Guides: Alumni Travel Reading: Cruising the Baltic Sea

Russia

Russian Ark by Aleksandr Sokurov
Call Number: DVD Collection DVD 002 943
Publication Date: 2003
"[A] modern filmmaker magically finds himself transported to the 18th century. There he embarks on a time-traveling journey through 300 years of Russian history. Filmed with a cast of thousands, three live orchestras and an army of technicians, Russian Ark is the longest uninterrupted shot in film history, and the first feature film ever created in a single take." Click title above to preview trailer at Youtube.
Nikita Khrushchev and the Creation of a Superpower by Sergei N. Khrushchev
Call Number: Van Pelt Library DK275.K5 K4874213 2000
ISBN: 0271019271
Publication Date: 2000
A biography of Nikita Khrushchev written by his son, Sergei, a Senior Fellow at Brown University’s Watson Institute, who will speak during the cruise.
St. Petersburg: A Cultural History by Solomon Volkov
Call Number: Van Pelt Library DK557 .V65 1995
ISBN: 0028740521
Publication Date: 1995
From the publisher: “A compelling portrait of a city and its transcendent artistic and spiritual legacy-written by a cultural historian who has known some of the greatest figures of modern St. Petersburg, including Balanchine, Shostakovich, Akhmatova, and Brodsky.”

The Hermitage Dwellers (DVD)

The Hermitage Dwellers. Dir. by Aliona van der Horst. Icarus Films, 2006. DVD. More information at Icarus Films. Find in a library near you at Worldcat.org

THE HERMITAGE DWELLERS is as much about the people who work in Russia's renowned museum as it is about the glorious art works housed in this St. Petersburg institution. We meet with several "Hermitage-niks" . . . each of whom explains their own very personal reasons for considering the palace of Catherine the Great their "home."

The two minute clip below is from Youtube

Sweden

Sustainable Stockholm: Exploring Urban Sustainability in Europe's Greenest City by Jonathan Metzger (Editor); Amy Rader Olsson (Editor)
Call Number: Van Pelt Library HT243.S82 S778 2013
ISBN: 0415622123
Publication Date: 2013
From the publisher: “[U]sing the case of Stockholm as the pivot of discussions, Sustainable Stockholm investigates the core issues of sustainable urban environmental development and planning… The book shows how intersecting fields such as urban . . . that have contributed to making Stockholm Europe’s "greenest" city.” Also includes a brief history of Stockholm over the last two hundred years and several images and infographics.
Hanseatic Town of Visby (UNESCO Web site) by World Heritage List. UNESCO
The Hanseatic Town of Visby was named a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1995. The description provides a historical overview and documents the area’s unique features. The “Photos” tab is also recommended for perusing. Photo taken from World Heritage Sweden, Hanseatic Town of Visby.

Visby, Sweden

Streets of Visby. Photograph by Jerzy Kociatkiewicz. Obtained on flickr by Creative Commons license.

Baltic Sea

Bathymetric map of the Baltic Sea.
Map created by Oona Räisänen and

shared under a Creative Commons attribution share alike license

Bibliographer and Penn Alumni Travel

Selected and Annotated By:

Deborah Bishov
Research and Instructional Services Intern

Website Edited By:

Kelsey LeClair
Administrative Assistant

For more information about this and other excursions, visit Penn Alumni Travel.

Poland

The Struggle and the Triumph by Lech Walesa; Franklin Philip (Translator)
Call Number: Van Pelt Library DK4452.W34 A3 1992
ISBN: 1559701498
Publication Date: 1992
Lech Walesa’s autobiography, written while he was in office as Poland’s first directly elected president, is an account of his life as an electrician in the Gdansk shipyards, a leader of the Solidarity movement, and president of Poland.
Poland by Anita J. Prazmowska
Call Number: Van Pelt Library DK4400 .P73 2010
ISBN: 1848852738
Publication Date: 2010
A history of 20th century Poland. Includes an extensive bibliography for further reading.

