Germany - Bavaria - Old Town Of Regensburg With Stadtamhof

Regensburg Cathedral (Dom St. Peter) and 12th-century ancient Stone Bridge, a masterpiece of medieval engineering.

Sent by Sandy who grew up in Regensburg, Germany.

Located on the Danube River, the Old Town of Regensburg with Stadtamhof is an exceptional example of a central-European medieval trading centre, which illustrates an interchange of cultural and architectural influences. The property encompasses the city centre on the south side of the river, two long islands in the Danube, the so-called Wöhrde (from the old German word: waird, meaning island or peninsula), and the area of the former charity hospital St Katharina in Stadtamhof, a district incorporated into the city of Regensburg only in 1924. A navigable canal, part of the European waterway of the Rhine-Main-Danube canal, forms the northern boundary of Stadtamhof.

A notable number of buildings of outstanding quality testify to its political, religious, and economic significance from the 9th century. The historic fabric reflects some two millennia of structural continuity and includes ancient Roman, Romanesque, and Gothic buildings. Regensburg's 11th to 13th century architecture still defines the character of the town marked by tall buildings, dark and narrow lanes, and strong fortifications. The buildings include medieval Patrician houses and towers, a large number of churches and monastic ensembles as well as the 12th century Stone Bridge (read more).

Germany - Saxony - Mining in Saxony, Headframes and Towers

Technical Monuments in Saxony

Mining in Saxony, Headframes and Towers

... for ilver, cobalt, and bismuth mining :  Türkschacht near Schneebergfrom1887/1888 (left), 

... for uranium mining : Wismuth Shaft 371near Hartenstein from 1956 (center), 

for tin mining : Arno-Lippmann Shaft in Altenberg from 1961(right), 

Sent by Jörg from Lower Rhine, Germany.

From the late18th century to World War II, Saxony was Germany's leading industrial region.The affinity of the Saxons for technology goes back to mining, which started as early as in the 12th century. From Chemnitz, the „cradle of German engineering“, the process spread throughout the whole region and led to a very diverse industry with many world market leaders. Access to the markets was very easy since Leipzig was the leading trade fair location in the world. This golden age ended abruptly after World War II when Saxony had the misfortune of falling behind the Iron Curtain. However, Saxony remained the centre of industrial production in the GDR and one of the key industrial regions in the entire Eastern Bloc.

The German Reunification marked a completely new beginning, which brought an end to many things, but also opened up new opportunities. Important former industrial sites were preserved as museums where historic technology can often still be demonstrated. Other technical monuments, like some of the narrow-gauge steam train lines, the steamboats on the Elbe River or the aerial tram in Dresden, are still in daily operation. But the industrial age produced also other kinds of architecture like the villas of the rich industrialists or Germany’s first city, Hellerau, today part of Dresden. Explore Saxony's industrial history to learn all about traditional industries like mining, car construction, textile manufacturing and many others that are part of this region’s rich industrial history (read more).

Germany - Mecklenburg-Vorpommern - Schwerin Residence Ensemble

Schwerin - State Capital of the State of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern.

Schwerin Castle is located on an island in Lake Schwerin. A Slavic princely castle was mentioned at this location as early as 1018. The current building was constructed between 1843 and 1857 in the Historicist style accordng to plans by the Schwerin master builder Demmer.

Sent by Andy from Rostock, a district in the North Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Germany.

Established on the shores of Lake Schwerin, the Schwerin Residence Ensemble is an architectural and landscape ensemble which fits very precisely within the context of the emergence and development of the historicist style in Europe, in the second half of the 19th century, and particularly in the German kingdoms and principalities. The establishment of the seat of Grand Ducal power in the 19th century led to the implementation in the city of Schwerin of an architectural and landscape programme that illustrates all the civil and religious functions of a capital city that was the seat of a monarch.

As result of the diversity of the architectural programmes, the ensemble provides a wide spectrum of buildings, which reflect the 19th-century historicist style, and in certain cases refer to the more regional “Johann-Albrecht” style, connecting the programmes even more closely to the history of the Grand Duchy. The choice made to establish the seat next to lakes and ponds, creating a landscape in which the architecture and gardens are reflected in the water, is a perfect illustration of the romantic taste in 19th-century Europe (read more).

Germany - North Rhine-Westphalia - Carolingian Westwork and Civitas Corvey

Aerial view of Princely Abbey of Corvey, located in North Rhine-Westphalia, near the town of Höxter.

Sent by Hans from Bonn in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany.

