The History Of The Bran Castle In Transylvania, Romania

The Bran Castle (known in German as Die T쎶rzburg or, alternatively, Toerzburg respectively Terzburg) is one of the most reputed tourist attractions of Romania and also one of the most imposing and mesmerising medieval strongholds in Transylvania. It is located in the proximity of a former significant Transylvanian Saxon city, namely Kronstadt (known in Romanian…


The History Of The Transylvanian Saxons

The Transylvanian Saxons (or ‘Die Siebenb쎼rger Sachsen’ as they are known in Standard German/Hochdeutsch as well as ‘Siweberjer S쎥ksen‘ or ‘Soxen‘ in the Transylvanian Saxon dialect) are perhaps the most significant major German ethnic group of Romania and doubtlessly one of the most renowned from Central and Eastern Europe. They are part of the broader…


The History Of The Vikings In Vinland And North America

If until now you thought that the North American continent was initially discovered by Christopher Columbus in 1492 along with his crew and three ships (the carrack Santa Maria as well as the caravels Pinta and Santa Clara), then you have been misled to acknowledge one of history’s greatest confusions. Putting aside the fact that…


Classification Of The Germanic Languages Spoken In Europe

The Germanic languages form a linguistic sub-branch of the Indo-European languages. They are divided into three additional sub-groups as follows: West Germanic (English, German, Low German, Dutch, Frisian, Scots, Afrikaans, Yiddish, Luxembourgish); North Germanic (Danish, Norwegian, Swedish, Icelandic, Faroese, Elfdalian); East Germanic – extinct sub-group (Gothic, Burgundian, Vandalic). Statistics I) West Germanic languages 1) English…


Could English Be A North Germanic (Scandinavian) Language?

The English language as we know it today is descended from Old English, a Germanic language which was brought by the Angles and Saxons during the Early Middle Ages in Britain, hence being alternatively known as Anglo-Saxon. In the wake of the Anglo-Saxon settlement, the Norse incursions, and the Norman conquest after the Battle of…