Swiss Castles - Switzerland

I really don't relate castles to Switzerland but because of the cards, I realized that there's quite a few castles in the country worth to visit. 

The 1st castle is Bottmingen Castle, the card was sent by Paulo and Óscar sent the Morges Castle card. 

© Rud. Suter AG., Oberrieden/Züruch

 The moated castle of Bottmingen, a community to the south-west of Basel, is a highlight for all romantics. Dating from the 13th century, it is one of the few such buildings in Switzerland that are still intact.

The first recorded mention of Schloss Bottmingen dates from 1363, when it was owned by the Kämmerer family. These aristocratic servants to the Bishops of Basel are thought to have built the castle. In 1720, Johannes Deucher transformed the castle into an early-Baroque country manor in the French style. Although this structure has been almost entirely preserved, the basic form of the medieval castle is still visible. Today Schloss Bottmingen makes a wonderful setting for weddings, banquets and other festive occasions. - in: https://www.basel.com/en/Media/Attractions/Sightseeing/Castel-of-Bottmingen

© photoglob Zürich

Built by Louis of Savoy in 1286 to oppose the Bishop of Lausanne, Morges Castle was a fortress and a residence of the counts and dukes of Savoy and, later, of the Bernese bailiffs. Morges Castle accommodates the following four museums today : The cantonal Military Museum, The Swiss Museum of Historic Figurines, The Museum of Artillery and The Museum of the Lake Geneva Region police.

Located on the shore of Lake Geneva opposite Mont-Blanc, the Castle is flanked by a round tower at each corner and is a good example of a "carré savoyard" (Savoy fortress). The inner courtyard was raised to the level of the former entrance and the tops of its towers were rounded to make it suitable for 16th century artillery.  - in: http://www.morges-tourisme.ch/en/culture-patrimony/museums/morges-museum-castle

Jet d'Eau, Geneva - Switzerland

I've been to Geneva a couple of years ago but I haven't seen much of the city, the only thing I remember is the Jet D'Eau. A few days ago, on 25 August, the fountain celebrated its 125th anniversary at its present location.

The 1st of these cards was sent by Óscar, the 2nd by a former cousin and I'm not sure about the 3rd, maybe it was also that former cousin. 

 © photoglob Zürich

The Jet d'Eau is a large fountain in Geneva, Switzerland, and is one of the city's most famous landmarks, being featured on the city's official tourism web site and on the official logo for Geneva's hosting of the 2008 UEFA Championships. Situated at the point where Lake Geneva empties into the Rhône, it is visible throughout the city and from the air, even when flying over Geneva at an altitude of 10 kilometres (33,000 ft).

Five hundred litres (110 imp gal; 130 US gal) of water per second are jetted to an altitude of 140 metres (460 ft) by two 500 kW pumps, operating at 2,400 V, consuming one megawatt of electricity. The water leaves the nozzle at a speed of 200 kilometres per hour (120 mph). Diameter of the nozzle is exactly 4 inches (10 cm). Maximum height of water jet is about 140 metres (460 ft) above water level. When it is in operation, at any given moment there are about 7,000 litres (1,500 imp gal; 1,800 US gal) of water in the air. Unsuspecting visitors to the fountain—which can be reached via a stone jetty from the left bank of the lake—may be surprised to find themselves drenched after a slight change in wind direction. 

The first Jet d'Eau was installed in 1886 at the Usine de la Coulouvrenière, a little further downstream from its present location. It was used as a safety valve for a hydraulic power network and could reach a height of about 30 metres (98 feet). In 1891, its aesthetic value was recognised and it was moved to its present location to celebrate the Federal Gymnastics Festival and the 600th anniversary of the Swiss Confederation, on which occasion it was operated for the first time. Its maximum height was about 90 metres (295 feet). The present Jet d'Eau was installed in 1951 in a partially submerged pumping station to pump lake water instead of city water.

Since 2003, the fountain has operated during the day all year round, except in case of frost and particularly strong wind. It also operates in the evening between spring and autumn and is lit by a set of 21 lights totalling 9 kW. - in: wikipedia

Monte San Giorgio - Italy

The previous card wasn't the only new UNESCO site Marina sent me, she also sent this card from the italian side of Monte San Giorgio. I already had a card from the swiss side, now I've cards from both countries.

In 2003, UNESCO recognized the uniqueness and exceptional geo-paleontological of Monte San Giorgio, by entering the Swiss side of the mountain in the World Heritage List. In nominating reasons, Monte San Giorgio is identified as the best testimony of the geo-paleontological history in the marine environment dating back 247 to 235 million years ago that, through the thousands of fossils found in the last two centuries, has allowed to study in detail the evolution of many groups of marine organisms. 

© Jacques Perler

Since August 2, 2010, also the Italian side of the Monte San Giorgio entered the UNESCO list of World Natural Heritage, as also requested by UNESCO itself, thus completing the recognition of the only area of ​​transnational paleontological importance.

The fossiliferous sequence of Monte San Giorgio is acknowledged as the best in the world especially for the study of the Middle Triassic marine vertebrates. It tells us that the environment at that time was that of a complex deep tropical lagoon between large carbonate platforms covered by a few meters of water, and the open sea.

Small, low islands dotting the carbonate platform and extensive land mass was a little further away to the west. This complex environment has allowed us to have the remains of mainly marine organisms and the rarest terrestrial organisms including some plants and insects.

