Inside the world's quietest room

Founder and president Steven Orfield likes to challenge visitors to sit in the chamber in the dark, alone. The lab is called an anechoic chamber, meaning there is no echo as the room absorbs 99.99% of sound.One reporter lasted up to 45 minutes, and most people leave after half that time, tortured by the eerie sounds of their own body. “In the anechoic chamber, you become the sound,” says Mr. Orfield. In the absence of outside noise, it is the presence of maddening silence to which the ears adapt. As ears adapt to silence, the sounds of your heart beat, stomach, and lungs are your only reference, and it can be a very disorienting experience.

A typical quiet bedroom at night measures about 30 decibels; this chamber measures at -9 decibels. It is made of 3.3-foot-thick fibre glass acoustic wedges, double walls of insulated steel and foot-thick concrete.

Tatras Mountains

The High Tatras (Vysoké Tatry), the tallest range in the Carpathian Mountains, tower over most of Eastern Europe. Some 25 peaks measure above 2500m. The massif is only 25km wide and 78km long.Most of this jagged range is part of the Tatra National Park (Tanap): not that this fact has arrested development on the Slovakian ski slopes, much to the chagrin of watchdog groups like International Union for Conservation of Nature. The Tatra National Park complements a similar park across the peaks in Poland.

 

There are three main parts of High Tatras:

• The Western Tatras
• The (central) High Tatras
• The Belianske Tatras

Midmountain, three main resort towns string west to east. Štrbské Pleso is the traditional ski centre and is most crowded, with construction galore. Smokovec, 11km east, is an amalgam of the Nový (New), Starý (Old), Dolný (Lower) and Horný (Upper) settlements. Here there's still a bit of a turn-of-the-20th-century heyday feel, plus numerous lodgings and the most services. Tatranská Lomnica, 5km further, is the quaintest, quietest village. All have mountain access by cable car, funicular or chairlift. Poprad is the closest city (with mainline train station and airport), 14km south of central Starý Smokovec.

 

Notable Peaks

Gerlachovsky Stit (2.655 m / 8.710 ft) is the highest of the High Tatras and of Slovakia. For of its height and breathtaking scenery it is one of the most visited and challenging peaks. Hire a skilled mountain guide to lead you, otherwise it's hardly possible (and forbidden) to get there.
Lomnicky Stit (2.634 m / 8.642 ft) is possibly the most visited peak, probably because of its accessibility by cable car. You will find the highest situated Astronomical and Meteorological Observatory in Slovakia on the top.
Krivan (2.494 m / 8.182 ft) belongs to the Western Tatras and is the most popular amongst Slovaks. It is said that every Slovak has to climb to the top at least once in his lifetime. Krivan became the symbol of the freedom of Slovaks and since 1955, traditional national walks have been devoted to the Slovak National Uprising and the local heroes.

Crystal clear ice on lake in Tatra Mountains

Walking on water may sound to be miracle but in lakes of Tatra mountains its seems to be possible.The lake water is frozen and so hard that the your can actually walk in it.

When planning your trip, keep in mind that the highest trails are closed because of snow from November to mid-June. June and July can be especially rainy; July and August are the warmest (and most crowded) months. Hotel prices and crowds are at their lowest from October to April.

Contact

The administration of the Tatra National Park

Správa Tatranského národného parku

Tatranská Štrba 75
059 41 Tatranská Štrba
Phone: +421 (0) 52/448 42 17, +421 (0) 52/448 42 17
E-mail: stanap@sopsr.sk
Web: spravatanap.sk

Orchha Fort,Madhya Pradesh India

The Orchha Fort complex, which houses a large number of ancient monuments consisting of the fort, palaces, temple and other edifices, is located in the Orchha town in the Indian state of Madhya Pradesh. The fort and other structures within it were built by the Bundela Rajputs starting from early 16th century by King Rudra Pratap Singh of the Orchha State and others who followed him.

History of Orchha

The building traditions of the Indian subcontinent date back to at least the 2nd millennium BC.India has traditionally been primarily religious. The earliest Indian building where Buddhist and Hindu temples made of wood and then brick. By the 4th century BC, stone had become popular, and successive cultures acquired great skill in carving and construction. Large stupas where built, along with cave temple and monasteries carved out of solid rock.

