In 1832, Ewelina Hańska initiated a correspondence with Honoré de Balzac that led to their eventual marriage in 1850. Despite initial disappointment on their first meet, Balzac’s charm and intelligence won Evelina over. Their relationship was complicated by inheritance disputes and an approval needed for the marriage. A failed pregnancy in 1845 further saddened them. Balzac passed away later in 1850. Their residence now hosts an agricultural college and a museum with certain relics. The estate’s chapel and crypt, previously family tombs, are now empty.
Ukraine
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Irpin has transformed into a city marked by beautiful parks owing to a surge of developers. It used to be a holiday village, with the oldest buildings dating back to the early 1900s. Key landmarks include a Taras Shevchenko monument and features like a pine forest, sculptures, LED figures, a Writer’s Park, a children’s park, and sites honouring local heroes. Its tranquil atmosphere and inviting features make it a perfect day-off escape from Kiev.
Buchansky Park in Bucha city is a large, beautifully maintained expanse nested in pine forests, offering playgrounds, bike paths, and innovative photo zones. It features unique statues, a French courtyard with a rotunda, and uncommon trees with white flowers. The park, similar to a mini Sofiyivka of Uman, promises a serene visit for families and individuals.
The narrative details a visit to Pripyat, an abandoned city near the Chernobyl nuclear plant, revealing the remnants of a once bustling community, now reclaimed by nature and desolation. It recalls the rapid evacuation post Chernobyl disaster and subsequent cleanup to prevent the spread of radiation, leaving behind battered apartments and rusted mailboxes.
School No 3 was the largest in Pripyat. Here it is in the photo before the accident And this is how the school No 3 in Pripyat looks like in 2017. It’s hard to believe this is the same place from the photo above. The school building is barely visible […]
The city of Chernobyl has been known since 1193. At the time of the Chernobyl accident, 14,000 people lived in the city. The city fell into a 30-kilometer exclusion zone. Now people live in the city, both employees of the station and those who returned after the accident. The city […]
The former top-secret system Duga-1 has become a gigantic monument to the Cold War. Object “Duga-1” is an over-the-horizon radar station for early detection of launches of intercontinental missiles. The complex located near Chernobyl, Chernobyl-2, was engaged in scanning the territory of North America during the years of the Cold War. […]
The village of Kopachi was located in close proximity to the Chernobyl nuclear power plant. The houses in the village were wooden, so they absorbed a large amount of radiation. The houses were demolished and buried here. Only the building of the kindergarten remained, which was repeatedly washed from radiation. […]
The Chernobyl nuclear power plant named after V.I. Lenin began to be built in the 70s and the first stage was launched in 1970. At the same time, the city of Pripyat began to be built to serve the station. When approaching the station, the first thing we see is […]
During the explosion of the reactor, a large amount of radioactive dust was taken over by a pine forest near the station on the road to Pripyat. A high dose of radiation led to the death of trees and staining of needles in red. The forest was bulldozed and buried. […]
The city of Pripyat began to be built in 1970 as a satellite city of the Chernobyl nuclear power plant. Pripyat was originally planned as an exemplary city of superior comfort. Houses with better apartments, kindergartens, large spacious schools, a palace of culture, a stadium, a recreation park and much […]