Surrounded by a still largely preserved rural setting and revealed from a distance by the pointed roofs and the bare-stone towers of the westwork, the Carolingian Westwork and the Civitas Corvey lie along the western side of the river Weser in the east of the town of Höxter, in North Rhine-Westphalia, close to the border of Lower Saxony. The Westwork of Corvey in Höxter on the River Weser is one of the few Carolingian structures of which the main parts have been preserved, and the only example of a westwork building from that time still standing. It combines innovation and references to ancient models at a high level. As a building type it has considerably influenced western ecclesiastical Romanesque and Gothic architecture. Corvey was one of the most influential monasteries of the Frankish Empire. Its missionary task was highly important with regard to politico-religious processes in many parts of Europe. As an imperial abbey, Corvey not only had intellectual and religious functions with regard to the conversion of Saxony and adjacent areas but was also of political and economic importance as an outpost of the Frankish Empire on the edge of the Christian world at that time. The original preserved vaulted hall with columns and pillars on the ground floor and the main room encircled by galleries on three sides on the upper floor make Corvey one of the most striking examples of the “Carolingian Renaissance”. This applies to the documented original artistic decoration of the elements which still exist on the ground and on the upper floors, including life-size stucco figures and mythological friezes presenting the only known example of wall paintings of ancient mythology with Christian interpretation in Carolingian times. The structure and the decoration refer to the world of ideas of Carolingian times which has become an essential part of western history. Corvey is linked with cultural centres in Europe through historical tradition as well as through the preserved design of the building and archaeological evidence from beyond the former Carolingian empire. An inscription tablet originating from the time of the foundation of the monastery names the Civitas Corvey which can be identified with the area of the monastery by archaeological evidence. The deserted town close to the Westwork and the monastic compound preserves archaeological evidence of a quite important settlement of the Early and the Late Middle Ages (read more).

Germany - Lower Saxony - Goslar Weihnachtsmarkt (Christmas Market)

Goslar Weihnachtsmarkt (Christmas Market) in Goslar in Lower Saxony, Germany. It is in the Historic Town of Goslar, A UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Sent by Günter from Goslar, Germany.

The Goslar Christmas Market & Christmas Forest is one of the most beautiful in Europe. Around 70 stalls offer regional delicacies, artisan crafts, and gift ideas. Surrounded by 160,000 lights and 60 trees, the Christmas Forest creates a magical atmosphere in the heart of the historic old town (read more).

Germany - North Rhine-Westphalia - Blancken Windmill

Blancken Windmill (Blancken-Mühle) in Erkelenz, Germany.

Sent by Mirjam from North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany.

Nationwide, land-use targets apply to the expansion of onshore wind energy. These are based on the so-called Wind Energy Land-Use Requirements Act (WindBG). The law sets expansion targets for each federal state; for North Rhine-Westphalia, this means that 1.8 percent of the state's land area should be designated for wind energy by 2032. Which areas—including parts of the Erkelenz urban area—are now designated for wind energy was a key component of the revision of the Renewable Energy Sectoral Plan within the regional plans, which are part of the North Rhine-Westphalia State Development Plan (read more).

Germany - Saxony-Anhalt - Hundertwasser's Green Citadel of Magdeburg

Grüne Zitadelle (Green Citadel) in Magdeburg, the last architectural project planned by the Austrian artist Friedensreich Hundertwasser before his death.

Sent by Wolfgang from Magdeburg, Germany.

The house is located in the city center in the immediate vicinity of the cathedral square and the state parliament; the construction was controversial. The owners of the diocese included Gero AG as the client and MBN Montage-Bau GmbH, Magdeburg, as general contractor. The artistic direction was provided by Gruener Janura AG, Vienna, founded by Hundertwasser, represented by the estate administrator Joram Harel and the architect Heinz M. Springer. The cost amounted to about 27 million euros.

At the site of today's Green Citadel stood until the demolition in 1959, the St. Nicholas Church. This was used after the profanation in 1810 as an arsenal. In the 1970s followed on the brownfield (after the bombing in World War II), a residential building in the prefabricated building. Rolf Opitz, then chairman of the Housing Cooperative City of Magdeburg in 1954 , had the idea in 1995 to ask Hundertwasser. He suggested redesigning the prefab building in Hundertwasser style, which the artist had already achieved in other buildings. Hundertwasser agreed, but later a new building was built because of the greater scope of design. The planning was done by the architects Peter Pelikan (draft) and Heinz M. Springmann (execution) (read more).

Germany - Bavaria - Ramsau

Winter landscape in the Bavarian Alps with the Church of St. Sebastian, Ramsau, Germany.

