Uploads from Frans.Sellies, tagged patrimoinemondial, with geodata

Amsterdam with boat

nobody@flickr.com (Frans.Sellies) — Thu, 02 May 2013 11:17:10 -0700

From Wikipedia: Amsterdam, capital of the Netherlands, has been called the "Venice of the North" for its more than one hundred kilometres of canals, about 90 islands and 1,500 bridges. The three main canals, Herengracht, Prinsengracht, and Keizersgracht, dug in the 17th century during the Dutch Golden Age, form concentric belts around the city, known as the Grachtengordel. Alongside the main canals are 1550 monumental buildings. The 17th-century canal ring area, including the Prinsengracht, Keizersgracht, Herengracht and Jordaan, were placed on the UNESCO World Heritage List in 2010.

Aachener Dom / The Aachen cathedral

nobody@flickr.com (Frans.Sellies) — Tue, 30 Apr 2013 22:51:59 -0700

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Aachen Cathedral, frequently referred to as the "Imperial Cathedral" (in German: Kaiserdom), is a Roman Catholic church in Aachen, Germany. The church is the oldest cathedral in northern Europe and was known as the "Royal Church of St. Mary at Aachen" during the Middle Ages. For 600 years, from 936 to 1531, the Aachen chapel was the church of coronation for 30 German kings and 12 queens.

Charles the Great (Charlemagne) began the construction of the Palatine Chapel around 796, along with the building of the rest of the palace structures. The construction is credited to Odo of Metz. It suffered a large amount of damage around 881, by the Northmen and was restored in 983. In the 14th and 15th centuries, Gothic additions were added, including the choir in 1355. It was restored again in 1881. The core of the cathedral is the Carolingian Palatine Chapel, which is notably small in comparison to the later additions.

In order to sustain the enormous flow of pilgrims in the Gothic period a choir hall was built: a two-part Capella vitrea (glass chapel) which was consecrated on the 600th anniversary of Charlemagne's death. A cupola, several other chapels and a steeple were also constructed at later dates. In 1978, it was one of the first 12 items to make the entry into the UNESCO list of world heritage sites, as the first German and one of the first three European historical ensembles.

Der Aachener Dom / The Aachen cathedral ( Unesco world heritage)

nobody@flickr.com (Frans.Sellies) — Tue, 30 Apr 2013 22:50:59 -0700

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Winter in Kinderdijk

nobody@flickr.com (Frans.Sellies) — Tue, 30 Apr 2013 22:48:57 -0700

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Zoutleeuw, Belgium (Unesco WHS)

nobody@flickr.com (Frans.Sellies) — Tue, 23 Apr 2013 13:23:14 -0700

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Woudagemaal in Holland, a Unesco WHS

nobody@flickr.com (Frans.Sellies) — Fri, 19 Apr 2013 15:00:42 -0700

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Geghard Monastery, Armenia

nobody@flickr.com (Frans.Sellies) — Mon, 15 Apr 2013 11:12:20 -0700

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The monastery of Geghard (Armenian: Գեղարդ, meaning spear) is a unique architectural construction in the Kotayk province of Armenia, being partially carved out of the adjacent mountain, surrounded by cliffs. It is listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

While the main chapel was built in 1215, the monastery complex was founded in the 4th century by Gregory the Illuminator at the site of a sacred spring inside a cave. The monastery had thus been originally named Ayrivank, meaning "the Monastery of the Cave". The name commonly used for the monastery today, Geghard, or more fully Geghardavank (Գեղարդավանք), meaning "the Monastery of the Spear", originates from the spear which had wounded Jesus at the Crucifixion, allegedly brought to Armenia by Apostle Jude, called here Thaddeus, and stored amongst many other relics. Now it is displayed in the Echmiadzin treasury.

The spectacular towering cliffs surrounding the monastery are part of the Azat river gorge, and are included together with the monastery in the World Heritage Site listing. Some of the churches within the monastery complex are entirely dug out of the cliff rocks, others are little more than caves, while others are elaborate structures, with both architecturally complex walled sections and rooms deep inside the cliff. The combination, together with numerous engraved and free-standing khachkars is a unique sight, being one of the most frequented tourist destinations in Armenia.

