Destinations
ectarc's Leonardo Outward programme offers three-month stays in a variety of European cities. Click on the name of the city to find out more.
Berlin
Berlin is Germany’s capital city. It has a population of 3.4 million and is also one of the 16 states of Germany. ectarc first sent a group to Berlin on the Leonardo Outward programme in the summer of 2008. In the following year, four more groups followed and Berlin has rapidly become a popular destination due to its fascinating history, vibrancy, cosmopolitan character and place at the crossroads of the former European West and East.
The first known record of Berlin dates from 1237. Since then it has been the capital of the kingdom of Prussia, of the German Empire, the Weimar Republic and the Third Reich. Following the Second World War Berlin was divided between West and East Germany – with West Berlin surrounded by the Berlin Wall. The wall came down in 1989 and with the reunification of Germany in 1990, Berlin became capital of Germany once again.
Berlin is an important centre of culture, politics, media and science, and one of the most visited cities in Europe. It is home to world-famous universities, museums, orchestras, research institutes and sporting events. It is also renowned for its festivals, nightlife, architecture and good standard of living. With its vibrant contemporary art scene and nightlife, the city has become a centre for trendsetting and youth culture, attracting many young artists from across Germany and the rest of Europe.
The appearance of today’s Berlin reflects its 20th century history with an eclectic range of architecture and buildings including the restored impressive historical buildings (partially destroyed during the allies' bombing of the city during World War II), Eastern bloc style residential areas, and postmodern designs. Some of the notable sights are:
· the Fernsehturm or TV Towever, at 368 metres the second tallest building in the EU, giving excellent views over the city.
· The East Side Gallery – an open air exhibition of the last remaining sections of the Berlin Wall
· The Brandenburg Gate – an iconic image of Berlin which appears on German euro coins
· The Reichstag building – seat of the German Parliament
· The Gerndarmenmarkt – a neoclassical square bordered by the German and French Cathedrals, and the Konzerthaus, home of the German Symphony Orchestra, and the Berliner Rom
· Postdamer Platz – a new quarter built after 1995 and home to the Holocaust Memorial
· Hackescher Markt - a fashionable area with shops, bars, clubs and galleries and close to the Museumsinsel where in summer there is a big open-air cinema
Berlin has many interesting and diverse districts including Kreuzberg, with its range of different cultures. The city has lots of green spaces with several large parks and many cafes and beach bars along the banks of the river Spree and boasts 420 art galleries, 153 museums, 50 theatres, clubs, and festivals including ‘Love parade’ techno carnival and ‘Berliner Festspiele’, cultural festival. For those who like electronic music, Berlin has a very good club culture.
The city’s transport system is extensive, with the S-Bahn (overground railway system) and U-Bahn, (underground), bus and tram networks. ectarc’s Leonardo participants benefit from free travel on all these systems during their stay. There are also 6 ferry lines and 979 bridges over inner-city waterways. Berlin has a sophisticated bike lane system and around 400,000 people cycle to work each day in the city, using 620km of bike paths.
Berlin is home to the Olympiastadion where the city hosted the 1936 Olympics and the 2006 FIFA World Cup Final. Many high-profile sporting events are hosted here each year including the annual Berlin Marathon and the ISTAF golden league event for athletics.
Berlin’s economy is service orientated, with mainly creative industries including media companies, environmental services, congress and convention venues, etc. Other main industries include traffic engineering, optoelectronics, IT, vehicle manufacturing, biomedical engineering and biotechnology.
Bordeaux
Bordeaux is a port city, located close to the European Atlantic coast, in the southwest of France and in the north of the Aquitaine region. Situated on a bend of the river Garonne, the city is flat and is divided into two parts: the right bank to the East and left bank in the West. A ferry and a number of bridges link the two banks.
The capital of the Aquitaine region, Bordeaux has around one million inhabitants, who are known as Bordelais. It is the fifth largest metropolitan area in France and has an oceanic climate, with very mild winters and long warm summers.
ectarc has been sending groups to Bordeaux on the Leonardo Outward programme since 2005 and ex-participants describe it as a very ‘livable’ city; large enough to have plenty of interest but small enough to explore and get to know well in 3 months. The climate is a particular bonus for visitors from the UK.
Bordeaux wine has been produced in the region since the 8th century. It is the second largest wine-growing region in the world with around 290,000 acres of vineyards, 57 appellations and 9,000 wine-producing châteaux, producing both red and white wines. With an annual production of over 700 million bottles, the region produces large quantities of everyday wine as well as some of the most expensive wines in the world.
Tourism is a big industry in Bordeaux, particularly related to wine producing. The aeronautic industry is also huge, employing 20,000 people in the city. Bordeaux made its wealth out of trade and the port of Bordeaux sees around 9 million tons of goods arriving and leaving each year.
