3129 INDONESIA (Java) - Sangiran Early Man Site (UNESCO WHS)

Sangiran is an archaeological excavation site in Java in Indonesia, located about 15 kilometers north of Surakarta in the Solo River valley. According to a UNESCO report (1995) "Sangiran is recognized by scientists to be one of the most important sites in the world for studying fossil man, ranking alongside Zhoukoudian (China), Willandra Lakes (Australia), Olduvai Gorge (Tanzania), and Sterkfontein (South Africa), and more fruitful in finds than any of these." The area comprises about 56 km² (7 km x 8 km).

1607, 3027 UNITED KINGDOM / AUSTRALIA - The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, and their son, Prince George

1607 The Duke and Duchess Of Cambridge
with their newborn son
a day after his birth on 22 July 2013

Duke of Cambridge is a title which has been conferred upon members of the British royal family several times. It was first used as a designation for Charles Stuart (1660-1661), the eldest son of James, Duke of York (later James II), though he was never formally created Duke of Cambridge, because he had died at the age of six months. The title became extinct several times, before being revived after a hiatus of over a hundred years in 2011, when it was bestowed upon Prince William on 29 April 2011 upon his marriage on the same day to Catherine (née Middleton; born 9 January 1982), who become Duchess of Cambridge.

3027 The Duke and Duchess Of Cambridge
with Prince George at his Christening,
on 23rd of October 2013

Prince William (William Arthur Philip Louis; born 21 June 1982), is the elder son of Charles, Prince of Wales, and  Diana, Princess of Wales. Following his father, William is second in line to succeed his grandmother, Queen Elizabeth II, as monarch of the United Kingdom and 15 other Commonwealth realms (including Australia). He was educated at four schools in the United Kingdom and obtained a degree from the University of St Andrews. He spent parts of a gap year in Chile, Belize, and some parts of Africa.

2983 ITALY (Veneto) - Venetian Arsenal - part of Venice and its Lagoon (UNESCO WHS)

2983 View of the Entrance to the Arsenal by Canaletto, 1732.

The Venetian Arsenal is a complex of former shipyards and armories clustered together in the city of Venice. Owned by the state, the Arsenal was responsible for the bulk of the Venetian republic's naval power during the middle part of the second millennium AD. It was "one of the earliest large-scale industrial enterprises in history". Its construction began around 1104, and became the largest industrial complex in Europe before the Industrial Revolution, spanning about fifteen percent of Venice. It is located in the Castello district of Venice, and it is now owned by the state.

2963 ITALY (Veneto) - National Library of St Mark's - part of Venice and its Lagoon (UNESCO WHS)

The National Library of St Mark's (Biblioteca Nazionale Marciana) in Venice, named after St. Mark, the patron saint of the city, is one of the earliest surviving public manuscript depositories in Italy, holding one of the greatest classical texts collections in the world. It is not to be confused with the State Archive of the Republic of Venice, which is housed in a different part of the city. The library was provided with a building in Renaissance style designed by Jacopo Sansovino. The first sixteen arcaded bays of his design were constructed during 1537 to 1553, with work on frescoes and other decorations continuing until 1560.

2941 NETHERLANDS (Netherlands / Gelderland) - Martinus Nijhoffbrug Bridge

Located in the heart of the Netherlands, in Zaltbommel, Martinus Nijhoffbrug Bridge is a cable-stayed bridge with semi-fan system which crosses Waal River, the main distributary branch of river Rhine flowing through the country. Built between 1993 and 1996 next to Dr. W. Hupkes Bridge (1869), this road bridge has a total length of 1 000m, and its main span has 256m. It was named after Martinus Nijhoff (1894-1953), a Dutch poet and essayist. One of his best-known works is the sonnet De Moeder de Vrouw (The Mother the Woman/Wife), commemorating the opening of the now demolished bridge, the predecessor of the today one.

1639, 2911 ESTONIA (Pärnu) - Kihnu cultural space (UNESCO ICH)

1639

Posted on 08.06.2015, 20.12.2016
Lying off Estonia's Baltic coast, the small islands of Kihnu and Manija are home to a community of 600 people whose cultural expressions and agricultural traditions have been kept alive over the centuries largely through the island's female population. Their geographic isolation, their strong sense of community spirit and their steadfast attachment to the customs of their ancestors have enabled the Kihnu people to preserve their crafts and customs. Today, Kihnu culture is threatened by economic hardship, uncontrolled housing development and the intrusion of tourists insensitive to the islands' traditions and natural environment.

2911

Singing is an integral part of collective handicraft activities and of religious celebrations. Particularly noteworthy among the musical repertory of the islanders is an oral tradition of pre-Christian origin, known as runic or Kalevala-metre songs. But the most visible emblem of Kihnu culture remains the woolen handicrafts worn by the women. Working using traditional looms and local wool, the women weave and knit mittens, stockings, skirts and blouses, which often feature bright colours, vivid stripes and intricate embroidery. Many of the symbolic forms and colours adorning these garments are rooted in ancient legends.

