Vrboska - Croatia

A croatian card sent by Manuela. And OMG, i've just discovered that this is a card from the only croatian UNESCO place that i was still missing!!! 

I read this on wikipedia and confirmed at the UNESCO list gallery and documents! Someone is very happy now. 

Settlement on the northern coast of the island of Hvar in a deep narrow bay surrounded by pine forest, vineyards, and olive groves. Vrboska lies on the north-eastern side of the UNESCO protected world heritage site Stari Grad Plain. - in: wikipedia

Along a narrow and curving fjord , unusual only as wonders are on Hvar island, there lies Vrboska – the smallest town on the island.

But even if it is the smallest, Vrboska is the treasure of the island. Founded in the 15th century, it is often reffered to as "Little Venice" due to numerous small bridges.

From the entrance, which is its widest part, surrounded with thick pine forest, it narrows curving into a canal along both sides of which are situated picturesque architectural objects of Gothic, Neo- Renaissance and Baroque style.

The narrow, curving, streets, the pine forest, the stone buildings and a small islet in the middle of the cove, bathed in sunshine and hidden in the depths of the bay. 

The Vrboska area was inhabited even in ancient times, to which ruins of Roman building testify. It grew from a fishermen's village and harbour to a place called Vrbanj (hence its own name Vrboska) in 15th century into a small town which outshines even the bigger and better known places on the island by its beauty.

Vrboska is comprised of two parts. Pjaca (eastern part) and Podva (western part).

Typical Mediterranean local architecture of small houses on both sides of the canal connected to old town houses from the periods of Renaissance, Gothic and Baroque, as well as old churches on one side of the canal and rich villas on the other side gives the place special charm and warmth. - in: http://vrboska.info/en/120/about-vrboska/

Fishermen's Bastion - Budapest

Raquel has been to Budapest last April and i hope i can visit the city too one day. 

I've a few cards from Budapest and i'm glad Raquel sent me this one, because since i've joined postcrossing, i've been waiting to receive a card from this place. I finally got it. 

The bastion is located right behind the Matthias Church in the Castle District. It is one of the city's biggest tourist draws and functions as some sort of ornate viewing platform. 

The Fisherman's Bastion was built at the site of an old rampart that, during the Middle Ages, was defended by the guild of fishermen, who lived nearby in Vízívaros (watertown), at the foot of the hill. Thus the name of the bastion. An old fish market also sat at this location during medieval times.

SIMIX PRINT

Designed by architect Frigyes Schulek and built between 1899 and 1905, the white-stoned Fisherman's Bastion is a combination of neo-Gothic and neo-Romanesque architecture and consists of turrets, projections, parapets, and climbing stairways. 

The bastion is made up of seven towers - each one symbolizing one of the seven Magyar tribes that, in 896, settled in the area now known as Hungary. The structure looks straight out of some fairy-tale and conjures up thoughts of Cinderella or Sleeping Beauty. Still, it seems to be in sync with the style of the Church of Our Lady and nicely complements the church, which was the intention of the architect. 

A monumental double stairway, decorated with reliefs of coats-of-arms and various motifs, connects the bastion with the streets below. - in: http://www.aviewoncities.com/budapest/fishermansbastion.htm

CZ-286756

Ještěd Tower is a 94 metre-tall tower used to transmit television signal built on the top of Ještěd mountain near Liberec in the Czech Republic.

© Ing. Lubomir Tlusty - IMAGE PRESS

© Foto: Milan Drahoñovsky

CZ-286756, sent by Petr.

Ještěd Tower is a reinforced concrete construction with a shape called hyperboloid, built between 1963 and 1968. The tower's architect was Karel Hubáček. The shape was chosen since it naturally extends the silhouette of the hill and moreover well resists the extreme climate conditions on the top of the hill. In the Tower's lowest sections it contains a hotel and a tower restaurant. It serves as a dominant attraction in the city and as a place to oversee much of Bohemia and parts of Poland and Germany. - in: wikipedia

PL-712213

Something is wrong with my officials. I've 20 officials travelling, most of them for more than two weeks to european countries. I've checked the users profiles and they're active, so i don't understand why the postcards are still travelling. If my cards are not registered, i don't receive cards but i keep receiving them. Now i've more received cards, 7, than sent. I really hope all those sent cards don't get lost :(

Fot. Dariusz Krakowiak

PL-712213, sent by Susan.
Katowice is a city in Silesia in southern Poland.

