18/12/2011

Italy - The Sassi and the Park of the Rupestrian Churches of Matera

This is the most outstanding, intact example of a troglodyte settlement in the Mediterranean region, perfectly adapted to its terrain and ecosystem. The first inhabited zone dates from the Palaeolithic, while later settlements illustrate a number of significant stages in human history. Matera is in the southern region of Basilicata.

Date of Inscription: 1993
Postcard 1: private card pal card from marta :), december 2011



17/12/2011

Greece - Medieval City of Rhodes

The Order of St John of Jerusalem occupied Rhodes from 1309 to 1523 and set about transforming the city into a stronghold. It subsequently came under Turkish and Italian rule. With the Palace of the Grand Masters, the Great Hospital and the Street of the Knights, the Upper Town is one of the most beautiful urban ensembles of the Gothic period. In the Lower Town, Gothic architecture coexists with mosques, public baths and other buildings dating from the Ottoman period. 

Date of Inscription: 1988 

Postcard 1: BIG UNESCO RR #41 - bodexs, received November 2011 






16/12/2011

Germany - Maulbronn Monastery Complex

Founded in 1147, the Cistercian Maulbronn Monastery is considered the most complete and best-preserved medieval monastic complex north of the Alps. Surrounded by fortified walls, the main buildings were constructed between the 12th and 16th centuries. The monastery's church, mainly in Transitional Gothic style, had a major influence in the spread of Gothic architecture over much of northern and central Europe. The water-management system at Maulbronn, with its elaborate network of drains, irrigation canals and reservoirs, is of exceptional interest.

Date of Inscription: 1993

Postcard 1: received fro sternchen84 (nicole, via a private swap) - in november 2011





14/12/2011

Italy - Assisi, the Basilica of San Francesco and Other Franciscan Sites

Assisi, a medieval city built on a hill, is the birthplace of Saint Francis, closely associated with the work of the Franciscan Order. Its medieval art masterpieces, such as the Basilica of San Francesco and paintings by Cimabue, Pietro Lorenzetti, Simone Martini and Giotto, have made Assisi a fundamental reference point for the development of Italian and European art and architecture.

Date of Inscription: 2000

Postcard 1: private swap with red.panda, received in November 2011



13/12/2011

Viet Nam - Complex of Hué Monuments

Established as the capital of unified Viet Nam in 1802, Hué was not only the political but also the cultural and religious centre under the Nguyen dynasty until 1945. The Perfume River winds its way through the Capital City, the Imperial City, the Forbidden Purple City and the Inner City, giving this unique feudal capital a setting of great natural beauty.

Date of Inscription: 1993

Postcard 1: received from JoinHanoi for DecemberRR 2010



Postcard 2: received via swap-bot.com from panfriend88 in December 2011






Ethiopia - Aksum

The ruins of the ancient city of Aksum are found close to Ethiopia's northern border. They mark the location of the heart of ancient Ethiopia, when the Kingdom of Aksum was the most powerful state between the Eastern Roman Empire and Persia. The massive ruins, dating from between the 1st and the 13th century A.D., include monolithic obelisks, giant stelae, royal tombs and the ruins of ancient castles. Long after its political decline in the 10th century, Ethiopian emperors continued to be crowned in Aksum. 


Date of Inscription: 1980 


Postcard 1 and 2: received from kotona for the December 50 RR in 2011! - thank you so much!


  Aksum 


Aksum


Ethiopia - Rock-Hewn Churches, Lalibela

The 11 medieval monolithic cave churches of this 13th-century 'New Jerusalem' are situated in a mountainous region in the heart of Ethiopia near a traditional village with circular-shaped dwellings. Lalibela is a high place of Ethiopian Christianity, still today a place of pilmigrage and devotion. 


Date of Inscription: 1978 


Postcard 1 and 2: Both received from kotona for the December50 RR 2011 - thank you so much!


  Rock-Hewn Churches, Lalibela 

Rock-Hewn Churches, Lalibela


12/12/2011

Norway - West Norwegian Fjords – Geirangerfjord and Nærøyfjord

Situated in south-western Norway, north-east of Bergen, Geirangerfjord and Nærøyfjord, set 120 km from one another, are part of the west Norwegian fjord landscape, which stretches from Stavanger in the south to Andalsnes, 500 km to the north-east. The two fjords, among the world’s longest and deepest, are considered as archetypical fjord landscapes and among the most scenically outstanding anywhere. Their exceptional natural beauty is derived from their narrow and steep-sided crystalline rock walls that rise up to 1,400 m from the Norwegian Sea and extend 500 m below sea level. The sheer walls of the fjords have numerous waterfalls while free-flowing rivers cross their deciduous and coniferous forests to glacial lakes, glaciers and rugged mountains. The landscape features a range of supporting natural phenomena, both terrestrial and marine, such as submarine moraines and marine mammals.

