Nubian Monuments from Abu Simbel to Philae (Abu Simbel) | Egypt

* sent from Germany

This outstanding archaeological area contains such magnificent monuments as the Temples of Ramses II at Abu Simbel and the Sanctuary of Isis at Philae, which were saved from the rising waters of the Nile thanks to the International Campaign launched by UNESCO, in 1960 to 1980.

Year of Inscription: 1997

High Coast / Kvarken Archipelago | Sweden

The Kvarken Archipelago (Finland) and the High Coast (Sweden) are situated in the Gulf of Bothnia, a northern extension of the Baltic Sea. The 5,600 islands of the Kvarken Archipelago feature unusual ridged washboard moraines, ‘De Geer moraines’, formed by the melting of the continental ice sheet, 10,000 to 24,000 years ago. The Archipelago is continuously rising from the sea in a process of rapid glacio-isostatic uplift, whereby the land, previously weighed down under the weight of a glacier, lifts at rates that are among the highest in the world. As a consequence islands appear and unite, peninsulas expand, and lakes evolve from bays and develop into marshes and peat fens. The High Coast has also been largely shaped by the combined processes of glaciation, glacial retreat and the emergence of new land from the sea. Since the last retreat of the ice from the High Coast 9,600 years ago, the uplift has been in the order of 285 m which is the highest known ''rebound''. The site affords outstanding opportunities for the understanding of the important processes that formed the glaciated and land uplift areas of the Earth''s surface.

Year of Inscription: 2000

Robben Island | South Africa

Robben Island was used at various times between the 17th and 20th centuries as a prison, a hospital for socially unacceptable groups and a military base. Its buildings, particularly those of the late 20th century such as the maximum security prison for political prisoners, witness the triumph of democracy and freedom over oppression and racism.

Year of Inscription: 1999

Belfries of Belgium and France (Antwerp City Hall) | Belgium

Twenty-three belfries in the north of France and the belfry of Gembloux in Belgium were inscribed in 2005, as an extension to the 32 Belgian belfries inscribed in 1999 as Belfries of Flanders and Wallonia. Built between the 11th and 17th centuries, they showcase the Roman, Gothic, Renaissance and Baroque styles of architecture. They are highly significant tokens of the winning of civil liberties. While Italian, German and English towns mainly opted to build town halls, in part of north-western Europe, greater emphasis was placed on building belfries. Compared with the keep (symbol of the seigneurs) and the bell-tower (symbol of the Church), the belfry, the third tower in the urban landscape, symbolizes the power of the aldermen. Over the centuries, they came to represent the influence and wealth of the towns.

Rock Art of Alta | Norway

This group of petroglyphs in the Alta Fjord, near the Arctic Circle, bears the traces of a settlement dating from c. 4200 to 500 B.C. The thousands of paintings and engravings add to our understanding of the environment and human activities on the fringes of the Far North in prehistoric times.

Year of Inscription: 1985

UNESCO World Heritage Sites in Portugal

 This postcard shows fifteen UNESCO WHS in Portugal, all of which are in my collection! 😁

• Convento de Cristo em Tomar
• Mosteiro da Batalha 
• Torre de Belém e Mosteiro dos Jerónimos em Lisboa 
• Zona Central da Cidade de Angra do Heroísmo nos Açores 
• Centro Histórico de Évora
• Mosteiro de Alcobaça 
• Paisagem Cultural de Sintra 
• Centro Histórico do Porto, Ponte Luiz I e Mosteiro da Serra do Pilar
• Sítios Pré-Históricos de Arte Rupestre do Vale do Rio Côa e da Siega Verde 
• Floresta Laurissilva na Madeira 
• Alto Douro Vinhateiro 
• Centro Histórico de Guimarães
• Paisagem da Cultura da Vinha da Ilha do Pico
• Cidade-Quartel Fronteiriça de Elvas e suas Fortificações
• Universidade de Coimbra - Alta e Sofia 

Schokland and Surroundings | Netherlands

Schokland was a peninsula that by the 15th century had become an island. Occupied and then abandoned as the sea encroached, it had to be evacuated in 1859. But following the draining of the Zuider Zee, it has, since the 1940s, formed part of the land reclaimed from the sea. Schokland has vestiges of human habitation going back to prehistoric times. It symbolizes the heroic, age-old struggle of the people of the Netherlands against the encroachment of the waters.