Estonia

“Estonians Embrace Life in a Digital World.” The New York Times. by Mark Scott
Publication Date: 8 Oct. 2014
This recent New York Times article explores Estonian society and its rapid adoption of digital products and services
Historic Center (Old Town) of Old Tallinn by World Heritage List. UNESCO
The Historic Centre (Old Town) of Tallinn was named a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1997. The description provides a historical overview and documents the area’s unique features. The “Photos” tab is also recommended for perusing.
The Singing Revolution (DVD) by James Tusty and Maureen Castle Tusty
Call Number: Music DVD 1124
Publication Date: 2008
“Documents the Estonians between 1986 and 1991, as they took to the streets to sing forbidden songs in an effort to free themselves of the Soviet occupation.” Click the title link above to view a brief preview of the film.
Estonian Life Stories by Rutt Hinrikus
Call Number: Van Pelt Library DK503.745 .E3413 2009
ISBN: 9639776394
Publication Date: 2009
A collection of twenty-five Estonian oral histories. Most of the people interviewed were born during the first half of the twentieth century.

Architecture: Scandinavia

Nordic Light: Modern Scandinavian Architecture by Henry Plummer
Call Number: Fine Arts Library NA2794 P485 2012
ISBN: 050034275X
Publication Date: 2012
Looks at the use and influence of light in modern Scandinavian architecture, using approximately fifty examples of buildings in Denmark, Sweden, Finland, and Norway. Includes over four hundred color photographs of building interiors, exteriors, and details.
Nordic Architects by David B. Sokol
Call Number: Fine Arts Library NA1208 .S65 2008
ISBN: 9185213330
Publication Date: 2008
This book showcases the work of 65 Scandinavian architects and architectural firms, including a short interview with each one about their philosophy. Includes several hundred color images, as well as architectural drawings

Denmark

The Annotated Hans Christian Andersen by Hans Christian Andersen; Maria Tatar (Translator & Editor); Julie K. Allen (Translator)
Call Number: Van Pelt Library PT8116.E5 T38 2008
ISBN: 0393060810
Publication Date: 2007
A collection of twenty-four of the famous Danish author’s stories, including annotations on cultural and literary references by folklore scholar Maria Tatar. Also includes an introduction to Andersen and his works, a biography of Andersen, notes on his illustrators, and a bibliography for further reading. Illustrated with one-hundred-fifty rare images.
“In Denmark, Pedaling to Work on Their Very Own Superhighway.” The New York Times. by Sally McGrane
Publication Date: July 17, 2012
This 2012 New York Times article covers the opening of a new bicycle superhighway between Copenhagen and its suburbs. It’s a nice introduction to Danish cycling culture. It also includes a four-minute video. Image photo from the Official Website of Denmark.
A History of Denmark by Knud J. V. Jespersen
Call Number: Van Pelt Library DL148 .J46 2011
ISBN: 0230273416
Publication Date: 2011
A compact introduction to Danish political and economic history from 1500 to the present. The author is the Royal Historiographer of Denmark, formerly professor of Modern History at the University of Southern Denmark.
Nothing to Speak Of by Sofie Lene Bak
Call Number: Katz Center Library DS135.D4 B33713 2011
ISBN: 8763539586
Publication Date: 2013
From the publisher: “[U]ncovers the human consequences of the world famous rescue of the Danish Jews from Nazi persecution during World War II… Based on new empirical material and more than one hundred interviews, the book now tells the story of what happened after October 1943: For the first time the long term consequences of escape, exile and deportation are portrayed.” Based on an exhibit at the Danish Jewish Museum.

Finland

A Concise History of Finland by David Kirby
Call Number: Van Pelt Library DL1032 .K53 2006
ISBN: 052183225X
Publication Date: 2006
A history of Finland from medieval times through the turn of the twenty-first century. Includes images and a bibliography for further reading.
Finnish Lessons by Pasi Sahlberg
Call Number: Van Pelt Library LA1013.7 .S34 2011
ISBN: 0807752576
Publication Date: 2011
From the publisher: “Finnish Lessons is a first-hand, comprehensive account of how Finland built a world-class education system during the past three decades. The author traces the evolution of education policies in Finland and highlights how they differ from the United States and other industrialized countries.” Sahlberg is a visiting professor at Harvard’s Graduate School of Education and previously worked in Finland as a teacher, teacher educator, and education policy maker.

Baltic Coast

Baltic Sea. Photograph by Manuela Hoffmann. Obtained on flickr with a Creative Commons license.