The church in the bigger image is St. Mary's Church, one of the oldest churches in the city, dating back to 19th century.

Turzańsk Wooden Tserkva - Poland

It was last month the Unesco comitte decided the new World Heritage Sites. 19 new sites were added to the list; i already had 4 of those sites and this week received another one, sent by Joanna. This wooden church is one of the sixteen Wooden tserkvas of Carpathian region in Poland and Ukraine.

Situated in the eastern fringe of eastern Europe, the transnational property numbers a selection of 16 tserkvas, churches, built of horizontal wooden logs between the 16th and 19th centuries by communities of the Eastern Orthodox and Greek Catholic faiths. They represent the cultural expression of four ethnographic groups and the formal, decorative and technical characteristics they developed over time. The tserkvas bear testimony to a distinct building tradition rooted in Orthodox ecclesiastic design interwoven with elements of local tradition, and symbolic references to their communities’ cosmogony. The tserkvas are built on a tri-partite plan surmounted by open quadrilateral or octagonal domes and cupolas. They feature wooden bell towers, iconostasis screens, and interior polychrome decorations as well as churchyards, gatehouses and graveyards. - in: http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/1424/

Fot. © A. Szczerbicki

The Greek Catholic church dedicated to St. Archangel Michael (today’s Orthodox church) was erected between 1801 and 1803. In 1871, the wooden bell tower was constructed and in 1936, the church was enlarged. The church, along with few other churches that remain in the Oslawa Valley, adheres to the type of architecture that spread on the central and eastern Lemkos’ Lands in the 19th c. - in: http://www.touristlink.com/poland/the-church-complex-of-turzansk/overview.html

Pieniny - Poland

A mountain card from Poland sent by Manuela.

Fot. © T. Ogórek

 Pieniny is a mountain range in the south of Poland and the north of Slovakia. The most spectacular part of Pieniny is protected in the trans-border Pieninski National Park.

Celina's cards

Just a few days ago, Celina went on a nice trip to visit 5 different countries, Finland, Estonia, Lithuania, Latvia and Poland. I've to admit i'm a but jelous... i've only been to Poland yet and would love to visit the other countries too.

She sent me cards fromLlithuania, Latvia and Poland.

Vilnius is the capital of Lithuania, and its largest city. It is located in the southeast of the country. It is the second biggest city of the Baltic states, after Riga.

Vilnius is known for its Old Town of beautiful architecture, declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1994. Its Jewish influence until the 20th century has led to it being described as the “Jerusalem of Lita" and Napoleon named it "the Jerusalem of the North" as he was passing through in 1812.

The Cathedral Square in Vilnius is the main square of the Vilnius Old Town, right in front of the neo-classical Vilnius Cathedral. It is a key location in city's public life, situated as it is at the crossing of the city's main streets and reflecting the city's diversity. Regularly held at this site are fairs and gatherings of townspeople, military parades, religious and official public events, attractions and large concerts, New Year’s salutes and exhibitions. It is not merely the most lively and important location in the city, but is also one of the most significant and widely known symbols of Lithuania. - in: wikipedia

Felistella

Riga is the capital and largest city of Latvia. Riga is the largest city of the Baltic states and home to more than one third of Latvia's population.

Riga was founded in 1201 and is a former Hanseatic League member. Riga's historical centre is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, noted for its Art Nouveau/Jugendstil architecture and 19th century wooden architecture. - in: wikipedia

Photos by Christian Parma

Several views from Warsaw in Poland.

Freta Street; Castle Square; Piwna Street; Old Town Market Square; Castle Square; Old Town Market Square; Barbican; Old Town Mermaid and Royal Castle.