The mature years

Stradivarius violins are considered the best in the world. The fact that they’re more than 300 years old only makes them more valuable for connoisseurs. In 2011, the “Lady Blunt” Stradivarius was auctioned off for around €11 million, making it the world’s most expensive violin. Star violinist David Garrett also swears by his Stradivarius and its unique sound, which can be heard on his new album, Explosive

The moss green Yareta plant (photo) grows extremely slowly. It has all the time in the world, however, because the moss green domed Yareta, which can be found in the Atacama Desert in Chile, is one of the oldest plants on Earth (approx. 3,000 years old). This longevity—and the plant’s extravagant appearance—attracts visitors from all over the world

These bottles of wine have been through some turbulent times. Stored in the gloomy catacombs of Chateau Lafite Rothschild in France, some of them date back to the time before Napoleon. These days the wine cellar is a veritable goldmine: In 2010, three bottles of Chateau Lafite from 1869 were auctioned off for approximately €170,400 at Sotheby’s

Sometimes the most interesting thing about a picture is the part you can’t see. In this case, that would be the long-faded ink stain on the wall, which was reportedly made when Martin Luther threw an inkwell at the Devil. This may be a legend, but the fact is that Luther worked on his translation of the Bible in this barren room in Wartburg Castle in 1521/22 when he was hiding here incognito. During the 500th anniversary of the Protestant Reformation in 2017, Luther’s room received a record number of visitors.

Alamy

Today we try to calculate the course of the future by means of algorithms. In the past, people relied on the Oracle of Delphi. This is where Oedipus, Croesus, and other seekers came to find out what (mostly horrible) fate was in store for them. The oracle lived in the temple of Apollo. Here the Greek god was worshiped for centuries at the spot where he was reputed to have killed a hideous monster. Could the oracle have predicted that Delphi would one day be forgotten, then unearthed, and eventually become a UNESCO World Heritage site?

Alamy

As a rule, old cars are driven by people who either have very little money or a great deal of it. People in the latter group might pay millions of dollars for a vintage car that has captured their fancy. An outstanding example of that is an Alfa Romeo 8C that was auctioned off at Sotheby’s in 2016. The collector who bought it paid almost $20 million for this long-lived beauty. Made in 1939, it’s not only elegant but extremely rare. Only 12 of them are still known to exist today.

Bulls Press