Virginia Island - Italy

The Prehistoric Pile Dwellings around the Alps is probably one of the hardest european UNESCO sites to get cards from. I'm really glad that I got this one from Italy. It was sent by Marina. 

Fotos: Armando Botelli * Museo Civico Archeologico di Villa Mirabello, Varese

On the western shore of Lake Varese, close to the shore of the town of Biandronno, there is the little island Virginia. It extends for 9200 meters and has a triangular shape. Owned by the municipality of Varese since 1962, thanks to the donation of the Marquis Gianfelice Ponti, the island is an archaeological and environmental site bound among the most important in Europe. 

It is one of the most important prehistoric lake dwellings whose wooden structures have been preserved over time because submerged by the waters of the lake and vegetation. Since 2011, in fact, the island is part of the list "Prehistoric Pile Dwellings around the Alps" UNESCO World Heritage Site. After the campaign of 2006, the remains were placed in their places of origin but have been realized a mold, which reproduces the collapse of part of closeup of a Neolithic structure, and some sections so that you can show to the public. - in: http://www.italianbotanicalheritage.com/it/scheda.php?struttura=1272

Pont du Gard - France

Another UNESCO site from France. Pont du Gard was added to the UNESCO WHS list in 1985 because of its historical importance. 

I got my 1st card from there in 2008 thanks to Bruno and last April received another card as an official.

The Pont du Gard is an ancient Roman aqueduct that crosses the Gardon River in southern France. Located near the town of Vers-Pont-du-Gard, the bridge is part of the Nîmes aqueduct, a 50-kilometre (31 mi) system built in the first century AD to carry water from a spring at Uzès to the Roman colony of Nemausus (Nîmes). Because of the uneven terrain between the two points, the mostly underground aqueduct followed a long, winding route that called for a bridge across the gorge of the Gardon River. The Pont du Gard is the highest of all elevated Roman aqueducts, and, along with the Aqueduct of Segovia, one of the best preserved.

Editions MERIDIONALES

FR-685162, sent by David.

The bridge has three tiers of arches, standing 48.8 m (160 ft) high. The whole aqueduct descends in height by only 17 m (56 ft) over its entire length, while the bridge descends by a mere 2.5 centimetres (1 in) – a gradient of only 1 in 3,000 – which is indicative of the great precision that Roman engineers were able to achieve, using only simple technology. The aqueduct formerly carried an estimated 200,000 m3 (44,000,000 imp gal) of water a day to the fountains, baths and homes of the citizens of Nîmes. It continued to be used possibly until the 6th century, with some parts used for significantly longer, but lack of maintenance after the 4th century meant that it became increasingly clogged by mineral deposits and debris that eventually choked off the flow of water.

After the collapse of the Roman Empire and the aqueduct's fall into disuse, the Pont du Gard remained largely intact, due to the importance of its secondary function, as a toll bridge. For centuries the local lords and bishops were responsible for its upkeep, in exchange for the right to levy tolls on travellers using it to cross the river, although some of its stones were looted and serious damage was inflicted on it in the 17th century. It attracted increasing attention starting in the 18th century, and became an important tourist destination. It underwent a series of renovations between the 18th and 21st centuries, commissioned by the local authorities and the French state, that culminated in 2000 with the opening of a new visitor centre and the removal of traffic and buildings from the bridge and the area immediately around it. Today it is one of France's most popular tourist attractions, and has attracted the attention of a succession of literary and artistic visitors. - in: wikipedia

Beaune - France

This card was a wonderful surprise from Óscar. He told me Beaune was part of a UNESCO site and that I should google to find out which site was that. Of course I did that and the site is Climats, terroirs of Burgundy, on the WHS list since last year. This site includes vineyards, associated production units including the town of Beaune and nearby villages and also the historic centre of Dijon. 

Beaune is the wine capital of Burgundy in the Côte d'Or department in eastern France. It is located between Paris and Geneva.

Beaune is one of the key wine centres in France and the annual wine auction of the Hospices de Beaune is the primary wine auction in France. The town is surrounded by some of the world's most famous wine villages, while the facilities and cellars of many producers, large and small, are situated in Beaune itself. With a rich historical and architectural heritage, Beaune is considered the "Capital of Burgundy wines".

Editions VALOIRE-ESTEL - BLOIS

The Hospices de Beaune or Hôtel-Dieu de Beaune is a former charitable almshouse in Beaune, France. It was founded in 1443 by Nicolas Rolin, chancellor of Burgundy, as a hospital for the poor. The original hospital building, the Hôtel-Dieu, one of the finest examples of French fifteenth-century architecture, is now a museum. 

An important charity wine auction is held in November each year (formerly in the great hall of the Hôtel-Dieu). - in: wikipedia

Château de Cordès - France

Castles are always welcome and this one from France is new in my collection. It was sent by Paula.

The Château de Cordès is a castle situated in the commune of Orcival, in the Puy-de-Dôme département of France. The château is privately owned, and open to the public. It is classified as a historic monument and the garden is listed by the French Ministry of Culture as one of the Remarkable Gardens of France.

Photo: J. Damase

The original castle dates from 1268, when it belonged to Guillaume de Chalus, whose family occupied the castle for nearly four hundred years. In 1659, they sold it to Emmanuel d'Allègre. His son, Yves de Tourzel, the marquis d'Allegre, who became a marechal of France in 1724, rebuilt it and transformed it into a residence, and in 1695, commissioned the workshop of Le Nôtre to lay out the garden.

In 1965, the new owner restored the château and recreated the gardens. - in: wikipedia