Bordeaux is classified "City of Art and History". The historic part of the city is on the UNESCO World Heritage list as "an outstanding urban and architectural ensemble" of the 18th century. There are therefore many beautiful historic sights, museums and streets to discover.
In the heart of Bordeaux is Rue Sainte-Catherine - a pedestrianised shopping street that has 1.2 kilometres of shops, restaurants and cafes; it is the longest shopping street in Europe and is home to several exclusive shops and boutiques.
Bordeaux has a lively university community of over 60,000 and its campus is the biggest in France. It is regarded as a tolerant and relaxed place with a vibrant cultural, artistic and music scene. The city offers a large number of cinemas, theatres and is the home of the National Opera of Bordeaux. There are many music venues of varying capacity, including many night clubs. The city also hosts several festivals throughou the year.
Bicycles are an excellent mode of transport in this flat city with more than 580 km of cycle tracks. Both bicycles and rollerskates can be hired as an alternative mode of transport to the new tramway system or the various bus routes, though walking is perhaps the most interesting way to explore the city centre with its largely pedestrianised areas. For daily travel to the language course, work placement or when going out during the evening and at weekends, ectarc’s Leonardo Outward participants benefit from free use of the tram and bus networks.
Other sports to be enjoyed in Bordeaux include football and rugby, Bordeaux’s football club - F.C. Girondins - is one of the best in France, and tickets are easily come by in the city. The rugby club CABBG plays in the second tier of France’s national leagues.
Finally, in the area surrounding Bordeaux there are a lot of interesting things to visit. To the north, you will find the Medoc region, which produces many of Bordeaux’s famous wines. West is the Atlantic Ocean with 150 miles of golden beaches and pine forests, the dune de Pilat - the largest sand dune in Western Europe - and small seaside towns producing oysters. To the east is Saint Emilion, a village with surrounding vineyard that is on the UNESCO world heritage list, while south of Bordeaux is the Graves region - an area rich in historical towns and monuments including the town of Cadillac.
Seville
Seville or Sevilla is the artistic, cultural, and financial capital of southern Spain and the capital of Andalucia. The city’s inhabitants are known as Sevillanos. Seville is the third-largest metropolitan population area of Spain with a population of 704,414.
The climate of Seville is Mediterranean, with oceanic influences and it is one of the warmest cities in Europe with mild winters and hot summers that can exceed 40°C. This is why Seville is not offered as a destination for the June-September phase of ectarc’s Leonardo Outward programme.
More than 2000 years of history have left Seville with a well-preserved historical centre. The city formed part of the Roman empire, was taken by the visigoths, and then belonged to the Moors for 5 centuries, when it became an important centre of Muslim Andalucia, until it fell to Ferdinand III El Santo, King of Castilla and León. Its golden age was in the 15th and 16th centuries when it accumulated wealth from the discoveries of the new world.
The city has many fine historical sights including its huge medieval and gothic 15th century Cathedral, built on the site of a mosque. Parts of the mosque were incorporated into the cathedral buildings, including the orangre tree patio, and the Giralda – originally a minaret, (now converted into a bell tower), which has ramps rather than stairs, to allow muezzin to climb to the top on horseback. This offers the best views of the city. There are many more impressive buildings and sights in Seville, and it is well worth exploring its winding back streets, its many parks and gardens and strolling along the Guadalquivir river with its great bridges to get a feel for the city.
Festivals play a large part in the local life of Seville; the best known of these are ‘Semana Santa’ (Easter week) and the colourful Feria de Sevilla (end of April). Semana Santa is famous for its beautiful but solemn processions. During Feria, Seville’s inhabitants set up casetas or marquees in which they spend the week dancing, drinking, and socialising. The women dress up in flamenco dresses and men put on their best suits.
Seville is a gastronomic centre, and its dishes incorporate the produce of the surrounding provinces, such as seafood from Cadiz, olive oil from Jaen, and sherry from Jerez de la Frontera. Seville’s tapas bars are well known and one of the main cultural attractions in the city - people go from one bar to another, enjoying small ‘tapas’ dishes. Seville is also famous for its marmalade, made from the Seville oranges.
The Sevillanas - a selection of folk songs and acommpanying four-part dance are a famous tradition in Seville. The city, in particular, the gypsy 'barrio' Triana, also played a large part in the development of flamenco.
The hosting of the Universal Exposition of Seville in 1992, brought a huge investment in infrastructure and boosted the economic development of the city with new transport links to other Spanish cities, and an international airport.
Seville’s harbour is the only river port allowing trade in goods between the south of Spain and the rest of the world. The region is home to a number of large industrial parks and technology centres and in fact Seville has become one of the most important Spanish cities in terms of development and research – making a valuable contribution to scientific research and the development of new technologies including renewable energies and the aeronautics industry. It has maintained substantial agricultural activity - mainly cereal, fruit and olive-growing. 83.5% of the working population of Seville works in the service sector in tourism, trade and financial services.
