Poland - Będzin

Views of interesting places in Będzin, Poland.

Sent by Ewa from Będzin, Poland.

This is from Wikipedia : Będzin [ˈbɛnd​͡ʑin] (also Bendzin, Yiddish: Bendin בענדין, German: Bendzin, Bendsburg) is a city in Zagłębie Dąbrowskie in southern Poland. Located in the Silesian Highlands, on the Czarna Przemsza river (tributary of the Vistula), the city borders the Upper Silesian Metropolitan Union - a metro area with a population of about 2 million.

It has been situated in the Silesian Voivodeship since its formation in 1999. Before 1999, it was located in Katowice Voivodeship. Będzin is one of the cities of the 2.7 million person conurbation - Katowice urban area and within a greater Silesian metropolitan area populated by about 5,294,000 people. The population of the city is 58,639 (2008).

According to archeological finds, the settlement has existed since the early Middle Ages. The earliest historical mention of Będzin comes from 1301, when it is listed as a village. It was granted Magdeburg rights and became a city in 1358.

Until World War II, Będzin had a vibrant Jewish community. According to the Russian census of 1897, out of the total population of 21,200, Jews constituted 10,800 (around 51% percent). According to the 1921 census the town had a Jewish community consisting of 17,298 people, or 62.1 percent of its total population. In September 1939, the German Army (Wehrmacht) overran this area, followed by the SS death squads (Einsatzgruppen), who burned the Będzin synagogue and murdered many of the Jewish inhabitants. A Będzin Ghetto was created in 1942. Eventually, in the summer of 1943, most of the Jews in Będzin were deported to the nearby German concentration camp at Auschwitz. Since Będzin was one of the last Polish communities to be liquidated, there are a relatively large number of survivors from there, and an extensive collection of their personal photographs were recovered, offering photographic insight into the pre-war life there.

USA - New York

NEW YORK
From the United Nations Looking Downtown.

Sent by Oleg, a postcrosser from New York, USA. Terima kasih (thanks) for the nice beautiful big UN stamps.

Peru - Market in Pisac-Cusco

Pisac-Cusco, Peru
"Don't bargain honey, I can't come down, how much do you think I make on these onions?"

Sent by Tanya from Lima, Peru.

Peru - Puya de Raymondi

Puya de Raymondi or Puya Raimondii.

Sent by Tanya from Lima, Peru.

This is from Wikipedia : Puya raimondii, also known as Queen of the Andes, is an endemic species of Bolivia and Peru, and whose distribution is restricted to the high Andes at an elevation of 3200 – 4800 m. It was the French scientist Alcide d'Orbigny (1802–1857) who was the first non-native person to discover it in 1830, in the region of Vacas, Cochabamba Department, in Bolivia at an altitude of 3960 m (12,992 ft). The name of Puya raimondii commemorates the Italian scientist Antonio Raimondi (1826–1890), who resided in Peru for many years and made wide botanical explorations there. He discovered this species later in Peru in the region of Chavín de Huantar and published it as Pourretia gigantea in El Perú, Volume 1, Page 297 . In 1928, the name was changed to Puya raimondii by the German botanist Hermann Harms.

This plant has a gigantic inflorescence that may reach up to 10 m height, with more than three thousand flowers and six million seeds in each plant. Its reproductive cycle is approximately 40 years.

One planted near sea level at the University of California Botanical Garden, USA, in 1958 grew to 7,6 m (24 ft 11) in and bloomed as early as August 1986 after only 28 years. It is not only the largest of the Puya species, but also the largest Bromeliad. It can reach 3 m tall in vegetative growth, with a flower spike 9–10 m tall. Like most Bromeliads, it dies soon after flowering. It is considered to be an endangered species. Seeds were collected of P. raimondii in 1999 and 2000 of the rodales of Huashta Cruz (district Pueblo Libre, Ancash region, Peru), near the city of Caraz. It is also known to grow in the Masma Chicche District of Jauja Province.

Only 45 km West from Caraz (Ancash - Peru) at 4200m above sea level, at Huashta Cruz, on the Cordillera Negra, there is a "rodal" of puyas, with an impressive 145 km view of the Cordillera Blanca. The place it's known as "Huinchus" as the presence of the (Patagona Gigas) giant colibri, it's often spotted here. In the area of Catac in Peru there are lots of the famous Puyas Raimondi. On August 10, 2009, these plants were clearly shown signs of an imminent blooming stage. These plants are mainly located in the spacious forests from three important places of Ancash: the gully of Ingenio in Catac, the punas of Cajamarquilla and the gully of Queshque, also in Catac.

