Grenen, North-Sea meets Baltic-Sea, Denmark

Grenen, the northmost tip of Jutland, north of the town of Skagen, thereby the northmost point of Denmark. Grenen was given its name for its shape like a tree-branch (Danish: gren).

The headland at Grenen is a spectacular setting where the two Seas meet, the North-Sea meets the Baltic-Sea. This makes for turbulent seas and strandings— beachings and shipwreckings are not uncommon. The frequent shipping losses and the strategic location as the gateway to the Baltic led to Skagen being the site of one of Denmark's earliest lighthouses, constructed in the 15th century. A reconstruction of the lighthouse is located to the north of the town of Skagen.

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Gothenburg is the capital of Västra Götaland County

The City of Gothenburg was founded in 1621 by the King Gustavus Adolphus of Sweden. It is situated at the mouth of Göta Älv, the river running through the city and is the largest sea port of the Nordic countries. Gothenburg is also a significant university city with a large student population of both the University of Gothenburg, which is Scandinavia's largest university and Chalmers University of Technology.
Gothenburg is located on the west coast, in Southwestern Sweden, approximately half way between the capitals Copenhagen, Denmark, and Oslo, Norway.

There are very few houses left from the 17th century when the city was founded, since all but the military and royal houses were built of wood.

The first major architecturally interesting period is the 18th century when the East India Company made Gothenburg an important trade city. Imposing stone houses with a Classical look were erected around the canals. One example from this period is the East India House, which today houses Gothenburg’s City Museum.

Gothenburg has a rich music life - the Gothenburg Symphony Orchestra is the best known when it comes to classical music. Gothenburg also was the birthplace of the Swedish composer Kurt Atterberg. Bands like The Soundtrack of Our Lives and Ace of Base are well known pop representatives of the city.

Due to the Gothenburg's advantageous location in the centre of Scandinavia, trade and shipping have always played a major role in the city's economic history, and they continue to do so. Gothenburg port has come to be the largest harbour in the whole of Scandinavia.


Apart from trade, the second pillar of Gothenburg has traditionally been manufacturing, and industry which significantly contributes to the city's wealth. Major companies operating plants in the area include SKF, Volvo and Ericsson. Volvo Cars is the largest employer in Gothenburg, not including jobs in supply companies. The blue collar industries which have dominated the city for long are still important factors in the city's economy, but they are being gradually replaced by high tech industries.

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Free and Hanseatic City of Hamburg

Hamburg is the second-largest city in Germany (after Berlin) and along with its central port, also the second-largest port in Europe (after Rotterdam) and the most populous city in the European Union which is not a national capital. The city is home to approximately 1.8 million Hamburgers.
Hamburg is located on the southern point of the Jutland Peninsula, directly between Continental Europe to its south, Scandinavia to its north, the North Sea to its west, and the Baltic Sea to its east. Hamburg is located in the position where the River Elbe meets with the rivers Alster and Bille.

Hamburg has architecturally significant buildings in a wide range of styles. There are only a few skyscrapers. Churches like St. Nikolai's church, the world tallest building in the 19th century, are important landmarks. The skyline of Hamburg features the high spires of the principal churches (Hauptkirchen) Saint Michael's Church (nicknamed “Michel"), Saint Peter's Church, Saint Jacob's Church and Saint Catherine's Church covered with green copper plates.


The many canals in Hamburg are crossed by over 2500 bridges, more than Amsterdam and Venice combined. Hamburg has more bridges inside its city limits than any other city or town on Earth. Tunnels are also connecting the northern and southern parts of the city, the old Elbe Tunnel (Alter Elbtunnel) is now a major tourist sight, and the Elbe Tunnel (Elbtunnel) is the crossing of a motorway.

The townhall is a richly decorated Neo-Renaissance building finished in 1896. With its tower of 112 metres (370 ft) it is Europe's highest townhall. On its facade it shows the emperors of the Holy Roman Empire since Hamburg was, as a Free Imperial City, only under the sovereignty of the emperor.

Many visitors take a walk in the evening around the area of Reeperbahn in the quarter St. Pauli, considered Europe's largest red light district and home of strip clubs, bars and nightclubs. The singer and actor Hans Albers is strongly associated with St. Pauli, providing in the 1940s the neighbourhood's unofficial anthem, "Auf der Reeperbahn Nachts um Halb Eins." The song explains in a polite way how a sailor enjoys his last day with a trollop before going aboard. It was in the Reeperbahn that The Beatles began their career with a 48-night residency at the Indra Club, and then another 58 nights at the Kaiserkeller, in 1960, the Top Ten Club (1961), and the Star-Club (1962).

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