City of Bath

The city of Bath looks very beautiful with a lot of interesting buildings but I think the main attraction is really the Roman baths

Bath

This postcard was sent by Lucy

Bath is the largest city in the ceremonial county of Somerset, England, known for its Roman-built baths.

There are many Roman archaeological sites throughout the central area of the city. The baths themselves are about 6 metres (20 ft) below the present city street level. Around the hot springs, Roman foundations, pillar bases, and baths can still be seen, however all the stonework above the level of the baths is from more recent periods.

Bath Abbey was a Norman church built on earlier foundations. The present building dates from the early 16th century and shows a late Perpendicular style with flying buttresses and crocketed pinnacles decorating a crenellated and pierced parapet. - in: wikipedia

Roman Baths

This postcard was sent by Miguel

The Roman Baths complex is a site of historical interest in the English city of Bath. The house is a well-preserved Roman site for public bathing.

The Roman Baths themselves are below the modern street level. There are four main features: the Sacred Spring, the Roman Temple, the Roman Bath House and the Museum, holding finds from Roman Bath. The buildings above street level date from the 19th century.

The first shrine at the site of the hot springs was built by Celts, and was dedicated to the goddess Sulis, whom the Romans identified with Minerva.

The name Sulis continued to be used after the Roman invasion, leading to the town's Roman name of Aquae Sulis ("the waters of Sulis"). The temple was constructed in 60-70 AD and the bathing complex was gradually built up over the next 300 years. During the Roman occupation of Britain, and possibly on the instructions of Emperor Claudius, engineers drove oak piles to provide a stable foundation into the mud and surrounded the spring with an irregular stone chamber lined with lead. In the 2nd century it was enclosed within a wooden barrel-vaulted building, and included the caldarium (hot bath), tepidarium (warm bath), and frigidarium (cold bath). - in: wikipedia

Tarnowskie Góry Lead-Silver-Zinc Mine and its Underground Water Management System

This was the first site I received of the sites inscribed this year

Tarnowskie Góry Mine

This postcard was sent by Boguslaw

Located in Upper Silesia, in southern Poland, one of the main mining areas of central Europe, the site includes the entire underground mine with adits, shafts, galleries and water management system. Most of the site is situated underground while the surface mining topography features the remains of the 19th century steam water pumping station, which testifies to continuous efforts over three centuries to drain the underground extraction zone. It has made it possible to use undesirable water from the mines to supply towns and industry. Tarnowskie Góry represents a significant contribution to the global production of lead and zinc. - in: http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/1539

Wieliczka and Bochnia Royal Salt Mines

These two mines include some amazing galleries turned into chapels, workshops, storehouses, etc. Statues and decorative elements sculpted into the rock salt can also be found in both mines

Wieliczka Salt Mine

 This postcard was sent by Miguel

The Wieliczka Salt Mine (Polish: Kopalnia soli Wieliczka), located in the town of Wieliczka in southern Poland, lies within the Krakówmetropolitan area. Opened in the 13th century, the mine produced table salt continuously until 2007, as one of the world's oldest salt mines in operation.

The mine is currently one of Poland's official national Historic Monuments (Pomniki historii), whose attractions include dozens of statues and four chapels carved out of the rock saltby the miners, as well as supplemental carvings made by contemporary artists. - in: wikipedia

Bochnia Salt Mine

This postcard was sent by Boguslaw

The beginnings of the Bochnia mine as an excavating plant date back to 1248. Being a royal facility, the mine generated a huge income.
The Bochnia Salt Mine is the greatest treasure of the Bochnia region. Thanks to the salt deposits, the town of Bochnia became one of the most important economic centres of Medieval Małopolska. With each passing century, the Salt Mine continued to leave a distinct mark on the history of the city, its urban development but also the history of business initiatives, and industrial and social development. It is here, in the Bochnia mines, that the process of innovating salt excavation methods gave rise to the introduction of then novel technical solutions.  - in: http://bochnia-mine.eu/okopalni/historia/

From the Great Saltworks of Salins-les-Bains to the Royal Saltworks of Arc-et-Senans, the Production of Open-pan Salt

I could have visited Arc-et-Senans when I was in Besançon, but my wife is not as enthusiastic for UNESCO sites as I am and she convinced me to leave it for the next time... I don't have any card of Salins-les-Bains, maybe a good excuse to visit both :)

Royal Saltworks of Arc-et-Senans

This postcard was sent by Christine

The Saline Royale (Royal Saltworks) is a historical building at Arc-et-Senans in the department of Doubs, eastern France. It is next to the Forest of Chaux and about 35 kilometers from Besançon. The architect was Claude-Nicolas Ledoux (1736–1806), a prominent Parisian architect of the time. The work is an important example of an early Enlightenment project in which the architect based his design on a philosophy that favored arranging buildings according to a rational geometry and a hierarchical relation between the parts of the project. - in: wikipedia

Cistercian Abbey of Fontenay

The Abbey of Fontenay forms a connecting link between Romanesque and Gothic architectures.

