#1707 Estonia

Jõelähtme Church is one of the oldest churches in Estonia. The church was originally made of wood, and it was established during the period of the Danes’ conquest at the beginning of the 1220s. In written records, the Church of Blessed Virgin Mary in Jõelähtme is first mentioned in 1241, and according to the mediaeval administrative system, it belonged to the Tallinn Dome Church.

The present-day appearance of the church has come to being in three major stages, finally acquiring the traditional “triple jump” silhouette group.

Some of the valuable cultural monuments have remained, such as the Renaissance-style pulpit from 1639, and the Baroque altar from 1670. The oldest church bell of the Harju County is also kept at the church.

Visitestonia.com

Aitäh, Patrik !

Sent on: March 1, 2019

Received on: March 6, 2019

#1628 Estonia - Azerbaijan - USA - France - Poland

Thank you all !

Sent on: February 2018

Received on: June 6, 2018

#1389 China

For more info, see received card #451.

Property No #880

Date of Inscription on the List of UNESCO WHS: 1998

Thank you, Jade !

Sent on: September 2, 2017

Received on: September 12, 2017

#1329 Jamaica

Thank you 1

Received on: July 14, 2017

#713 Vilnius, Lithuania

St. Michael the Archangel's Church or the Garrison Church (Lithuanian: Įgulos bažnyčia) is a Roman Catholic church in the city of Kaunas, Lithuania, closing the perspective of the Laisvės alėja, the main pedestrian street. It was built between 1891 and 1895 when Kaunas was part of the Russian empire, in Neo-Byzantine style largely for the use of the Russian Orthodox garrison of Kaunas Fortress.

Wikipedia.org

Thank you, Ilona !

Sent on: August 23, 2014

Received on: August 26, 2014

#712 Vilnius, Lithuania

1. Freedom Monument in Kaunas (1928).

2. The Historical Presidential Palace (Lithuanian: Istorinė Prezidentūra) is a Neo-baroque building in the Old Town of Kaunas, Lithuania that served as the Presidential Palace during the interwar years. Today, the palace is a branch of the M. K. Čiurlionis National Art Museum.

Wikipedia.org

3. Kaunas Castle is located in Kaunas, Lithuania. Archeological evidence suggests that it was originally built during the mid-14th century, in the Gothic style. Its site is strategic – a rise on the banks of the Nemunas River near its confluence with the Neris River. At the beginning of the 21st century, about one-third of the castle was still standing.

Wikipedia.org

Thank you, Ilona !

Sent on: August 23, 2014

Received on: August 26, 2014

#692 Narva, Estonia

1. St. Alexander's Church

2. The Narva River (Estonian: Narva jõgi, Russian: Нарва) (or Narova) is a river flowing into the Baltic Sea, the largest river in Estonia by discharge. Draining Lake Peipsi, the river forms the border of Estonia and Russia and flows through the towns of Narva/Ivangorod and Narva-Jõesuu into Narva Bay. Though the river is only 77 km long, in terms of volume discharged it is the second largest river flowing into the Gulf of Finland. The river gives its name to the Narva culture and the city of Narva.

Wikipedia.org

3. Cathedral of the Resurrection of Christ

Date of Issue: June 2, 2011 - Lighthouses: Vergi

Aitäh, Katrina !

Sent on: July 21, 2014

Received on: July 22, 2014

#561 Taipei, Taiwan

Hawaii is the most recent of the 50 U.S. states (joined the Union on August 21, 1959), and is the only U.S. state made up entirely of islands. It is the northernmost island group in Polynesia, occupying most of an archipelago in the central Pacific Ocean.

Hawaii’s diverse natural scenery, warm tropical climate, abundance of public beaches, oceanic surroundings, and active volcanoes make it a popular destination for tourists, (wind) surfers, biologists, and volcanologists alike. Due to its mid-Pacific location, Hawaii has many North American and Asian influences along with its own vibrant native culture. Hawaii has over a million permanent residents along with many visitors and U.S. military personnel. Its capital is Honolulu on the island of Oʻahu.

The state encompasses nearly the entire volcanic Hawaiian Island chain, which comprises hundreds of islands spread over 1,500 miles (2,400 km). At the southeastern end of the archipelago, the eight "main islands" are (from the northwest to southeast) Niʻihau, Kauaʻi, Oʻahu, Molokaʻi, Lānaʻi, Kahoʻolawe, Maui and the island of Hawaiʻi. The last is the largest and is often called "The Big Island" to avoid confusing the name of the island with the name of the state as a whole. The archipelago is physiographically and ethnologically part of the Polynesian subregion of Oceania.

