Croatia - Italy - Montenegro: Venetian Works of Defence between 15th and 17th centuries: Stato da Terra – western Stato da Mar

This property consists of 15 components of defence works in Italy, Croatia and Montenegro, spanning more than 1,000 kilometres between the Lombard region of Italy and the eastern Adriatic Coast. The fortifications throughout the Stato da Terraprotected the Republic of Venice from other European powers to the northwest and those of the Stato da Mar protected the sea routes and ports in the Adriatic Sea to the Levant. They were necessary to support the expansion and authority of the Serenissima. The introduction of gunpowder led to significant shifts in military techniques and architecture that are reflected in the design of so-called alla modernaI bastioned, fortifications, which were to spread throughout Europe.

Source: UNESCO World Heritage

Postcard 1A - ITALY - Palmanova

Aerial View of fortress town of Palmanova. Thanks to Christina of Italy.

Postcard 1B - ITALY - Bergamo

Upper Town of Bergamo. Thanks to Jean-Pierre of France for mailing from Bergamo in August 2016.

Postcard 1C - ITALY - Peschiera

Aerial view of Peschiera, Italy. Thanks to Kerstin of Italy.

Postcard 2 - CROATIA - Zadar

Church of Saint Donat from 9th Century, Zadar, Croatia. Thanks to Antonella of Croatia.

Postcard 3A - MONTENEGRO - Kotor

Kotor. Postmarked October 17, 2011 and arrived in Penang on October 29, 2011. Thanks to Ruth of USA.

Postcard 3B - MONTENEGRO - Kotor

Kotor of Montenegro. Postmarked October 7, 2011 and arrived in Penang on October 21, 2011. Thanks to Luk of Belgium who was visiting Montenegro.

Postcard 3C - MONTENEGRO - Kotor

Kotor is a twenty centuries old and is a UNESCO World Heritage city. Nice stamps of Crna Gora - Montenegro used. Thanks to Michael of South Africa.

Postcard 3D - MONTENEGRO - Kotor

Nice postcard of Kotor, Crna Gora - Montenegro. Postmarked at Niksic on Jan 4, 2010 and arrived in Penang on Jan 19, 2010. Thanks to Milica of Montenegro.

Germany - Caves and Ice Age Art in the Swabian Jura

"Modern humans first arrived in Europe 43,000 years ago during the last ice age. One of the areas where they took up residence was the Swabian Jura in southern Germany. Excavated from the 1860s, six caves have revealed items dating from 43,000 to 33,000 years ago. Among them are carved figurines of animals (including cave lions, mammoths, horses and cattle), musical instruments and items of personal adornment. Other figurines depict creatures that are half animal, half human and there is one statuette of a female form. These archaeological sites feature some of the oldest figurative art worldwide and help shed light on the origins of human artistic development."

Source: UNESCO World Heritage 

Ice Age art from Swabian Jura. Displayed in MUT Museum of University of Tubingen, Germany. Thanks to Ina of Germany.

Japan - Sacred Island of Okinoshima and Associated Sites in the Munakata Region

"Located 60 km off the western coast of Kyushu island, the island of Okinoshima is an exceptional example of the tradition of worship of a sacred island. The archaeological sites that have been preserved on the Island are virtually intact, and provide a chronological record of how the rituals performed there changed from the 4th to the 9th centuries CE. In these rituals, votive objects were deposited as offerings at different sites on the Island. Many of them are of exquisite workmanship and had been brought from overseas, providing evidence of intense exchanges between the Japanese archipelago, the Korean Peninsula and the Asian continent. Integrated within the Grand Shrine of Munakata, the island of Okinoshima is considered sacred to this day."

Source: UNESCO World Heritage

First Gate of Okinoshima, Fukuoka Munakata-city, Japan. Thanks to Kayu of Sendai, Japan.

Australia - Greater Blue Mountains Area

"The Greater Blue Mountains Area consists of 1.03 million ha of sandstone plateaux, escarpments and gorges dominated by temperate eucalypt forest. The site, comprised of eight protected areas, is noted for its representation of the evolutionary adaptation and diversification of the eucalypts in post-Gondwana isolation on the Australian continent. Ninety-one eucalypt taxa occur within the Greater Blue Mountains Area which is also outstanding for its exceptional expression of the structural and ecological diversity of the eucalypts associated with its wide range of habitats. The site provides significant representation of Australia's biodiversity with ten percent of the vascular flora as well as significant numbers of rare or threatened species, including endemic and evolutionary relict species, such as the Wollemi pine, which have persisted in highly-restricted microsites." 

Source: UNESCO World Heritage

Postcard 1
Three Sisters of Blue Mountains with the Scenic Skyway. The Blue Mountains is a UNESCO World Heritage site. Thanks to SM who went there on a day tour for this nice card.

Postcard 2

Multi-view of Greater Blue Mountains Area. Thanks to SP for mailing from Blue Mountains, Australia.

Morocco - Archaeological Site of Volubilis

"The Mauritanian capital, founded in the 3rd century B.C., became an important outpost of the Roman Empire and was graced with many fine buildings. Extensive remains of these survive in the archaeological site, located in a fertile agricultural area. Volubilis was later briefly to become the capital of Idris I, founder of the Idrisid dynasty, who is buried at nearby Moulay Idris." 

Source: UNESCO World Heritage

Postcard 1
Ville typiquement romaine datant vraisemblablement de 25 ans avant ou apres J.C. of Volubilis, Morocco. Thanks to Julie of Canada.

