LAKE BAIKAL,RUSSIA

 

Thanks to Natalia from postcrossing .

What is the oldest lake in the world?

Lake Baikal is the largest, oldest, and deepest freshwater lake in the world

    Lake Baikal, the world’s oldest and deepest freshwater lake, curves for nearly 400 miles through south-eastern Siberia, north of the Mongolian border. At its deepest point it is over 5,000 feet (1,637 meters) deep.

    It is the world's largest freshwater lake in terms of volume. It contains about 5,521 cubic miles of water (23,013 cubic kilometers), or approximately 20% of Earth's fresh surface water. This is a volume of water approximately equivalent to all five of the North American Great Lakes combined.

 

 

Stamps from right to left :

•  Krasavitsa Moskvy (Moscow Beauty)

Country:
    Russia
Series:
    Flora of Russia - Lilac
Catalog codes:

Themes:
    Flowers | Plants (Flora)
Issued on:
    2018-03-21

• Belyi Naliv

Country:
    Russia
Series:
    Apples of Russia

Themes:
    Fruits | Plants (Flora)
Issued on:
    2019-03-26

BODRUZAL - SLOVAKIA

 

Thanks to DODO from postcrossing for the card .

 The wooden church of St.Nicholas inscribed on the UNESCO whs 

KINDERDIJK

 

Thanks to Mariska for the nice card , received 27/Aug/2022 

 

 

Stamps from right to left

 

•  Candle Flame

Country:
    Netherlands
Series:
    December Stamps 2005
Themes:
    Christmas | Lamps and Candles
Issued on:
    2005-11-24

• Louis Braille (1809-1852)
  

Country:
    Netherlands
Series:
    Braille Alphabet
Themes:
    Braille (Writing System) | Letters (Alphabet)
Issued on:
    2009-01-10

• Daf 600
  

Country:
    Netherlands: Personalized stamps
Series:
    The 50's
Themes:
    Cars | Vehicles
Issued on:
    2008-02-01   

• Violin, Football and Television
  

Country:
    Netherlands
Series:
    Children Stamps 2003
Themes:
    Children | Children's Play | Culture | Football (Soccer) | Music | Musical Instruments | Television
Issued on:
    2003-11-04

FAGUS WERK

Thanks to sylvia for the nice card , sent 12/2021

  The Fagus Factory, begun in 1911 in Alfeld, Lower Saxony, is regarded as one of the earliest examples of modernist architecture. It is the first factory building by the future founder of the Bauhaus, Walter Gropius, in collaboration with Adolf Meyer. Since 2011, this elaborately restored and modernized building complex has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

source (https://www.bauhauskooperation.com/knowledge/the-bauhaus/works/architecture/fagus-werk-factory-alfeld/) 

stamps from right to left

• Aster novae - Autumn Aster

Country:
    Germany, Federal Republic
Series:
    Flowers definitives (2005-present)
Themes:
    Flowers | Plants (Flora)
Issued on:
    2005-06-02

• Birth Centenary of Heinz Sielmann (1917-2006)

Country:
    Germany, Federal Republic
Variants:
    Click to see variants
Themes:
    Animals (Fauna) | Birds | Cameras | Geese | Photographers
Issued on:
    2017-06-08

Classical Gardens of Suzhou

 Thanks to Wong Jue , sent 30/Nov/2021

    "Jiangnan", geographically meaning the south bank of the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze River, is the most beautiful word in China. Recorded in numerous Chinese literatures and art works, it is something tender, romantic, literary, poetic and picturesque. Suzhou is a city fully revealing the charm of Jiangnan, while Classical Gardens of Suzhou, Suzhou Silk and Suzhou Water Towns are the best models for analyzing Suzhou.

