Greece - Meteora

In a region of almost inaccessible sandstone peaks, monks settled on these 'columns of the sky' from the 11th century onwards. Twenty-four of these monasteries were built, despite incredible difficulties, at the time of the great revival of the eremetic ideal in the 15th century. Their 16th-century frescoes mark a key stage in the development of post-Byzantine painting.

Date of Inscription: 1988

Postcard 1: received as a RAS from dimitris

France - From the Great Saltworks of Salins-les-Bains to the Royal Saltworks of Arc-et-Senans, the Production of Open-pan Salt

If i'm in a scanning mood i will add the stamps too from the cards i get. This one is a little special. I did a private swap with marie - she sent me three cards unwritten in an envelope, as i don't like that much unwritten cards, i affixed some left over stamps from my vacations in summer and send them unwritten (but with stamps on) back to her - so she sent me the cards again, with some nice and interesting words :) Merci Beaucoup Marie, c'était trés gentil de toi!

The Royal Saltworks of Arc-et-Senans, near Besançon, was built by Claude Nicolas Ledoux. Its construction, begun in 1775 during the reign of Louis XVI, was the first major achievement of industrial architecture, reflecting the ideal of progress of the Enlightenment. The vast, semicircular complex was designed to permit a rational and hierarchical organization of work and was to have been followed by the building of an ideal city, a project that was never realized. The Great Saltworks of Salins-les-Bains was active for at least 1200 years until stopping activity in 1962. From 1780 to 1895, its salt water travelled through 21 km of wood pipes to the Royal Saltworks of Arc-et-Senans. It was built near the immense Chaux Forest to ensure its supply of wood for fuel. The Saltworks of Salins shelters an underground gallery from the 13th century including a hydraulic pump from the 19th century that still functions. The boiler house demonstrates the difficulty of the saltworkers’ labour to collect the “White Gold”.

Date of Inscription: 1982

Postcard 1: rec 07 Oct 2011 - private swap with marie

Foritifications of Vauban - France

Would love to get more views from different Sites!

Fortifications of Vauban consists of 12 groups of fortified buildings and sites along the western, northern and eastern borders of France. They represent the finest examples of the work of Sébastien Le Prestre de Vauban (1633-1707), a military engineer of King Louis XIV. The serial property includes towns built from scratch by Vauban, citadels, urban bastion walls and bastion towers. There are also mountain forts, sea forts, a mountain battery and two mountain communication structures. This property is inscribed as bearing witness to the peak of classic fortifications, typical of western military architecture. Vauban also played a major role in the history of fortification in Europe and on other continents until the mid-19th century.

Date of Inscription: 2008

Postcard 1: re. 07 Oct 2011 - private swap with Marie

The Causses and the Cévennes, Mediterranean agro-pastoral Cultural Landscape - france

The 302,319 hectare property, in the southern part of central France, is a mountain landscape interspersed by deep valleys that is representative of the relationship between agro-pastoral systems and their biophysical environment, notably through drailles or drove roads. Villages and substantial stone farmhouses on deep terraces of the Causses reflect the organization of large abbeys from the 11th century. Mont Lozère, inside the property, is one of the last places where summer transhumance is still practiced.

Date of Inscription: 2011

Postcard 1: private swap with vykorbfan

Pilgrimage Church of Wies - Germany

Miraculously preserved in the beautiful setting of an Alpine valley, the Church of Wies (1745–54), the work of architect Dominikus Zimmermann, is a masterpiece of Bavarian Rococo – exuberant, colourful and joyful. 
Date of Inscription: 1983 


Postcard 1: rec. Sep 2011 from sternchen24 - unwritten

Postcard 2: Meet up RR 50B von turtles (Meeting in Hamburg)

Upper Middle Rhine Valley - Germany

The 65km-stretch of the Middle Rhine Valley, with its castles, historic towns and vineyards, graphically illustrates the long history of human involvement with a dramatic and varied natural landscape. It is intimately associated with history and legend and for centuries has exercised a powerful influence on writers, artists and composers.
Date of Inscription: 2002

Postcard 1: BIG Unesco RR#7 - Apperveilchen

Postcard 2: Mythic Loreley  

Postcard 3: rec. Sept 2011 -
from a travelling envelope Group in the BIG UNESCO RR

Provins, Town of Medieval Fairs - France

The fortified medieval town of Provins is situated in the former territory of the powerful Counts of Champagne. It bears witness to early developments in the organization of international trading fairs and the wool industry. The urban structure of Provins, which was built specifically to host the fairs and related activities, has been well preserved. 


Date of Inscription: 2001 


Postcard 1: BIG Unesco RR #7 from nathj92

Ujung Kulon National Park - Indonesia

This national park, located in the extreme south-western tip of Java on the Sunda shelf, includes the Ujung Kulon peninsula and several offshore islands and encompasses the natural reserve of Krakatoa. In addition to its natural beauty and geological interest – particularly for the study of inland volcanoes – it contains the largest remaining area of lowland rainforests in the Java plain. Several species of endangered plants and animals can be found there, the Javan rhinoceros being the most seriously under threat.
Date of Inscription: 1991


Postcard 1: Rec from Shinta

  

Sangiran Early Man Site - Indonesia

Excavations here from 1936 to 1941 led to the discovery of the first hominid fossil at this site. Later, 50 fossils of Meganthropus palaeo and Pithecanthropus erectus/Homo erectus were found – half of all the world's known hominid fossils. Inhabited for the past one and a half million years, Sangiran is one of the key sites for the understanding of human evolution. 


Date of Inscription: 1996


Postcard 1: from shinta

 

Lorentz National Park - Indonesia

Lorentz National Park (2.35 million ha) is the largest protected area in South-East Asia. It is the only protected area in the world to incorporate a continuous, intact transect from snowcap to tropical marine environment, including extensive lowland wetlands. Located at the meeting-point of two colliding continental plates, the area has a complex geology with ongoing mountain formation as well as major sculpting by glaciation. The area also contains fossil sites which provide evidence of the evolution of life on New Guinea, a high level of endemism and the highest level of biodiversity in the region.

• Date of Inscription: 1999

Postcard 1: private swap with shinta