In Bolivia - apart from Vacas Municipality where these plants are spread on an area of about 1 km² - the only other place to find Puya raimondii is Comanche mountain in Caquiaviri Canton, Caquiaviri Municipality, Pacajes Province, La Paz Department.

Chile - Circuito Cultural Transantiago

What is it? It's a special Transantiago bus loop tour that will take you to the main attractions of the city including museums, cultural centres, typical areas an heritage buildings. The bus circuit operates on Sundays and holidays between 10:00AM and 6:30PM.
How can I use it? You can get on Cicuito Cultural in the circuit bus stops marking your Bip! Card* only once, a courier will give you a bracelet that will allow you to board the buses of the circuit as many times as you like and to continue visiting other places of your interest.

Sent by my best friend Hernán from Santiago, Chile.

This is from Wikipedia : Transantiago is a public transport system that serves Santiago, the capital of Chile. It is considered the most ambitious transport reform undertaken by a developing country according to the World Resources Institute.

The system was introduced on February 10, 2007. It standardized bus routes and eliminated redundancy of same; redundancies were commonplace in the old system, which was run by thousands of independent bus operators. The system combines local (feeder) bus lines, main bus lines and the Metro (subway) network. It includes an integrated fare system, which allows passengers to make bus-to-bus or bus-to-metro transfers for the price of one ticket, using a single contactless smart card.

Transantiago's implementation was problematic, as the decreased bus fleet and the newer routes have proved insufficient to properly serve a population inadequately informed of pending changes. The major complaints are the lack of buses and their inconsistent frequencies, missing or poor infrastructure (such as segregated corridors, prepaid areas and bus stops), the network's coverage, and the number of transfers needed for longer trips. As a result, users have overcrowded the Metro, which is generally held to be fast and dependable.

Transantiago's first stage of implementation began on October 22, 2005, when a group of ten new companies took control of the capital's bus system, immediately introducing 1,181 new, modern low-floor buses (approximately half of them being articulated) made by Volvo in Brazil, replacing 461 yellow-colored buses from the old system. The new buses will temporarily run alongside the over 7,000 existing older buses that will be gradually removed from the system until 2010. In October 2006, a users' information system was introduced.

Transantiago became fully operational on February 10, 2007 with the introduction of a new route system dividing bus lines into two complementary groups: main and local lines. In addition, a new fare structure was implemented, allowing transfers at small or zero fares between buses and metro, when using the new contactless smartcard. 1,776 new buses will operate at this stage. The older yellow-colored (now painted over) buses will only operate through the secondary local lines in conjunction with new but simpler buses. It is expected that by 2010, the older buses will be completely replaced by over 4,600 new vehicles.

Serbia - Belgrade (6)

Multiviews of Belgrade.

Sent by Ana, a postcrosser from Belgrade, Serbia.

Finland - Ylivieska

Views of Ylivieska.

Sent by Kaki, a postcrosser from Finland.

This is from Wikipedia : Ylivieska is a town and a municipality of Northern Ostrobothnia region, Finland. It has a population of 14,094 (31 January 2011), and it serves as the administrative centre for Kalajokilaakso and Pyhäjokilaakso, an area with about 90,000 inhabitants.

Ylivieska is also the commercial center of the Oulu South region, the southern part of Oulu province.

The closest cities near Ylivieska are Oulu (130 km/81 mi) and Kokkola (79 km/49 mi), the neighbouring municipalities are Oulainen, Haapavesi, Nivala, Sievi, Kalajoki, Alavieska and Merijärvi.

The municipality is unilingually Finnish.

Ylivieska is located in Northern Ostrobothnia about 130 kilometres (80 mi) south of the city of Oulu.

The town is characterized by the Kalajoki River, which runs SE–NW through the town centre. The agricultural and economical area of the Kalajoki river basin is known as Kalajokilaakso.

Ylivieska is situated along the Ostrobothnia railway, which leads from Helsinki the national capital to Rovaniemi in the north of the country. The railway was opened 1886 and it has had a significant role in the town's economical development.

