Antwerpen Postcrossing Meeting

The last official wasn't the only Antwerpen card i've received in the last weeks. A few weeks ago, on May 18th, the city received a group of postcrossers, being one of the Raquel, who sent me this card showing the city's Town Hall.

© Uitg. Thill, N. V., Brussel

The City Hall of Antwerp, Belgium, stands on the western side of Antwerp's Grote Markt. Erected between 1561 and 1565 to the design of Cornelis Floris de Vriendt and several other architects and artists, this Renaissance building incorporates both Flemish and Italian influences.

The low arcaded ground story is of rusticated stone, and at one time housed little shops. Above are two stories with Doric and Ionic columns separating large mullioned windows, and a fourth story forming an open gallery.

The richly ornamented center section, which rises above the eaves in diminishing stages, holds female statues representing Justice, Prudence, and the Virgin Mary, and bears the coats of arms of the Duchy of Brabant, the Spanish Habsburgs, and the Margraviate of Antwerp. - in: wikipedia

Throughout most of the year, the main façade of the city hall is decorated with 87 flags. The central flags on the bottom row represent Antwerp, Flanders, Belgium, Europe and the United Nations. The other flags represent countries that are member of the European Union and nations that have a consulate in Antwerp. - in: http://www.aviewoncities.com/antwerp/cityhall.htm

BE-204181

As i already metioned a few times before, i've been to Belgium in 2011 and i've visited Antwerpen. When there's a castle nearby i always have to visit it or at least seen it, so of course i've seen this one. This is my 3rd "Steen" Castle card.

© Uitg. Thill, N. V., Brussel

BE-204181, sent by Petra

Het Steen is a medieval fortress in the old city centre of Antwerp.

Built after the Viking incursions in the early Middle Ages as the first stone fortress of Antwerp, Het Steen is Antwerp's oldest building and used to be its oldest urban centre.

Previously known as Antwerpen Burcht (fortress), Het Steen gained its current name in around 1520, after significant rebuilding under Charles V. The rebuilding led to its being known first as "'s Heeren Steen" (the King's stone castle), and later simply as "Het Steen" (the stone castle). The Dutch word "steen" means "stone", and is used for "fortress" or "palace", as in the "Gravensteen" in Ghent, Belgium.

The fortress made it possible to control the access to the Scheldt, the river on whose bank it stands. It was used as a prison between 1303 and 1827. The largest part of the fortress, including dozens of historic houses and the oldest church of the city, was demolished in the 19th century when the quays were straightened to stop the silting up of the Scheldt. The remaining building, heavily changed, contains a shipping museum, with some old canal barges displayed on the quay outside.

In 1890 Het Steen became the museum of archeology and in 1952 an annex was added to house the museum of Antwerp maritime history, which in 2011 moved to the nearby Museum Aan de Stroom. Here you’ll also find a war memorial to the Canadian soldiers in WWII. - in: wikipedia

More french cards

More french cards sent by Manuela and Manú.

 Editions Cellard

Morez is a commune of the Jura department in Franche-Comté in eastern France.

 Photo by Y. Noto-Campanella

Gérardmer  is a commune in the Vosges department in Lorraine in northeastern France.

© Conception et Clichés des collections James Paulmier © texte Floriscope

The Fontinettes Boat Lift was built in 1888 on the Canal de Neufosse and connected the River Aa and the Neufossé Canal in Arques, near Saint-Omer in the Pas-de-Calais to connect in France.

It was capable of lifting vessels of 300 tonnes displacement. It was designed to avoid the need to use five locks which took some 90 minutes to change height by 13 metres. It was inspired by the similar Anderton Boat Lift built in 1875 in Cheshire, England.

It consists of two caissons each weighing 792 tonnes, including the lifting piston of 90 tonnes. Doors on the caissons and on the canal end are hydraulically powered, and sealing is effected by inflatable seals. In operation, the upper caisson is lowered and 64 tonnes of extra water is added. It is then raised again by hydraulic pressure from an accumulator, and when released, the two caissons exchange position. Six men were required to operate the lift, the balancing operation took only 5 minutes. All power, including to the workshop, came from water turbines. The Boat Lift was built between 1885 and 1888 and worked until 1967. It was then replaced by a big, single lock built further upstream. The lift was rescued from demolition by a local conservation group and guided tours are available during the summer months for a small fee. - in: wikipedia

French Belfries

The Belfries of Belgium and France is a group of 56 historical buildings designated by UNESCO as World Heritage Site. 33 of the belfries are located in Belgium and 23 in France in the Nord-Pas-de-Calais and Picardie régions in the northern tip of France. These 12 are all from the Nord-Pas-de-Calais région.  

Artois was an historic province of the Kingdom of France. Nowadays it forms the interior of the French département Pas-de-Calais.

This card was sent by Raquel.

And these belfries are located in: Hazebrouk; Bailleul; Dunkerque; Cambrai; Calais; Arras; Boulogne; Bethune; Douai; Lille; Armentiers and Bergues.

Tours de Merle - France

Paula was on holidays a few weeks ago and she traveled to France. I know she visited a few castles but i don't know if she visited this one, the Tours de Merle. She sent me this card which is also signed by Valérie.

Deep in the heart of the southern Correze countryside, the Tours de Merle are the remains of various medieval chateaux and associated buildings beautifully situated in a deep wooded valley.

Although now largely ruined, there is plenty to explore and enjoy and a visit is highly recommended.

Active in the 12th-14th centuries, the original castle at Tours de Merle defended a key transport route in the valley and was a crucial river crossing point. The ensemble includes the remains of the original castles - above all the towers - and also the original village (also now in ruins) can be seen below the castle walls.

By the 16th century the need for the castles had passed, an alternative river crossing had been built, and the inaccessible location meant that the site became abandoned.

Highlights of a visit include the Towers of Pestelles, several other castle buildings, and a chapel. You can explore freely, with ample opportunity to squeeze your way up ever narowing staircases and enjoy precipitous views from the top. - in: http://www.castles.francethisway.com/tours-de-merle.php

Madriu Valley - Andorra

Andorra was my 15th visited country. Beeing there i had to find cards of one of my Unesco missing sites, the Madriu Valley. It wasn't easy to find the cards but i've found them, i just didn't have time to visit the valley.

Photo by Arxiu Fotográfic del Comù d'Escaldes-Engordany

The cultural landscape of Madriu-Perafita-Claror Valley offers a microcosmic perspective of the way people have harvested the resources of the high Pyrenees over millennia. Its dramatic glacial landscapes of craggy cliffs and glaciers, with high open pastures and steep wooded valleys, covers an area of 4,247 ha, 9% of the total area of the principality. It reflects past changes in climate, economic fortune and social systems, as well as the persistence of pastoralism and a strong mountain culture, notably the survival of a communal land-ownership system dating back to the 13th century. The site features houses, notably summer settlements, terraced fields, stone tracks and evidence of iron smelting. - in: http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/1160

ES-228053

I've been to Valladolid once but the stores were all closed, so i didn't buy any cards there. This official is my 1st real card from there.

Ediciones Arribas

ES-228053, sent by Francisco.

Valladolid is the capital city of the autonomous region of Castile and León and the Province of Valladolid in north-western Spain.

Valladolid's Old Town preserves a set composed of historic houses, palaces, churches, plazas, avenues and parks.

The card shows the Zorilla Square and promenade, both  dedicated to the famous writter.