Country: Russia
Distance: 1,066 km
Travel time: 15 days
14 часов назад
DE-902195 132- aя открыткa
Country: Germany
Distance: 1,101 km
Travel time: 6 days
On postcard: Aldabra giant tortoise
The Aldabra giant tortoise (Aldabrachelys gigantea), from the islands of the Aldabra Atoll in the Seychelles, is one of the largest tortoises in the world. This species is widely referred to as Aldabrachelys gigantea but has also been placed in the genus Dipsochelys as Dipsochelys dussumieri.
Anatomy and morphology
The carapace is a brown or tan color with a high domed shape. It has stocky, heavily scaled legs to support its heavy body. The neck of the Aldabra giant tortoise is very long, even for its great size, which helps the animal to exploit tree branches up to a meter from the ground as a food source.
Similar in size to the famous Galápagos giant tortoise, its carapace averages 120 centimetres (47 in) in length. The average weight of a male is around 250 kilograms (550 lb), but one male at the Fort Worth Zoological Park weighs over 360.25 kilograms (794.2 lb). Females are generally smaller than males, with average specimens measuring 90 centimetres (35 in) in length and weighing 150 kilograms (330 lb).
Range and distribution
The main population of the Aldabra giant tortoise resides on the islands of the Aldabra Atoll in the Seychelles. The atoll has been protected from human influence and is home to some 152,000 giant tortoises, the world's largest population of the animal. Another isolated population of the species resides on the island of Zanzibar, and other captive populations exist in conservation parks in Mauritius and Rodrigues. The tortoises exploit many different kinds of habitat including grasslands, low scrub, mangrove swamps, and coastal dunes.
Habitat
A peculiar kind of habitat has co-evolved due to the grazing pressures of the tortoises: "tortoise turf," a comingling of 20+ species of grasses and herbs. Many of these distinct plants are naturally dwarfed and grow their seeds not from the tops of the plants, but closer to the ground to avoid the tortoises' close cropping jaws.
As the largest animal in its environment, the Aldabra tortoise performs a role similar to that of the elephant. Their vigorous search for food fells trees and creates pathways used by other animals.
Feeding ecology
Primarily herbivores, Aldabra giant tortoises will eat grasses, leaves, and woody plant stems. They occasionally indulge in small invertebrates and carrion, even eating the bodies of other dead tortoises. In captivity, Aldabra giant tortoises are known to enjoy fruits such as apples and bananas as well as compressed vegetable pellets.
There is little fresh water available for drinking in the tortoises' natural habitat, therefore they obtain most of their moisture from their food.
Aldabra giant tortoise Aldabrachelys gigantea at Bristol Zoo, England
The Aldabra tortoise has two main varieties of shell. Specimens living in habitats with food available primarily on the ground have a more dome-shaped shell with front extending downward over the neck. Those living in an environment with food available higher above the ground have a more flattened top shell with the front raised to allow the neck to extend upward freely.
Behavior
Aldabra tortoises are found both individually and in herds, which tend to gather mostly on open grasslands. They are most active in the mornings when they spend time browsing for food.
A herd of Aldabra tortoises at the Botanical Gardens, Mahé
They dig underground burrows or rest in swamps to keep cool during the heat of the day.
While they are characteristically slow and cautious, they are capable of appreciable speed, especially when tempted with a treat. They are also known to attempt perilous acrobatic feats, rising precariously on their hind legs to reach low branches. They risk death by tipping onto their backs and being unable to right themselves.
They are also excellent swimmers, being naturally buoyant. This factor has allowed the spread and eventual speciationof many kinds of related tortoises across the Indian Ocean.
The tortoises are not domestic or tame, but they are remarkably indifferent to the presence of humans. They do not seem to have any fear of people; some even seek them out for attention. Some like to have their heads patted, others enjoy having their necks scratched where they meet their plastron.
Life history
Large tortoises are among the longest-lived animals on the planet. Some individual Aldabra giant tortoises are thought to be over 200 years of age, but this is difficult to verify because they tend to outlive their human observers. Adwaita was reputedly one of four brought by British seamen from the Seychelles Islands as gifts to Robert Clive of the British East India Company in the 18th century, and came to Calcutta Zoo in 1875. At its death in March 2006 at the Kolkata (formerly Calcutta) Zoo in India, Adwaita is reputed to have reached the longest ever measured life span of 255 years (birth year 1750). Adwaita's was determined by carbon dating his shell, making his age to be around 255 in 2006.Today, Esmeralda is thought to be the oldest living giant tortoise at 170 years old, since the death of Harriet at 176, a Galapagos giant tortoise. Esmeralda is an Aldabra giant tortoise.
