Struve Geodetic Arc

Finland, Norway, Russia, Ukraine, Maldova, Estonia, Belarus, Sweden, Latvia, Lithuania 

Missing: Lithuania

The Struve Arc is a chain of survey triangulations stretching from Hammerfest in Norway to the Black Sea, through 10 countries and over 2,820 km. These are points of a survey, carried out between 1816 and 1855 by the astronomer Friedrich Georg Wilhelm Struve, which represented the first accurate measuring of a long segment of a meridian. This helped to establish the exact size and shape of the planet and marked an important step in the development of earth sciences and topographic mapping. It is an extraordinary example of scientific collaboration among scientists from different countries, and of collaboration between monarchs for a scientific cause. The original arc consisted of 258 main triangles with 265 main station points. The listed site includes 34 of the original station points, with different markings, i.e. a drilled hole in rock, iron cross, cairns, or built obelisks. Source whc.unesco.org

Latvia: Sestukalns and Jekabpils

Thanks to Ms Nadia for sending this card from Spain.

Moldova: Rudi Village

Thanks to Mr Tiago for send this this card from Portugal.

Estonia: Tartu Observatory

Thanks to Mr Patrik.

Norway: Hammerfest

Thanks to Jo Heggland.

Finland: Oravivuori

Thanks to Ms Sini

Finland: Alatornion Kirkko Church

Thanks to Ms Sini

Russia: Gogland Island

Thanks to Mr Vadim

Ukraine: Staraya Nekrasovka

Thanks to Ms Olesya

Belarus: Ossownitza

Thanks to Ms Katya

Belarus: Various Points

Thanks to Ms Lisa.

Sweden: Perra Vaara, Haparanda

Thanks to Ms Merja Deb. Bottom row (L-R) third box is Struve Geodetic Arc.

Poland: Centennial Hall in Wrocław

The Centennial Hall, a landmark in the history of reinforced concrete architecture, was erected in 1911-1913 by the architect Max Berg as a multi-purpose recreational building, situated in the Exhibition Grounds. In form it is a symmetrical quatrefoil with a vast circular central space that can seat some 6,000 persons. The 23m-high dome is topped with a lantern in steel and glass. The Centennial Hall is a pioneering work of modern engineering and architecture, which exhibits an important interchange of influences in the early 20th century, becoming a key reference in the later development of reinforced concrete structures. Source:whc.unesco.org

Inscribed: 2006

Thanks to Mr Sebastian.

Postcard 2

Thanks to Joanne

Italy: The Porticoes of Bologna

The serial property comprises twelve component parts consisting of ensembles of porticoes and their surrounding built areas, located within the Municipality of Bologna from the 12th century to the present. These portico ensembles are considered to be the most representative among city’s porticoes, which cover a total stretch of 62 km. Some of the porticoes are built of wood, others of stone or brick, as well as reinforced concrete, covering roads, squares, paths and walkways, either on one or both sides of a street. The property includes porticoed buildings that do not form a structural continuum with other buildings and therefore are not part of a comprehensive covered walkway or passage. The porticoes are appreciated as sheltered walkways and prime locations for merchant activities. In the 20th century, the use of concrete allowed the replacement of the traditional vaulted arcades with new building possibilities and a new architectural language for the porticoes emerged, as exemplified in the Barca district. Together, the selected porticoes reflect different typologies, urban and social functions and chronological phases. Defined as private property for public use, the porticoes have become an expression and element of Bologna’s urban identity. source:whc.unesco.org

Inscribed: 2021

 Thanks to Boris for sending it from Spain.

China: Jiuzhaigou Valley Scenic and Historic Interest Area

Stretching over 72,000 ha in the northern part of Sichuan Province, the jagged Jiuzhaigou valley reaches a height of more than 4,800 m, thus comprising a series of diverse forest ecosystems. Its superb landscapes are particularly interesting for their series of narrow conic karst land forms and spectacular waterfalls. Some 140 bird species also inhabit the valley, as well as a number of endangered plant and animal species, including the giant panda and the Sichuan takin. source:whc.unesco.org

Inscribed: 1992

Postcard 1: Sleeping Dragon Lake

Thanks to Ms Ruonan Yuan

Postcard 2: Shuzheng Valley

Thanks to Mr Christy.

China: Classical Gardens of Suzhou

Classical Chinese garden design, which seeks to recreate natural landscapes in miniature, is nowhere better illustrated than in the nine gardens in the historic city of Suzhou. They are generally acknowledged to be masterpieces of the genre. Dating from the 11th-19th century, the gardens reflect the profound metaphysical importance of natural beauty in Chinese culture in their meticulous design. source:whc.unesco.org

Inscribed: 1997 Extn: 2000

Postcard 1: The Lingering Garden

Thanks to Ms Shi

Postcard 2: Retreat and Reflection Garden

Thanks to Mr Johnson of Hongkong.

