Unesco whs from Asia

Two of the unesco cards i requested to Claus were from Asia. The Mahabodhi Temple Complex at Bodh Gaya in India and the Shrines and Temples of Nikko in Japan.

"The Mahabodhi Temple Complex is one of the four holy sites related to the life of the Lord Buddha, and particularly to the attainment of Enlightenment. The first temple was built by Emperor Asoka in the 3rd century B.C., and the present temple dates from the 5th or 6th centuries. It is one of the earliest Buddhist temples built entirely in brick, still standing in India, from the late Gupta period." - in: http://whc.unesco.org/pg.cfm?cid=31&id_site=1056

"The UNESCO World Heritage Site Shrines and Temples of Nikkō encompasses 103 buildings or structures and the natural setting around them. It is located in Nikkō, Tochigi Prefecture, Japan. The buildings belong to two Shinto shrines (Futarasan Shrine and Tōshō-gū) and one Buddhis temple (Rinnō-ji). Nine of the structures are designated National Treasures of Japan while the remaining 94 are Important Cultural Properties. UNESCO listed the site as World Heritage in 1999." - in: wikipedia

Surprise Unesco cards

Claus surprised me again. We had a swap for 5 unesco cards but he sent 7 cards, 2 of them as extra cards.

The 1st card is from Oman, the Archaeological Sites of Bat, Al-Khutm and Al-Ayn and the 2nd from the Netherlands, D.F. Wouda Steam Pumping Station.

"The protohistoric site of Bat lies near a palm grove in the interior of the Sultanate of Oman. Together with the neighbouring sites, it forms the most complete collection of settlements and necropolises from the 3rd millennium B.C. in the world." - in: www.whc.unes.org/en/list/434

"The ir. D.F. Woudagemaal (ir. Wouda pumping station) in the Netherlands, is the biggest currently running steam-powered pumping station in the world. On October 7, 1920 Queen Wilhelmina opened the pumping station that is used to pump out redundant water from Friesland.

In 1967, after 47 years running on coal, the boilers were rebuilt to run on oil. Since 1998 the ir. D.F. Woudagemaal has been listed on the UNESCO World Heritage Site list." - in: wikipedia

Official cards of the week

Last week i've sent a few official cards and received 3.

These cards are from Serbia, Belgium and Estonia.

RS-5863, sent by Judit.

"Novi Sad is the capital of the northern Serbian province of Vojvodina. The city lies in the southern part of Central Europe's Pannonian Plain, on both banks of the Danube river.Is Serbia's second largest city, after Belgrade.
Petrovaradin Fortress is a fortress located in the province of Vojvodina, on the right bank of the Danube river. The cornerstone of the present-day southern part of the fortress was laid on October 18, 1692, by Prince Croy. Petrovaradin Fortress has many underground tunnels as well (16 km of underground countermine system)." - in: wikipedia

BE-54061, sent by Jolien.

"The belfry of Bruges, or Belfort, is a medieval bell tower in the historical center of Bruges, Belgium. One of the city's most prominent symbols, the belfry formerly housed a treasury and the municipal archives, and served as an observation post for spotting fires and other danger. A narrow, steep staircase of 366 steps, accessible by the public for an entry fee, leads to the top of the 83-meter-high building, which leans about a meter to the east.

To the sides and back of the tower stands the former market hall, a rectangular building only 44 m broad but 84 m deep, with an inner courtyard. The belfry, accordingly, is also known as the Halletoren (tower of the halls)." - in: wikipedia

EE-65744, sent by Ene.

"Sangaste Castle, misleadingly described in most local brochures as being a 'copy' of Windsor Castle, isin fact a wildly eccentric, red-brick, neo-Gothic manor house, which until recently had very basic accommodation with very little appeal for most tourists, let alone the British royal family (not surprisingly the Queen and Prince Philip gave it a miss when they came to Estonia in October 2006). For many years it served as a children's holiday home and it has scarcely been refurbished since then, but this should not put off passing visitors who can eat well here and can try to make sense of the building, both inside and out. Refurbishment started in 2006 so in due course the interior of the building will become a fully functional conference centre.
The owner of the building throughout its existence as a private house was the scientist Count Magnus von Berg (1845-1938), who become famous for his work on the cultivation of rye. He commissioned this house in 1874.

The large reception/meeting rooms on the ground floor exhibit hunting trophies. The first floor has a small exhibition of items and photographs linked to the family.
Von Berg, rather than Hippius, must have been responsible for the total eccentricity that the building now represents. Every window is different, as are all the porches and the towers.
In the park at the back of the castle is an oak tree allegedly planted by Peter the Great. This park is often also called an 'English garden' but is largely a play area for children with a wood in the background. This wood contains about 300 different species of tree." - in: http://www.aviastar.org/travel/gallery.php?dir=eesti/sangaste

Minho cards - Portugal

Minho is a region in northern Portugal, Américo "valdagua" visit the region a few days ago and sent me thse cards from there.