In captivity
The Aldabra tortoise is recently becoming more available in the pet trade. The price still makes them somewhat of an exclusive animal, costing between $1,000 and $20,500 depending on size as of 2006. Care for these tortoises requires a good deal of commitment. They are very powerful as adults, and can be destructive in a typical suburban setting; capable of ramming through fences and doors. Fairly expensive accommodations are necessary to contain thesetortoises and keep them at a comfortable temperature throughout the year (80-95°F 27-35°C).
Breeding
Between February and May, females lay between 9 and 25 rubbery eggs in a shallow, dry nest. Usually less than half of the eggs are fertile. Females can produce multiple clutches of eggs in a year. After incubating for about 8 months, the tiny, independent young hatch between October and December.
In captivity, oviposition dates vary. Tulsa Zoo maintains a small herd of Aldabra tortoises and they have reproduced several times since 1999. One female typically lays eggs in November and again in January, providing the weather is warm enough to go outside for laying. The zoo also incubates their eggs artificially, keeping two separate incubators at 81 degrees F and 86 degrees F. On average, the eggs kept at the latter temperature hatch in 107 days.
Conservation
The Aldabra giant tortoise has an unusually long history of organized conservation. Albert Gunther of the British Museum, who later moved to the Natural History Museum of London (enlisting Charles Darwin and other famous scientists to help him) worked with the government of Mauritius to establish a preserve at the end of the 19th century. The related, but distinct, species of giant tortoise from the Seychelles islands (Seychelles giant tortoise Dipsochelys hololissa and Arnold's giant tortoise D. arnoldi) are the subject of a captive breeding and reintroduction programme by the Nature Protection Trust of Seychelles.
JP-163443 131- aя открыткa
Country: Japan
Distance: 8,256 km
Travel time: 16 days
On postcard: Nikkō National Park
Nikkō National Park (日光国立公園 Nikkō Kokuritsu Kōen) is a national park in the Kantō region, on the main island of Honshū in Japan. The park spreads over four prefectures: Tochigi, Gunma, Fukushima, and Niigata.
This is one of the most beautiful parks in Japan. Historic heritages such as shrines and temples there harmonize with the excellent natural scenery, and a number of foreign tourists enjoy the Japanese culture and traditional art.
Among the Nikko mountains, famous ones are Mt. Okushirane (2,578m), Mt. Nantai, Mt. Nasu, and Mt. Hiuchi. On the summit of Mt. Nantai, there is a volcanic crater. Numerous plateaus, rivers, cascades, water-falls, lakes and deep forests are forming together picturesque landscapes. Ozega-hara, the highest moorland in Japan, is particularly beautiful when Mizu-basho (Lysichiton camtschatcense) and other moor-plants bloom from June to July.
In addition to such natural beauty, Nikko has the finest handwork of artisan for mausolea. Toshogu Shrine and Rinnoji Temple are the best representative of magnificent structures there in perfect harmony with natural beauty. There are also many hot springs, and hiking, camping, skiing, skating and fishing are very popular in this park.
The park can be reached in a couple of hours from Tokyo, and roads and hotels are well accommodated.
CA-162660 385145 130- aя открыткa
Country: Canada
Distance: 5,782 km
Travel time: 8 days
On postcard: Lunenburg, Nova Scotia, a dory shop where the famous flat bottomed boats with flared sides are made.
Lunenburg (2006 population: 2,317), is a Canadian port town in Lunenburg County, Nova Scotia.
Situated on the province's South Shore, Lunenburg is located on a peninsula at the western side of Mahone Bay. The town is approximately 90 kilometres southwest of the county boundary with the Halifax Regional Municipality.
The historic town was designated a United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) World Heritage Site in 1995.
This designation ensures protection for much of Lunenburg's unique architecture and civic design, being the best example of planned British colonial settlement in North America.
Foreign Protestants
For over a hundred years, Lunenburg was an Acadian/ Mi’kmaq village named Mirligueche. It was established under the command of Isaac de Razilly in the first half of the seventeenth century.
