Ukraine - Residence of Bukovinian and Dalmatian Metropolitans

Residence of Bukovinian and Dalmatian Metropolitans, Chernivtsi, Ukraine.

Sent by Olesya, a postcrosser from Donetsk, Ukraine.

The Residence of Bukovinian and Dalmatian Metropolitans represents a masterful synergy of architectural styles built by Czech architect Josef Hlavka from 1864 to 1882. The property, an outstanding example of 19th-century historicist architecture, also includes a seminary and monastery and is dominated by the domed, cruciform Seminary Church with a garden and park. The complex expresses architectural and cultural influences from the Byzantine period onward and embodies the powerful presence of the Orthodox Church during Habsburg rule, reflecting the Austro-Hungarian Empire policy of religious tolerance. (Source)

Turkey - Çanakkale

Çanakkale - Turkey

Sent by Uğur, a postcrosser from Istanbul, Turkey.

Çanakkale (pronounced [tʃaˈnakkaˌle]) is a town and seaport in Turkey, in Çanakkale Province, on the southern (Asian) coast of the Dardanelles (or Hellespont) at their narrowest point. The population of the town is 106,116 (2010 estimate). The current mayor is Ülgür Gökhan (CHP).

Çanakkale Province, like Istanbul Province, has territory in both Europe and Asia. Ferries cross here to the northern (European) side of the strait.

The city is the nearest major town to the site of ancient Troy. The "wooden horse" from the 2004 movie Troy is exhibited on the seafront. Çanakkale is the second city to be situated on two continents after Istanbul. However Çanakkale is closer to mid-division than Istanbul. (read further)

Germany - Schleswig-Holstein - Meldorf

MELDORF/Holstein

Sent by Heike, a postcrosser from Germany.

Meldorf is a city in western Schleswig-Holstein, Germany, that straddles the Miele river in the district of Dithmarschen.

It was first mentioned in writing before 1250 AD, and it served as the capital of the Dithmarschen, a peasant republic with Allies in the Hanseatic league dating from 1468. The city was sacked in 1500 AD when King John of the Kalmar Union attempted to conquer the republic. His forces were routed by a force with poor arms and inferior numbers in the Battle of Hemmingstedt. In 1559, the republic was conquered, and the city lost its municipal rights, and would not regain them until 1869.

Over time it lost the capitalship to the town of Heide, which developed a larger economy.

Meldorf is the birthplace of mathematician Olaus Henrici, and the seat of the Amt ("collective municipality") Mitteldithmarschen. (Source)

Switzerland - Abbey of St Gall

ST. GALL (Switzerland) : The Abbey Library

Sent by Sara, a postcrosser from Swizerland.

St Gall is a typical and outstanding example of the large Benedictine monastery, centre of art and knowledge, with its rich library and its scriptorium; the successive restructurings of the conventual's space attest to its ongoing religious and cultural function. The Convent exerted great influence on developments in monastic architecture following the Council of Aachen.

It was in 612 that the lrish monk Gallus withdrew into the valley of Steinach to lead the existence of a hermit. In 747, the abbot Othmar established a community of Benedictine monks in the place made famous by St Gall and at the same time founded a school.

During the 9th and 10th centuries, the abbey of St Gall was one of the most renowned centres of Western culture and science. Its apogee coincided with the abbacy of Gotzbert (816-37) to whom was sent the famous plan on parchment known as the Plan of Saint Gall; this was probably sent by the Bishop of Basel, Heito, Abbot of Reichenau. Following the Council of Aachen, this architectural design accompanied by 341 annotations constitutes the ideal plan of a Benedictine abbey, including a scriptorium and a library. Excavations carried out at St Gall by Sennhauser show that this innovative plan was partially realized.

In 818, in the course of the Carolingian reform of the Church by Ludwig the Pious, the abbey, as a monastery immediately subordinate to the empire, received an imperial privilege of immunity, making it independent of the Diocese of Constance and placing it under the direct protection of the Crown. In 883 the East Frank Ludwig II the German conferred upon it the right to choose its own abbot, and finally, in 854, it was released from the obligation to pay tithes to the Bishop of Constance. The Abbey of St Gall had at last attained full autonomy.