USA - California - Olvera Street

OLVERA ST. - LOS ANGELES, CA.
Flower and camera day at quaint Olvera Street, oldest street in Los Angeles.

Sent by Yesenia, a postcrosser from USA.

This is from Wikipedia : Olvera Street is in the oldest part of Downtown Los Angeles, California, and is part of the El Pueblo de Los Angeles Historic Monument. Many Latinos refer to it as "La Placita Olvera." Circa 1911 it was described as Sonora Town.

Having started as a short lane, Wine Street, it was extended and renamed in honor of Agustín Olvera, a prominent local judge, in 1877. There are 27 historic buildings lining Olvera Street, including the Avila Adobe, the Pelanconi House and the Sepulveda House. In 1930, it was converted to a colorful Mexican marketplace. It is also the setting for Mexican-style music and dancing and holiday celebrations, such as Cinco de Mayo. (Read more)

Russia - Russian Folk Kind Characters

Russian Folk Kind Characters

Sent by Viktoriya, a postcrosser from Yaroslavl, Russia.

USA - Pennsylvania - Steamtown National Historic Site

STEAMTOWN NATIONAL HISTORIC SITE, Scranton, PA.
Engine #2317 shown here, a 4-6-2 type was formerly owned by the Canadian Pacific R.R. and once pulled intercontinental expresses in Canada. Built in 1923 and based in Winnipeg, Manitoba, this engine and tender weighing nearly 300 tons now thrills visitors with excursions through the lush mountains of northeastern Pennsylvania.

Sent by Dan, a postcrosser from Pennsylvania, USA.

This is from Wikipedia : Steamtown National Historic Site (NHS) is a railroad museum and heritage railroad located on 62.48 acres (25.3 ha) in downtown Scranton, Pennsylvania, at the site of the former Scranton yards of the Delaware, Lackawanna and Western Railroad (DL&W). The museum is built around a working replica turntable and a roundhouse that is largely a replica but which includes two authentic sections built in 1902 and 1937. All the buildings on the site are listed with the National Register of Historic Places as part of the Delaware, Lackawanna and Western Railroad Yard-Dickson Manufacturing Co. Site.

Most of the steam locomotives and other railroad equipment at Steamtown NHS were originally collected by F. Nelson Blount, a millionaire seafood processor from New England. In 1964, Blount established a non-profit organization, the Steamtown Foundation, to operate Steamtown, USA, a steam railroad museum and excursion business in Bellows Falls, Vermont. In 1984, the foundation moved Steamtown to Scranton, conceived of as urban redevelopment and funded in part by the city. But the museum failed to attract the expected 200,000 to 400,000 annual visitors, and within two years was facing bankruptcy.

In 1986, the U.S. House of Representatives, at the urging of Scranton native Representative Joseph M. McDade, approved $8 million to begin turning the museum into a National Historic Site. The idea was derided by those who called the collection second-rate, the site's historical significance questionable, and the public funding no more than pork-barrel politics. But proponents said the site and the collection were ideal representations of American industrial history. By 1995, the National Park Service (NPS) had acquired Steamtown, USA and improved its facilities at a total cost of $66 million.

Steamtown National Historic Site has since sold a few pieces from the Blount collection, and added a few others deemed of greater historical significance to the region. Low visitor attendance and the need of costly asbestos removal from many pieces of the collection have spurred discussion about privatizing Steamtown.

Germany - Brandenburg - Potsdam

Views of places in Potsdam, Germany; Schloss Cecilienhof, St. Nicolas' Church, Sanssouci Palace, Babelsberg Palace, Brandenburg Gate, and Russian Orthodox Church.

Sent by Denise, a postcrosser from Werder, Germany.

Potsdam (German pronunciation: [ˈpɔtsdam]), is the capital city of the German federal state of Brandenburg. It directly borders the German capital Berlin and is part of the Berlin/Brandenburg Metropolitan Region. It is situated on the River Havel, 24 kilometres (15 miles) southwest of Berlin's city center.

Potsdam has several claims to national and international notability. In Germany, it had a similar status that Windsor has in the United Kingdom: it was the residence of the Prussian kings and the German Kaiser, until 1918. Around the city there are a series of interconnected lakes and unique cultural landmarks, in particular the parks and palaces of Sanssouci, the largest World Heritage Site in Germany. The Potsdam Conference, the major post-World War II conference between the victorious Allies, was held at another palace in the area, the Cecilienhof.

