Beauty of the town/city/region you are proud!

[Jana]

My Island this winter.

[Jana]

My Island village (more pics)

[Victor]

I live there, I was born there and spent years there, Izmailovo district, eastern outskirts of Moscow. You may say it's not beautiful (it is) but you can't deny it's damn green.

[Arūnas]

once I had a dream, and in that dream the hell was green and the main devil had gray hair, and was in white clothes

[KirillMazur]

Some pics of my native Sevastopol (from 2016).

Spoiler!

I live there, I was born there and spent years there, Izmailovo district, eastern outskirts of Moscow. You may say it's not beautiful (it is) but you can't deny it's damn green.

Отличный район, на мой взгляд, лучший на востоке. Парк, сталинки, зелень во дворах, трамваи, квадратно-гнездовая планировка, отсутствие промзон и железных дорог, удобно ехать до центра. Но это всё относится к тому Измайлово, что ниже Сиреневого и до парка. Прилегающая к Щёлковскому шоссе часть и Гольяново уже сильно хуже.

[solarisregvm]

People, insert some text giving some historical information of the people who were born or lived there and history of your selected town/city/region like I did here. Can have more information like what are the typical dishes of the town, which are their local products, handicraft, culture, etc.
There are in other places threads just to show pictures of where you were born or live.

Example:

This is mine!

Inhabited since prehistoric times, as evidenced by the various archaeological finds, including the Megalithic Nucleus of Mezio, the village located in a valley crossed by the River Vez retains all the charm that characterizes the Alto Minho - verdant landscapes and traditional architecture in that stand out the Manor houses.

Part of the municipality of Arcos de Valdevez is part of the Peneda-Gerês National Park, where nature retains all its original charm and hides community villages such as Soajo, where the populations maintain their ancestral uses and customs.

Arcos de Valdevez is one of the four municipalities that make up the Lima Valley. In this region, touring the Giants Route is a way of getting to know the places where four great historical figures were born who took Portugal to the four corners of the world.

Fernão de Magalhães (*Ferdinand Magellan), the Navigator, from Ponte da Barca, commanded the first circumnavigation voyage proving that the Earth is round. In Ponte de Lima Blessed Francisco Pacheco (The Saint) was born, Messenger of the Society of Jesus and one of the first Jesuit missionaries in Japan. João Alvares Fagundes (the Discoverer), from Viana do Castelo, explored and discovered Newfoundland in the North Atlantic, important cod fishing area. Originally from Arcos de Valdevez was Father Himalaya, the inventor, scientific scholar of renewable energies who represented Portugal at the Universal Exposition in St. Louis, in the United States.

[solarisregvm]

This is a really beautiful town in the same region where I was born:

Ponte de Lima is a beautiful picture-book town located besides the Lima River. It is surrounded by a valley crowded with quintas and palaces, many of them dedicated to the “habitação” tourism (renting houses). It has ~ 5100 inhabitants and the entire municipality has ~ 42000 inhabitants.



The Queen Dña. Teresa awarded, in 1125, the “foral letter” (charter of rights) to this population; and D. Pedro I protected it with walls, from which some pieces still exist, towers, and ogive arches doors.

Ponte de Lima comes back to life on weekends thanks to the massive arrival of national tourists. Also, on alternate Mondays the huge market is held by the river.

Its main monument is the 280 metres long bridge, considered one the most beautiful medieval bridges in Portugal. Nowadays, it still has a reduced part with five Roman arches, but the rest of the bridge is from the 14th century, since it had to be enlarged during that time due to a change in the course of the river.

In front of it stands the Largo de Camões with a beautiful 1603 fountain, work by João Lopes o Moço.

On its Medieval stretch with stone paved streets you will find numerous emblazoned houses and common ones covered with tiles houses. The Alcaidaria, the former Palácio dos Marqueses de Ponte de Lima Palace (15th century) preserves its Manueline windows. Stand out in the city the Casa de Nossa Senhora Aurora House (18th century) and the houses Dos Calistos and Dos Garrida, the last one of Rocaille style.

