European history

Europe has a great deal of history and has strongly influenced other parts of the world, and many of its historical sites are now tourist attractions.

Central Europe in particular is filled with medieval castles and early-modern palaces, with Old towns across the whole continent. Europe's heritage has however been scarred by war; in particular especially World War II. As that war left many cities bombed beyond recognition, many city planners saw their opportunity to replace the "old fashioned" old towns with (in today's eyes) bland 1950s architecture and big streets and overpasses to make these places "ready for the automobile". Although the worst excesses have been turned back, many historical buildings that survived the wars were torn down in this somewhat iconoclastic frenzy.

Europe has been more thoroughly excavated by archaeologists than any other continent, and most archaeological sites on the continent have some kind of guided tours, information plaques or other service to visitors. Some buildings from prehistoric Europe are the oldest remaining in the world, such as the Skara Brae on the Orkney Islands. Southern Europe has ruins from Ancient Greece, the Roman Empire and other ancient civilizations.