Sent by Michelle from Freiberg, Germany.

Ramsau is a German municipality in the Bavarian Alps with a population of around 1,800. It is a district located in the Berchtesgadener Land in Bavaria, close to the border with Austria, 35 km south of Salzburg and 150 km south-east of Munich. It is situated north of the Berchtesgaden National Park.

Notable sights of Ramsau include the third-highest mountain in Germany, called the Watzmann, Lake Hintersee, and the village's church (read more).

Finland - South Karelia - St. Mary's Church of Lappee

The bell tower of the church of Santa Maria - St. Mary's Church of Lappee - Lappeenranta. South Karelia. Finland.

Sent by Nakendorf from Turku, Finland.

St. Mary's Church of Lappee (Finnish: Lappeen Marian kirkko) is a wooden Evangelical Lutheran church in the center of Lappeenranta, Finland. The construction began in April 1792 and the church was consecrated partially unfinished in June 1794. The adjacent bell tower was built half a century later in 1856.

The church was built by Juhana Salonen, a church builder from Savitaipale, and has a capacity of 840 people. Architecturally it is a so-called double cross church (Finnish: kaksoisristikirkko) and the only surviving such church from the 18th century in Finland. The altarpiece was painted by Alexandra Frosterus-Såltin in 1887 and depicts the Ascension of Jesus.

The church is listed as a nationally significant built heritage site by the Finnish National Board of Antiquities.(read more)

Russia - Murmansk Oblast - Pechenga Monastery / Petsamo Monastery

Petsamo Monastery in Murmansk Oblast, Russia.

Sent by Jussi from Helsinki, Finland.

The Pechenga Monastery (Russian: Печенгский монастырь; Finnish: Petsamon luostari; Norwegian: Petsjengaklosteret) is and has been for many centuries the northernmost monastery in the world. It was founded in 1533 at the influx of the Pechenga River into the Barents Sea, 135 km west of modern Murmansk, by St. Tryphon, a monk from Novgorod.

Inspired by the model of the Solovki, Tryphon wished to convert the local Skolts to Christianity and to demonstrate how faith could flourish in the most inhospitable lands. His example was eagerly followed by other Russian monks. By 1572, the Pechenga Monastery counted about 50 brethren and 200 lay followers.

Six years after St. Tryphon's death in 1583, the wooden monastery was raided and burnt down by the Swedes on December 25, 1589. It is said that the raid claimed the lives of 51 monks and 65 lay brothers, bringing the history of Tryphon's establishment to an end. This revenge raid, and was part of the Russo-Swedish War of 1590–1595, is said to have been carried out by a Finnish peasant chief Pekka Antinpoika Vesainen, but the claim is contested (read more).

USA - California - Fort Point National Historic Site

FORT POINT NATIONAL HISTORIC SITE

One of the Golden Gate National Parks

This Civil War-era fortress kept an unwavering vigil over the golden gateway for more than a century, but no enemy ever challenged its might. With its brick casemates, grand arches, and spiral stairways, Fort Point was called by Joseph Strauss, chief engineer during the building of the Golden Gate Bridge, "One of the most perfect models of the mason's art in America."

Sent by Rachel from Tennessee, USA.

From its vantage point overlooking the spectacular Golden Gate, Fort Point defended the San Francisco Bay following California's Gold Rush through World War II. Its beautifully arched casemates display the art of 3rd system brick masonry and interacts gracefully with the Golden Gate Bridge.

The Fort has been called "the pride of the Pacific," "the Gibraltar of the West Coast," and "one of the most perfect models of masonry in America." When construction began during the height of the California Gold Rush, Fort Point was planned as the most formidable deterrence America could offer to a naval attack on California. Although its guns never fired a shot in anger, the "Fort at Fort Point" as it was originally named has witnessed Civil War, obsolescence, earthquake, bridge construction, reuse for World War II, and preservation as a National Historic Site (read more).

USA - Kansas - Great Plains Nature Center at Wichita

The Great Plains Nature Center, a wildlife education facility in Wichita, Kansas.

Sent by Marcia from Kansas, USA.

The Great Plains Nature Center helps promote conservation while teaching visitors the importance of urban habitats. The Plains offer a unique environment because they are not surrounded by oceans or mountains, yet wildlife thrives on the available resources. In Kansas, grassland prairies make up the majority of the habitat for many animals and plant life.

Experience nature and develop an appreciation for the wild beauty and uniqueness of North America’s heartland while enjoying a 2-mile walk along a trail twisting through the 240-acre Great Plains Nature Center. Learn about native Kansas wildlife at Chisholm Creek Park, accessible through wetlands, prairie and riparian habitats (read more).