Despite the British Conquest of Acadia in 1710, Nova Scotia remained primarily occupied by Catholic Acadians and Mi'kmaq. Father Le Loutre's War began when Edward Cornwallis arrived to establish Halifax with 13 transports on June 21, 1749. By unilaterally establishing Halifax the British were violating earlier treaties with the Mi'kmaq (1726), which were signed after Dummer's War. The British quickly began to build other settlements. To guard against Mi'kmaq, Acadian and French attacks on the new protestant settlements, British fortifications were erected in Halifax (1749), Dartmouth (1750), Bedford (Fort Sackville) (1751), Lunenburg (1753) and Lawrencetown (1754). The Natives and Acadians raided the Lunenburg peninsula eight times in the first six years of its establishment.
Upon the outbreak of Father Le Loutre's War, on October 5, 1749, Governor Edward Cornwallis sent Commander White with troops in the 20 gun sloop Sphinx to Mirligueche (i.e., Lunenburg) and had the village destroyed. Three years after, as the war continued, John Creighton led a group of Foreign Protestants to settle the area and renamed it Lunenburg (1753). In 1753, during Father Le Loutre's War, the British unilaterally established Lunenburg, that is, without negotiating with the Mi'kmaq people. In the spring, Governor Hopson was received warnings from Fort Edward that as many as 300 natives nearby were prepared to oppose the settlement of Lunenburg and intended to attack upon the arrival of settlers. Supervised by Lawrence and protected by several ships of the British Navy and by 160 Regular soldiers, protestant settlers established the village.
The original inhabitants of Lunenburg (mostly Germans from the southern Rhineland, Swiss and French Protestants from Montbeliard) came during the same wave of immigration that produced the Pennsylvania Dutch. They were "Foreign Protestants" encouraged by the British to settle in the area. Lunenburg was settled by Foreign Protestants who came from the present day Tripoint of France, Germany and Switzerland. The town was named in honour of King George II, who also happened to be the duke of Brunschweig-Luneburg.
The Hoffman Insurrection
During Father Le Loutre's War, in mid December 1753, within six months of their arrival at Lunenburg, the new settlers rebelled against their living conditions. The rebellion became known as "The Hoffman Insurrection." The Rebellion was led by John Hoffman, one of the Captains who had established the settlers in the town.
Hoffman led a mob which eventually locked up in one of the blockhouses a number of Commander Patrick Sutherland’s troops and the Justice of the Peace. Commander Patrick Sutherland at Lunenburg asked for reinforcements from Halifax and Colonel Robert Monckton was sent with troops. Monckton arrested Hoffman and brought him to Halifax where he was fined and imprisoned on Georges Island (Nova Scotia) for two years.
Because of the living conditions and encouragement from Le Loutre, a number of the French and German-speaking Foreign Protestants left the village to join the Acadian communities.
French and Indian War
During the French and Indian War (1754–1763), the town was protected by several small blockhouses that were garrisoned by British regulars as well as by provincial troops from Massachusetts. These forts were erected to protect the town from raids by French warships and from attacks by Acadians and Indians. During the Expulsion of the Acadians, specifically the Bay of Fundy Campaign (1755), the British sent the Acadian cattle at Grand Pre to Lunenburg to support the British settlement that was established with Foreign Protestants.
Raid on Lunenburg (1756)
There were eight raids on the Lunenburg Peninsula during the war. For example, Indians (Maliseet) attacked in the Raid on Lunenburg (1756), in which twenty settlers were killed. Despite the protection of increased number of blockhouses built on the peninsula, eight more Indian/ Acadian raids happened against those on the Lunenburg Peninsula over the next three years. A total of 32 people from Lunenburg were killed in the raids with more being taken prisoner. The British reported that most of these raids were by the Mi'kmaq and Acadians at Cape Sable Island.
American Revolution
During the American Revolution, the American Privateers engaged in the Raid of Lunenburg (1775) and the Raid on Lunenburg (1782) and on both occasions devastated the town. In the raid of 1775, the 84th Regiment of Foot (Royal Highland Emigrants) had been defending Nova Scotia, attacking the American privateer ship off of Lunenburg, Nova Scotia, as the privateers were looting the town. The privateers were then taken to Halifax.
War of 1812
During the War of 1812, Nova Scotia’s contribution to the war effort was communities either purchasing or building various privateer ships to siege American vessels. Three members of the community of Lunenburg purchased a privateer schooner and named it Lunenburg on August 8th, 1814. The owners were Capt. Oxner, Henry Wollenkaupt, Philip Rudolf and Henry Mosher. The schooner was ninety-three tons, five guns and a crew of forty-five men.