Stamps from right to left

 

• Ink lotus

Country:
    China, People's Republic
Series:
    Selected Artworks by Liu Haisu
Issued on:
    2016-03-16 

• Yinlianzhuitan

Country:
    China, People's Republic
Series:
    Waterfalls
Themes:
    Landscapes | Waterfalls
Issued on:
    2001-07-22

• Port & Fish

Country:
    China, People's Republic
Series:
    Yangtze River Economic Zone
Themes:
    Fishes | Landscapes | Ports | Rivers | Townscapes / City Views
Issued on:
    2018-08-26

 

 

 

Mill Network at kinderdijk-Elshout

 

Thanks to bucia  sent  ,28/11/2021  

    The Mill Network at Kinderdijk-Elshout is a construction set up for draining and protecting an area by the development and application of hydraulic technology.

    Kinderdijk is a small town near Rotterdam, situated in an area called the Alblasserwaard. This part of the Netherlands lies below sea-level, and has a history of floods.

    The 19 windmills of Kinderdijk were built around 1740. Their purpose was to pump the excess water into a reservoir until the level of the river had reached a level that pumping the water into the river (called the Lek) was possible again. Since 1927 a diesel pumping station does the real job. The windmills were used for the last time during the second World War, when the mechanical pumps could not be used any more due to fuel shortages.

    During the summer months, the mills are put back in operation again to please the tourists. In one of the windmills a small museum is established with an exhibition about how miller-families lived. You can also walk or cycle along the canals and river to take a closer look at the mills and enjoy the landscape.

 

source (https://www.worldheritagesite.org/list/Kinderdijk)

 

Stamp:

•  Amsterdam House

Country:
    Netherlands
Series:
    Dutch Icons (International)
Themes:
    Houses
Issued on:
    2014-01-03

Market Place and Cathedral Antwerpen

    Around a cobbled rectangular market square, La Grand-Place in Brussels, the earliest written reference to which dates back to the 12th century, features buildings emblematic of municipal and ducal powers, and the old houses of corporations. An architectural jewel, it stands as an exceptional and highly successful example of an eclectic blending of architectural and artistic styles of Western culture, which illustrates the vitality of this important political and commercial centre.

    The Grand-Place testifies in particular to the success of Brussels, mercantile city of northern Europe that, at the height of its prosperity, rose from the terrible bombardment inflicted by the troops of Louis XIV in 1695. Destroyed in three days, the heart of the medieval city underwent a rebuilding campaign conducted under the supervision of the City Magistrate, which was spectacular not only by the speed of its implementation, but also by its ornamental wealth and architectural coherence. Today the Grand-Place remains the faithful reflection of the square destroyed by the French artillery and testifies to the symbolic intentions of the power and pride of the Brussels bourgeois who chose to restore their city to its former glory rather than rebuild in a contemporary style, a trend commonly observed elsewhere.

    A pinnacle of Brabant Gothic, the Hôtel de Ville (City Hall), accentuated by its bell tower, is the most famous landmark of the Grand-Place. Built in the early 15th century, the building partially escaped bombardments and underwent several transformations over time. Its ornamental programme is largely due to the restoration campaigns conducted in the late 19th century. Facing it, the King's House, rebuilt in the historicist vein, is perfectly integrated into the ensemble. Its elevation is in keeping with the Gothic style edifice prior to the bombardment and testifies remarkably to the ideals of the contextual conservation of monuments advocated in the 19th century. The King's House has been occupied for decades by the City Museum. On both sides of these monuments symbolic of public authority were houses occupied by powerful corporations. Each different but built over a very short time, they illustrate remarkably the Baroque architecture of the late 17th century, with a singular treatment of the gables and decorations, sometimes fretted, sometimes more classical. Each house has a name and specific attributes, heightened with gold, reminiscent of the status of its occupants. It is interesting to note that this is a rare example of a square without a church or any other place of worship, which emphasizes its mercantile and administrative nature.

source( https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/857/).

Stamp:

• Team Belgium - Faster Higher Stronger

Country:
    Belgium
Themes:
    Athletics | Olympic Games | Running | Sports
Issued on:
    2020-06-15

State of liberty- NEW YORK

 

Thanks to tarreq for the nice card  sent Feb,11.2021

    The story begins with the project of a French politician: Édouard de Laboulaye. In 1865, he wanted to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the declaration of independence of the United States in an outstanding way.

