546 - Historic Centre of Sighișoara, Romania

Card no 546 – Andrås 

Historic Centre of Sighișoara 

Country Card Sent From: Romania 

Place that Card Sender Lives: Targu Mures 

Date Received: 8th May 2013 

Distance Travelled: 1,308 miles 

Time Taken: 6 days 

Sighișoara is a fine example of a small, fortified medieval town. I didn't need to do any research on this card because Andrås told me about this part of the World Heritage Site - "Sighișoara is located in the middle of the Transylvanian plateau. You can see here the clock tower, the castle, some very old houses - all are situated in the medieval citadel, which is the only inhabited medieval castle in the whole of Eastern Europe. Built by German Saxons today it is a very famous Romanian tourist attraction."

541 – Scandola Nature Reserve

Card no 541 – Martine 

Scandola Reserve 

Country Card Sent From: France 

Place that Card Sender Lives: Corsica 

Date Received: 10th May 2013 

Distance Travelled: 942 miles 

Time Taken: 12 days 

The Scandola Nature Reserve (19.19 km²: 9.19 km² land; 10 km² marine), established in December, 1975, is located on the French island of Corsica. The park and reserve has been recognized by the United Nations as a Natural World Heritage Site, and was inscribed on the World Heritage List in 1983. The Scandola Reserve is situated on the central western coast of Corsica between Punta Muchillina and Punta Nera and includes Cape Girolata and Cape Porto. In 1930, a law was passed prohibiting destruction or modification within Corsica Regional Park. Scandola Nature Reserve is strictly protected in order to return the area to its natural state.

Pilgrims descended from the austere and wild Aubrac plateau towards the Lot valley and a major stop: Conques. In their thousands, they flocked to the Via Podiensis in search of their inner self.  At the end of the trail, the superb mediaeval village of Conques and its abbey-church with its splendid tympanum, which remains one of the most important centres of art and spirituality in the western world.

533 – Tongariro National Park

Card no 533 - GB 

North Island, New Zealand 

Country Card Sent From: New Zealand 

Place that Card Sender Lives: Napier 

Date Received: 3rd May 2013 

Distance Travelled: 11,493 miles 

Time Taken: 6 days 

A World Heritage Site to add to my collection. Many thanks, GB.

In 1993 Tongariro became the first property to be inscribed on the World Heritage List under the revised criteria describing cultural landscapes. The mountains at the heart of the park have cultural and religious significance for the Maori people and symbolize the spiritual links between this community and its environment. The park has active and extinct volcanoes, a diverse range of ecosystems and some spectacular landscapes.

Tongariro lies at the south-western terminus of a Pacific chain of volcanoes aligned along a major tectonic plate boundary. The park's volcanoes, which are outstanding scenic features of the island, contain a complete range of volcanic features. The related ecological succession of plant communities is of special scientific interest. The site is directly associated with the living traditions, beliefs and artistic works of the Maori people, which are of outstanding universal significance.

512 – Nationalpark Harz, Germany

Card no 512 – Heike 

Harz Nationalpark and adjacent towns 

Country Card Sent From: Germany 

Place that Card Sender Lives: Liebenberg 

Date Received: 25th April 2013 

Distance Travelled: 567 miles 

Time Taken: 3 days 

Postcrossing id – DE-2123262 

“Being the first National Park in Germany covering two federal states since 2006, the Harz National Park in its eastern part in Sachsen-Anhalt consists of 8,900 ha land and was set up in 1990. In 1994, the federal government of Niedersachsen established the western part of this park, covering 15,800 ha. This means that the united Harz National Park consists of abt. 24,700 ha now. The park is part of the European nature conservation network „Natura 2000“.”

