Monday, December 07, 2009

Belarus

The picture is of the City Hall, Architectural monument of XVIII century in the town of Chachersk, Homel Region in Belarus.
Chachersk  is a city in the Homiel Province of Belarus, an administrative center of the Chachersk district. It is located in an area which is highly contaminated due to the fallout of the Chernobyl disaster.
The town was founded in the late 10th century on the Sozh River. It was first mentioned in chronicles in 1159 as the city Radimichi Chichersk. Sometime later a castle was built in the area.
In 1772 it became part of Russia, as the center of the county in the province Rogachev, then borough, and parish center of Rogachev district. In 1774 Catherine II of Russia in collaboration with a local governor helped build the town hall, churches a theater, 2 hospitals, and other notable buildings. Redevelopment of the city took place, with the destruction of the castle and the fortifications, which were mentioned more in the "Census" Chechersk for 1765.
Since 1919, it has been part of Gomel province in the RSFSR. It officially became a town in 1971.



Paulista Avenue , Sao Paulo, Brazil


Paulista Avenue (Avenida Paulista in Portuguese, Paulista being the gentilic for those born in São Paulo state) is one of the most important avenues in São Paulo, Brazil. The 2.8 kilometre thoroughfare is notable for headquartering a large number of financial and cultural institutions. It is also home to an extensive shopping area and to Latin America's most comprehensive fine-art museum, MASP. Since the 1960s, the avenue has been identified as one of the main business centers in the city. Being one of the highest points in São Paulo, it is distinctively clustered with radio and TV stations antennae, such as Gazeta's. The road is served by a subway line, as well as many major bus routes.
The avenue, which was inaugurated in December 1891, is generally regarded as the second most expensive real estate anywhere in Latin America, after Mexico City´s Avenida Presidente Masaryk.