Babelsberg, in the south-eastern part of Potsdam, was a major film production studio before the war and has enjoyed increased success as a major center of European film production since the fall of the Berlin Wall. The Filmstudio Babelsberg is the oldest large-scale film studio in the world.

Potsdam developed into a centre of science in Germany from the 19th century. Today, there are three public colleges, the University of Potsdam and more than 30 research institutes in the city. (read further)

Germany - Lutherstadt Eisleben

Lutherstadt Eisleben.

Sent by Ariane, a postcrosser from Germany.

This is from Wikipedia : Eisleben is a town in Saxony-Anhalt, Germany. It is famous as the hometown of Martin Luther, hence its official name is Lutherstadt Eisleben. As of 2005, Eisleben had a population of 24,552. It lies on the Halle–Kassel railway.

Eisleben is divided into old and new towns (Altstadt and Neustadt); the latter of which was created for Eisleben's miners in the 14th century.

Eisleben was the capital of the district Mansfelder Land and is the seat of the Verwaltungsgemeinschaft ("collective municipality") Lutherstadt Eisleben.

Eisleben was first mentioned in 997 as a market called Islebia and in 1180 as a town. It belonged to the counts of Mansfeld until it passed to the Electorate of Saxony in 1780. It was assigned to the Kingdom of Prussia in 1815 and was administered within the Prussian Province of Saxony. It became part of the new state of Saxony-Anhalt after World War II.

The Protestant reformer Martin Luther was born in Eisleben on November 10, 1483. His father, Hans Luther, was a miner like many of Eisleben's citizens. Luther's family moved to Mansfeld when he was only a year old and he lived in Wittenberg most of his life, but by chance he was in Eisleben when he preached his last sermons and died (1546).

Eisleben was a pioneer of "heritage tourism" — it took steps to preserve its Luther memorials as far back as 1689.

Together with the Luther sites in Wittenberg, the "Birth House" and "Death House" of Martin Luther in Eisleben were designated a World Heritage Site in 1997. Also in Eisleben is the St. Peter and Paul Church, where Luther was baptised (the original font survives) and St. Andreas Church, where he preached his last sermons.

Martta Wendelin (21)

Martta Wendelin.

Sent by Marita, a postcrosser from Finland.

Martta Wendelin (20)

Martta Wendelin.

Sent by Eeva, a postcrosser from Finland.

Czech Republic - Lednice-Valtice Cultural Landscape (2)

Lednice-Valtice Cultural Landscape.

Sent by Jaroslav, a postcrosser from Czech Republic.

Sweden - Top Ten Most Popular Swedish Stamps 1983

Top Ten Most Popular Swedish Stamps 1983.

Sent by Miki, a postcrosser from Sweden.

Germany - Frankfurt (3)

The ruined city of Frankfurt in 1945 (after Second World War).

Sent by Yuen Man of Hong Kong who visited Franfurt.

Russia - Nadym - Hotel Aysberg

Hotel Aysberg in Nadym in Yamalo-Nenets Autonomous Okrug, Russia.

Sent by Natalya from Nadym, Russia.

Austria - Fertö / Neusiedlersee Cultural Landscape

Nationalpark Neusiedler See - Seewinkel, a part of Fertö / Neusiedlersee Cultural Landscape, a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Sent by Claudia, a postcrosser from Vienna, Austria.

This is from UNESCO : The Fertö-Neusiedler Lake and its surroundings are an outstanding example of a traditional human settlement and land use representative of a culture. The present character of the landscape is the result of millennia-old land-use forms based on stockraising and viticulture to an extent not found in other European lake areas. The historic centre of the medieval free town of Rust constitutes an outstanding example of a traditional human settlement representative of the area. The town exhibits the special building mode of a society and culture within which the lifestyles of townspeople and farmers form a united whole. The Fertö-Neusiedler Lake has been the meeting place of different cultures for eight millennia, and this is graphically demonstrated by its varied landscape, the result of an evolutionary and symbiotic process of human interaction with the physical environment.

The lake lies between the Alps, 70 km distant, and the lowlands in the territory of two states, Austria and Hungary. The lake itself is in an advanced state of sedimentation, with extensive reed stands. It has existed for 500 years within an active water management regime. In the 19th century, canalization of Hanság shut the lake off from its freshwater marshland. Since 1912 completion of a circular dam ending at Hegykö to the south has prevented flooding.