 “The Harz National Park is virtually uninhabited, but does contain some hamlets. Nearly all the land within the park is forested and belongs to the federal states. “

“With its geographical location, beautiful landscapes and characteristic natural, environmental set-up and layout, the Harz National Park region is one of the most significant recreational areas within Central Europe. “
The above information came from http://www.nationalpark-harz.de/en/

The Old Town of Goslar and the Mines of Rammelsberg are UNESCO World Heritage Sites ansd featured in card no 485

These were the attractive stamps that Heike used:

502 – Dom St Peter – Regensburg, a WHS

Card no 502 - Johanna 

Dom St Peter – Regensburg – A WHS 

Country Card Sent From: Germany 

Place that Card Sender Lives: Munich 

Date Received: 18th April 2013 

Distance Travelled: 725 miles 

Time Taken: 3 days 

Postcrossing id – DE-2105338 

Johanna kindly sent this because it is a World Heritage Site and she knows I collect WHS cards.

Located on the Danube River in Bavaria, the medieval town of Regensburg contains many buildings of exceptional quality that testify to its history as a trading centre and to its influence on the region from the 9th century. A notable number of historic structures span some two millennia and include ancient Roman, Romanesque and Gothic buildings. Regensburg’s 11th- to 13th-century architecture – including the market, city hall and cathedral – still defines the character of the town marked by tall buildings, dark and narrow lanes, and strong fortifications. The buildings include medieval patrician houses and towers, a large number of churches and monastic ensembles as well as the 12th-century Old Bridge. The town is also remarkable for the vestiges testifing to its rich history as one of the centres of the Holy Roman Empire that turned to Protestantism.

The Regensburg Cathedral (Cathedral of Saint Peter) is the only cathedral in Bavaria. The cathedral is a masterpiece of Gothic architecture in southern Germany.

Overall length 86.00 m inside
Inside width 34,80 m
Height nave 32.00 m
Height of the towers 105 m from base

This was the timescale of its building
1273 beginning of the new building to the west of the city after a fire (probably in 1250) destroyed the old cathedral.
To 1285/90 High Gothic replanning.
In 1320 The three choirs of the new cathedral can be used. Demolition of the old cathedral.
1385-1415 age of elaborate main entrance to the west.
1442 Construction of the roof over the nave. Preliminary end of construction in 1520.
1514-1538 Expansion of the cloister.
1613-1649 restoration of the cathedral and Baroque transformation (cupola).
1828-1841 At the request of King Ludwig I gothicised (eg elimination of the baroque frescoes) and degradation of the dome, it is replaced by a ribbed vault.
1859-1869 Expansion of the towers and spiers of completion.
1870/72 completion of the cathedral with the completion of the transept gable and roof of the rider (crossing) after 600 years of construction.

The stamp was one I have had a few times before but this time it was most appropriate – it was the Regensburg stamp!

485 - Goslar am Harz - A World Heritage Site

Card no 485 – Brigitte 

Goslar am Harz 

Country Card Sent From: Germany 

Place that Card Sender Lives: Ammersbek 

Date Received: 6th April 2013 

Distance Travelled: 547 miles 

Time Taken: 6 days 

The copper, lead and tin mines of Rammelsberg mountain, in the Harz region, were worked continuously from the 11th century until the 1980s. They bear outstanding testimony to mining installations and practices in Europe, both in terms of surface and underground remains, particularly from the Middle Ages and the Renaissance period. Since 1992, the mine and the Old Town of Goslar have been entered on the UNESCO World Cultural and Natural Heritage List for all Mankind.

Goslar played an important part in the Hanseatic League because of the richness of the Rammelsberg metal-ore veins. From the 10th to the 12th century it became one of the seats of the Holy Roman Empire. Its historic centre, which dates back to the Middle Ages, is perfectly preserved, and includes some 1,500 timber-framed houses from the 15th to 19th centuries.

The Upper Harz mining water management system, whch lies south of the Rammelsberg mines and the town of Goslar, has been developed over a period of some 800 years to assist in the process of extracting ore for the production of non-ferrous metals. Its construction was first undertaken in the Middle Ages by Cistercian monks, and it was then developed on a vast scale from the end of the 16th century until the 19th century. It is made up of an extremely complex but perfectly coherent system of artificial ponds, small channels, tunnels and underground drains. It enabled the development of water power for use in mining and metallurgical processes. It is a major site for mining innovation in the western world. Brigitte actually stayed in the hotel on the left of this card in January.

