Romania - Churches of Moldavia

These eight churches of northern Moldavia, built from the late 15th century to the late 16th century, their external walls covered in fresco paintings, are masterpieces inspired by Byzantine art. They are authentic and particularly well preserved. Far from being mere wall decorations, the paintings form a systematic covering on all the facades and represent complete cycles of religious themes.Their exceptional composition, the elegance of the characters, and the harmony of the colors blend perfectly with the surrounding countryside. The interior and exterior walls of the Church of the Suceviţa Monastery are entirely decorated with mural paintings of the 16th century, and this church is the only one to show a representation of the ladder of St John Climacus.Date of Inscription: 1993

Stamps from an UNESCO Postcard showing the White Monuments of Vladimir and Suzdal - Russia

first from right: kizhi churches , middle one: voronet monastery, Romania (Churches of Moldavia)

Spain - Royal Monastery of Santa María de Guadalupe

The monastery is an outstanding repository of four centuries of Spanish religious architecture. It symbolizes two significant events in world history that occurred in 1492: the Reconquest of the Iberian peninsula by the Catholic Kings and Christopher Columbus' arrival in the Americas. Its famous statue of the Virgin became a powerful symbol of the Christianization of much of the New World.

Date of Inscription: 1993
further Informations: http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/665

famalubel

 

Spain - Route of Santiago de Compostela

Santiago de Compostela was proclaimed the first European Cultural itinerary by the Council of Europe in 1987. This route from the French-Spanish border was – and still is – taken by pilgrims to Santiago de Compostela. Some 1,800 buildings along the route, both religious and secular, are of great historic interest. The route played a fundamental role in encouraging cultural exchanges between the Iberian peninsula and the rest of Europe during the Middle Ages. It remains a testimony to the power of the Christian faith among people of all social classes and from all over Europe.

Date of Inscription: 1993

further informations: http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/669

private card from my great aunt

UnescoRR - rita_simoes

ES-119107

Slovakia - Vlkolínec

Vlkolínec, situated in the centre of Slovakia, is a remarkably intact settlement of 45 buildings with the traditional features of a central European village. It is the region’s most complete group of these kinds of traditional log houses, often found in mountainous areas.

Date of Inscription: 1993
further Informations: http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/622

Bildunterschrift hinzufügen

Romania - Monastery of Horezu

Founded in 1690 by Prince Constantine Brancovan, the monastery of Horezu, in Walachia, is a masterpiece of the 'Brancovan' style. It is known for its architectural purity and balance, the richness of its sculptural detail, the treatment of its religious compositions, its votive portraits and its painted decorative works. The school of mural and icon painting established at the monastery in the 18th century was famous throughout the Balkan region.

Date of Inscription: 1993

Postcard 1: RAS from Danut! thank you!

Philippines - Baroque Churches of the Philippines

Would love to get cards from Churches in Manila, Santa Maria!

These four churches, the first of which was built by the Spanish in the late 16th century, are located in Manila, Santa Maria, Paoay and Miag-ao. Their unique architectural style is a reinterpretation of European Baroque by Chinese and Philippine craftsmen.

Date of Inscription: 1993

Postcard 1: shows the Paoay Church in Ilcocos Norte. private swap received from abbyaguas in dec 2010

Postcard 2: Many themes RR 525 - LusNox, rec in January 2012

677-004 Church of Santo Tomas de Villanueva
Miag-ao, Iloilo, Philippines

Slovakia - Levoča, Spišský Hrad and the Associated Cultural Monuments

Spišský Hrad has one of the largest ensembles of 13th and 14th century military, political and religious buildings in eastern Europe, and its Romanesque and Gothic architecture has remained remarkably intact. The extended site features the addition of the historic town-centre of Levoča founded in the 13th and 14th centuries within fortifications. Most of the site has been preserved and it includes the 14th century church of St James with its ten alters of the 15th and 16th centuries, a remarkable collection of polychrome works in the Late Gothic style, including an 18.6 metre high alterpiece by completed around 1510 by Master Paul 

Date of Inscription: 1993 

Postcard 1: JanuaryRR - 70 - stephany

 

Postcard 2:  RAS card from radim, received November 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

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

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

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

Russia - Architectural Ensemble of the Trinity Sergius Lavra in Sergiev Posad

This is a fine example of a working Orthodox monastery, with military features that are typical of the 15th to the 18th century, the period during which it developed. The main church of the Lavra, the Cathedral of the Assumption (echoing the Kremlin Cathedral of the same name), contains the tomb of Boris Godunov. Among the treasures of the Lavra is the famous icon, The Trinity , by Andrei Rublev. 

