Thursday 28 March 2019

The Architectural Work of Le Corbusier, an Outstanding Contribution to the Modern Movement

This site is located in 7 countries of 3 different continents! I was already once in the Immeuble Clarté and three times in the "Petite Villa au bord du lac Léman", both in Switzerland, and only at third time I found postcards of the Villa

The Architectural Work of Le Corbusier

Chosen from the work of Le Corbusier, the 17 sites comprising this transnational serial property are spread over seven countries and are a testimonial to the invention of a new architectural language that made a break with the past. They were built over a period of a half-century, in the course of what Le Corbusier described as “patient research”. (...) These masterpieces of creative genius also attest to the internationalization of architectural practice across the planet. - in: https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/1321


Villa Le Lac

This small detached house, designed for Le Corbusier’s parents, was built in 1923-24 from plans drawn up by Le Corbusier and by his cousin, Pierre Jeanneret fully illustrate the ideas for which their authors were already renowned at that time. The Villa “Le Lac” foreshadows three of the “five points for a new architecture”: the use of the roof as a sun deck or garden, the open plan and the ribbon window.
The house, as it stands today, has remained quite true to the original plan. - in: http://www.villalelac.ch/en/history.html

Maison Guiette
This postcard was sent by Hanko

Maison Guiette also known as Les Peupliers, is a house in AntwerpBelgium, designed by Le Corbusier in 1926 and built in 1927. It was the studio and living quarters of René Guiette, a painter and art critic. One of the Franco-Swiss architect's lesser-known works, it is an early example of the International Style. - in: wikipedia

Weissenhof Estate
This postcard was sent by Steffi

The Weissenhof Estate (or Weissenhof Settlement; in German Weißenhofsiedlung) is a housing estate built for exhibition in Stuttgart in 1927. It was an international showcase of what later became known as the International style of modern architecture. - in: wikipedia

Studio-Apartment in the Molitor Building

Built between 1931 and 1934, the Studio-Apartment at the top of the Molitor Building in Paris is a compact, carefully considered evocation of his “Five Points of New Architecture” — support columns, gardens on roofs, open floors, façades that are floating, and windows that are horizontal for optimal light.

Le Corbusier lived here until his death in 1965, and it’s preserved the way he left it by the Fondation Le Corbusier. - in: http://www.atlasobscura.com/places/le-corbusier-s-studio-apartment


Chapel Notre Dame du Haut


Notre Dame du Haut (FrenchChapelle Notre-Dame-du-Haut de Ronchamp) is a Roman Catholic chapel in RonchampFrance. Built in 1954, it is one of the finest examples of the architecture of Franco-Swiss architect Le Corbusier and one of the most important examples of twentieth-century religious architecture. The chapel is a working religious building and is under the guardianship of the private foundation Association de l’Œuvre de Notre-Dame du Haut. - in: wikipedia

Palace of Assembly, Chandigarh
This postcard was sent by Prashant Alex

Palace of Assembly is a legislative assembly designed by noted architect Le Corbusier and located in Chandigarh, build around 1950s India. It is part of the The Capitol Complex, which comprises three buildings — Legislative Assembly, Secretariat and High Court. This building was designated as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2016. - in: wikipedia

National Museum of Western Art
This postcard with matching stamp was sent by Satoko


The National Museum of Western Art is the premier public art gallery in Japan specializing in art from the Western tradition.
The Main Building was designed by the Swiss architect Charles-Edouard Jeanneret-Gris (1887–1965), who is more popularly known as Le Corbusier. It is the only representative example of his work in the Far East; and the New York Times review of its opening suggested that the building itself presented an "artistic significance and beauty" which rivaled the paintings inside. - in: wikipedia


I'm still missing a postcard from Argentina, but I have one that shows the seven countries

The work of Le Corbusier inscribed (in red what I have individually):
  • Maisons La Roche et Jeanneret - France
  • Petite villa au bord du lac Léman - Switzerland
  • Cité Frugès - France
  • Maison Guiete - Belgium
  • Maisons de la Weissenhof-Siedlung - Germany
  • Villa Savoye et loge du jardiner - France
  • Immeuble Clarté - Switzerland
  • Immeuble locatif à la Porte Molitor - France
  • Unité d’habitation Marseille - France
  • La Manufacture à Saint- Dié - France
  • Maison du docteur Curutchet - Argentina
  • Chapelle Notre-Dame-du-Haut de Ronchamp - France
  • Cabanon de Le Corbusier - France
  • Complexe du Capitole - India
  • Couvent Sainte-Marie-de-la-Tourette - France
  • Musée National des Beaux-Arts de l’Occident - Japan
  • Maison de la Culture de Firminy - France

Thursday 21 March 2019

Champagne Hillsides, Houses and Cellars

Since this site was inscribed in 2015 that I'm planning to go there, especially to Épernay, but for some reason I always end up postponing...