As regards its religious heritage, it is worth visiting the Parish Church, dating from the 15th century with a ogive arch arcade; the Igreja da Misericórdia Church, from the 16th and 18th centuries; the Igreja de Santo António dos Frades Church, sacristy of which is covered with blue tiles dating between the 16th and 18th centuries; and the Igreja da Ordem Terceira de São Francisco, 18th century work.

On the other side of the bridge stands the Igreja de Santo António da Torre Velha Church, of late baroque style and the Capela do Anjo da Guarda Chapel (13th century), of Gothic style.

Regarding festivities and celebrations, the Vacas da Cordas and Corpus Christi festivities are worth to mark in the calendar. In these celebrations, there is a kind of bullfight and religious procession which takes place in the ninth Wednesday after Easter.

More important dates are the Feiras do Cavalo (on the third week of june), which is an important equestrian fair; and the Feiras Novas, one of the oldest festivities in Portugal (it is celebrated since 1125). It lasts for three days on the third week of September with a huge market and a fairground by the river, where you can enjoy folklore dancings, fireworks, concerts, etc.

The legend of Lethes river – Ponte de Lima

By the Lima river on both right and left sides, we can see a monument referring to the legend of Lethes river, the old name of the Lima river (referring to the river crossing by Décio Juno Bruto, commander of the Roman legions, with his soldiers).
According to the legend, Décio Juno Bruto and his soldiers reached the banks of a river. When looking at the wonderful landscape, as well as the calm and purity of the waters, the soldiers thought they were near the Lethes river, known as the river of the oblivion. The legend says that any one who crosses that river, would lose his memory entirely and would never remember his family nor his nation again.
The intrepid commander Décio Bruto searched a safe place where his soldiers could cross the river without danger and ordered them to start the river crossing.
The soldiers feared the powers of the river and refused to do the crossing. In a impulse, Décimo Júnio Bruto took out the flag of the Legion from the soldier who carried it, rode his horse and entered in the river, determined, in front of his terrified soldiers.
The commander arrived on the other side of the river and called his soldiers by their names, one by one, proving that he had not lost his memory and that the legend was not true.
The soldiers were eventually convinced and crossed the Lima river and continued their walk to the glory. Décimo Júnio Bruto has become part of the history with the surname of “Galician”, for being the conquerer of what is today Galicia.

Parque do Arnado

Opposite to the town's river bank is located this thematic garden, which allows to take a journey through the art history of the gardens, whose roots are deeply linked to rural culture. For the realization of the art history of the gardens, the Roman period was chosen, given the cultural influences still well present in the village of Ponte de Lima; the Renaissance garden and the Baroque garden, the visitor can still "get lost" in a labyrinth, which appears in Western culture from Greek mythology and always remains as an element of composition of the gardens through the centuries.



Garden International Festival

The International Garden Festival is an annual event that opens its doors to the public on the last Friday of May and closes on October 31. Between November and May, the gardens are dismantled and the new edition is prepared with all the hustle and bustle of construction.

The selection of gardens is carried out by a Jury and takes place after an international competition. Anyone can apply regardless of age, profession or nationality. What is important is the creativity of the authors and the expression of innovative ideas.

It won the 2013 International Garden Festival of the Year award under the Garden Tourism Awards, as part of the international event "2013 North American Garden Tourism Conference", in Toronto – Canada.

[solarisregvm]

A place of harmony, beauty, peace and nature. A fairytale that some of you might need.
The environment where you live has influence on your state of mind and some cases I see here is directly correlated.

[barnumandbailey]

Quite nearly in my parents’ backyard. Spent a considerable portion of my youth wandering through the wonder that is Valley Forge:

[Sarin]

Well not sure it would be proper to say that '47 was a blessing in disguise in this regard , but I'd say the region is rather unusually integral of me .

People, insert some text giving some historical information of the people who were born or lived there and history of your selected town/city/region like I did here. Can have more information like what are the typical dishes of the town, which are their local products, handicraft, culture, etc.
There are in other places threads just to show pictures of where you were born or live

Spoiler!

