Stećci Medieval Tombstone Graveyards

These medieval tombstones are scattered across Bosnia and Herzegovina, and the border parts of Croatia, Montenegro and Serbia

Stećci Tombstones in Croatia

This serial property combines 28 sites, located in Bosnia and Herzegovina, western Serbia, western Montenegro and central and southern Croatia, representing these cemeteries and regionally distinctive medieval tombstones, or stećci. 

Stećci Tombstones in Croatia

The cemeteries, which date from the 12th to 16th centuries CE, are laid out in rows, as was the common custom in Europe from the Middle Ages. 

Stećci Tombstones in Serbia

The stećci are mostly carved from limestone. They feature a wide range of decorative motifs and inscriptions that represent iconographic continuities within medieval Europe as well as locally distinctive traditions. - in: https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/1504/

I'm still missing a postcard from Bosnia and Herzegovina.

Palace and Gardens of Schönbrunn

This palace and its gardens are the kind of place that makes us travel in time!

Schönbrunn Palace

 This postcard was given to me by my cousin Andreia

Schönbrunn Palace (German: Schloss Schönbrunn) is a former imperial summer residence located in Vienna, Austria. The 1,441-room Baroque palace is one of the most important architectural, cultural and historical monuments in the country. Since the mid-1950s it has been a major tourist attraction. 

Schönbrunn Palace

This postcard was sent by Christian 

The history of the palace and its vast gardens spans over 300 years, reflecting the changing tastes, interests, and aspirations of successive Habsburg monarchs. - in: wikipedia

Schönbrunn Palace and the Gloriette

 This postcard was sent by Danubia

The largest and probably most well-known gloriette is in the Schönbrunn Palace Garden in Vienna. Built in 1775 as the last building constructed in the garden according to the plans of Austrian imperial architect Johann Ferdinand Hetzendorf von Hohenberg as a "temple of renown" to serve as both a focal point and a lookout point for the garden, it was used as a dining hall and festival hall as well as a breakfast room for emperor Franz Joseph I. The dining hall, which was used up until the end of the monarchy, today has a café in it, and on the roof an observation platform overlooks Vienna. The Gloriette's decorative sculptures were made by the famous Salzburg sculptorJohann Baptist von Hagenauer. The Gloriette was destroyed in the Second World War, but had already been restored by 1947, and was restored again in 1995 - in: wikipedia

Schönbrunn Palace and Empress Elisabeth portrait

This postcard was sent by Friedrich

The Sisi Museum in the Vienna Hofburg, Schönbrunn Palace and the Imperial Furniture Collection provide authentic insights into the life and personality of this famous monarch.

In 2004 the Sisi Museum opened in a section of the Imperial Apartments once occupied by the empress. With more than 300 personal objects on display, the exhibition avoids the usual clichés, presenting Elisabeth’s true personality in a sensitive exploration of the empress’s life and fate. Elisabeth’s verse is used to illustrate her emotional states of mind at each stage of her life, from her carefree girlhood to the restless, aloof and melancholic woman she later became. - in: http://www.schoenbrunn.at/en/nc/services/press-information/archive/press-information-2011/press-information-detail-2011/artikel/auf-den-spuren-von-kaiserin-elisabeth-in-wien-1.html

Independence Hall

Says Kate, the sender of this first postcard, that this building is in the one hundred-dollar bills, but she learnt from the internet because she doesn't see them that often. How I understand her! 

Independence Hall

This postcard was sent by Kate

The Declaration of Independence was adopted and the Constitution of the United States of America framed in this fine early 18th-century building in Philadelphia. These events, which took place respectively in 1776 and 1787, were conceived in a national context, but the universal principles of freedom and democracy set forth in these two documents have had a profound impact on lawmakers and political thinkers around the world. They became the models for similar charters of other nations, and may be considered to have heralded the modern era of government. Independence Hall was designed by attorney Andrew Hamilton in collaboration with master builder Edmund Woolley to house the Assembly of the Commonwealth (colony) of Pennsylvania. Begun in 1732 and finished in 1753, it is a dignified brick structure with a wooden steeple that once held the Liberty Bell. 