Seville is not a big city and most journeys within the city centre can be made on foot, but ectarc’s Leonardo participants enjoy free public transport. The city bus network is extensive and there is a tramline. Metro lines are currently being constructed. There is a community bicycle programme in Seville, with green bicycle lanes on main streets. Bikes are available to hire inexpensively across the city.
Seville has two rival football teams: Real Betis Balompie and Seville Futbol Club. Sevilla FC won the 2006 UEFA Cup, their first European trophy, against Middlesbrough FC in 2006. They are also the holders of the European Supercup which they also won in 2006 against FC Barcelona.
Florence
Florence, or Firenze, with a population of 364,779 is the proud and beautiful capital city of the Italian region of Tuscany. With its warren of cobbled streets and piazzas lined with palaces, medieval towers, houses and cafes, it is considered the art capital of the world and is home to Michelangelo’s David and Boticelli’s Birth of Venus, among many other masterpieces. Surrounded by the breathtaking Tuscan countryside, Florence is located in a river valley, and has cool, damp winters and hot humid summers with little rainfall. Florence was an important trade centre in the medieval times, and is thought of as the birth place of the Renaissance. Famous for its art and architecture, it was named a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 1982.
ectarc has been sending Leonardo Outward groups to Florence since 2007. Our past-participants have been struck by the city’s beauty and elegance and by the Italian lifestyle and culture. Several have found work there and stayed on after their Leonardo placements have come to an end.
The city’s most significant industry is tourism, particularly between April and October. Florence also has an important fashion industry and is home to the fashion house Salvatore Ferragamo, as well as large offices and stores representing Gucci, Prada, Chanel and Roberto Cavalli. Florence produces fine fabrics, with textile industries situated to the north of the city. In addition, food and wine production has always played a large part in the local economy. Tuscany is a major wine-producing region of the world; and the Chianti region is just south of Florence.
Most of Florence’s sites and artistic treasures are found in the historic centre, contained within the city’s 14th century medieval walls. Perhaps the best-known example of the city’s cultural heritage is the cathedral of Santa Maria del Fiore or The Duomo. Its splendid dome offers extraordinary views over the city. The Piazza Della Signoria is perhaps the showpiece Piazza of Florence, with the 13th-century crenellated Palazzo Vecchio and copy of Michelangelo’s David, along with Donatello’s Marzocco and Ammanati’s materpiece of marble sculpture - the Neptune fountain. In the Piazza degli Uffizi, is the renowned Uffizi Gallery which among many other of Italy’s celebrated art works, contains a room full of Boticelli’s painitings, including the ‘Birth of Venus’ and ‘Allegory of Spring’. One of ectarc's Leonardo participants worked for a restoration company which gives the statues in this piazza their annual clean, so he got a very unusual view of the surroundings! Over the river Arno stands the unique 14th Century Ponte Vecchio – the only bridge to have survived World War II intact and the most photographed bridge in Europe, lined with tiny jewellery shops held up by stilts.
There are also dozens of lesser-known museums and hundreds of historic churches worth exploring, along with atmospheric back streets and quieter piazzas lined with local trattorias and bars. Florence has a young and vibrant nightlife, with bars staying open until 01.00 or even 03.00, and a good range of clubs and live music events. The most bohemian area is Oltrarno, south of the river, but Piazza Della Signoria also has a more low-key, local scene with a good choice of inexpensive trattorias and a large outdoor bar in the summer.
Exploring Florence is best done on foot, as traffic is restricted in the compact city centre. There is a good bus network (ATAF) operating from 05.30 to midnight however, ectarc Leonardo Outward participants have free bus passes.
Hamburg
Hamburg is considered by many to be one of the most beautiful cities in northern Europe. Its extensive areas of water and parkland offer limitless leisure possibilities and it is consistently highly-ranked in the 'livability' polls, perhaps because of the traditional spirit of Hanseatic open-mindedness, arising from its long, successful trading history, that still prevails. The city's 104 districts provide contrasts to complement many moods: the urban and the rural, modern architecture and Grunderzeit (19th century) splendour, popular 'sub-culture' districts and elegant suburbs.
Hamburg is also a dynamic business hub where top German companies and many foreign firms have found a home. Here they benefit from a well-developed infrastructure, fast access to resources, suppliers and customers and a well-qualified workforce. Opportunities, innovation and development are the heart-beat of Hamburg's commercial life.
Germany's 'second city' is a major transport hub. It has a population of over 1.8 million and is home to Europe's third-largest port. The Hafencity (port and waterfront) is a fascinating area where the bustle of trade meets free-time leisure and pleasure. Other areas of particular interest include the Speicherstadt (Warehouse city), the river Elbe and, for some, the notorious Reeperbahn. Hamburg's range of theatres and museums provides cultural stimulation for all tastes.
