UNESCO Archive

Maes Howe – Where the Dead Live on Orkney

This unassuming mound has been through a lot: death rituals, Viking graffiti and UFO researchers. And once a year, right on the winter solstice, the inside of Maes Howe even sees the sun. “Nonsense! Elvis was far too unfit to build that!” a woman scolds her husband. The historian who runs the tours at Maes […]

Skara Brae – Solid Stone Living on Orkney

Owning your own terraced house was in high demand even in the Stone Age. At Skara Brae, its residents made that dream come true. The interior: standard issue for the era, right across the board … She sighed contentedly, casting one more checking glance at the fish bait in the storage tank. Here in Skara […]

Standing Stones of Stenness – Three Stone Giants

Es sind nur drei, aber sie flößen Respekt ein. Denn die Standing Stones of Stenness ragen bis zu sechs Meter weit in den Himmel. Sie sind scharfkantig geschnitten und weit über das flache Land von Orkney sichtbar.

Ring of Brodgar – Britain’s Third-Largest Stone Circle

Brooding clouds, heather and enormous stones – when the weather cooperates, the mysterious Highland atmosphere of the Ring of Brodgar draws visitors right in. Nothing shelters you here: no shade softens the sun, no canopy of leaves catches the rain, no mountain slows the wind. Here there is only the raw elements. Utterly exposed like […]