Independence Hall

This postcard was sent by Erin

The building has undergone many restorations, notably by architect John Haviland in the 1830s and under the direction of the National Park Service beginning in the 1950s, returning it to its appearance during the years when the new country’s Declaration of Independence and Constitution were debated and signed. In the Assembly Room, the momentous events that occurred there are explained and their international impact as well as the spread of democracy are discussed. - in: http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/78

Philadelphia

This postcard was sent by Kelly

Old City is a historic neighborhood in Center City, Philadelphia, in the area near the Delaware River where William Penn and the Quakers first settled. To tourists, it is best known as the site of Independence Hall and its encompassing Independence National Historical Park, Elfreth's Alley, Carpenters' Hall, the Betsy Ross House, and many of Philadelphia's other historic sites. - in: wikipedia

Independence Hall and George Washington Statue

This postcard was sent by Olga

Naumburg Cathedral

The Naumburg Cathedral is remarkable specially for the life-sized sculptures situated in the western choir

Naumburg Cathedral

This postcard was sent by Ina

Naumburg Cathedral (German: Naumburger Dom St. Peter und St. Paul), located in Naumburg, Germany, is the former cathedral of the Bishopric of Naumburg-Zeitz. The church building, most of which dates back to the 13th century, is a renowned landmark of the German late Romanesque. The west choir with the famous donor portrait statues of the twelve cathedral founders (Stifterfiguren) and the Lettner, works of the Naumburg Master, is one of the most significant early Gothic monuments. - in: wikipedia

Margrave Ekkehard II and Uta

This postcard was sent by Doris

The Stifterfiguren (donor figures) by the artist called Naumburger Meister (Master of Naumburg) are probably the best-known work of art in the cathedral and are often referred to as the best-known work of early Gothic sculpture in Germany. Situated in the western choir, the twelve life-sized sculptures (eight men and four women) show nobles who were among the founders of the cathedral. - in: wikipedia

Naumburg Cathedral

This postcard was sent by Anton

Prehistoric Sites of Talayotic Menorca

The Talayotic Culture is the name used to describe the society that existed in Menorca and Mallorca during the Iron Age. Its name is derived from the talaiots, which are the most abundant and emblematic structures from the prehistoric period of the Balearic Islands.

Prehistoric Sites of Talayotic Menorca

This postcard was sent by Jordi

Located on the island of Menorca in the western Mediterranean Sea, these archaeological sites are situated in agro-pastoral landscapes. A testimony to the occupation of the island by prehistoric communities, these sites display a diversity of prehistoric settlements and burial places. The materials, forms and locations of structures dating from the Bronze Age (1600 BCE) to the Late Iron Age (123 BCE) show the evolution of a “cyclopean” architecture built with very large blocks of stone. Astronomical orientations and visual interconnections between prehistoric structures indicate networks with possible cosmological meanings. - in: https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/1528

The Porticoes of Bologna

This site would be much easier for me if it was Bologna and its Porticos. But no, it's just the porticoes of Bologna. I only had a multiview postcard of the city that shows the porticos in one or two images and a postcard of the two towers, which I believe are in the buffer zone. Luckily for me, my friend Marta went to Bologna and sent me a postcard from one of the porticoes.

Bologna

The serial property comprises twelve component parts consisting of ensembles of porticoes and their surrounding built areas, located within the Municipality of Bologna from the 12th century to the present. These portico ensembles are considered to be the most representative among city’s porticoes, which cover a total stretch of 62 km. Some of the porticoes are built of wood, others of stone or brick, as well as reinforced concrete, covering roads, squares, paths and walkways, either on one or both sides of a street. The property includes porticoed buildings that do not form a structural continuum with other buildings and therefore are not part of a comprehensive covered walkway or passage. The porticoes are appreciated as sheltered walkways and prime locations for merchant activities. - in: https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/1650/

Two Towers, Bologna

This postcard was sent by Alessandro

The Two Towers (Italian: Le due torri), both of them leaning, are the symbol of Bologna, Italy, and the most prominent of the Towers of Bologna. They are located at the intersection of the roads that lead to the five gates of the old ring wall (mura dei torresotti). The taller one is called the Asinelli while the smaller but more leaning tower is called the Garisenda. Their names derive from the families which are traditionally credited with having constructed the towers between 1109 and 1119. Their construction was a competition between the two families to show which was the more powerful family. However, the scarcity of documents from this early period makes this in reality rather uncertain. The name of the Asinelli family, for example, is documented for the first time actually only in 1185, almost 70 years after the presumed construction of the tower which is attributed to them. - in: wikipedia

