Where in the World?

March 2009 issue

"The Beehive" in Wellington, New Zealand

Staying right where it is, thank you very much!

January’s photo depicts “The Beehive,” the Executive Wing of New Zealand’s Parliament buildings, located in Wellington, North Island. Based on a sketch drawn on a napkin by Sir Basil Spence, it was built in the 1970s.

Twenty years later there was a proposal to move the entire structure in order to extend the building that houses Parliament, but public outcry nixed that plan and, for now, anyway, the busy Prime Minister and his Cabinet can keep buzzing away on the corner of Molesworth Street and Lambton...

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April 2010 issue

Kerimäki Church in Kerimäki, Finland

"Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest." Christ's words are inscribed on the altar of the subject of February's photo, Kerimäki Church in Kerimäki, Finland. Designed by Anders Fredrik Granstedt and consecrated in 1848, it is the largest wooden church in the world, seating more than 3,000 people. Every man aged 15 to 60 in Kerimäki participated in the construction of the church, which was completed in three years.

Correct answers to the puzzle were sent in by the following readers: Stefan Backström, Lynchburg, VA; Signe Haugen, San...

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May 2010 issue

Kate Sheppard National Monument in Christchurch, New Zealand

One person, one vote. . . . Twenty-seven years before the United States achieved women's suffrage for the nation as a whole, New Zealand became the world's first nation to grant women the right to vote, with the passage of the Electoral Bill in 1893. Kate Sheppard (1848-1934) was the driving force behind the bill, at one point collecting signatures of more than a third of the entire female population of New Zealand on a petition to Parliament.

March's photo depicts the Kate Sheppard National Monument in Christchurch, New Zealand. The bronze relief sculpture by Margriet...

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June 2010 issue

Sueno's Stone, near Forres, Scotland

"When shall we three meet again, in thunder, lightning or in rain?" contemporary legend has it that Shakespeare penned the opening lines of "Macbeth," the meeting of the three witches, with this month's subject in mind for his setting.

Sueno's Stone, near Forres, Scotland, is thought to have been built by a Pictish tribe somewhere between AD 800 and 900. The carvings on the 21-foot tall stone may depict a battle scene.

Six readers sent in the correct answer by the deadline and CYNTHIA BAUZON of Carmel, Indiana, won the drawing. We thank Sol Gold...

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September 2010 issue

Christchurch Arts Centre in Christchurch, New Zealand

You really have to be walking on air to live in this house. July’s photo depicts “Echo,” a three-dimensional sculpture of black fiberglass tubes installed over the Christchurch Arts Centre in Christchurch, New Zealand, by Ned Dawson in 1981. The “floating” house is suspended 26 feet above the building by thin wires.

Nine correct entries were sent in by the deadline, and ALAN LICHTENSTEIN of Commack, New York, won the drawing. We thank Lorenz Rychner of Denver, Colorado, for contributing the photo.

Correct answers to the puzzle were sent in by...

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July 2010 issue

Penitentiary at Port Arthur, Tasmania

From 1787 to 1868, more than 160,000 prisoners were transported from Britain to Australia. Once they reached Australia, anyone who reoffended was sent to the subject of May’s photo, the Penitentiary at Port Arthur, Tasmania. It was nearly an “inescapable” prison.

One convict, George Hunt, famously attempted to gain his freedom by disguising himself as a kangaroo, only to throw off the pelt and give himself up when hungry guards tried to shoot him for dinner.

Thirty-four correct entries were sent by the deadline, and JACK ORR of Hot Springs, Arkansas, won...

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August 2010 issue

Giant Swing near entrance to Wat Suthat in Bangkok, Thailand

The photo in the June issue depicts the Giant Swing near the entrance to Wat Suthat in Bangkok, Thailand. The current structure is a replica of the original swing, built in 1784, which stood until 2006. (Timbers of the original swing are preserved in Bangkok’s National Museum.) In a ceremony that symbolically reenacted elements of the Hindu creation myth, monks would swing from the 80-foot-tall structure and attempt to grab a bag of coins atop one of the pillars. The ritual was halted in 1935 after several fatal accidents.

Thirteen correct entries were sent in by the deadline...

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November 2009 issue

Alter Kranen (old crane) in Wurzburg, Germany
Alter Kranen, Würzburg, Germany

The crane on the Main: it could lift tons of grain.

The Alter Kranen (old crane) in Würzburg, Germany, was completed in 1773. Located conveniently next to the customs house in Würzburg, the crane was used until 1846 to unload cargo from ships on the Main River.

Six readers sent in the correct answer by the deadline, and SUSAN TARTAGLINO of Alwood, Texas, won the drawing. We thank Peter Klatt of Berkeley, California, for contributing the photo.