AU-892796

 Windmills in Australia?!! Australia is big but there are only a few traditional mills in the country. This is the Old Mill in Perth.

AU-892796, sent by Ângela.

The Old Mill in South Perth is one of Perth’s best known landmarks and one of Western Australia’s oldest colonial buildings.
Built in 1835 and operating until 1859, the mill produced 680kg of flour per day at its peak. Since ceasing production, the mill has been used as a hotel, a residence, a wine saloon and a poultry farm. - in: https://visitperth.com

Villages with Fortified Churches in Transylvania - Romania

What did I just say about churches in Romania? After the wooden churches of Maramures and the painted churches in Moldavia, now I've fortified churches in Transylvania. These are also on the UNESCO list.

These Transylvanian villages with their fortified churches provide a vivid picture of the cultural landscape of southern Transylvania. The seven villages inscribed, founded by the Transylvanian Saxons, are characterized by a specific land-use system, settlement pattern and organization of the family farmstead that have been preserved since the late Middle Ages. They are dominated by their fortified churches, which illustrate building styles from the 13th to the 16th century. - in: https://whc.unesco.org

 

Foto: © M. Dragomir

 The village of Biertan, first mentioned in an official document in 1283, is home to one of the largest and most impressive medieval strongholds in Transylvania. 

Surrounded by quaint streets and vineyards, the 15th century fortified church at Biertan is perched high on a hill in the middle of the village. Three tiers of 35-foot-high defensive walls, connected by towers and gates, encircled the complex, making the church impossible to conquer during medieval times. Featuring late-gothic architecture with heavy doors and double exterior walls, the church boasts the largest Transylvanian multi-paneled wooden altar and a remarkable wooden door which once protected the treasures in the sacristy. 

Visitors can also admire the towers surrounding the church, namely the Clock Tower, the Bell Tower, the Gate Tower and the Bacon Tower. Within the grounds are several other interesting buildings, including the Prison Tower - which once served marital counseling purposes. - in: http://romaniatourism.com

© Photo Mioritics

Viscri village is one of the oldest in Brasov county and all of Transylvania, its beginning being lost in time, although the first mentioning appears in the 15th century. The Saxon colonists came in this area of Romania somewhere in the 12th century, settling or establishing new villages, most of them having beautiful fortified churches in the middle. This is also the case of Viscri village, dominated by the impressive rural fortification with its charming Romanic church from the 13th century. The mysterious monument rises above the gentle rolling hills and the traditional atmosphere that hasn’t changed in centuries. - in:https://romaniatourstore.com

Churches of Moldavia - Romania

There is no shortage of beautiful churches in Romania. These are found in the northeast of the country, in the Moldovia region. These are only 2 of the 8 churches that have been classified as World Heritage since 1993.

 These eight churches of northern Moldavia, built from the late 15th century to the late 16th century, their external walls covered in fresco paintings, are masterpieces inspired by Byzantine art. They are authentic and particularly well preserved. Far from being mere wall decorations, the paintings form a systematic covering on all the facades and represent complete cycles of religious themes.Their exceptional composition, the elegance of the characters, and the harmony of the colors blend perfectly with the surrounding countryside. - in: https://whc.unesco.org

 

Photo: © Marius Vasiliu

 Built in 1487 and dedicated to the Holy Cross, the monastery at Patrauti is the oldest surviving religious site founded by Stephen the Great. Mural paintings, dating from around 1550, can still be admired on the west façade. In 1775, soon after Bucovina was annexed to the Habsburg Empire, the monastery was turned into a parish church. Today, only the church and a wooden bell tower are still standing from the original monastic complex. - in: http://romaniatourism.com

Founded in 1530, Humor (Hoo mor) is rather small, physically, but it looms large among Bucovina’s treasures with a variety of frescoes dating from 1535, including one illustrating the Return of the Prodigal Son and one with a “humorous” depiction of the devil as a woman.

The church, topped by a cross-shaped shingled roof, is without a steeple, indicating that it was built by a court official rather than a prince. The predominant hues of the frescoes are reddish brown with some rich blues and green infusions. An extremely valuable collection of icons from the 16th century is displayed in the monastery. - in: https://romaniatourism.com

Wooden Churches of Maramures - Romania

I've just realized that I haven't posted a card from Romania since... 2018!! This means I didn't get cards from there in the last 5 years. It was about time to finally get one again. The multiview cards with 6 Wooden Churches of Maramures is my official card #1900. 

 

Maramureș is perhaps one of the most authentic regions in Romania, filled with a rich historical heritage, especially when it comes to traditional crafts.

 

RO-208148, sent by Calin.

The building of wooden churches began in the 16th century when the Catholic Austro-Hungarian authorities prohibited the construction of Orthodox stone churches in the area. Initially, there were over 300 wooden churches built in the region, but today only around 100 are left standing. Most of them are Orthodox, but there are also some Greek-Catholic churches, and they greatly vary in terms of architectural style.