    The structure was made in the Gustave Eiffel workshops, in Levallois Perret, and in the XVIIth district of Paris, where the copper parts were assembled. While the Gaget, Gauthier and company workshops were building the elements one after the other, the internal structure was supposed to start, but it is important to know that initially its construction had been entrusted to Violet-le-Duc, who planned a solid masonry element around which the copper plates were to be grafted. Violet-le-Duc fell ill and was unable to carry out this work, which was entrusted to Gustave Eiffel.

 

 Stamps from right to left

 

 

• Flathead River

Country:
    United States of America
Series:
    Wild and Scenic Rivers (2019)
Themes:
    Landscapes | Rivers
Issued on:
    2019-05-21
   

• John Harvard

Country:
    United States of America
Series:
    Great Americans
Themes:
    Famous People | Men | Religion | Theologians
Issued on:
    1986-09-03
    
 

• Sylvanus Thayer

Country:
    United States of America
Series:
    Great Americans
Themes:
    Famous People | Men | Military Officers
Issued on:
    1985-06-07

Romania-Villages with fortified churches in Transylvania

 

 

Thanks to TATIANA from ROMANIA 

Stamps from right to left

• Thai Traditional Folk Costumes of Phutai Ethnic Group

Country:
    Romania
Series:
    Diplomatic Relations with Thailand, 40th Anniversary
Themes:
    Diplomacy | Flags | Joint Issues | Suits and Costumes
Issued on:
    2018-05-31

• Daffodil (Narcissus pseudonarcissus)
  

Country:
    Romania
Series:
    Flowers (2020)
Themes:
    Flowers | Plants (Flora)
Issued on:
    2020-01-07
Size:
    24 x 33 mm

Pena Palace Sintra -PORTUGAL

 

The Palace of La Pena
    In Portugal, the magnificent Palacio de la Pena is one of the greatest examples of 19th century romanticism.

    Located on the Mount of La Pena, the Palace was built on the site of a former convent of monks of the Order of São Jerónimo. It is the figment of the imagination of D. Fernando Saxe Coburgo-Gotha, who married in 1936 with Queen D. Maria II. In love with Sintra, he had decided to become the owner of the convent and the land surrounding it in order to build the summer palace of the royal family.

Stamp:

• Marble Figurines of Estremoz

Country:
    Portugal
Series:
    Alentejo-Algarve Self-Adhesive - Reprints 2019

Themes:
    Glass and Earthenware | Tourism
Issued on:
    2019-05-13

Schones WEIMAR

Thanks to Sylvia for the nice card sent March 2021.
     A residential city in the center of Europe where ideas and works of art were born that have spread throughout the world. Today the famous names of the past still resound: Goethe and Schiller. Bach and Liszt. Modernity and the Bauhaus. Wide open spaces, open squares and narrow streets, the houses of Goethe and Schiller, museums and castles - the history of European culture concentrated in a very small area and honored by UNESCO with a World Heritage Site.

    However, Weimar remains true to its identity today. Vibrant, dynamic and internationally oriented - visitors discover art and culture, music and history, light music and young creativity with enthusiasm. Alongside all the splendors of the city of culture, places of remembrance remind us of the dark times in Weimar's history. The Ettersberg memorial is dedicated to presenting the atrocities of the Buchenwald concentration camp and the depths of social exclusion and violence.

Stamp:

• Friedrich Ebert, President, 150th Birth Anniversary
  

Country:
    Germany, Federal Republic
Themes:
    Famous People | Headgear | Heads of State | Politicians
Issued on:
    2021-02-04

The Great Wall of China

 

Thanks to CN-Jun for the nice card , sent 09.march.2021 (Direct Swap)

    As the name suggests, it is located in China and the Great Wall is the collective name given to a series of fortification systems built across the borders of the country. The purpose of the Great Wall was to protect as well as mark the territories of the Chinese states and empires. Several of the walls were found to have been built as early as the 7th century BC, but the most well known sections were built by the Ming dynasty (1368–1644). An archaeological survey found that the entire wall with all of its branches measures out to be 21,196 km. It was designated a UNESCO World Heritage site in 1987, and attracts many visitors every year.

