Saturday 15 December 2018

Central Sector of the Imperial Citadel of Thang Long - Hanoi

The Central Sector of the Imperial Citadel of Thang Long is situated at the heart of Hanoi, the capital city of Vietnam

Imperial Citadel of Thang Long
This postcard was sent by Australia by Helen

The Imperial Citadel of Thăng Long is located in the centre of Hanoi, Vietnam. It is also known as Hanoi Citadel.
The royal palaces and most of the structures in Thăng Long were in varying states of disrepair by the late 19th century with the upheaval of the French conquest of Hanoi. By the 20th century many of the remaining structures were torn down. Only in the 21st century are the ruin foundations of Thăng Long Imperial City systematically excavated. - in: wikipedia

Monday 10 December 2018

Archaeological Site of Mystras

The site of Mystras includes a fortress, a palace, churches and monasteries, like this one in the postcard. 

Pantanassa Monastery in Mystras
This postcard arrived from Germany sent by Svenja

Mystras, the ‘wonder of the Morea’, lies in the southeast of the Peloponnese. The town developed down the hillside from the fortress built in 1249 by the prince of Achaia, William II of Villehardouin, at the top of a 620 m high hill overlooking Sparta. The Franks surrendered the castle to the Byzantines in 1262, it was the centre of Byzantine power in southern Greece (...)
Mystras, as the centre of Byzantine power, quickly attracted inhabitants and institutions; the bishopric was transferred there from Sparta, with its cathedral, the Metropolis or church of Hagios Demetrios, built after 1264. Many monasteries were founded there, including those of the Brontochion and the monastery of Christos Zoodotes (Christ the Giver of Life). Under the Despots, Mystras reached its zenith with the building of churches, outstanding examples of Late Byzantine church architecture, such as Hagioi Theodoroi (1290-1295), the Hodegetria (c. 1310), the Hagia Sophia (1350-1365), the Peribleptos (3rd quarter of the 14th century), the Evangelistria (late 14th – early 15th century) and the Pantanassa (c. 1430).  - in: https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/511/

Monday 3 December 2018

Canaima National Park

The Canaima National Park includes the world's highest waterfall 

Angel Falls
This postcard was sent from Denmark by Genek

Angel Falls is a waterfall in Venezuela. It is the world's highest uninterrupted waterfall, with a height of 979 metres (3,211 feet) and a plunge of 807 metres (2,368 feet). The waterfall drops over the edge of the Auyán-tepui mountain in the Canaima National Park (Spanish: Parque Nacional Canaima), a UNESCO World Heritage site in the Gran Sabana region of Bolívar State. The height figure 979 metres (3,211 feet) mostly consists of the main plunge but also includes about 400 metres (1,300 ft) of sloped cascade and rapids below the drop and a 30-metre (98 ft) high plunge downstream of the talus rapids. - in: wikipedia

Hanseatic Town of Visby

Visby is a former Viking site and is the best-preserved medieval city in Scandinavia. A place I'd love to visit

Visby City Wall
This postcard was sent by Merja

The Visby city wall (SwedishVisby ringmur, sometimes Visby stadsmur) is a medieval defensive wall surrounding the Swedish town of Visby on the island of Gotland. As the strongest, most extensive and best preserved medieval city wall in Scandinavia, the wall forms an important and integral part of Visby World Heritage Site.
Built in two stages during the 13th and 14th century, approximately 3.44 km (2.14 mi) of its original 3.6 km (2.2 mi) still stands. Of the 29 large and 22 smaller towers, 27 large and 9 small remain. A number of houses that predate the wall were incorporated within it during one of the two phases of construction. During the 18th century, fortifications were added to the wall in several places and some of the towers rebuilt to accommodate cannons. - in: wikipedia

Visby Cathedral
This postcard was sent by Doris

Visby Cathedral (also known as St. Mary’s Church) is the only survived medieval church in Visby. It was originally built for German merchants and inaugurated in 1225. Around the year 1350 the church was enlarged and converted into a basilica. The two-storey magazine was also added then above the nave as a warehouse for merchants.
There is not much left of the original interior. The font is made of local red marble in the 13th century. The pulpit was made in Lübeck in 1684. There are 400 graves under the church floor. - in: https://www.spottinghistory.com/view/970/visby-cathedral/