Sillamäe: Inside a Former Soviet Secret City in Estonia
Sillamäe was a ‘closed city,’ often referred to by codenames and guarded within a military perimeter – often it didn’t even appear on maps.Continue Reading →
Lithuania's Ancient Heartland: Visiting the Grand Duchy's Abandoned Capital
Once the capital of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, Kernavė was abandoned in the 14th century. Today, it hosts medieval festivals and pagan ritualsContinue Reading →
Reading Between Kopli's Lines: Exploring Tallinn's Vanishing Slum
"For the adventurer, photographer, urban explorer or historian, Kopli Lines are a beautifully preserved window into the past."Continue Reading →
The Peace Is Deceptive: the History of Riga's Hippest Street
The history of Miera iela is proof of the legend that Riga will never be complete.Continue Reading →
Back to Shul: Capturing the Uses of Lithuania's 100 Former Synagogues
"I visited and photographed former synagogues in 59 Lithuanian towns, villages and cities whose contemporary uses include churches, funeral parlours, shops, hairdressers..."Continue Reading →
Naissaar: the Estonian "Island of Women" Once an Independent Socialist Republic
"They announced the creation of an independent socialist republic, the Soviet Republic of the Sailors and Builders of the Fortress of Naissaar Island"Continue Reading →
Pagan Faith, Accelerated Technology: A Walk on Estonia's Muhu Island
Organised religion, imported by a series of invaders and occupiers, was never able to fully repress pagan traditions in Estonia.Continue Reading →
DB Under the Radar: Ķemeri, Latvia
"Its medicinal water attracted thousands of tourists from all over the Russian Empire, thereby warranting the town a direct train line to Moscow"Continue Reading →
Digging Up Old Wars: On the Road with Latvia's Explosive Ordnance Soldiers
While the Latvian Land Forces are busy training for future confrontations, Pūce and his techs are busy “rendering safe” explosives left behind from the Soviet occupation.Continue Reading →
Latvia's Oil City Ventspils: A Strange "Success Story"
Frequently, in discussions with people about the depopulation and decline of their town, they will point to Ventspils as an example of what could be done.Continue Reading →
"To Gain Knowledge, Go to Wilne": A Walk Through Jewish Vilnius
In the 18th century the city was known as a religious centre and even called the “Jerusalem of the North”, despite anti-Semitism and anti-Jewish attacks.Continue Reading →
"Aukstās Dienas…" Singing in Latvian – Without Ever Having Been to Latvia
"First, we had to compose a song about Latvia, a country we had never visited, based entirely on our own imagination..."Continue Reading →