Two broad periods may be discerned: from around 6000 BC until the establishment of the Hungarian state in the 11th century AD and from the 11th century until the present. The World Heritage site lies in a region that was Hungarian territory from the 10th century until the First World War. From the 7th century BC the lake shore was densely populated, initially by people of the early Iron Age Hallstatt culture and on through late prehistoric and Roman times. In the fields of almost every village around the Lake there are remains of Roman villas. The basis of the current network of towns and villages was formed in the 12th and 13th centuries, their markets flourishing from 1277 onwards, when they were relieved of many fiscal duties.

The mid-13th century Tatar invasion left this area unharmed, and it enjoyed uninterrupted development throughout medieval times until the Turkish conquest in the late 16th century. The economic basis throughout was the export of animals and wine. Rust in particular prospered on the wine trade. Its refortification in the early 16th century as a response to the then emerging Ottoman threat marked the beginning of a phase of construction in the area, first with fortifications and then, during the 17th-19th centuries, with the erection and adaptation of domestic buildings. The remarkable rural architecture of the villages surrounding the lake and several 18th-and 19th-century palaces add to the area's considerable cultural interest. The palace of the township of Nagycenk and the Fertöd Palace are included in detached areas of the core zone outside the buffer zone.

Széchenyi Palace, at the southern end of the lake, is a detached ensemble of buildings in the centre of a large park, initially built in the mid-18th century on the site of a former manor house. It acquired some of its present form and appearance around 1800. The Baroque palace garden was originated in the 17th century. In the late 18th century an English-style landscape garden was laid out.

Between 1769 and 1790 Josef Haydn's compositions were first heard in the Fertöd Esterházy Palace. It was the most important 18th-century palace of Hungary, built on the model of Versailles. The plan of the palace, garden and park was on geometrical lines which extended to the new village of Esterháza. There, outside the palace settlement, were public buildings, industrial premises and residential quarters. The palace itself is laid out around a square with rounded internal corners. To the south is an enormous French Baroque garden that has been changed several times, the present layout being essentially that of 1762.

Australia - Royal Exhibition Building and Carlton Gardens

Royal Exhibition Building and Carlton Gardens.
World Heritage Site, Melbourne, Australia.

Sent by Anita, a postcrosser from Australia.

This is from UNESCO : The Royal Exhibition Building and the surrounding Carlton Gardens, as the main extant survivors of a Palace of Industry and its setting, together reflect the global influence of the international exhibition movement of the 19th and early 20th centuries. The movement showcased technological innovation and change, which helped promote a rapid increase in industrialization and international trade through the exchange of knowledge and ideas.

The complex was designed for the great international exhibitions of 1880 and 1888 in Melbourne. The building, designed by Joseph Reed, is constructed of brick and timber, steel and slate; it combines elements from the Byzantine, Romanesque, Lombardic and Italian Renaissance styles. The property is typical of the international exhibition movement which saw over 50 expositions staged between 1851 and 1915 in venues including Paris, New York, Vienna, Calcutta, Kingston (Jamaica) and Santiago (Chile). All shared a common theme and aims: to chart material and moral progress through displays of industry from all nations.

The scale and grandeur of the building reflects the values and aspirations attached to industrialization and its international face. The Building boasts many of the important features that made the expositions so dramatic and effective, including a dome, a great hall, giant entry portals, versatile display areas, axial planning, and complementary gardens and viewing areas. Unlike many international exhibitions, the Building was conceived as a permanent structure that would have a future role in the cultural activities of the growing city of Melbourne.

Despite the great impact of the international exhibition movement worldwide and the impressive nature of the many buildings designed and built to hold these displays, few remain. Even fewer retain their authenticity in terms of original location and condition. The Royal Exhibition Building, in its original setting of the Carlton Gardens, is one of the rare survivors. It has added rarity as the only substantially intact example in the world of a Great Hall from a major international exhibition.