Champagne Hillsides
This postcard was sent by Javier

The property encompasses sites where the method of producing sparkling wines was developed on the principle of secondary fermentation in the bottle since the early 17th century to its early industrialization in the 19th century. The property is made up of three distinct ensembles: the historic vineyards of Hautvillers, Aÿ and Mareuil-sur-Aÿ, Saint-Nicaise Hill in Reims, and the Avenue de Champagne and Fort Chabrol in Epernay. These three components – the supply basin formed by the historic hillsides, the production sites (with their underground cellars) and the sales and distribution centres (the Champagne Houses) - illustrate the entire champagne production process. The property bears clear testimony to the development of a very specialized artisan activity that has become an agro-industrial enterprise. - in: https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/1465/


Monday 18 March 2019

Yosemite National Park

The Yosemite National Park was the first UNESCO site that I received from the United States


Yosemite National Park
This postcard was sent by Boyana

Yosemite National Park is a United States National Park spanning eastern portions of TuolumneMariposa and Madera counties in the central eastern portion of the U.S. state of California, commonly referred to as Northern California. 


Mule Deer in Yosemite National Park
This postcard was sent by Boyana

The park, which is managed by the National Park Service, covers an area of 747,956 acres (1,168.681 sq mi; 302,687 ha; 3,026.87 km2) and reaches across the western slopes of the Sierra Nevada mountain chain. Over 3.7 million people visit Yosemite each year: most spend the majority of their time in the seven square miles (18 km2) of Yosemite Valley. Designated a World Heritage Site in 1984, Yosemite is internationally recognized for its spectacular granite cliffs, waterfalls, clear streamsgiant sequoia groves, and biological diversity

Half Dome
This postcard was sent by Victoria

Half Dome is a granite dome at the eastern end of Yosemite Valley in Yosemite National ParkCalifornia. It is possibly Yosemite's most familiar rock formation. The granite crest rises more than 4,737 ft (1,444 m) above the valley floor. - in: wikipedia


Yosemite Valley Chapel
This postcard was sent by Héléne

The Yosemite Valley Chapel was built in the Yosemite Valley of California in 1879. It is the oldest standing structure in Yosemite National Park.
The wooden chapel was designed by San Francisco architect Charles Geddes in the Carpenter Gothic style. It was built by Geddes' son-in-law, Samuel Thompson of San Francisco, for the California State Sunday School Association, at a cost of three or four thousand dollars. - in: wikipedia

Thursday 14 March 2019

Komodo National Park

Besides the monuments, what fascinates me in Indonesia are the Komodo Dragons! I love these lizards! They look really prehistoric 

Pink Beach at Komodo Island

This postcard was sent by Heidy

Pink Beach, or Pantai Merah, as it is aptly named, is one of seven pink beaches on the planet, and is just one of the many amazing features of Komodo Island that make it truly a Natural Wonder of Nature. This exceptional beach gets its striking color from microscopic animals called Foraminifera, which produce a red pigment on the coral reefs. For this reason, it is called Red Beach in the local tongue. When the tiny fragments of red coral combine with the white sands, this produces the soft pink color that is visible along the shoreline. Aside from Pink Beach itself, a few small segments along Komodo’s eastern bay also have a pinkish tint. - in: http://www.indonesia.travel/sites/site/833/the-romantic-pink-beach-of-the-komodo-islands

Komodo National Park
This postcard was sent by Shinta

The Komodo National Park is a national park in Indonesia located within the Lesser Sunda Islands in the border region between the provinces of East Nusa Tenggara and West Nusa Tenggara


Komodo Dragon in Komodo National Park
 This postcard was sent by Shinta

The park includes the three larger islands KomodoPadar and Rinca, and 26 smaller ones, with a total area of 1,733 km2 (603 km2 of it land). The national park was founded in 1980 to protect the Komodo dragon, the world's largest lizard. Later it was dedicated to protecting other species, including marine species. In 1991 the national park was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site.