Czech Republic: Žatec and the Landscape of Saaz Hops

This cultural landscape has been shaped for centuries by the living tradition of cultivating and trading the world’s most renowned hop variety, used in beer production around the globe. The property includes particularly fertile hop fields near the river Ohře that have been farmed continuously for hundreds of years, as well as historic villages and buildings used for processing hops. The urban component of the property is represented by the medieval centre of Žatec with its southern extension, known as the “Prague Suburb” (Pražské předměstí) including numerous specific 19th to 20th-century industrial structures. Together, these illustrate the evolution of the agro-industrial processes and socio-economic system of growing, drying, certifying, and trading hops from the Late Middle Ages to the present. source:whc.unesco.org

Inscribed: 2023

 Thanks to Ms Helen.

China: Historic Ensemble of the Potala Palace, Lhasa

The Potala Palace, winter palace of the Dalai Lama since the 7th century, symbolizes Tibetan Buddhism and its central role in the traditional administration of Tibet. The complex, comprising the White and Red Palaces with their ancillary buildings, is built on Red Mountain in the centre of Lhasa Valley, at an altitude of 3,700m. Also founded in the 7th century, the Jokhang Temple Monastery is an exceptional Buddhist religious complex. Norbulingka, the Dalai Lama's former summer palace, constructed in the 18th century, is a masterpiece of Tibetan art. The beauty and originality of the architecture of these three sites, their rich ornamentation and harmonious integration in a striking landscape, add to their historic and religious interest.

Inscribed: 1994 Extn: 2000, 2001

Thanks to Ms Shen Peng

Postcard 2: 3D Card

Thanks to Mr Brian for the 3D card and posting it from Bhutan.

Vietnam: Hoi An Ancient Town

Hoi An Ancient Town is an exceptionally well-preserved example of a South-East Asian trading port dating from the 15th to the 19th century. Its buildings and its street plan reflect the influences, both indigenous and foreign, that have combined to produce this unique heritage site. source:whc.unesco.org

Inscribed: 1999

Thanks to Mr Jacksy George who was visiting Vietnam.

Czech Republic: Landscape for Breeding and Training of Ceremonial Carriage Horses at Kladruby nad Labem

 The property is situated on the Elbe (Labe) River flood plain where there is sandy soil, ox bow lakes and the relic of a riparian forest. The structure and functional use of plots of land (pastures, meadows, forests, fields, park), network of paths, avenues, trees in regimented lines and arranged clusters as well as the solitary trees, the network of watercourses, ensembles of buildings in the farmsteads and the overall composition including functional relations and links between these components - all this fully serves the needs of breeding and training of the Baroque draught horses of the Kladruber breed which were used during the ceremonies at the Habsburg Imperial Court. The composition of the landscape is the evidence of the intentional artistic approach to the landscape. The property is a rare example of the synthesis of two types of cultural landscape - living and organically developing landscape where its key function dominates and the manmade landscape intentionally designed and created using the principles of the French and English landscape architecture which is an outstanding example of the specialised decorative farm - ferme ornée. The Imperial Stud Farm was founded in 1579 and its landscape has been used for this purpose since then. source:whc.unesco.org

Inscribed :2019

Thanks to Ms Helena of Czech Republic.

Poland: Castle of the Teutonic Order of Malbork

The Castle of the Teutonic Order in Malbork, located in the Polish town of Malbork, is the largest castle in the world measured by land area. It was originally built by the Teutonic Knights, a German Roman Catholic religious order of crusaders, in a form of an Ordensburg fortress. The castle is a classic example of a medieval fortress and, on its completion in 1406, was the world's largest brick castle. Source: Wikipedia

Inscribed: 1997

Postcard 1: Multiview

Thanks to Mr Boguslaw .S

    Postcard 2: Malbork Castle

Thanks to Ms Margarita of Spain

Russia: Churches of the Pskov School of Architecture

Churches, cathedrals, monasteries, fortification towers and administrative buildings make up the site, a group of monuments located in the historic city of Pskov, on the banks of the Velikaya River in the northwest of Russia. Characteristics of these buildings, produced by the Pskov School of Architecture, include cubic volumes, domes, porches and belfries, with the oldest elements dating back to the 12th century. Churches and cathedrals are integrated into the natural environment through gardens, perimeter walls and fences. Inspired by the Byzantine and Novgorod traditions, the Pskov School of Architecture reached its peak in the 15th and 16th centuries, and was one of the foremost schools in the country. It informed the evolution of Russian architecture over five centuries. Source:whc.unesco.org

Inscribed: 2019

Postcard 1: Church of Pokrova (Intercession) from the Prolom

Thanks to Ms Nataliya

Postcard 2: The Mirozhsky Transfiguration Cathedral