Author: hhgygy

A lone triumphal arch in Soupir is all that remains of a château whose story spans medieval fortifications, aristocratic rebuilding, and Belle Époque extravagance. The original stronghold — “four towers, a drawbridge, a moat” — was already decayed when sold in 1456. The Baudoin family rebuilt its vast perimeter wall and hosted Fénelon in 1710, but by the mid‑18th century Antoine‑Séraphin Baudoin sold the estate to fund his Seven Years’ War expedition. Later owners suffered the destruction of the 1814–1818 Russian occupation.

The remains of the gate to the castle.

A renaissance came in 1873 when Pauline Plé, heir to the Piper‑Heidsieck fortune, transformed the manor into a Chambord‑inspired palace, doubling its size and modernizing the village. In 1906 it passed to Mary Boursin — born Marie Georget, once a boot stitcher and later the secret companion of Alfred Chauchard, founder of the Louvre department stores. She inherited his immense wealth, hosted lavish gatherings, and built the arch in 1908 with her initials.

Disaster struck in 1914: Mary’s daughter won a lawsuit for recognition, Calmette — to whom Mary had donated the château — was assassinated, and war obliterated Soupir. The château burned, was shelled, and vanished entirely by early 1915 along with the village. Mary died in 1921, leaving a fortune worth nearly €2.8 billion today. Calmette’s heirs sold the ruins and land for agriculture. Only the arch, a rusted gate, and traces of the moat survive — listed monuments standing alone in a field where the château once rose.

Those who found it before the hint:

• Paul Voestermans
• Lighthouse
• Martin de Bock
• Garfield
• Phil Ower

And after the hint:

• Graham Hedley
• Eloy Cano
• Centaurea

The Baobab Prison Tree near Derby, Western Australia, is a 1,500‑year‑old Adansonia gregorii with a massive 14.7‑metre girth. Although long rumoured to have been used as a lockup for Indigenous prisoners in the 1890s, historians have found no evidence supporting this claim. In local Nyulnyulan languages, boab trees—larrgadiy—hold deep cultural and mythological significance and are regarded as individual beings with distinct personalities.

Early European documentation came from anthropologist Herbert Basedow, who photographed the tree in 1916 and described it as a hollow living hut used by Aboriginal people. He reported finding human bones inside, suggesting the tree had served as an ossuary as well as a shelter. These remains later disappeared, likely stolen by early visitors. Basedow’s accounts highlight the tree’s long-standing cultural use rather than any colonial penal function.

The “prison tree” myth emerged only in 1948, when artist Vlase Zanalis exhibited a painting that prompted newspapers to repeat an unverified story borrowed from a different boab tree in Wyndham. Scholars Kristyn Harman, Elizabeth Grant, and Kim Akerman have since debunked the tale, noting its absence from Aboriginal histories and colonial records. Today the tree is a protected tourist site under the Aboriginal Heritage Act 1972, fenced to prevent damage from visitors and vehicles.

Those who found it before the hint:

• Eloy Cano
• Martin de Bock
• Phil Ower
• Garfield
• Paul Voestermans
• Lighthouse

And after the hint:

• Centaurea
• Graham Hedley
• Bernd

As a spin-off to our World Cup series, the Tatran Čierny Balog stadium is a very special football ground located in Čierny Balog, Slovakia, which is the home ground of the local football club TJ Tatran Čierny Balog. The stadium is known for having an active train track that runs through it, even during games.

History
The Čiernohronská railway was built before the stadium itself. The train itself runs on the routes in the Slovak Ore Mountains. The network reached its greatest total length after World War II, with the entire track measuring 131.98 km. Before the suspension of traffic in 1982, only 36 km of the track was in operation. Operation on this track was suspended for a period of time, but in 1992 it was resumed.

It was at the time when the track lost its function that a village football stand was built on the site. Now the train, which serves as an attraction for tourists, runs every day in the main season.

World fame (kind of)
The municipal stadium located in Čierny Balog gained international recognition in late 2015, after a video clip that depicted a train entering the ground went viral. The line is believed to be the only railway in the world to pass through the middle of a football stadium, the tracks running along the front of a grandstand at the stadium belonging to the TJ Tatran Čierny Balog club.

Look at this video:

Those who spotted the railway tracks before the hint:

• Eloy Cano
• Paul Voestermans
• Martin de Bock
• Phil Ower
• Garfield
• Lighthouse

And after the hint:

• Graham Hedley
• Bernd