Hawaii is the 8th smallest, the 11th least populous, but the 13th most densely populated of the 50 U.S. states. Hawaii's ocean coastline is approximately 750 miles (1,210 km) long, which is fourth in the United States after those of Alaska, Florida and California.

Hawaii is one of two states that do not observe daylight saving time, the other being Arizona. It is also one of two states that are not in the contiguous United States; the other is Alaska. Additionally, Hawaii is the only U.S. state not to be located in the Americas. Hawaii is also the only state with an Asian plurality.

Wikipedia.org

State Capital: Honolulu

Largest City: Honolulu

Admission to Union: August 21, 1959

Highest Point: Mauna Kea - 13,796 ft (4205,0 m)

Lowest Point: Pacific Ocean - sea level

Thank you, Lian Tsou !

Sent on: March 31, 2014

Received on: April 9, 2014

#552 Alor Setar, Malaysia

The Kek Lok Si Temple (Pe̍h-ōe-jī: Ki̍k-lo̍k-sī; Penang Hokkien for "Temple of Supreme Bliss" or "Temple of Sukhavati") is a Buddhist temple situated in Air Itam in Penang and is one of the best known temples on the island. It is the largest Buddhist temple in Southeast Asia. The temple is heavily commercialised with shops at every level and inside the main temple complexes.

The construction of the temple began in 1890 and was inspired by the chief monk of the Goddess of Mercy Temple at Pitt Street. With the support of the consular representative of China in Penang, the project received the sanction of the Emperor Guangxu, who bestowed a tablet and gift of 70,000 volumes of the Imperial Edition of the Buddhist Sutras.

The primary benefactor of the Kek Lok Si Temple in 1906 was none other than Kapitan Chung Keng Quee.

In 1930, the seven storey main pagoda of the temple or the Pagoda of 10,000 Buddhas, was completed. This pagoda combines a Chinese octagonal base with a middle tier of Thai design, and a Burmese crown; reflecting the temple's embrace of both Mahayana and Theravada Buddhism.

In 2002, a 30.2m bronze statue of the Kuan Yin was completed and opened to public. It replaced the previous white plaster Kuan Yin statue which was damaged due to a fire a few years earlier. The bronze statue is located on the hillside above the pagoda while the head of the previous statue which survived the fire is preserved and placed on the right hand corner of the new statue.

Wikipedia.org

It's located in George Town in Penang and so it's part of UNESCO WHS as a Melaka and George Town, Historic Cities of the straits of Malacca.

Property No #1223

Date of Inscription on the List of UNESCO WHS: 2008

Thank you, Valerie !

Sent on: March 2, 2014

Received on: March 26, 2014

#424 Eisleben, Germany

These places in Saxony-Anhalt are all associated with the lives of Martin Luther and his fellow-reformer Melanchthon. They include Melanchthon's house in Wittenberg, the houses in Eisleben where Luther was born in 1483 and died in 1546, his room in Wittenberg, the local church and the castle church where, on 31 October 1517, Luther posted his famous '95 Theses', which launched the Reformation and a new era in the religious and political history of the Western world.

Property No #783

Date of Inscription on the List of UNESCO WHS: 1996

Date of Issue: June 6, 2013 - Lighthouses - Flügge

Thank you, Katrin !

Sent on: November 22, 2013

Received on: November 25, 2013

#394 Taiwan

All these cards are showing Sun Moon Lake in Taiwan.

Sun Moon Lake is the largest body of water in Taiwan as well as a tourist attraction. Situated in Yuchi, Nantou, the area around the Sun Moon Lake is home to the Thao tribe, one of aboriginal tribes in Taiwan. Sun Moon Lake surrounds a tiny island called Lalu. The east side of the lake resembles a sun while the west side resembles a moon, hence the name.

Wikipedia.org 

Date of Issue: 2013 | Year of the Snake

Thank you, Ling Yi !

Sent on: October 7, 2013
Received on: October 30, 2013

#367 Atlanta, Georgia, USA

Atlanta is the capital of and the most populous city in the U.S. state of Georgia, with an estimated 2011 population of 432,427. Atlanta is the cultural and economic center of the Atlanta metropolitan area, home to 5,457,831 people and the ninth largest metropolitan area in the United States. Atlanta is the county seat of Fulton County, and a small portion of the city extends eastward into DeKalb County.

Atlanta was established in 1837 at the intersection of two railroad lines, and the city rose from the ashes of the Civil War to become a national center of commerce. In the decades following the Civil Rights Movement, during which the city earned a reputation as "too busy to hate" for the progressive views of its citizens and leaders, Atlanta attained international prominence. Atlanta is the primary transportation hub of the Southeastern United States, via highway, railroad, and air, with Hartsfield–Jackson Atlanta International Airport being the world's busiest airport since 1998.