Date of Inscription: 2005

Postcard 1:
Nærøyfjord - private Swap with norway_girl, received November 2011


Postcard 2: Geirangerfjord - private Swap with norway_girl, received November 2011 


11/12/2011

Spain - Tower of Hercules

The Tower of Hercules has served as a lighthouse and landmark at the entrance of La Coruña harbour in north-western Spain since the late 1st century A.D. when the Romans built the Farum Brigantium. The Tower, built on a 57 metre high rock, rises a further 55 metres, of which 34 metres correspond to the Roman masonry and 21 meters to the restoration directed by architect Eustaquio Giannini in the 18th century, who augmented the Roman core with two octagonal forms. Immediately adjacent to the base of the Tower, is a small rectangular Roman building. The site also features a sculpture park, the Monte dos Bicos rock carvings from the Iron Age and a Muslim cemetery. The Roman foundations of the building were revealed in excavations conducted in the 1990s. Many legends from the Middle Ages to the 19th century surround the Tower of Hercules, which is unique as it is the only lighthouse of Greco-Roman antiquity to have retained a measure of structural integrity and functional continuity.

Date of Inscription: 2009

Postcard 1: private swap with belessita, received in november 2011


10/12/2011

India - Mountain Railways of India

Would love to get cards from Kalka Shilma Railway and the Darjeeling Himalayan Railway

This site includes three railways. The Darjeeling Himalayan Railway was the first, and is still the most outstanding, example of a hill passenger railway. Opened in 1881, its design applies bold and ingenious engineering solutions to the problem of establishing an effective rail link across a mountainous terrain of great beauty. The construction of the Nilgiri Mountain Railway, a 46-km long metre-gauge single-track railway in Tamil Nadu State was first proposed in 1854, but due to the difficulty of the mountainous location the work only started in 1891 and was completed in 1908. This railway, scaling an elevation of 326 m to 2,203 m, represented the latest technology of the time. The Kalka Shimla Railway, a 96-km long, single track working rail link built in the mid-19th century to provide a service to the highland town of Shimla is emblematic of the technical and material efforts to disenclave mountain populations through the railway. All three railways are still fully operational. 

Date of Inscription: 1999

Postcard 1: private swap with sita, received in november 2011 // Nilgiri Mountain Railway




09/12/2011

India - Great Living Chola Temples

Would love to get cards from: The Brihadisvara temple complex, Gangaikondacholapuram, The Airavatesvara temple complex, Darasuram

The Great Living Chola Temples were built by kings of the Chola Empire, which stretched over all of south India and the neighbouring islands. The site includes three great 11th- and 12th-century Temples: the Brihadisvara Temple at Thanjavur, the Brihadisvara Temple at Gangaikondacholisvaram and the Airavatesvara Temple at Darasuram. The Temple of Gangaikondacholisvaram, built by Rajendra I, was completed in 1035. Its 53-m vimana (sanctum tower) has recessed corners and a graceful upward curving movement, contrasting with the straight and severe tower at Thanjavur. The Airavatesvara temple complex, built by Rajaraja II, at Darasuram features a 24-m vimana and a stone image of Shiva. The temples testify to the brilliant achievements of the Chola in architecture, sculpture, painting and bronze casting.

Date of Inscription: 2004

Postcard 1: private swap with sita, received in november 2011



08/12/2011

India - Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus (formerly Victoria Terminus)

The Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus, formerly known as Victoria Terminus Station, in Mumbai, is an outstanding example of Victorian Gothic Revival architecture in India, blended with themes deriving from Indian traditional architecture. The building, designed by the British architect F. W. Stevens, became the symbol of Bombay as the ‘Gothic City’ and the major international mercantile port of India. The terminal was built over 10 years, starting in 1878, according to a High Victorian Gothic design based on late medieval Italian models. Its remarkable stone dome, turrets, pointed arches and eccentric ground plan are close to traditional Indian palace architecture. It is an outstanding example of the meeting of two cultures, as British architects worked with Indian craftsmen to include Indian architectural tradition and idioms thus forging a new style unique to Bombay.

Date of Inscription: 2004

Postcard 1: private swap with sita, received in november 2011



07/12/2011

France - Routes of Santiago de Compostela in France

I visited Saint-Jean-Pierre-de-Port in Summer 2011 with some friends and my boyfriend.
First we went to the little village in the late evening (around 11 pm) with no tourists, it was amazing calm and beautiful with all the lights and the pensions for the pilgrims. And i had the most delicious cheese plate in the tiny bar called chez louis... mmmm... On the nxt day we visited the village again during the Daytime - omg it was so different with all those tourists! Luckily we are nightowls ;)




Santiago de Compostela was the supreme goal for countless thousands of pious pilgrims who converged there from all over Europe throughout the Middle Ages. To reach Spain pilgrims had to pass through France, and the group of important historical monuments included in this inscription marks out the four routes by which they did so. 