The abbots had since 1206 been Princes of the Empire and ruled over the town of St Gall, the Fürstenland, and after 1468 over the County of Toggenburg. The Princely Abbey ruled at that time over the territory surrounding the town, while simultaneously being cut off in its monastery from the town itself, which in the meantime had gone through the Reformation and become independent. The Reformation had in fact for a time threatened the dissolution of the abbey itself, but after 1531 clerical sovereignty was restored, although freedom of religious practice was conceded to Toggenburg. Abbey rule in effect ended when French troops marched into St Gall in 1798. In 1805, the abbey was dissolved. Its clerical and administrative successor was to all intents and purposes the newly created Bishopric of the same name, which, although at first set up as the twin Diocese of Chur and St Gall, was made legally independent and then separated from Chur in 1847.

In 1836 the church became a cathedral: only the foundations and some elements of architecture, discovered as a result of probes undertaken after 1960, remain of what was once the splendour of the Carolingian monastery. Indeed, it has been reconstructed several times. Its present appearance, marked by the full-blown Baroque style of the cathedral (former abbatial) and the library, are the result of the construction campaigns of the 18th century. (Source)

Niue (4)

NIUE ISLAND
SOUTH PACIFIC
Experience caving, diving, mountain biking, and great walks.

Sent by Team of Niue Tourism in Alofi, Niue Island.

Niue (3)

NIUE ISLAND
SOUTH PACIFIC
You arrive as a visitor but leave as a friend.

Sent by Team of Niue Tourism in Alofi, Niue Island.

Niue (2)

NIUE ISLAND
SOUTH PACIFIC
Togo chasm and scenic outlook.

Sent by Team of Niue Tourism in Alofi, Niue Island.

Niue (1)

NIUE ISLAND 
SOUTH PACIFIC
Niue's waters are perfect opportunity to encounter and interact with a beguiling array of marine life.

Sent by Team of Niue Tourism in Alofi, Niue Island. Fakaaue Lahi (thank you).

Niue (/ˈnjuːeɪ/ new-ay; Niuean: Niuē) is an island country in the South Pacific Ocean, 2,400 kilometres (1,500 mi) northeast of New Zealand and within the triangle formed by Tonga (to the southwest), the Samoas (to the northwest) and the Cook Islands (to the southeast). Its land area is 260 square kilometres (100 sq mi) and its population, predominantly Polynesian, is around 1,400. They commonly refer to the island as "the Rock", a reference to the traditional moniker "Rock of Polynesia".

Niue is a self-governing state in free association with New Zealand, and most of its diplomatic relations are conducted by New Zealand on Niue's behalf. According to Tony Angelo, professor of international law at Victoria University of Wellington, in practice this means that Niue develops its foreign relations freely, with assistance from New Zealand when it is required and assented to by Niue.  All Niueans are New Zealand citizens, and Queen Elizabeth II is Niue's head of state in her capacity as Queen of New Zealand. 90–95% of Niuean people live in New Zealand, along with about 70% of the speakers of the Niuean language. (read further)

Sri Lanka - Colombo City (2)

Colombo City.

Sent by Asanga, a postcrosser from Colombo City, Sri Lanka.

Australia - Northern Territory - Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park

AUSTRALIA
Lightning strikes over Uluru

Sent by Alison, a WiP partner from Australia.

Situated on the southern margin of the major Amadeus sedimentary basin, the park comprises extensive sand plains, dunes and alluvial desert, punctuated by the Uluru monolith and Kata Tjuta.

Uluru is composed of hard sandstone which has been exposed as a result of folding, faulting and the erosion of surrounding rock. The monolith has a base circumference of 9.4 km, smooth sloping sides of up to 80° gradient and a relatively flat top. Major surface features of the rock include sheet erosion with layers 1-3 m thick, parallel to the existing surface, breaking away; deep parallel fissures which extend from the top and down the sides of the monolith; and a number of caves, inlets and overhangs at the base formed by chemical degradation and sand blast erosion.

Kata Tjuta comprises 36 steep-sided rock domes of gently dipping Mount Currie conglomerate consisting of phenocrysts of fine-grained acid and basic rocks, granite and gneiss in an epidote-rich matrix. Kata Tjuta tends to have hemispherical summits, near-vertical sides, steep-sided intervening valleys and has been exposed by the same process as Uluru.

The vegetation, modified by substrate stability, climate and fire, can be grouped into five major categories, arranged concentrically around the monolith formations. First, Uluru supports hardy perennial grass in soil pockets, and sedge on very shallow soil; second, the Kata Tjuta foothills support annual grasses; third, the fans and outwash alluviums around the monoliths support a complex of open grassland, low trees and shrubs. During rainy periods this vegetation can be luxuriant. Fourth, the plains area supports dense groves of mulga, acacia and native fuschia. Fifth, the sand dunes, rises and plains are dominated by spinifex grass.