Portico of San Luca

THE PORTICO OF SAN LUCA, THE LONGEST ‘CORRIDOR’ EVER BUILT IN THE WORLD

The walk up to the top of the Colle della Guardia to reach the Sanctuary of the Madonna di San Luca is a tradition that began in the 12th century, when the first church was built to guard and protect an icon of the Byzantine school depicting the Madonna and Child, which religious tradition attributes to St Luke.

There are no less than 3,796 metres of covered and well-paved walkway, made up of 316 arches for the walk on the plain from Porta Saragozza to the Meloncello arch, and 350 arches for the hilly stretch from the Meloncello passage to the Sanctuary of the Madonna di San Luca, for a total of 666 arches.

The number of arches has a profound symbolic meaning: 666 is the devil’s number, and the long, winding portico recalls the serpent, i.e. the devil, and terminating at the foot of the Sanctuary refers to the iconography of the devil defeated and crushed under the foot of the Madonna.

The construction of the portico was completed by the Bolognese architect Carlo Francesco Dotti (1670-1759) to whom we also owe the construction of the new basilica designed for the occasion of the portico and the Arco del Meloncello, the point where the portico leaves Via Saragozza and begins the uphill path to the top of the Colle della Guardia. - in: https://www.guidadibologna.com/the-portico-of-san-luca-the-longest-corridor-ever-built-in-the-world/?lang=en

Djerba: Testimony to a settlement pattern in an island territory

I boght these two cards in Tunisia, but I didn't visit Djerba

Djerba

This serial property is a testimony to a settlement pattern that developed on the island of Djerba around the 9th century CE amidst the semi-dry and water-scarce environment. Low‑density was its key characteristic: it involved the division of the island into neighbourhoods, clustered together, that were economically self-sustainable, connected to each other and to the religious and trading places of the island, through a complex network of roads. 

Sidi Yati Mosque, Djerba

Resulting from a mixture of environmental, socio-cultural and economic factors, the distinctive human settlement of Djerba demonstrates the way local people adapted their lifestyle to the conditions of their water-scarce natural environment. - in: https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/1640/

Longobards in Italy. Places of the Power (568-774 A.D.)

This site is a group of seven sites, each one formed by several monuments... a mess! :D

I visited some years ago the monumental area with the monastic complex of San Salvatore-Santa Giulia in Brescia and I was amazed, specially with the frescoes!

The Longobards in Italy, Places of Power, 568 - 774 A.D. comprises seven groups of important buildings (including fortresses, churches, and monasteries) throughout the Italian Peninsula. They testify to the high achievement of the Lombards, who migrated from northern Europe and developed their own specific culture in Italy where they ruled over vast territories in the 6th to 8th centuries. The Lombards synthesis of architectural styles marked the transition from Antiquity to the European Middle Ages, drawing on the heritage of Ancient Rome, Christian spirituality, Byzantine influence and Germanic northern Europe. - in: http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/1318/

The Santa Sofia complex, Benevento

Santa Sofia Church

This postcard was sent by Eduardo, who went to a wedding in this church.

Santa Sofia is a church in Benevento, southern Italy, one of the main surviving examples of Lombard architecture.

The church was founded by the Lombard Arechis II of Benevento around 760, as testified by numerous privileges signed by him, some of which are in the Museum of Samnium near the church. The edifice was modeled on the Palatine Chapel of the Lombard king Liutprand in Pavia and, after the defeat of Desiderius by Charlemagne and the fall of the Lombard kingdom in northern Italy (774), it became the national church of the Lombards who had taken shelter in the Duchy of Benevento. - in: wikipedia

The Gastaldaga area and the Episcopal complex, province of Udine

Tempietto Longobardo of Cividali del Friuli

This postcard was sent by Cristina and it was damaged by the Italian post service, so she, very kindly, sent me another one in perfect condition inside an envelope!