Postcard 2

Multi-view of Volubilis, Tunisia. Thanks to Patrik of Estonia.

France - Le Havre, the City Rebuilt by Auguste Perret

"The city of Le Havre, on the English Channel in Normandy, was severely bombed during the Second World War. The destroyed area was rebuilt according to the plan of a team headed by Auguste Perret, from 1945 to 1964. The site forms the administrative, commercial and cultural centre of Le Havre. Le Havre is exceptional among many reconstructed cities for its unity and integrity. It combines a reflection of the earlier pattern of the town and its extant historic structures with the new ideas of town planning and construction technology. It is an outstanding post-war example of urban planning and architecture based on the unity of methodology and the use of prefabrication, the systematic utilization of a modular grid, and the innovative exploitation of the potential of concrete." 

Source: UNESCO World Heritage

Postcard 1
Le Havre, Seine-Maritime, France. Thanks to Anne of Germany.

Postcard 2

After World War II heavy destruction of the city, the post war reconstruction architecture has made the city a UNESCO World Heritage site. Thanks to Brigitte of Havre, France.

Spain - San Millán Yuso and Suso Monasteries

"The monastic community founded by St Millán in the mid-6th century became a place of pilgrimage. A fine Romanesque church built in honour of the holy man still stands at the site of Suso. It was here that the first literature was produced in Castilian, from which one of the most widely spoken languages in the world today is derived. In the early 16th century the community was housed in the fine new monastery of Yuso, below the older complex; it is still a thriving community today." 

Source: UNESCO World Heritage

Postcard 1 - Yuso Monastery
Monasterio de Yuso - Lo Rioja with Suso Monastery in the hillside in the background. Thanks to Sonia of Spain - gracias.

Postcard 2 - Suso Monastery

Suso Monastery is where the Glosas Emilianenses were written. Thanks to Rocio of Spain.

Japan - Iwami Ginzan Silver Mine and its Cultural Landscape

"The Iwami Ginzan Silver Mine in the south-west of Honshu Island is a cluster of mountains, rising to 600 m and interspersed by deep river valleys featuring the archaeological remains of large-scale mines, smelting and refining sites and mining settlements worked between the 16th and 20th centuries. The site also features routes used to transport silver ore to the coast, and port towns from where it was shipped to Korea and China. The mines contributed substantially to the overall economic development of Japan and south-east Asia in the 16th and 17th centuries, prompting the mass production of silver and gold in Japan. The mining area is now heavily wooded. Included in the site are fortresses, shrines, parts of Kaidô transport routes to the coast, and three port towns, Tomogaura, Okidomari and Yunotsu, from where the ore was shipped.” 

Source: UNESCO World Heritage

Postcard 1
Aerial view of the surrounding forest and the towns of Iwami Ginzan Silver Mine. Thanks to Phoebe of Hong Kong for mailing this wonderful postcard from there.

Postcard 2

Another view of Iwami Ginzan Silver Mine area. Thanks to Phoebe of Hong Kong who was visiting this heritage site.

Postcard 4 - Ryuenji Mabu Mine Shaft.

Thanks so much to Rie-san of Japan for sending all 4 wonderful postcards of Iwami Ginzan Silver Mine.



Postcard 5 - Interior view of Ryuenji Mabu Mine Shaft



Postcard 6 - Omori Historical Landscape



Postcard 7 - Gohyakurakan Sori Bridge

Postcard 8 - Autumn leaves in Iwami Ginzan

Changing autumn in this region. Thanks to Keiko of Japan.

Mexico - Historic Centre of Mexico City and Xochimilco

"Built in the 16th century by the Spanish on the ruins of Tenochtitlan, the old Aztec capital, Mexico City is now one of the world's largest and most densely populated cities. It has five Aztec temples, the ruins of which have been identified, a cathedral (the largest on the continent) and some fine 19th- and 20th-century public buildings such as the Palacio de las Bellas Artes. Xochimilco lies 28 km south of Mexico City. With its network of canals and artificial islands, it testifies to the efforts of the Aztec people to build a habitat in the midst of an unfavourable environment. Its characteristic urban and rural structures, built since the 16th century and during the colonial period; have been preserved in an exceptional manner." 

Source: UNESCO World Heritage

Postcard 1 - Map of Historic Mexico City
Thanks to Elsa of Mexico.

Postcard 2 - Historic Center of Mexico City

Aerial view of Beautiful Arts Palace and Tower "Latinoamerican" of Mexico City (Ciudad de Mexico). My first postcard of Mexico. Nice colorful stamps. Thanks to Laura who lives in Mexico City. Muchos gracias.






Postcard 3 - Palace of Fine Arts, Mexico City
A beautiful night view of the Palace of Fine Arts of UNESCO World Heritage historic centre of Mexico City. Thanks to CG of Mexico City.




Postcard 4 - Metropolitan Cathedral, Mexico City
The Metropolitan Cathedral is the largest and oldest in the Americas. Thanks to CG of Mexico City.




Postcard 5 - Xochimilco
A beautiful postcard of leisure boat travel along canals of Xochimilco. It is located south of Mexico City where during Aztec times, the locals will travel by boats (chalupas and trajineras) to Tenochtitlan. Thanks so much to Laura of Mexico City. Muchos gracias.

Postcard 6 - Xochimilco

Multi-View of Xochimilco. Postcard was mailed in March 2018 and received on May 25, 2018. Unfortunately, the stamp was not cancelled.