Belgium - Major Mining Sites of Wallonia

"The four sites of the property form a strip that is 170km long by 3 to 15 km, crossing Belgium from east to west. It consists of the best-preserved 19th- and 20th-century coal mining sites of the country. It features early examples of the utopian architecture from the early periods of the industrial era in Europe within a highly integrated, industrial and urban ensemble, notably the Grand-Hornu colliery and workers’ city designed by Bruno Renard in the first half of the 19th century. Bois-du-Luc includes numerous buildings erected from 1838 to 1909 and one of Europe’s oldest collieries dating back to the end of the 17th century. While the Walloon region had hundreds of collieries, most have lost their infrastructure, while the four components of the listed site retain a high measure of integrity. "

- Grand Hornu
- Bois du Cazier 

- Blegny-Mine
- Bois-du-Luc

Source: UNESCO World Heritage

in bold - collected postcards of these subsites

in red - looking for postcard from this subsite

Postcard 1 - Bois du Cazier
Le Bois du Cazier, Marcinelle, Belgium. Thanks to Gerda of Belgium.

Postcard 2 - Grand Hornu

Houses of the engineers on the oval courtyard of the former coal mine of Grand Hornu, Belgium. Thanks to Gerda of Belgium.

Postcard 3 - Blegny-Mine

Blegny Mine - a UNESCO World Heritage site in Belgium. Thanks to Gerda of Belgium. Postmarked August 24, 2020 and received in Penang island on September 17, 2020.

France - The Loire Valley between Sully-sur-Loire and Chalonnes

"The Loire Valley is an outstanding cultural landscape of great beauty, containing historic towns and villages, great architectural monuments (the châteaux), and cultivated lands formed by many centuries of interaction between their population and the physical environment, primarily the river Loire itself." 

Source: UNESCO World Heritage

Postcard 1-A
A panoroma view of le Chateau of Saumur, Maine-et-Loire. Thanks to Jean-Pierre of France who visited Saumur.

Postcard 1-B

Equestrian at Chateau of Saumur. Thanks to Jean-Pierre of France.

Postcard 2

Azay-le-Rideau at Indre-et-Loire. Thanks to Jean-Pierre of France.

Postcard 3

Chateaux de la Loire - Amboise (top left); Azay-le-Rideau (middle left); Bois (middle right); Saumur (bottom middle left); Angers (bottom right). Thanks to YL who was travelling in Loire Valley.

Postcard 4

The French riverine town of Saumur, along the Loire River is one of the treasures of Loire Valley.

Postcard 5

Map and multiview of Loire Valley - Le Val de Loire, France showing the part of the UNESCO section of Loire River between Angiers and Blois. Thanks to YLai for mailing from Germany. Received in Penang island on September 17, 2020.

Italy - Syracuse and the Rocky Necropolis of Pantalica

"The site consists of two separate elements, containing outstanding vestiges dating back to Greek and Roman times: The Necropolis of Pantalica contains over 5,000 tombs cut into the rock near open stone quarries, most of them dating from the 13th to 7th centuries BC. Vestiges of the Byzantine era also remain in the area, notably the foundations of the Anaktoron (Prince’s Palace). The other part of the property, Ancient Syracuse, includes the nucleus of the city’s foundation as Ortygia by Greeks from Corinth in the 8th century BC. The site of the city, which Cicero described as ‘the greatest Greek city and the most beautiful of all’, retains vestiges such as the Temple of Athena (5th century BC, later transformed to serve as a cathedral), a Greek theatre, a Roman amphitheatre, a fort and more. Many remains bear witness to the troubled history of Sicily, from the Byzantines to the Bourbons, interspersed with the Arabo-Muslims, the Normans, Frederick II of the Hohenstaufen dynasty (1197–1250), the Aragons and the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies. Historic Syracuse offers a unique testimony to the development of Mediterranean civilization over three millennia." 

Source: UNESCO World Heritage

Postcard 1
Greek theatre of Siracuse - Syracuse, Italy. Thanks to Johnson of UK.

Postcard 2 - Ortigia
Cathedral Square and Cathedral in Ortigia, an island in Siracusa (Syracuse), Sicily. It is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Thanks to Jean-Pierre of France. Postmarked August 23, 2020 and received in Penang island on September 15, 2020.

United Kingdom - St Kilda

"This volcanic archipelago, with its spectacular landscapes, is situated off the coast of the Hebrides and comprises the islands of Hirta, Dun, Soay and Boreray. It has some of the highest cliffs in Europe, which have large colonies of rare and endangered species of birds, especially puffins and gannets. The archipelago, uninhabited since 1930, bears the evidence of more than 2,000 years of human occupation in the extreme conditions prevalent in the Hebrides. Human vestiges include built structures and field systems, the cleits and the traditional Highland stone houses. They feature the vulnerable remains of a subsistence economy based on the products of birds, agriculture and sheep farming." 

Source: UNESCO World Heritage

Postcard 1
Boreray and Stacs from across Loch a'Ghlinee, Hirta, St. Kilda. Thanks to Sara of Switzerland.

Postcard 2

The Village, St Kilda, Scotland. Thanks to Doris of Switzerland.