Tempietto Longobardo of Cividale del Friuli

The so-called “Tempietto Longobardo”, Oratory of Santa Maria in Valle, is one of the most complex and original buildings of Longobard architecture. It’s composed by a single chamber, square-plan, covered in a spacious cross-vault, which terminates in a lower presbytery, divided by pairs of columns in three parts covered in barrel vaults. - in: http://www.italialangobardorum.it/eng/sito/cividale/tempietto.asp?seza=1&sezb=1&sezc=%22

The monumental area with the monastic complex of San Salvatore-Santa Giulia, Brescia

Monastic Complex  of San Salvatore-Santa Giulia

It is an outstanding architectural palimpsest, today transformed into the Museo di Santa Giulia, which contains about 11,000 works of art and archaeological finds. During the period of Longobard domination, Princess Anselperga, daughter of King Desiderius, headed the monastery.

The monastery is traditionally considered the place where Desiderata, wife of Charlemagne and daughter of the Lombard King Desiderius, spent her exile after the annulment of her marriage in 771. -in: wikipedia

Basilica of San Salvatore

It has been built in 753 by Duke of Brescia Desiderius, future Lombard king, and his wife Ansa. It is characterized by the simultaneous use of the Longobards stylistic elements and decorative motifs of classical and Byzantine art and it is one of the most important examples of High Middle Ages architecture in Italy. The basilica has a nave with two apses and has a transept with three apses. It is located over a pre-existing church, which had a single nave and three apses. Expanded in the following centuries, it houses various works of art, including the Stories of St. Obizio painted by Romanino and Stories of the Virgin and the infancy of Christ by Paolo Caylina il Giovane, as well as others from the Carolingian age. - in: wikipedia

Domus dell'Ortaglia

In the former vegetable garden of this monastery have been discovered a group of Roman domus called Domus dell’Ortaglia that were used between the 1st and 4th centuries and they are some of the best preserved domus in northern Italy. - in: wikipedia

Cross of Desiderius

Desiderius’ Cross is a processional cross that used to be carried on a tall staff by hand or on carriages.  Considered its use, it was built in wood and covered with golden metal plates. Tradition recounts that it was a gift to San Salvatore and Santa Giulia monastery from the Longobard king Desiderius, who founded it between 753 and 760 together with his wife Ansa.

Among the examples of crux gemmata survived to the present day, this is the largest and it is covered with 211 gemstones set on the four arms. As unique case for this type of decoration, the goldsmiths here reused numerous ancient gems – about 50 – many of which came from other decorative pieces. - in: http://www.turismobrescia.it/en/punto-d-interesse/desiderius-cross

Capitolium

It was the most important temple of the ancient Brixia, dedicated to the cult of the Capitoline Triad. It was built in 73 AD and consists of three cellae that have preserved much of the original polychrome marble floors,^[18] while their interior walls are decorated by ancient Roman epigraphs placed here in the 19th century. In front of them, there are the remains of the portico, composed of Corinthian columns that support a pediment containing a dedication to the Emperor Vespasian. Almost entirely buried by a landslide of the Cidneo Hill, it was rediscovered in 1823 through various archaeological campaigns. - in: wikipedia

The Sanctuary of San Michele, province of Foggia

Sanctuary of San Michele

This postcard was sent by Pasquale

The Sanctuary of Saint Michael the Archangel (Italian: Santuario di San Michele Arcangelo) is a Roman Catholic shrine on Mount Gargano, Italy, part of the commune of Monte Sant'Angelo, in the province of Foggia, northern Apulia. It has the dignity of a minor basilica.

It is the oldest shrine in Western Europe dedicated to the Archangel Michael and has been an important site of pilgrimage since the early Middle Ages. The historic site and its environs are protected by the Parco Nazionale del Gargano. in: wikipedia

The seven sites that form this group are: (in red what I already have)

• The Gastaldaga area and the Episcopal complex, province of Udine
• The monumental area with the monastic complex of San Salvatore-Santa Giulia, Brescia
• The castrum with the Torba Tower and the church outside the walls, Santa Maria foris portas, province of Varese
• The basilica of San Salvatore, province of Perugia
• The Clitunno Tempietto, province of Perugia
• The Santa Sofia complex, Benevento
• The Sanctuary of San Michele, province of Foggia