Pitons, cirques and remparts of Reunion Island

This site covers 40% of the Réunion Island

Réunion National Park

This postcard was sent by Javier

Réunion National Park (French: Parc national de La Réunion) is a National Park of France located on the island of Réunion, an overseas department in the western Indian Ocean. Established on 5 March 2007, the park protects the endemic ecosystems of Les Hauts, Réunion's mountainous interior, and covers around 42% of the island. 

The park's fauna includes notably several endemic bird species, such as Barau's petrel, the Réunion harrier, and the Réunion cuckooshrike. In total, 18 bird species are found at Réunion, half of which are endemic. At least 22 bird species have already gone extinct since human colonisation. A major threat to the bird fauna are introduced cats and rats. Of mammals, the Mauritian flying fox recolonised the Réunion after going extinct from the island. Notable butterfly species include Papilio phorbanta and Salamis augustina, and an endemic reptile is the Reunion Island day gecko. - in: wikipedia

Sinharaja Forest Reserve

With these beautiful waterfalls of Sinharaja I completed Sri Lanka :)

Waterfalls of Sinharaja Rain Forest

This postcard was sent by Javier

Sinharaja Forest Reserve is a national park and a biodiversity hotspot in Sri Lanka. It is of international significance and has been designated a Biosphere Reserve and World Heritage Site by UNESCO.

According to International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), Sinharaja is the country's last viable area of primary tropical rainforest. More than 60% of the trees are endemic and many of them are considered rare.

The hilly virgin rainforest, part of the Sri Lanka lowland rain forests ecoregion, was saved from the worst of commercial logging by its inaccessibility, and was designated a World Biosphere Reserve in 1978 and a World Heritage Site in 1988. The reserve's name translates as Lion Kingdom.

The reserve is only 21 km (13 mi) from east to west, and a maximum of 7 km (4.3 mi) from north to south, but it is a treasure trove of endemic species, including trees, insects, amphibians, reptiles, birds, and mammals.

Because of the dense vegetation, wildlife is not as easily seen as at dry-zone national parks such as Yala. There are about 3 elephants, and 15 or so leopards. The most common larger mammal is the endemic purple-faced langur.

Birds tend to move in mixed feeding flocks, invariably led by the fearless Sri Lanka Crested Drongo and the noisy orange-billed babbler. Of Sri Lanka's 26 endemic birds, the 20 rainforest species all occur here, including the elusive red-faced malkoha, green-billed coucal and Sri Lanka blue magpie.

Reptiles include the endemic green pit viper and hump-nosed vipers, and there are a large variety of amphibians, especially tree frogs. Invertebrates include the endemic common birdwing, butterfly and leeches. - in: wikipedia

Central Highlands of Sri Lanka

Sri Lanka's highlands are situated in the south-central part of the island and includes three properties: the Peak Wilderness Protected Area, the Horton Plains National Park and the Knuckles Conservation Forest.

Horton Plains National Park

This postcard was sent by Javier

Horton Plains National Park is a protected area in the central highlands of Sri Lanka and is covered by montane grassland and cloud forest. This plateau at an altitude of 2,100–2,300 metres (6,900–7,500 ft) is rich in biodiversity and many species found here are endemic to the region. This region was designated a national park in 1988.

The vegetation of the park is classified into two distinctive groups, 2,000 hectares (7.7 sq mi) of wet patana (Sinhalese for "montane grasslands") and 1,160 hectares (4.5 sq mi) of subtropical montane evergreen forests. Nearly 750 species of plants belonging to 20 families have been recorded from the park.

The vertebrate fauna of the region includes 24 species of mammals, 87 species of birds, nine species of reptiles and eight species of amphibians. The Sri Lankan elephant disappeared from the region in the 1940s at the latest. At present, the largest and the most commonly seen mammal is the sambar deer. Some research findings estimate the population of sambar deer to be around 1500 to 2000, possibly more than the carrying capacity of the plains. Other mammal species found in the park include Kelaart's long-clawed shrews, toque macaques, purple-faced langurs, rusty-spotted cat, Sri Lankan leopards, wild boars, stripe-necked mongooses, Sri Lankan spotted chevrotains, Indian muntjacs, and grizzled giant squirrels. Fishing cats and European otters visit the wetlands of the park to prey on aquatic animals. A subspecies of red slender loris, the Horton Plains slender loris (Loris tardigradus nycticeboides formerly sometimes considered as Loris lydekkerianus nycticeboides) is found only in highlands of Sri Lanka and is considered one of the world's most endangered primates. - in: wikipedia

Costiera Amalfitana

This site was already recommended to me to go on vacation by a few Italian friends. They say it's amazing and it's surrounded by others UNESCO sites! 

Amalfi Cathedral

This postcard was sent from the USA by Jackie

Amalfi is a town and comune in the province of Salerno, in the region of Campania, Italy, on the Gulf of Salerno. It lies at the mouth of a deep ravine, at the foot of Monte Cerreto (1,315 metres, 4,314 feet), surrounded by dramatic cliffs and coastal scenery.

Amalfi Cathedral (Italian: Duomo di Amalfi; Cattedrale di Sant'Andrea) is a medieval Roman Catholic cathedral in the Piazza del Duomo, Amalfi, Italy. It is dedicated to the Apostle Saint Andrew whose relics are kept here. Formerly the archiepiscopal seat of the Diocese of Amalfi, it has been since 1986 that of the Diocese of Amalfi-Cava de' Tirreni.

