The Tim TravellerIn the the mid-1980s, the city of Charleroi started building a metro line. But with half the stations already completed, and the track and signals already in place, construction suddenly stopped. The line never opened. What happened? And how much of it is still there? I travelled to southern Belgium to find out...
The Belgian City That Built A Metro Line... And Never Opened ItThe Tim Traveller2022-05-13 | In the the mid-1980s, the city of Charleroi started building a metro line. But with half the stations already completed, and the track and signals already in place, construction suddenly stopped. The line never opened. What happened? And how much of it is still there? I travelled to southern Belgium to find out...
IMAGE CREDITS Slovak bus by ŠJů - commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Zvolen,_Arway_SAD_Zvolen.jpg Roman Skuhravý by podbrezovan.sk - http://www.podbrezovan.sk/trener-roman-skuhravy-kazdy-zapas-bude-narocny/The Miniature France Inside FranceThe Tim Traveller2023-08-22 | In a small suburb an hour west of Paris, there is a park shaped exactly like a miniature France. But why is it there? Who let a bunch of geography nerds build a park? I went out into the wild western suburbs to find out more...
MORE INFO ON THE RAILWAY snowdonrailway.co.ukThe San Francisco Cable Cars (Not Quite As Famous) Welsh CousinThe Tim Traveller2023-07-31 | Cable tramways - or in North America, cable cars - were once common in cities across the United States. But famously, San Francisco is the only American city that still operates them today. Less famously, the United Kingdom used to have cable tramways too. And one of them still survives! But why did all the others die out? I went to the Welsh San Francisco to find out more...
INSTA - instagram.com/the.tim.traveller TWIT - twitter.com/TheTimTraveller FACE - facebook.com/TheTimTravellerThe 50000-Capacity Ghost Ground That Came Back To Life (For One Final Game)The Tim Traveller2023-06-07 | At the back of a car park, a few minutes from the historic centre of Brno, is a giant old stadium, that has been abandoned ever since FC Zbrojovka Brno were forced to move out "temporarily" in 2001. But why did they leave? How has it survived demolition? And what's the story about the former player and the fans who brought it back to life for one final match in 2015?
SOURCE ARTICLES AND FURTHER READING DNES article about the latest developments between Petr Svancara and the City of Brno (in Czech): https://www.idnes.cz/brno/zpravy/stadion-luzanky-svancara-schuzka-mesto-posudek-pronajem.A230405_163451_brno-zpravy_krut DNES article on the Lubomir "Boby" Hrstka story (in Czech): https://www.idnes.cz/brno/zpravy/megalomanske-kralovstvi-za-luzankami-srazilo-hrstkovi-vaz.A101004_151813_brno-zpravy_dmk "What happened to Boby Hrstka" on Blesk.cz (in Czech) - https://isport.blesk.cz/clanek/fotbal/411198/byvaly-boss-boby-brno-hrstka-snili-jsme-o-titulu-co-dela-dnes.html
IMAGE CREDITS Apple Strudel photo by che - commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Strudel.jpgCzechias Incredible 1960s Supervillain-Lair Hotel (And Why Its Architect Got Banned By The Regime)The Tim Traveller2023-04-11 | In 1973, a new hotel opened outside the city of Liberec, in what was then Czechoslovakia. And it looked like nothing anyone had seen before. So what's it like inside? How did it win one of the biggest prizes in architecture? And why was its designer banned from the official opening? I travelled to Liberec to find out more...
WITH THANKS TO Milena Lánská / Hotel Ještěd - https://www.jested.cz/en
MORE INFO Jiří Jiroutek / Fenomen Ještěd - fenomenjested.com/phenomenom-jested Petr Vorlík - https://journals.ub.uni-heidelberg.de/index.php/icomoshefte/article/view/75098/68771 "Building Of The Century" by visitliberec.eu - https://www.visitliberec.eu/en/vse-o-liberci/horsky-hotel-jested-stavba-stoleti/ Financial Times article on the building - ft.com/content/69a0a1f8-8060-11dd-99a9-000077b07658 2013 article by expats.cz talking about the planned restoration - https://www.expats.cz/czech-news/article/restoring-an-iconic-bar-to-its-retro-glory
MORE INFO WRTV Indianapolis video about the World's Largest Toilet in Columbus, Indiana - youtube.com/watch?v=GTlsOTh5Y1s Article about Japan's claim to the World's Largest Toilet - allabout-japan.com/en/article/617 Article about India's claim to the World's Largest Toilet - https://www.indiatoday.in/lifestyle/buzz-top/story/world-biggest-toilet-pot-unveiled-haryana-trump-village-lifest-1090139-2017-11-20 The World's Largest Toilet on Simpsons Wiki - simpsonswiki.com/wiki/World%27s_Largest_Toilet
Aerotrain archive footage thanks to Les Amis de l'Ingénieur Jean Bertin - https://www.jean-bertin.fr/Why Copenhagen Put A Ski Slope On A Power PlantThe Tim Traveller2023-02-01 | What do you do if you really want to go downhill skiing, but you live in a country that has no mountains? Well if you're Danish, you build an enormous power plant, slap a slope on the roof, and go skiing down that instead. I went to Copenhagen to try it for myself...