Komodo Dragon in Komodo National Park
This postcard was sent by Shinta

Komodo National Park has been selected as one of the New7Wonders of Nature. The waters surrounding Komodo island also contains rich marine biodiversity. Komodo islands is also a part of the Coral Triangle, which contains one of the richest marine biodiversity on earth. - in: wikipedia

Komodo Dragon in Komodo National Park
 This postcard was sent by Shinta

The Komodo dragon (Varanus komodoensis), also known as the Komodo monitor, is a large species of lizard found in the Indonesian islands of KomodoRincaFloresGili Motang, and Padar. A member of the monitor lizard family Varanidae, it is the largest living species of lizard, growing to a maximum length of 3 metres (10 ft) in rare cases and weighing up to approximately 70 kilograms (150 lb). They are protected under Indonesian law, and a national parkKomodo National Park, was founded to aid protection efforts. - in: wikipedia

Thursday 7 March 2019

Archaeological Areas of Pompei, Herculaneum and Torre Annunziata

This site is shows how insignificant we can be against nature's wrath

Pompeii - The Civil Forum
This postcard was sent from Austria by Ingrid

Pompeii was an ancient Roman city near modern Naples in the Campania region of Italy, in the territory of the comune of Pompei. Pompeii, along with Herculaneum and many villas in the surrounding area (e.g. at BoscorealeStabiae), was buried under 4 to 6 m (13 to 20 ft) of volcanic ash and pumice in the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in AD 79. Volcanic ash typically buried inhabitants who did not escape the lethal effects of the earthquake and eruption.
Largely preserved under the ash, the excavated city offers a unique snapshot of Roman life, frozen at the moment it was buried and providing an extraordinarily detailed insight into the everyday life of its inhabitants. Organic remains, including wooden objects and human bodies, were entombed in the ash and decayed away, making natural molds; and excavators used these to make plaster casts, unique and often gruesome figures from the last minutes of the catastrophe. - in: wikipedia

Villa dei Misteri
This postcard was sent from Poland by Ania

The Villa of the Mysteries (ItalianVilla dei Misteri) is a well-preserved suburban Roman villa on the outskirts of Pompeii, southern Italy, famous for the series of frescos in one room, which are usually thought to show the initiation of a young woman into a Greco-Roman mystery cult. These are now probably the best known of the relatively rare survivals of Ancient Roman painting. Like the rest of the Roman city of Pompeii, the villa was buried in the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in 79 and excavated from 1909 onwards (long after much of the main city).
There are many different interpretations of the frescoes, but they are commonly believed to depict a religious rite. Another common theory is that the frescoes depict a bride initiating into the Dionysian Mysteries in preparation for marriage. In this hypothesis, the elaborate costume worn by the main figure is believed to be wedding apparel. - in: wikipedia

The seven inscribed areas (in red what I have)

  • Pompeii
  • Villa dei Misteri (Pompei)
  • Herculaneum
  • Villa dei Papiri (Herculaneum)
  • Theatre of Herculaneum
  • Torre Annunziata: Villa A
  • Torre Annunziata: Villa B


Wednesday 6 March 2019

Architectural, Residential and Cultural Complex of the Radziwill Family at Nesvizh

I love castles and I wouldn't mind, nothing at all, to visit this one at Belarus!

Nesvizh Castle
This postcard was sent by Natalia

Nesvizh Palace is considered the country’s most beautiful palace by the people of Belarus. Its richly diverse architecture and attractive gardens make it one of the most popular tourist attractions in Belarus.
Nesvizh Palace is on the Nesvizh Estate, one of the oldest settlements and most famous places in Belarus. Nesvizh is in the Minsk region of Belarus, approximately 120km south-west of Minsk.

Nesvizh Castle
This postcard with a Postcrossing stamp was sent by Marina

The estate and town was acquired by the Radziwil family in the middle of the 16th century, and they stayed there until 1939 when they were expelled by the invading Red Army.
The foundation stone of Nesvizh Palace was laid in 1584. It was rebuilt many times and as a consequence has features of many architectural styles.

Nesvizh Castle
This postcard with a great stamp showing UNESCO sites from Belarus was sent by Natalia

In the late 19th century Nesvizh Palace was restored by the Radziwil family who also designed one of largest landscape gardens in Europe on the estate.
After World War 2 Nesvizh Palace was used as a Sanatorium and the gardens became neglected.
In 1994 the estate was designated the national historical and cultural reserve and in 2006 it was added to the UNESCO World Heritage List. - in: https://www.belarus.by/en/travel/belarus-life/nesvizh-palace

Friday 1 March 2019

L’Anse aux Meadows National Historic Site

This sites proves that Europeans were in North America before Columbus

L'Anse aux Meadows
This postcard was sent by Julie

L’Anse aux Meadows National Historic Site contains the excavated remains of a complete 11th-century Viking settlement, the earliest evidence of Europeans in North America. Situated at the tip of the Great Northern Peninsula of the island of Newfoundland, this exceptional archaeological site consists of eight timber-framed turf structures built in the same style as those found in Norse Greenland and Iceland from the same period. The buildings include three dwellings, one forge and four workshops, on a narrow terrace overlooking a peat bog and small brook near the shore of Epaves Bay in the Straight of Belle Isle.
Artifacts found at the site show evidence of activities including iron production and woodworking, likely used for ship repair, as well as indications that those who used the camp voyaged further south. - in: https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/4