Hill Of Crosses in Lithuania

The Hill of Crosses is a site of pilgrimage in northern Lithuania just outside the city of Siauliai. Standing upon a small hill are an estimated 100,000 crosses, crucifixes and rosaries that represent Christian devotion and a memorial to Lithuanian national identity.

The city of Siauliai was founded in 1236 and occupied by Teutonic Knights during the 14th century. The tradition of placing crosses dates from this period and probably first arose as a symbol of Lithuanian defiance of foreign invaders. Since the medieval period, the Hill of Crosses has represented the peaceful resistance of Lithuanian Catholicism to oppression. In 1795 Siauliai was incorporated into Russia but was returned to Lithuania in 1918. Many crosses were erected upon the hill after the peasant uprising of 1831-63. By 1895, there were at least 150 large crosses, in 1914 there were 200, and by 1940 there were 400 large crosses surrounded by thousands of smaller ones.

On September 7, 1993, Pope John Paul II visited the Hill of Crosses, declaring it a place for hope, peace, love and sacrifice.

Welcome to Earth: A Compilation of 179 Time-Lapse

Zapatou has unveiled its latest video, a compilation of 179 time-lapse videos that will make you travel around the world and marvel. A feast for the eyes to watch in full screen and HD.

Ganvie - The Venice of Africa

That's not a photo of a flooded village. This is Ganvié, in the Republic of Benin, the largest collection of lake dwellings in Africa. Around 20,000 people call Ganvié's stilt supported dwellings home. Getting around in the town is only possible in boats carved from tree trunks, even if all you want to do is visit the next door neighbour.

The meaning of the name Ganvie is "we survived", and is a reminder of events centuries ago that led to the founding of the township. It's commonly believed that the Tofinu people settled here around 400 years ago to escape slavers who came from the Fon tribe and were not allowed to fight in water for traditional reasons (or perhaps could not swim).

Since then Ganvié has remained, forever physically changing by sheer dint of geography, but it has developed a complex and successful culture around life on the lake. Of course there are pockets of poverty, as there is everywhere else, but generally the people of Ganvié live ones of relative prosperity.










































Via: kuriositas

50 Most Popular Travel Destinations in the World [Infographic]

Who lays claim to the world’s most popular heritage sites, theme parks, museums and national wonders? TravelSupermarket has developed an infographic outlining the top 50 most popular travel destinations, providing a snapshot into global travel trends, and answering the question “Where in the world is everyone going?”

Click on Image to Enlarge.

Ghost Town - Hashima Island, Japan

The island was populated from 1887 to 1974 as a coal mining facility. It had 5,259 inhabitants and was made by the Mitsubishi Company. It was once the most crowded city in the world with 5,259 inhabitants, and then it got abandoned. Now the only life it has are small animals and some visitors.

The black and white photos add a sense of despair to the abandoned cityscape, I think the beautiful photographs in this gallery warrant a second look.




























































Source: buzzfeed