Postcard 3

Saint Kilda, located off Scotland was evacuated in 1930 and now not habited since. It is a UNESCO World Heritage site. Thanks to Patrick of Belgium for mailing from United Kingdom - postmarked 01-09-2020 and arrived in Penang island on September 11, 2020.

Germany - Margravial Opera House Bayreuth

"The Margrave Opera House in Bayreuth (built 1745 - 1748) is one of the most outstanding monuments of European theatre architecture in baroque times, preserved virtually unchanged in its original appearance. The interior design with its splendid auditorium is the heyday of artistic creativity of the theatre architects Giuseppe and Calo Galli-Bibiena. Further places representing the intellectual and spiritual world of Margravine Wilhelmine in significant manner are the Neues Schloss (New Palace) or Residence, which was projected in cooperation by Wilhelmine, and the Eremitage, an intimate garden area outsite of Bayreuth with two houses where the ruler's family spent the summertime. The interior design of the older palace documents Wilhelmine's encodet thinking. The fourth place of interest is the Rock Garden Sanspareil between Bayreuth and Bamberg. The bizarre rock formations are reminiscents of chinese gardens. The most particular building in the garden is the Roman Theatre, the first ruined garden architecture in Europe." 

Source: UNESCO World Heritage


Postcard 1
Bayreuth - Margravial Opera House with special stamp cancellation of Bayreuth. Thanks to Natalie of Bayreuth, Germany.

Postcard 2

Nice multiview of Markgrafliches Opernhaus Bayreuth. Thanks to Simone of Germany.

Postcard 3

Nice multiview of Markgrafl Margravial Opera House in Bayreuth in North Bavaria is a UNESCO World Heritage site. Thanks to YLai. Mailed a long time ago and arrived today September 9, 2020 in Penang island.

Austria , France , Germany , Italy , Slovenia , Switzerland - Prehistoric Pile dwellings around the Alps

"This serial property of 111 small individual sites encompasses the remains of prehistoric pile-dwelling (or stilt house) settlements in and around the Alps built from around 5000 to 500 B.C. on the edges of lakes, rivers or wetlands. Excavations, only conducted in some of the sites, have yielded evidence that provides insight into life in prehistoric times during the Neolithic and Bronze Age in Alpine Europe and the way communities interacted with their environment. Fifty-six of the sites are located in Switzerland. The settlements are a unique group of exceptionally well-preserved and culturally rich archaeological sites, which constitute one of the most important sources for the study of early agrarian societies in the region."

Source: UNESCO World Heritage

Wanted: I am still looking for this Prehistoric Pile dwelling WHS for France. Anyone can help? Thanks.

Postcard 1A - AUSTRIA _ Pfahlbauten Am Mondsee
Single view. Thanks to Patrick of Estonia who visited Austria.

Postcard 1B - AUSTRIA - Pfahlbaumusem Mondsee

A nice multi-view postcard Pfahlbaumuseum Mondsee. Thanks to Sarah of Austria.

Postcard 2A - GERMANY - Pfahlbauten

Pfahlbauten, Bodensee, Germany. A reconstruction of a Prehistoric Pile Dwelling in Germany. Thanks to Violet of Germany.

Postcard 2B - GERMANY - Unteruhdlingen

Alpine dwellings at Unteruhldingen, Bodensee, Germany. Thanks to Janet of Germany.

Postcard 3 - ITALY - Palafitte

Palafitte di Ledro Alpine Dwellings. Museo dell Palfitte, Molina di Ledro, Italia. Thanks to Sabine of Italy. Grazie.

Postcard 4 - SLOVENIA - Koliscar

An extra long postcard illustrating the UNESCO World Heritage subsite of Alpine Pile Dwellings in Koliscarjev, Slovenia. Thanks to Martin of Celje, Slovenia which was postmarked on July 13, 2020 and arrived in Penang island on August 14, 2020.

 

Postcard 5A - SWITZERLAND - Underwater

Underwater view of prehistoric Alpine dwelling piles, Switzerland. Thanks to Sara of Switzerland.

Postcard 5B - SWITZERLAND -  Cortallilod

Maquette du village lacustre de Cortallilod. Age du Bronze final (1000 av. J.-C.). Museum model of the Prehistoric Pile Dwellings in Switzerland. Thanks to Zasa of Switzerland.

Italy - The Trulli of Alberobello

"The trulli, limestone dwellings found in the southern region of Puglia, are remarkable examples of drywall (mortarless) construction, a prehistoric building technique still in use in this region. The trulli are made of roughly worked limestone boulders collected from neighbouring fields. Characteristically, they feature pyramidal, domed or conical roofs built up of corbelled limestone slabs." 

Source: UNESCO World Heritage

Postcard 1
Multi-view of Alberobello mailed from Italy. Thanks to PC of Malaysia who was visiting.

Postcard 2

Alberobello (Ba) Caratteristici Trulli, Perla di Puglia. Two nice stamps used. Thanks to Silvia of Italy.

Postcard 3 

Multi-view of Alberobello with unique conical roofs. Thanks to Jackie of USA who visited Alberobello and bought this postcard.

Postcard 4

Bottom view shows  Alberobello the Trulli at Puglia, Italy. Postmarked July 15, 2020 Bari and arrived in Penang island on July 28, 2020. Thanks to Jean-Pierre of France.