Blog
The latest stories, guides, and insights from across Europe.
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The Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth: When Poland Was Europe’s Largest Country
There was a moment in European history when Poland-Lithuania was not a cautionary tale of partition and partition,…
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The Warsaw Uprising of 1944: The Tragic 63-Day Battle That Destroyed a Capital
Imagine a city where the streets become battlefields, where sewer tunnels become escape routes, where a whole population…
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Norwegian Vikings: From Longships to Lindisfarne
On June 8, 793, monks in the monastery of Lindisfarne—a peaceful island off the coast of Northumberland in…
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Dutch Colonialism: Indonesia, Suriname, and the Uncomfortable History Behind the Tolerance
We’ve celebrated the Dutch Golden Age, the religious tolerance, the artistic achievement, the merchant genius.
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William the Silent and the Revolt Against Spain: How the Netherlands Won Its Independence
On July 10, 1584, William, Prince of Orange, was shot and killed by an assassin in his home…
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Religious Tolerance in the Dutch Republic: Why Amsterdam Became Europe’s Most Open City
In 1620, a group of English religious dissenters who had fled England to escape persecution found themselves in…
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The Dutch East India Company (VOC): History’s Most Powerful Corporation
In 1602, the Dutch government chartered a company that would become history’s most powerful corporation: the United East…
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Anne Frank and the Dutch Experience of World War II
Most people know the story of Anne Frank through her diary. They know the secret annex, the betrayal,…
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Tulip Mania: The World’s First Financial Bubble and What It Tells Us About Human Nature
Walk through Keukenhof Gardens in spring, when 7 million tulips bloom across 79 acres, and it’s hard to…
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How the Dutch Built Their Country (Literally): A History of Land Reclamation
“God created the world, but the Dutch created the Netherlands”This Dutch saying captures something essential about national identity:…
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The Dutch Golden Age: When a Tiny Country Became the World’s Richest
In the 1630s, a visitor to Amsterdam would have witnessed something extraordinary: a modest city of perhaps 140,000…
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The Mafia: A Real History of Organized Crime in Southern Italy and Sicily
When you visit Sicily or Southern Italy, you’ll encounter the Mafia constantly in tourism marketing. There’s the Mafia…
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Mussolini and Fascist Italy: The History Behind the Architecture You’ll See Everywhere
You’re walking through Rome, and you notice some distinctive buildings: massive, imposing structures with geometric lines and fascist-era…
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The Papal States: When the Pope Was a King
You’re standing in Rome, surrounded by churches, domes, and Renaissance palaces.
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The Solidarity Movement: How Polish Workers Helped End the Cold War
Poland in the 1970s was a cauldron of discontent simmering beneath the surface of communist control.
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Auschwitz-Birkenau: A Respectful Guide to Visiting the World’s Most Important Memorial
Some places demand that we change how we walk, how we speak, how we think. Auschwitz-Birkenau is such…
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Poland’s Disappearing Act: How a Country Was Erased from the Map for 123 Years
Imagine if your country vanished overnight.
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Roald Amundsen and Norwegian Polar Exploration: A History of Extremes
There is something about the Arctic and Antarctic that calls to the bold, the ambitious, and the desperate.
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The Black Death in Norway: When a Country Nearly Died
In 1349, a merchant vessel from England sailed toward the port of Bergen on Norway’s western coast.
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Stave Churches: Norway’s Wooden Medieval Masterpieces
Stand before the Borgund Stave Church on a misty morning in western Norway, and you may find yourself…
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The Norwegian Resistance in World War II: Heavy Water, Telemark, and the Heroes of the Occupation
On April 9, 1940, at 4:15 AM, German warships appeared in the fog off the coast of Norway.
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1905: The Year Norway Became Norway
On June 7, 1905, something remarkable happened in a small Nordic nation that would have ramifications felt around…
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Norway’s 400-Year Union with Denmark: The “Night That Lasted 400 Years”
In 1349, a ship arrived in the harbor of Bergen carrying more than cargo and passengers. It carried…
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How Norway Got Rich: From Europe’s Poorest Country to Its Wealthiest
In the early decades of the 20th century, Norway was one of Europe’s poorest nations.
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Pompeii and Herculaneum: What Frozen-in-Time Roman Cities Tell Us About Daily Life
Imagine you’re living in a Roman city on the Bay of Naples in 79 AD.