9TH GRADE CHALLENGE

CONTENTS

• Population
• Famous building/monument
• Famous person
• Important event
• What the city is famous for

LONDON, ENGLAND

• The population is about 8.3 million people
• The Big Ben (Elizabeth Tower) completed in 1858
• Queen Victoria was the first monarch to live in the Buckingham Palace in 1837
• Black death disease in the mid-14th Century and killed nearly 1/3 of London's population
• Red double decker buses are famous (one of the largest bus networks in the world)

PRAGUE, CZECH REPUBLIC

• Capital with over 1.257 million people
• Prague castle where the Holy Roman Emperor lived
• Charles IV Holy Roman Emperor (3rd largest city in Europe)
• Construction of the Charles bridge in 1357 (promoted trade)
• Home to the 3rd oldest Astronomical clock in the world

MADRID, SPAIN

• Population of 3.23 million people
• Plaza Mayor (1598-1621) used for markets, bullfights, and public excecutions
• Phillip II was King of Spain from 1556 and Madrid was made capital of Spain
• In the16th century its economic activity was devited to supplying rapidly growing population
• Has the largest bullring in Spain, Las Ventas, which was built in 1929

BARCELONA, SPAIN

• Spain's 2nd largest city with over 1.6 million people
• Sagrada Família church by Gaudi (unfinished since 1882)
• Spanish Catalan architect Antoni Gaudí (distinctive/nature inspired)
• Spanish Civil War (1936-1939) between Republicans and Nationalists (rebels)
• La Rambla street in central Barcelona (1.2 km) is famous for tourism

LISSE, NETHERLANDS

• Population of over 22,400 people
• Keukenhof flower garden (world's second largest garden)
• Home to Hans Kroes, Olympic gold medalist swimmer (1987)
• In the 19th century the flower garden park was designed
• Tulips- over 7 million flowering buds in the park

THE HAGUE, NETHERLANDS

• Population of 515,880 inhabitants
• The Old City Hall is a Renaissance style building (1565)
• Floris IV of Holland purchased land in 1230 (The Hague originated)
• Konigsdag (King's Day) held annually in April (birth of King Willem-Alexander)
• It is the most 'green' city in the Netherlands (many parks) and is famous for bikers

VELI LOSINJ, CROATIA

• Population of only 901 people (as of 2011)
• St. Antun Opat church built in 15th century (reconstructed in 1774)
• No one famous from this city (as it is one of the smallest towns in the world)
• Part of Yugoslavia after WWII and became independent in 1991
• Still-standing defensive tower was built to defend harbour from pirates

ATHENS, GREECE

• Population of around 7,508,337 inhabitants
• The Acropolis is an acient citadel (fortress) that overlooks Athens (429 BC)
• Socrates, a classical Athenian philosopher in 399 BC (asked questions to induce critical thinking)
• Following the Greek War of Independence in 1834, Athens was chosen as the capital city
• The Evzones (members of Presidential Guard) perform a ceremony at the Presidential Mansion

RUDESHEIM AM RHEIN, GERMANY

• Population of 9,733 people
• The Niederwalddenkmal (1871) to represent union of all Germans
• The town's noble family leader Rudolf von Rudesheim (1402-1482)
• Rudesheim earned town rights in 1818 (economy revolved around wine And shipping)
• Famous for Riesling grapes which are used to make their wine and gondola lifts

ROTHENBURG OB DER TAUBER, GERMANY

• Population of 10,926 people
• St. Jakob church (1311) with famous Holy Blood wooden altar piece
• WWII in March 1945, bombs were dropped and destroyed 610 m of town wall
• In 1940 Walt Disney was inspired by this village for his movie 'Pinocchio'
• Well known for its well preserved medieval old town (including town wall)

WARSAW, POLAND

• Capital of Poland with over 1.717 million people
• Royal Castle in Warsaw is a castle residency and was the home of Polish monarchs
• Maria Sklodowska-Curie who achieved recognition for research on radioactivity
• Festive Wianki yearly festival (tradition of using wreaths to predict when they would be married)
• Architecture in parks and gardens from different periods (gothic, renaissance, baroque, neoclassical)