Beguinage in Hoogstraten, Belgium (Unesco WHS)

nobody@flickr.com (Frans.Sellies) — Sat, 13 Apr 2013 11:30:39 -0700

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The Béguines were women who dedicated their lives to God without retiring from the world. In the 13th century they founded the béguinages , enclosed communities designed to meet their spiritual and material needs. The Flemish béguinages are architectural ensembles composed of houses, churches, ancillary buildings and green spaces, with a layout of either urban or rural origin and built in styles specific to the Flemish cultural region. They are a fascinating reminder of the tradition of the Béguines that developed in north-western Europe in the Middle Ages.
The beguinage of Hoogstraten is, quite unlike many urban beguinages, very sober. It contains a baroque church, 36 houses and a barn. The walled courtyard has two entrances: the main entrance and a back entrance leading onto a parking lot which was laid out as a part of the restoration project. The beguinage itself is a pedestrian zone. Since late 1997 it is fully occupied again.
In 2008, 13 of the proposed 26 Flemish beguinages were inscribed on the Unesco world heritage list.
See also: whc.unesco.org/en/list/855/

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Begijnhof (Béguinage) in Diest, Belgium (Unesco world heritage)

nobody@flickr.com (Frans.Sellies) — Tue, 09 Apr 2013 09:00:23 -0700

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A béguinage (French) or begijnhof (Dutch) is a collection of small buildings used by Beguines. These were various lay sisterhoods of the Roman Catholic Church, founded in the 13th century in the Low Countries, comprising religious women who sought to serve God without retiring from the world.
A béguinage comprises a courtyard surrounded by small dwellings. It is often encircled by a wall and secluded from the town proper by one or two gates. Poor and elderly beguines were housed here by benefactors.

The first béguinages were set up in the 12th century in what has subsequently become the French speaking part of Belgium (Liège). Béguinages are to be found in an area roughly corresponding with present-day Northern and North-Eastern France, Belgium, the Netherlands, Western and North-Western Germany.

The beguines were a religious movement of women. Their success, according to the Belgian historian Henri Pirenne, was due to a surplus of women occasioned by violence, war, military and semi-military operations, which took the lives of many men. Great numbers of women had no option but to unite and collectively secure the aid of rich benefactors.
In 2008, 13 of the proposed 26 Flemish beguinages were inscribed on the Unesco world heritage list.
See also: whc.unesco.org/en/list/855/

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Church in the béguinage of Hoogstraten, Belgium ( Unesco WHS)

nobody@flickr.com (Frans.Sellies) — Mon, 08 Apr 2013 08:39:27 -0700

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The Béguines were women who dedicated their lives to God without retiring from the world. In the 13th century they founded the béguinages , enclosed communities designed to meet their spiritual and material needs. The Flemish béguinages are architectural ensembles composed of houses, churches, ancillary buildings and green spaces, with a layout of either urban or rural origin and built in styles specific to the Flemish cultural region. They are a fascinating reminder of the tradition of the Béguines that developed in north-western Europe in the Middle Ages.
The beguinage of Hoogstraten is, quite unlike many urban beguinages, very sober. It contains a baroque church, 36 houses and a barn. The walled courtyard has two entrances: the main entrance and a back entrance leading onto a parking lot which was laid out as a part of the restoration project. The beguinage itself is a pedestrian zone. Since late 1997 it is fully occupied again.
In 2008, 13 of the proposed 26 Flemish beguinages were inscribed on the Unesco world heritage list.
See also: whc.unesco.org/en/list/855/

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Schokland, the Netherlands

nobody@flickr.com (Frans.Sellies) — Mon, 08 Apr 2013 04:23:59 -0700

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Schokland ( Noordoostpolder) is a former island in the Dutch Zuiderzee. Schokland lost its status as an island when the Noordoostpolder was reclaimed from the sea in 1942. The remains are still visible as a slightly elevated part in the polder and by the still partly intact retaining wall of the waterfront of 'Middelbuurt'.

As a result from the increasing sea-level Schokland transformed from an attractive settlement area in the Middle Ages to a place under continuous threat by floods in the 19th century. By that time the Schoklanders had retreated to the three most elevated parts, Emmeloord, Molenbuurt, and Middelbuurt. A major flood in 1825 brought massive destruction, and in 1859 the government decided to end permanent settlement on Schokland. The former municipality of Schokland was joined to Kampen on the mainland.

Today Schokland is a popular archeological site and host to the Schokland Museum. Schokland was the first UNESCO World Heritage Site in the Netherlands.

See also: whc.unesco.org/en/list/739

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Montebello Castle of Bellinzona, Switzerland

nobody@flickr.com (Frans.Sellies) — Mon, 08 Apr 2013 04:19:59 -0700

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Bellinzona is the administrative capital of the canton Ticino in Switzerland. The city is famous for its three castles (Castelgrande, Montebello, Sasso Corbaro) that have been UNESCO World Heritage Sites since 2000.
The Three Castles of Bellinzona are a group of fortifications located around the town of Bellinzona in canton Ticino, Switzerland. The group is composed of Castelgrande, castle Montebello, castle Sasso Corbaro and fortified walls. The Castelgrande is located on a rocky peak overlooking the valley, with a series of fortified walls that protect the old city and connect to the Montebello. The third castle (Sasso Corbaro) is located on an isolated rocky promontory south-east of the other two.
The origins of Montebello castle date back to the late 13th century; it is documented for the first time, albeit indirectly, in 1313.