The stamp celebrates the 50th anniversary of the Elysée Treaty between the Federal Republic of Germany and the French Republic signed at the Elysee Palace January 22, 1963 by German Chan-cellor Konrad Adenauer and French President Charles de Gaulle. The Elysée Treaty sets out the ob-jectives of increased cooperation between Germany and France in the fields of international rela-tions, defense and education.

483 – Canterbury Cathedral, Kent, England

Cards no 483 - Laura 

Canterbury Cathedral – a WHS 

Country Card Sent From: Great Britain 

Place that Card Sender Lives: Canterbury 

Date Received: 6th April 2013 

Distance Travelled: 227 miles 

Time Taken: 1 day 

This card was a direct swap which I asked Laura for so as to get one of the Canterbury WHS. She kindly obliged with this lovely card.

Canterbury - the World Heritage Site 

Canterbury, in Kent, has been the seat of the spiritual head of the Church of England for almost five centuries. St Martin's Church, St Augustine's Abbey and the cathedral are directly and tangibly associated with the history of the introduction of Christianity to the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms. The influence of the Benedictine abbey of St Augustine was decisive throughout the high Middle Ages in England. The influence of this monastic centre and its scriptorium extended far beyond the boundaries of Kent and Northumbria. Christ Church Cathedral, especially the east sections, is a unique artistic creation. The beauty of its architecture is enhanced by a set of exceptional stained glass windows which constitute the richest collection in the United Kingdom.

Within the urban perimeter of Canterbury, three distinct cultural properties are on the World Heritage List: the modest St Martin's Church; the ruins of St Augustine's Abbey; and the superb Christ Church Cathedral, a breathtaking mixture of Romanesque and Perpendicular Gothic, where Archbishop Thomas Becket was murdered in 1170. These three monuments are milestones in the religious history of the regions of Great Britain before the Reformation.

Canterbury Cathedral 

 Canterbury Cathedral in Canterbury, Kent, is one of the oldest and most famous Christian struc-tures in England and forms part of the World Heritage Site. It is the cathedral of the Archbishop of Canterbury, leader of the Church of England and symbolic leader of the worldwide Anglican Communion. Its formal title is the Cathedral and Metropolitical Church of Christ at Canterbury. Founded in 597, the cathedral was completely rebuilt from 1070 to 1077.

The east end was greatly enlarged at the beginning of the twelfth century, and largely rebuilt in the Gothic style following a fire in 1174, with significant eastward extensions to accommodate the flow of pilgrims visiting the shrine of Thomas Becket, the archbishop who was murdered in the cathedral in 1170. The Norman nave and transepts survived until the late fourteenth century, when they were demolished to make way for the present structures. The Goddess Wiki has an extensive and interesting article about the cathedral.

It was strange to receive a stamp that I have been sending out!

It is part of the Dickens set issued in 2012 –

460 - Nesvizh Castle – a World Heritage Site

Card no 460 – Mish 

Nesvizh Castle – a World Heritage Site 

Country Card Sent From: Belarus 

Place that Card Sender Lives: Minsk 

Date Received: 28th March 2013 

Distance Travelled: 1,154 miles 

Time Taken: 6 days 

Click to enlarge

Another card of Nesvizh Castle – a WHS.

 Click to enlarge

The card came with a lovely long letter and a couple of goodies from my friend Mish in Minsk.

The envelope included this fridge magnet.

It’s lovely to have a reminder of a friend sitting on the fridge door and perhaps I’ll see if a couple of my other friends can get magnets of their towns.

The stamp shows St Sophia's Cathedral in Polotsk.

Teide – A World Heritage Site

Card no 406 – Anna

Teide, Tenerife

Country Card Sent From: Spain

Place Card Sender Lives: Malaga

Date Received: 18^th February 2013

Distance Travelled:  1,147 miles

Time Taken:  7 days

The volcano in this picture is Tiede on the island of Tenerife in the Canary Islands. 

Teide National Park is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and features the Teide-Pico Viejo stratovolcano that, at 3,718 m, is the highest peak on Spanish soil. Rising 7,500 m above the ocean floor, it is regarded as the world’s third-tallest volcanic structure and stands in a spectacular environment. The visual impact of the site is all the greater due to atmospheric conditions that create constantly changing textures and tones in the landscape and a ‘sea of clouds’ that forms a visually impressive backdrop to the mountain. Teide is of global importance in providing evidence of the geological processes that underpin the evolution of oceanic islands.

