31/08/2013

Czech Republic - Pilgrimage Church of St John of Nepomuk at Zelená Hora


This pilgrimage church, built in honour of St John of Nepomuk, stands at Zelená Hora, not far from Ždár nad Sázavou in Moravia. Constructed at the beginning of the 18th century on a star-shaped plan, it is the most unusual work by the great architect Jan Blazej Santini, whose highly original style falls between neo-Gothic and Baroque.

Year of Inscription: 1994
further Informations: http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/690

Pilgrimage Church of St John of Nepomuk at Zelená Hora
AugustRR - rady





  

30/08/2013

Czech Republic - Kutná Hora: Historical Town Centre with the Church of St Barbara and the Cathedral of Our Lady at Sedlec


Kutná Hora developed as a result of the exploitation of the silver mines. In the 14th century it became a royal city endowed with monuments that symbolized its prosperity. The Church of St Barbara, a jewel of the late Gothic period, and the Cathedral of Our Lady at Sedlec, which was restored in line with the Baroque taste of the early 18th century, were to influence the architecture of central Europe. These masterpieces today form part of a well-preserved medieval urban fabric with some particularly fine private dwellings.

Year of Inscription: 1995
further Informations: http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/732

Kutná Hora: Historical Town Centre with the Church of St Barbara and the Cathedral of Our Lady at Sedlec
Big Unesco RR - 31 - miroslav
Kutná Hora: Historical Town Centre with the Church of St Barbara and the Cathedral of Our Lady at Sedlec
RAS from Dominik





  

29/08/2013

South Africa - Richtersveld Cultural and Botanical Landscape

The 160,000 ha Richtersveld Cultural and Botanical Landscape of dramatic mountainous desert in north-western South Africa constitutes a cultural landscape communally owned and managed. This site sustains the semi-nomadic pastoral livelihood of the Nama people, reflecting seasonal patterns that may have persisted for as much as two millennia in southern Africa. It is the only area where the Nama still construct portable rush-mat houses (haru om ) and includes seasonal migrations and grazing grounds, together with stock posts. The pastoralists collect medicinal and other plants and have a strong oral tradition associated with different places and attributes of the landscape.

Date of Inscription: 2007

further Informations: http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/1265

Richtersveld Cultural and Botanical Landscape

28/08/2013

Lesotho - South Africa - Maloti-Drakensberg Park

The uKhahlamba Drakensberg Park is renowned for its spectacular natural landscape, importance as a haven for many threatened and endemic species, and for its wealth of rock paintings made by the San people over a period of 4000 years. The Park, located in the Drakensberg Mountains, covers an area of 242,813 ha making it the largest protected area along the Great Escarpment of southern Africa. With its pristine steep-sided river valleys and rocky gorges, the property has numerous caves and rock shelters containing an estimated 600 rock art sites, and the number of individual images in those sites probably exceeds 35,000. The images depict animals and human beings, and represent the spiritual life of this people, now no longer living in their original homeland. This art represents an exceptionally coherent tradition that embodies the beliefs and cosmology of the San people over several millennia. There are also paintings done during the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, attributable to Bantu speaking people.

Date of Inscription: 2000
Extension: 2013
further Informations: http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/985

Maloti-Drakensberg Park

Maloti-Drakensberg Park

27/08/2013

South Africa - iSimangaliso Wetland Park

The ongoing fluvial, marine and aeolian processes in the site have produced a variety of landforms, including coral reefs, long sandy beaches, coastal dunes, lake systems, swamps, and extensive reed and papyrus wetlands. The interplay of the park's environmental heterogeneity with major floods and coastal storms and a transitional geographic location between subtropical and tropical Africa has resulted in exceptional species diversity and ongoing speciation. The mosaic of landforms and habitat types creates breathtaking scenic vistas. The site contains critical habitats for a range of species from Africa's marine, wetland and savannah environments.