With a population of around 10 million , Uttarakhand has a total area of 53,566 sq.km of which 86% is mountainous and 65% is covered by forest . Most of the northern part of the state is covered by high Himalayan peaks and glaciers . Two of the most important rivers in Hinduism originate in the glaciers of Uttarakhand, the Ganges at Gangotri and the Yamuna at Yamunotri . It is often referred to as the "Devbhumi" (literally "Land of the Gods") due to its religious significance and numerous Hindu temples and pilgrimage centres found throughout the state .

Ancient rock paintings, rock shelters, paleolithic stone tools (hundreds of thousands of years old) and megaliths provide evidence that the mountains of the region have been inhabited since prehistoric times. There are also archaeological remains that show the existence of early Vedic (c. 1500 BCE) practices in the area. The Pauravas, Khasas, Kiratas, Nandas, Mauryas, Kushanas, Kunindas, Guptas, Karkotas, Palas, Gurjara-Pratiharas, Katyuris, Raikas, Chands, Parmars or Panwars, Mallas, Shahs and the British have ruled Uttarakhand in turns .

Among the first major dynasties of Garhwal and Kumaon were the Kunindas in the second century BCE who practised an early form of Shaivism and traded salt with Western Tibet. It is evident from the Ashokan edict at Kalsi in Western Garhwal that Buddhism made inroads in this region. Shamanic Hindu practices deviating from Hindu orthodoxy also persisted here. However, Garhwal and Kumaon were restored to nominal Vedic Hindu rule due to the travels of Shankaracharya and the arrival of migrants from the plains.


Prominent religious sites :

Spoiler!

Kedarnath town - Standing at 3,580mts and enveloped in the mighty Garhwal Himalayas, Kedarnath is one of the twelve Jyotirlingas of Lord Shiva. Kedarnath forms one of the four sites of the Chota Char Dham Pilgrimage. Dedicated to Lord Shiva, Kedarnath Temple is among the 275 temples of Paadal Petra Sthalams (the most powerful Shiva temples in the world) and is also the most important among the Panch Kedars.According to the hagiographies based on Madhava's Sankshepa-shankara-vijaya, the 8th century philosopher Adi Shankara died at the mountains near Kedarnath; although other hagiographies, based on Anandagiri's Prachina-Shankara-Vijaya, state that he died at Kanchipuram. The ruins of a monument marking the purported death place of Shankara are located at Kedarnath .

The majestic Kedarnath peak (6,940 metres) stands behind the temple along with other peaks and adds to the scenery of the area.








Gangotri town (3110m) - The town of Gangotri sits at 3110m & is one of the four sites in the Chota Char Dham pilgrimage circuit .It is also the origin of the river Ganges and seat of the goddess Ganga,. The original Gangotri Temple was built by the Nepalese general Amar Singh Thapa. The river is called Bhagirathi at the source and acquires the name Ganga (the Ganges) from Devprayag onwards where it meets the Alaknanda. The origin of the holy river is at Gaumukh, set in the Gangotri Glacier, and is a 19 km trek from Gangotri .







Jageshwar - Situated at 1900 m in elevation , the origins of the Jageshwar temples site are unclear. Its remote location has limited its studies and scholarly attention. The site shows evidence of different architectural styles and building periods for both temples and stone steles, which range from the 7th to the 12th century, and then in the modern times.[7] Estimates for the same temple or stele varies widely, sometimes 1,400 years. According to the ASI, some belong to the post-Gupta or the second half of 1st millennium while others belong to the 2nd millennium .








Roopkund lake - Mystery lake sitting at 5000m alt. :





With a depth of about 3 metres, Roopkund is widely known for the hundreds of ancient human skeletons discovered at the edge of the lake in 1942 . At first, British authorities feared that the skeletons represented casualties of a hidden Japanese invasion force but it was found that the skeletons were far too old to be Japanese soldiers . Along with the skeletons, wooden artefacts, iron spearheads, leather slippers and rings were also found. When a team from National Geographic retrieved about 30 skeletons in 2003, flesh was still attached to some of them .