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The Citadel in Aleppo, Syria (Unesco WHS, damaged in August 2012)

nobody@flickr.com (Frans.Sellies) — Mon, 08 Apr 2013 04:17:12 -0700

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The Citadel of Aleppo (Arabic: قلعة حلب‎) is a large medieval fortified palace in the centre of the old city of Aleppo, northern Syria. It is considered to be one of the oldest and largest castles in the world. Usage of the Citadel hill dates back at least to the middle of the 3rd millennium BC. Subsequently occupied by many civilizations including the Greeks, Byzantines, Ayyubids and Mamluks, the majority of the construction as it stands today is thought to originate from the Ayyubid period. An extensive conservation work has taken place in the 2000s by the Aga Khan Trust for Culture in collaboration with Aleppo Archeological Society. Dominating the city, the Citadel is part of the Ancient City of Aleppo, a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1986.
In August 2012, during the Battle of Aleppo of the Syrian Civil War, the external gate of the citadel was damaged after being shelled during a clash between the Free Syrian Army and the Syrian Army to gain control over the citadel.

The taxi seen here is a Chevrolet Bel air from 1953.

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Valetta, Malta

nobody@flickr.com (Frans.Sellies) — Mon, 08 Apr 2013 04:18:43 -0700

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Bergen, in Norway

nobody@flickr.com (Frans.Sellies) — Mon, 08 Apr 2013 04:17:35 -0700

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Bryggen (Norwegian, "The Wharf" ), also known as Tyskebryggen ; ("the German Wharf") is a series of Hanseatic commercial buildings lining the eastern side of the fjord coming into Bergen, Norway.
Bryggen was inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage list in 1979.

The city of Bergen was founded in 1070. In 1360 a Kontor of the Hanseatic League was established there, and as the town developed into an important trading centre, the wharfs were improved. The administrative buildings of Bryggen housed clerks from many areas, especially Germany. The main trade was dried cod from Northern Norway in return for cereals from mainland Europe.

The Basilica of San Francesco d'Assisi, Assisi, Italy

nobody@flickr.com (Frans.Sellies) — Tue, 02 Apr 2013 08:07:34 -0700

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The Papal Basilica of St. Francis of Assisi (Italian: Basilica Papale di San Francesco, Latin: Basilica Sancti Francisci Assisiensis) is the mother church of the Roman Catholic Order of Friars Minor—commonly known as the Franciscan Order—in Assisi, Italy, the city where St. Francis was born and died. The basilica is one of the most important places of Christian pilgrimage in Italy. With its accompanying friary, the basilica is a distinctive landmark to those approaching Assisi. It has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 2000.

The basilica, which was begun in 1228, is built into the side of a hill and comprises two churches known as the Upper Church and the Lower Church, and a crypt where the remains of the saint are interred. The interior of the Upper Church is an important early example of the Gothic style in Italy. The Upper and Lower Churches are decorated with frescoes by numerous late medieval painters from the Roman and Tuscan schools, and include works by Cimabue, Giotto, Simone Martini, Pietro Lorenzetti and possibly Pietro Cavallini. The range and quality of the works gives the basilica a unique importance in demonstrating the development of Italian art of this period.

see: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Basilica_of_San_Francesco_d'Assisi

Fachwerk in Maulbronn, Germany

nobody@flickr.com (Frans.Sellies) — Fri, 29 Mar 2013 04:09:35 -0700

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Maulbronn Monastery (German: Kloster Maulbronn) is the best-preserved medieval Cistercian monastery complex in Europe. It is situated on the outskirts of Maulbronn, Baden-Württemberg, Germany and is separated from the town by fortifications. Since 1993 the monastery is part of the Unesco World Heritage.

The monastery was founded in 1147 under the auspices of the first Cistercian pope, Eugenius III. The main church, built in a style transitional from Romanesque to Gothic, was consecrated in 1178 by Arnold, Bishop of Speyer. A number of other buildings — infirmary, refectory, cellar, auditorium, porch, south cloister, hall, another refectory, forge, inn, cooperage, mill, and chapel — followed in the course of the 13th century. The west, east and north cloisters date back to the 14th century, as do most fortifications and the fountain house or lavatorium.

