UKRAINE

This beautiful cover from Ukraine (issued in 2019), celebrates Kyiv, the capital and most populous city in Ukraine. One of the stamps features the Saint-Sophia Cathedral. The monument is part of the Unesco World Heritage Site Kyiv: Saint-Sophia Cathedral and Related Monastic Buildings, Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra. This is a monastic ensemble which was developing from the 11th to the 19th centuries. It comprises churches, monasteries, and caves where saints were buried. It was an important centre of Eastern Orthodox Church. The site was recognized by the UNESCO World Heritage Program in 1990 as one complex. The Church of the Saviour at Berestove, adjacent to the Lavra, was added to the site in 2005.

SWITZERLAND

This cover from Switzerland depict a joint set with Japan issued in 2014. The 100 stamp (on the left) celebrates the Mount Fuji. Mount Fuji, located on the island of Honshū (the "mainland"), is the highest mountain in Japan, standing 3,776.24 m. It is the second-highest volcano located on an island in Asia (after Mount Kerinci on the island of Sumatra), and seventh-highest peak of an island on Earth. It was added to the World Heritage List as a Cultural Site on June 22, 2013. According to UNESCO, Mount Fuji has "inspired artists and poets and been the object of pilgrimage for centuries". UNESCO recognizes 25 sites of cultural interest within the Mount Fuji locality. These 25 locations include the mountain and the Shinto shrine, Fujisan Hongū Sengen Taisha, as well as the Buddhist Taisekiji Head Temple founded in 1290, later depicted by Japanese ukiyo-e artist Katsushika Hokusai.

CROATIA

INDIA

This cover from India depict a 5,00 FAUNA stamp celebrating the Great Himalayan National Park. The Great Himalayan National Park is a national park in India, located in Kullu region in the state of Himachal Pradesh. The park was established in 1984 and is spread over an area of 1171 km2; altitudes within the park range between 1500 and 6000 m. The Great Himalayan National Park is a habitat to numerous flora and more than 375 fauna species, including approximately 31 mammals, 181 birds, 3 reptiles, 9 amphibians, 11 annelids, 17 mollusks and 127 insects. They are protected under the strict guidelines of the Wildlife Protection Act of 1972; hence any sort of hunting is not permitted. In June 2014, the Great Himalayan National Park was added to the UNESCO list of World Heritage Sites, under the criterion of "outstanding significance for biodiversity conservation".

SPAIN

This cover from Spain depict a 0,24€ issued in 2004 celebrating the Archaeological Site of Atapuerca. The Atapuerca Mountains (Spanish: Sierra de Atapuerca) is a karstic hill formation near the village of Atapuerca in the province of Burgos (autonomous community of Castile and Leon), northern Spain. In a still ongoing excavation campaign, rich fossil deposits and stone tool assemblages have been discovered which are attributed to the earliest known hominin residents in Western Europe. This "exceptional reserve of data" has been deposited during extensive Lower Paleolithic presence, as the Atapuerca Mountains served as the preferred occupation site of Homo erectus, Homo antecessor, Homo heidelbergensis and Homo neanderthalensis communities. The earliest specimen so far unearthed and reliably dated confirm an age between 1.2 million and 630,000 years. The Archaeological site of Atapuerca is a World Heritage Site since 2000. Some finds are exhibited in the nearby Museum of Human Evolution, in Burgos.

UKRAINE

EUROPA 2021 from Ukraine.

MOROCCO

This cover from Morocco depict a single stamp celebrating the Al Aqsa Mosque, in Jerusalem (Al Qods in arabic). The Old City of Jerusalem and its walls is also listed by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site since 1981. It was proposed as a site by Jordan. The site is not assigned to a state on the UNESCO listing. In 2011 UNESCO stated "The Old City of Jerusalem" is inscribed on the World Heritage List and the List of World Heritage in Danger.

PORTUGAL

This UNESCO cover from Portugal depict a miniature sheet issued in 2012 celebrating the Levadas of Madeira. In a region where the forest is a World Heritage Site, walking along the levadas of Madeira is a unique way to discover exuberant nature, where the most extensive Laurissilva forest of the Atlantic islands persists, a testament to the ancestral nature of the region. They extend for more than 3 thousand kilometers and wind through steep paths, mountain peaks, natural tunnels that cross the rock, crystalline lagoons and exuberant vegetation, always to the sound of running water. We are talking about the Levadas of Madeira, a set of routes that invite you to unique moments of communion with nature. Walking along one of Madeira's levadas is to discover the Laurissilva , an endemic forest of Macaronesia - a region formed by the archipelagos of Madeira, Azores, Canary Islands and Cape Verde -, on routes that take visitors to the highest points of the island and to the encounter of countless rare species, some unique to Madeira, others from the most remote places in the world. The Laurissilva of Madeira became a UNESCO Natural World Heritage Site in December 1999.

