Showing posts with label *UNESCO. Show all posts
Showing posts with label *UNESCO. Show all posts

Tuesday, January 21, 2025

Germany - Wartburg Castle


Wartburg Castle.

Sent by Dagmar from Mühlhausen, Germany.

Wartburg Castle blends superbly into its forest surroundings and is in many ways 'the ideal castle'. Although it has retained some original sections from the feudal period, the form it acquired during the 19th-century reconstitution gives a good idea of what this fortress might have been at the height of its military and seigneurial power. It was during his exile at Wartburg Castle that Martin Luther translated the New Testament into German (read further).


Monday, January 20, 2025

Germany - Aachen Cathedral (3)



Sent by Cardeaux, a Postcrosser from Boltrop, Germany.

My previous postcards of Aachen Cathedral are HERE and HERE.

Russia - Kul Shariff Mosque (2)


An illustration of Kul Shariff Mosque in Kazan, Republic of Tatarstan, Russia. I was in this mosque in July 2024, wearing national costumes of Malaysia, praying Zohor and Asar, met an Imam's mosque, and had video recording for Malaysian Independence Day (31st August).

Sent by Galina, a Postcrosser from Moscow, Russia.

My other Kul Shariff Mosque postcard is HERE.





Sunday, January 19, 2025

Russia - Karelia Republic - Chapel Of The Three Saints

Kizhi. Chapel of the Three Saints from the village Kavgora. The second half of the 18th century. 

Sent by Stanislav, a Postcrosser from Saint Petersburg, Russia.
The Chapel of the Three Sanctifiers, also known as the Chapel of the Three Saints or Prelates, is an old wooden chapel on Kizhi Island in RussiaThe island is part of the Kizhi Pogost, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. 

USA - New Mexico - Carlsbad Caverns National Park (2)

Located in the Guadalupe Mountains of southern New Mexico, Carlsbad Caverns National Park contains over 120 limestone caves in a fossil reef laid down 265 million years ago. American Indians lived in the area twelve to fourteen thousand years ago; their cooking ring sites and pictographs have been found within the park's boundaries.

Sent by Erica, a Postcrosser from Albuquerque, New Mexico, USA.

Thanks for getting the postcard stamped by the Carlsbad Caverns National Park.




USA - Kentucky - Mammoth Cave National Park (3)


MAMMOTH CAVE NATIONAL PARK - The 400-mile cave system in central Kentucky is the heart of this park wth underground treasures including the stunning Frozen Niagara - named so because it looks like a waterfall.

Sent by Karen, a postcrosser from Ohio, USA.



China - Archaeological Ruins of Liangzhu City


Archaeological Ruins of Liangzhu City.

Sent by a Postcrosser from China.

Located in the Yangtze River Basin on the south-eastern coast of the country, the archaeological ruins of Liangzhu (about 3,300-2,300 BCE) reveal an early regional state with a unified belief system based on rice cultivation in Late Neolithic China. The property is composed of four areas – the Area of Yaoshan Site, the Area of High-dam at the Mouth of the Valley, the Area of Low-dam on the Plain and the Area of City Site. These ruins are an outstanding example of early urban civilization expressed in earthen monuments, urban planning, a water conservation system and a social hierarchy expressed in differentiated burials in cemeteries within the property (read further).


Monday, January 6, 2025

USA - Florida - Everglades National Park (2)


Everglades National Park / Florida

Sent by Gen from Punta Gorda in Florida, USA.

Everglades National Park protects an unparalleled landscape that provides important habitat for numerous rare and endangered species like the manatee,  American crocodile, and the elusive Florida panther.

An international treasure as well -  a World Heritage Site, International Biosphere Reserve, a Wetland of International Importance, and a specially protected area under the Cartagena Treaty (read further).


Monday, December 23, 2024

Puerto Rico - Viejo San Juan


Viejo San Juan or Old San Juan.


Sent by Maria-Isabel from San Juan, Puerto Rico.

Old San Juan (SpanishViejo San Juan) is a historic district located at the "northwest triangle" of the islet of San Juan in San Juan. Its area roughly correlates to the BallajáCatedral, Marina, MercadoSan Cristóbal, and San Francisco sub-barrios (sub-districts) of barrio San Juan Antiguo in the municipality of San Juan, Puerto Rico (read further).

Friday, November 15, 2024

Russia - Saint Petersburg - The Peter and Paul Fortress


Saint Petersburg
The Peter and Paul Fortress

Sent by myself during my travel to Saint Petersburg in July this year.

The Peterhof Palace (Russian: Петерго́фromanized: PetergófIPA: [pʲɪtʲɪrˈɡof]an emulation of German "Peterhof", meaning "Pieter's Court") is a series of palaces and gardens located in PetergofSaint PetersburgRussia, commissioned by Peter the Great as a direct response to the Palace of Versailles by Louis XIV of France (read further).


Russia - Kazan - The Kazan Kremlin

 


The Kazan Kremlin. The gun court complex.

Sent by myself during my visit to Kazan in July this year.

This is the 3rd postcard featuring The Kazan Kremlin. The other two are here and here.



Thursday, November 14, 2024

Indonesia - Komodo National Park (3)

 


Taman Nasional Komodo 
Labuan Bajo/East Nusa Tenggara
Indonesia

Sent by myself during my trip to Labuan Bajo in Flores Island back in September.


Now I have 3 postcards of Komodo National Park. My other two are here and here.