The Gupta period (4th-6th century AD) saw the rapid development of temple architecture, often decorated with bands of elaborate carving. Northern India's most characteristic structure, a temple with a heavily decorated tower, reached its stylistic height in 7th-11th century. The extension of Islam into India in the 11 th-12th century introduced typical Muslim(l1 architectural forms (e.g. the dome and pointed arch) and decoration. Such masterworks as the Taj Mahal resulted from the rule of the Muslim dynasty in the 16th-18th century. European colonization and British rule introduced European style.

Only Natural colors have been used in painting the murals at Orchha. The pigment that been most widely used are red, orange, golden, yellow, green, white, brown and black. Elaborate preparation of the surface seems to have been done before the actual painting. Lime and shell powder were used for binding the surface wall, which was used for binding the surface wall, which was subsequently polished. The painting surface is about two to four mm thick and natural colors lend a vibrant touch.

Orchha (25°20' N; 78°42' E)
A Village of Prithvipur Tahsil, Orchha is situated on the Betwa river at a distance of about 13 km. from tahsil headquarters. It is 15km. from Jhansi (U.P.) Orchha is linked by rail on Jhansi-Manikpur section of the Central Railway.

Orchha was the capital town of the State. It was founded by Maharaja Rudra Pratap in 1531 A.D. In 1783, Maharaja Vikramjit removed the capital to Tikamgarh since then Orchha has rapidly fallen in to decay. The name Orchha of Ondchha is traditionally derived from the scoffing remark of a Raiput chief who on visiting the site selected for the capital town. On an island in the Betwa which has been surrounded by a battlement wall, now sadly dilapidated and approached by a causeway over a fine bridge of fourteen arches, stands a huge palace fort mainly the work of Maharaja BirSingh Dev. It consists of several, connected buildings constructed at different times. The finest of these are the Raj Mandir and Jahangir Mahal.

The river Betwa here breaks though seven channel called the Satdhara, of which the origin is poetically ascribed to seven of the Orchha Chief in honor of whose achievements they are supposed to have started flowing - (The first channel was caused to flow by Diman Arjun, the second by he who slow the Mughals, the third by Pratap Rudra, the fourth by Bharti Chand, the fifth by Pancham, the , sixth by Madhur(kar) Shah and the last by Rai Dulha) .

Orchha is Famous religious center of Hindus. It is known for its religious and cultural heritage.

Travel within city
Orchha is a famous tourist destination in the state of Madhya Pradesh. Located in the banks of the River Betwa, Orchha is a tourist’s delight as this quaint old town has a lot of places of general interest. You can opt for buses, auto rickshaws and taxis while traveling to Orchha. These are the various modes of local travel available in the town.

Bus
Buses in Orchha normally run from 6 in the morning till 11 at night and these are the most preferred mode of travel in the town of Orchha. You can opt for bus travel as this is the cheapest mode of travel available in Orccha. Bus fares in Orchha normally range between Rs 3 to 6 and the fares depend on the distance covered.

Auto Rickshaw
Auto rickshaws in the town of Orchha do not run on meter and drivers may demand a flat rate while dropping you off at your destination. Bargaining for a better price is advisable, and this should be done before you board on auto rickshaw. Auto rickshaw fares will roughly cost you around 10 INR for every kilometer.

Taxi
Taxis in Orchha are available in all the major regions in the city, including the bus stand. You can opt for a taxi and a ride will cost you around Rs 100-150 from one point to another in the town.

La Tomatina :The Tomato Festival

Where is La Tomatina held?
La Tomatina tomato fight festival, Buñol, Spain. La Tomatina is a food fight festival held on the last Wednesday of August each year in the town of Buñol in the Valencia region of Spain. Tens of metric tons of over-ripe tomatoes are thrown in the streets in exactly one hour.

When is La Tomatina Celebrated in Spain? La Tomatina is celebrated on the last Wednesday in August in the small town of Bunol in eastern Spain. This year the festival takes place on August 27^th, 2014. The festival began way back in 1944 but there is no known religious or political basis for it.



What is the History of La Tomatina Festival?
La Tomatina started on the last Wednesday of August in 1945 (29th August 1945) when some young people went to the town square to attend the Giants and Big-Head figures parade. They decided to join the parade with a musician. The group's excitement caused a person to fall from the float. The participant flew into a fit of rage and started to hit everything in his path. There was a market stall of vegetables that fell victim to what soon became a furious crowd. People started to pelt each other with tomatoes until local law enforcement ended the battle.