Begun in the 9th and 10th centuries, it has been added to and redecorated several times, overlaying Arab-Norman, Gothic, Renaissance, Baroque elements, and finally a new 19th century Norman-Arab-Byzantine facade. The cathedral includes the adjoining 9th-century Basilica of the Crucifix. Leading from the basilica are steps into the Crypt of St. Andrew. - in: wikipedia

Positano

This postcard was sent from Germany by Kerstin

Positano is a village and comune on the Amalfi Coast (Costiera Amalfitana), in Campania, Italy, mainly in an enclave in the hills leading down to the coast.

Positano was a port of the Amalfi Republic in medieval times, and prospered during the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries. By the mid-nineteenth century, however, the town had fallen on hard times. More than half the population emigrated, mostly to America.

Positano was a relatively poor fishing village during the first half of the twentieth century. It began to attract large numbers of tourists in the 1950s, especially after John Steinbeck published his essay about Positano in Harper's Bazaar in May, 1953: "Positano bites deep", Steinbeck wrote. "It is a dream place that isn’t quite real when you are there and becomes beckoningly real after you have gone." - in: wikipedia

Garrison Border Town of Elvas and its Fortifications

This is the only UNESCO site in the mainland of Portugal where I've never been. When it was inscribed I was already living in Switzerland

Amoreira Aqueduct

This postcard was sent by Jackie

The Amoreira Aqueduct (Portuguese: Aqueduto da Amoreira) is a 16th-century aqueduct (begun in 1537) that spans the Portuguese municipality of Elvas, bringing water into the fortified seat.

The aqueduct has a length of 7,054 metres (23,143 ft) from its spring in the Serra do Bispo until the Chafariz do Jardim, and another 450 metres (1,480 ft) to the town fountain. Its track includes 1,367 metres (4,485 ft) subterranean segments, to a maximum altitude of 4,049 metres (13,284 ft) above sea level, while 1,683 metres (5,522 ft) include arcade segments. From Outeiro de São Francisco is the second canal, which redirects waters to Outeiro dos Pobres, identifiable in the arcade at Rossio. In total there are 833 arches, with at most four registers at any one time (diminishing size at higher altitudes), supported by rectangular pillars and strengthened by semi-circular and pyramidal buttresses. The structure includes the municipal coat-of-arms constructed of marble or azulejo. -in: wikipedia

Fort of Santa Luzia

This postcard was sent by Martinha 

The Santa Luzia Fort is located on the south side of the beautiful town of Elvas, and constitutes nowadays an important example of the 17th century Portuguese military architecture. 

Elvas, located next to the border with Spain, has been since early times an important strategically defensive point. This structure was built in 1641, right after the Restoration of the Portuguese Independence from the Spanish domain. Matias de Albuquerque signed the project that was later redesigned by Sebastião Frias on a star shape, and afterwards altered by Hieronimo Rozzeti.

This Fort was part of an important defensive structure which includes the São Mamede, São Pedro, Piedade and São Francisco Forts, integrating the Elvas defensive lines. 

This defensive system was able to resist the violent attack and three months siege that the Spanish Army made in 1659.

The Santa Luzia Fort presents a square plan with around 150 meters, and is constituted by several Vauban style bastions, ravelins, crowns and other military pieces. In the centre is the small fort where is located the Governor’s House.

Nowadays this Fort also houses the interesting Santa Luzia Fort Military Museum. - in: https://www.guiadacidade.pt/en/poi-santa-luzia-fort-20169

Fort of Graça

This postcard was sent by Javier

The Nossa Senhora da Graça Fort, officially Conde de Lippe Fort and known historically as La Lippe, is a fort in the village of Alcáçova, about 1 kilometre (0.62 mi) north of the town of Elvas in the Portalegre District of Portugal.

The strategic importance of the fort was demonstrated during the Portuguese Restoration War, when in 1658 Spanish troops occupied the site during the siege of the town of Elvas prior to the Battle of the Lines of Elvas on 14 January 1659.

A century later, during the Seven Years' War (1756-1763) King Joseph I of Portugal and the Marquis of Pombal called on Marshal Lippe to reorganize the Portuguese army and draw up plans for the modernization of the stronghold.

The work began in 1763 and continued into the reign of Maria I of Portugal (r. 1777–1816), with the fort reopening in 1792 under the name of Conde de Lippe Fort after its designer.

The fort is a 150 metres (490 ft) quadrangle with pentagonal bastions at the corners. Four ravelins cover the curtain wall, half of which form part of the monumental gate (Dragon Gate).

The central part of the square features a circular redoubt with two floors and a parapet with gun ports. The fort's circular tower has two vaulted floors: the first consisting of a decorated chapel and the second the Governor's House. Below the chapel, carved into the rock, there is a cistern. - in: wikipedia

The 7 properties (in red what I have):

• Amoreira Aqueduct
• Historic Centre
• Fort of Santa Luzia and the covered way
• Fort of Graça
• Fortlet of São Mamede
• Fortlet of São Pedro
• Fortlet of São Domingos

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 Antwerp, Belgium, 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 (French: Chapelle Notre-Dame-du-Haut de Ronchamp) is a Roman Catholic chapel in Ronchamp, France. 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

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/