Date of Inscription; 1999
further Informations: http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/914

iSimangaliso Wetland Park
private swap with chrystal_ali
iSimangaliso Wetland Park
private swap with chrystal_ali
 

26/08/2013

Sri Lanka - Sacred City of Kandy

This sacred Buddhist site, popularly known as the city of Senkadagalapura, was the last capital of the Sinhala kings whose patronage enabled the Dinahala culture to flourish for more than 2,500 years until the occupation of Sri Lanka by the British in 1815. It is also the site of the Temple of the Tooth Relic (the sacred tooth of the Buddha), which is a famous pilgrimage site.

Date of Inscription: 1988
further informations: http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/450

Sacred City of Kandy - 01

Sacred City of Kandy

 

25/08/2013

Sri Lanka - Sacred City of Anuradhapura

This sacred city was established around a cutting from the 'tree of enlightenment', the Buddha's fig tree, brought there in the 3rd century B.C. by Sanghamitta, the founder of an order of Buddhist nuns. Anuradhapura, a Ceylonese political and religious capital that flourished for 1,300 years, was abandoned after an invasion in 993. Hidden away in dense jungle for many years, the splendid site, with its palaces, monasteries and monuments, is now accessible once again.

Date of Inscription: 1982

further Informations: http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/200

Sacred City of Anuradhapura - 01

24/08/2013

Sri Lanka - Old Town of Galle and its Fortifications

Founded in the 16th century by the Portuguese, Galle reached the height of its development in the 18th century, before the arrival of the British. It is the best example of a fortified city built by Europeans in South and South-East Asia, showing the interaction between European architectural styles and South Asian traditions.

Date of Inscription: 1988
further Informations: http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/451

Old Town of Galle and its Fortifications - 02

Old Town of Galle and its Fortifications - 01

Old Town of Galle and its Fortifications - 03

 

23/08/2013

Sri Lanka - Golden Temple of Dambulla

A sacred pilgrimage site for 22 centuries, this cave monastery, with its five sanctuaries, is the largest, best-preserved cave-temple complex in Sri Lanka. The Buddhist mural paintings (covering an area of 2,100 m2 ) are of particular importance, as are the 157 statues.

Date of Inscription: 1991
further Informations: http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/561

Golden Temple of Dambulla - 02

Golden Temple of Dambulla - 01

Golden Temple of Dambulla - 03

   

22/08/2013

Sri Lanka - Central Highlands of Sri Lanka

Sri Lanka's highlands are situated in the south-central part of the island. The property comprises the Peak Wilderness Protected Area, the Horton Plains National Park and the Knuckles Conservation Forest. These montane forests, where the land rises to 2,500 metres above sea-level, are home to an extraordinary range of flora and fauna, including several endangered species such as the western-purple-faced langur, the Horton Plains slender loris and the Sri Lankan leopard. The region is considered a super biodiversity hotspot.

Date of Inscription: 2010
further Informations: http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/1203

Central Highlands of Sri Lanka - 02

Central Highlands of Sri Lanka - 01

 

21/08/2013

Sri Lanka - Ancient City of Sigiriya

The ruins of the capital built by the parricidal King Kassapa I (477–95) lie on the steep slopes and at the summit of a granite peak standing some 370 m high (the 'Lion's Rock', which dominates the jungle from all sides). A series of galleries and staircases emerging from the mouth of a gigantic lion constructed of bricks and plaster provide access to the site.

Date of Inscription: 1982
further Informations:  http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/202
Ancient City of Sigiriya


Ancient City of Sigiriya - 01

Ancient City of Sigiriya - 03

Ancient City of Sigiriya - 04

 

20/08/2013

Spain - Roman Walls of Lugo

The walls of Lugo were built in the later part of the 3rd century to defend the Roman town of Lucus. The entire circuit survives intact and is the finest example of late Roman fortifications in western Europe.

Date of Inscription: 2000
further Informations: http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/987


Roman Walls of Lugo
UnescoTag - Betariz
 

19/08/2013

Spain - Teide National Park

ituated on the island of Tenerife, Teide National Park 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.