The following year the young people deliberately repeated the fight on the last Wednesday of August, only this time they brought their own tomatoes from home. They were again dispersed by the police. The food fight became an annual event. In 1950, the town allowed the tomato hurl to take place, but the next year it was stopped again. Many young people were imprisoned but Buñol residents forced authorities to let them go. The festival gained popularity with more and more participants every year. In subsequent years it was banned again with threats of serious penalties. In the year 1957, some young people celebrated "the tomato's funeral", with singers, musicians, and comedies. The main attraction however, was a big tomato in a coffin carried around while a band played funeral marches. In 1957, demand for the popular festival led to its becoming official, with certain rules and restrictions. These rules have gone through many modifications over the years.



Another important landmark in the history of this festival is the year 1975. From this year on wards, "Los Clavarios de San Luis Bertrán" (San Luis Bertrán is the patron of the town of Buñol) organized the whole festival and brought in the tomatoes, which had previously been brought by the local people. Soon after this, in 1980, the town council took over responsibility for organizing the festival.

Since then, the number of participants has increased year after year as well as the excitement about La Tomatina Festival. In 2002, in the month of August La Tomatina of Buñol was declared a Festivity of International Tourist Interest by the Secretary Department of Tourism due to its success. In 2013, town officials introduced an entry fee and limited the number of participants, citing concerns over safety.

The city council follows a short list of instructions for the safety of the participants and the festival:

1. The tomatoes have to be squashed before throwing to avoid injuries.
2. No other projectiles except tomatoes are allowed.
3. Participants have to make way for trucks and lorries.
4. After the second shot indicative of ending the tomato hurl, no tomatoes should be thrown.

Ravindra Kaushik :A forgotten Spy of India

Ravindra Kaushik (1952–2001) was a former RAW agent,A.K.A Black Tiger is the most renowned spy of India.Ravinder Kaushik was born in Sri Ganganagar, Rajasthan on April 11, 1952. He was a famous theater artist and displayed his talent at the national level dramatic meet in Lucknow, which was witnessed by some officials of the Indian Intelligence Agency RAW.He was contacted and offered a job for being an undercover agent of India in Pakistan. At the age of 23, he was sent to Pakistan on a mission.

Ravinder Kaushik was recruited by RAW and was given extensive training in Delhi for two years. Circumcision was performed on him to show him as a Muslim. He was taught Urdu, given religious education and acquainted with the topography and other details about Pakistan. Being from Sri Ganganager, he was well versed in the Punjabi language which is spoken in major part of Pakistan.

In 1975 he was sent to Pakistan and given the name Nabi Ahmed Shakir. He was successful in getting admission in Karachi University and completed his LLB. He joined Pakistan Army and became a commissioned officer and later was promoted to the rank of a Major. He converted to Islam, married a local girl Amanat, and became father of a son who also died on 2012-2013.From 1979 to 1983, while in military service, he passed on valuable information to RAW which was of great help to the Indian defence forces.He was given the title of 'Black Tiger' by India's then home minister S.B. Chavan.Some testify that the title was conferred by then Prime Minister, Indira Gandhi.He spent 26 years of his life away from his home and family in Pakistan in very unfavourable conditions.In September 1983, Indian intelligence agencies had sent an agent, Inyat Masiha, to get in touch with Black Tiger. But the agent was caught by Pakistan’s intelligence agencies and revealed Ravinder Kaushik's true identity.

Kaushik was then captured, tortured for two years at an interrogation centre in Sialkot. Ravinder was awarded death sentence in the year 1985. His sentence was later commuted to a life term by the Pakistan Supreme court.Kaushik was kept in various jails, including Sialkot, Kot Lakhpat and in Mianwali jail for 16 years, where he contracted Asthma and TB. He managed to secretly send letters to his family in India, which revealed his poor health condition and the trauma faced by him in Pakistani jails.

In one of his letters he wrote,

"Kya Bharat jaise bade desh ke liye kurbani dene waalon ko yahi milta hai?" (Is this the reward a person gets for sacrificing his life for a great nation like India?)

On 21 November 2001, he succumbed to pulmonary tuberculosis and heart disease in New Central Jail Multan. He was buried behind that jail.

