Greece considers raising Golden Visa investment limit for islands, cities
The government will also oblige property owners to only offer long-term rentals in a bid to ease housing crisis
The Lithuanian capital is excited about its upcoming 700th anniversary
The City of Vilnius is frantically preparing for Christmas and its coming 700th birthday party in 2023. This explains why the festival planners decided to go creative this year and shape the main Christmas Tree as a birthday cake, as a way to remind residents and visitors that the party is only beginning.
The lighting installation unveiling, and the official launch of the holiday season, took place this past weekend – the first time it happened live in the past two years. Understandingly, the spirits were high and thousands of spectators joined in the fun at Cathedral Square.
This tree also being a cake would be incomplete without birthday candles – and, indeed, there are 700 of them placed on the three layers of the installation.
The Christmas tree is the fusion of elegance and wintery esthetic. 25 meters high and 22 meters wide, the tree radiates holiday charm with ten kilometres of garlands and illuminated Baroque-inspired ornaments.
Its shape is a mirror of Vilnius' gastronomic masterpieces: the three white layers are adorned with decorative, brightly lit chandeliers, while the inside hides a golden gem—a tree made of 6,000 fir branches, golden ornaments, glittering garlands, and a blazing topper.
"There's no birthday without a cake, it is a tradition dating back to ancient Roman times. People used to believe that candles symbolized the light of life and their smoke carried people's wishes to the heavens. And the inside of the cake used to hide a surprise—a coin or a ring—which would bring year-long good luck to the one who found it. We hope that Vilnius' birthday cake and the surprise inside it also raise the spirits of the visitors and make their deepest wishes come true," commented Dominykas Koncevičius, the creator of the Christmas tree installation.
Besides the Christmas tree, Vilnius has many winter events lined up for this holiday season. Fairytale-inspired Christmas markets with handmade crafts, delicacies, and last-minute gifts, an ice rink set up in one of the edgiest spots of the city—the yard of a former century-old prison Lukiškės Prison 2.0, the 43rd costume run, and an international charity bazaar, among others.
The island is dead set on doing something about the problem of overtourism
The event, officially called Krakow Equality March, will be held next week
However, this option will not yet be available for the upcoming European Parliament elections in June
You can find it in the capital Sofia, where it was installed upon the initiative of the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences
People in both cities got to sit together both in person and virtually
However, this option will not yet be available for the upcoming European Parliament elections in June
1.8 million residents in the country will therefore get a new address
You can find it in the capital Sofia, where it was installed upon the initiative of the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences
In case they have a patch of unoccupied land that they don’t know what to do with
And the results were immediate, two Sunday services had to be performed to accommodate the crowd
The island is dead set on doing something about the problem of overtourism
The event, officially called Krakow Equality March, will be held next week
Urban dwellers across the EU are having a say in making their surroundings friendlier to people and the environment.
Forests in the EU can help green the European construction industry and bolster a continent-wide push for architectural improvements.
Apply by 10 November and do your part for the transformation of European public spaces
Catch up with some recommendations for the 2024 European Capital of Culture programme from the mayor of Tartu
An interview with the ICLEI regional director for Europe аfter the close of COP28
An interview with a member of the No Hate Speech Network team