@CityBeautiful video going into MUCH more detail about Copenhill's heat production and the concept of district heating - youtube.com/watch?v=a8Khzns0KIk
IMAGE CREDITS Olympic skiier by John Wick - commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Andrej_%C5%A0porn_at_the_2010_Winter_Olympic_downhill.jpgWhy Denmark Has Never Really Been Sure Where Its Highest Point IsThe Tim Traveller2023-01-17 | In February 2005, Denmark discovered that its highest point wasn't actually its highest point. This was a bit of a surprise - but to be fair, the same thing had happened in 1953. And 1924. And 1847. But how can it be so difficult to find your highest point? Or does the point actually change? Do Danish mountains somehow move around every few decades? I went to Denmark to find out for myself...
David Bennett's excellent music theory channel here: @DavidBennettPianoParis Renames Argentine Métro Station For The World Cup FinalThe Tim Traveller2022-12-18 | It's World Cup Final day, and Paris has decided to rename one of its metro stations...
INSTA - instagram.com/the.tim.traveller TWIT - twitter.com/TheTimTraveller FACE - facebook.com/TheTimTravellerHow Belgium Nearly Invented The Internet In 1910The Tim Traveller2022-12-04 | In 1910, two beardy Belgians started a project: to collect the entirety of human knowledge in one place, and make it available to everyone. It sounds like they wanted to create Wikipedia or Google - but unfortunately, no-one had invented web servers or home computers yet. So instead, they ended up making the world's greatest filing cabinet. I travelled to the city of Mons to see the beast for myself, and find out more about its incredible story...
Bob Taylor by Gardner Campbell - commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Bob_Taylor_in_2008.jpgThe Story Of Noisy-le-Grands Abandoned Metro Gets Even WeirderThe Tim Traveller2022-11-08 | They invited me back to the abandoned metro station in Noisy-le-Grand, and asked if I wanted to go down the tunnel. Bit of a silly question really, isn't it? But the more we explore, and the more we find out, the weirder the story gets...
INSTA - instagram.com/the.tim.traveller TWIT - twitter.com/TheTimTraveller FACE - facebook.com/TheTimTravellerHow Do Motorless Ferries Work? (Spoiler: Two Bits Of Wire & The Laws Of Physics)The Tim Traveller2022-10-24 | The Swiss city of Basel is home to four little ferries that have been shuttling across the river Rhine every day since the 1800s. But unlike most ferries, they have no engines. Or paddles. Or even sails. So how exactly do they work? I went to Switzerland to find out more...
Tom Scott's excellent video on the same subject - youtube.com/watch?v=b6utGZQ9SksPariss Weird Underground Pod System That Never Opened To The Public... But Its Still ThereThe Tim Traveller2022-10-02 | In 1993, the eastern Paris suburb of Noisy-le-Grand (yes, really) built an unusual and revolutionary new mini metro. One problem though: the business district it was supposed to serve never got constructed, and the line was never used. In the 30 years since it was supposed to open, hardly anyone has ever been allowed to see it. Until now...
Hampden Park in 2021 by daniel0685 - commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:The_new_normal_at_Hampden.jpgWhy A Gang Of Spanish Grannies Covered Their Local High Street In Woolly BlanketsThe Tim Traveller2022-08-18 | In 2019, in a small town in southern Spain, a group of women started to crochet a giant woolly blanket. Not for themselves; not for their friends or families; but for their local shopping street. Four years later, the blanket has reached 500 square metres and the unstoppable grannies have already started on a second street. Why are they doing it? And how big will it get? I went to Andalusia to witness the woolly wonder for myself...
