I sometimes think myself unlucky to have been born in an aging and impoverished city, buried under the ashes of a ruined empire.

我有时认为自己不幸生在一个衰老而贫困的城市，湮没在帝国遗迹的余烬中。

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The mark briefly outlived the fall of the German Empire and the foundation of the Weimar Republic in 1918, but was ruined by the inflation of the early 1920s.

BBC: Coining a new Europe

The ultimate is Hampi, once the capital of the rich, powerful Vijayanagar empire and now a UNESCO World Heritage Site: 16 miles of ruined temples and palaces from the 14th century.

FORBES: Photograph: Andre Fanthome (RAAS)