The Lunenburg captured the American vessel Lucy on September 15th, 1814, and the American ship Ranger on November 15th, both prizes were brought back to Lunenburg. One of the largest American privateer schooners the Lunenburg caught was Minerva, of Wiscasset, Maine. Another was the sloop Experiment, caught off of Point Judith, Rhode Island on January 21st, 1815. Over the following weeks, the Lunenburg captured three American sloops and one schooner by February 15th, 1815.
Bluenose
Lunenburg has long history of building woodenships. The most famous is the world famous schooner Bluenose and her daughter Bluenose II which remains an important tourist attraction in the town, her home port.
Economy
Tourism is now Lunenburg's most important industry and many thousands visit the town each year. A number of restaurants, inns, hotels and shops exist to service the tourist trade. Numerous artists operate their own galleries. The town is home to the Fisheries Museum of the Atlantic, part of the Nova Scotia Museum. The schooner replica Bluenose II is operated by the museum and based out of Lunenburg. The town is also home to the privately run Halifax and Southwestern Railway Museum and the Knaut-Rhuland House Museum.
The town has a history of being an important seaport and shipbuilding centre. There are now numerous small businesses, high-tech industries including Composites Atlantic and HB Studios, and trade plants including High Liner Foods, which was at one point the largest fish plant in Canada. This plant now handles manufacturing and most fishing is done offshore.
Culture
The 2010 Japanese movie Hanamizuki was partly set and filmed in Lunenburg and the science fiction television show Haven is partly filmed there though it is set in the United States. The town is featured prominently in a 2010 series of Cisco Systems network product ads starring Ellen Page.
RU-385145 129- aя открыткa
Country: Russia
Distance: 2,156 km
Travel time: 21 days
On postcard: lake Aslykul
The Deep, Kingston Upon Hull, England
The Deep is a large underwater aquarium situated at Sammy's Point, at the confluence of the River Hull and the Humber estuary in Hull, England. It opened in March 2002.
Billed as 'the world's only submarium' the tanks contain thousands of sea creatures (including seven species of shark), 2.5 million litres of water and 87 tonnes of salt housed in an iconic structure designed by Sir Terry Farrell and built as part of the UK National Lottery's Millennium Commission project.
Since opening, The Deep has welcomed over two million visitors from around the world.
As well as a tourist attraction, The Deep is a centre for marine research. Behind the scenes a team of dedicated marine biologists look after all of the animals in The Deep’s collection as well as carrying out vital research into the marine environment.
The Deep also has an education program with an average of 20,000 school visits a year passing through its three dedicated classrooms.
The Deep is one of the most successful millennium projects in the Country.
A visit will generally last between 2 and 3 hours. Using a combination of hands on interactives, audiovisual presentations and living exhibits it tells the story of the world's oceans. Visitors will be taken on a journey from the beginning of time through the present day oceans the icy darkness of a futuristic Deep-Sea research lab, Deep Blue one. One is directed up to the third floor and from this level a gently sloping ramp with interspersed audio-visual displays and interactive features leads you back down a couple of levels. Along the way, the handrail depicts time from the beginning of the Earth (1.5 cm = 1,000,000 years) and the displays are located at the chronological point along the way.
At the bottom of the ramp is a bright lagoon with many brightly coloured tropical fish. Details of their habitat can be found on the interactive "find your creature" panels.
Next comes the main feature, a 10 metre deep pool containing 2.5 million litres of water, several sharks and large rays and a multitude of other fish. Early each afternoon, a show dive is performed where two members of the team dive to the bottom of this tank and feed the sharks and rays by hand.
Further things to see include fish that glow in the dark, coral and sea horses. Finally, there is an interactive area where one can learn to control an underwater diving vessel.
The Deep is a charitable public aquarium dedicated to increasing peoples enjoyment and understanding of the world’s oceans.
The Deep hosts a variety of special events for schools, families and others, all maintained for all ages: details can be found on its website.
FR-142858 128- aя открыткa
Country: France
Distance: 1,844 km
Travel time: 7 days
On postcard: Camargue (horse)
The Camargue is an ancient breed of horses found in the Camargue area in southern France. For centuries, possibly thousands of years, these small horses have lived wild in the harsh environment of the Camargue marshes and wetlands of the Rhone delta. There they developed the stamina, hardiness and agility for which they are known today. They are the traditional mount of the gardians–the Camargue "cowboys" who herd the black Camargue bulls used in bullfighting in southern France. Camargue horses galloping through water is a popular and romantic image of the region.
