Hanseatic City of Lübeck

This is one of the many German UNESCO World Heritage Sites that I'd love to visit

Lübeck

Lübeck – the former capital and Queen City of the Hanseatic League – was founded in the 12th century and prospered until the 16th century as the major trading centre for northern Europe. It has remained a centre for maritime commerce to this day, particularly with the Nordic countries. Despite the damage it suffered during the Second World War, the basic structure of the old city, consisting mainly of 15th- and 16th-century patrician residences, public monuments (the famous Holstentor brick gate), churches and salt storehouses, remains unaltered. - in: http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/272/

Holsten Gate

This postcard was sent by Gisela

The Holsten Gate ("Holstein Tor", later "Holstentor") is a city gate marking off the western boundary of the old center of the Hanseatic city of Lübeck. Built in 1464, the Brick Gothic construction is one of the relics of Lübeck's medieval city fortifications and one of two remaining city gates, the other being the Citadel Gate ("Burgtor"). Known for its two-round towers and arched entrance, it is regarded today as a symbol of the city. Together with the old city centre (Altstadt) of Lübeck it has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1987. - in: wikipedia

Lübeck

This postcard was sent by Erika

Kakatiya Rudreshwara (Ramappa) Temple, Telangana

 This is the main Shiva temple in a walled complex built during the Kakatiyan period

Ramappa Temple

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Ramappa Temple, also known as the Rudreshwara temple, is a Hindu temple dedicated to the god Shiva, located in Telangana, India. It is 15 km (9.3 mi) from Mulugu, 66 km (41 mi) from Warangal, 209 km (130 mi) from Hyderabad. An inscription in the temple says it was constructed in the year 1213 CE by Recharla Rudra—a General of Kakatiya ruler Ganapati Deva 1199–1262. Located in the vicinity of Ramappa Lake, the Ramappa Temple complex which consist of three temples was constructed between 1212 and 1234, designed and architect by Ramappa—after whom the temple complex is named.

Marco Polo, during his visit to the Kakatiya empire, supposedly called the temple "the brightest star in the galaxy of temples". Ramappa Temple stands majestically on a 6-foot (1.8 m) high star-shaped platform. The hall in front of the sanctum has numerous carved pillars that have been positioned to create an effect that combines light and space wonderfully. The temple is named after the sculptor Ramappa, who built it, and is perhaps the only temple in India to be named after its craftsman.

The main structure is in a reddish sandstone, but the columns round the outside have large brackets of black basalt which is rich in iron, magnesium and silica. These are carved as mythical animals or female dancers or musicians, and are "the masterpieces of Kakatiya art, notable for their delicate carving, sensuous postures and elongated bodies and heads". On 25 July 2021, the temple was inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site as "Kakatiya Rudreshwara (Ramappa) Temple, Telangana". - in: wikipedia

Archaeological Monuments Zone of Xochicalco

This is another great archaeological site in Mexico

Xochicalco

This postcard was sent by Gabino

Xochicalco is a pre-Columbian archaeological site in Miacatlán Municipality in the western part of the Mexican state of Morelos. The name Xochicalco may be translated from Nahuatl as "in the house of Flowers". The site is located 38 km southwest of Cuernavaca, about 76 miles by road from Mexico City. The site is open to visitors all week, from 10 am to 5 pm, although access to the observatory is only allowed after noon. The apogee of Xochicalco came after the fall of Teotihuacan and it has been speculated that Xochicalco may have played a part in the fall of the Teotihuacan empire.

The architecture and iconography of Xochicalco show affinities with Teotihuacan, the Maya area, and the Matlatzinca culture of the Toluca Valley. Today the residents of the nearby village of Cuentepec speak Nahuatl.

The main ceremonial center is atop an artificially leveled hill, with remains of residential structures, mostly unexcavated, on long terraces covering the slopes. The site was first occupied by 200 BC, but did not develop into an urban center until the Epiclassic period (AD 700 – 900). Nearly all the standing architecture at the site was built at this time. At its peak, the city may have had a population of up to 20,000 people. - in: wikipedia

Archipiélago de Revillagigedo

The waters of this archipelago are home of amazing species

This postcard was sent by Marco

Located in the eastern Pacific Ocean, this archipelago is made up of four remote islands and their surrounding waters: San Benedicto, Socorro, Roca Partida and Clarión. This archipelago is part of a submerged mountain range, with the four islands representing the peaks of volcanoes emerging above sea level. The islands provide critical habitat for a range of wildlife and are of particular importance for seabirds. The surrounding waters have a remarkable abundance of large pelagic species, such as manta rays, whales, dolphins and sharks. - in: https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/1510

Rock Paintings of the Sierra de San Francisco

According to some native beliefs recorded by the Jesuits and others, these paintings were drawn by a race of giants

Rock Paintings of the Sierra de San Francisco

This postcard was sent by Marco

From c. 100 B.C. to A.D. 1300, the Sierra de San Francisco (in the El Vizcaino reserve, in Baja California) was home to a people who have now disappeared but who left one of the most outstanding collections of rock paintings in the world. They are remarkably well-preserved because of the dry climate and the inaccessibility of the site. Showing human figures and many animal species and illustrating the relationship between humans and their environment, the paintings reveal a highly sophisticated culture. Their composition and size, as well as the precision of the outlines and the variety of colours, but especially the number of sites, make this an impressive testimony to a unique artistic tradition. - in: https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/714/

Prehistoric Caves of Yagul and Mitla in the Central Valley of Oaxaca

This site provides archaeological and rock-art evidence for the progress of nomadic hunter-gatherers to incipient farmers

Prehistoric Caves of Yagul and Mitla

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The Prehistoric Caves of Yagul and Mitla in the central valley of Oaxaca is an extensive cultural landscape that includes caves and shelters, one of which, the Guilá Naquitz cave has provided extraordinarily well preserved botanical evidence of bottle gourds, beans and squash and the earliest known maize cobs, and two others, Cueva Blanca and Gheo Shih siteshave provided evidence of Pleistocene animals and stone tools and the seasonal use of the abundant summer resources of fruit and small mammals.

Prehistoric Caves of Yagul and Mitla

This postcard was sent by Marco

The gradual shift from social groups based primarily on hunting to ones that were primarily based on settled agriculture took place in multiple areas at the same time across the Mesoamerican region. The property is an exceptional reflection of the evolution from hunter-gathering to more settled communities in this area of the Oaxaca valley. - in: https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/1352

Aqueduct of Padre Tembleque Hydraulic System

This hydraulic system, built by Franciscan friars with support from the local communities, is a unique representation of the ingenious fusion of Mesoamerican and European construction traditions

Aqueduct of Padre Tembleque

This postcard was sent by Marco

The Aqueduct of Padre Tembleque, or Tembleque Aqueduct, is a Mexican aqueduct located between the towns of Zempoala, Hidalgo, and Otumba in the State of Mexico. The structure takes its name from a Spanish friar called Francisco de Tembleque.

Aqueduct of Padre Tembleque

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Originally constructed between 1553 and 1570, the aqueduct stretches 45 kilometres (28 mi) long, beginning at Tecajete volcano just east of Zempoala and terminating at Otumba. It passed mostly at ground level, but also went underground as well as over ravines and valleys. There are three arcades along the aqueduct: the first has 46 arches, the second has 13, and the third has 67 arches. The highest valley the aqueduct spans is Papalote ravine, which is crossed by the 67-arch arcade also known as the Main Arcade, with the tallest arch standing 38.75 metres (127.1 ft), - in: wikipedia