Belarus - Architectural, Residential and Cultural Complex of the Radziwill Family at Nesvizh (3)

Nesvizh Castle

Sent by Lena from Grodno, Belarus.

Nesvizh Castle or Nyasvizh Castle is a residential castle of the Radziwiłł family in Nyasvizh (Nesvizh), Belarus. It is 183 metres (600 ft) above sea level^] Built originally in the 16th and 17th centuries, throughout its history the site has been sacked, damaged and abandoned repeatedly, and has seen multiple different uses including as a storehouse. Finally it has been extensively rebuilt and restored from 2004–2012. In 2005, the castle, church, and surrounding environment were inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List. The castle and the nearby Corpus Christi Church were instrumental in the development of Central European and Russian architecture (read more).

Germany - Saxony - Unzeitgemäße Zeitgenossen

Bronze sculpture "Unzeitgemäße Zeitgenossen" by Bernd Goebel in Leipzig, Germany.

Sent by Yvonne from Leipzig, Germany.

Sculpture consisting of a T-shaped base with on the horizontal beam five naked figures, who strictly adhere to their principles. Each figure has a has a small but fine detail set in gold: the city sculptor (laurel wreath), the pedagogue (golden hammer), the rationalist with golden saw, the diagnostician with ear trumpet and a figure with golden nose and golden ears, the art theorist (read more).

Finland - Uusimaa - Tiedekeskus Heureka in Vantaa

Tiedekeskus Heureka science center located in Vantaa.

Sent by Merja from Helsinki, Finland.

Heureka is a science center in the Tikkurila district of Vantaa, Finland, north of Helsinki, designed by Heikkinen – Komonen Architects. It is located at the intersection of the Finnish Main Line and the river Keravanjoki.

The aim of the science centre, which opened its doors to the public in 1989, is to popularise scientific information and to develop the methods used to teach science and scientific concepts. The science centre provides opportunities to become familiar with science and technology through varying exhibitions, a planetarium, an idea workshop, educational programs and events. Heureka is one of the largest leisure centres in Finland, with about 300 thousand visitors per year.

The name "Heureka" (eureka in English) refers to the Greek exclamation, presumably uttered by Archimedes, to mean "I've found it!" (made a discovery). The Science Centre Heureka features both indoor and outdoor interactive exhibitions with exhibits that enable visitors to independently test different concepts and ideas. There is also a digital planetarium with 135 seats (read more).

USA - Virginia - Mapcard (4)

VIRGINIA

Site of the first English settlement in the New World at Jamestown in 1607. Home of Presidents Washington, Jefferson, Monroe, Madison Tyler, Harrison and Wilson. Capital of the Confederate States during the Civil War and site of more than half the battles of that war. From the Atlantic beaches and Chesapeake Bay to the Appalachian mountains and Shenandoah Valley, a wonder place to visit or live.

Sent by Lachlan from Alexandria in Virginia, USA.

My other mapcards of Virginia are here, here, and here.

Old Dominion is one of the best-known nicknames for Virginia, along with Mother of Presidents and Mother of States. The nickname probably derives from the fact that Virginia was the first, and therefore the oldest, of the overseas dominions of the kings and queens of England. The seal and coat of arms of the colony in use from 1607 until 1624, when the Virginia Company of London directed the colonization of Virginia, included the words, “En Dat Virginia Quintam” (also spelled “Quintum”), indicating that Virginia was the fifth of the realms, or domains, of the Crown. At that time, the kings and queens of England also claimed the thrones of Scotland, Ireland, and France (dating back to the Norman Conquest in 1066). The same words appeared on the seal between 1625, when Virginia became the English king’s first royal colony, and the 1707 Acts of Union that combined the kingdoms of England and Scotland into the kingdom of Great Britain. The motto on the seal of Virginia was then altered to “En Dat Virginia Quartam,” there being thereafter four, not five, royal dominions. That motto was used on the colonial seal until the beginning of the American Revolution (1775–1783) (read more).

Netherlands - North Holland - Brouwersgracht

City poet Gershwin Bonevacia wrote the poem "Klein Koninkrijk" (Little Kingdom) about Amsterdam's canal district. This Brouwersgracht Canal area has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site under Seventeenth-Century Canal RingArea of Amsterdam inside the Singelgracht since 2010. The poem is on display as light art at the Amsterdam World Heritage Visitor Center.

Sent by Mar from Zwolle, Netherlands.

