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.

Sweden: Mining Area of the Great Copper Mountain in Falun

The enormous mining excavation known as the Great Pit at Falun is the most striking feature of a landscape that illustrates the activity of copper production in this region since at least the 13th century. The 17th-century planned town of Falun with its many fine historic buildings, together with the industrial and domestic remains of a number of settlements spread over a wide area of the Dalarna region, provide a vivid picture of what was for centuries one of the world's most important mining areas. Source:whc.unesco.org

Inscribed: 2001

Thanks to Ms Merjade.

Sweden: Rock Carvings in Tanum

The rock carvings in Tanum, in the north of Bohuslän, are a unique artistic achievement not only for their rich and varied motifs (depictions of humans and animals, weapons, boats and other subjects) but also for their cultural and chronological unity. They reveal the life and beliefs of people in Europe during the Bronze Age and are remarkable for their large numbers and outstanding quality. source:whc.unesco.org

Inscribed: 1994

Thanks to Ms Hanna.

Sweden: Hanseatic Town of Visby

A former Viking site on the island of Gotland, Visby was the main centre of the Hanseatic League in the Baltic from the 12th to the 14th century. Its 13th-century ramparts and more than 200 warehouses and wealthy merchants' dwellings from the same period make it the best-preserved fortified commercial city in northern Europe. source:whc.unesco.org

Inscribed: 1995

Thanks to Ms Merja Deb.

Sweden: Engelsberg Ironworks

Sweden's production of superior grades of iron made it a leader in this field in the 17th and 18th centuries. This site is the best-preserved and most complete example of this type of Swedish ironworks. source:whc.unesco.org

Inscribed: 1993

Thanks to Ms Merja Deb.

Sweden/ Finland: High Coast / Kvarken Archipelago

The Kvarken Archipelago (Finland) and the High Coast (Sweden) are situated in the Gulf of Bothnia, a northern extension of the Baltic Sea. The 5,600 islands of the Kvarken Archipelago feature unusual ridged washboard moraines, ‘De Geer moraines’, formed by the melting of the continental ice sheet, 10,000 to 24,000 years ago. The Archipelago is continuously rising from the sea in a process of rapid glacio-isostatic uplift, whereby the land, previously weighed down under the weight of a glacier, lifts at rates that are among the highest in the world. As a consequence islands appear and unite, peninsulas expand, and lakes evolve from bays and develop into marshes and peat fens. The High Coast has also been largely shaped by the combined processes of glaciation, glacial retreat and the emergence of new land from the sea. Since the last retreat of the ice from the High Coast 9,600 years ago, the uplift has been in the order of 285 m which is the highest known ''rebound''. The site affords outstanding opportunities for the understanding of the important processes that formed the glaciated and land uplift areas of the Earth''s surface. source:whc.unesco.org

Inscribed: 2000 Extn: 2006

Postcard 1: From Sweden

Thanks to Ms Merja Deb.

Postcard 2: From Finland

Thanks to "mami 67"

Sweden: Skogskyrkogården

This Stockholm cemetery was created between 1917 and 1920 by two young architects, Asplund and Lewerentz, on the site of former gravel pits overgrown with pine trees. The design blends vegetation and architectural elements, taking advantage of irregularities in the site to create a landscape that is finely adapted to its function. It has had a profound influence in many countries of the world. Source:whc.unesco.org

Inscribed: 1994

Thanks to Ms Merja Deb of Sweden.

Sweden: Decorated Farmhouses of Hälsingland

Seven timber houses are listed in this site located in the east of Sweden, representing the zenith of a regional timber building tradition that dates back to the Middle Ages. They reflect the prosperity of independent farmers who in the 19th century used their wealth to build substantial new homes with elaborately decorated ancillary houses or suites of rooms reserved for festivities. The paintings represent a fusion of folk art with the styles favoured by the landed gentry of the time, including Baroque and Rococo. Decorated by painters, including known and unknown itinerant artists, the listed properties represent the final flowering of a long cultural tradition. source:whc.unesco.org

Inscribed: 2012

Thanks to Ms Merja Deb.

Sweden: Agricultural Landscape of Southern Öland

Thanks to Ms Merja Deb.

Sweden: Varberg Radio Station

Thanks to Ms Merja Deb.

Sweden: Birka and Hovgården

The Birka archaeological site is located on Björkö Island in Lake Mälar and was occupied in the 9th and 10th centuries. Hovgården is situated on the neighbouring island of Adelsö. Together, they make up an archaeological complex which illustrates the elaborate trading networks of Viking-Age Europe and their influence on the subsequent history of Scandinavia. Birka was also important as the site of the first Christian congregation in Sweden, founded in 831 by St Ansgar. Source:whc.unesco.org

Inscribed: 1993

Postcard 1: Hovgarden

Postcard 2: Birka

Thanks to Ms Merja Deb of Sweden for both the cards.

Sweden: Church Village of Gammelstad, Luleå

Thanks to Ms Anje of Germany who was visiting Sweden.

Sweden: Naval Port of Karlskrona

Thanks to Ms Merja Deb.