 Stamps:

 

Lutherstadt Wittenberg

 

Thanks to Sylvia for the nice card.

    The Luther memorials in Wittenberg were recognized as World Heritage Sites in December 1996, because they "represent a significant milestone in human history and are of outstanding universal significance as authentic sites of the Reformation." The Schlosskirche (Castle Church), Lutherhaus (Luther House), Stadtkirche (City Church) and Melanchthonhaus (Melanchthon House) are part of the heritage.
    Wittenberg was the center of his reformation activities, and the castle church, in whose portal he posted his 95 Theses on October 31, 1517, later became his final resting place, as well as that of Phillip Melanchthon, one of his closest followers.

Stamp

• Marienplatz Station, Munich
  

Country:
    Germany, Federal Republic
Themes:
    Undergrounds (Subways)
Issued on:
    2020-04-02

Riga

Thanks to Llze for the nice card ans stamp , sent 25 NOV 2021

    The historic centre of Riga was designated a UNESCO World Heritage site in 1997. Many medieval buildings survive, among them the 13th-century Riga Dom (cathedral), the 14th-century Riga Castle (1330), and merchants’ homes and warehouses. The canal around the city’s Old Town was the fortress moat. Nearby, many elaborate facades in the Jugendstil artistic style testify to Riga’s wealth in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Among the public buildings that were renovated in the 1990s was the National Opera, first built as the Riga German Theatre in 1863. The 14th-century House of Blackheads, damaged during World War II and razed in 1954, was rebuilt in 2000. Early 21st-century construction included high-rise towers, a hockey stadium that hosted the 2006 Ice Hockey World Championship, and the National Library, completed 2013.

(SOURCE:BRITANNICA).

 

Stamp

• Mail Delivery by Bicycle

Country:
    Latvia
Series:
    Europa (C.E.P.T.) 2020 - Ancient Postal Routes
Themes:
    Animals (Fauna) | Bicycles | C.E.P.T. / Europe | Dogs | Postal Traffic
Issued on:
    2020-05-08

Aqueduto da Amoreira

 

Thanks to Tiago from Portugal the UNESCO WHS card.sent 25/11/2021

Aqueduct of Amoreira
    Dated 1498, the construction of the aqueduct began under the line of Francisco de Arruda, architect who also worked in the Tower of Belém in Lisbon. The works were continued later by Afonso Álvares, Diogo Marques and Pero Vaz Pereira, and concluded in 1622.

    On a length of almost 8 km, the main portal is split by four floors of arcades supported by buttresses, it represents one of the ex-libris of Elvas. It underwent important works of conservation in the XIX century.

Stamp

Jasper National Park,Lake and Spirit Island

 

Thanks to Sandeep for the UNESCO WHS card.

    Jasper National Park, national park in western Alberta, Canada, located on the eastern flank of the Rocky Mountains, north of Banff National Park. Jasper spans 4,200 square miles (10,878 square km) and contains significant active geologic processes, scenic mountains, and diverse animal and plant populations.
 

What is Spirit Island Jasper?

    Spirit Island sits in the heart of what's called a "box canyon"—a narrow canyon with a flat bottom and vertical walls. Whether the Spirits: The island is a spiritual place for the Stoney Nakoda First Nation, who believe mountains are physical representations of their ancestors.