Nesvizh Castle

Card no 390 -  Mish

Neswizh Castle, Bridge and Gate.

Country: Belarus

Place: Minsk

Received: 8^th February 2013

Distance:  1,154 miles

Travelled for:  10 days

 A most welcome addition to my slowly growing number of WHS cards. 

Nesvizh Castle or Niasvizh Castle is a residential castle of the Radziwiłł family in Nesvizh, Belarus.  The estate was owned by the Radziwiłł magnate family from 1533, when it was awarded to Mikołaj Radziwiłł and his brother Jan Radziwiłł after the extinction of the Kiszka family. Since the Radziwills were one of the most important and wealthy clans of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, it was there that the Lithuanian Archive was moved in 1551.  In 1582 Mikołaj Krzysztof "Sierotka" Radziwiłł, the Marshal of Lithuania, voivode of Trakai and Vilnius and castellan of Šiauliai, started the construction of an imposing square three-storey chateau. Although the works were based on a pre-existing structure of a mediæval castle, the former fortifications were entirely turned into a renaissance-baroque house. Construction was completed by 1604, and they added several galleries half a century later. The château's corners were fortified with four octagonal towers.

In 1706, during the Great Northern War, Charles XII's army sacked the castle and destroyed its fortifications. Several decades later, the Radziwiłłs invited some German and Italian architects to substantially renovate and enlarge the chateau. Antoni Zaleski decorated its yellow facades with baroque stucco work. The 16th-century castle gates were also reconstructed, and the two-storey gatehouse tower was crowned with a helm. It was at this time that the three separate buildings surrounding the central courtyard were joined into a single structure.

In 1770 the castle was seized by Russian forces and the Radziwill family was expelled. Soon afterwards the Lithuanian Archive was transferred to Saint Petersburg (where it remains), while the majority of works of art gathered in the palace were distributed among various Russian nobles. Abandoned both by the original owners and by the Russian army, the palace gradually fell into disrepair. However, it was restored by the Radziwills and between 1881 and 1886 the castle's interiors were renovated by Prince Anton Radizwill and his French wife, Marie de Castellane. They also designed a landscape park in English style. With an area of more than one square kilometre, the park is one of the biggest such facilities in Europe.

In 1939, the Radziwiłł family was expelled from the castle by the invading Red Army. In Soviet times, the chateau was used a sanatorium, while the park gradually fell in neglect.

In 1994, the castle complex was designated a national historical and cultural reserve. Twelve years later, the it was inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List.

 This stamp shows the Belarusian Bronze Meal winners at the 2012 Olympics - in tennis, gymnastics, canoeing and weightlifting. 

Vernal Fall, Yosemite National Park

Card no 384 - Reinhold

Yosemite National Park

Country: Germany

Place:     

Received: 2^nd February 2013

Distance: 414 miles

Travelled for: 4 days

 This card came from Kempen, a town in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany but is of the USA!  It adds to my slowly growing set of UNESCO World Heritage Sites.

Vernal Fall is a 317 feet (97 m) waterfall on the Merced River just downstream of Nevada Fall in Yosemite National Park, California. Vernal Fall, as well as Nevada Fall, is clearly visible from the famous Glacier Point. The waterfall runs all year long, although by the end of summer it is substantially reduced in volume and can split into multiple strands, rather than a single curtain of water.

Over 3.7 million people visit Yosemite each year and most of them spend their time in the seven square miles (18 km2) of Yosemite Valley.  Designated a World Heritage Site in 1984, Yosemite is internationally recognized for its spectacular granite cliffs, waterfalls, clear streams, Giant Sequoia groves, and biological diversity.  Almost 95% of the park is designated wilderness.  Although not the first designated national park, Yosemite was central to the development of the national park idea, largely owing to the work of people like Galen Clark and John Muir.

The card had these attractive stamps.  The bouquets of flowers are from a set of four in 1974 and show Spring and Autumn.

 The full set of those flower stamps (photo from an e-bay site):-