Russia - Moscow - Ivan the Great Bell Tower

The Kremlin. The belfry of Ivan the Great.

Sent by Tatyana from Saint Petersburg, Russia.

The Ivan the Great Bell Tower (Russian: Колокольня Иван Великий, romanized: Kolokol'nya Ivan Velikiy) is a church tower inside the Moscow Kremlin complex. With a total height of 81 metres (266 ft), it is the tallest tower and structure of the Kremlin. It was built in 1508 on Cathedral Square for the three Russian Orthodox cathedrals, namely the Assumption (closest to the tower), the Archangel and the Annunciation, which do not have their own belfries. It serves as a part of Moscow Kremlin Museums.

From 1329, Moscow's first stone bell tower stood on this site, affiliated with the Church of St. Ivan of the Ladder-under-the Bell, hence the name "Ivan" in the title. This church was erected by Grand Duke Ivan Kalita, and was one of the first to be built in Moscow out of stone, rather than wood. During Grand Duke Ivan III’s major renovation of the Kremlin, he hired an Italian architect to replace this church. Construction was begun in 1505, the year of Ivan’s death, and was completed three years later under his son Vasily III. Vasilly also ordered that a new and unprecedentedly large tower be erected on the foundations of the old tower as a monument to honour his father (read more).

USA - Alaska - Wrangell-St. Elias National Park

Wrangell-St. Elias National Park was established in 1980, the 48th among America's National Parks. Located in southeastern Alaska, it looms over the Canadian Yukon border. Wrangell-St. Elias is the largest National Park with 13 million acres, the size of Yellowstone, Yosemite and Switzerland combined! Mt. St. Elias, at 18,008 feet, is the second highest peak in the U.S.  Mt. Wrangell, at 14,163 feet, is one of the largest active volcanoes in Nort America.

Sent by Margaret from Nevada, USA.

Wrangell–St. Elias National Park and Preserve is a United States national park and preserve in south central Alaska. The park, the largest in the United States, covers the Wrangell Mountains and a large portion of the Saint Elias Mountains, which include most of the highest peaks in the United States and Canada, yet are within 10 miles (16 km) of tidewater, one of the highest reliefs in the world. The park's high point is Mount Saint Elias at 18,008 feet (5,489 m), the second tallest mountain in both the United States and Canada. The park has been shaped by the competing forces of volcanism and glaciation, with its tall mountains uplifted by plate tectonics. Mount Wrangell and Mount Churchill are among major volcanos in these ranges. The park's glacial features include Malaspina Glacier, the largest piedmont glacier in North America, Hubbard Glacier, the longest tidewater glacier in Alaska, and Nabesna Glacier, the world's longest valley glacier. The Bagley Icefield covers much of the park's interior, which includes 60% of the permanently ice-covered terrain in Alaska. At the center of the park and preserve, the boomtown of Kennecott exploited one of the world's richest deposits of copper from 1903 to 1938. The abandoned mine buildings and mills comprise a National Historic Landmark district (read more).

Poland - Masovian - Warszawa Śródmieście WKD Railway Station

WKD Station.

Sent by Aleksandra from Prague, Czechia.

Warszawa Śródmieście WKD (Polish pronunciation: [ɕrudˈmjɛɕt͡ɕɛ]) is the city terminus of the Warszawska Kolej Dojazdowa (WKD) suburban light rail line in Warsaw. It is situated in Aleje Jerozolimskie to the south-west of Warszawa Centralna railway station. The station was opened on 8 December 1963.

The station platform is located below the ground level to the south of the approach tracks to Warszawa Centralna, which can be seen from the platform. The station has an unusual layout and method of operation, with a single long platform alongside the southern (city-bound) track. Inbound trains stop at the west end of the platform to unload passengers, before pulling forward to the east end to allow boarding. Once trains are ready to depart, they do so via a mid-platform cross-over onto the northern track.

The station has no above ground buildings, save for concrete shelters offering some weather protection to the staircases linking the platform to the street. Alternative access is provided via an underground shopping mall, which connects the station to Warszawa Centralna and the street-level tram stops (read more).

