Te Wahipounamu – South West New Zealand

The landscapes of this UNESCO site of New Zealand can really take the breath away!

Mitre Peak, Fiorland National Park

This postcard was sent by Stephanie

Mitre Peak (Māori Rahotu) is an iconic mountain in the South Island of New Zealand. It is one of the most photographed peaks in the country.

Part of the reason for its iconic status is its location. Close to the shore of Milford Sound, in the Fiordland National Park in the southwestern South Island, it is a stunning sight. The mountain rises near vertically to 5,560 feet (1,690 m), i.e. just over a mile, from the water of the sound; it is more technically a fjord. The peak is actually a closely grouped set of five peaks, although from most easily accessible viewpoints it appears as a single point. Milford Sound is part of Te Wahipounamu, a World Heritage Site as declared by UNESCO. - in: wikipedia

Miilford Track

This postcard was sent by Jackie

The Milford Track is a widely known tramping (hiking) route in New Zealand – located amidst mountains and temperate rain forest in Fiordland National Park in the southwest of the South Island.

The 53.5 km hike starts at Glade Wharf at the head of Lake Te Anau and finishes in Milford Sound at Sandfly Point, traversing rainforests, wetlands, and an alpine pass. - in: wikipedia

Aoraki/Mount Cook

This postcard was sent by Jackie

Aoraki / Mount Cook is the highest mountain in New Zealand. Its height since 2014 is listed as 3,724 metres (12,218 feet), down from 3,764 m (12,349 ft) before December 1991, due to a rockslide and subsequent erosion. It lies in the Southern Alps, the mountain range which runs the length of the South Island. A popular tourist destination, it is also a favourite challenge for mountain climbers. Aoraki / Mount Cook consists of three summits, from South to North the Low Peak (3,593 m or 11,788 ft), Middle Peak (3,717 m or 12,195 ft) and High Peak. The summits lie slightly south and east of the main divide of the Southern Alps, with the Tasman Glacier to the east and the Hooker Glacier to the southwest. - in: wikipedia

Mount Sefton

This postcard was sent from Germany by Jennifer

Mount Sefton (Māori: Maukatua) is a mountain in the Aroarokaehe Range of the Southern Alps of New Zealand, just 12 kilometres (7.5 mi) south of Aoraki / Mount Cook. To the south lies Mount Brunner, and to the north The Footstool, both more than 400 metres (1,300 ft) shorter. - in: wikipedia

Garden Kingdom of Dessau-Wörlitz

Besides beautiful gardens, this park has some wonderful buildings

Garden Kingdom of Dessau-Wörlitz

This postcard was sent by Michaela

The Garden Kingdom of Dessau-Wörlitz is an exceptional example of landscape design and planning of the Age of the Enlightenment, the 18th century. Its diverse components - outstanding buildings, landscaped parks and gardens in the English style, and subtly modified expanses of agricultural land - serve aesthetic, educational, and economic purposes in an exemplary manner. - in: http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/534

Muskauer Park / Park Mużakowski

This UNESCO site is a large English garden between Poland and Germany

Muskau Park

Muskau Park (German: Muskauer Park, Polish: Park Mużakowski) is a landscape park in the Upper Lusatia region of Germany and Poland. It is the largest and one of the most famous English gardens in Central Europe, stretching along both sides of the German–Polish border on the Lusatian Neisse. The park was laid out from 1815 onwards at the behest of Prince Hermann von Pückler-Muskau (1785–1871), centered on his Schloss Muskau residence.

Muskau Park

This postcard was sent by Maria

The park covers 3.5 square kilometers (1.4 sq mi) of land in Poland and 2.1 km²(0.81 sq mi) in Germany. It extends on both sides of the Neisse, which constitutes the border between the countries. The 17.9 km² (6.9 sq mi) buffer zone around the park encompassed the German town Bad Muskau (Upper Sorbian: Mužakow) in the West and Polish Łęknica (Wjeska, former Lugknitz) in the East. While Muskau Castle is situated west of the river, the heart of the park is the partially wooded raised areas on the east bank called The Park on Terraces. In 2003 a pedestrian bridge spanning the Neisse was rebuilt to connect both parts. - in: wikipedia

Old City of Zamość

I think I said before that I knew very little about Poland before Postcrossing, and now thanks to postcards there are several Polish cities that I'd love to visit, like Zamość

Old City of Zamość

This postcard was sent by Monika

Zamosc was founded in the 16th century by the chancellor Jan Zamoysky on the trade route linking western and northern Europe with the Black Sea. Modelled on Italian theories of the 'ideal city' and built by the architect Bernando Morando, a native of Padua, Zamosc is a perfect example of a late-16th-century Renaissance town. It has retained its original layout and fortifications and a large number of buildings that combine Italian and central European architectural traditions. - in: http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/564

Architectural Ensemble of the Trinity Sergius Lavra in Sergiev Posad

The Trinity Lavra of St. Sergius is the most important monastery of the Russian Orthodox Church and is “the pearl” of the Russian church architecture

Trinity Lavra of St. Sergius

This postcard was sent by Elena

The Trinity Lavra of St. Sergius is a world famous spiritual centre of the Russian Orthodox Church and a popular site of pilgrimage and tourism. Being situated in the town of Sergiev Posad about 70 km to the north-east from Moscow, it is the most important working Russian monastery and a residence of the Patriarch. This religious and military complex represents an epitome of the growth of Russian architecture and contains some of that architecture’s finest expressions. It exerted a profound influence on architecture in Russia and other parts of Eastern Europe. - in: http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/657

Historic and Architectural Complex of the Kazan Kremlin

The Kazan Kremlin is a historic citadel built on the ruins of a castle

Kazan Kremlin

Built on an ancient site, the Kazan Kremlin dates from the Muslim period of the Golden Horde and the Kazan Khanate. It was conquered by Ivan the Terrible in 1552 and became the Christian See of the Volga Land. The only surviving Tatar fortress in Russia and an important place of pilgrimage, the Kazan Kremlin consists of an outstanding group of historic buildings dating from the 16th to 19th centuries, integrating remains of earlier structures of the 10th to 16th centuries. - in: http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/980/

Cathedral of the Annunciation

This postcard was sent by Christina

Annunciation Cathedral of Kazan Kremlin was the first Orthodox church within the walls of the Kazan Kremlin. Initially, a wooden church was quickly built under direction of Tsar Ivan IV in 1552, before it was replaced by a stone cathedral. The cathedral became the center of religious and educational life and missionary efforts in the province of Kazan. - in: https://orthodoxwiki.org/Annunciation_Cathedral_(Kazan_Kremlin,_Russia)

Spasskaya Tower

This postcard was sent by Maria

The Spasskaya Tower, which anchors the southern end of the Kremlin and serves as the main entrance to the Kremlin, is named after the Spassky Monastery, which used to be located nearby. Among the monastery's buildings were the Church of St. Nicholas (1560s, four piers) and the Cathedral of the Saviour's Transfiguration (1590s, six piers). They were destroyed by the Communists during Joseph Stalin's rule. - in: wikipedia

Historical Centre of the City of Yaroslavl

Yaroslavl is one of the many Russian cities with several wonderful churches, mainly from the 17th century

Church of Elijah the Prophet

The most beautiful church of the city, the Church of Elijah the Prophet is the pride and joy of Yaroslavl and the favorite tourist attraction. It was built in 1647 – 1650 and is one of the most complete and best-preserved monuments of Yaroslavl. Built on the site of two churches, the Intercession and Elijah, the church is considered a real masterpiece of ancient Russian art. - in: http://www.advantour.com/russia/yaroslavl/elijah-theprophet-church.htm