Fictional twins

Summary

Do they have meerkats in Russia? Or in Market Harborough? And where exactly is Meerkovo? We go in search of Russia's most famous non-existent village.

hidden europe 41 / Snippet / By hidden europe

Perhaps we are mistaken, but we have a hazy memory of driving through Leicestershire in England a year or two ago and seeing a sign suggesting that Market Harborough had — as its twin town — the fictional Russian community of Meerkovo. For readers not attuned to the fine sense of humour and irony that sometimes underpins television advertising in Britain, we must explain that Meerkovo has featured in a series of ads for a price-comparison website. Meerkovo is by all accounts populated mainly by meerkats — appealing little mammals, busy creatures who live in clans and show great community spirit.

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Editorial hidden europe 41
Editorial

By hidden europe

Welcome to hidden europe 41, in which we sweep from Wales to Croatia, from southern Spain to eastern Germany. It is a Europe that is a wondrous place, a place with real and imagined territories.

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Hiraethog: the hills of solitude
Feature

By Philip Dunshea

The Wikipedia entry for Mynydd Hiraethog is slim. So minimal in fact that, acre for acre, this Welsh wilderness must be the least interesting place in the British Isles. Philip Dunshea knows Mynydd Hiraethog well, having grown up in the shadow of this moorland region. In this article, Phil reflects on the lonely landscapes of the area known to English speakers as the Denbigh Moors.

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Of alkari, lace and wooden toys
Feature

By Rudolf Abraham

Rudolf Abraham has over the years written about many of Croatia's most remarkable landscapes for hidden europe. Now he returns to the country in search of something more subtle: Croatia’s remarkable craft traditions and festivals. Rudolf argues that this intangible cultural heritage is the DNA that helps define communities - and it is as deserving of protection and preservation as fine mountains, coastlines and wetlands.

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Alhama de Granada: Al-Andalus revisited
Feature

By Laurence Mitchell

Alhama de Granada is a small town in the mountains of Andalucía, one feted by many writers in the Romantic tradition as being on a par with Granada itself. Laurence Mitchell describes the pulse of everyday life in Alhama, a place that still has its fair share of Moorish ghosts.

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Leipzig soundscapes
Feature

By Nicky Gardner

Few European cities can rival Leipzig when it comes to musical associations. Richard Wagner was born in Leipzig, Johann Sebastian Bach had an extraordinarily productive 27 years in the city, and the roll call of great musical names continues: Clara and Robert Schumann, Felix Mendelssohn, Edvard Grieg and more. We profile a city that has been to a considerable degree defined by music

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Of cats and creeds: an Exeter essay
Faith

By Nicky Gardner

In Exeter, the great Gothic cathedral certainly helps define the Devon city. But Exeter is also characterised by the threads of faith that criss-cross the city. We follow the call to prayer and make a pilgrimage through Exeter, along the way meeting the city's Imam, visiting the mosque, and also discovering Exeter’s Orthodox Christian community.

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Oriental dreams
Special spaces

By Nicky Gardner

We explore an Eden which has its apple orchards, running waters and beautiful gardens. There is even a touch of the East about this unlikely Eden. It is only the minarets that are missing on our journey past the silent monastery of Petra to a place that is marked on our map as Orient. Join us for a magical tour of an island in the sun.

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Opting for the Dutch Flyer
Routes

By Nicky Gardner

The last remaining integrated rail-sea ticket between England and the Continent is the Dutch Flyer. We recall journeys of yesteryear as we set off from London and use the Harwich-Hook ferry to reach the Netherlands.

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Remembering Jacob Riis
Perspective

By Nicky Gardner

The social reformer and documentary photography Jacob Riis, author of 'How the Other Half Lives' (1890), was born in the town of Ribe in Danish Jutland. Understanding Ribe is the key to understanding Jacob Riis. We take a look at how Riis described his home town in his 1909 book 'The Old Town'.

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A life less ordinary
People

By Nicky Gardner

Jacob Maria Mierscheid was born on 1 March 1933, so we hear. Still going strong at 80, Mierscheid is a German enigma with a knack for missing key events. Earlier this year, Mierscheid failed to show up for his own 80th birthday party. hidden europe uncovers the story of Germany's most understated politician.

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All points east
Railscan

By Nicky Gardner

The new rail schedules for 2014 kick in across Europe in mid-December. Big changes are afoot as Russia rethinks its strategy for passenger services from Moscow to principal cities in the European Union. There are changes to night train services, a new international link from Austria and much more.

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By train to Sóller
Snippet

By hidden europe

The jewel in the crown of Mallorca's railways is the delightfully antiquated Ferrocarril de Sóller. Last year, it celebrated 100 years of service. It is just one of three separate railways to serve the Mediterranean island.

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Fictional twins
Snippet

By hidden europe

Do they have meerkats in Russia? Or in Market Harborough? And where exactly is Meerkovo? We go in search of Russia's most famous non-existent village.

Read on
The airport question
Snippet

By hidden europe

What new European airport welcomed its inaugural flight in April this year and has since closed its doors for a long winter break? The answer is Kassel in Germany, which gets the hidden europe wooden spoon for the biggest transport flop of the year.

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Preview hidden europe 42
Preview

By hidden europe

A look ahead at the next issue of hidden europe magazine, due to be published on 15 March 2014.

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hidden europe 41

Fictional twins

Summary

Editorial

Feature

Feature

Feature

Feature

Faith

Special spaces

Routes

Perspective

People

Railscan

Snippet

Snippet

Snippet

Preview

Cultural border zones

Escape from the world: the fascination of islands

The lure of Barbizon: European art colonies in the 19th century