Eastern Europe
From the birth of Eastern Catholicism and its towering churches dedicated to God and his saints; to the bloody hammer and sickle designed to strike fear into the enemies of the USSR; Russia and its close neighbors are a land decadent in history and culture. Eastern Europe has had a mighty place in the history of the world. It has seen the origins of the Turkish Empire, the Russian royalty of the Dark Ages, the Byzantine Empire, the United Socialist States of Russia. Its current nation-states include: Czech Republic, Poland, Hungary, Romania, Moldova, Croatia, Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia, Slovenia, Slovakia, Bulgaria, Ukraine, Belarus, Serbia, Montenegro, Bosnia, Albania, Kosovo and Macedonia. The similarities in these countries are seen most clearly in their language, religion and cuisine. Russian is the most widely used language of most eastern European countries but one can also hear Bulgarian, Croatian, Czech, Hungarian, Polish, Romanian, Slovak, Slovenian, and Serbian. These are known as the Slavic languages. Most of the peoples in the region, no matter their birth tongue, speak and understand either Russian or English to some degree. …show more content…
The vast majority, 84% to be exact, claim Christianity as their religion. Most of these belong to the Orthodox Church, some to the Catholic Church and far less to various Protestant sects. One fact is very simple though nearly every town or city in Eastern Europe has at least one large Orthodox Church. A few of these are world renown for their opalescence, especially Saint Basil's Cathedral in Moscow, Russia. Its kaleidoscopic towers are instantly recognizable to millions world wide and its architectural style has been mimicked for centuries. Even Disney World has brought some of its grandeur to the
From the birth of Eastern Catholicism and its towering churches dedicated to God and his saints; to the bloody hammer and sickle designed to strike fear into the enemies of the USSR; Russia and its close neighbors are a land decadent in history and culture. Eastern Europe has had a mighty place in the history of the world. It has seen the origins of the Turkish Empire, the Russian royalty of the Dark Ages, the Byzantine Empire, the United Socialist States of Russia. Its current nation-states include: Czech Republic, Poland, Hungary, Romania, Moldova, Croatia, Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia, Slovenia, Slovakia, Bulgaria, Ukraine, Belarus, Serbia, Montenegro, Bosnia, Albania, Kosovo and Macedonia. The similarities in these countries are seen most clearly in their language, religion and cuisine. Russian is the most widely used language of most eastern European countries but one can also hear Bulgarian, Croatian, Czech, Hungarian, Polish, Romanian, Slovak, Slovenian, and Serbian. These are known as the Slavic languages. Most of the peoples in the region, no matter their birth tongue, speak and understand either Russian or English to some degree. …show more content…
The vast majority, 84% to be exact, claim Christianity as their religion. Most of these belong to the Orthodox Church, some to the Catholic Church and far less to various Protestant sects. One fact is very simple though nearly every town or city in Eastern Europe has at least one large Orthodox Church. A few of these are world renown for their opalescence, especially Saint Basil's Cathedral in Moscow, Russia. Its kaleidoscopic towers are instantly recognizable to millions world wide and its architectural style has been mimicked for centuries. Even Disney World has brought some of its grandeur to the