BRAZIL

An amazing cover from Brazil, depicting a complete set issued in 2001 with 8 stamps of endemic Fauna and Flora from the Pantanal. The Pantanal is a natural region encompassing the world's largest tropical wetland area, and the world's largest flooded grasslands. It is located mostly within the Brazilian state of Mato Grosso do Sul, but it extends into Mato Grosso and portions of Bolivia and Paraguay. It sprawls over an area estimated at between 140,000 and 195,000 square kilometres. Various subregional ecosystems exist, each with distinct hydrological, geological and ecological characteristics; up to 12 of them have been defined. Roughly 80% of the Pantanal floodplains are submerged during the rainy seasons, nurturing a biologically diverse collection of aquatic plants and helping to support a dense array of animal species. Pantanal Conservation Area was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2000.

UKRAINE

This cover from Ukraine depicts 2 stamps of each type (issued in 2015) featuring theDrohobych-Tserkva of Saint George in Ukraine and the Kwiatón-Tserkva of Saint Paraskeva in Poland. The Wooden Tserkvas of the Carpathian Region in Poland and Ukraine are a group of wooden Orthodox (and some Eastern Catholic) churches located in Poland and Ukraine which were inscribed in 2013 on the UNESCO World Heritage List which explains: built of horizontal wooden logs between the 16th and 19th centuries by communities of Orthodox and Greek Catholic faiths. The tserkvas bear testimony to a distinct building tradition rooted in Orthodox ecclesiastic design interwoven with elements of local tradition, and symbolic references to their communities’ cosmogony. — World Heritage Centre.

SOUTH AFRICA

This cover from South Africa depict a complete set issued in 2012 celebrating the UNESCO World Heritage Site Vredefort Dome. The Vredefort crater is the largest verified impact crater on Earth. It was 160–300 km across when it was formed; what remains of it is in the present-day Free State province of South Africa. It is named after the town of Vredefort, which is near its centre. Although the crater itself has long since been eroded away, the remaining geological structures at its centre are known as the Vredefort Dome or Vredefort impact structure. The crater is calculated to be 2.023 billion years old, with impact being in the Paleoproterozoic Era. It is the second-oldest known crater on Earth, after Yarrabubba crater. In 2005, the Vredefort Dome was added to the list of UNESCO World Heritage Sites for its geologic interest.

SWEDEN

This cover from Sweden depicts 2 stamps of same type, issued in 2005, celebrating Skogskyrkogården. Skogskyrkogården, "The Woodland Cemetery", is a cemetery located south of central Stockholm, in Gamla Enskede district. It was designed by architects Gunnar Asplund and Sigurd Lewerentz on the site of former gravel pits overgrown with pine trees. It was built in 1917–1920, with additional buildings being added until 1940. Skogskyrkogården is a significant example of how architectural features can be wholly integrated into the environment and has had a profound influence on cemetery design in many countries worldwide. In 1994, Skogskyrkogården was named a UNESCO World Heritage Site and although it does not have the number of famous interments as the Norra begravningsplatsen, its much older counterpart in northern Stockholm, it is a major tourist attraction. At the Tallum Pavilion (a building designed originally by Asplund as staff facilities), visitors can see an exhibition about the cemetery and the story of its origins and the two architects whose vision created it.

FRANCE

This cover from France depict a miniature sheet issued in 2021 with a detail of the Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris. The monument is part of the World Heritage Site Paris, Banks of the Seine. Paris is one of the most popular tourist destinations in the world. Paris, Banks of the Seine, is a collection of properties that cover cultural importance to France and its neighboring areas. Hence, it was inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1991. The total area covered includes Paris and those that are along the banks of the Seine, which is about 365 hectares in land area.

