Funerary and memory sites of the First World War (Western Front)

This site incorporates 139 cemeteries and memorials on the Western Front of the First World War

Notre Dame de Lorette

This postcard was sent by Nadia

Notre Dame de Lorette, also known as Ablain St.-Nazaire French Military Cemetery, is the world's largest French military cemetery. It is the name of a ridge, basilica, and French national cemetery northwest of Arras at the village of Ablain-Saint-Nazaire.

In total, the cemetery and ossuary hold the remains of more than 40,000 soldiers, as well as the ashes of many concentration camp victims.

The basilica and memorial buildings were designed by the architect Louis-Marie Cordonnier and his son Jacques Cordonnier, and built between 1921 and 1927. - in: wikipedia

I still need a site from the Belgian side

Te Henua Enata - The Marquesas Islands

The Marquesas Islands are a group of volcanic islands in French Polynesia, an overseas collectivity of France in the southern Pacific Ocean.

Hiva Oa

This postcard was sent by Nadia

With its 320 square kilometres (124 square miles), Hiva Oa (Marquesan: Hivaʻoa) is the second largest island in the Marquesas Islands, in French Polynesia, an overseas territory of France in the Pacific Ocean. 

Hiva Oa is the largest and most fertile of the southern Marquesas islands and second only to Nuku Hiva in size. Similar to all the larger Marquesas, Hiva Oa features steep cliffs abruptly rising from the ocean to a rugged interior spine of volcanic mountains, ridges, and deep, isolated valleys. - in: wikipedia

Monastery of the Hieronymites and Tower of Belém in Lisbon

When I was in the army, in Lisbon, I passed a few times by the Tower of Belém but I never did a proper visit. This week I returned to Lisbon, this time to see a great concert by the band Ghost, and we visited these two monuments.

Tower of Belém

This postcard was sent by me to myself

Standing at the entrance to Lisbon harbour, the Monastery of the Hieronymites – construction of which began in 1502 – exemplifies Portuguese art at its best. The nearby Tower of Belém, built to commemorate Vasco da Gama's expedition, is a reminder of the great maritime discoveries that laid the foundations of the modern world. - in: http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/263

Tower of Belém

This postcard was given to me by my cousin Isabel

Belém Tower (Portuguese: Torre de Belém) or the Tower of St Vincent is a fortified tower located in the civil parish of Santa Maria de Belém in the municipality of Lisbon, Portugal. The tower was commissioned by King John II to be part of a defense system at the mouth of the Tagus river and a ceremonial gateway to Lisbon.

Tower of Belém

This postcard was sent by Zé "Pombal" with a great stamp that shows also the Tower of Belém

The tower was built in the early 16th century and is a prominent example of the Portuguese Manueline style, but it also incorporates hints of other architectural styles. The structure was built from lioz limestone and is composed of a bastion and a 30 m (100 foot), four storey tower. It has incorrectly been stated that the tower was built in the middle of the Tagus and now sits near the shore because the river was redirected after the 1755 Lisbon earthquake. In fact, the tower was built on a small island in the Tagus River near the Lisbon shore.

Tower of Belém

This postcard was sent by Vanesa

The 16th-century tower is considered one of the principal works of the Portuguese Late Gothic Manueline style. This is especially apparent in its elaborate rib vaulting, crosses of the Order of Christ, armillary spheres and twisted rope, common to the nautically inspired organic Manueline style. - in: wikipedia

Monastery of the Hieronymites

This postcard was sent by Gracinha. Unfortunately was damaged by the post service. 

The Jerónimos Monastery or Hieronymites Monastery, (Mosteiro dos Jerónimos, Portuguese), is a monastery of the Order of Saint Jerome located near the shore of the parish of Belém, in the Lisbon Municipality, Portugal.

The monastery is one of the most prominent examples of the Portuguese Late Gothic Manueline style of architecture in Lisbon.

Monastery of the Hieronymites

The existing structure was inaugurated on the orders of Manuel I (1469–1521) at the courts of Montemor o Velho in 1495, as a final resting-place for members of the House of Aviz, in his belief that an Iberian dynastic kingdom would rule after his death. In 1496, King Manuel petitioned the Holy See for permission to construct a monastery at the site. - in: wikipedia

Historic Centre of Saint Petersburg and Related Groups of Monuments

I'd love to visit St Petersburg, but if one day I get the chance to go there I won't need to buy postcards!

