Thursday 22 August 2019

Megalithic Jar Sites in Xiengkhuang – Plain of Jars

Thousands of stone jars are spread through 15 different locations around the upland valleys and the lower foothills of the central plain of the Xiangkhoang Plateau

Plain of Jars
This postcard was sent from Malaysia by SL

The Plain of Jars, located on a plateau in central Laos, gets its name from more than 2,100 tubular-shaped megalithic stone jars used for funerary practices in the Iron Age. This serial property of 15 components contains large carved stone jars, stone discs, secondary burials, tombstones, quarries and funerary objects dating from 500 BCE to 500 CE. The jars and associated elements are the most prominent evidence of the Iron Age civilization that made and used them until it disappeared, around 500 CE. - in: https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/1587/

Wednesday 21 August 2019

Ombilin Coal Mining Heritage of Sawahlunto

This is another of three sites related with mining that were inscribed in 2019. This one consists of 12 different locations

Coal Processing Plant Compound
This postcard was sent by Shinta

Built for the extraction, processing and transport of high-quality coal in an inaccessible region of Sumatra, this industrial site was developed by the Netherlands’ colonial government from the late 19th to the beginning of the 20th century with a workforce recruited from the local population and supplemented by convict labour from Dutch-controlled areas. It comprises the mining site and company town, coal storage facilities at the port of Emmahaven and the railway network linking the mines to the coastal facilities. The Ombilin Coal Mining Heritage was built as an integrated system that enabled the efficient deep-bore extraction, processing, transport and shipment of coal. - in: https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/1610/

Saturday 17 August 2019

Trang An Landscape Complex

This site is popular  for its boat cave tours

Entrance to Tam-Coc Cave
This postcard was sent by SL

Tam Cốc-Bích Động is a popular tourist destination in north Vietnam and part of the Tràng An Scenic Landscape Complex UNESCO World Heritage site. It is located in Ninh Binh province, near the village of Tam Cốc. The closest city is Ninh Binh. It consists of two distinct attractions: Tam Cốc, a flooded cave karst system; and Bích Động, a series of mountain pagodas.
Tam Cốc, literally "three caves", consists of three natural caves — Hang Cả, Hang Hai, and Hang Ba — on the Ngô Đồng River. Tourists are taken in small boats along the river from the village of Van Lam, through rice fields and limestone karsts, through the caves, and back. - in: wikipedia

Wednesday 14 August 2019

Jaipur City, Rajasthan

Jaipur is known as the Pink City, due to the dominant color of its buildings.

Ridhi-Sidhi Pol, City Palace
This postcard was sent by Nagi

The City Palace, Jaipur was established at the same time as the city of Jaipur, by Maharaja Sawai Jai Singh II, who moved his court to Jaipur from Amber, in 1727. Jaipur is the present-day capital of the state of Rajasthan, and until 1949 the City Palace was the ceremonial and administrative seat of the Maharaja of Jaipur. The Palace was also the location of religious and cultural events, as well as a patron of arts, commerce, and industry. It now houses the Maharaja Sawai Man Singh II Museum, and continues to be the home of the Jaipur royal family. The royal family of Jaipur is said to be the descendants of Lord Rama. The palace complex has several buildings, various courtyards, galleries, restaurants, and offices of the Museum Trust. - in: wikipedia

Friday 9 August 2019

Naval Port of Karlskrona

This site looks really cool with fortifications in the middle of the sea and other buildings related with the Swedish navy.