There are 22 native mammals found in the park, including dingo, red kangaroo, common marsupial mole, hopping mouse, several bat species including Australian false vampire, bilgy, occasional short-nosed echidna, and several small marsupials and native rodents. Introduced red fox, cat, house mouse and European rabbit, in addition to feral dogs and camels, compete with indigenous species. More than 150 bird species have been recorded in the park, and all five Australian reptile families are represented.

The park, and in particular the Uluru monolith, is one of several equally important and interconnected centers of local and religious significance scattered throughout the extensive area of western central Australia occupied by Aborigines. Cave paintings on Uluru, some of which are considered to be ancient, indicate the length of time Aborigines have been present in the area. Traditional religious philosophy, Tjukurpa, provides an interpretation of the present landscape, flora, fauna and natural phenomena in terms of the journeys and activities of ancestral beings and consequently binds the people socially, spiritually and historically to the land.

The site is an outstanding example of a traditional human settlement representative of Aboriginal culture, directly associated with religious and cultural traditions. (Source)

St. Kitts & Nevis - Independence Square

Independence Square.

Sent by Theo from St. Kitts.

Independence Square was named on the occasion of St. Kitts and Nevis achieving political independence on September 19, 1983. Originally called Pall Mall Square, The Government first acquired it in 1750 and it rapidly became the administrative, commercial and social centre of Basseterre. The Square was the site of the slave market. Slaves arriving from Africa were temporarily quartered in the basement of a building on the south side of the Square. (Source)

Aaland Islands

Sent by Leila from Mariehamn, Aaland.

Canada - Prince Edward Island - Red Beach Sunset

Red Beach Sunset
Cable Head West, Prince Edward Island

Sent by Rosie of Ontario who was visiting Prince Edward Island.

U.S.A. - Kansas - State Flower (2)

SUNFLOWERS - KANSAS STATE FLOWER

Sent by Shirley from Topeka, Kansas, USA.

U.S.A. - Kansas - State Capitol Building

The Kansas State Capitol, built 1866-1903, draws visitors because of its architecture, its interesting dome, and the John Steuart Curry mural, "The Settlement of Kansas," with John Brown as its central figure, sitting atop the dome is a 22' 2" statue "Ad Astra" sculpted by Salina artist Richard Bergen. Facing the North Star to guide travelers, as was common when the Kansa Indians lived here; Ad Astra means "To the stars thru difficulties."

Sent by Shirley from Topeka, Kansas, USA.

The Kansas State Capitol, known also as the Kansas Statehouse, is the building housing the executive and legislative branches of government for the U.S. state of Kansas. It is located in the city of Topeka which has served as the capital of Kansas since it became a state in 1861. This is only the second building to serve as the Kansas Capitol.

A large mural in the east wing, painted by Kansan John Steuart Curry, is centered on an image of abolitionist John Brown. This is believed to be the only instance of a person convicted of treason being featured in a state capitol.

The dome, at 304 ft (93 m), is taller than the 288 ft (88 m) United States Capitol dome although its diameter (50 ft (15 m)) is approximately half the national capitol (96 ft (29 m)). It is one of the few capitols in the United States that continues to offer tours that go to the top of the dome. The dome is, however, temporarily closed to visitors until 2012, as the Statehouse is undergoing extensive renovations. Visitors enter the dome by climbing 296 steps leading from the fifth floor to the top. (read further)

U.S.A. - Kansas - Mapcard (2)

Sent by Shirley from Topeka, Kansas, USA.

Portugal - Braga

Bom Jesus - Braga (Portugal)
Sanctuary and staircase.

Sent by Joana from Lisbon, Portugal.

Braga (Portuguese pronunciation: ['bɾaɣɐ]), is a city in the municipality of Braga in northwestern Portuguese district of Braga, considered the oldest Christian archdiocese in the country and one of the oldest in the world. Under the Roman Empire, known asBracara Augusta, the settlement was centre of the province of Gallaecia.

With a total urban population of 175,063 inhabitants, Braga is the third-largest city in Portugal (after Lisbon and Porto), including the city and suburban parishes; the municipality, which includes 62 parishes, has a population in 2011 of approximately 181,819 inhabitants (the seventh largest municipality in Portugal by population). Its agglomerated urban area extends from the Cavado Riverto the Easte River. Braga is also the seat of the Greater Metropolitan Area of Minho, which includes a population of 826,833 (2007 statistics), considered one of the fastest growing urban areas in the European Union.

In 2012, the city was awarded with the title European Youth Capital 2012. (read further)

U.S.A. - West Virginia - State Capitol Building (2)

West Virginia State Capitol
West Virginia State Capitol building is made of buff limestone and is surrounded by a variety of West Virginia hardwood trees. The 293 foot high gold leaf dome is five feet higher than the United States Capitol dome.

