Schreierstoren, Amsterdam, Netherlands

The Schreierstoren, originally part of the medieval city wall of Amsterdam, was built in the 15th century. It was the location from which Henry Hudson set sail on his journey to Northern America. This expedition would lead to the discovery of the island of Manhattan among others. It was built as a defense tower in 1481. It is currently a café.

References:

Wikipedia

User Reviews

Christy Shaffer (20 months ago)
The perfect combination. Wonderful selection of nautical books with a first class coffee shop on the first floor.

Christo (2 years ago)
Came for a work Christmas Dinner and the staff were very accommodating of me being vegan, and they were very tolerable of some of our more 'drunk' or rude attendees. Nice group of girls. Good place.

Chuck Wendling (2 years ago)
This is a GREAT place! You can do everything from just having a cup of coffee to holding an unforgettable event!

Fanni Karolina Tóth (2 years ago)
Good beer, good food, you can sit on the terrace or inside. A good stop for a lovely meal before you get on a train to go somewhere from Amsterdam Centraal. The only downside is the shaky railing of the spiral stairs that lead to the restrooms two floors below "food level."

Vladimir Balaz (2 years ago)
This is a very nice cafe / pub near central station. The great views is the key asset of the pub. The pub has three nice lounges and two outdoor terraces. You can admire canals, brick building, but also modern architecture of the Nemo Science museum. We enjoyed good coffee, beer and liquor. We also liked nice and attentive waitresses.

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Derbent Fortress

Derbent is the southernmost city in Russia, occupying the narrow gateway between the Caspian Sea and the Caucasus Mountains connecting the Eurasian steppes to the north and the Iranian Plateau to the south. Derbent claims to be the oldest city in Russia with historical documentation dating to the 8th century BCE. Due to its strategic location, over the course of history, the city changed ownership many times, particularly among the Persian, Arab, Mongol, Timurid, Shirvan and Iranian kingdoms.

Derbent has archaeological structures over 5,000 years old. As a result of this geographic peculiarity, the city developed between two walls, stretching from the mountains to the sea. These fortifications were continuously employed for a millennium and a half, longer than any other extant fortress in the world.

A traditionally and historically Iranian city, the first intensive settlement in the Derbent area dates from the 8th century BC. The site was intermittently controlled by the Persian monarchs, starting from the 6th century BC. Until the 4th century AD, it was part of Caucasian Albania which was a satrap of the Achaemenid Persian Empire. In the 5th century Derbent functioned as a border fortress and the seat of Sassanid Persians. Because of its strategic position on the northern branch of the Silk Route, the fortress was contested by the Khazars in the course of the Khazar-Arab Wars. In 654, Derbent was captured by the Arabs.

The Sassanid fortress does not exist any more, as the famous Derbent fortress as it stands today was built from the 12th century onward. Derbent became a strong military outpost and harbour of the Sassanid empire. During the 5th and 6th centuries, Derbent also became an important center for spreading the Christian faith in the Caucasus.

The site continued to be of great strategic importance until the 19th century. Today the fortifications consist of two parallel defence walls and Naryn-Kala Citadel. The walls are 3.6km long, stretching from the sea up to the mountains. They were built from stone and had 73 defence towers. 9 out of the 14 original gates remain.

In Naryn-Kala Citadel most of the old buildings, including a palace and a church, are now in ruins. It also holds baths and one of the oldest mosques in the former USSR.

In 2003, UNESCO included the old part of Derbent with traditional buildings in the World Heritage List.

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