The Chrobry Embankment, formerly Haken’s Terrace, one of the most beautiful places in Europe. From here you can watch the vast panorama of the Odra River and the harbour. The viewing terraces are 500 m long and are located 19 m above the Odra river bank. The earliest written history of the area dates back to the sixteenth century. In 1873, a demolition of the eighteenth-century fortifications of Szczecin began. Thanks to the great commitment of Hermann Haken, High Mayor of Szczecin, in the years 1902-1905 a viewing terrace was formed on the site of Fort Leopold. Wide staircases run on both sides from the terrace to the banks of the river, where two pavilions were erected as the entrance to the restaurant, created contemporarily in the remains of the fortifications. At the bottom, there is a fountain decorated with figures of John of Kolno and Wyszak and two tall columns stylized as lighthouses. In the years 1906 to 1912 in the northern part of the terrace an architectural complex was built for the then regency of Szczecin, where now the authorities of the West-Pomeranian province have their headquarters. In addition, in the southern part of the Embankment a building complex of the Maritime Academy is located (from the years 1902-1905 and 1918-1921) and, housed in the same building, Contemporary Theatre and the Maritime Branch of the National Museum. Moreover, a large park is situated near the Chrobry Embankment.

The Hungarian State Opera is a neo-Renaissance masterpiece, boasting the third-best acoustics in Europe after the Scala in Milan and the Opera Garnier in Paris. It was designed in 1884 by Miklós Ybl, who also planned St Stephen’s Basilica. Lavish inside and out with a gorgeous fresco by Károly Lotz gleaming in a vast bronze chandelier in the Main Hall, the Opera is home to the Hungarian National Ballet founded the same year.

Right in the heart of the city, on Skanderbeg Square, the statue of the National hero, George Kastrioti Skanderbeg, rises. It is almost impossible to miss and it is one of the landmarks of the city. If you are a good photographer you will be able to catch it together with the Et’hem Bey Mosque and the Clock Tower, all in one photo.

No visitor should miss Bali’s many traditional Joged and Legong dances, Barong performances, or excerpts from the great Hindu dance-drama, the Ramayana. Most large hotels stage performances nightly. For Barong, also head for the open-air performances held every morning at Batubulan, northeast of the city centre. Wayang kulit (shadow puppet) shows are also performed frequently at many hotels and art centres.