Camargue horses are always gray. This means that they have black skin underlying a white hair coat as adult horses. They are born with a hair coat that is black or dark brown in colour, but as they grow to adulthood, their hair coat becomes ever more intermingled with white hairs until it is completely white. They are small horses, generally 13 to 14 hands (52 to 56 inches, 132 to 142 cm). Despite their small size, they have the strength to carry grown men. Rugged and intelligent, they have a short neck, deep chest, compact body, well-jointed, strong limbs and a full mane and tail.
There exists a strong sense of regionalism in Camargue area, so registration for the horses is treated similarly to an Appellation d'origine contrôlée.
Some researchers believe the Camargue are descended from the ancient Solutré horse hunted during the Upper Paleolithic period. Extensive archeological evidence has been found in the present-day Burgundy region of France. The Camargue breed was appreciated by the Celtic and Roman invaders who entered the Iberian Peninsula. Their genealogy is closely tied with Iberian horses, especially those of the northern part of the peninsula. The original Spanish jaca was probably a cross between the Celtic pony and the Camargue. It was later improved by crosses with northern European horse types and ultimately with the southern peninsular horse, as the Moors spread their influence toward the Pyrenees.
As a result, the Camargue genes probably penetrated the Americas through the influence of the jaca, the warhorse taken to new lands where hardiness was a requirement. Breeds such as the Chilean horse and Criollo show signs of some characteristics that are common in the Camargue breed.
In 1976, to preserve the standards and purity of the breed, the French government set breed standards and started registering the main breeders of the Camargue horse. In 1978, they set up the breed stud book. To be registered, foals must be born out of doors and must be seen to suckle from a registered mare as proof of parentage. Foals born inside the defined Camargue region are registered sous berceau, while those born elsewhere are registered hors berceau ("outside the cradle" or "birthplace"). They have the heavy, square heads of primitive horses, but the influence of Arabian, Barb and Thoroughbred blood can also be seen. The gardians look after the horses, which are rounded up annually for health inspections, branding, and gelding of unsuitable stock.
In England, the only breeding herd is at Valley Farm, in Wickham Market, near Woodbridge, Suffolk. Valley Farm is also the home of the British Camargue Horse Society, which represents the Camargue Breed in Britain by maintaining a stud book for British-bred Camargue Horses and registering ownership of Camargue Horses in Britain.
Uses
Their calm temperament, agility, intelligence and stamina has resulted in these horses being used for equestrian games, dressage, and long distance riding, which is growing in popularity in France.
Međugorje, Bosna i Hercegovina
Međugorje or Medjugorje (Croatian pronunciation: [ˈmɛdʑuɡɔːrjɛ]) is a town located in western Bosnia and Herzegovina, in the Herzegovina region around 25 km southwest of Mostar and close to the border of Croatia. Since 1981, it has become a popular site of religious pilgrimage due to reports of apparitions of the Virgin Mary to six local Catholics.
The name Međugorje literally means "an area between mountains". At an altitude of 200 metres above sea level it has a mild Mediterranean climate. The town consists of an ethnically-homogeneous Croat population of over 4000. The Roman Catholic parish (local administrative and religious area) consists of five neighbouring villages, Međugorje, Bijakovići, Vionica, Miletina and Šurmanci.
In March 2010, the Holy See announced that the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith was forming an investigative commission, composed of bishops, theologians, and other experts, under the leadership of Cardinal Camillo Ruini, the Pope's former Vicar General for the Diocese of Rome.
Reported apparitions
"Our Lady of Međugorje" is the title given to the Blessed Virgin Mary by those who believe that she has been appearing since 24 June 1981 to six people in Međugorje (then part of socialist Yugoslavia).
The visionary Marija Lunetti (Pavlovic) claims to receive messages from the Virgin Mary on the twenty-fifth of every month, while Mirjana Soldo (Dragicevic) reports receiving messages on the second of the month.
The messages reputed to Our Lady of Međugorje have a strong following among Catholics worldwide. Međugorje has become one of the most popular pilgrimage sites for Catholics (and people of other faiths) in the world and has turned into Europe's third most important religious place, where each year more than 1 million people visit. It has been estimated that 30 million pilgrims have come to Međugorje since the reputed apparitions began in 1981. Many have reported visual phenomena including the sun spinning in the sky or changing colors and figures such as hearts and crosses around the sun. Some visitors have suffered eye damage while seeking to experience such phenomena.