Sent by Laura from Charleston, West Virginia, USA.

U.S.A. - California - Palm Desert

PALM DESERT, CALIFORNIA
An early morning view from the one of the most beautiful spots in the desert, Palm Desert, California.

Sent by Susan, a WiP partner from USA.

Palm Desert is a city in Riverside County, California, United States, in the Coachella Valley, approximately 14 miles (23 km) east of Palm Springs and 122 miles (196 km) east of Los Angeles. The population was 48,445 at the 2010 census, up from 41,155 at the 2000 census. The city was one of the state's fastest growing in the 1980s and 1990s, beginning with 11,801 residents in 1980, doubling to 23,650 in 1990, 35,000 in 1995, and nearly double its 1990 population by 2000.

A major center of growth in the Palm Springs area, Palm Desert is a popular retreat for "snowbirds" from colder climates (the Eastern and Northern United States, and Canada), who swell its population by an estimated 31,000 each winter. In the past couple of years Palm Desert has seen more residents become "full-timers", mainly from the coasts and urban centers of California, who have come for both affordable and high-valued home prices. (read further)

Bicycle (46)

Sent by Julia, a postcrosser from Ukraine.

Kyrgyzstan - Khan Tengri

Khan Tengri Peak 6995 metres. View from the Dikiy Pass.

Sent by Alexander of Russia who visited Kyrgyzstan.

Khan Tengri or Hantengri Peak (Uyghur: خانتەڭرى‎, Chinese: 汗腾格里峰; pinyin: Hànténggélǐ Fēng) is a mountain of the Tian Shan mountain range. It is located on the China—Kyrgyzstan—Kazakhstan border, east of lake Issyk Kul. Its geologic elevation is 6,995 m (22,949 ft), but its glacial cap rises to 7,010 m (22,999 ft). For this reason, in mountaineering circles, including for the Soviet Snow Leopard award criteria, it is considered a 7000-metre peak. The name "Khan Tengri" literally means "King Heaven" in Uyghur and possibly references the deity Tengri. In some other local languages, it is known as Khan Tangiri Shyngy, Kan-Too Chokusu, Pik Khan-Tengry, and Hantengri Feng.

Khan Tengri is the second-highest mountain in the Tian Shan, surpassed only by Jengish Chokusu (formerly known as Peak Pobeda) (7439 m). Khan Tengri is the highest point in Kazakhstan and the third-highest peak in Kyrgyzstan, after Jengish Chokusu (7,439  m) and Pik Lenina (7,134 m). It is also the world's most northern 7000 m peak, notable because peaks of high latitude have a shorter climbing season, generally more severe weather and thinner air. (read further)

Greece - Paleochristian and Byzantine Monuments of Thessalonika

GREECE THESSALONIKI
Kamara (Arch of Galerius).

Sent by Christina, a postcrosser from Greece.

The Christian monuments of Thessalonika are outstanding examples of churches built according to central, basilical and intermediary plans from the 4th to the 15th centuries. For this reason, they constitute a series which is a typological point of reference. The influence of the Thessalonian churches on the development of the monumental arts was considerable, first in the Byzantine and later the Serbian world, whether in the early Christian period of the high Middle Ages or the Palaeologan Renaissance. The mosaics of the Rotunda, St Demetrius and St David's are among the great masterpieces of early Christian art.

Thessalonika was founded in 315 BC by Cassander, who named it after his wife Thessalonik, just a short time after the new cities of Alexander. Following the Roman conquest of Macedonia, it became one of the Empire's provincial capitals. A cosmopolitan and prosperous seaport, the city grew in commercial and strategic importance during the Roman period and was one of the first bases for the spread of Christianity. St Paul first travelled there in AD 50, and he returned in 56 to visit the church he had founded and for which he exhibited great concern in his Epistles.

Imperial splendour and the changing fortunes of the Thessalonian church were inextricably linked during the early centuries of Christianity. It was during the period that the palatial complex of Galerius was being built (298-311) that St Demetrius was martyred (c. 303). Some time later the rotunda, which Galerius had probably planned as his mausoleum, was taken over by the Christians who converted it to a church dedicated to St George. North of the Forum, on the ruins of the thermae (baths) where tradition has it that St Demetrius was imprisoned and tortured, they built the Basilica of St Demetrius. Rebuilt in 412-13 by the eparch Leontius and enlarged in 629-34 according to a grandiose plan that included five naves, the church, despite having been ravaged by fire in 1917, remains one of the most notable monuments of the early Christian era.