The Brouwersgracht is a canal in Amsterdam that connects the Singel with the Singelgracht. The canal marks the northwestern border of the Grachtengordel (canal belt). Between the Prinsengracht and the Singelgracht the Brouwersgracht forms the northern border of the Jordaan neighborhood.

The house numbers of the Lijnbaansgracht, the Prinsengracht, the Keizersgracht, the Herengracht and the Singel start to count from the Brouwersgracht. The Herenmarkt is located between Brouwersgracht no. 62 and no. 68, near the West-Indisch Huis (West Indies House).

In 2007 Brouwersgracht was voted the most beautiful street in Amsterdam by readers of Het Parool out of 150 nominations (read more).

Netherlands - Gelderland - Bruchem

Various images of Bruchem, a village in Gelderland, Netherlands.

Sent by Petra from Bruchem, Netherlands.

Bruchem is a village in the Dutch province of Gelderland. It is a part of the municipality of Zaltbommel, and lies about 11 km north of 's-Hertogenbosch.

Bruchem was a separate municipality, which was renamed in 1818, to "Kerkwijk".

It was first mentioned in the first quarter of the 13th century as Bruchem, and means "settlement on swampy land". There is an 868 reference to Brucheim, however it is not clear whether it is the same settlement. The village developed into a stretched out esdorp. The nave of the Protestant church dates from around 1300, and the choir dates from the 14th century. In 1840, Bruchem was home to 452 people (read more).

India - West Bengal - Lalji Temple

Kalna, the temple town is located in Bardhaman, north of Kolkata, West Bengal. The Lalji Temple in Kalna is built in 1739 by Braja Kishori Devi, the wife of Maharaja Jagar Ram with a peculiar feature of 25 peaks in the roof. The skilled artisans adorned this clay and terracotta temple with designs like holy figures, animals, symmetrical  patterns and the stories from Hindu mythology.

Sent by Veeraraghavan from Pattukottai in Tamil Nadu, India.

Lalji Temple, Located in Bishnupur in Indian state of West Bengal.

According to the inscriptional plaque found in the temple, the temple was founded in 1658 by Bir Singha Dev King of Mallabhum. The Temple is built in the Ek-ratna style temple architecture.

Among the stone-built eka-ratna temples, this example is enclosed by a covered ambulatory, with three arched entrances that retain traces of ornamental detailing on their upper portions. Dedicated to Sri Radhika and Sri Krishna, it is raised on a large plinth and follows a square plan, each side measuring approximately 12.3 metres, with an overall height of 12.3 metres. The roof slopes gently on all four sides and supports a single tower above. Although the front wall was originally decorated with ornamental motifs, only fragments of these designs remain today.

Currently, it is preserved as one of the archaeological monuments by the Archaeological Survey of India. Since 1998, the Lalji Temple is on the UNESCO World Heritage Site's Tentative list (read more).

Remarkable Man - Hunter S. Thompson

Hunter S. Thompson
American journalist and author.

Sent by Margaret from Jefferson in Iowa, USA.

Hunter Stockton Thompson (July 18, 1937 – February 20, 2005) was an American journalist and author, regarded as a pioneer of New Journalism along with Gay Talese, Truman Capote, Norman Mailer, Joan Didion, and Tom Wolfe. He rose to prominence with the book Hell's Angels (1967), for which he lived a year among the Hells Angels motorcycle club to write a first-hand account of their lives and experiences. In 1970, he wrote an unconventional article titled "The Kentucky Derby Is Decadent and Depraved" for Scanlan's Monthly, which further raised his profile as a countercultural figure. It also set him on the path to establish the subgenre of New Journalism that he called "Gonzo", a style in which the writer becomes central to, and participant in the narrative.

Thompson is best known for Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas (1972), a book first serialized in Rolling Stone in which he grapples with the implications of what he considered the failure of the 1960s counterculture. It was adapted for film twice, loosely in 1980 in Where the Buffalo Roam and explicitly in 1998 in Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas (read more).

Malaysian Horned Frog

Malaysian horned frog (Megophrys nasuta)

Sent by David from Missouri, USA.

The long-nosed horned frog (Pelobatrachus nasutus), also known as the Malayan horned frog or Malayan leaf frog is a species of frog restricted to the rainforest areas of southern Thailand and Peninsular Malaysia to Singapore, Sumatra, and Borneo. However, records from Thailand to the Sunda Shelf may apply to another, possibly unnamed species.

Formerly placed in the genus Megophrys, it was reclassified into the genus Pelobatrachus in 2021 (read more).