Europe without the Euro Trivia Quiz

Answer: Avon

Avon is a common name for rivers in Britain as it is a cognate of the Welsh word for river, 'afon'. This particular Avon River is also known as the Lower Avon or Bristol Avon to distinguish it.

The Pulteney Bridge is unique in the sense that it has shops built on both its sides across its span, thus making it one of only four such bridges found across the world. Originally designed by Robert Adam, it has had alterations and renovations conducted over the years.

Britain's currency is the pound sterling.

Answer: Budapest

Budapest is the capital of Hungary and was formed by the unification of Buda and Obuda, which lie on the western bank of the Danube, with Pest which lies on the eastern side. With a number of historic sites, the city is a treat for visitors. The Dohany Street Synagogue is also known as the Great Synagogue, and with a seating capacity for 3000 people is Europe's largest synagogue. Built in the Moorish Revival architectural style, the synagogue has a cemetery situated within its complex. This is rare since it is not customary to have a cemetery beside a synagogue, unlike churches which have burial grounds on their premises. It was created out of necessity to accommodate the many Jews who died in the nearby ghettos during the Holocaust.

The picture alongside depicts a memorial found in the Raoul Wallenberg Holocaust Memorial Park behind the synagogue. Each leaf of the weeping willow is inscribed with the names of those who died or disappeared during the Holocaust.

The Hungarian forint is Hungary's currency. Vienna, Madrid and Berlin are the capitals of Austria, Spain and Germany respectively, all of which use the euro as their currency.

Answer: Belarus

The Mir Castle Complex is found in the district of Karelichy in Belarus. Constructed in the Gothic architectural style, the castle was built by the Ilyinich dynasty. Prior to 1939, the area came under Polish territory and passed into Soviet hands when they occupied the eastern part of Poland in 1939. Later the castle was used as a ghetto for the Jews after Germany invaded the Soviet Union. The castle was declared a UNESCO World Heritage site in 2000.

Belarus has the Belarusian ruble as its currency.

Answer: Yes

The Orange Alternative was an underground protest movement of the 1980s against the communist regime of the time. The protest was undertaken in a peaceful manner with comic elements being used to poke fun at the government. When the government painted over the protest slogans written on the walls, the protesters drew funny images of dwarfs over the painted spots. In 2001, a dwarf was installed at Oewidnicka Street in Wroclaw to commemorate this movement. Over time, figures of dwarfs engaged in various activities were put up in different parts of the city.

Poland has the zloty as its currency. One zloty is further subdivided into 100 groszy.

Answer: Dubrovnik

Dubrovnik is one of the most popular tourist destinations of Croatia. Having prospered during the maritime trade of the 15-17th century, the city is surrounded by strong fortifications first constructed during the 12th century and is one of the best preserved walled cities in the world. Saint Blaise is the patron saint of Dubrovnik and statues of him are found in various parts of the city.

Croatia has the kuna as its official currency.

Answer: Winter Olympics

The 1984 Winter Olympic games were held in the city of Sarajevo which was then part of Yugoslavia. The Asim Ferhatoviĉ Hase Stadium, also known as the Olympic Stadium, was initially inaugurated in 1947 but reconstructed for the Winter Olympics. It hosted the opening ceremony of the games. Zetra Hall, now renamed the Olympic Hall Juan Antonio Samaranch, was built specifically for the Olympics. It hosted the ice hockey and figure skating events apart from the closing ceremony.

Sarajevo is located along the Miljacka River amid the Dinaric Alps and is the capital of Bosnia and Herzegovina, which proclaimed itself as an independent country in 1992 after the dissolution of Yugoslavia. The country uses the convertible mark as its currency.

Answer: Copenhagen

First opened to the public on the 15th of August, 1843, the Tivoli Gardens found in Copenhagen, the capital of Denmark, are considered by some accounts to be the second oldest amusement park in the world. The park was founded by Georg Carstensen who managed to obtain fifteen acres of land from the then monarch King Christian VIII for its construction. Rutschebanen, the wooden roller coaster found in the park, was built in 1914 and is one of the oldest operational rides in the world. The park also has a Pantomime Theatre where free pantomime shows are held.

The official currency of Denmark is the Danish krone.

Answer: Charles Bridge

Prague Castle, which dates back to the 9th century, is the official residence of the President of the Czech Republic. Spread across an area of around 70,000 square meters, it is considered to be the largest ancient castle in the world.

Construction of the Charles Bridge began at the time of King Charles IV and was completed over a period of almost fifty years from 1357 to 1402. The bridge is famous for the numerous statues, most of them fine examples of Baroque architecture, that line its sides.

The Czech koruna is the official currency of the Czech Republic.

Answer: Skiing

Gstaad is a popular ski resort and a favourite among the rich and famous. It is not uncommon to spot various Hollywood actors and other celebrities in the town during the winter skiing season so much so that all the major high fashion labels have stores along Gstaad's promenade. Located in the Alps at a height of 1050 meters above sea level, it is the site of one the largest skiing locations in the region.

Situated in Central Europe with a large part of its territory covered by the Alps, Switzerland is one of the continent's most popular tourist destinations. It has the Swiss franc as its official currency.

Answer: Yes

A geyser is a hot spring which periodically erupts violently sending water gushing from the earth. The term geyser is derived from the name of the Great Geysir which is considered to be one of the first examples of this phenomena observed by European explorers. Geysir itself is named after the Icelandic word 'geysa' which means to gush.

Iceland, an island nation located in the North Atlantic ocean, is famous for its unique landscape formed by volcanic activity. It has the Icelandic koruna as its currency.