Other churches of archaeological interest were built during the Byzantine period. These include the Basilica of the Virgin, called Acheiropoietos, after 448, St David's (late 5th or early 6th centuries), and particularly St Sophia (8th century), which is a harmonious blend of the Greek cross plan and a three-nave basilica plan. After the Latin conquest in 1205 it became the Cathedral of Thessalonika. When the city was returned to Byzantium in 1246, new churches were built, among which were St Panteleimon, the Holy Apostles, St Nicholas Orphanos, and the present St Catherine's.

When the Ottomans gained control of the city in 1430, most of the churches, new or old, were converted to mosques, and other Islamic sanctuaries were built (Hamza Bey Cami in 1467-68, Alaca Imaret in 1484). Under Ottoman rule (1430-1912), Thessalonika regained the status of major cosmopolitan city it had enjoyed during the early Christian era. This was particularly due to the arrival in 1492 of 20,000 Jews driven from Spain by the Edict of Alhambra. The multitude of cultural influences is reflected in the city's wealth of monuments, now sadly depleted, which were described by travellers such as Robert de Dreux (1665), Evliya Celebi (1668), Paul Lucas (1714), Félix de Beaujour (1797), and Abdul Mecid (1858). (Source)

U.S.A. - Idaho - State Capitol Building

BOISE, IDAHO
Finished in 1920, it is the only state capitol building heated with geothermal hot water. The exterior walls were constructed of natural sandstone plentiful to the area. Large shade trees and manicured gardens add color and beauty to this magnificent structure. 

Sent by Tracy from Boise, Idaho, USA.

The Idaho State Capitol, located in Boise, is the home of the government of the state of Idaho. In 1863, Lewiston, Idaho was the original site of the capitol until Boise was made the capital of the state in 1890 - also the year when President Benjamin Harrison signed Idaho into statehood. A few years after Idaho gained statehood the construction on the original capitol building began in the summer of 1906. The architects who developed the building were John E. Tourtellotte and Charles Hummel. Tourtellotte was a Connecticut native whose career began in Massachusetts and skyrocketed further when he moved to Boise. Hummel was a German immigrant who partnered up with Tourtellotte in 1903 and after they finished the capitol they relocated to Portland, Oregon. The final cost of the building was approximately $2,098,455.05 and it was completed in 1920. The architects used several different materials to construct the building and their architecture was inspired by various sources and cultures. (read further)

U.S.A. - Wisconsin - Madison

MADISON, WISCONSIN
This aerial view of Madison, Wisconsin shows Camp Randall stadium & fieldhouse in the foreground, followed by the U.W. Madison campus which blends into downtown Madison on the isthmus. Two of the four Madison area lakes are partially visible.

Sent by Denis from Madison, Wisconsin,USA.

Madison is the capital of the U.S. state of Wisconsin and the county seat of Dane County. As of July 1, 2012, Madison had an estimated population of 240,323, making it the second largest city in Wisconsin, after Milwaukee, and the 81st largest in the United States. The city forms the core of the United States Census Bureau's Madison Metropolitan Statistical Area, which includes all of Dane County and neighboring Iowa and Columbia counties. The Madison Metropolitan Statistical Area had a 2010 population of 568,593.

Madison's origins begin in 1829, when former federal judge James Duane Doty purchased over a thousand acres (4 km²) of swamp and forest land on the isthmus between Lakes Mendota and Monona, with the intention of building a city in the Four Lakes region. When the Wisconsin Territory was created in 1836 the territorial legislature convened in Belmont, Wisconsin. One of the legislature's tasks was to select a permanent location for the territory's capital. Doty lobbied aggressively for Madison as the new capital, offering buffalo robes to the freezing legislators and promising choice Madison lots at discount prices to undecided voters. He had James Slaughter plat two cities in the area, Madison and "The City of Four Lakes", near present-day Middleton. Doty named the city Madison for James Madison, the fourth President of the U.S. who had died on June 28, 1836 and he named the streets for the other 39 signers of the U.S. Constitution. Although the city existed only on paper, the territorial legislature voted on November 28 in favor of Madison as its capital, largely because of its location halfway between the new and growing cities around Milwaukee in the east and the long established strategic post of Prairie du Chien in the west, and between the highly populated lead mining regions in the southwest and Wisconsin's oldest city, Green Bay in the northeast. Being named for the much-admired founding father James Madison, who had just died, and having streets named for each of the 39 signers of the Constitution, may have also helped attract votes. (read further)