Selected article

West Wycombe Park is a country house near the village of West Wycombe in Buckinghamshire, England. Built between 1740 and 1800 as a pleasure palace for the decadent 18th-century libertine and dilettante Sir Francis Dashwood, the house is long and rectangular, and all four façades are columned and pedimented, three theatrically so. The house combines and encapsulates the entire progression of British 18th-century architecture from early idiosyncratic Palladian to the Neoclassical, although anomalies in the design of the house make it architecturally unique. It is in an 18th-century landscaped park, surrounded by smaller temples that act as satellites to the greater temple, the house.

The house was given to the National Trust in 1943 by Sir John Dashwood, 10th Baronet (1896–1966), an action strongly resented by his heir. Dashwood retained ownership of the contents of the house, much of which he sold; after his death, the house was restored at the expense of his son, Sir Francis Dashwood. Today, while the structure is owned by the National Trust, the house is the home of Sir Edward Dashwood and his family. The house is open to the public during the summer months and a venue for civil weddings and corporate entertainment, which help to fund its maintenance and upkeep.

Selected city

Vienna is the capital of Austria, and also one of the nine States of Austria. Vienna is Austria's primate city; with a population of about 1.6 million (2.2 million within the metro area), Vienna is by far the largest city in Austria as well as its cultural, economic and political centre. Vienna lies in the south-eastern corner of Central Europe and is close to the Czech Republic, Slovakia and Hungary. In 2001, the city centre was designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Founded around 500 BC, Vienna was originally a Celtic settlement. In 15 BC, Vienna became a Roman frontier city guarding the Roman Empire against Germanic tribes to the north. Art and culture have a long tradition in Vienna, in the areas of theatre, opera, classical music and fine arts. Apart from the Burgtheater which, together with its branch, the Akademietheater, is considered one of the best theatres in the German-speaking world.

In the news

• The European Space Agency sends the resupply spacecraft Jules Verne to the International Space Station.

• Serbian Prime Minister Vojislav Koštunica resigns, dissolving a coalition too divided over the loss of Kosovo and corresponding governmental position towards EU to carry on joined governing. (The Daily Telegraph)

• Dmitry Medvedev is elected to succeed Vladimir Putin as President of Russia.

• The wind storm Emma kills four people in Austria, two people in Germany, and two people in the Czech Republic.

• The European Union fines Microsoft €899 million for non-compliance with a 2003 antitrust ruling, the largest penalty the EU has ever imposed on a single company.

• Hungary agrees to join the South Stream gas pipeline project. (Reuters)

• Kosovo's parliament endorses a unilateral declaration of independence from Serbia and adopts a flag (pictured); response from the international community is mixed.

• The British Chancellor of the Exchequer, Alistair Darling, announces plans to nationalise the Northern Rock bank following credit problems caused by the subprime mortgage crisis.

• Václav Klaus is re-elected as the President of the Czech Republic.

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Did you know?

• ...that there have been 101 EU presidencies in total?
  
• ...that Greenland is the only territory ever to leave the EU?
  
• ...that the EU's parliamentary election is the biggest transnational election in the world?
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