China - Pangquangou Nature Reserve

Pangquangou Nature Reserve.

Sent by Wang from Fujian, China.

Located in the central Lüliang Shan mountains. The main ridge in the IBA extends 15 km from north to south, and is 14.5 km wide. The main habitat is temperate deciduous broadleaf forest. The nature reserve was mainly established for the protection of Crossoptilon mantchuricum.

This site qualifies as a Key Biodiversity Area of international significance because it meets one or more previously established criteria and thresholds for identifying sites of biodiversity importance (including Important Bird and Biodiversity Areas, Alliance for Zero Extinction sites, and Key Biodiversity Areas) (read more)

Bicycle (72)

Fafrradausflug (Cycling trip).

Sent by Cardeaux from Oberhausen, Germany.

Thanks for the matching stamp.

Germany - Lower Saxony - St Mary's Cathedral and St Michael's Church at Hildesheim

Historical landmarks in the German city of Hildesheim. Featured landmarks include;  

- the Knochenhauer-Amtshaus (Butchers' Guild Hall), a reconstructed half-timbered building,

- St. Michaelis Church and the Hildensheim Cathedral are both UNESCO World Heritage sites.

Sent by Holger from Hildesheim, Germany.

The ancient Benedictine abbey church of St Michael in Hildesheim, located in the north of Germany, is one of the key monuments of medieval art, built between 1010 and 1022 by Bernward, Bishop of Hildesheim. St Michael’s is one of the rare major constructions in Europe around the turn of the millennium which still conveys a unified impression of artistry, without having undergone any substantial mutilations or critical transformations in basic and detailed structures.

St Michael's Church was built on a symmetrical ground plan with two apses that was characteristic of Ottonian Romanesque art in Old Saxony. Its interior, in particular the wooden ceiling and painted stucco-work, together with the treasures of St Mary's Cathedral – in particular its famous bronze doors and the Bernward bronze column – make the property of exceptional interest as examples of the Romanesque churches of the Holy Roman Empire. The harmony of the interior structure of St Michael’s and its solid exterior is an exceptional achievement in architecture of the period. Of basilical layout with opposed apses, the church is characterised by its symmetrical design: the east and west choirs are each preceded by a transept which protrudes substantially from the side aisles; elegant circular turrets on the axis of the gable of both transept arms contrast with the silhouettes of the massive lantern towers located at the crossing. In the nave, the presence of square impost pillars alternating in an original rhythm with columns having cubic capitals creates a type of elevation which proved very successful in Ottonian and Romanesque art (read more).

Swimwear #19

Featuring a woman in a white swimsuit and yellow hat, a vintage-style travel poster promoting the North Sea resort town of Nordeney, an island in Germany.

Sent by Nicole from Minnesota, USA. 

Coca Cola Ad Card (12)

COCA COLA, COKE, the Contour Bottle Design, and the Dynamic Ribbon Device are the trademarks of The Coca Cola Company.

Sent by Hoyoon from Seoul, South Korea.

Spain - Catalonia - Casa Milà (La Pedrera)

LA PEDRERA (1906 - 1912). ANTONI GAUDI.

Sent by Juan Carlos from Barcelona, Spain.

Casa Milà (Catalan: [ˈkazə miˈla], Spanish: [ˈkasa miˈla]), popularly known as La Pedrera (Catalan: [lə pəˈðɾeɾə], Spanish: [la peˈðɾeɾa]; "the stone quarry") in reference to its unconventional rough-hewn appearance, is a Modernista building in Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain. It was the last private residence designed by architect Antoni Gaudí and was built between 1906 and 1912.

The building was commissioned in 1906 by Pere Milà [ca; es] and his wife Roser Segimon. At the time, it was controversial because of its undulating stone facade, twisting wrought iron balconies, and design by Josep Maria Jujol. Several structural innovations include a self-supporting stone façade, and a free-plan floor, underground garage and the spectacular terrace on the roof.

In 1984, it was declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO. Since 2013 it has been the headquarters of the Fundació Catalunya La Pedrera, which manages visits to the building, exhibitions and other cultural and educational activities at Casa Milà (read more).