"Valença do Minho is a historical village the North of Portugal, located right in the border with Spain, separated only by the lovely Minho river, and surrounded by defensive walls in the top of a hill, showing its ancient defensive facet. The village is characterized by the stone-paved narrow streets that show history on every corner, where a bustling typical commerce with traditional small shops specialized in hand made products of this region, such as gold, linen, basketry and also ceramics and pottery." - in: http://www.guiadacidade.pt/portugal/index.php?G=monumentos.ver&artid=15608&distritoid=16 "Lindoso is a small village located in the North of Portugal, in the Minho region, situated in the border with Spain, in between the mountain range areas of Amarela Mountain and Cabril Mountain, on the left River bank of the river Lima. Lindoso has 1300 inhabitants that are mostly dedicated to agriculture and shepherding, in this lovely mountain area, reaching up to 1365,5 meters high in the Louriça peak. The village is composed by typical old granite houses, some ancient agricultural buildings with straw’s ceiling. Lindoso was, since the beginning of the Portuguese nationality, an important defensive point, as it is attested by its Castle, nowadays transformed into an interesting museum space. Other important monument in Lindoso is its “Largo dos Espigueiros”, a square with several Espigueiros (a typical granite granary, raised from the ground by pillars ending in flat stones, to avoid the access of rodents, with grooves in the walls for ventilation purposes), situated in between the castle and the granite pillory, yet many other Espigueiros can be found in the region." - in: http://www.guiadacidade.pt/portugal/?G=monumentos.ver&artid=15597&distritoid=16

Terra Nostra Park

I'm showing these 2 cards from the Terra Nostra Park, in S. Miguel Azores. I've received the 1st one this week, sent by Lurdes and i've got the 2nd one a few years ago when my cousins return from the Azores where they spent their honey moon.

"Terra Nostra Park, is a 32 acre public garden in the parish of Furnas, smack in the middle of the village.
The park was the brainchild of Thomas Hickling an orange grower and merchant from Boston and for awhile the US consul to the Azores, based in São Miguel. In 1780 Thomas Hickling built a small wooden house in five acres of land.

By mid-19th century, the property was owned by the Viscount of Praia. The Viscount and the Viscondessa, a keen gardener, replaced the house with a larger mansion, added more land and created formal gardens with water steams, groves and meadows of trees, and flower beds.

The son, the Viscount of Praia and Monforte, continued his father’s work with the help of Portuguese and Scottish garden designers. He further developed the park’s infrastructure to include lagoons. Trees were imported from all over the world, some of them still living. The oldest of the species are approaching 140 years old.

In 1930, the hotelier Vasco Bensaude acquired the garden after he built the Hotel Terra Nostra Garden. He hired John McEnroy of Scotland as head gardener and continued expanding and restoring the plant and flower collections. The brilliance of McEnroy put the finishing touches on an already good park to become a superb garden, known all over Europe and more recently starting to be discovered by the rest of the world.

In 1990 Filipe Bensaude (Vasco’s son), oversaw yet another expansion and renovation of the gardens and the hotel, with English gardeners and a handful of tree surgeons. Local engineers rebuilt the canals and the tree surgeons worked on approximately 2,500 trees. New species of trees and plants were brought in including a collection of Rhododendrons, a Malesian native species of tropical mountains. Terra Nostra is the only garden in Europe that can grow these plants outdoors and unprotected. Most recently a garden of cycads, a fern garden and formal flower and plant gardens were added
Going to the Azores, or more specifically to São Miguel without visiting this garden is much like going to Rome and not visiting the Sistine Chapel." -in: http://portugal.com/blogs/visitazores/2009/01/15/terra-nostra-park/

ES-68938

Official from Spain.

ES-68938 sent by Fer & Sara.

"Our Lady of the Pillar is the name given to the Blessed Virgin Mary for her claimed appearance in Spain. Her shrine is in the Basilica of Our Lady of the Pillar in Zaragoza, by the river Ebro.

According to legend, in the early days of the Church, the Apostle James the Greater was evangelizing the Gospel in Caesaraugusta, but his mission was making little progress until miraculously, he saw Mary committing him to Jerusalem. In his vision, she was atop a column or pillar, which was being carried by angels. That pillar is believed to be the same one venerated in Zaragoza today. Miraculous healings have been reported at the scene." - in: wikipedia

DE-534497

An official from Dusseldorf, Germany.

DE-534497, sent by Klaus, Norbaer's cat.

"Schloss Benrath is a Rococo maison de plaisance near Düsseldorf that was erected for the Elector Palatine Carl Theodor von der Pfalz by his garden and building director and garden supervisor, Nicolas de Pigage (1723 - 1796). It was begun in 1755, and by the time it was completed in 1770, some elements of Neoclassicism were detectable in its interior finishing.

Two symmetrical wings flank the central corps de logis. The Museum for European Garden Art was founded in the east wing of Benrath in 2002. The west wing houses a museum of natural history. Changing exhibitions and concerts of music are presented in the main building, which is only sparsely furnished.

The ensemble at Benrath has been proposed for designation as a Unesco World Heritage Site." - in: wikipedia