SERBIA

A nice UNESCO cover from Serbia, depicting 4 stamps of same type (issued in 2021) celebrating the "Gamzigrad-Romuliana, Palace of Galerius". Gamzigrad is an archaeological site, spa resort and UNESCO World Heritage Site of Serbia, located south of the Danube river, in the city of Zaječar. It is the location of the ancient Roman complex of palaces and temples Felix Romuliana, built by Emperor Galerius in Dacia Ripensis. The Late Roman fortified palace compound and memorial complex was commissioned by Emperor Caius Valerius Galerius Maximianus in the late 3rd and early 4th centuries. It was known as Felix Romuliana, named after the emperor’s mother. The site consists of fortifications, the palace in the north-western part of the complex, basilicas, temples, hot baths, memorial complex, and a tetrapylon. The group of buildings is also unique in its intertwining of ceremonial and memorial functions. It was declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 2007.

SPAIN

This cover from Spain depict a 0,24€ UNESCO stamp celebrating the Palau de la Musica and Hospital de Sant Pau in Barcelone. Both buildings were constructed in the early 20th century and designed by Lluís Domènech i Montaner in the modernist Art Nouveau movement that was very popular in Barcelona in that period. The two buildings are Montaner's most famous works and were inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1997.

ROMANIA

This cover from Romania depicts 2 stamps of 1L40 celebrating the Danube Delta, inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage site since 1991. The Danube Delta (Romanian: Delta Dunării) is the second largest river delta in Europe, after the Volga Delta, and is the best preserved on the continent. The greater part of the Danube Delta lies in Romania (Tulcea County), with a small part in Ukraine (Odessa Oblast). Its approximate surface area is 4,152 km2, of which 3,446 km2 is in Romania. The Danube Delta, where the Danube river enters the Black Sea, is the largest European wetland. It is home to over 300 bird and 45 freshwater fish species. Important species include sturgeons, European mink, European wildcat, Eurasian otter, and the threatened monk seal.

BRAZIL

THis cover from Brazil depict a R$1,30 stamp issued in 2001 celebrating the Sanctuary of Bom Jesus de Congonhas. Congonhas (Congonhas do Campo until 1948) is a historical Brazilian city located in the state of Minas Gerais. It is a well preserved historic city and retains the characteristics of a baroque city, with its churches, buildings and museums. The city is known for its basilica - the Santuário do Bom Jesus de Matosinhos, commissioned by Portuguese adventurer and miner Feliciano Mendes in 1757 and completed in 1775. In the ramped forecourt of the basilica are twelve soapstone sculptures depicting Twelve Prophets, crafted by Aleijadinho, one of the best artists in the baroque style in the world. The twelve sculptures of old testament prophets around the terrace are considered one of his finest works. Around the forecourt are six chapels with painted wooden scenes depicting the Stations of the Cross. In 1985 the Sanctuary was named a World Heritage Site by UNESCO for its exemplary Baroque architecture and art.

PORTUGAL

A beautiful cover from my country, Portugal, depicting a miniature sheet issued in 2012 with a view of the Historic Centre of Oporto. Porto or Oporto is the second-largest city in Portugal, the capital of the Porto District, and one of the Iberian Peninsula's major urban areas. Porto city proper, which is the entire municipality of Porto, is small compared to its metropolitan area, with an estimated population of just 232,000 people in a municipality with only 41.42 km2. Porto's metropolitan area has around 1.7 million people in an area of 2,395 km2, making it the second-largest urban area in Portugal. Located along the Douro River estuary in northern Portugal, Porto is one of the oldest European centres, and its core was proclaimed a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 1996, as "Historic Centre of Porto, Luiz I Bridge and Monastery of Serra do Pilar". The historic area is also a National Monument of Portugal. The western part of its urban area extends to the coastline of the Atlantic Ocean. Its settlement dates back many centuries, when it was an outpost of the Roman Empire.

BRAZIL

This cover from Brazil depict a joint issue with Syria issued in 2010, with an image of Christ The Redemeer in the city of Rio de Janeiro, which is part of the UNESCO site "Rio de Janeiro - Carioca Landscapes between the Mountain and the sea". The listed site consists of an exceptional urban setting rather than built heritage. It encompasses the key natural elements that have shaped and inspired the development of the city: from the highest points of the Tijuca National Park's mountains down to the sea. They also include the Botanical Gardens, established in 1808, Corcovado Mountain with its celebrated statue of Christ and the hills around Guanabara Bay, including the extensive designed landscapes along Copacabana Bay which have contributed to the outdoor living culture of this spectacular city. Rio de Janeiro is also recognized for the artistic inspiration it has provided to musicians, landscapers and urbanists.