Mi4i:Specifications

GENERAL FEATURES

Form:Bar

SIM Size:Micro SIM

Touch Screen:Yes

SIM Type
LTE + LTE, (Dual Standby)

Model ID:MZB4343IN

In the Box
Handset, Charger, USB Cable, User Guide

MULTIMEDIA

Video Player:Yes, Full HD

FM:Yes

Music Player:Yes, Supports MP3

CAMERA:Video Recording:Yes, 1920 x 1080

Other Camera Features
Integrated Flash Support, Supports Beautify, Refocus, f/2.0, Sony/Samsung IMX214 Camera, 5-element Lens, Stacked CMOS Sensor, Full HD (Rear Camera)

HD Recording:HD, Full HD

Rear Camera:Yes, 13MP

Front Facing Camera:Yes, 5MP

INTERNET & CONNECTIVITY

Audio Jack:3.5 mm

Preinstalled Browser:MIUI Browser, Chrome Browser, Android

Bluetooth:Yes, v4.1, Supported Profiles (LE)

4G:Yes

Navigation Technology
A-GPS, GLONASS, BeiDou, with Google Maps

Wifi
Yes, 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac

Internet Features:Email

EDGE:Yes

GPRS:Yes

Tethering:USB

USB Connectivity:Yes, OTG Compatible

3G:Yes

OTHER FEATURES

Sensors:Gyroscope, Light Sensor, Accelerometer, eCompass, Proximity Sensor

Phone Book Memory:Yes

SMS Memory:Yes

Call Memory:Yes

SAR Value:1.290 W/Kg

Additional Features:
WLAN Support, Wi-Fi Direct, Wi-Fi Tethering, Voice Calling

DIMENSIONS

Weight:130 g

Size:69.6x138.1x7.8 mm

DISPLAY

Resolution
Full HD, 1920 x 1080 Pixels

Other Display Features
JDI Display, All New Sunlight Display, 441 PPI

Size:5 Inches

WARRANTY

Warranty Summary
1 year manufacturer warranty for Phone and 6 months warranty for in the box accessories

BATTERY

Type
Li-Ion Polymer, 3120 mAh

MEMORY AND STORAGE

Memory
2 GB RAM, 16 GB ROM

Internal
16 GB

User Memory
12.77 GB

PLATFORM

Operating Freq
GSM - 850, 900, 1800, 1900; WCDMA - 2100; 4G: LTE (FDD) - Band 3 (1800), LTE (TD) - Band 40 (2300)

User Interface
MIUI 6

Graphics:Adreno 405

OS:Android v5.0.2 (Lollipop)

Processor
1.7 GHz + 2nd-gen Snapdragon 615 64-bit octa-core

10 bandits of India

10. Paan Singh Tomar

Paan Singh Tomar was a Indian Soldier, an athlete and was a rebel known to had won national level steeple chase championship for 7 times and had represented India in Asian Games.It was during the time in the Indian army he knew his talent in running.However Tomar had a pre-mature retirement from the Indian Army.After returning to his village Bhidosa,Madhya Pradesh he faced a land dispute with Babu Singh who was head of 250 member family and rich lord in the area then. The Dispute got worser when Tomar's mom aged 95 was attacked by Babu Singh this when Tomar shot Babu Singh and became dacoit.It was also know that 10000 Rs was tagged for his head.Tomar was later killed by law enforcement agents in 12 hour shoot-out.A movie was made in his name in 2012.

9. Daku Man Singh

Daku Man Singh which means "Dacoit" Man Singh, his also popularly known as Thakur Man Singh since he belonged to Rajput family was a notorious dacoit in Chambal Region. It was known that between 1939 and 1955 he 1112 armed robbery and had killed 185 people which included 32 police officers in that region. He was shot dead by Gurkha soldiers in 1955.He has image of Robin-hood in the region than that of the Dacoit.

8. Dadua

Shiv Kumar Patel infamously known as "Dadua" was a dacoit raiding the forest regions of Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh.Dadua rised in power with the first instance of murdering a man for avenging his father's dead. Later after his release from prison he joined in the Gang of Seetharam in 1959 and rose in power Raja Rogoli. Dadua later become a head of 500 member gang and had influence extended to 10 assembly segments. He was shot dead with his gang members in a shot out with Indian police force.

