Luxembourg’s full name is the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg – a parliamentary democracy and constitutional monarchy, ruled by a Grand Duke and the only surviving grand duchy in the world. This country has an area of ​​2586 square kilometers with a population of 580,000 people . Nestled between the “giants” of France, Germany and Belgium, Luxembourg not only has not been annexed and assimilated, but has also risen to world stature – it is a co-founder member of many international organizations such as the Union United Nations, European Union, North Atlantic Treaty Organization… With more than 80% of the population being immigrants, people here are not only Luxembourgish, but also fluent in other languages ​​such as French, German, English… At attractions in Luxembourg, there are hearing devices, visitors do not need tour guide, just press the button to select the language. As a small country, but Luxembourg has RTL Group with 34 television stations, 33 radio stations covering 12 countries and the largest steel corporation Arcelormital in Europe. Luxembourg is the headquarters of hundreds of foreign banks, including the Investment Bank and the European Audit Office… Luxembourg is influenced by French architecture, notably the Lucilinburhuc castle built more than 1000 years ago, Notre Dame Cathedral, Luxembourg’s main avenue looks like the Champs Elysees in Paris. Grand Dukes Palace with unique architecture, built in 1574 – one of the most perfect examples of Renaissance architecture with splendid beauty, sophistication. The Luxembourg Theater (full name is Grande-Duchesse Josephine-Charlotte Concert Hall) designed by architect Christian de Portzamparc, is one of the most famous theaters in Europe, holding up to 400 concerts annually. Notre-Dame Cathedral is a Roman Catholic church, built in 1870, bold Gothic architecture mixed with fine Renaissance art. The building of the National Savings Bank was built in the years 1910 – 1913 in the Renaissance style William II Square – the heart of Luxembourg City, named after the eminent emperor of both Luxembourg and the Netherlands, has long had a special meaning for the people and country of Luxembourg. Statue of Gëlle Fra commemorating the soldiers of Luxembourg who died in World War I in Constitution Square, built in 1923, demolished by the Germans in 1940, restored in 1984 – a symbol of freedom and love Luxembourgish resilience. Luxembourg is influenced by both Roman and Germanic cultures but has been transformed by eye-catching multicultural fashion stores, performances by Arab street artists, aromatic German sausages, attractive Turkish kepap…and the shops seduce tourists. Luxembourg has 110 bridges. The Grand Duke Adolphe Bridge was built between 1900-1903 by two famous architects with the largest stone dome in the world at that time – a symbol of the independence of this country. The “Old” bridge was built in 1859 – 1861 across the Pétrusse valley with pillars 30 meters high, with a total length of 290 meters. The “Red” bridge connects the city center with the European area, 74 m high, 355 m long, 25 m wide and with a total weight of 4,900 tons. Designed by Catalan architect Ricardo Bofill in 2004, Europe Square is home to major buildings such as the Philharmonie, the Alcide De Gasperi, the new Convention Center, the MUDAM Drai Eechelen… Luxembourg’s most famous attraction is the Chemin de la Corniche, across the Alzrtte valley, built by the Spaniards and French in the 17th century – which covers the whole of Luxembourg, dubbed “The most beautiful balcony” Europe”. Under the Chemin de la Corniche is the Bock Casemates underground fortress system 23 km long, 40 m deep, built by Count Sigfried in 963. The whole defensive town is more than 40000 m2, located in the ground with legs. very thick walls and sandstone balustrades that follow steep cliffs. Since 1933, Casemates has been repaired by the Luxembourg government and is open to visitors. Currently, the average annual Bock Casemates welcomes more than 100,000 visitors. The hidden beauty and romance of Luxembourg City is that it lies in the heart of the valley. Luxembourg City was recognized by UNESCO as a World Cultural Heritage in 1994 and awarded the title of “European Capital of Culture” by the EU in 1995 and 2007. Luxembourg does not have a hustle and bustle like many other tourist cities in Europe. Apart from the new cars, Luxembourg has no showy activities. The pace of life here is still leisurely and liberal; a cool blue color, settling, mixing heaven and earth with people. Luxembourg never forgets to preserve its historical values, national cultural traditions. Perhaps, that is the reason why, despite being small, having been invaded for thousands of years, Luxembourg still maintained its sovereignty and rose to become a rich country, respected by friends.