INDIA

THis cover from India depict a 5,00 stamp (the one with the Monkey), celebrating the Manas Wildlife Sanctuary. Manas National Park is a national park, UNESCO Natural World Heritage Site, a Project Tiger reserve, an elephant reserve and a biosphere reserve in Assam, India. Located in the Himalayan foothills, it is contiguous with the Royal Manas National Park in Bhutan. The park is known for its rare and endangered endemic wildlife such as the Assam roofed turtle, hispid hare, golden langur and pygmy hog. Manas is famous for its population of the Wild water buffalo. The Manas National Park was declared a sanctuary on 1 October 1928 with an area of 360 km2. Manas bio reserve was created in 1973. Prior to the declaration of the sanctuary, it was a reserved forest called Manas R.F. and North Kamrup R.F. It was used by the Cooch Behar royal family and Raja of Gauripur as a hunting reserve. In 1951 and 1955, the area was increased to 391 km2. It was declared a World Heritage Site in December 1985 by UNESCO. Kahitama R.F. the Kokilabari R.F. and the Panbari R.F. were added in the year 1990 to form the Manas National Park. In 1992, UNESCO declared it as a world heritage site in danger due to heavy poaching and terrorist activities. On 25 February 2008, the area was increased to 500 km2. On 21 June 2011, it was removed from the List of World Heritage in Danger and was commended for its efforts in preservation.

SPAIN

This cover from Spain depict a 0,24€ issued in 2004 celebrating the Mystery Play of Elche. The Misterio de Elche, in English the Mystery Play of Elche or Elche Mystery Play and in Catalan Misteri d'Elx is a liturgical drama from the Middle Ages that reenacts the Dormition and Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary. The two-act mystery play is performed annually on 14 and 15 August in the Basilica de Santa María in the city of Elche. In 2001, UNESCO declared it one of the Masterpieces of the Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity and, in 2008, inscribed it on its Representative List.

BOSNIA & HERZEGOVINA

Europa Cept 2021.

SWEDEN

Europa Cept miniature sheet from 2017.

UKRAINE

Europa 2021 from Ukraine.

SLOVENIA

THis amazing cover from Slovenia depict a miniature sheet issued in 2017 celebrating Joze Plecnick and their works in Ljubljana. The works of Jože Plečnik in Ljubljana – Human Centred Urban Design is a UNESCO World Heritage Site in Ljubljana, Slovenia, listed in 2021. The site encompasses some of the most prominent works of Slovenian architect Jože Plečnik in Ljubljana. During the interwar period, Plečnik worked to transform Ljubljana from a provincial city to the capital of the Slovenian nation by creating a series of public spaces and public institutions and integrating them into the pre-existing urban fabric. Sites include the St. Michael's Church in Črna Vas, and the following sites in Ljubljana: the promenade along the embankments of the Ljubljanica River and the bridges crossing it, the "Green promenade": Vegova Street with the National and University Library from French Revolution Square to Congress Square and Star Park, Trnovo Bridge, Roman Walls in Mirje, the Church of St. Francis of Assisi, and the All Saints Garden in Žale Cemetery.

BRAZIL

This cover from Brazil depicts 2 stamps issued in 2019 with 2 endemic species from the Atlantic Forest: the Golden Lion Tamarin and the Maned sloth. The Atlantic Forest South-East Reserves, in the states of Paraná and São Paulo, contain some of the best and most extensive examples of Atlantic forest in Brazil. The 25 protected areas that make up the site (some 470,000 ha in total) display the biological wealth and evolutionary history of the last remaining Atlantic forests. From mountains covered by dense forests, down to wetlands, coastal islands with isolated mountains and dunes, the area comprises a rich natural environment of great scenic beauty. It was declared a Natural World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 1999.

SWEDEN

This cover from Sweden depict 2 stamps of same type, issued in 2005, celebrating the Grimeton Radio Station. Grimeton Radio Station, in southern Sweden, close to Varberg in Halland, is an early longwave transatlantic wireless telegraphy station built in 1922–1924, that has been preserved as a historical site. From the 1920s through the 1940s it was used to transmit telegram traffic by Morse code to North America and other countries, and during World War II was Sweden's only telecommunication link with the rest of the world. It is the only remaining example of an early pre-electronic radio transmitter technology called an Alexanderson alternator. It was added to the UNESCO World Heritage List in 2004, with the statement: "Grimeton Radio Station, Varberg is an outstanding monument representing the process of development of communication technology in the period following the First World War." The radio station is also an anchor site for the European Route of Industrial Heritage. The transmitter is still in operational condition, and each year on a day called Alexanderson Day is started up and transmits brief Morse code test transmissions, which can be received all over Europe.