7. Manya Survr

Manya Survr was a urban daciot of Mumbai,Survr in his early age was a college student who was doing Bachelor of Arts in Kirti College.He lived with his mother and step father in Mumbai.Survr had an elder brother(Bhargav Dada) who was gangster in Agra Bazaar.Survr was involved in murdering of member of other gang along with his brother and was sentenced for 25 years of imprisonment. After serving for 9 years Survr escaped the prison and returned to Mumbai.On return Survr formed his gang with his most trusted men. Survr involved in armed robberies and famous robbery was the Trombay Canara bank. Survr sometimes followed is robbery plot from James Hadley Chase novel which he used to read when he was is prison. Due to his successful heists and robberies his gang was under the heat and police force was in pressure to terminate the gang. And 11 Jan 1982 Survr was shot in a Shoot-out in Wadala.

6. Seema Parihar

Seema Parihar is a former Bandit queen only living bandit of recent times and now the member of Sanajwadi party. Seema born in poor Thakur family was kidnapped by dacoit of the region, where was raised to be dacoit,Parihar became gang leader and have been raiding the regions of Bihand jungles and Chambal river. She killed 70 people, kidnapped 200 people and looted 30 houses. In June 2000 she surrendered to Uttar Pradesh police. In Aug 2001 she had received offers from political parties. In 2010 she participated in Big Boss season 4.In 2011 she was appointed as women's wing of National Corruption eradication Council.

5. Nirbhay Singh Gujjar

Nirbhay Singh Gujjar was one most wanted dacoit of Chambal region. He made his way up from a petty thief to a dacoit. He had everything from booze to women and that's not all he had AK47, Bullet proof vest, Night vision binoculars at his disposal. Infact he was head of 70 member gang. He had a price tag of 2.5 lakhs ($5250) in his head and was shot dead by police force in September 2005.

4. Sultan Daku

Sultan Daku is the dacoit of British India and won the hearts of Bijnore people by rebelling against Capitalism and feudalism in society. He stole the riches from the Kings and lords of the region to help the poor and needy. Sultan Daku was hanged by Nijibabad secretly out of fear of rebels and protest.

3. Jambulinga Nada

Jambulinga was a famous outlaw of Madras presidency in 20th century know to be the head of 30 member gang. They usually raid people travelling along the forest the highways of Travancore-Madras Presidency. Nada used to ambush the travelers, relieving them of their valuables and loose the bullocks. Due to faster growing notoriety brought the attention of the Law in mid-1920 and there were joint patrols in forest regions of Aramboly to put an end to this ambush. However in 1927 Jambulingam was caught in one of raid and was shot dead in his act of escape.

2. Veerappan

Veerappan mostly famously now as Sandalwood Smuggler Veerappan was a dacoit in the forest regions of TamilNadu,Kerala and Karanataka. He was believed to be the leader of army which runs to hundreds. Infact he had highest price money on his head 50 lakhs ($790,000).He had killed 189 people which mostly included police officers and forest officers, in poaching he had generated an income of 22 million USD and he had various charges against him which included poaching, smuggling ,murders and kidnapping. One of famous kidnap was renowned Kannada actor Raj Kumar and H.Nagappa Former minister of. Despite the heat he created due to his criminal’s activity he evaded from law for 20 years and was finally shot dead by Tamil Nadu Special Task Force in 2004.

1. Phoolan Devi

Phoolan Devi mostly famously known as "The Bandit Queen" was born in boatmen class in small village of Jalaun District, Uttar Pradesh. At 18,Devi was gang raped by High caste bandits and because of this incident she became a gang leader on her own rights and sought revenge. In 1981 she returned to village where she was rapped rounded up the rapist along with 22 Thakur caste villagers and executed them which was later famously portrayed as "The Behmai massacre”. Devi was charged with 48 crimes including murder, plunder, arson and kidnapping for ransom. Devi and her gang survived for 2 years later they surrender to police in 1983.Devi was denied for trails for 11 years and state government ultimately removed all the charges against her and released her on 1994.She then joined in Samajwadi party and ran for election for Member of parliament and won in 13th Lok Sabha. On 2001 Devi was assassinated outside her New Delhi Home by 2 upper caste men.