Carlton Gardens are in two parts: an axial garden layout in the southern part of the site and a northern garden that was landscaped after the close of the two great 19th century exhibitions. Bounded by Victoria, Rathdowne, Carlton and Nicholson Streets at the edge of Melbourne's city centre, the entire block remains intact as originally designated by the Victorian Parliament in 1878. During the 1880 and 1888 international exhibitions the southern portion of the garden became a pleasure garden, with many attractions. The South Carlton Gardens, as it is now known, continues to be used for parkland and exhibition purposes. The southern entrance to the building, on the city side, is the apex of the design. A level promenade was created along the front of the building, and a semi-circular space has as its centrepiece an ornate fountain. A ceremonial approach is provided by a 24 m wide avenue, and two other paths form a radiating axis from the fountain. In 1888 another fountain, the Westgarth Fountain, was added.

The aesthetic significance of the Carlton Gardens lies in its representation of the 19th-century Gardenesque style. This includes parterre garden beds, significant avenues including the southern carriage drive and Grande Allée, the path system, specimens and clusters of trees, two small lakes and three fountains. The formal ornamental palace garden, which was the context for the Great Hall of the Palace of Industry, is substantially intact.

Bulgaria - Folklore Traditions

Sent by Nadezhda, a postcrosser from Bulgaria.

Netherlands - Vinkeveen

An aerial view of Vinkeveen.

Sent by Nelleke, a postcrosser from Vinkeveen, Netherlands.

This is from Wikipedia : Vinkeveen is a town in the Dutch province of Utrecht. It is a part of the municipality of De Ronde Venen, and lies about 18 km south of Amsterdam.

The neighbourhood of Vinkeveen, which covers the town of Vinkeveen and the neighbouring hamlet of Achterbos, has about 8400 inhabitants.

Vinkeveen used to be a separate municipality. It merged with Waverveen in 1841, to form the municipality Vinkeveen en Waverveen. In 1989 there was a reorganisation of local governments, and Vinkeveen became a part of De Ronde Venen.

Vinkeveen is mainly famous for the Vinkeveense Plassen, a lake area east of the village. They are an important recreational area, with facilities for swimming, diving and yachting. There is a marina on the north shore of the lakes.

Bicycles (9)

Leidsegracht, Amsterdam.

Sent by Marije from Netherlands.

Russia - St. Petersburg - Neva River

Neva River. View of the Spit of Vasiliyevsky Island from the Palace Embankment.

Sent by Dmitry, a postcrosser from St. Petersburg.

This is from Wikipedia : The Neva (Russian: Нева́, IPA: [nʲɪˈva]) is a river in northwestern Russia flowing from Lake Ladoga through the western part of Leningrad Oblast (historical region of Ingria) to the Neva Bay of the Gulf of Finland. Despite its modest length (74 km), it is the third largest river in Europe in terms of average discharge (after the Volga and the Danube).

The Neva is the only river flowing from Lake Ladoga. It flows through the city Saint Petersburg, three smaller towns of Shlisselburg, Kirovsk and Otradnoye, and dozens of settlements. The river is navigable throughout and is part of the Volga–Baltic Waterway and White Sea – Baltic Canal. It is a site of numerous major historical events, including the Battle of the Neva in 1240 which gave Alexander Nevsky his name, the founding of Saint Petersburg in 1703, and the Siege of Leningrad by the German army during World War II.

Poland - Polesie National Park

Polesie National Park.

Sent by Ada, a postcrosser from Poland.

This is from Wikipedia : Polesie National Park (Polish: Poleski Park Narodowy) is a National Park in Lublin Voivodeship, eastern Poland, in the Polish part of the historical region of Polesie. Created in 1990 over an area of 48.13 square kilometres, it covers a number of former peat-bog preserves: Durne Bagno, Jezioro Moszne, Jezioro Długie, Torfowisko Orłowskie. In 1994 its size was augmented by the addition of Bagno Bubnów, a swampy terrain adjacent to the park. Currently, the park occupies 97.62 km2 (37.69 sq mi), of which forests make up 47.8 km², and water and wastelands 20.9 km².

The idea of creating a National Park in the Polish part of Polesie first appeared in 1959. Over the following years a few preserves were organized here, and in 1982 the government announced the creation of Poleski Park Krajobrazowy (Polesie Landscape Park). Currently, even though Polesie’s infrastructure is quite well developed, it is rarely visited by tourists. In the village of Załucze Stare there is a cultural center with a museum.

The National Park and neighbouring areas form the West Polesie biosphere reserve, designated by UNESCO in 2002. This is adjacent to a similar reserve on the Ukrainian side of the border. The Park is also protected under the Ramsar convention as an important wetland site.