Ukrainian Unesco WHS

Las week i've received these Unesco cards from Ukraine, both new in my collection, Struve Geodetic Arc and the Residence of Bukovinian and Dalmatian Metropolitans. Oksana tagged me on a favorites tag and she asked if she could send me missing unesco cards. Of course i said yes :D and the cards are great!!

The Struve Geodetic Arc is currently a joint venture between scientists of various countries who work together in the name of science and stretches from Hammerfest (Norway) to the Ukrainian Black Sea. Ukraine has four station points of the arc located at Stara Nekrasivka in the Odessa Oblast, Felschtin, Katerinowka and in Baranowka. - http://www.ukraine.com/sights/struve-geodetic-arc/

The most southernmost station of the Struve Geodetic Arc is located in Ukraine, in Staro-Nekrasivka.

This building is the Chernivtsi University, a former residence of Bukovinian and Dalmatian Metropolitans. It represents a masterful synergy of architectural styles built by Czech architect Josef Hlavka from 1864 to 1882. The property, an outstanding example of 19th-century historicist architecture, also includes a seminary and monastery and is dominated by the domed, cruciform Seminary Church with a garden and park. The complex expresses architectural and cultural influences from the Byzantine period onward and embodies the powerful presence of the Orthodox Church during Habsburg rule, reflecting the Austro-Hungarian Empire policy of religious tolerance. http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/1330

5 Unesco cards RR - Group 82 (Christa)

The last cards of this group were sent by Christa. She sent Unesco sites from Denmark, Croatia and new sites from Uzbekistan and Egipt.

This is a view of the Diocletian's Palace peristyle in Split. Diocletian's Palace is a building built by the Roman emperor Diocletian at the turn of the fourth century AD. Diocletian built the massive palace in preparation for his retirement on 1 May 305 AD.
The Historical Complex of Split with the Palace of Diocletian is an Unesco WHS since 1979.

Dubrovnik is one of the most prominent tourist destinations on the Adriatic Sea coast. In 1979, the Old City of Dubrovnik became part of the UNESCO list of World Heritage Sites.
The Old City of Dubrovnik is known for its monumental centre. Dubrovnik became an important Mediterranean sea power from the 13th century onwards. It managed to preserve its beautiful Gothic, Renaissance and Baroque churches, monasteries, palaces and fountains.

The Bolo-hauz Mosque is one of the severak mosques in the historic center of Bukhara.
Bukhara, which is situated on the Silk Route, is more than 2,000 years old. It is the most complete example of a medieval city in Central Asia, with an urban fabric that has remained largely intact. Monuments of particular interest include the famous tomb of Ismail Samani, a masterpiece of 10th-century Muslim architecture, and a large number of 17th-century madrasas. - in: www.whc.unesco.org/en/list/602

St. Catherine's Monastery is an Orthodox monastery on the Sinai peninsula at the foot of Mount Sinai in Egypt. One of the oldest Christian monasteries in the world, St. Catherine's incorporates the burning bush seen by Moses and contains many valuable icons. Above the monastery is Mount Sinai, where Moses received the Ten Commandments from God. Because God spoke to Moses in these places, this area is sacred to three world religions: Christianity, Islam and Judaism.
In 2002, the area centering on St. Catherine's Monastery was declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO because of Mt. Sinai's importance in three major world religions (Judaism, Christianity and Islam), the natural environment of the area and St. Catherine's historic architecture and art. - in: http://www.sacred-destinations.com/egypt/sinai-monastery

5 Unesco cards RR - Group 82 (Joanna)

Joanna sent me cards from 5 different countries and the card from the US is from a new Unesco site :D Carlsbad Caverns. The other cards are from Bergen, Norway; Wachau, Austria; Pannonhalma Abbey in Hungary and Lake Louise in the Canadian Rocky Mountains.

Bergen, on the south-western coast of Norway, is the 2nd largest city in the country. Bergen's old quayside, Bryggen is on Unesco's WHS list since 1979.

Bryggen is a series of Hanseatic commercial buildings lining the eastern side of the fjord coming into Bergen. The area of the present Bryggen constitutes Bergen's oldest part. Around 1360 a Kontor of the Hanseatic League was established there, and as the town developed into an important trading centre, the wharfs were improved. The buildings of Bryggen were gradually taken over by the Hanseatic merchants. The warehouses were filled with goods, particularly fish from northern Norway, and cereal from Europe.

Throughout history, Bergen has experienced many fires, since, traditionally, most houses were made from wood. This was also the case for Bryggen, and as of today, around a quarter dates back to the time after 1702, when the older wharfside warehouses and administrative buildings burned down. The rest predominantly consists of younger structures, although there are some stone cellars that date back to the 15th century. - in: wikipedia

The Wachau is an Austrian valley with a landscape of high visibility formed by the Danube river. The Wachau was inscribed as "Wachau Cultural Landscape" in the Unesco's WHS list in 2000.On the card there's the Göttweig Abbey, the Steiner Tower in Kreams, the Göttweig Abbey again, Dürnstein and the Aggstein ruins.

The Benedictine Pannonhalma Archabbey is the most notable landmark in Pannonhalma and one of the oldest historical monuments in Hungary. It was founded as the first Hungarian Benedictine monastery in 996 by Prince Géza. (...)
In 1996, "the Millenary Benedictine Abbey of Pannonhalma and its Natural Environment" was elected among the World Heritage sites. - in: http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=cr&CRid=2388953

Lake Louise is a lake in Alberta, Canada. The glacial lake is located in Banff National Park, 5 km (3.1 mi) from the hamlet of Lake Louise and the Trans-Canada Highway.