Fortification Towers in Karlskrona
This postcard was sent by Merja

The city was founded in 1680 when the Royal Swedish Navy was relocated from the Stockholm area to the Trossö island which had up until then been used chiefly for farming and grazing. At the time Sweden was the dominant military power in the Baltic sea region, but needed a better strategic location against Denmark, since southern parts of Sweden had been conquered only a few decades before (see the Torstenson War). The Swedish fleet tended to get stuck in the ice during winter while located close to Stockholm and was therefore moved south. The island had a very strategic position with short sailing distances to the German and Baltic provinces. The city name means Karl's Crown in honour of King Karl XI of Sweden, the name being inspired by the name of the city Landskrona.
The city has kept its street structure since its foundation. Since the streets all follow a grid pattern the winds can blow freely from the sea right into the heart of the city.
Parts of the city (mainly the Naval Port) have been declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site. - in: wikipedia


Marinmuseum and Sloop and Longboat Shed
This postcard was sent by Doris

Marinmuseum is a maritime museum located on Stumholmen island, in Karlskrona. It is Sweden's national naval museum, dedicated to the Swedish naval defense and preservation of the country's naval history.
Marinmuseum is one of Sweden's oldest museums. The museum was established in 1752 when King Adolf Frederick began the collection and documentation of naval objects in what was called the Model Room (Modellkammaren). He also ordered the preservation of ship models and shipbuilding machinery.

The Sloop and Longboat Shed is one of Karlskrona's most remarkable buildings. It was built in the 1780s to store the Navy's smaller boats during the winter. The building is topped by 10 interconnected saddle-backed roofs allowing rainwater from 16 cavities to run into collection barrels. It now forms part of the Naval Museum. - in: wikipedia




Ropewalk
This postcard was sent by Doris

The Ropewalk is a building on the island of Lindholmen in southeastern Sweden. It is located within the naval base in Karlskrona. Dating from 1692, the rope factory terminated production in 1960 but in 2006, after renovation, it was opened to the public with exhibitions and demonstrations of ropemaking. With a length of some 300 metres (980 ft), the Ropewalk is Sweden's longest wooden building. - in: wikipedia

Wednesday 7 August 2019

Vat Phou and Associated Ancient Settlements within the Champasak Cultural Landscape

Vat Phou means literally Temple Mountain

Vat Phou
This postcard was sent from Malaysia by SL

Vat Phou is a ruined Khmer Hindu temple complex in southern Laos. It is at the base of mount Phou Khao, some 6 kilometres (3.7 mi) from the Mekong in Champasak Province. There was a temple on the site as early as the 5th century, but the surviving structures date from the 11th to 13th centuries. It has a unique structure: The elements lead to a shrine where a lingam dedicated to Lord Shiva was bathed in water from a mountain spring. The site later became a centre of Theravada Buddhist worship, which it remains today. - in: wikipedia

Town of Luang Prabang

Luang Prabang is well known for its numerous Buddhist temples and monasteries. 

Wat Xieng Thong
This postcard was sent from Malaysia by SL

Wat Xieng Thong ("Temple of the Golden City") is a Buddhist temple (wat) on the northern tip of the peninsula of Luang PhrabangLaos. Wat Xieng Thong is one of the most important of Lao monasteries and remains a significant monument to the spirit of religion, royalty and traditional art. There are over 20 structures on the grounds including a sim, shrines, pavilions and residences, in addition to its gardens of flowers, ornamental shrubs, and trees.
Wat Xieng Thong was built 1559-1560 by the Lao King Setthathirath near where the Mekong and Nam Khan rivers join. Until 1975 the wat was a royal temple under the patronage of the royal family and the Lao kings were crowned in the wat. - in: wikipedia

Thursday 1 August 2019

Krzemionki Prehistoric Striped Flint Mining Region

This is one of three sites related with mining that were inscribed this year.

Krzemionki
This postcard was sent by Joanna

Located in the mountain region of Świętokrzyskie, Krzemionki is an ensemble of four mining sites, dating from the Neolithic to the Bronze Age (about 3900 to 1600 BCE), dedicated to the extraction and processing of striped flint, which was mainly used for axe-making. With its underground mining structures, flint workshops and some 4,000 shafts and pits, the property features one of the most comprehensive prehistoric underground flint extraction and processing systems identified to date. The property provides information about life and work in prehistoric settlements and bears witness to an extinct cultural tradition. It is an exceptional testimony of the importance of the prehistoric period and of flint mining for tool production in human history. - in: https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/1599/