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Das Kloster Maulbronn ist eine ehemalige Zisterzienserabtei in der Ortsmitte von Maulbronn. Kleinstadt und Kloster liegen am Südwestrand des Strombergs, der sich im südlich des Odenwalds und nördlich des Schwarzwalds gelegenen Kraichgau erhebt. Die nächste Großstadt ist das baden-württembergische Pforzheim. Maulbronn gilt als die am besten erhaltene mittelalterliche Klosteranlage nördlich der Alpen. Hier sind alle Stilrichtungen und Entwicklungsstufen von der Romanik bis zur Spätgotik vertreten.

Die Anlage, die von einer Mauer umschlossen ist, beherbergt heute unter anderem mehrere Restaurants, die Polizei, das Rathaus von Maulbronn und andere Verwaltungsämter. In den Klostergebäuden befindet sich auch ein evangelisches Gymnasium mit Internat.

Das Kloster Maulbronn ist seit Dezember 1993 Weltkulturerbe der UNESCO.

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Selimiye Mosque in Edirne, Turkey (Unesco world heritage)

nobody@flickr.com (Frans.Sellies) — Fri, 29 Mar 2013 04:08:21 -0700

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en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Selimiye_Mosque
The Selimiye Mosque (Turkish: Selimiye Camii) is an Ottoman mosque in the city of Edirne, Turkey. The mosque was commissioned by Sultan Selim II and was built by architect Mimar Sinan between 1569 and 1575 . It was considered by Sinan to be his masterpiece and is one of the highest achievements of Islamic architecture.
In 2011 it was added to the Unesco world heritage list.

see also: whc.unesco.org/en/list/1366

The cathedral of Pisa, Italy

nobody@flickr.com (Frans.Sellies) — Fri, 29 Mar 2013 04:05:57 -0700

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Pisa is a city in Tuscany, Central Italy, on the right bank of the mouth of the River Arno on the Tyrrhenian Sea. It is the capital city of the Province of Pisa. Although Pisa is known worldwide for its leaning tower (the bell tower of the city's cathedral), the city of over 88,332 residents (around 200,000 with the metropolitan area) contains more than 20 other historic churches, several palaces and various bridges across the River Arno.

The heart of the Piazza del Duomo is the Duomo, the medieval cathedral, entitled to Santa Maria Assunta (St. Mary of the Assumption). This is a five-naved cathedral with a three-naved transept. The church is known also as the Primatial, the archbishop of Pisa being a Primate since 1092.

Construction of the church was begun in 1064 by the architect Buscheto, and set the model for the distinctive Pisan Romanesque style of architecture. The mosaics of the interior, as well as the pointed arches, show a strong Byzantine influence.

The façade, of grey marble and white stone set with discs of coloured marble, was built by a master named Rainaldo, as indicated by an inscription above the middle door: Rainaldus prudens operator.

Interior of the Euphrasian Basilica, Poreč, Croatia (Unesco WHS)

nobody@flickr.com (Frans.Sellies) — Tue, 19 Mar 2013 10:57:50 -0700

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The Euphrasian Basilica (Croatian: Eufrazijeva bazilika, Italian: Basilica Eufrasiana) is a basilica in Poreč, Croatia. The episcopal complex, including, apart the basilica itself, a sacristy, a baptistery and the bell tower of the nearby archbishop's palace, is one of the best examples of early Byzantine architecture in the Mediterranean region.

The Euphrasian basilica has for the most part retained its original shape, but accidents, fires and earthquakes have altered a few details. Since it is the third church to be built on the same site, it conceals previous buildings, for example the great floor mosaic of the previous basilica from the 5th century. Because of its exceptional value, it has been inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List since 1997.

The earliest basilica was dedicated to Saint Maurus of Parentium and dates back to the second half of the 4th century. The floor mosaic from its oratory, originally part of a large Roman house, is still preserved in the church garden. This oratorium was already expanded in the same century into a church composed of a nave and one aisle (basilicae geminae). The fish (symbol of Christ) on the floor mosaic dates from this period. Coins with the portrayal of emperor Valens (365–378), found in the same spot, confirm these dates.

The present basilica, dedicated to the Virgin Mary, was built in the sixth century during the period of Bishop Euphrasius. It was built from 553 on the site of the older basilica that had become dilapidated. For the construction, parts of the former church were used and the marble blocks were imported from the coast of the Sea of Marmara. The wall mosaics were executed by Byzantian masters and the floor mosaics by local experts. The construction took about ten years. Euphrasius, holding the church in his arms, is represented on one of the mosaics on the apse, next to St. Maurus.

Following the earthquake of 1440 the southern wall of the central nave of the basilica was restored, so that in place of the windows which were destroyed, other were built in the Gothic style.

The most striking feature of the basilica are its mosaics, dating from the 6th century, and which are considered amongst the finest examples of Byzantine art in the world.

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