Year of Inscription: 1993
further Informations: http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/657

rec. in Sep 2011 -  unwritten from a travelling envelope Group in the BIG UNESCO RR at postcrossing.com

 BIG UNESCO RR #5 received from redlynx 

juneRR - 38 - kaurry

Romania - Villages with Fortified Churches in Transylvania

These Transylvanian villages with their fortified churches provide a vivid picture of the cultural landscape of southern Transylvania. The seven villages inscribed, founded by the Transylvanian Saxons, are characterized by a specific land-use system, settlement pattern and organization of the family farmstead that have been preserved since the late Middle Ages. They are dominated by their fortified churches, which illustrate building styles from the 13th to the 16th century.

Date of Inscription: 1993

Postcard 1: JanuaryRR - 34 - violet13 - The peasant fortress

Japan - Yakushima

Located in the interior of Yaku Island, at the meeting-point of the palaearctic and oriental biotic regions, Yakushima exhibits a rich flora, with some 1,900 species and subspecies, including ancient specimens of the sugi (Japanese cedar). It also contains a remnant of a warm-temperate ancient forest that is unique in this region.

Date of Inscription: 1993

 

Japan - Shirakami-Sanchi

Situated in the mountains of northern Honshu, this trackless site includes the last virgin remains of the cool-temperate forest of Siebold's beech trees that once covered the hills and mountain slopes of northern Japan. The black bear, the serow and 87 species of birds can be found in this forest.

Date of Inscription: 1993

Japan - Himeji-jo

Visited in 2008

Himeji-jo is the finest surviving example of early 17th-century Japanese castle architecture, comprising 83 buildings with highly developed systems of defence and ingenious protection devices dating from the beginning of the Shogun period. It is a masterpiece of construction in wood, combining function with aesthetic appeal, both in its elegant appearance unified by the white plastered earthen walls and in the subtlety of the relationships between the building masses and the multiple roof layers.

Date of Inscription: 1993

 

The pictures below are photos i've taken on October 2nd, 2011 while we visited this "castle"

Germany - Town of Bamberg

From the 10th century onwards, this town became an important link with the Slav peoples, especially those of Poland and Pomerania. During its period of greatest prosperity, from the 12th century onwards, the architecture of Bamberg strongly influenced northern Germany and Hungary. In the late 18th century it was the centre of the Enlightenment in southern Germany, with eminent philosophers and writers such as Hegel and Hoffmann living there.

Date of Inscription: 1993


Postcard 1:  BIG Unesco RR #21 - gerschjg

Postcard 2: rec as an official DE-946336

Tubbataha Reefs Natural Park - Philippines

The Tubbataha Reef Marine Park covers 130,028 ha, including the North and South Reefs. It is a unique example of an atoll reef with a very high density of marine species; the North Islet serving as a nesting site for birds and marine turtles. The site is an excellent example of a pristine coral reef with a spectacular 100-m perpendicular wall, extensive lagoons and two coral islands. 
Date of Inscription: 1993

Postcard 1: rec 07 Oct 2011 - BIG UNESCO RR - from Janbonivic

Archaeological Ensemble of the Bend of the Boyne - Ireland

The three main prehistoric sites of the Brú na Bóinne Complex, Newgrange, Knowth and Dowth, are situated on the north bank of the River Boyne 50 km north of Dublin. This is Europe's largest and most important concentration of prehistoric megalithic art. The monuments there had social, economic, religious and funerary functions.

Date of Inscription: 1993

Postcard 1: rec Sep 2011 - unwritten received in the travelling lope BIG UNESCO RR from fisherman

Postcard 2: rec december RR 2010 - fisherman

Qutb Minar and its Monuments, Delhi - India

Built in the early 13th century a few kilometres south of Delhi, the red sandstone tower of Qutb Minar is 72.5 m high, tapering from 2.75 m in diameter at its peak to 14.32 m at its base, and alternating angular and rounded flutings. The surrounding archaeological area contains funerary buildings, notably the magnificent Alai-Darwaza Gate, the masterpiece of Indo-Muslim art (built in 1311), and two mosques, including the Quwwatu'l-Islam, the oldest in northern India, built of materials reused from some 20 Brahman temples. 


Date of Inscription: 1993


 Postcard 1: private swap with ahmedvit