India - Tamil Nadu - Nagapattinam Head Post Office

Nagapattinam Head Post Office

A heritage building constructed by Dutch rulers as a recreation hall in 1857. The Head Post Office is functioning from 1933.

Sent by V. Adith from Tamil Nadu, India.

Finland - South Ostrobothnia - Seinäjoki City/Town Hall

FINLAND

Seinäjoki

The Town Hall (Architect : Alvar Aalto)

Sent by Matti from Seinäjoki, Finland.

The Seinäjoki City Hall is the main municipal administrative building in the city of Seinäjoki, Finland. It is notable for having been designed by the renowned Finnish architect Alvar Aalto.

The building is based on Aalto's 1959 winning entry into a design contest for the new Seinäjoki urban plan, and was completed three years later in 1962. It was comprehensively renovated in the 2010s, with the work finished in 2018.

The exterior cladding of the main facade features dark blue ceramic tiles which appear to change colour under different lighting conditions.

The city council assembly hall was designed to serve a dual purpose as a concert venue (read more).

Belgium - Brussels - Flower Carpet

BRUSSELS

Market Place, Flower Carpet.

Sent by Ken from Germany.

The Flower Carpet (French: Tapis de Fleurs; Dutch: Bloementapijt) is a biennial event in Brussels in which volunteers from around Belgium convene at the Grand-Place/Grote Markt, the historic centre of the city, to weave a carpet-like tapestry out of colourful begonias or dahlias. The event takes place every other August, coordinating with Assumption Day, and lasts for three to four days. A different theme is chosen for each edition.

The first Flower Carpet was created in Brussels in 1971 by the Ghent landscape architect Etienne Stautemans in an effort to advertise his work, and due to its popularity, the tradition continued in subsequent years. The non-profit association Tapis de Fleurs de Bruxelles was then created at the initiative of the College of Mayors and Aldermen of the City of Brussels in cooperation with the Province of Brabant and Les Franc-Bourgeois (a central Brussels traders' association). The new association laid down the regulations: the event was to be held every two years, for three to four days on the weekend of 15 August, and could be enhanced by sound and lighting, fireworks, a jazz concert and other traditional folk entertainments (read more).

Malaysia - Johor - Johor River Bridge

Johor River Bridge.

Sent by Zain from Selangor, Malaysia.

The Sungai Johor Bridge (Malay: Jambatan Sungai Johor; Jawi: جمبتن سوڠاي جوهر) is an expressway bridge across Johor River on Senai–Desaru Expressway in Johor, Malaysia. The 1.7 km (1,708 m) single plane cable stayed bridge connects Pulau Juling in Johor Bahru District in the west to Tanjung Penyabong in Kota Tinggi District in the east. Opened on 10 June 2011, it has the longest central span of any river bridge in Malaysia, followed by Batang Sadong Bridge in Sarawak. The bridge is also the longest single plane cable-stayed bridge in Malaysia.

Construction officially began in 2005. Construction was led by Senai Desaru Expressway Berhad with a main contractor Ranhill Engineers & Constructors Sdn Bhd. The bridge was to have been completed by December 2008, but opening of the bridge was repeatedly delayed, opening together with the 2nd phase of the expressway on 10 June 2011 (read more).

North Korea - Monument to the Victorious Fatherland Liberation War

Monument to the Victorious Fatherland Liberation War, located in Pyongyang, North Korea.

Sent by Margaret from Nevada, USA. She bought this postcard in May 2015 as she was part of the delegation to North Korea.

The Monument to the Victorious Fatherland Liberation War is an outdoor monument in Pyongyang, North Korea. The monument is outside of the Victorious Fatherland Liberation War Museum. The monument itself is a series of statues depicting soldiers of the various branches of the Korean People's Army. The central statue of the collection is known as the Victory Statue and it depicts a soldier of the KPA raising the flag of North Korea. The monument was completed in 1993 to mark the 40th anniversary of the end of the Korean War (or the "Fatherland Liberation War", as it is referred to in North Korea). This includes side monuments titled "Defenders of Altitude 1211", "Liberated south Korea", "Heroes of Wolmido", "Moving the Artillery Gun Up", Peoples' Reinforcement Frontline", "Defenders of Airspace of the Fatherland", War of Liberation of Taejon", Defenders of the Fatherland's Maritime", "Battle of Nakdong River", and "Combat of the Peoples' Guerllia Force". Moored on a nearby bank of the Taedong River is the captured United States Navy spy ship the USS Pueblo (read more).