Remnants belonging to more than 300 people have been found. The Anthropological Survey of India conducted a study of the skeletons during the 1950s and some samples are displayed at the Anthropological Survey of India Museum, Dehradun.The studies of the skeletons revealed head injuries according to some sources, these injuries were caused by round objects from above, and were the common cause of death amongst the deceased. Those researchers concluded that the victims had been caught in a sudden hailstorm just as described in local legends and songs acc. to which local goddess Nanda Devi who was so furious by merry making men & dancers defiling her mountain refuge that she rained death down on them by hurling hailstones “hard as iron.” Radiocarbon dating of the bones at Oxford University's Radiocarbon Accelerator Unit determined the time of death to be 850 CE ±30 years.[citation needed] More recently, radiocarbon dating combined with genome-wide analysis of 38 individuals from Roopkund Lake, found that the remains are from different eras and belong to three distinct groups.[15][16] A group of 23 individuals (dated ~800 CE) had typical South Asian ancestry, 1 individual (dated ~1800 CE) had Southeast Asian ancestry, and 14 individuals (dated ~1800 CE) had ancestry typical of the eastern Mediterranean, and specifically of present-day people from mainland Greece and Crete.[16] Those findings counter the theory that the individuals died in a single catastrophic event. The radiocarbon dating further suggests that the older, South Asian remains were deposited over an extended period of time, while the younger, eastern Mediterranean and Southeast Asian remains were deposited during a single event.




Har ki Doon valley - Har ki Dun is a cradle shaped valley set at a height of 3566 mts in the heart of Govind Ballabh Pant National Park.Local legend has it that Yudhishthira (one of the Pandavas from the Hindu epic Mahabharata) climbed this peak , known as Swargarohini , on his way to Heaven.












Patal Bhubneshwar caves - Historical cave of religious significance (usually it is forbidden to take pics inside , they used to seize mobile back then)

General hikes & landscapes :

Spoiler!

Ranging 2000-4000m (excluded crowded hill stations , not their fan)

Local food/products/craft

Spoiler!

Food/products :

Usually either rice or roti/naan with dishes made of - legumes,lentils,vegetables,dairy like curd,paneer etc.,chicken or mutton . The original natives also have their own local variations in preparations of them .

Drinks - Burash (rhododnderon juice) , Litchi squash , Sugarcane juice , Mattha/Chhaach (buttermilk) , Suur (sort of alchohalic) etc. besides the usual tea , fruit juices etc.

Condiments - Them . Chatnis & Achaar are considered as digestive aids & quite popular btw .

Drugs & Medicine - Your usual sartans & statins i.e. allopathic drugs which are often the first choice but many also resort to Ayurvedic , Unani or Homeopathic remedies . Recreational one locally are afeem , charas , ganja , hashish , bhaang etc. with minor few able to do dangerous Dhatura (its seeds are often used to poison adversaries) .

Fruits - Litchi (city where we inhabit is know as 'city of litchis') , Mango , Melon , Watermelon , Apple , Banana , Guava , Plum , Peach , Grapes , Orange , Custard Apple etc . And some local,pahadi berries .


Art & craft :

Uttarakhand, cradled in the lap of the lofty Himalayas, the state boasts of snow-capped peaks, stealthy glaciers, meandering rivers, mist laden valleys and exotic species of flora and fauna.Inspired by this flawless natural splendor, the people of Uttarakhand have created and nurtured various forms of arts and crafts since ages. Crafts usually include utility items like doors, windows, rugs, carpets, baskets, copper utensils or the folk art Aipan made by Uttarakhandis have a unique touch of nature in their designs.












In ancient days every house had a wood carved entrance door. It served as an indication of a person’s wealth and prosperity. The wealthier a person was, the bigger was the front wooden door. The designs were more convoluted and so were the carved designs. Even today the front doors of many houses of Garhwal and Kumaon are brilliantly carved with floral designs, animals and fish. These ornamental wood carvings done on front doors are called ‘Kholi’ in the local language (Garhwali).

Designs of creepers and floral appearances based on lotus, pomegranates and grapes, images of humans, birds, animals and other sacred signs and emblems find expression in the wood carving on door panels, windows and ceilings. The patterns are typically of the Gods and Goddesses which adds to the opulence of the carved wooden latticed frames.