Atlanta is considered an "alpha(-) world city," and with a gross domestic product of US$270 billion, Atlanta's economy ranks 15th among world cities and sixth in the nation. Although Atlanta’s economy is considered diverse, dominant sectors include logistics, professional and business services, media operations, and information technology. Topographically, Atlanta is marked by rolling hills and dense tree coverage. Revitalization of Atlanta's neighborhoods, initially spurred by the 1996 Olympics, has intensified in the 21st century, altering the city's demographics, politics, and culture.
Wikipedia.org

Date of Issue: January 17, 2013 - Apples

Date of Issue: September 10, 2013 - Battle of Lake Erie

Date of Issue: July 13, 2013 - New England Coastal Lighthouses

Thank you, Renew Family !

Sent on: October 1, 2013

Received on: October 7, 2013

#264 Osijek, Croatia

The Church of St Peter and St Paul (Croatian: Crkva svetog Petra i Pavla), the co-cathedral of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Đakovo-Osijek, is a neo-Gothic sacral structure located in Osijek, Croatia. The multi-tiered 90-metre spire is one of the city's landmarks. The church was built in 1898 on the initiative of Đakovo-based Bishop Josip Juraj Strossmayer.

The church is entered via a small door to the right of the main portal, overlooked by a trio of gargoyles. The interior is a treasure trove of neo-Gothic ornamentation, with a succession of pinnacled altars overlooked by exuberant stained glass windows. The interior was finished off in 1938–1942 when leading Croatian painter Mirko Rački covered the walls and ceilings with brightly colored frescoes illustrating famous episodes from the Old and New Testaments.

Wikipedia.org

Date of Issue: May 31, 2012 - Lighthouses 2012 "St. Peter"

Date of Issue: November 5, 2012 - International Day of the Romani Language

Thank you, Katarina !

Sent on: June 21, 2013

Received on: July 9, 2013

#209 Reykjavik, Iceland

The Hallgrímskirkja (church of Hallgrímur) is a Lutheran (Church of Iceland) parish church in Reykjavík, Iceland. At 74.5 metres (244 ft), it is the largest church in Iceland and the sixth tallest architectural structure in Iceland after Longwave radio mast Hellissandur, the radio masts of US Navy at Grindavík, Eiðar longwave transmitter and Smáratorg tower. The church is named after the Icelandic poet and clergyman Hallgrímur Pétursson (1614 to 1674), author of the Passion Hymns.

State Architect Guðjón Samúelsson's design of the church was commissioned in 1937. He is said to have designed it to resemble the basalt lava flows of Iceland's landscape. It took 38 years to build the church. Construction work began in 1945 and ended in 1986, the landmark tower being completed long before the church's actual completion. The crypt beneath the choir was consecrated in 1948, the steeple and wings were completed in 1974, and the nave was consecrated in 1986. Situated in the centre of Reykjavík, it is one of the city's best-known landmarks and is visible throughout the city. It is similar in style to the expressionist architecture of Grundtvig's Church of Copenhagen, Denmark, completed in 1940.

Wikipedia.org

Date of Issue: September 13, 2012 - Lighthouses II - the Kalfshamar lighthouse

Thank you, Engilbert !

Sent on: March 14, 2013

Received on: March 19, 2013

#190 Amsterdam, Netherlands | NL-1698589

Scheveningen is one of the eight districts of The Hague, as well as a subdistrict (wijk) of that city. Scheveningen is a modern seaside resort with a long sandy beach, an esplanade, a pier and a lighthouse. The beach is popular for watersports such as windsurfing and kiteboarding.

Wikipedia.org

The Scheveningen Lighthouse is a lighthouse in Scheveningen, Netherlands. It was designed by Quirinus Harder and activated finished in 1875.

In de 16th century Scheveningen had a lighthouse already, and the church collected money from the ships using it. It was elevated in 1850, and equipped with a copper cupola and a new light. In the 1870s, Dutch lighthouse designer Quirinus Harder got the assignment for a new lighthouse.

The lighthouse is made of cast iron and consists of nine segments. At the foot of the tower is one house for the supervisor and four more for the lighthouse keeper. The original light rotated in a mercury bath, which was replaced in the 1960s by an electrical system.

Wikipedia.org

Thank you, Alvin (alvinoostveen) !

Received on: February 19, 2013

Travel time: 10 days

Distance: 1469 km (913 miles)