United Kingdom - England - The Tuck Shop at Church Street

Church Street, now Mare Street.

(The Tuck Shop).

Sent by Bev from London, England.

My Russia #7 - Mikhail Lermontov Monument

On the Red Sun Mountain. The monument to the poet Mikhail Lermontov looks at Mount Elbrus. Kislovodsk, Stavropol Krai.

Sent by Nargul from Samara Oblast, Russia.

China - Chongqing - City of Bridges

Bridge scene in Chongqing, China with the sun silhouetted behind the structure of a large bridge.

Sent by Jennie from Chongqing, China.

Chongqing is a mountain megacity, it is also a city on rivers. Therefore, bridges are everywhere. As of now, the city occupies over 4,500 bridges. In 2005, Bridge Committee of Mao Yi-sheng Science and Technology Education Foundation recognized it as the only “the City of Bridges” in China.

Chongqing has a mass of ancient bridges with a long history, more than numerous modern bridges that are majestic and built with superb and diversified construction technologies. It is reported that nearly 800 ancient bridges are scattered across the city, and there are 17 Historical and Cultural Sites Protected at the Provincial Level ascribed to their long history, complicated construction technologies or grand scale (read more).

Russia - Saint Petersburg - Tauride Palace

Tauride Palace.

Architect I.E. Starov.

1782 - 1790.

Sent by Reinhold from Hamburg, Germany.

Tauride Palace (Russian: Таврический дворец, romanized: Tavrichesky dvorets) is one of the largest and most historically important palaces in Saint Petersburg, Russia.

Prince Grigory Potemkin of Tauride commissioned his favourite architect, Ivan Starov, to design his city residence in a rigorous Palladian style. Starov's design called for an extensive park, later the Tauride Garden, and harbour in front of the palace, which would be linked with the Neva River by a canal. Building work began in 1783 and lasted for six years. The 13-bay front of the palace has a Tuscan portico and is topped by a shallow dome. A square vestibule leads to an octagonal hall, with the huge "Catherine Hall" beyond. This had eighteen Ionic Greek columns on either side and opens into a large, enclosed winter garden with a central circular colonnade. Considered the grandest nobleman's residence of 18th-century Russia, Tauride Palace served as a model for innumerable manors scattered across the Russian Empire (read more).

My Russia #6 - Mount Elbrus, Kabardino-Balkaria

View of Mount Elbrus. Kabardino-Balkaria.

Sent by Irina from Krasnoyarsk, Russia.

Mount Elbrus is the highest mountain in Russia and Europe. It is a dormant stratovolcano rising 5,642 m (18,510 ft) above sea level, and is the highest volcano in Eurasia, as well as the tenth-most prominent peak in the world. It is situated in the southern Russian republic of Kabardino-Balkaria in the western extension of Ciscaucasia, and is the highest peak of the Caucasus Mountains.

Elbrus has two summits, both of which are dormant volcanic domes. The taller, western summit is 5,642 metres (18,510 ft); the eastern summit is 5,621 metres (18,442 ft). The earliest recorded ascent of the eastern summit was on 10 July 1829 by a Circassian man named Khillar Khashirov, and the western summit in 1874 by a British expedition led by F. Crauford Grove and including Frederick Gardiner, Horace Walker and the Swiss guide Peter Knubel (read more). 

My Russia #5 - Church of Elijah the Prophet

Church of Elijah the Prophet, Yaroslav.

Sent by Galina from Vladivostok, Russia.

One of the richest historic towns on the Volga River is Yaroslavl, located about 130 miles northeast of Moscow. Now an industrial center with some 650,000 inhabitants, Yaroslavl has a remarkable concentration of church art and architecture from the 16th through the 19th centuries. Each year thousands visit the city on river cruises or by land from Moscow. They all see at least one of the city’s magnificent 17th-century monuments—the Church of Elijah the Prophet, located at the very center of town. The Elijah Church is the consummate example of art sponsored by the city’s flourishing commercial environment (read more).

