The flamboyant chapel in Chartres’ cathedral
Chartres Cathedral features a Flamboyant Gothic chapel by Louis de Bourbon, Count of Vendôme, built to honor a vow made during his imprisonment.
RAF hijacking in Prague
In 1950, three ex-RAF pilots, persecuted by the Communist regime in Czechoslovakia, coordinated the hijacking of three flights, leading to a daring escape to the West.
HMS Orwell
In 1903, a British navy drill off Corfu ended disastrously when HMS Orwell collided with HMS Pioneer during a night exercise.
Air Battle over the Ore Mountains
On 11 September 1944, a massive, intense air battle took place over the mountains between Germany and what was then Czechoslovakia. The memory of this battle is still alive today.
The lost cathedral of St Nicholas
In Famagusta, Cyprus, there is a building that used to be a cathedral dedicated to St Nicholas. It saw major events of the country's history and is now a mosque.
Russian exiles in Malta
Mentioning exiled Russians these days suggests pro-Ukrainian protesters or anti-Putin demonstrators. Malta's reputation as a haven for Russians goes back more than 100 years before Putin's antics.
The ultimate story of Czech heros
Many countries have memorials to fallen heros, and stories of bravery from wartime. Czechia is unusual in that it has heros from both sides of World War II.
Why did the Pope want to move to Malta?
In the 19th century, various states on the Italian peninsula united to become a single, new country. While some papal states merged with the others, the Vatican refused to be under the control of an earthly ruler. It even considered moving the seat of the Holy See to Malta.
The Allied bombing of Prague
During World War II, Prague wasn't as affected by bombing as many other European cities were. This was because planes didn’t have the range to reach Prague, and also because the Allies had more important targets in mind. This article describes the few Allied bombings of Prague, which happened towards the end of the war.
The powerful Anglo-Egyptian Bank in Malta
In the 19th century an offshore British bank in Malta issued its own banknotes. It's unusual to think of a private company issuing banknotes, more so in a small country like Malta. This article explains why this bank did so and why it was in Malta.