Costa del Sol beach footage by FranVintage Paris Metro Station Temporarily Uncovered During Renovation WorkThe Tim Traveller2022-08-10 | It's happened again: every so often, Paris renovates one of its metro stations, takes down all the modern fittings and facades, and uncovers an absolute nerdvana of vintage signs and posters underneath. This time, it's Marx Dormoy station on Line 12. I went along to take a look at this temporary piece of transport history heaven before it disappears forever...
INSTA - instagram.com/the.tim.traveller TWIT - twitter.com/TheTimTraveller FACE - facebook.com/TheTimTravellerThe British Railway Station Where You Can Only Travel By BoatThe Tim Traveller2022-08-01 | The historic maritime town of Dartmouth does not have a railway. It has never had a railway. But despite all that, it has a railway station. It's been there for nearly 160 years and it still hasn't seen a single train. So how does it work? I went to the gorgeous south Devon coast to find out more...
IMAGE CREDITS Salcott Creek Salt Marsh by Matthew Barker - geograph.org.uk/photo/218032 Collett GWR 0-6-0PT Steam Locomotive by Charlie Jackson - flickr.com/photos/chaz_pics/22231047943Whats The Oldest Surviving Building On Earth?The Tim Traveller2022-07-14 | What is the world's oldest surviving building? It feels like one of those questions we should all know the answer to. Surely it's somewhere like the Pyramids, or Stonehenge? Nope: there are buildings way older than that, and arguably the oldest of them all is a relatively unknown site in France. I went to Brittany to investigate further...
Article in Ouest-France about the time a local mayor tried to bulldoze the Cairn (in French) - https://www.ouest-france.fr/bretagne/finistere/quand-la-pelleteuse-rongeait-le-cairn-de-barnenez-5424148
WITH THANKS TO ANAU Normandy Classics - normandy-classics.comHow Germany Gave Belgium Its Highest Mountain (And Then Tried To Get It Back)The Tim Traveller2022-06-17 | In the east of Belgium lies Eupen-Malmedy, the country's only German-speaking region, which also boasts Belgium's highest summit, the Signal De Botrange. But why do the people speak German here? And if they speak German, why does the mountain have a French name? I went to the High Fens to find out more...
IMAGE CREDITS Eupen-Malmedy Map based on original work by ikoli - commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Ostbelgien.jpgThe Belgian City That Built Two Metro Lines The Wrong Way RoundThe Tim Traveller2022-05-27 | Yes, we're back in Charleroi again. Because the story of its Metro gets EVEN WEIRDER.
Vicinal Tram in Charleroi by smiley.toerist - commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Tram_92_Charleroi_Eden.jpgRacing Club: The Fallen Giants Who Play At The 1924 Olympic StadiumThe Tim Traveller2022-04-18 | In a northwestern Paris suburb is a half-demolished decrepit old stadium. If you didn't know, you would never guess that it once hosted the Olympic Games. The World Cup Final. 42 French Cup finals. And legendary athletic performances from Paavo Nurmi, Eric Liddell, Harold Abrahams, and a young Brazilian footballer called Pelé. Last weekend I travelled to Colombes to experience the historic venue for myself, and watch the fallen footballing giants who still play there...
IMAGE CREDITS Colombes Stadium in 2009 by Dr.Clint.Beans - commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Stade_Yves_du_Manoir_Colombes7.jpgWhy London’s “Harrods Of The East” Didn’t Quite Go To PlanThe Tim Traveller2022-04-06 | In the 1920s, the Wickham family decided to demolish a row of shops in London's East End, in order to build a grand new department store - one that could rival Harrod's and Selfridges in the West. They signed a big budget contract with the builders, and shipped in all the stone at great expense. There was just one problem: one of the shopkeepers didn't want to sell...
PHOTO CREDITS Nail House by Zhou Shuguang - upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/7/7a/Chongqing_yangjiaping_2007.jpgThe Cityrama Citroen 55: The Strangest Bus Ever Built?The Tim Traveller2022-03-20 | In 1956, a company called Cityrama decided to shake up the Paris sightseeing industry, by building the world's most outrageously ridiculous bus. Was it utterly brilliant? Yes. Did it have any catastrophic design flaws? Also yes...
Paris background scene by Zinneke - sco.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paris#/media/File:Seine_and_Eiffel_Tower_from_Tour_Saint_Jacques_2013-08.JPGThe Neutral Road (And Why You Should NEVER Put A Stop Sign On It)The Tim Traveller2022-02-23 | The D68 is like any other French countryside road, except for one thing: the two towns it connects are both in Spain. Predictably, this has caused all sorts of border-related shenanigans over the years including a major dispute over some stop signs. I went on a hike down the road to find out more...