Lake Louise is named after the Princess Louise Caroline Alberta (1848–1939), the fourth daughter of Queen Victoria and the wife of the Marquess of Lorne, who was the Governor General of Canada from 1878 to 1883.

The emerald colour of the water comes from rock flour carried into the lake by melt-water from the glaciers that overlook the lake. The lake has a surface of 0.8 km2 (0.31 sq mi) and is drained through the 3 km long Louise Creek into the Bow River.

Fairmont's Chateau Lake Louise, one of Canada's grand railway hotels, is located on Lake Louise's eastern shore. It is a luxury resort hotel built in the early decades of the 20th century by the Canadian Pacific Railway. - in: wikipedia

Carlsbad Caverns' karst landscape, in the state of New Mexico, comprises over 80 recognized caves. They are outstanding not only for their size but also for the profusion, diversity and beauty of their mineral formations.
Carlsbad Caverns includes a large cave chamber, the Big Room, a natural limestone chamber which is almost 4,000 feet (1,220 m) long, 625 feet (191 m) wide, and 350 feet (110 m) high at the highest point. It is the third largest chamber in North America and the seventh largest in the world.

5 Unesco cards RR - Group 82 (Simona)

I haven't joined any RR in the last months but a few weeks ago Violet invited me to join her Unesco RR. I thought it could be a nice opportunity to get new and different cards, so i joined group 82.

Simona "lunanai" from Slovenia sent me cards from her country, Germany, Mexico and China.

Due to their exceptional significance, the Škocjan Caves were entered on UNESCO’s list of natural and cultural world heritage sites in 1986. International scientific circles have thus acknowledged the importance of the Caves as one of the natural treasures of planet Earth.
Ranking among the most important caves in the world, the Škocjan Caves represent the most significant underground phenomena in both the Karst region and Slovenia. - in: http://www.park-skocjanske-jame.si/eng/caves.shtml

On the card there's the Cekvenik bridge in Šumeča jama Cave, which crosses the Reka river.

Regensburg is a city in Bavaria, Germany, located at the confluence of the Danube and Regen rivers. One of the main sights of the city is the medieval Stone Bridge, built betweeen 1135–1146. The knights of the 2nd and 3rd crusade used it to cross the Danube on their way to the Holy Land.
The large medieval centre of the city is a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 2006.


A view of the Kukulcan Pyramid at Chichen Itza during the Sprin Equinox.

The ruins of Chichen Itza archeological site and Dzibilchaltún are the two best places to appreciate the equinox. This is an archaeo-astronomical phenomenon, where Earth is illuminated by the sun the same way in the northern hemisphere and in the south.

On the evening of 21 March and 22 September during the spring and fall equinoxes, respectively, there is a solar projection consisting of seven triangles of light, inverted, as a result of the shadow of the nine platforms of the pyramid, at sunset, simulating the image of a snake down through the banisters of the stairs of the north staircase of the Kukulcan Pyramid or El Castillo at Chichen Itza.
This phenomenon of light simulates a snake descending majestically through the banisters of the stairs of the Kukulcan Pyramid at Chichen Itza. The first shadows of the pyramid begins to draw isosceles triangles that make up the body of the feathered serpent that seems to move slowly downward until the head of the snake reaches bottom of the balustrade.

When the last of the triangle reaches the base of the balustrade, all spectators stand up and raise their hands to absorb the positive energy that emanates from this phenomenon. - in: http://www.discoverchichenitza.com/chichen-itza-mexico/spring-2010-equinox-at-chichen-itza/

Summer Palace in Beijing.

Vall de Boí - Spain

This was the 1st card i picked from Luis trade albuns because it is from an Unesco place, an hard to get one. Vall de Boí was designated a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 2000.

The Vall de Boí is a narrow, steep-sided valley and a small municipality in the province of Lleida, in the autonomous community of Catalonia, northern Spain. The valley is best known for its nine Early Romanesque churches, making it the site of the densest concentration of Romanesque architecture in Europe. - in: wikipedia

Trujillo - Spain

A card from Trujillo in Extremadura, sent by Luis.
Trujillo is a Spanish city located in the province of Cáceres, in the Extremadura region. It was the birthplace of Francisco Pizarro and his brothers, conquerors of Peru, as well as of Francisco de Orellana.

The card shows the Juan Pizarro de Orellana, a cousin of Fransisco Pizarro. This 16th century palace is quite special in the history of Trujillo and the New World because it once served as the Casa de Contratación, or House of Contracts. It was in this place that the people who wished to travel to the Americas and continue the colonization and conquest signed the contract to do so. Therefore this palace played a very significant role in the expansion of the empire into the New World.

Badajoz - Spain

Today i've received more spanish cards, the last of the week. I've been waiting for these cards since April or May and i've finally got them.

The envelope was sent by Luis who lives in Badajoz, a city in the autonomous community of Extremadura, Spain, situated close to the Portuguese border.

On this 1st card there's the Convent of the Sisters Adorers, Handmaids of the Blessed Sacrament and of Charity! The actual convent is from 1917 in neo-gothic style but its origin dates back from the 13 century.

The Puerta de Palmas is a gate built as an entrance to the medieval, walled city and dates from 1460.