USA - Colorado - Fern Lake

Little Matterhorn and Notch-Top from Fern Lake (Elev. 9,550 ft), Rocky Mountains National Park, Colorado.

Fern Lake is reached by horseback trail from either Bear Lake or Moraine Park.

High peaks rear themselves above three clad slopes to offer many beautiful vistas.

Sent Matt from Virginia, USA.

Fern Lake Trail takes you to a scenic mountain lake accessed from the Moraine Park area on the east side of Rocky Mountain National Park. The trail follows the Big Thompson River, offering great views of Fern Falls, Notchtop Mountain, and the Little Matterhorn from Fern Lake's north side (read more).

Bulgaria - Thracian Tomb of Sveshtari

Sboryanovo, Bulgaria

Municipality of Isperih, the historical-archaeological Reserve "Sboryanovo". A Thracian King's vault (4th-3rd B.C.). A monument of the world's cultural-historical heritage.

Sent by Nelly from Sofia, Bulgaria.

Discovered in 1982 near the village of Sveshtari, this 3rd-century BC Thracian tomb reflects the fundamental structural principles of Thracian cult buildings. The tomb has a unique architectural decor, with polychrome half-human, half-plant caryatids and painted murals. The 10 female figures carved in high relief on the walls of the central chamber and the decoration of the lunette in its vault are the only examples of this type found so far in the Thracian lands. It is a remarkable reminder of the culture of the Getes, a Thracian people who were in contact with the Hellenistic and Hyperborean worlds, according to ancient geographers.

The Thracian Tomb near Sveshtari is an extremely rare and very well preserved monument of the sepulchral architecture containing remarkable elements in terms of their quality and style sculpture and painting. The Tomb is also remarkable for the fact that it represents local art, inspired by Hellenism, a rare case of an interrupted creative process which possesses specific characteristics (read more).

Bulgaria - Boyana Church

BULGARIA - SOFIA

Boyana Church St. Nicholas and St. Panteleimon

1. Exterior of the church;

2. Tsaritsa Irina, wall painting, 1259; and

3. Interior of the church.

Sent Zenny from Sofia, Bulgaria.

Located on the outskirts of Sofia, Boyana Church consists of three buildings. The eastern church was built in the 10th century, then enlarged at the beginning of the 13th century by Sebastocrator Kaloyan, who ordered a second two storey building to be erected next to it. The frescoes in this second church, painted in 1259, make it one of the most important collections of medieval paintings. The ensemble is completed by a third church, built at the beginning of the 19th century. This site is one of the most complete and perfectly preserved monuments of east European medieval art.

There are several layers of wall paintings in the interior from the 11th, 13th, 15-17th and 19th centuries which testify to the high level of wall painting during the different periods. The paintings with the most outstanding artistic value are those from 13th century. Whilst they interpret the Byzantine canon, the images have a special spiritual expressiveness and vitality and are painted in harmonious proportions (read more).

Slovakia - Wooden Churches of the Slovak part of the Carpathian Mountain Area

Ladomirová

The wooden church of St. Michael the Archangel with a bell tower from 1742 was built without a single nail. It has been a national cultural monument since 1968 and has been listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 8 July 2008.

Sent by Julia from Hokovce, Slovakia.

The wooden churches of the Slovak part of Carpathian Mountain Area, illustrate the coexistence of different religious faiths within a small territory of central Europe. The series of eight properties includes Roman Catholic, Protestant and Greek Orthodox churches that were built between the 16th and 18th centuries, most of them in quite isolated villages, using wood as the main material and traditional construction techniques. Within the framework of their common features, the churches exhibit some typological variations, in accordance with the correspondent faith, expressed in their plans, interior spaces and external appearance. The churches also bear testimony to the development of major architectural and artistic trends during the period of construction and its interpretation and adaptation to a specific geographical and cultural context. Interiors are decorated with wall and ceiling paintings and works of art that enrich the cultural significance of the properties (read more).