SPAIN

This cover from Spain depict a 0,24€ issued in 2004 celebrating the Rock Art of the Mediterranean Basin on the Iberian Peninsula. The group of over 700 sites of prehistoric Rock art of the Iberian Mediterranean Basin, also known as Levantine art, were collectively declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 1998. The sites are in the eastern part of Spain and contain rock art dating to the Upper Paleolithic or (more likely) Mesolithic periods of the Stone Age. The art consists of small painted figures of humans and animals, which are the most advanced and widespread surviving from this period, certainly in Europe, and arguably in the world, at least in the earlier works. It is notable for the number of places included, the largest concentration of such art in Europe. Its name refers to the Mediterranean Basin; however, while some sites are located near the sea, many of them are inland in Aragon and Castilla–La Mancha; it is also often referred to as Levantine Art (meaning "from Eastern Spain", not the Levant region).

SPAIN

This cover from Spain depict a 0,24€ stamp issued in 2004 celebrating the Roman Walls of Lugo in Galicia province, inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 2000. The walls built to protect the Roman town of Lucus (Lugo) in the 3rd century remain entirely intact and are the best remaining example in Western Europe.

BRAZIL

This cover from Brazil features 3 stamps, including a 0,80R$ stamp issued in 2004 (stamp on the top) celebrating the Pampulha Modern Ensemble. The Pampulha Modern Ensemble (Portuguese: Conjunto Moderno da Pampulha) is an urban project in Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, Brazil. It was designed around an artificial lake, Lake Pampulha, in the district of Pampulha and includes a casino, a ballroom, the Golf Yacht Club and the Church of Saint Francis of Assisi. The buildings were designed by the architect Oscar Niemeyer, in collaboration with the landscape architect Roberto Burle Marx, Brazilian Modernist artists, and engineer Joaquim Cardozo. In July 2016 the site was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site because of its outstanding examples of modern architecture and its importance in the development of a Brazilian architectural identity.

UKRAINE

A nice UNESCO cover from Russia, featuring a minisheet issued in 2021 with several tourist places in Ukraine. One of the places depicted in this minisheet is Chersonesos, an ancient Greek colony founded approximately 2.500 years ago in the southwestern part of the Crimean Peninsula. Chersonesus, also rendered as Chersonese (Chersonesos), in medieval Greek contracted to Cherson is an ancient Greek colony founded approximately 2,500 years ago in the southwestern part of the Crimean Peninsula. Settlers from Heraclea Pontica in Bithynia established the colony in the 6th century BC. The ancient city is located on the shore of the Black Sea on the outskirts of present-day Sevastopol on the Crimean Peninsula, where it is referred to as Khersones. The site is part of the National Preserve of Tauric Chersonesos. The name Chersonesos in Greek means "peninsula" and aptly describes the site on which the colony was established. It should not be confused with the Tauric Chersonese, a name often applied to the whole of the southern Crimea. During much of the classical period Chersonesus operated as a democracy ruled by a group of elected Archons and a council called the Demiurgoi. As time passed, the government grew more oligarchic, with power concentrated in the hands of the archons. In 2013 UNESCO listed Chersonesus as a World Heritage Site.

UKRAINE

THis cover from Ukraine depict a stamp issued in 2015, celebrating the Residence of Bukovinian and Dalmatian Metropolitans. The Residence of Bukovinian and Dalmatian Metropolitans in Chernivtsi, Ukraine, was built for the Eastern Orthodox metropolitan bishop between the years 1864 - 1882 to the designs of the Czech architect Josef Hlávka from Austria-Hungary. The architectural ensemble comprises the former Residence of the Metropolitans with its St. Ioan cel Nou of Suceava Chapel; the former seminary and Seminary Church, and the former monastery with its clock tower within a garden and landscaped park. The Residence, with a dramatic fusion of architectural references, expresses the 19th century cultural identity of the Orthodox Church within the Austro-Hungarian Empire during a period of religious and cultural toleration. In the 19th century, historicist architecture could convey messages about its purpose and the Residence of Bukovinian and Dalmatian Metropolitans is an excellent example. It was declared a UNESCo World Heritage Site in 2011.