Date of Inscription: 1998


Postcard 1: official Postcrossing card ES-119107


  Routes of Santiago de Compostela in France // Routes of Santiago de Compostela in Spain


Postcard 2: 868-045 - basilique Saint-Sernin // private swap with asa (nancy) 

Routes of Santiago de Compostela in France


India - Elephanta Caves

The 'City of Caves', on an island in the Sea of Oman close to Bombay, contains a collection of rock art linked to the cult of Shiva. Here, Indian art has found one of its most perfect expressions, particularly the huge high reliefs in the main cave.

Date of Inscription: 1987

Postcard 1: private swap with sita, received in november 2011



Croatia - Historic City of Trogir

Trogir is a remarkable example of urban continuity. The orthogonal street plan of this island settlement dates back to the Hellenistic period and it was embellished by successive rulers with many fine public and domestic buildings and fortifications. Its beautiful Romanesque churches are complemented by the outstanding Renaissance and Baroque buildings from the Venetian period. 

Date of Inscription: 1997 

Postcard 1: private card received from mirna (pierresurleciel), november 2011

   


Postcard 2: Japan RR #86 from ddonkey, november 2011 



06/12/2011

Portugal - Monastery of the Hieronymites and Tower of Belém in Lisbon

Standing at the entrance to Lisbon harbour, the Monastery of the Hieronymites – construction of which began in 1502 – exemplifies Portuguese art at its best. The nearby Tower of Belém, built to commemorate Vasco da Gama's expedition, is a reminder of the great maritime discoveries that laid the foundations of the modern world. 

Date of Inscription: 1983 

Postcard 1: RAS card from geminiscp





Postcard 2: private swap with susana - december 2011(Hieronymite Monastery)

Monastery of the Hieronymites and Tower of Belém in Lisbon
Monastery of the Hieronymites and Tower of Belém in Lisbon

India - Humayun's Tomb, Delhi

This tomb, built in 1570, is of particular cultural significance as it was the first garden-tomb on the Indian subcontinent. It inspired several major architectural innovations, culminating in the construction of the Taj Mahal.

Date of Inscription: 1993

Postcard 1: private swap with sita, received in november 2011



Malaysia - Kinabalu Park

Kinabalu Park, in the State of Sabah on the northern end of the island of Borneo, is dominated by Mount Kinabalu (4,095 m), the highest mountain between the Himalayas and New Guinea. It has a very wide range of habitats, from rich tropical lowland and hill rainforest to tropical mountain forest, sub-alpine forest and scrub on the higher elevations. It has been designated as a Centre of Plant Diversity for Southeast Asia and is exceptionally rich in species with examples of flora from the Himalayas, China, Australia, Malaysia, as well as pan-tropical flora.

Date of Inscription: 2000



Postcard 2: private swap with erica chan (facebook), December 2011
 


Postcard 3: I'm going to vacation RR received from siguanea, December 2011 



Germany - Völklingen Ironworks

The ironworks, which cover some 6 ha, dominate the city of Völklingen. Although they have recently gone out of production, they are the only intact example, in the whole of western Europe and North America, of an integrated ironworks that was built and equipped in the 19th and 20th centuries and has remained intact.

Date of Inscription: 1994

Postcard 1: received from nephrotranz (Michael) as a special Bielefeld Meeting Card! November 2011



Romania - Dacian Fortresses of the Orastie Mountains

Built in the 1st centuries B.C. and A.D. under Dacian rule, these fortresses show an unusual fusion of military and religious architectural techniques and concepts from the classical world and the late European Iron Age. The six defensive works, the nucleus of the Dacian Kingdom, were conquered by the Romans at the beginning of the 2nd century A.D.; their extensive and well-preserved remains stand in spectacular natural surroundings and give a dramatic picture of a vigorous and innovative civilization. 

Date of Inscription: 1999 

Postcard 1: received from violeta13, private swap, in December 2011 



Croatia - Historical Complex of Split with the Palace of Diocletian

The ruins of Diocletian's Palace, built between the late 3rd and the early 4th centuries A.D., can be found throughout the city. The cathedral was built in the Middle Ages, reusing materials from the ancient mausoleum. Twelfth- and 13th-century Romanesque churches, medieval fortifications, 15th-century Gothic palaces and other palaces in Renaissance and Baroque style make up the rest of the protected area.