"Llivia, the Catalan enclave that prevents the roundabouts from going round" from Ladepeche.fr (in French) - https://www.ladepeche.fr/article/2013/03/06/1576149-llivia-l-enclave-catalane-qui-empeche-les-ronds-points-de-tourner-en-rond.htmlHow A Spectacular Piece Of Pedantry Created An International EnclaveThe Tim Traveller2022-01-25 | The Pyrenees mountain range has divided Spain and France for centuries, with Spain on the south side, and France on the north. But why is there one strange little blob of Spain over on the French side? I visited the historic enclave of Llivia and discovered the spectacularly pedantic reason behind its existence...
How Does France's "Northern Catalonia" Feel About Independence? - https://www.thelocal.fr/20171009/how-does-frances-northern-catalonia-feel-about-independence/The Abandoned 1950 Grand Prix Track Thats... Still ThereThe Tim Traveller2022-01-08 | Between 1950 and 1966, the Circuit of Reims-Gueux hosted the Formula One French Grand Prix 11 times, with the likes of Jim Clark, Jack Brabham, and Juan Manuel Fangio all winning races here. But six years later, it was shut down forever. And yet the old grandstands and pit lane are still there. Frozen in time for half a century. How have they survived, and how much can you explore? I went to Reims to investigate...
Starting grid of the 1966 French GP used under license from Alamy - https://www.alamyimages.fr/photo-image-grille-de-depart-gp-de-france-reims-de-l-arriere-300-1966-124517581.html
"Welcome To Slough" by R Sones - commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Slough_Railway_Station_Welcome_Sign_-_geograph.org.uk_-_1220395.jpgThe 422km/h Hovertrain That Destroyed The Rail Speed Record: What Happened To Aerotrain 01 & 02?The Tim Traveller2021-12-23 | The Aerotrain is a forgotten legend of French engineering: an experimental 1960s hovertrain that destroyed the world speed record for rail vehicles at the time. And in my last video, we visited the old abandoned test track where the record-breaking runs were made. But what happened to the two test vehicles themselves? Are they still around? I decided to try and hunt them down...
LINKS Univem home page - univem-paris.com/en The Friends of Jean Bertin (in French) - https://www.jean-bertin.fr/ Retromobile Exhibition Info & Tickets - retromobile.com
INSTA - instagram.com/the.tim.traveller TWIT - twitter.com/TheTimTraveller FACE - facebook.com/TheTimTravellerThe Disused Railway Where France Tested Rocket TrainsThe Tim Traveller2021-12-06 | Hidden in the forests southwest of Paris is an old disused railway line with an extraordinary story. Because after it was abandoned in the 1950s, it had an incredible second life: it became the test track for an experimental high-speed hovertrain. I headed out to the suburbs to investigate...
UN GRAND MERCI Les amis de Jean Bertin - https://www.jean-bertin.fr/
INSTA - instagram.com/the.tim.traveller TWIT - twitter.com/TheTimTraveller FACE - facebook.com/TheTimTravellerMacron Changed The French Flag Last Year, And No-One Noticed Until This WeekThe Tim Traveller2021-11-17 | In July 2020, the Presidential Palace in Paris took down its French flag, and put up a new one that uses a very slightly darker shade of blue. Mr Macron has been using the darker flag in press conferences ever since. And somehow, no-one [in the media] noticed it until this week. So what does this mean? Does France officially have a new flag? Can the President just do that? Why change it anyway? I decided to investigate...
Europe1 article and radio clip: https://www.europe1.fr/politique/info-e1-le-drapeau-francais-a-change-de-couleur-4076943
“Is it anticonstitutional to change the colours of the French flag?” from La Voix Du Nord: https://www.lavoixdunord.fr/1099237/article/2021-11-15/drapeau-francais-est-ce-anticonstitutionnel-d-en-modifier-les-couleurs
BFMTV’s coverage of the 31st March 2021 presidential address, showing navy blue flag behind Mr Macron: youtube.com/watch?v=kEymMKmv1jI
Aramis Navy ship by Jean-Pierre Bazard: commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Le_patrouilleur_Aramis.JPGSan Marino v Andorra: Can The Worlds Worst Team Finally Win?The Tim Traveller2021-11-13 | 35 years, 158 competitive games, 0 wins. San Marino are officially the worst football team in the world. But then, the 2022 World Cup draw threw them into the same qualifying group as Andorra. Will they EVER get a better chance to grab a competitive victory? One thing's for sure: there was no way I was going to miss it...