Stamps:From right to left

 

 

• Snowshoe Hare (Lepus americanus)

Country:
    Canada
Series:
    Snow Mammals (2021)
Themes:
    Animals (Fauna) | Mammals | Rabbits | Rodents
Issued on:
    2021-02-16

• Rabbit International Rate Design from 2011

Country:
    Canada
Series:
    Year of the Ox 2021 : The Chinese Zodiac Cycle
Themes:
    Animals (Fauna) | Chinese New Year | Chinese Zodiac | Mammals | Rabbits | Stylized Animals | Zodiac
Issued on:
    2021-01-15

• Malus "Maybride"

Country:
    Canada
Series:
    Crabapple Blossoms (2021)
Themes:
    Flowers | Plants (Flora)
Issued on:
    2021-03-01

Fortress of Suomenlinna

 

Thanks to jokutiina from Finland , sent 01 Sep 2021

    Situated on a group of islands off Helsinki, Suomenlinna was built during the Swedish era as a maritime fortress and a base for the Archipelago Fleet. Work on the fortress began in 1748.

 

 

 Stamp:

• Lotta Svärd Women's Auxiliary Corps, Centenary

Country:
    Finland
Series:
    Lotta Svärd Women's Auxiliary Corps, Centenary (2021)
Themes:
    Military Forces | Women
Issued on:
    2021-04-28

Royal Exhibition Building and Carlton Gardens

 

Thanks to Helent for the wonderful card , sent 14.08.2021

    The Royal Exhibition Building was built in Melbourne's Carlton Gardens during 1879 and 1880 for the 1880 Melbourne International Exhibition. It subsequently hosted Melbourne's second international exhibition, the 1888 Centennial International Exhibition. It is one of the great enduring monuments to the International Exhibition movement, which began in the mid-19th century.

 

 

Stamps:

$1.10 - Royal Exhibition Building and Carlton Gardens

In 2004, the Royal Exhibition Building and Carlton Gardens in Melbourne became the first Australian UNESCO World Heritage Cultural Site. The building, or Great Hall, is significant as the oldest surviving building in the world from the Great Exhibition era still operating as an exhibition hall.

The building and gardens were designed by Joseph Reed to host the Melbourne International Exhibition in 1880 and the Melbourne Centennial International Exhibition in 1888, at the time the largest events ever staged in Australia. The building was the venue for the formal opening of the first parliament of Australia, in 1901. It became a makeshift hospital during the great influenza epidemic of 1918 and hosted wrestling, weightlifting and basketball events in the 1956 Melbourne Olympic Games. As well as the building itself, the stamp showcases an interior detail from the ceiling of the magnificent dome.

 

ZAMOSC-Kosciol Fanciszkaow

 

Thanks to Kasia and Tomek. for the nice card ,sent 27 July 2021.

    The Franciscan church was the biggest temple in Zamość and one of the biggest in Poland. Its construction started in 1637 and the first mass was celebrated eighteen years later. The founders of the temple were the Second Entailer Tomasz Zamoyski and his wife Katarzyna, née Ostrogska. After the dissolution of the monastery in 1784, the church was turned into a military storehouse, and in 1840 it was converted into barracks. After 1918, the building housed various institutions, such as a museum and the cinema "Stylowy". In the postwar years, part of the premises was used by the State Secondary School of Fine Arts. Starting from the interwar years, the Church made efforts to regain the temple, as a result of which, in 1993, after two hundred years, Franciscans returned to its walls. Nineteenth-century reconstructions significantly impoverished the building, but the preserved stone elements, especially Corinthian pilasters and Baroque portal on the western wall (formerly the main entrance), remind of its former glory.

• Beneficial Insects

Country:
    Poland
Series:
    Beneficial Insects
Themes:
    Animals (Fauna) | Bees | Insects
Issued on:
    2021-04-30

Todaiji Temple,Nara

 Special Thanks to Yuka for the nice card;
 Todaiji (東大寺, Tōdaiji, "Great Eastern Temple") is one of Japan's most famous and historically significant temples and a landmark of Nara. The temple was constructed in 752 as the head temple of all provincial Buddhist temples of Japan and grew so powerful that the capital was moved from Nara to Nagaoka in 784 in order to lower the temple's influence on government affairs.

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