Indonesia - Komodo National Park (2)

 

Taman Nasional Komodo 
Labuan Bajo/East Nusa Tenggara
Indonesia

Sent by myself during my trip to Labuan Bajo in Flores Island back in September.



Thursday, May 1, 2014

France - Lorraine - 54 Meurthe-et-Moselle - Place Stanislas, Place de la Carrière and Place d'Alliance in Nancy


LORRAINE
NANCY (Meurthe-et-Moselle)
Stanislas Square

Sent by Juliette from Nancy, France.

Nancy, the temporary residence of a king without a kingdom – Stanislas Leszczynski, later to become Duke of Lorraine – is paradoxically the oldest and most typical example of a modern capital where an enlightened monarch proved to be sensitive to the needs of the public. Built between 1752 and 1756 by a brilliant team led by the architect Héré, this was a carefully conceived project that succeeded in creating a capital that not only enhanced the sovereign's prestige but was also functional. (read further)



Wednesday, April 16, 2014

Croatia - Historic City of Trogir


Historic City of Trogir.

Sent by Iva from Croatia.

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. (read further)



Thursday, March 27, 2014

France - Île-de-France - 78 Yvelines - Palace and Park of Versailles


VERSAILLES (Yvelines).

Sent by Laetitia from Versailles, France.

The Palace of Versailles was the principal residence of the French kings from the time of Louis XIV to Louis XVI. Embellished by several generations of architects, sculptors, decorators and landscape architects, it provided Europe with a model of the ideal royal residence for over a century. (Source)




Tuesday, March 25, 2014

Sweden - Church Village of Gammelstad, Luleå


Midwinter Lule Gammelstad.

Sent by Anna from Luleå, Sweden.

Luleå Gammelstad is a remarkable example of the traditional church town of northern Scandinavia, and illustrates the adaptation of conventional urban design to the special geographical and climatic conditions of a hostile natural environment. It is a type of milieu that has been shaped by people's religious and social needs rather than economic and geographical forces, being intended for use only during weekends and church festivals (read further)

Tuesday, March 4, 2014

Dominican Republic - Colonial City of Santo Domingo


DOMINICAN REPUBLIC
Colonial City of Santo Domingo.

Sent by Idrialis from Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic.

After the arrival of Christopher Columbus on the island of Hispaniola in 1492, Santo Domingo became the site of the first cathedral, hospital, customs house and university in the Americas. This colonial town was laid out on the grid pattern that became the model for almost all town planners in the New World.
The first impression of the Spanish colonizers was favourable: the nature was luxuriant; the aborigines were friendly, and it seemed that the ground was rich in gold. Using what was left of the Santa María, Columbus built the fort of the Nativity (Navidad) on the northern coast of the island not far away from a peak that he called Christi Mount, leaving 39 men there under the protection of the village head. When Columbus returned to Hispaniola a year later, the fort had been destroyed, his men were dead, and the aborigines had become mistrustful. He founded a new colony further to the east, which he called Isabella, and left it under the control of Bartholomew. However, the first revolts were very soon to begin.
In 1496, Bartholomew abandoned Isabella in order to move on the southern coast of the island, where he established the settlement of Nueva Isabella, now Santo Domingo, on the left bank of the Ozama River. Because of the insurrections that continued to upset the island, Columbus was replaced as Viceroy and Governor of the colony by Nicolás de Ovando. In 1502 a typhoon destroyed the city and the fleet that was preparing to return to Castile. Ovando decided that the city should be completely rebuilt on its present site on the Ozama.
This colonial town was laid out on the grid pattern that became the model for almost all town planners in the New World. The city was to be embellished with a cathedral, a hospital, convents, a fortress and a university. At that time it was not appropriate to describe these buildings as having been built in the colonial architectural style because they were all based on plans that faithfully followed models imported from Spain. Earthquakes and pirate attacks were in due course to ravage the main buildings of the city, such as the convents of the Dominican, Franciscan and Las Mercedes, the three religious orders that pioneered the evangelization of the New World, and the Hospital of Nicolás de Ovando.
Among the most outstanding buildings, the cathedral was constructed between 1514 and 1542; it is the oldest in America, and is one of the architectural wonders of the Colonial City. The main entrance stands next to the Columbus Plaza, where stands a giant statue of the great navigator himself. The fine stained glass is by the famed Dominican artist José Rinçon Mora.
The Ozama Fortress and Tower of Homage were built in 1503: this stone group is said to be the oldest formal military outpost still standing in America. The Tower of Homage still stands in the centre of the grounds, an impressive architectural structure that is medieval in style and design. (Source)



Friday, February 21, 2014

Iran - Meidan Emam, Esfahan


Esfahan
Sheikh Lotfollah Mosque

Sent by Majid from Esfahan, Iran.

Built by Shah Abbas I the Great at the beginning of the 17th century, and bordered on all sides by monumental buildings linked by a series of two-storeyed arcades, the site is known for the Royal Mosque, the Mosque of Sheykh Lotfollah, the magnificent Portico of Qaysariyyeh and the 15th-century Timurid palace. They are an impressive testimony to the level of social and cultural life in Persia during the Safavid era. (read further)



Tuesday, February 18, 2014

Nepal - Kathmandu Valley (2)


Patan, Yala - The Bejewelled City. It is part of Kathmandu Valley, a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Thanks to Chen Ting of Portugal for making the arrangement to send this postcard from Nepal.