling pools for children and atomizers to refresh yourself. There’s also a swimming pool floating on the Seine. In addition there are a number of free sports activities, fitness sessions, relaxation, mini-golf, bowls, sailing, rowing or canoeing.

Paris Beach has a very varied choice of activities to please both kids and adults, in family or between friends. A space has been specially laid out for them, Adventure Beach, where they can find trampolines, pedal boats, water sports and workshops with clowns to have fun. While the kids build sand castles, parents can relax on deckchairs available to everyone, enjoy ice cream, attend one of the many concerts or just sip a drink in one of the bars installed on the banks of the Seine.

The right bank of the Seine is completely blocked and cars are banned and other sites are also earmarked for the event. After this huge success attracting thousands of Parisians and tourists, other cities are taking note and doing the same; creating their own version of Paris Beach. Berlin, Budapest, Prague, to name a few, installs each summer water activities in their capitals.

The new slogan in the capital of romance is Sea, Seine & Sun! Do not resist the call of Paris Beach, rent your apartments in Paris right now to spend an unforgettable summer.

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Lisbon Beaches – Lisbon Beach – Beaches in Lisbon | Lisbon Blog

Lisbon is a very charming town and you can lose yourself in its charming streets. Here there are a lots of places to visit, beautiful neighbourhoods to discover and beautiful beaches where you can relax and sunbathe.

There are fantastic sandy coasts, sheer cliffs and the ocean is really a dream, all a few kilometres from Lisbon. Sea, ocean breezes, fishing villages, everything is so close to the city. Here you can spend a dream holiday; you can relax and have a great time on the beautiful beaches that are found around Lisbon such as Costa del Sol, Costa Azul, from Cabo da Roca to Cabo Carvoeiro.

The coast of the suburbs to the west of Lisbon, Belem, extending up to Cascais, is called the Costa del Sol. The most well-known place of this area is Estoril which is a very elegant area also called the “Portuguese Riviera”. Here there are nineteenth-century villas that adorn the place and a casino that is the largest in Europe. Further east we find Cascais, marked by an old port with a picturesque pedestrian area. Cascais is also famous for its beaches, particularly Praia da Rainha, an inlet surrounded by cliffs, and the Boca do Inferno, a chasm carved by the sea in the rock.

Only 25 kilometres from Lisbon, you’ll find Costa Azul, easily reachable thanks to the highway. This strip of Portugal is rich in parks and nature reserves including the Serra de Setúbal Arrábida,that extends for 35 kilometres up to Sesimbra. But some of the most characteristic things in this region are the sandy beaches, like those of Costa da Caparica, which stretch infinitely with its breathtaking rocky cliffs. A real paradise for your eyes!

All of this and much more awaits you in the Portuguese capital. Your holiday will be incredibly beautiful. Rent apartments in Lisbon, sun, sea and lots of fun are only a step away.

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Henri Matisse – thyssen museum | Apartments Blog

Matisse, along with Picasso, was one of the central figures of modern art. Although he is best known for his fauvism work; thanks to his use of colour along with his fluid and original drawing style, the Thyssen Museum is dedicating an exhibition to the central period of his career (1917 and 1941), in which Matisse sheltered in Nice fleeing from Paris. This supposes a before-and-after in his painting thanks to the creative isolation and to the light of the Côte d’Azur.

From June 9th to September 20th the Thyssen – Bornemisza Museum will host a unique exhibition where the lesser-known works of the author will be shown. There are about 80 paintings, drawings and sculptures, coming from 50 museums and private collections around the world under the title “Matisse, 1917-1941.”

The exhibition seeks to break down the keys used by the painter in an era marked by the shadow of the First World War and the start of the Second. Around the year 1917 the artistic climate of the first forefronts had disappeared and that was how Matisse was losing customers and therefore had to redirect his painting towards a public recipient of anonymous modern art, replacing large pieces of art such as “The Dance” by smaller works using an easel. With this pretext, the painter moved to Nice.

Thanks to his return to easel painting, Matisse centred on the pictorial language, on the weight, the density and the depth of the figures. So the exhibition covers the period in which the artist delves into the relationship between drawing, colour and size, avoiding the flat shapes and the traditional perspective of Cubism.

It is only since 1927, when Matisse leaves his painting to one side and begins a long journey to Tahiti that keeps him away from art until he receives a new order: by Alfred Barnes, in which he centred again on the subject of dance. He spent three years working on this painting.

The exhibition has been designed so that each stage of the artist’s life is reflected in different routes under the following headings: “Painting and time”, with pictures made in the early years of Nice; “Landscapes, balconies and gardens”, where the outside space is explored; “Intimacy and ornament” for still life; “ Normal 0 21 false false false MicrosoftInternetExplorer4 /* Style Definitions */
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–> Figure and Background“, with the feminine nude as the main centre and “Walls”, where he works on a poem by Mallarmé called “Une sonore et monotone ligne vain”.

Take this unique opportunity and take a visit to the Thyssen Museum and discover one of the greatest painters of the twentieth century. Rent Apartments in Madrid and immerse yourself in the best art in Madrid, Spain’s capital.

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Benicàssim FIB – FIB Heineken 2009 | Valencia Blog

Summer is synonymous with festivals and outdoor events. What better way to enjoy the best concerts and cultural events than summertime? The weather is good, people are on holidays and they want to have fun. And as the summer is just around the corner, one of the most important festivals of the music scene is approaching too. From 16th July to 19th July the International Benicàssim Festival - FIB Heineken 2009 returns.

And this year celebrates the 15th edition of the festival, one of the more established as far as alternative music is concerned. The enclosure will house about 200,000 people, with an expected increase of around 52,000 over last year’s figures and an all-time record attendance with respect to previous editions. In fact, the tickets and passes were sold out two months before its celebration.

Located at Km 986 of the N-340, the FIB enclosure will be the meeting point for thousands of fibers that will come from different corners of the globe to assist the festival. An area of 120,000 square metres will house musical and multi-cultural areas and it will have all the necessary facilities for offering a comfortable and safe stay for the audience.

There will be four stages in which up to 100 concerts will be held: the outdoor Escenario Verde, which is the largest one; and the Fiberbib.com, the FIBClub and the Pista Pop, all located inside different marquees. In addition, there will be fashion marquees where many fashion shows, DJ sessions and other activities will be held.

Also, large areas with spacious lawns and trees for sheltering against the hours of strong sunlight will be setup. They will also feature a varied gastronomic offer distributed in different points of the enclosure and giant TV screens to enjoy the live concerts from any point of the festival. Do not miss the Official Stores to buy gadgets, souvenirs and the official merchandise of the different bands.

The Festival Internacional de Benicàssim has bet on a high-quality program to offset the crisis and to ensure the success at the ticket offices. This way, Oasis will open the festival with the presentation of their latest offering, ‘Dig out your soul’. Other great names are: Franz Ferdinand, The Killers, Kings of Leon, Russian Red, Magazine, Maximo Park and the latest incorporations of important names of the alternative national scene like Christina Rosenvinge, La Bien Querida, Cooper, The Unfinished Simpathy, Oblique, Nacho Vega or Fangoria. With so many Spanish singers and groups, the festival seeks to recover its national audience, relegated in recent years owing to the avalanche of Anglo-Saxon ‘fibers’.

Enjoy four intense days of concerts at the FIB Heineken 2009 – Festival Internacional de Benicàssim, a full week of activities and of course, the beautiful Spanish beaches. Rent Apartments in Valencia and take it easy!

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