Place the City - Europe [2] Trivia Quiz

This southern Swiss city is within spitting distance of the Italian border and, besides Chiasso just a bit further south, is the gateway for any northbound travellers heading into the beautiful Swiss Alps.
At one time inhabited by the Romans, it should come as no surprise that this lakeside locale, actually found in the Pre-Alps, is a warmer destination on par with Italy to the south. In the summer, you can actually swim in its waters under palm trees.

One of the southernmost points on the Iberian Peninsula, Faro is in the far south of Portugal on the Atlantic Coast, just along the shoreline on the way to the Strait of Gibraltar. The region has been inhabited for quite a long time, earlier than when the Romans occupied the land in the 7th and 8th century AD. Today, the city of Faro isn't as large as Lisbon or Porto or even Lagos to the west, but it is nonetheless a cozy, seaside destination.

The coast there is considered one of the Wonders of Portugal, protected as a conservation area.

Found in the northern expanse of the Netherlands, the town of Groningen is northeast of Amsterdam and west of the German border, sitting only a short drive from the North Sea coast. Home to the beautiful bell tower known as Martinitoren, it's the capital of its province and surrounded by agricultural land. With most of the outlying area lower than sea level, it should come as no surprise that Groningen is close to the characteristic dykes and waterways that are found throughout the country.

Found in Bulgaria on the Black Sea coast, the city of Varna is the nation's third-largest after Sofia and Plovdiv. Though its location makes it perfect as one of the nation's only major seaports (accessing the ocean through the Bosphorus Strait and the Mediterranean), it's also known as a resort city due to its almost-Mediterranean summer climate.

The city has a long history being inhabited by the Thracians, the Romans, the Greeks, and the Byzantine Empire, and it's because of this that it's an uncommon but fascinating historical vacation spot.

The capital city of Slovakia, the Bratislava city limits are unique in that they straddle the Danube River and sit on the borders of both the nations of Austria and Hungary to the west and south. One of the richest cities in the European Union, it's perhaps best known for its castle which, sitting atop the city, has been used as a fort by the Celts, the Romans, the Slavs, and the Kingdom of Hungary. Today, the city's expansive history rivals most other European capitals and its cultural institutions could be considered unexpected delights.

Though Turku was, at one time, the Finnish capital (it's Helsinki now), it remains one of the country's most-populated. Sitting on the edge of the Archipelago Sea, Turku is the oldest city in the region and boasts not only a thriving seaport, but a late-13th century medieval castle.

The name Turku comes from the Slavic for 'marketplace', which is what the city was and remains due to its location. It's only about two hours west of Helsinki if you're driving.

One of the largest cities in the region called 'Lesser Poland' (along with Krakow), Lublin is fifty kilometres east of the Vistula River, the nation's main body of water. Though this would normally be a death knell for major European cities, Lublin was worth its salt because it occupied an important spot on trade routes to eastern cities and regions. Today it's a quaint, unspoiled city that benefits from beautiful architecture and green space which, considering its historical significance in World War II for both the Germans and the Soviets, was fortunately spared.

The capital city of the Balkan nation of Montenegro, Podgorica is a centrally-located destination sitting in a spot of convenience, right on two rivers, right between the mountains and the sea. Home to a third of all Montenegrin citizens it felt, at many times in its history, and the brunt of bad circumstances. Bombed in World War II and held by Communist revolutionary Josip Broz Tito as 'Titograd', it would eventually become the capital of the country in 2006 when it became independent of the former Yugoslavia.

Wales' second-largest city (after Cardiff), Swansea is on its own bay in the Bristol Channel which, considering its history, was ideal for the local copper industry as it thrived in the Industrial Revolution. Today, the city rests between the water and the moors on its opposite side.

Some of the ruins that act as its oldest landmarks are more than seven hundred years old. Swansea is also known for having the best surfing beaches in the UK Isles.

The capital city of Belarus, Minsk is smack-dab in the middle of the nation. With more than a thousand years of history behind it, it's one of the largest and most significant Eastern European cities. Overseen by Russian rule until the Soviet Union collapsed in the early 1990s, it eventually became an economic hub for the region. Today, this hilly city is dotted with churches, old-style Soviet structures, and forest land.