Angel on the Spire of Saints Peter and Paul Cathedral
and Saint Isaac's Cathedral

This postcard was sent by Anna

The 'Venice of the North', with its numerous canals and more than 400 bridges, is the result of a vast urban project begun in 1703 under Peter the Great. Later known as Leningrad (in the former USSR), the city is closely associated with the October Revolution. Its architectural heritage reconciles the very different Baroque and pure neoclassical styles, as can be seen in the Admiralty, the Winter Palace, the Marble Palace and the Hermitage. - in: http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/540

Church of the Savior on Spilled Blood

This postcard was sent by my good friend Carolina who went to St Petersburg to see a football match between FC Zenit and Benfica

The Church of the Savior on Spilled Blood (Russian: Церковь Спаса на Крови, Tserkovʹ Spasa na Krovi) is one of the main sights of St. Petersburg, Russia.

This Church was built on the site where Emperor Alexander II was fatally wounded in March 1881.The church was built from 1883 till 1907. The construction was funded by the imperial family. - in: wikipedia

Church of the Savior on Spilled Blood (interior)

This postcard is an official sent by Valery

Architecturally, the Cathedral differs from St. Petersburg's other structures. The city's architecture is predominantly Baroque and Neoclassical, but the Savior on Blood harks back to medieval Russian architecture in the spirit of romantic nationalism. It intentionally resembles the 17th-century Yaroslavl churches and the celebrated St. Basil's Cathedral in Moscow. - in: wikipedia

Peter and Paul Fortress

This postcard is an official sent by Valentine

The Peter and Paul Fortress (Russian: Петропа́вловская кре́пость, Petropavlovskaya Krepost) is the original citadel of St. Petersburg, Russia, founded by Peter the Great in 1703 and built to Domenico Trezzini's designs from 1706-1740. In the early 20th century, it was still used as a prison by the tsarist government.

Today it has been adapted as the central and most important part of the State Museum of Saint Petersburg History. The museum has gradually become virtually the sole owner of the fortress building, except the structure occupied by the Saint Petersburg Mint. - in: wikipedia

Palace Bridge

This postcard is an official sent by Ivan

Palace Bridge (Russian: Дворцо́вый мост, Dvortsoviy Most) is a road traffic and foot bascule bridge spanning the Neva River in Saint Petersburg between Palace Square and Vasilievsky Island. Like every other Neva bridge (except for Big Obukhovsky Bridge), it is drawn by night, making foot travel between various parts of the city virtually impossible. It was built by the French firm Société de Construction des Batignolles.

Palace Bridge

This postcard was sent by Lera

The total length of Palace Bridge is 260.1 metres, width is 27.8 metres. It is actually composed of five spans, the southernmost joining Palace Embankment between Winter Palace and Admiralty and leading to Palace Square. - in: wikipedia

Lion Statue near the Admiralty Building

This postcard was sent by Anna

The Admiralty building is the former headquarters of the Admiralty Board and the Imperial Russian Navy in St. Petersburg, Russia and the current headquarters of the Russian Navy.
The edifice was re-built in the nineteenth century to support the Tsar's maritime ambitions. The original design was a fortified shipyard which was later surrounded by five bastions and further protected by a moat. - in: wikipedia

Monument to Nicholas I

This postcard was sent by Marina

The Monument to Nicholas I is a bronze equestrian monument of Nicholas I of Russia on St Isaac's Square (in front of Saint Isaac's Cathedral) in Saint Petersburg, Russia. Unveiled on July 7th  1859, the six-meter statue was a technical wonder of its time. - in: wikipedia

Nicholas I (6 July [O.S. 25 June] 1796 – 2 March 1855) was the Emperor of Russia from 1825 until 1855. He was also the King of Poland and Grand Duke of Finland. - in: wikipedia

The Bronze Horseman (Monument to Peter the Great)

This postcard is an official sent by Nicolay

The Bronze Horseman (Russian: Медный всадник, literally "copper horseman") is an equestrian statue of Peter the Great in Saint Petersburg, Russia. Commissioned by Catherine the Great, it was created by the French sculptor Étienne Maurice Falconet. The name comes from an 1833 poem of the same the name by Aleksander Pushkin, which is widely considered one of the most significant works of Russian literature. The statue is now one of the symbols of Saint Petersburg. - in: wikipedia