Cistercian Abbey of Fontenay

The Abbey of Fontenay is a former Cistercian abbey located in the commune of Marmagne, near Montbard, in the département of Côte-d'Or in France. It was founded by Saint Bernard of Clairvaux in 1118, and built in the Romanesque style. It is one of the oldest and most complete Cistercian abbeys in Europe, and became a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1981. Of the original complex comprising church, dormitory, cloister, chapter house, caldarium, refectory, dovecote and forge, all remain intact except the refectory and are well maintained. - in: wikipedia

Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park

Uluru is one of Australia's most recognizable natural landmarks. There are a lot of legends and myths about Uluru, but also about Kata Tjuta.

Uluru/Ayers Rock

This postcard was sent by Penny

Uluru, also known as Ayers Rock and officially gazetted as "Uluru / Ayers Rock", is a large sandstone rock formation in the southern part of the Northern Territory in central Australia. It lies 335 km (208 mi) south west of the nearest large town, Alice Springs, 450 km (280 mi) by road.

Kata Tjuta and Uluru are the two major features of the Uluṟu-Kata Tjuṯa National Park. Uluru is sacred to the Pitjantjatjara Anangu, the Aboriginal people of the area. The area around the formation is home to an abundance of springs, waterholes, rock caves and ancient paintings. - in: wikipedia

Uluru and Kata Tjuta

This postcard was sent by Steph

Kata Tjuṯa, (Pitjantjatjara: Kata Tjuṯa, lit. 'many heads'), also known as the Olgas, is a group of large, domed rock formations or bornhardts located about 365 km (227 mi) southwest of Alice Springs, in the southern part of the Northern Territory, central Australia.

The 36 domes that make up Kata Tjuṯa cover an area of 21.68 km² (8.37 sq mi), are composed of conglomerate, a sedimentary rock consisting of cobbles and boulders of varying rock types including granite and basalt, cemented by a matrix of sandstone. The highest dome, Mount Olga, is 1,066 m (3,497 ft) above sea level, or approximately 546 m (1,791 ft) above the surrounding plain (198 m (650 ft) higher than Uluru). in: wikipedia

Gelati Monastery

When this site was inscribed in the UNESCO World Heritage list, it comprised the Bagrati Cathedral and the Gelati Monastery. Unfortunately, this year the Bagrati Cathedral was removed from the list.

Gelati Monastery

This postcard was sent from Finland by Sini

Gelati is a medieval monastic complex near Kutaisi, in the Imereti region of western Georgia. A masterpiece of the Georgian Golden Age, Gelati was founded in 1106 by King David IV of Georgia.

The Gelati Monastery has preserved a great number of murals and manuscripts dating back to the 12th to 17th centuries. The Khakhuli triptych was enshrined at Gelati until being stolen in 1859. Gelati is the burial site of its founder and one of the greatest Georgian kings David IV. Near King David's grave are the gates of Ganja, which were taken as a trophy by King Demetrius I of Georgia in 1138. - in: wikiedia

Petäjävesi Old Church

This church remained abandoned for a long time, until an Austrian art historian noticed its architectural and historical value.

Petäjävesi Old Church

This postcard was sent by Anja

Built for a small Lutheran parish in central Finland, Petäjävesi Old Church is located on a peninsula at Lake Solikkojärvi and is surrounded by an agricultural landscape with lakes and forests, typical of the region.

Construction of this wooden church was led by a local master builder, Jaakko Leppänen. The bell tower was added to the western part of the church in 1821 by the master’s grandson, Erkki Leppänen.

Petäjävesi Old Church

This postcard was sent by Tarja

The layout and interior of the church, with intricate perspectives, vaulting and a central cupola, combines the influences of Renaissance, Baroque and Gothic styles with the Finnish vernacular tradition of log construction. The steepness of the pitched roof recalls the Gothic tradition. The interior’s hand-carved log surfaces with their silky patina and the silvery sheen on the seasoned walls lend the hall its unique atmosphere, which is further enhanced by the slightly irregular placement of the floor beams and pews. The distinctive features of the interior are the elaborately carved pulpit, pews, chandeliers, and galleries with balustrades, which are entirely the work of local craftsmen and artists. - in: http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/584

Old Bridge Area of the Old City of Mostar

Mostar is known for the jumps from the bridge to the water. I would love to visit this city but I definitely don't want to jump

Mostar

This postcard arrived from Czech Republic sent by Veronika

Mostar is a city and municipality in southern Bosnia and Herzegovina. Inhabited by 105,797 people, it is the most important city in the Herzegovina region, its cultural capital, and the center of the Herzegovina-Neretva Canton of the Federation. Mostar is situated on the Neretva River and is the fifth-largest city in the country. 