INSTA - instagram.com/the.tim.traveller TWIT - twitter.com/TheTimTraveller FACE - facebook.com/TheTimTravellerThe Worlds Only Country-Swapping IslandThe Tim Traveller2021-10-23 | Every 31st January, at midnight, France's Pheasant Island does something extremely strange. It becomes Spanish. And every 31st July, it flips and becomes French again. It's the world's only regular, scheduled, country-swapping island. So this summer, I went to see the flipping thing for myself...
Full text of the 1659 Treaty of the Pyrenees - https://mjp.univ-perp.fr/traites/1659pyrenees4.htm Scanned copy of the 1856 Treaty of Bayonne in pdf format - https://www.basedoc.diplomatie.gouv.fr/exl-php/util/documents/accede_document.php?1635010034494
IMAGE CREDITS Park Hill, Sheffield by Julian Varas - commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Park_Hill_Samarkanda.JPG Glasgow Red Road Flats by Daniel Naczk - commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Glasgow._Balornock._Red_Road_Flats,_view_from_Broomfield_Road.jpg Historic igloo photos used under license from Getty ImagesItalys Spectacular Abandoned 1960s Mountain-Top Party ResortThe Tim Traveller2021-08-17 | In 1967, eccentric Italian entrepreneur Count Mario Bagno flung open the doors to what he called his "City Of Toys" - the fabulous mountain-top party resort of Consonno, where you could do almost any leisure activity you ever wanted, as well as plenty that you didn't. Tourists flooded in, Italy's biggest stars came to perform, and within a decade, it was closed forever. What happened?
WITH A BIG THANK YOU TO: Historic photos of Consonno courtesy of Consonno Official - facebook.com/ConsonnoOfficial http://www.consonno.it/ Count Mario Bagno's English voiceover by Jay Foreman - youtube.com/c/JayForeman
TV Static Animation with Sound Effects created by YouToogle: youtu.be/NYWTlVD4vDs
Brighton Pavillion by Qmin: commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Brighton_royal_pavilion_Qmin.jpgMTU: The Transport Museum Paris Doesnt Know It HasThe Tim Traveller2021-07-20 | Unlike London, Paris has no Transport Museum. But I've discovered there *is* a museum of Paris Transport - it's just not in Paris. And it only opens one Saturday a month. I went out to the eastern suburb of Chelles to find out more...
Accessible traboules (info translated from lyon-france.com): - 54 rue Saint-Jean (La Longue Traboule): Heavy door and narrow passageways but the first two courtyards are otherwise accessible. The rest of the traboule has a few steps, so you may need to turn round at the second courtyard. - 27 rue Saint-Jean: heavy door again, but the first two courtyards are accessible. A large step makes it difficult to exit the other side. - 22 rue Saint-Jean: the first courtyard is accessible. - 10 rue Lainerie: again, there's a heavy door, but beyond that the courtyard is accessible and features a beautiful spiral staircase in one corner.Official Viewer Challenge 2021 - Go On An International Staycation!The Tim Traveller2021-06-21 | It's time for this year's official Tim Traveller Viewer Challenge! Wait, what's one of those then? Well, it's your chance to go out and do a slightly silly challenge, take a photo or make a video about it, and in one month from now I'll collect all the best ones together in one big video. In other words, you could end up starring on this channel! (Sort of.)
If you were here for last year's Mediocre Mountain Challenge then you already know how this works, but this video has all the details you need if you'd like to join in this year and you want to know more. Or even if you don't tbf.
IMPORTANT INFO - Post your photos/videos on Twitter, Instagram, or my Facebook page with the hashtag #InternationalStaycationChallenge - The final day for entries is 14TH JULY 2021 - You can "visit" any country you like as long as it's in your local area. Wi nøt trei a staycatiøn in Sweden this yer?
INSTA - instagram.com/the.tim.traveller TWIT - twitter.com/TheTimTraveller FACE - facebook.com/TheTimTravellerCan You REALLY Move The French-Belgian Border By Accident With A Tractor?The Tim Traveller2021-06-03 | YES WE ARE ASKING THE BIG QUESTIONS AGAIN. In early May 2021, a Belgian farmer hit international news when he moved a stone out of the way of his tractor, and accidentally shifted the French-Belgian border 2.3m into France. Or did he? Is it actually possible to move a border just by moving a stone? And why did he suddenly feel the need to move it, when it's been there for 200 years? I went to the little village of Bousignies-sur-Roc to find the truth behind the story...