Date of Inscription: 2007
further informations: http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/1258
Visited in 1988

Teide National Park
big unesco RR - 42 - turtles

18/08/2013

Spain - Santiago de Compostela (Old Town)

This famous pilgrimage site in north-west Spain became a symbol in the Spanish Christians' struggle against Islam. Destroyed by the Muslims at the end of the 10th century, it was completely rebuilt in the following century. With its Romanesque, Gothic and Baroque buildings, the Old Town of Santiago is one of the world's most beautiful urban areas. The oldest monuments are grouped around the tomb of St James and the cathedral, which contains the remarkable Pórtico de la Gloria.

Date of Inscription: 1985
further Informations: http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/347
Santiago de Compostela (Old Town)
private swap with sirisajoo
Santiago de Compostela (Old Town)
official card - natalia

17/08/2013

Spain - University and Historic Precinct of Alcalá de Henares

Founded by Cardinal Jiménez de Cisneros in the early 16th century, Alcalá de Henares was the world's first planned university city. It was the original model for the Civitas Dei (City of God), the ideal urban community which Spanish missionaries brought to the Americas. It also served as a model for universities in Europe and elsewhere.

Date of Inscription: 1998
further informations: http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/876


University and Historic Precinct of Alcalá de Henares
famalubel

16/08/2013

Italy - Mantua and Sabbioneta

Mantua and Sabbioneta, in the Po valley, in the north of Italy, represent two aspects of Renaissance town planning: Mantua shows the renewal and extension of an existing city, while 30 km away, Sabbioneta represents the implementation of the period’s theories about planning the ideal city. Typically, Mantua’s layout is irregular with regular parts showing different stages of its growth since the Roman period and includes many medieval edifices among them an 11th century rotunda and a Baroque theatre. Sabbioneta, created in the second half of the 16th century under the rule of one person, Vespasiano Gonzaga Colonna, can be described as a single-period city and has a right angle grid layout. Both cities offer exceptional testimonies to the urban, architectural and artistic realizations of the Renaissance, linked through the visions and actions of the ruling Gonzaga family. The two towns are important for the value of their architecture and for their prominent role in the dissemination of Renaissance culture. The ideals of the Renaissance, fostered by the Gonzaga family, are present in the towns’ morphology and architecture.

Year of Inscription: 2008
further Informations: http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/1287

Mantua and Sabbioneta
swap with Matteo
 

Spain - Royal Monastery of Santa María de Guadalupe

The monastery is an outstanding repository of four centuries of Spanish religious architecture. It symbolizes two significant events in world history that occurred in 1492: the Reconquest of the Iberian peninsula by the Catholic Kings and Christopher Columbus' arrival in the Americas. Its famous statue of the Virgin became a powerful symbol of the Christianization of much of the New World.

Date of Inscription: 1993
further Informations: http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/665

Royal Monastery of Santa María de Guadalupe
famalubel
 

15/08/2013

Spain - Route of Santiago de Compostela

Santiago de Compostela was proclaimed the first European Cultural itinerary by the Council of Europe in 1987. This route from the French-Spanish border was – and still is – taken by pilgrims to Santiago de Compostela. Some 1,800 buildings along the route, both religious and secular, are of great historic interest. The route played a fundamental role in encouraging cultural exchanges between the Iberian peninsula and the rest of Europe during the Middle Ages. It remains a testimony to the power of the Christian faith among people of all social classes and from all over Europe.