MUNICH, GERMANY

• 3rd largest city in Germany with over 1.378 million people
• New Town Hall is in Marienplatz and hosts the city's government
• Albert Einstein (Nobel Prize-winning physicit) grew up in Munich
• Hitler and his supporterd were concentrated in Munich during 1923 (Nazi stronghold)
• A major European cultural centre and has hosted many prominent composers

CAGLIARI, ITALY

• Small population of only 156,720 inhabitants
• Basilica of Our Lady of Bonaria is a Roman Catholic shrine to the blessed Virgin Mary
• Silvio Berlusconi is an Italian politician who served 3 times as Prime Minister of Italy
• In September 1943 the German Army took control of Cagliari after the Italian armistice
• One of the 'greenest' Italian cities with 87.5 sq. m of gardens and parks available to citizens

VIENNA, AUSTRIA

• Over 1.731 million people living in Vienna
• Schömbrunn Palace was an imperial residence built over 300 years ago (1441 rooms)
• In 1913 Adolf Hitler lived in Central Vienna
• 1804 during the Napoleoni Wars it became the capital of the Austrian Empire
• Famous for the Wiener Schnitzel (Viennese Schnitzel), which is a veal cutlet

ZURICH, SWITZERLAND

• Over 383,708 inhabitants
• St.Peter Church during medieval times (located along the Limmat River)
• Rudolf Brun became the first independent mayor in 1336
• During the 1230s a city wall was built around the city (enclosed 38 hectares)
• Zurich is a leading financial center (4th most prominent stock exchange in the world)

HEIDELBERG, GERMANY

• Over 149,633 people living here as of 2012
• Heidelberg Castle is a famous ruin (only partially rebuilt since demolition in 18 cen.)
• Charles de Graimberg was a copperplate engraver who documented condition of castle
• After loss of Battle of White Mountain, Swedes captured castle and burned it (1620)
• Known for being a "Romanic Town" (this attracted more than 3.5 million cisitors a year)

COLOGNE, GERMANY

• Over 1.017 million people
• Cologne Cathedral is a renowed monument of German Catholism and Gothic architecture
• Konrad Adenauer was a Chancellor of Germany from 1949-1963
• The inner city was completely destroyed during WWII
• The Cologne carnival is one of the largest street festivals in Europe (November 11th)

AMSTERDAM, nETHERLANDS

• 779,808 people as of 2011
• Anne Frank Huis is a historical building and museum dedicated to Jewish wartime diarist
• Vincent Van Gogh studied theology in Amsterdam (May 1877)
• Amsterdam suffered from food shortage which sparked riots shortly before WWI
• As capital of the Netherlands, Amsterdam has more than 100 kilometers of canals

COCHEM, GERMANY

• 5,181 population as of 2008
• Cochem Imperial Castle was built in the 1100s but was destroyed by the French in 1688.
• Babara Kemp was a German soprano and opera singer born in 1881
• Great parts of Cochem's old town was destroyed during WWII
• This town is characterized by wine-growing and tourism

STRASBOURG, FRANCE

• Over 272,116 people
• The Strasbourg Cathedral was founded in 1015 and is the 2nd most visited cathedral in France
• Hans Albrecht Bethe was a German nuclear physicist who won the Nobel Prize in Physics (1967)
• Alsace region was historically German-Speaking as it was owned by Germany. After WWI France took over.
• Annual Christmas Market that draws over 2 million visitors a year. It started in 1570 (oldest Christmas Market in Europe)

ST.MICHAEL IM LUNGaU, AUSTRIA

• A total of 3,551 people
• It's market town (originating in the medieval times) is a small village with only 68.8 sq.km
• No important people from this location
• The parish church dedicated to Saint Michael was first mentioned in 1147 and became part of the Salzburg archbishopric in 13th century
• The town is located near the Alps which is great for skiing in the winter (tourists stay in this town)