NCR Kalpana software revolutionizes the ATM channel

NCR Corp. marketing director for ATM software Robert Johnston sums up Kalpana, the company's new thin client ATM solution. The company premiered Kalpana at last week's ATMIA US 2015 Conference and Expo at Caesars Palace, Las Vegas — not in an exhibit space of its own, but in the Cardtronics booth, where the solution was demoed on an NCR CX110 cash dispenser, the same model that Cardtronics is using in its forthcoming rollout of the thin client technology in pilot tests.

"Rollout" is the operative term that differentiates Kalpana from previous permutations of ATM thin client technology, Johnston said in an interview with ATM Marketplace.According to Johnston, Kalpana (which is Sanskrit for "imagination") exists on an entirely different plane, as a ready-to-deploy solution — "imagination in action," you might say.NCR Kalpana^™ software is a cornerstone of our CxBanking strategy, which focuses on seamless integration for more efficiency, growth and security for you — and more personalized experiences for your customers.NCR Kalpana is a CxBanking application that leverages CxPlatform technology to reinvent the financial self-service channel. It enables flexibility and rapid deployment so you dramatically reduce costs as you gain more freedom and choice. And its ground-breaking security model is designed to eliminate malware.
NCR Kalpana software frees you from the high costs and constraints of disconnected legacy infrastructure.

• Enterprise-driven creation, delivery and processing of transactions
• Enablement of thin-client ATMs like Cx110

Today the average ATM is a "fat client" (aka "thick client") Windows-based system — in effect a robust PC running a software stack, antivirus protection and various other agents. Each of these is fairly complex, with management done by separate systems."What happens with Kalpana is all that capability is now in the enterprise server, and the CX110, which is the piece of thin-client hardware that goes with it . It has a minimal software stack on it," Johnston said. "All it's got is enough to securely run an operating system, which, on this operating model happens to be Android. And really, that's all that's there."

Every transaction and service the consumer sees on the ATM monitor is provided through enterprise, Johnston said. And anything that happens on that thin-client CX110 has to be signed off by the server. So nothing can happen there that's not seen or controlled by the server.This means that malware-driven jackpotting exploits such as Ploutus, Padpin and Tyupkin — all of which require hard disk access at the machine level — can no longer be carried out by cyberthieves. No hard drive, no hard drive tampering."So it removes all of the malware, virus threat and all the rest from the client," Johnston said. "The results are then a much easier management profile because through that server, you can see everything that happens on the ATM.

• Operating system agnostic architecture

While Android apps have been known to have some security issues in the Google Play world, Johnston said that the open source platform does not have these susceptibilities in Kalpana. NCR's choice of the platform was based on this and a number of other considerations, he said.The first of these was that Microsoft doesn't offer a thin client option for Windows, which got the long-used ATM OS scratched off the list in short order.This left NCR with a limited range of OS choices. One of the other "hot favorites" currently getting attention in the ATM world is Linux. However, Johnston said, that platform has "a slightly confused and disjointed distribution strategy."Also, he said, NCR wouldn't have had the desired degree of control over the current thin client versions.

"Particularly in the security," he said. "We felt that the security was much tighter with Android. And in Android, we have control of the source code as well, so we can execute the updates in there that will traverse through different and future variants of Android. We won't have to build the whole thing every time ".Johnston noted that because the system NCR developed is agnostic, the architecture will allow the introduction of other operating systems time in the future without substantial changes on the server side.

• Resilient, configurable switch integration
• Unsurpassed flexibility and integration across channels

 

This results in tangible gains for you:

• Cost Savings – 27% to 40% reduction in ATM network total cost of ownership, equivalent to savings of $540K to $800K per year on a 100 unit CD network. (Based on data from NCR, customer and analyst sources)
• High Security – world’s first ATM security certification to PCI 4.0.
• Increased Efficiency – rapid deployment and updates, with up to 50% less time to introduce new transactions and services.
• Amazing customer experience – easy integration across channels for more personalization and targeted services.

Coral castle

Coral Castle is a stone structure created by the Latvian American eccentric Edward Leedskalnin (1887–1951) north of the city of Homestead, Florida in Miami-Dade County at the intersection of South Dixie Highway (U.S. 1) and SW 157th Avenue. The structure comprises numerous megalithic stones (mostly limestone formed from coral), each weighing several tons. It currently serves as a privately operated tourist attraction. Coral Castle is noted for legends surrounding its creation that claim it was built single-handedly by Leedskalnin using reverse magnetism and/or supernatural abilities to move and carve numerous stones weighing many tons.

