Whimsical Places in the NUKSers’ Hometowns We have asked all the NUKSers about places in their hometowns, or towns that they live in, that seem whimsical or otherworldly. This is what they showed us:
Tatyana
“Halkata”, or in English “The Ring”, is a rock formation in the mountains near my hometown Sliven in Bulgaria. Some say that many years ago, at the place of my town, there was a sea and that the captains would tie their ships to the ring so they wouldn’t be blown away by the strong wind (another thing my hometown is known for). Another story tells that a beautiful young Bulgarian girl was being chased by the Sultan of the Ottoman Empire and she was saved by passing through Halkata’s hole. However, ever since I was very young, a lot of people have told me that if one passes through the hole, one changes their sex. The most famous legend (and probably my favourite) is that if two lovers pass through Halkata’s hole holding hands, they will remain in love and together forever.
Shanna
This is a fountain that stands on the central marketplace in front of the city hall, in my hometown Hulst in Zeeuws-Vlaanderen. It is called the Rabofountain and was a gift to the city of Hulst from the Dutch banking company Rabobank. The fountain was made by local sculptor Ronny Ivens and was placed in 2009. Since then, I have actually never seen any water come out of it, that I can remember. The words around the fountain are place names of villages surrounding Hulst, where a Rabobank location used to be. Most of these locations have been closed down by now. My friends and I have this game where we walk around the city at night and try to find places that could be a portal to another world, and we found this as the perfect gateway. We decided that each part of the fountain was a portal to the village of which the name is on it. This might be a weird hobby, but I would definitely recommend to try this in your own town!
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