Mostar

This postcard, unfortunately repeated, was sent from Germany by Thomas

Mostar was named after the bridge keepers (mostari) who in the medieval times guarded the Stari Most (Old Bridge) over the Neretva. The Old Bridge, built by the Ottomans in the 16th century, is one of Bosnia and Herzegovina's most recognizable landmarks, and is considered one of the most exemplary pieces of Islamic architecture in the Balkans. - in: wikipedia

Old Bridge of Mostar

This postcard was sent by Stasa

Stari Most (English: Old Bridge) is a 16th-century Ottoman bridge in the city of Mostar in Bosnia and Herzegovina that crosses the river Neretva and connects the two parts of the city. The Old Bridge stood for 427 years, until it was destroyed on 9 November 1993 by Croat forces during the Croat–Bosniak War. Subsequently, a project was set in motion to reconstruct it, and the rebuilt bridge opened on 23 July 2004. - in: wikipedia

Neolithic Flint Mines at Spiennes (Mons)

The Neolithic flint mines of Spiennes are among the largest and earliest Neolithic flint mines in Europe

Neolithic Flint Mines at Spiennes

This postcard was sent by Gerda

The Neolithic flint mines at Spiennes, covering more than 100 ha, are the largest and earliest concentration of ancient mines in Europe. They are also remarkable for the diversity of technological solutions used for extraction and for the fact that they are directly linked to a settlement of the same period. - in: http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/1006

Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus (formerly Victoria Terminus)

This must be one of the most beautiful railway stations in the world!

Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus

This  postcard was sent ba Prashanth

The Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus, formerly known as Victoria Terminus Station, in Mumbai, is an outstanding example of Victorian Gothic Revival architecture in India, blended with themes deriving from Indian traditional architecture. The building, designed by the British architect F. W. Stevens, became the symbol of Bombay as the ‘Gothic City’ and the major international mercantile port of India. The terminal was built over 10 years, starting in 1878, according to a High Victorian Gothic design based on late medieval Italian models. Its remarkable stone dome, turrets, pointed arches and eccentric ground plan are close to traditional Indian palace architecture. It is an outstanding example of the meeting of two cultures, as British architects worked with Indian craftsmen to include Indian architectural tradition and idioms thus forging a new style unique to Bombay. - in: http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/945

Rani-ki-Vav (the Queen’s Stepwell) at Patan, Gujarat

This looks like a palace but it's a stepwell with an amazing and well preserved sculptural decoration

Ran-ki-Vav

This postcard was sent by Nagi

Rani ki vav, or Ran-ki vav (Queen’s step well) was constructed during the rule of the Chaulukya dynasty. It is generally assumed that it was built in the memory of Bhima I (r. c. 1022–1064) by his widowed queen Udayamati and probably completed by Udayamati and Karna after his death. A reference to Udayamati building the monument is in Prabandha Chintamani, composed by the Jain monk Merunga Suri in 1304 AD.

The stepwell was later flooded by the nearby Saraswati River and silted over until the late 1980s. When it was excavated by the Archaeological Survey of India, the carvings were found in pristine condition. - in: wikipedia

Hill Forts of Rajasthan

This site includes six majestic forts that use the natural defenses offered by the landscape

Gagron Fort

This postcard was sent by Prashanth

Gagron Fort is situated in Jhalawar district of Rajasthan, in the Hadoti region of India. It is an example of a hill and water fort. - in: wikipedia

Amber Fort

This postcard was sent by Claus

Amer Fort (or Amber Fort) is a fort located in Amer, Rajasthan, India.

Amer Fort is known for its artistic Hindu style elements. With its large ramparts and series of gates and cobbled paths, the fort overlooks Maota Lake, which is the main source of water for the Amer Palace. - in: wikipedia

The 6  forts (in red what I have):

• Chittorgarh Fort
• Kumbhalgarh Fort
• Ranthambore Fort
• Gagron Fort
• Amber Fort
• Jaisalmer Fort

Historic Centre of Morelia

Morelia is the hometown of Morelos, one of the Mexico's greatest heroes, who led the Mexican War of Independence

Palacio de Gobierno

This postcard was sent by Marco

Built in the 16th century, Morelia is an outstanding example of urban planning which combines the ideas of the Spanish Renaissance with the Mesoamerican experience. Well-adapted to the slopes of the hill site, its streets still follow the original layout. More than 200 historic buildings, all in the region's characteristic pink stone, reflect the town's architectural history, revealing a masterly and eclectic blend of the medieval spirit with Renaissance, Baroque and neoclassical elements. Morelia was the birthplace of several important personalities of independent Mexico and has played a major role in the country's history. - in: http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/585/

San Cristóbal de La Laguna

If one day I have the chance to go to the Canary Islands, this would be one of the places to visit

San Cristóbal de La Laguna

This postcard was sent by Adolfo

San Cristóbal de La Laguna is located on the Island of Tenerife, part of the Autonomous Community of the Canary Islands in Spain. It was founded in the late 15th century on an inland plateau 550 m above sea level next to an insalubrious lagoon. The property includes two original town centres each belonging to a different time of history: the so-called Upper Town is the initial founding site next to the lagoon, and has an unplanned urban structure; and the Lower Town, one kilometre to the East, which is designed on a grid. It is the first ideal territory-town, being designed according to philosophical principles and Royal regulations, organized around a founding square known as Plaza del Adelantado. - in: http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/929