2708 FRANCE - The Stamp Feast 2001

It was 1935 when the FIP proposed at its Congress in Brussels the creation of a stamp day in each of its member countries. The project was approved by the Congress of the FFAP in Paris in 1937, and the first day of the stamp took place in 1938. Since 1944 La Poste issued stamps devoted to the stamp day. From 1944 to 2002, a surcharge in favor of the French Red Cross was levied on the sale of these stamps. In 2000 the event was renamed The Stamp Feast.

2602 AUSTRALIA - Eddie Koiki Mabo (1936-1992)

2602 Eddie Koiki Mabo (1936-1992)

Eddie Koiki Mabo was an Indigenous community leader and human rights activist who achieved national prominence as the successful principal plaintiff in the landmark High Court of Australia ruling on native land title. In 1992 the historic Mabo decision of the High Court of Australia recognised traditional land rights for Australian Indigenous People, overturning the legal doctrine of terra nullius (land belonging to nobody) which characterised Australian law with regard to land and title.

2520 GREECE (Mount Athos) - Initial Letter Omega from the Greek Alphabet

Greek or Hellenic is an independent branch of the Indo-European family of languages, native to the southern Balkans, the Aegean Islands, parts of Anatolia and the South Caucasus, southern Italy, Albania and Cyprus. It has the longest documented history of any single clearly-defined Indo-European language, spanning 34 centuries of written records. Derived from the earlier Phoenician alphabet, and ancestor of the Latin and Cyrillic scripts, the Greek alphabet has been used since the 8th century BC, and was the first alphabetic script to have distinct letters for vowels as well as consonants.

2478 ANGOLA - Flowers

2394 SOUTH AFRICA - Paarl - part of Early Farmsteads of the Cape Winelands (UNESCO WHS - Tentative List)

Located just outside Cape Town, in the Western Cape province, Paarl is the third oldest European settlement in South Africa and the largest town in the Cape Winelands, which have gained acclaim the world over for the fabulous wines that it produces as well as the natural beauty of the area. The name Paarl means "pearl" and reflects the iconic rounded shape of three granite outcrops forming the top of Pearl Mountain, visible for miles.

2186 CHINA (Yunnan) - Ganden Sumtseling Monastery in Shangri-La

Situated in the heart of the mountain range known as Hengduan Mountain Range, at an elevation of 3,380m, 5km from the Shangri-La City, the Ganden Sumtsenling Monastery (also known as Sungtseling and Guihuasi) is the largest Tibetan Buddhist monastery in Yunnan province, sometimes referred to as the Little Potala Palace. It belongs to the Yellow Hat sect of Tibetan Buddhism of the Gelukpa order of the Dalai Lama, and was established in 1679 by the Fifth Dalai Lama's Buddhist visionary zeal.

1778 AUSTRALIA (Australian Antarctic Territory) - Mawson Station vicinity

1778 Australian Antarctic Territory - Mawson Station vicinity

Mawson Station is one of three permanent Australian bases in the Australian Antarctic Territory of East Antarctica, actually Australia's oldest Antarctic station and the oldest continuously inhabited Antarctic station south of the Antarctic Circle. Named after Antarctic explorer Sir Douglas Mawson, the base was established in 1954, and is managed by the Australian Antarctic Division (AAD). It houses approximately 20 personnel over winter and up to 60 in summer, being accessible by sea for only a short period each austral summer, between February and March.

1531 INDONESIA (Jakarta) - National Monument in Jakarta

First of all, I must thank for this wonderful maxicard to Barbel Plinke, but also all those who signed on it. The maxicard was edited with the ocasion of a meet-up of the Indonesian postcrossers (which held in Jakarta on March 28, 2015), and depicts the National Monument, located in the centre of Merdeka Square, Central Jakarta (watercolor painting by Rihwan Satriyaji). This 132m high tower, topped by a flame covered with gold foil, symbolise the struggle for Indonesian independence. The monument, designed by Frederich Silaban and R.M. Soedarsono, consists of a 117.7m obelisk (clad with Italian marble) on a 45m square platform at a height of 17m, and was build between 1961 and 1975.

0378, 1410 GERMANY (Lower Saxony) - Fagus Factory in Alfeld (UNESCO WHS)

Posted on 07.11.2012, and 17.01.2015
Only few structures erected in the 20th century managed to be included on UNESCO World Heritage Sites, and among these is Fagus Factory in Alfeld (Germany), considered "a landmark in the development of modern architecture and industrial design". Commissioned by Carl Benscheidt, who wanted a structure to express the company's break from the past, the factory was designed by Walter Gropius, founder of the Bauhaus School, and Adolf Meyer, also a prominent representative of this school, based on a project by Eduard Werner. Constructed between 1911 and 1913, with additions and interiors completed in 1925, the buildings were influenced by AEG’s Turbine factory, designed by Peter Behrens, but also by some industrial buildings in the USA, presented in Werkbund publication.

