BELGIUM - Stoclet House

Postcard sent in a direct swap.
Sent 22/09/2023.

INSCRIPTION/INSCRITO: 2009

When banker and art collector Adolphe Stoclet commissioned this house from one of the leading architects of the Vienna Secession movement, Josef Hoffmann, in 1905, he imposed neither aesthetic nor financial restrictions on the project. The house and garden were completed in 1911 and their austere geometry marked a turning point in Art Nouveau, foreshadowing Art Deco and the Modern Movement in architecture. Stoclet House is one of the most accomplished and homogenous buildings of the Vienna Secession, and features works by Koloman Moser and Gustav Klimt, embodying the aspiration of creating a ‘total work of art' (Gesamtkunstwerk). Bearing testimony to artistic renewal in European architecture, the house retains a high level of integrity, both externally and internally as it retains most of its original fixtures and furnishings. The Stoclet House is an outstanding testimony to the creative genius of the Wiener Werkstätte. It was designed and built in Brussels from 1905 to 1911 by one of the founders of the movement, the Austrian architect Josef Hoffmann, of whose work it is the masterpiece. The Vienna Secession movement bears witness to a profound conceptual and stylistic renewal of Art Nouveau. Ever since its creation the Stoclet House has been and remains one of the most consummate and emblematic realisations of this artistic movement, characterising the aesthetic research and renewal of architecture and decoration in the west at the start of the 20th century.  The Stoclet House decoration was the work of a very large number of artists from the Wiener Werkstätte, including Koloman Moser, Gustav Klimt, Frantz Metzner, Richard Luksch, and Michael Powolny. They worked under the guidance of Hoffmann to achieve a Gesamtkunstwerk (‘total work of art’), which is expressed simultaneously in every dimension – interior and exterior architecture, decoration, furniture, functional objects, and the gardens and their flower beds. From its creation the House inspired many architects in Belgium and other countries. It heralded Art Deco and the Modern Movement in architecture. It bears witness to the influence of the Vienna Secession, and the dissemination of its ideas in Europe at the start of the 20th century. It bears witness to a monument of outstanding aesthetic quality and richness, intended as an ideal expression of the arts. A veritable icon of the birth of modernism and its quest for values, its state of preservation and conservation are remarkable.

My first card from Iran with a really nice stamp. Thank you so much, it´s good to discover new styles of mail.

BELGIUM - The Four Lifts on the Canal du Centre and their Environs, La Louvière and Le Roeulx (Hainaut)

Postcard sent by TANI in an Missing Unesco tag.

Sent 23/02/2023.

INSCRIPTION/INSCRITO: 1998

The four hydraulic boat-lifts on this short stretch of the historic Canal du Centre are industrial monuments of the highest quality. Together with the canal itself and its associated structures, they constitute a remarkably well-preserved and complete example of a late-19th-century industrial landscape. Of the eight hydraulic boat-lifts built at the end of the 19th and beginning of the 20th century, the only ones in the world which still exist in their original working condition are these four lifts on the Canal du Centre.

The four hydraulic boat-lifts on the short stretch of the historic Canal du Centre are industrial monuments of the highest quality. Together with the Canal itself and its associated structures, they constitute a remarkably well preserved and complete example of a highly technical industrial landscape at the end of the 19th century.

The construction of the Canal du Centre to ensure the liaison between the Meuse and the Escaut basins was part of the opening-up programme of Hainaut, a rich industrial region, notably coal, but with very few natural navigable waterways for coal export. Digging work began in 1884 and the opening to navigation took place in 1917.

Thank you so much for this card, Tani!

BELGIUM - Flemish Béguinages

Postal enviada por amiina (Amina) a cambio de una UNESCO de España.

Envío - 24 de Agosto del 2015.

INSCRIPTION/INSCRITO: 1980

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.

Las ”béguines“ eran mujeres que consagraron su vida al servicio de Dios sin retirarse del mundo. En el siglo XIII fundaron los ”béguinages“, recintos que correspondí­an a sus necesidades espirituales y materiales. Los ”béguinages“ flamencos son conjuntos formados por casas, iglesias, dependencias y zonas verdes, que estí¡n estructurados con arreglo a un trazado de carí¡cter urbano o rural. Construidos en los estilos arquitectónicos tí­picos de Flandes, son el testimonio excepcional de una tradición religiosa nacida en el noroeste de Europa en la Edad Media.

http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/855

En nuestro último viaje a Brujas, pasamos por al lado de ”béguinages“ y hasta volver a casa no nos enteramos de que eran! (Para llegar al centro pasas por más de uno).

Thanks for this card Amina! The card put a smile on my face!

BELGIUM - Belfries of Belgium and France

Postal enviada por Amina (amiina)  a cambio de una UNESCO española.

Envío - 04 de Agosto del 2015.

INSCRIPTION/INSCRITO: 1999
EXTENSION: 2005

Twenty-three belfries in the north of France and the belfry of Gembloux in Belgium were inscribed as a group, 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.