Date of Inscription: 1979

Postcard 1: RAS from crna_ofca 



Postcard 2: private card from mirna - received in December 2011



Russia - Natural System of Wrangel Island Reserve

Located well above the Arctic Circle, the site includes the mountainous Wrangel Island (7,608 km2), Herald Island (11 km2) and surrounding waters. Wrangel was not glaciated during the Quaternary Ice Age, resulting in exceptionally high levels of biodiversity for this region. The island boasts the world’s largest population of Pacific walrus and the highest density of ancestral polar bear dens. It is a major feeding ground for the grey whale migrating from Mexico and the northernmost nesting ground for 100 migratory bird species, many endangered. Currently, 417 species and subspecies of vascular plants have been identified on the island, double that of any other Arctic tundra territory of comparable size and more than any other Arctic island. Some species are derivative of widespread continental forms, others are the result of recent hybridization, and 23 are endemic. 

Date of Inscription: 2004 

Postcard 1: private swap with ikkyo



Russia - Citadel, Ancient City and Fortress Buildings of Derbent

The Citadel, Ancient City and Fortress Buildings of Derbent were part of the northern lines of the Sasanian Persian Empire, which extended east and west of the Caspian Sea. The fortification was built in stone. It consisted of two parallel walls that formed a barrier from the seashore up to the mountain. The town of Derbent was built between these two walls, and has retained part of its medieval fabric. The site continued to be of great strategic importance until the 19th century.

Date of Inscription: 2003

Postcard 1 & 2: Both received from a private swap with kill-hatori

 



05/12/2011

Italy - City of Vicenza and the Palladian Villas of the Veneto

Founded in the 2nd century B.C. in northern Italy, Vicenza prospered under Venetian rule from the early 15th to the end of the 18th century. The work of Andrea Palladio (1508–80), based on a detailed study of classical Roman architecture, gives the city its unique appearance. Palladio's urban buildings, as well as his villas, scattered throughout the Veneto region, had a decisive influence on the development of architecture. His work inspired a distinct architectural style known as Palladian, which spread to England and other European countries, and also to North America. 

Date of Inscription: 1994 

Postcard 1: private swap with red.panda, received november 2011 



04/12/2011

Croatia - Plitvice Lakes National Park

The waters flowing over the limestone and chalk have, over thousands of years, deposited travertine barriers, creating natural dams which in turn have created a series of beautiful lakes, caves and waterfalls. These geological processes continue today. The forests in the park are home to bears, wolves and many rare bird species. 


Date of Inscription: 1979 


Postcard 1: private swap with ddonkey, received november 2011

Plitvice Lakes National Park


Portugal - Laurisilva of Madeira

The Laurisilva of Madeira is an outstanding relict of a previously widespread laurel forest type. It is the largest surviving area of laurel forest and is believed to be 90% primary forest. It contains a unique suite of plants and animals, including many endemic species such as the Madeiran long-toed pigeon. 

Date of Inscription: 1999
further Informations: http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/934

 




Postcard 3: BIG UNESCO RR #41 - received from martinha in November 2011

Laurisilva of Madeira




France - Strasbourg – Grande île



Surrounded by two arms of the River Ill, the Grande Ile (Big Island) is the historic centre of the Alsatian capital. It has an outstanding complex of monuments within a fairly small area. The cathedral, the four ancient churches and the Palais Rohan – former residence of the prince-bishops – far from appearing as isolated monuments, form a district that is characteristic of a medieval town and illustrates Strasbourg's evolution from the 15th to the 18th century.


Date of Inscription: 1988


Postcard 1: Received juneRR - 2007 - sulak911


  Strasbourg - Grande Île

Postcard 2: received BIG Unesco RR #6 - received from nathj92

Strasbourg - Grande Île



Postcard 3: Switzerland to the rest of the world tag - doumik, received in november 2011

Strasbourg – Grande île

Japan - Hiroshima Peace Memorial (Genbaku Dome)




I visited this place back in 2008. i think it was the 3rd October, as my brother in law get married on the 4th in Nagano. It was a hot Day ad i can remember that i didn't feel well during the visit of the genbaku area. For me it was to much to see all the burned things they showed in the museum.... the most fascinating thing was the model from the town before and after the dropped bomb...






The Hiroshima Peace Memorial (Genbaku Dome) was the only structure left standing in the area where the first atomic bomb exploded on 6 August 1945. Through the efforts of many people, including those of the city of Hiroshima, it has been preserved in the same state as immediately after the bombing. Not only is it a stark and powerful symbol of the most destructive force ever created by humankind; it also expresses the hope for world peace and the ultimate elimination of all nuclear weapons.

Date of Inscription: 1996


Postcard 1: Japan x other Countries RR #86 - unesco cards - received from nightshift in november 2011