FI-4798544

Wonderful official card from Finland. 

Ingå and it's beautiful medieval church are located in the  southern coast of Finland. The patron saint of the current medieval stone church is Saint Nicholas and is owned by the evangelical-lutheran parish of Ingå.

 

Photo: Taneli Eskola 1989

FI-4798544, sent by Risto.

The oldest parts of grey stone church date back to the 15th century. It was built in three periods: the first part probably in 1430s, second maybe in the later half of 15th century and latest in 1510s. The roof was destroyed by lightning in 1623 and the bell tower was built beside 1739-1740. - in: https://www.spottinghistory.com

GB-1856594

 I'm always happy to get cards of religious buildings. 

Hexham Abbey is a Grade I listed church dedicated to St Andrew, in the town of Hexham, Northumberland, in the North East of England.

 

Photography by Simon Fraser

GB-1856594, sent by Mary.

Originally built in AD 674, the Abbey was built up during the 12th century into its current form, with additions around the turn of the 20th century. Since the dissolution of the monasteries in 1537, the Abbey has been the parish church of Hexham. In 2014 the Abbey regained ownership of its former monastic buildings, which had been used as Hexham magistrates' court, and subsequently developed them into a permanent exhibition and visitor centre, telling the story of the Abbey's history. - in: wikipedia

Tyne Cot Cemetery - Belgium

 Pretty but so sad. 

Tyne Cot Cemetery is the burial ground for the dead of World War I in the Ypres Salient on the Western Front. With its 11,956 graves, it is the largest cemetery for Commonwealth forces in the world, for any war.  It is is located 9 Kms north-east of Ieper town centre, Belgium. 

This cemetery is one of the 27 cemeteries and monuments of the First World War (Western Front)  inscribed on UNESCO’s World Heritage List in 2023. 

The card was sent by Gerda.

 

 2009 Steve Douglas

 Tyne Cot it is a silent witness to the bloody Battle of Passchendaele. During the British offensive of 1917, almost 600,000 victims fell in 100 days for a territorial gain of only eight kilometres.

‘Tyne Cot’ was originally a German defence position on the first line in Flanders. In October 1917, the Australian troops established an aid station there that soon grew into a small cemetery with 340 graves for the soldiers who had succumbed to their injuries on the spot. After the war – between 1919 and 1921 – the British ‘Exhumation Companies’ collected 12,000 dead from the surrounding battlefields. Of these, only 3,800 bodies could be identified.

The cemetery was designed by Sir Herbert Baker and inaugurated in 1927. - in: https://passchendaele.be

DE-15383055

 Gifhorn in Lower Saxony,  is home to the International Wind- and Watermill Museum, which contains a comprehensive collection and working replicas of the world's most common windmills. 

With 13 large mills spread across the museum grounds and more than 50 models in the exhibition building, the museum offers a fascinating insight into the rich history of milling technology and a unique cultural heritage. - in: https://www.muehlen-museum-gifhorn.de

 

DE-15383055, sent by Barbara.

The Lady Devorgilla mill is not located on the museum site itself, but within eyeshot of the museum on a lake on the edge of the town centre.
It is a replica of a Scottish windmill on Corbey Hill and dates to 1790. - in: wikipedia

Alicante - Spain

I know nothing about Alicante but this card, sent by Óscar, made me google about it. 

Located in the heart of the Costa Blanca, Alicante is one of the most important tourist destinations on the east coast of Spain. The many golf courses and the calm waters of the Mediterranean are just some of the attractions offered by this beautiful port city located at the foot of the Castle of Santa Barbara (...).

 

Foto: Hans Hansen * Triangle Postals

The location on Monte Benacantil gives the castle great strategic value. It acquired its name because Prince Alfonso de Castilla took it from the Islamic forces on St. Barbara's day. In the time of Philip II the castle was remodelled. Over the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries, the castle was bombarded many times. It was opened to the public in 1963, and the same year the two lifts inside the mountain were opened. The castle was divided into three areas: the Torreta, including the former Keep; the intermediate area with the most important apartments, including the Hall of Philip II, the parade ground, etc.; and the lower area, built in the 18th century, including the Revellín del Bon Repós. - in: https://www.spain.info

Rocha do Navio - Madeira

 At the beginning of this month I visited Madeira again. It was my 6th visit to the island and like the other times, I went to places I had already been to and went to others for the first time. I had been to Santana a few times before but I had never been to the Rocha do Navio viewpoint. I didn't take the cable car but I loved the scenery and really enjoyed going there.

 Located in the municipality of Santana, on the north coast of the island of Madeira, the Rocha do Navio viewpoint offers a panoramic view over the deep Atlantic Ocean and the surrounding coastal region.

 

Objecto Anónimo, Lda

The landscape of this place is marked by the presence of the Ilhéu da Viúva, which stands out for its maximum altitude of 94 metres. It is a place with a valuable botanical heritage, part of the Natura 2000 Network, where the characteristic plants of the Macaronesian cliffs and some species exclusive to this archipelago stand out.
The Rocha do Navio viewpoint, through a steep pathway in the rock, leads to the Rocha do Navio Natural Reserve, a name that derives from the shipwreck, in the 19th century, of a Dutch boat. Being exclusively marine, this reserve is delimited between Ponta do Clérigo and Ponta de São Jorge, also including the aforementioned Ilhéu da Viúva and the Ilhéu da Rocha das Vinhas.
This protected area, which can also be reached by cable car, is of great recreational but also scientific value, given the natural heritage preserved here. The Rocha do Navio viewpoint is the ideal place to be peacefully surrounded by Madeira's natural beauty. - in: https://visitmadeira.com

Whale Sanctuary of El Vizcaino - Mexico

 This big whale is a grey-whale, which found in the lagoons of El Vizcaino, the perfect place to reproduce. This whale sanctuary, a UNESCO site since 1993, is actually recognized as the World's most important place for the reproduction of the once endangered Eastern subpopulation of the North Pacific Grey Whale. The protection of these winter breeding grounds has been paramount in the remarkable recovery of this species after near-extinction as a result of commercial whaling, including in these very lagoons.

This site is new in my collection and the card was sent from Germany by Svenja. 

 

Getty images/Bruce Shafer

The Whale Sanctuary of El Vizcaino is a serial property on the Pacific Coast of the central part of Mexico's Baja California Peninsula. It comprises two coastal lagoons, Laguna Ojo de Liebre and Laguna San Ignacio, and their surroundings (...).
The total extent of the two components of the property is of 370,950 hectares, embedded in the much larger El Vizcaino Biosphere Reserve, Mexico's largest protected area (...).
The lagoons are home to numerous other marine mammals, such as Bottlenose Dolphin, California Sea Lion and Harbor Seal and four species of the endangered marine turtle. - in: https://whc.unesco.org