History:

According to the Coral Castle's own promotional material, Edward Leedskalnin was jilted by his 16-year-old fiancée Agnes Skuvst in Latvia, just one day before the wedding. Leaving for America, he came down with allegedly terminal tuberculosis, but spontaneously healed, stating that magnets had some effect on his disease.

Edward spent more than 28 years building the Coral Castle, refusing to allow anyone to view him while he worked. A few teenagers claimed to have witnessed his work, reporting that he had caused the blocks of coral to move like hydrogen balloons. The only tool that Leedskalnin spoke of using was a "perpetual motion holder".

 

Leedskalnin originally built the castle, which he named Rock Gate Park, in Florida City, Florida around 1923. He purchased the land from Ruben Moser whose wife assisted him when he had a very bad bout with tuberculosis. Florida City, which borders the Everglades, is the southernmost city in the United States that is not on an island. It was an extremely remote location with very little development at the time. The castle remained in Florida City until about 1936 when Leedskalnin decided to move and take the castle with him to its final location on 28655 South Dixie Highway Miami, FL 33033. The Coral Castle website states that he chose to move in order to protect his privacy when discussion about developing land in the area of the castle started. He spent three years moving the Coral Castle structures 10 miles (16 km) north from Florida City to its current location in Homestead, Florida.

Leedskalnin continued to work on the castle up until his death in 1951. The coral pieces that are part of the newer castle, not among those transported from the original location, were quarried on the property only a few feet away from the southern wall. When Leedskalnin became ill in November 1951, he put a sign on the door of the front gate "Going to the Hospital" and took the bus to Jackson Memorial Hospital in Miami. Leedskalnin suffered a stroke at one point, either before he left for the hospital or at the hospital. He died twenty-eight days later of Pyelonephritis (a kidney infection) at the age of 64. His death certificate noted that his death was a result of "uremia; failure of kidneys, as a result of the infection and abscess."

While the property was being investigated, $3,500 was found among Leedskalnin's personal belongings. Leedskalnin had made his income from conducting tours, selling pamphlets about various subjects (including magnetic currents) and the sale of a portion of his 10-acre (4.0 ha) property for the construction of U.S. Route 1. Having no will, the castle became the property of his closest living relative in America, a nephew from Michigan named Harry.

The Coral Castle website reports that the nephew was in poor health and he sold the castle to an Illinois family in 1953. However, this story differs from the obituary of a former Coral Castle owner, Julius Levin, a retired jeweler from Chicago, Illinois. The obituary states Levin had purchased the land from the state of Florida in 1952 and may not have been aware there was even a castle on the land. The new owners changed the name of Rock Gate Park to Coral Castle and turned it into a tourist attraction.In January 1981, Levin sold the castle to Coral Castle, Inc. for $175,000. The company retains ownership today.In 1984, the property was listed on the National Register of Historic Places. It was added under the name of "Rock Gate", but the name on the list was changed to "Coral Castle" in 2011 .

The Castle

 

The grounds of Coral Castle consist of 1,100 short tons of stones in the form of walls, carvings, furniture and a castle tower. Commonly referred to as being made up of coral, it is made of oolite, also known as oolitic limestone. Oolite is a sedimentary rock composed of small spherical grains of concentrically layered carbonate that may include localized concentrations of fossil shells and coral. Oolite is found throughout southeastern Florida from Palm Beach County to the Florida Keys.Oolite is often found beneath only several inches of topsoil, such as at the Coral Castle site.

The stones are fastened together without mortar. They are set on top of each other using their weight to keep them together. The craftsmanship detail is so skillful and the stones are connected with such precision that no light passes through the joints. The 8-foot (2.4 m) tall vertical stones that make up the perimeter wall have a uniform height. Even with the passage of decades and a direct hit on August 24, 1992, by the Category 5 Hurricane Andrew, the stones have not shifted.

Many of the features and carvings of the castle are notable. Among them are a two-story castle tower that served as Leedskalnin's living quarters , an accurate sundial, a Polaris telescope, an obelisk, a barbecue, a water well, a fountain, celestial stars and planets, and numerous pieces of furniture. The furniture pieces include a heart-shaped table, a table in the shape of Florida, twenty-five rocking chairs, chairs resembling crescent moons, a bathtub, beds and a throne.