The wooden churches are built with high timber, and their most characteristic features are the tall and slim bell towers located at the western end of the building, as well as their massive roof that makes the whole main body look minuscule. 

Out of the approximately 100 wooden churches, 8 of them were included in the list of UNESCO World Heritage Sites in Romania: the wooden church of Barsana, the Budesti Josani church, the wooden church of Desesti, the Ieud Hill church, the wooden church of Plopis, the Poienile Izei church, the Rogoz church and the Surdesti church. 

Officially known as the Church of the Presentation of the Virgin in the Temple, this wooden church was built in 1720 and it got the name of Bârsana from the commune that it is located in. The church features some of the most representative baroque indoor murals, its walls depicting various scenes from the Apocalypse or the Last Judgement. 

First mentioned in documents from 1326, the wooden church is one of the tallest wooden churches in Romania with 57 m height, and has been built alongside other churches by craftsmen from Maramures.

Despite being built in 1720, the church was moved on the nearby Jbar Hill in 1806. According to a legend, this hill served as a graveyard for plague victims, and the dead were buried in a rush, without proper religious ceremony. Thus, in order to calm the spirits, the locals decided to move the church on the burying grounds.  in: https://rolandia.eu

Rotterdam - Netherlands

 Last month Leonie, Heidi and Isa met in Rotterdam. It was an opportunity for them to meet, sightseeing, eat and sign a few cards. 

Rotterdam is a city with a modern Skyline. Almost no two buildings are alike, but it hasn’t always been like this. This change in appearance is due to WWII, when the city was bombed by the Germans in a 15-minute raid. Rather than rebuilding a carbon copy city, it was decided to construct a totally new, modern city – something Rotterdam has taken to with great enthusiasm, especially when it comes to its architecture. - in: https://www.discoverholland.com

 

- Beurs-World Trade Center is located on the Coolsingel and Beursplein in the centre of Rotterdam. It is a major business centre in Rotterdam with approximately 200 offices. The building is 93 meters high. The construction started in 1984.The green elliptical tower, designed by architect Rob van Erk, was completed in 1987;

- The Euromast is the highest watchtower in the Netherlands and an essential part of the city’s skyline. The elevator takes you to a height of 100 meters in 30 seconds, where the viewing platform and the Brasserie are located. From there you have a 360 degree view over Rotterdam and its surroundings. The Euroscoop, a rotating glass elevator, takes you all the way to the top at 185 meters. The Euromast, designed by the Rotterdam architect HA Maaskant, was built in 1960 on the occasion of the Floriade and was 100 meters high at the time. In 1970 the tower was expanded with a Space Tower; - in: - https://en.rotterdam.info

- Millennium Tower is a 35-story, 130.8 m (429 ft) skyscraper in Rotterdam, Netherlands design by WZMH Architects and AGS Architecten. It was completed in 2000. The tower was built on Weena in front of the Central station. It is mixed use, the first 15 floors belong to the Rotterdam Marriott Hotel, including 2 restaurants, the other floor are being used as offices. - in: wikipedia

NL-5548851

I must confess that I'm not a huge fan of shaped cards and that's mostly because of storage reasons. I definitely prefer the normal postcard format.

NL-5548851, sent by Elsje.

I'm not sure but this could be one of the "Molendriegang", three windmills of Leidschendam. Originally, there were four windmills but the fourth was demolished in 1840. The remaining three windmills (Bovenmolen, Middenmolen and Ondermolen) were taken out of service in 1951. They were no longer need to pump away the water from the polder as this was taken over by electric pumps.

Since the 1980s the iconic Molendriegang of Leidschendam has been in operation on a Saturday afternoon once a month. Unfortunately the windmills are not open to the public. From a distance you can take postcard perfect pictures of these 28-meter high windmills in a typical Dutch landscape with polders. - in: https://heavenly-holland.com

DE-13298022

Brücke der Solidarität, the Bridge of Solidarity, is a bridge across the Rhine between the boroughs of Rheinhausen and Hochfeld in the city of Duisburg. It's construction started in 1945 and was opened to traffic on 3 July 1950.

DE-13298022, sent by Dagmar.

In 1987, Rheinhausen was present in the media due to the protests against the closing of the local steelworks. On 10 December 1987 the bridge was occupied by Krupp workers to protest against the closure of their plant. During the whole winter of 1987 and 1988 large demonstrations against the closing of the remaining smeltery followed. Rheinhausen became a synonym for steel crisis. 

The Rheinhausen-Hochfeld bridge was renamed to Brücke der Solidarität by the protesting workers on 20 January 1988. On this day, 50,000 steel workers from more than 60 melteries marched to the bridge. The apprentices of the Krupp training workshop manufactured the new name plate overnight. Soon thereafter, the name was officially adapted by the city of Duisburg. - in: wikipedia