Chiefly European Matters Trivia Quiz

Answer: Zürich

Although there are a handful of main churches in Zürich, both Fraumünster and Grossmünster were built in the Middle Ages with the latter being commissioned by Charlemagne. The two churches sit on opposite banks of the Limmat River as it flows into Zürichsee, and they're linked by the Münsterbrücke, allowing visitors to reach both sides of the Lindenhof Quarter in the middle of the city.

Saints Felix, Regula, and Exuperantius were declared patron saints of Zürich having been executed there while fleeing persecution from the then Roman Emperor. Between the two churches one can find the smaller Wasserkirche on the east bank of the river, built on the site where they were allegedly beheaded. Naturally, all of these were sites of pilgrimage for centuries.

Answer: Auguste Comte

The idea of 'positivism' is that truth, reason, and logic can only be derived through literal experiences as governed by one's senses. For instance, if you can hold onto something in your hands, it must be real. Outlined in Comte's six-volume work, "Lessons of Positive Philosophy", positivism came about in stages wherein humanity judged its understanding of the world first from a theological basis, then from a metaphysical basis, and then finally from the positive, or scientific, third stage.

While far from the perfect philosophy (actually, it was quite reductionist), these beliefs, as they emerged during the 19th century at the advent of great scientific advancement, led to further analysis of the complexity of understanding. Critics like Karl Popper questioned the lack of broadness the school required to function while Werner Heisenberg noted that it was an ignorant approach to understanding as it purposely omitted the idea of anything that could not be immediately sensed, leaving the world ignorant of the unknown.

Comte would pass away in 1857, leaving behind his legacy, even if it didn't hold up philosophically. That said, his theories paved the way for great sociological thinkers of the 20th century.

Answer: Crete

The island of Crete, the largest in Greece and the fifth largest in all of the Mediterranean, may be a bit more of a sleepy destination for modern visitors but it was, at one point, the home of the Minoan Civilization who inhabited it as far back as the Neolithic era. It was here that some of the earliest formed written languages of Europe were created. Linear A, which was never fully deciphered, gave way to Linear B and Mycenaean Greek.

Crete is also a hotbed for archaeological findings and due to its importance in Greek mythology, it's filled with historical and fantastical stories. It's believed that Theseus managed to kill the minotaur of the labyrinth in Knossos' Palace, where King Minos reigned, but he was only able to do so with the aid of Ariadne as she gave him a length of string that allowed him to track his path through the maze. Because of the findings there, Knossos is considered one of Europe's oldest cities.

Answer: Veni, vidi, vici

"Veni, vidi, vici", Latin for "I came, I saw, I conquered", is a phrase long attributed to Julius Caesar during his reign over the Roman Empire. It's a clever phrase, structurally as its quick, staggered clauses lend themselves to the swiftness of his victory on the battlefield. It's no surprise that the phrase has been somewhat immortalized and modified so much over the years.

One such instance is with U.S. tobacco company Philip Morris International who, in the 1970s, brought Marlboro to the top of the cigarette brand landscape through years of clever marketing and the framing of cigarettes as a 'cool' item; the Marlboro Man was introduced in the 1950s and continued, as a campaign, until 1999.

The Philip Morris International logo resembles a crowned royal crest flanked by two lions, and at the bottom, on a ribbon, you're likely to find either the name of the company or the Latin phrase as noted, and that logo can be found on a pack of Marlboros if you look closely enough.

Answer: Star Alliance

There were actually five founders of this group when the Star Alliance program was created, but Scandinavian Airlines swapped over to SkyTeam in 2024. Headquartered in Frankfurt am Main, Germany, the alliance was created in 1997 to create larger networks of travel routes to offer better itineraries that would not be achievable for single regional providers while also incentivizing the program through rewards programs for frequent fliers.

Historically, Star Alliance held the largest share of passengers and miles amongst the groups in circulation, but they have been followed close behind by both Oneworld and SkyTeam. Between all three combined, most major airlines are covered as part of a group.

Answer: Iceland

The Althingi, founded in 930 by Viking settlers, is considered by some to be the world's oldest legislature though this is debated because of the long period in which it was non-functioning. Originally built outside of what would become the capital city of Reykjavik, it lost its power to govern when the nation fell under Norway's oversight in the thirteenth century. The Althingi would be restored in 1844, holding its sessions in the Alþingishúsið instead of in an open field as was originally the case.

The other options are the names of other legislatures and parliaments in the continent. The Oireachtas is Ireland's National Parliament, the Storting is Norway's supreme legislature, and Kuvendi is the name of the unicameral government of Albania.

Answer: Paris

All three are Parisian train stations servicing rail routes that head to other countries with Gare du Nord holding trains bound for London, Belgium, the Netherlands, and Germany, Gare de l'Est sending trains east to Switzerland and Germany, and Gare de Lyon heading south, connecting to routes going to Spain and Italy. They aren't the only ones either-- this doesn't include Gare d'Austerlitz, Gare de Bercy, Gare Montparnasse, and Gare Saint-Lazare, all of which operate train routes to other parts of France.

Of all of these, Gare du Nord, found in the north of the city in the 10th arrondissement, is the busiest train station in Europe and, excluding stations in Japan, the busiest by passenger count anywhere in the world.

Answer: Warsaw

Found a slight distance southwest of Warsaw, Warsaw Chopin Airport was originally built in 1934 and was first named after the Okecie neighbourhood where it was constructed. The renaming, in commemoration of the famous composer and Warsaw native, Frédéric Chopin, took place in 2001. It wouldn't be the first airport named after a composer; Salzburg Airport W. A. Mozart is found in the west of Austria.

Warsaw Chopin Airport is the home airport for LOT Polish Airlines, one of the oldest airlines in continuous use in the world.

Answer: Right

Left-hand traffic is by far the lesser of the two options in the modern world and the vast majority of Europe, like Canada, the U.S., most of South America, and the bulk of Asia, use the right-hand-side for driving (and cars are manufactured to suit).

The difference in adoption is somewhat historical. Many countries that were built around British colonization held onto left-hand driving; these include India and Australia. French countries, especially those in Africa, took on right-hand driving.

For some European nations, adoption of right-hand driving is as recent as the late 1960s; Iceland and Sweden were late holdouts. By the turn of the century, only the UK, Ireland, Malta, and Cyprus remained as European left-hand driving countries, remaining in good company with South Africa, Japan, Indonesia, Sri Lanka, and Suriname, amongst a handful of others.

Answer: Malmö

Built in the late 1990s, Øresund Bridge was the first route to properly connect the Scandinavian Peninsula to the rest of Mainland Europe, doing so at the narrow gap along the Øresund Strait between Denmark and Sweden. The bridge is split into two segments, the first being an eight kilometre stretch and the second being a four kilometre tunnel, connected in the middle by the purpose-built island of Peberholm, devised to ensure boats could navigate the crossing without delay.

The route services both vehicular traffic as well as rail, meaning that you can travel from virtually any major city in Europe, through Denmark, to get to Norway and Sweden without going the long way around. Finland, however, is still a bit of a ride away.