The building that is commonly referred as the Fagus building is the main building (in image), constructed in 1911 and expanded in 1913, containing mainly offices. The other two big buildings on the site are the production hall (a one-storey building) and the warehouse (a four-storey building with few openings). The ten buildings of the site give a common image, because the architects used some common elements, as the floor-to-ceiling glass windows on steel frames, and the brick structure (all buildings have a base of black bricks and the rest is built of yellow bricks). The design of the building was oriented to the railroad side, because Benscheidt considered important the point of view of the passengers on the trains.

1385 ITALY (Veneto) - Teatro La Fenice in Venice

Teatro La Fenice (The Phoenix) is an opera house in Venice, one of "the most famous and renowned landmarks in the history of Italian theatre" as well as those in Europe. Especially in the 19th century, La Fenice became the site of many famous operatic premieres at which the works of several of the four major bel canto era composers - Rossini, Bellini, Donizetti, and Verdi were performed. Its name reflects its role in permitting an opera company to "rise from the ashes" despite losing the use of three theatres to fire, in 1774, 1836, and 1996. Last time La Fenice was rebuilt in 19th century style on the basis of a design by architect Aldo Rossi who, in order to obtain details of its design, used still photographs from the opening scenes of Luchino Visconti's 1954 film Senso which had been filmed in the house.

1376 AUSTRALIA (Victoria) - Virgin and Child in St. Patrick's Cathedral in Melbourne

On October 31, 2014 Australia Post has issued, as in every year, a series of stamps and also a set of maxicards to celebrate Christmas. The set contains five stamps, divided into two distinct categories, in fact two themes. Four of the stamps, festive and colourful, represent the familiar trappings and sentiments of Christmas celebration and recall techniques of paper cut design as well as snow crystals. The other two have a religious theme, being based on stained-glass windows in Saint Patrick's Cathedral, Melbourne.

0409, 1228 CHINA (Beijing) - Imperial Palaces of the Ming and Qing Dynasties in Beijing and Shenyang (UNESCO WHS)

0409 Imperial Palaces in winter

Posted on 10.12.2012 and 17.09.2014
Built between 1406 and 1420 by a million of workers, Zijin Cheng (literally Purple Forbidden City), served for almost 500 years as the home of emperors - 14 of the Ming Dynasty and 10 of the Qing Dynasty - as well as the ceremonial and political center of Chinese government.  It's located in the middle of Beijing and covers 720,000 m2 (a rectangle with 961m from north to south and 753m from east to west), on which there is 980 surviving buildings with 8,886 bays of rooms (9,999 including antechambers). It is surrounded by a 7.9m high wall and a 6m deep by 52m wide moat. The walls are 8.62m wide at the base, tapering to 6.66m at the top. At the four corners of the wall sit towers with intricate roofs boasting 72 ridges, reproducing the Pavilion of Prince Teng and the Yellow Crane Pavilion as they appeared in Song Dynasty paintings. These towers are the most visible parts of the palace to commoners outside the walls. In the postcards is (I believe) the northwest corner tower.

1228 Imperial Palaces in summer

The legend say that Emperor Yongle of the Ming Dynasty, ordered the chief project commander to build four fine corner towers, each with 9 girders, 18 posts and 72 ridges. The chief project commander gathered all the carpenters together and gave them three months to fulfill that complicated and delicate mission. A carpenter met an old man selling grasshoppers and bought a grasshopper cage for relief. To his surprise, the cage had 9 girders, 18 posts and 72 ridges so the problem was solved. The Forbidden City is part of the site Imperial Palaces of the Ming and Qing Dynasties in Beijing and Shenyang, which was declared a World Heritage Site in 1987, and is listed by UNESCO as the largest collection of preserved ancient wooden structures in the world.

1011 ESTONIA (Saare) - Traditional clothes in Jämaja

Estonians are a Finnic people and have strong ties to the Nordic countries, stemming from important cultural and religious influences gained over centuries during Scandinavian and German rule and settlement. Even so, Estonian traditional costumes have a lot in common with the ones of Latvians and Lithuanians, and are divided into four main groups, which have their origins to the ancient tribal differences: Southern, Northern, Western Estonia, and the Islands. On the other hand, as in many other ethnic groups, both everyday and festive clothing constitute a complicated system of signs, referring to the wearer’s national belonging, social status, age and marital status. Actually today each parish has its own traditional clothing, developed between 17th and 19th centuries.

0958 AUSTRALIA (Western Australia) - Drosera lowriei

As is well known, Australia is full of endemic species of plants and animals, because of the continent's long geographic isolation, tectonic stability, and the effects of an unusual pattern of climate change. One of these species of plants is Drosera lowriei (in the maxicard), formally described for the first time by N. G. Marchant in 1992, and named in honour of Allen Lowrie. Is a perennial tuberous species, endemic to Western Australia, and grows in a rosette about 3-4 cm in diameter (typical form) or 5-7 cm (giant form), in loam soils in wet zones near granite outcrops.