Veintitrés campanarios situados en el norte de Francia y el campanario belga de Gembloux han sido inscritos conjuntamente en la Lista del Patrimonio Mundial, ampliando así el sitio formado por 32 campanarios municipales de Flandes y Valonia que ya figuraba en la Lista desde 1999. Construidos entre los siglos XI y XVII, estos campanarios son representativos de diversos estilos arquitectónicos –románico, gótico, renacentista y barroco– y constituyen símbolos muy significativos de la conquista de las libertades cívicas por parte de las poblaciones urbanas. En tiempos en que la mayoría de las ciudades italianas, alemanas e inglesas optaban por construir ayuntamientos, en esta región del noroeste de Europa se prefirió la construcción de campanarios municipales. Entre la tríada de torres que dominaban el paisaje de las ciudades, la del campanario municipal, emblema del poder de los concejales, se erguía frente a la del castillo señorial y la de la iglesia, símbolos respectivos del poder feudal y el eclesiástico. Con el correr de los siglos, llegó a simbolizar el poderío y la riqueza de cada municipio.
http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/943

Este campanario justamente pude verlo en mi último viaje a Bélgica! Justo en la base estaba situado el museo de Salvador Dalí. Este edificio está en el centro de Brujas, una de las ciudades más bonitas del país y que alberga dos lugares UNESCO más.

Thanks for sending me this awesome card Amina! 

BELGIUM - La Grand-Place, Brussels

Postal enviada por Amina en un "missing tag".

Envío - 12 de Agosto del 2016.

INSCRIPTION/INSCRITO: 1998

La Grand-Place in Brussels is a remarkably homogeneous body of public and private buildings, dating mainly from the late 17th century. The architecture provides a vivid illustration of the level of social and cultural life of the period in this important political and commercial centre.

La Plaza Mayor de Bruselas es un conjunto extraordinariamente homogéneo de edificios públicos y privados que datan en su mayoría del siglo XVII. Su arquitectura es un excelente compendio y una viva ilustración del nivel alcanzado en este periodo por la vida social y cultural en este importante centro político y comercial.

Cuando pude visitar por primera vez este fantástico e impresionante lugar aun no coleccionaba lugares UNESCO así que no pude enviarme una postal. Cuando fuimos (yo y mi hermano) nos encontramos la fiesta de la cerveza y posteriormente una presentación olímpica en menos de 5 días. Supongo que será un lugar especialmente utilizado para eventos, y no es para menos, puesto que las vistas desde los 4 rincones te dejan sin aliento.

Thanks a lot Amina for this card!

BELGIUM - Historic Centre of Brugge

Postal enviada por Amina a cambio de una UNESCO española.

Envío - 18 de Junio del 2016.

INSCRIPTION/INSCRITO: 2000

Brugge is an outstanding example of a medieval historic settlement, which has maintained its historic fabric as this has evolved over the centuries, and where original Gothic constructions form part of the town's identity. As one of the commercial and cultural capitals of Europe, Brugge developed cultural links to different parts of the world. It is closely associated with the school of Flemish Primitive painting.

La ciudad de Brujas es un ejemplo excepcional de asentamiento humano medieval que ha conservado su tejido urbano histórico tal como ha ido evolucionando a lo largo de los siglos. Sus construcciones góticas primigenias forman parte de la identidad de esta capital comercial y cultural de la antigua Europa, que estableció vínculos culturales con distintas partes del mundo. El nombre de Brujas está estrechamente unido a la escuela de pintura de los primitivos flamencos.

En mi último viaje a Belgica pase justamente por delante de este edificio. La ciudad de Brujas fue tal vez la que más me gusto, por ese aire místico y medieval que inspiraba, es una lástima que en su momento no coleccionara postales y por consiguiente no me enviara una desde allí. Pero no hay mal que por bien no venga, de esta forma he podido recibir esta postal tan genial por parte de Amina, con un sello también tremendamente interesante!

Thanks for sending me this card Amina! I love it and the place that is on it! Best wishes!

BELGIUM - Notre-Dame Cathedral in Tournai

Postal enviada por un UNESCO RoundRobin.

Envío - 28 de Setiembre del 2015.

INSCRIPTION/INSCRITO: 2000

The Cathedral of Notre-Dame in Tournai was built in the first half of the 12th century. It is especially distinguished by a Romanesque nave of extraordinary dimensions, a wealth of sculpture on its capitals and a transept topped by five towers, all precursors of the Gothic style. The choir, rebuilt in the 13th century, is in the pure Gothic style.

Levantada en la primera mitad del siglo XII, la Catedral de Tournai se distingue por su nave románica de dimensiones excepcionales, sus capiteles ricamente esculpidos y su crucero con cinco torres precursoras del arte gótico. El coro fue reconstruido en el siglo XIII en el más puro estilo gótico.

La primera postal de Belgica! Ya he estado por el pais pero no he tenido la oportunidad de ver este lugar!

Thanks for the card and for the funny Smurf stamp, I love it!