Date of Inscription: 1993
further informations: http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/669



Route of Santiago de Compostela
private card from my great aunt
Route of Santiago de Compostela
UnescoRR - rita_simoes
Routes of Santiago de Compostela in France // Routes of Santiago de Compostela in Spain
ES-119107

Mexico - Protective town of San Miguel and the Sanctuary of Jesús Nazareno de Atotonilco

The fortified town, first established in the 16th century to protect the Royal Route inland, reached its apogee in the 18th century when many of its outstanding religious and civic buildings were built in the style of the Mexican Baroque. Some of these buildings are masterpieces of the style that evolved in the transition from Baroque to neoclassical. Situated 14 km from the town, the Jesuit sanctuary, also dating from the 18th century, is one of the finest examples of Baroque art and architecture in the New Spain. It consists of a large church, and several smaller chapels, all decorated with oil paintings by Rodriguez Juárez and mural paintings by Miguel Antonio Martínez de Pocasangre. Because of its location, San Miguel de Allende acted as a melting pot where Spaniards, Creoles and Amerindians exchanged cultural influences while the Sanctuary of Jesús Nazareno de Atotonilco constitutes an exceptional example of the exchange between European and Latin American cultures. Its architecture and interior decoration testify to the influence of Saint Ignacio de Loyola’s doctrine.

Year of Inscription: 2008
further Informations: http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/1274

Protective town of San Miguel and the Sanctuary of Jesús Nazareno de Atotonilco
swap with Maggie

14/08/2013

Czech Republic - Lednice-Valtice Cultural Landscape


Between the 17th and 20th centuries, the ruling dukes of Liechtenstein transformed their domains in southern Moravia into a striking landscape. It married Baroque architecture (mainly the work of Johann Bernhard Fischer von Erlach) and the classical and neo-Gothic style of the castles of Lednice and Valtice with countryside fashioned according to English romantic principles of landscape architecture. At 200 km2 , it is one of the largest artificial landscapes in Europe.

Date of Inscription: 1996
further Informations: http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/763


Lednice-Valtice Cultural Landscape

Lednice-Valtice Cultural Landscape
swap with jana






Poland - Ukraine - Wooden Tserkvas of the 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.

Year of Inscription: 2013
further Informations: http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/1424


Wooden Tserkvas of the Carpathian Region in Poland and Ukraine
PL-126049


Wooden Tserkvas of the Carpathian Region in Poland and Ukraine
private swap with ania


Canada - USA - Kluane / Wrangell-St. Elias / Glacier Bay / Tatshenshini-Alsek

These parks comprise an impressive complex of glaciers and high peaks on both sides of the border between Canada (Yukon Territory and British Columbia) and the United States (Alaska). The spectacular natural landscapes are home to many grizzly bears, caribou and Dall's sheep. The site contains the largest non-polar icefield in the world.

Year of Inscription: 1979
further Informations: http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/72/


Kluane / Wrangell-St. Elias / Glacier Bay / Tatshenshini-Alsek


Kluane / Wrangell-St Elias / Glacier Bay / Tatshenshini-Alsek

Spain - Poblet Monastery

This Cistercian abbey in Catalonia is one of the largest in Spain. At its centre is a 12th-century church. The austere, majestic monastery, which has a fortified royal residence and contains the pantheon of the kings of Catalonia and Aragon, is an impressive sight.

Date of Inscription: 1991
further Informations: http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/518

swap with jean claude

Spain - Old Town of Segovia and its Aqueduct

The Roman aqueduct of Segovia, probably built c. A.D. 50, is remarkably well preserved. This impressive construction, with its two tiers of arches, forms part of the setting of the magnificent historic city of Segovia. Other important monuments include the Alcázar, begun around the 11th century, and the 16th-century Gothic cathedral.
Date of Inscription: 1985
further informations: http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/311

Old Town of Segovia and its Aqueduct
famalubel
Old Town of Segovia and its Aqueduct
official card
   

13/08/2013

Spain - Old City of Salamanca

This ancient university town north-west of Madrid was first conquered by the Carthaginians in the 3rd century B.C. It then became a Roman settlement before being ruled by the Moors until the 11th century. The university, one of the oldest in Europe, reached its high point during Salamanca's golden age. The city's historic centre has important Romanesque, Gothic, Moorish, Renaissance and Baroque monuments. The Plaza Mayor, with its galleries and arcades, is particularly impressive.

Date of Inscription: 1988
further Informations: http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/381


Old City of Salamanca

Old City of Salamanca