Russia
Russian Ark by Call Number: DVD Collection DVD 002 943Publication 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.
Russia Before and after Crimea by Call Number: Van Pelt Library DK295 .R87 2018ISBN: 9781474433853Publication Date: 2018Russia's annexation of Crimea in 2014 brought East-West relations to a low. At the same time, the Putin regime achieved record-high popularity. This book shows how the annexation of Crimea generated strong "rallying aroundthe nation" and "rallying around the leader" effects.
Nikita Khrushchev and the Creation of a Superpower by Call Number: Van Pelt Library DK275.K5 K4874213 2000ISBN: 0271019271Publication Date: 2000A biography of Nikita Khrushchev written by his son, Sergei, a Senior Fellow at Brown University’s Watson Institute, who will speak during the cruise.
Khrushchev in Power: unfinished reforms, 1961-1964 by Call Number: Van Pelt Library DK275.K5 K488513 2013ISBN: 9781626370326Publication Date: 2014Translation of the first volume of the author's trilogy Nikita Khrushchev (Moskva: Vrem'ia, 2010).
St. Petersburg: A Cultural History by Call Number: Van Pelt Library DK557 .V65 1995ISBN: 0028740521Publication Date: 1995From 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 FilmsFind 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
The Viking Age: A Time with Many Faces by Call Number: Van Pelt Library. DL660 .A63 2018ISBN: 9781785709388Publication Date: 2018This book takes an archaeological and anthropological approach to history. It uses results from the examination of a substantial corpus of Swedish osteological material to discuss aspects of demography and health in the Viking period.
Swedish Design by Call Number: Fine Arts Library. NK1461.A1 M87 2015ISBN: 9780801479663Publication Date: 2015In this book, Keith M. Murphy examines the special relationship between politics and design in Sweden.
Sustainable Stockholm: Exploring Urban Sustainability in Europe's Greenest City by Call Number: Van Pelt Library HT243.S82 S778 2013ISBN: 0415622123Publication Date: 2013From 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 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
Penn Libraries
Updated 2018 by:
Rebecca Stuhr
Director for Liaison Services and
Librarian for Classical Studies
For more information about this and other excursions, visit Penn Alumni Travel.
Poland
Dancing Bears by Call Number: Van Pelt Library. DR93.43 .S9313 2018ISBN: 9780143129745Publication Date: 2018An account of people in formerly Communist countries holding fast to their former lives through the history of the practice of training bears to dance and what happened when the tradition was forced to end with the end of Communism.
Revolution and Counterrevolution in Poland, 1980-1989: Solidarity, Martial Law, and the End of Communism in Europe by Call Number: Van Pelt Library DK4442 .P33313 2015ISBN: 9781580465366Publication Date: 2015Examines Poland's 1980 Solidarity revolution, the subsequent establishment of martial law in 1981, and Poland's transition to democracy in 1989.The Struggle and the Triumph by
Call Number: Van Pelt Library DK4452.W34 A3 1992ISBN: 1559701498Publication Date: 1992Lech 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 in the Modern World: Beyond Martyrdom by Call Number: Van Pelt Library DK4140 .P67 2014.ISBN: 9781444332186Publication Date: 2014Poland in the Modern World presents a history of the country from the late nineteenth century to the present, incorporating new perspectives from a social, cultural and global history.
Estonia
Baltic Facades: Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania since 1945 by Call Number: Van Pelt Library DK502.7 .P87 2012ISBN: 9781861898968Publication Date: 2012By dispelling the myth of a single, coherent Baltic identity, Aldis Purs examines the unique natures of Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia, through their politics, economics, and social and cultural trends.
Historic Center (Old Town) of Old Tallinn by 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
Call Number: Music DVD 1124Publication 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 Call Number: Van Pelt Library DK503.745 .E3413 2009ISBN: 9639776394Publication Date: 2009A 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 Call Number: Fine Arts Library NA2794 P485 2012ISBN: 050034275XPublication Date: 2012Looks 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 Call Number: Fine Arts Library NA1208 .S65 2008ISBN: 9185213330Publication Date: 2008This 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
Copenhagen Tales by Call Number: Van Pelt Library PT8024.E5 C68 2014ISBN: 9780199689118Publication Date: 2015Seventeen tales by some of the best of Denmark's writers past and present allow the reader to experience the city and its history from an insider's perspective.
Echoland by Call Number: Van Pelt Library PT8951.26.E88 E5513 2016ISBN: 1846554497Publication Date: 2016Staying with his parents and grandparents at the seaside in Denmark, Arvid cycles around town, down to the beach and its lighthouse, to enjoy his summertime freedom.
A History of Denmark by Call Number: Van Pelt Library DL148 .J46 2011ISBN: 0230273416Publication Date: 2011A 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 Call Number: Katz Center Library DS135.D4 B33713 2011ISBN: 8763539586Publication Date: 2013From 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.
Ghosts, Troubles, Difficulties, and Challenges: Narratives about Unexplainable Phenomena in Contemporary Denmark. by Publication Date: 2016, Vol. 65, p89-110, 22pEbscohost databases available to Penn alumni. Find out to connect here
Many people experience something that they cannot explain, often they hear something that is not there as a visible fact. Based on fieldwork on haunted houses in Denmark today, this article deals with the narratives of people who have experiences that they cannot explain and that they consider to be on the limits of reason.
Finland
Modern Finland by Call Number: Van Pelt Library DL1012 .H33 2016ISBN: 9781476662022Publication Date: 2016A look at modern Finlan through its history, culture, language, geography, natural history and the mythology of early peoples.
A Concise History of Finland by Call Number: Van Pelt Library DL1032 .K53 2006ISBN: 052183225XPublication Date: 2006A 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 Call Number: Van Pelt Library LA1013.7 .S34 2011ISBN: 0807752576Publication Date: 2011From 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.