Peter the Great, Peter I or Peter Alexeyevich ( 9 June 1672 – 8 February 1725) ruled the Tsardom of Russia and later the Russian Empire from 7 May 1682 until his death, jointly ruling before 1696 with his half-brother. - in: wikipedia

St Isaac's Cathedral

This postcard is an official sent by Nadezhda

Saint Isaac's Cathedral or Isaakievskiy Sobor (Russian: Исаа́киевский Собо́р) in Saint Petersburg, Russia is the largest Russian Orthodox cathedral (sobor) in the city. It is the largest orthodox basilica and the fourth largest cathedral in the world.^{[citation needed]} It is dedicated to Saint Isaac of Dalmatia, a patron saint of Peter the Great, who had been born on the feast day of that saint. 

The church on St Isaac's Square was ordered by Tsar Alexander I, to replace an earlier Rinaldiesque structure, and was the fourth consecutive church standing at this place. - in: wikipedia

Cathedral of the Kazan Icon of the Mother of God

Kazan Cathedral or Kazanskiy Kafedralniy Sobor (Russian: Каза́нский кафедра́льный собо́р), also known as the Cathedral of Our Lady of Kazan, is a cathedral of the Russian Orthodox Church on the Nevsky Prospekt in Saint Petersburg. It is dedicated to Our Lady of Kazan, one of the most venerated icons in Russia.

Cathedral of the Kazan

Construction of the cathedral started in 1801 and continued for ten years under the supervision of Alexander Sergeyevich Stroganov. Upon its completion in 1811, the new temple replaced the Church of Nativity of the Theotokos, which was disassembled when the Kazan Cathedral was consecrated.. - in: wikipedia

View of the Neva from the Winter Palace

The Neva is a river in northwestern Russia flowing from Lake Ladoga through the western part ofLeningrad Oblast (historical region of Ingria) to the Neva Bay of the Gulf of Finland. Despite its modest length of 74 kilometres (46 mi), it is the third largest river in Europe in terms of average discharge (after the Volga and the Danube).

The Neva is the only river flowing from Lake Ladoga. It flows through the city of Saint Petersburg, three smaller towns of Shlisselburg, Kirovsk and Otradnoye, and dozens of settlements. - in: wikipedia

Scarlet Sails

This postcard is an official sent by Natalya

The Scarlet Sails (Russian: Алые паруса) is a celebration in St. Petersburg, Russia, the most massive and famous public event during the White Nights Festival. The tradition is highly popular for its spectacular fireworks, numerous music concerts, and a massive water show. 

This tradition began after the end of World War II, when several Leningrad schools united to celebrate the end of the school year in connection with the symbolism of the popular 1922 children's book Scarlet Sails by Alexander Grin. During the first celebration, a boat with scarlet sails sailed along the English Embankment and the Admiralty Embankment towards the Winter Palace. - in: wikipedia 

St Nicholas Cathedral

St. Nicholas Naval Cathedral is a major Baroque Orthodox cathedral in the western part of Central Saint Petersburg. It has always been closely associated with the Russian Navy, serving as its main shrine until the Russian Revolution.

St. Nicholas Cathedral is a major example of the so-called Elizabethan or Rastrellieqsque Baroque. It has the shape of a cross and is decorated by Corinthian columns, stucco architraves, a wide entablement and is crowned by five gilded domes. - in: wikipedia

The Fountains of Peterhof

The Peterhof Palace is a series of palaces and gardens located in Saint Petersburg, Russia, laid out on the orders of Peter the Great. These Palaces and gardens are sometimes referred as the "Russian Versailles".

The Grand Cascade is modeled on one constructed for Louis XIV at his Château de Marly, which is likewise memorialised in one of the park's outbuildings. - in: wikipedia

Saint Michael's Castle

This postcard was sent by Ella

Saint Michael's Castle (Russian: Миха́йловский за́мок, Mikhailovsky zamok), also called the Mikhailovsky Castle or the Engineers' Castle (Russian: Инженерный замок, Inzhenerny zamok), is a former royal residence in the historic centre of Saint Petersburg, Russia. Saint Michael's Castle was built as a residence for Emperor Paul I of Russia by architects Vincenzo Brenna and Vasily Bazhenov in 1797–1801. It was named for St Michael the Archangel, patron saint of the royal family. The castle looks different from each side, as the architects used motifs of various architectural styles such as French Classicism, Italian Renaissance and Gothic. - in: wikipedia