RUSSIAN FEDERATION

This cover from Russia depicts a complete set issued in 2024 celebrating the Petroglyphs of the White Sea and Lake Onega, a UNESCO World Heritage Site in Russia, Republic of Karelia, listed in 2021. The World Heritage Site comprises 33 petroglyph sites in two clusters. The Lake Onega cluster, Pudozhsky District, has 22 petroglyph sites with over 1200 figures. They mostly depict birds, animals, half-human and half-animal figures, as well as geometric shapes possibly representing the moon and the sun. The cluster at the White Sea (Belomorsky District) has 11 sites with over 3400 figures, mostly representing hunting and sailing scenes, together with related equipment, as well as animal and human footprints. They were created 6 and 7 millennia ago and represent a glimpse into the lives of Neolithic cultures of Fennoscandia.

INDONESIA

RUSSIAN FEDERATION

A beautiful cover from Russia, depicting a miniature sheet issued in 2024 with a picture of "Peterhof Palace". The Peterhof Palace, meaning "Pieter's Court") is a series of palaces and gardens located in Petergof, Saint Petersburg, Russia, commissioned by Peter the Great as a direct response to the Palace of Versailles by Louis XIV of France. Originally intending it in 1709 for country habitation, Peter the Great sought to expand the property as a result of his visit to the French royal court in 1717, inspiring the nickname of "The Russian Versailles". The architect between 1714 and 1728 was Domenico Trezzini, and the style he employed became the foundation for the Petrine Baroque style favored throughout Saint Petersburg. Also in 1714, Jean-Baptiste Alexandre Le Blond, likely chosen due to his previous collaborations with Versailles landscaper André Le Nôtre, designed the gardens. Francesco Bartolomeo Rastrelli completed an expansion from 1747 to 1756 for Elizabeth of Russia. The palace-ensemble along with the city center is recognized as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

RUSSIAN FEDERATION

This cover from Russia features a minisheet issued in 2022 celebrating the "150th Anniversary of the State Historical Museum". The State Historical Museum is the largest national historical museum of Russia. It was founded in 1872 upon order of Emperor Alexander II. The building was constructed in the very heart of the capital, in the Red Square, in 1875-1883 upon the project of architect V. Sherwood and engineer A. Semenov. The State Historical Museum complex also includes St. Basil's Cathedral and a monument to Minin and Pozharsky in the Red Square, the Chambers of the Romanov Boyars in Varvarka street, and the Museum of the Patriotic War of 1812. Since 1990, the Museum has been on the UNESCO World Heritage List as part of the Red Square ensemble.

P. R. CHINA

SLOVENIA

P. R. CHINA

This cover from China depicts a complete set issued in 2012 celebrating the Great Silk Road, inscribed as an UNESCo World Heritage Site since 2009. This property is a 5,000 km section of the extensive Silk Roads network, stretching from Chang’an/Luoyang, the central capital of China in the Han and Tang dynasties, to the Zhetysu region of Central Asia. It took shape between the 2nd century BC and 1st century AD and remained in use until the 16th century, linking multiple civilizations and facilitating far-reaching exchanges of activities in trade, religious beliefs, scientific knowledge, technological innovation, cultural practices and the arts. The thirty-three components included in the routes network include capital cities and palace complexes of various empires and Khan kingdoms, trading settlements, Buddhist cave temples, ancient paths, posthouses, passes, beacon towers, sections of The Great Wall, fortifications, tombs and religious buildings.

MONACO

EUROPA 2024 stamp "Marine Life"