BRATISLAVA, SLOVAKIA

• Capital of Slovakia with approximately 411,228 inhabitants
• Main Castle of Bratislava built in the 9th century was rebuilt in 1956
• On May 28th, 1811 a fire accidentally burned down the interior of the castle
• The Slovak President, Andrej Kiska, is situated in Bratislava since June 2014
• Wealthiest and most economically prosperous region in Slovakia despite being the smallest area

LEIPZIG, GERMANY

• 531,809 people living here
• The Monument to the Battle of the Nations to commemorate Napoleon's defeat in the 1813 Battle of the Nations
• Johann Sebastian Bach worked in Leipzig from 1723-1750 conducting church choirs
• Leipzig was the German candidate for the 2012 Olympics
• Has been a trade city since the time of the Holy Roman Empire (two Medieval trade routes)

WINDSOR, ENGLAND

• The population is approximately 26,885 people
• Windsor Castle is a royal residence that contains a fortification, palace and small town (occupies 13 acres)
• Queen Elizabeth II has her home (castle) in Windsor
• The Black Death in 1348 reduced Windsor's population by over 50%
• Windsor has a nice range of shopping choices, considering its main business is tourism. The stylish shops are located in the Windsor Royal Shopping

LIMBURG, GERMANY

• 33,648 inhabitants
• Limburger Dom, one of the most complete buildings of the Late Romanesque architecture
• Christoph Prégardien was a famous singer in 1956
• In 1150, a wooden bridge was built and connected Köln to Frankfurt am Main while crossing through the city of Limburg
• Only a few towns have been able to keep a full set of nearly undamaged medieval buildings (Lahn Bridge, St. George's Cathedral)

ALGHERO, ITALY

• 44,000 people living here
• Alghero Cathedral was open in 1570, and originally built in Catalan-Gothic style
• Amelie Posse Brazdova, Swedish writer, wrote a book (1930) about her time in this city during WWI
• The area was first settled in pre-historic times (4th millennium BC) by the Ozieri culture
• In Algheri, a dialect of Catalan is spoken, which is unique for Italy

BRAUNFELS, GERMANY

• 11,081 people living here
• Schloss Braunfels was reconstructed in 1880 & was made in the Neo Gothic style
• Amalia of Solms-Braunfels spent her childhood in the castle and was the countess
• In 1607, Braunfels earned town's rights
• Every year, there is a Mittelalterliches Spektakulum which attracts tourists all over Europe & turns the land to a nightly encampment

PARIS, FRANCE

• 2.211 million inhabitants
• Eiffel Tower, named after Gustave Eiffel, was erected in 1889 as the entrance arch to the 1889 World's Fair
• Oscar-Claude Monet was a founder of French Impressionist painting famous for landscape and brush stroke paintings
• The French Revolution was an influential period of social and political event that lasted from 1789-99.
• Since the late 18th century, Paris is famous for its haute cuisine (food meticulously prepared and artfully presented)

WERFEN, GERMANY

• 3,059 inhabitants
• Eisriesenwelt, a natural limestone ice cave, is the largest ice cave in the world located in the Alps
• No famous people, other than the Von Trapp family in the nearby town of Salzburg
• A small portion of a picnic scene from the Sound of Music was filmed on a hillside village of Werfen
• Burg Hohenwerfen Castle was built around 1075 by the order of Archbishop Gebhard of Salzburg

PILSEN, CZECH REPUBLIC

• Approximately 170,322 inhabitants
• Cathedral of St.Bartholomew is located in the city center and was built in 1295
• Katerina Emmons is a 2008 gold medalist Olympics sport shooter
• On May 6, 1945, Pilsen was liberated from Nazi Germany by the 16th Armored Division of General Patton's 3rd Army
• City is known worldwide for Pilsner beer, created by Bavarian brewer Josef Groll in 1842