The name Vatican predates Christianity, coming from the Latin word Mons Vaticanus, meaning Vatican hill. The Vatican was founded in 1929 by the Lateran Treaty as the successor to the broader Papal State, which existed from AD 756 to 1870 and was a theocratic monarchy. The Vatican City State and the Holy See are two separate entities. “Vatican” is a term commonly used to refer to the territory of a country, closely associated with the city of Rome, the official document being issued in Italian and issuing ordinary passports to its citizens. “Holy See” is a term that has a broad connotation in terms of religion and governance structure over 1.2 billion believers in the world, official documents are issued mainly in Latin and issue passports. diplomacy and public service. Under the Lateran Treaty, several Holy See properties located within Italian territory, most famously Gandolfo Castle and Peter’s Basilica, were granted external territorial status similar to embassies. The Pope is the Head of State and head of government of the Vatican City State, is the non-inherited monarch, the only autocratic king in Europe, wielding absolute power, including legislative, executive and judicial powers. for the Vatican. The Pope is also the Bishop of the Diocese of Rome and the leader of the Holy See and the Roman Catholic Church. When the Holy See is vacant, a conclave of cardinals under the age of 80 is convened to elect a new pope. Under the Pope, the heads are the Premier (who is also the Chairman of the Ceremonial Commission), the Secretary of State (who also acts as secretary of state) and the Chancellor of the Vatican, all of whom are appointed by the Pope, as well as may be dismissed by Him at any time. Many citizens have Vatican citizenship but live abroad (actually in Rome, Italy); The largest community in the Vatican are pastors from all over the world who come here to live and study. The Vatican has the smallest army (about over 100 people, well-trained, strong, disciplined and marksmen), founded in 1506. The Vatican has its own stamp, passport, license plate, national flag and anthem, but the currency is the Euro. The Vatican has a train station with a total length of just over 800 meters, but there is no tax system. The dispute between Italy and the Catholic Church in the Vatican ended in 1929 with the Lateran Pacts agreement, leaving the Vatican independent with the amount of money spent $ 93 million – the foundation of the national treasury. The Vatican also has a stake in certain corporations in the US, and more than 80% of its income comes from investments in the US and Canada. Tickets to museums, stamps and souvenirs, and donations from believers and organizations are also sources of income for the Vatican. The Vatican has an observatory at Gdandolfo Castle and a research center equipped with a modern telescope located on Mount Graham, southeast Arizona (USA). The Vatican itself is a cultural building, Peter’s Basilica and the Sistine Chapel are home to many world-renowned works of art, including works by famous artists such as Botticelli, Bernini and Michelangelo. The amount of wealth stored in this cathedral is also very large, in addition to European masterpieces of art, there are also countless gold and foreign currencies. The Vatican Library is one of the oldest libraries in the world (officially established in 1475, although in fact it has existed since ancient times) possessing 75,000 rare documents, throughout history. Although the area of ​​territory and military strength is the lowest in the world, the political and cultural influence of the Vatican is comparable to that of the leading powers because behind it is 1/6 of the world’s population (believers). Christian). In 1984, the Vatican was recognized by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site. Visitors to Italy cannot ignore Rome and once they come to Rome, they will definitely visit the Vatican – the smallest and most attractive country on the planet.

The Cathedral of Hanoi, or St. Joseph Cathedral, was designed in the European Gothic style, influenced by the Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris (France). The main building materials are terracotta bricks, terracotta roof tiles, walls plastered with mache. The church has a length of 64.5m, a width of 20.5m and two bell towers 31.5m high. The building has an opposite facade layout, divided into 3 parts. Two sides are two soaring bell towers, in the middle is a lower block that is terminated by a triangular wall top with a crucifix forming the highlight. Most of the doors and windows on the main façade use the typical Gothic arched form. Particularly in the middle part there is a round flower-shaped window, above and below the cross there is a round clock face. According to the percentile and the door system on the façade, the two bell tower blocks on both sides are 5 floors high and the middle block is 3 floors high. The window and door decorations on the façade are in the form of Gothique but are moderate, not too fussy or cumbersome. Over 100 years with the vicissitudes of time and war, the Cathedral still exists and is a center of Catholic activity in the capital and surrounding areas. Currently, the Cathedral is being renovated and repainted. Most of the renovation work has been completed, the walls inside and behind the Cathedral have been repainted. As for the facade of the work, currently scaffolding and safety nets are being erected for the workers to work. In general, the building has the European Gothic style, but has a combination with indigenous architecture, reflected in the terracotta tile roof system, the interior decoration system with bold Vietnamese traditions. And therefore, it is a product of the very unique East-West cultural exchange. The work is considered a typical church architecture, and is one of the most beautiful Catholic churches in Hanoi and the whole country. The Cathedral is also a work marking a special stage of urban development of Hanoi and is a typical architecture of the capital. The inner wall of the Cathedral has been repainted with a new color, bringing the main gray tone. Originally, the church was named “Saint Joseph Cathedral” (Saint Joseph is the adoptive father of Jesus). Currently, the project is located at 40 Nha Chung Street, Hanoi, adjacent to the Archbishop of Hanoi and many other Catholic institutions. The two church bell towers have a set of bells consisting of 5 bells, with 1 large bell and 4 small ones, which are connected to the clock to tell the time. In front of the church, there is a small square with a statue of Our Lady, which adds to the landscape value of the building. The new church building on the old pagoda was built by the Catholic Church with bricks to replace the old wooden architecture, between 1884-1886, in the context of Hanoi’s transformation into a new western-style urban area. West. The building was inaugurated at Christmas 1887.

This impressive cave and chapel is located in Sedlec, about an hour from Prague (Czech Republic) by train. This is a peaceful and beautiful town.

Sedlec caves are located under the All Saints cemetery church.

The cave itself is a Roman Catholic chapel.

In 1870, the Schwarzenberg family of the aristocracy hired a famous carpenter, František Rint, to turn the skeletons in the chapel into works of art.

This is the Schwarzenberg family crest.

The entire chapel is decorated with motifs made of human bones.

Before rearranging, Rint and the workers cleaned up the bones.

Then he turned them into things like ceiling lights.

The huge ceiling lamp is one of the most impressive parts of the chapel, which is said to have every bone in the human body.

Sometimes pieces of bone are used for decoration …

Or form artifacts commonly found in a chapel.

They sometimes tell legends, such as a Turk whose eyes were gouged out by a crow.

Human bones form the framework for the traditional statues.

They can also be combined with other materials.

They always bring an element of obsession for the scene.

Each corner of the chapel has giant skeletons.

They seem mysterious and intimidating when you get up close.

People often leave coins for good luck.

Rint left an impression on his signature – in human bones.