On June 4, 2008, before a regular Wednesday general audience, Pope Benedict XVI blessed a statue of Our Lady of Međugorje in Saint Peter's Square, Vatican City. However, the phenomenon is not officially approved by the Catholic Church.
In March 2010, the Holy See announced that the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith was forming an investigative commission, composed of bishops, theologians, and other experts, under the leadership of Cardinal Camillo Ruini, the Pope's former Vicar General for the Diocese of Rome. The Commission is expected to report any findings to the Congregation, which has responsibility for any possible judgment on the case.
Early history
To the east of Međugorje in the Neretva valley, the Serbian Orthodox Žitomislić Monastery has stood since 1566. Gravestones erected in the Middle Ages have remained to this day in the Catholic cemetery Groblje Srebrenica in the hamlet of Miletina as well as in the hamlet of Vionica. In the area of the cemetery in Miletina, structures from the Roman era stood, whose ruins have not yet been fully excavated.
19th and early 20th century
In 1882 the railroad line between Mostar and the Adriatic coast of Dalmatia was built, with a station in the hamlet of Šurmanci, through which the village gained access to rail transport.
The Catholic parish of Sveti Jakov ("Saint James") was erected in 1892 by the Bishop of Mostar Paškal Buconjić. The twelve-meter tall crucifix on the mountain called Križevac (Cross Mountain), completing the parish's Stations of the Cross (križni put), was completed in 1934.
Second World War
In 1941, when Međugorje belonged to the Independent State of Croatia, the Žitomislić Monastery was plundered by the Ustasha, and its refectory was burned down.
On June 21, 1941, members of the Ustasha committed a massacre in the hamlet of Šurmanci against 559 Serb civilians, which led Mostar bishop Alojzije Mišić to write a letter of protest to the Archbishop of Zagreb Aloysius Stepinac. The Communist government of Yugoslavia had the pit containing the bodies sealed with a concrete slab; hence they were only exhumed and reburied at the cemetery of Prebilovci in the neighboring town of Čapljina in 1989.
Development of the pilgrimage site
On June 24, 1981, reports began of Marian apparitions on Crnica hill in the Bijakovići hamlet, and shortly thereafter confrontations with Yugoslav state authorities began. Pilgrims' donations were seized by the police and access to what was called the Apparition Hill was largely blocked.
In October 1981, Jozo Zovko, then the pastor of the town, was sentenced to three and a half years imprisonment with forced labor for allegedly participating in a nationalistic plot. After Amnesty International, among others, appealed for his release and a judicial appeal was made, the sentence was reduced in the Yugoslav Federal Court in Belgrade to one and a half years, and the priest was released from prison in 1983.
In the last years before the collapse of Yugoslavia, the travel of pilgrims was no longer hindered by the state.
Međugorje during the Bosnian War
During the Bosnian War Međugorje remained in the hands of the Croatian Defence Council and in 1993 became part of the internationally unrecognized Croatian Republic of Herzeg-Bosnia. By the Dayton Agreement in 1995, Međugorje was incorporated into the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina, populated mostly by Bosniaks and Croats.
In 1992 the town was the launching point of a so-called ethnic cleansing on the part of the Croatian Defence Council, which led to the complete destruction of the Serbian Orthodox Žitomislić Monastery. The property of the Franciscan order in Bijakovići below Podbrdo ("Apparition Hill") was used during the war years as a testing ground for grenade launchers by the militia of a local weapons dealer.
On April 2, 1995, at the high point of conflict within the local diocese, Bishop Ratko Perić was kidnapped by Croatian militiamen, beaten, and taken to a chapel run by one of the Franciscans associated with Međugorje, where he was held hostage for ten hours. At the initiative of the mayor of Mostar he was freed without bloodshed, with the help of the United Nations Protection Force.
Development after the war
After the ending of the Bosnian War, peace came to the area: UN peace troops were stationed in western Herzegovina. Efforts by the politician Ante Jelavić to create a Croatian entity were unsuccessful, and Međugorje remained part of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina.
The town and its environs boomed economically after the war. Over a thousand hotel and hostel beds are available for religious tourism. With approximately one million visitors annually, the municipality of Medjugorje has the most overnight stays in Bosnia-Herzegovina.
The Mostar International Airport, located approximately 20 km to the northeast, which was closed in 1991, reopened for civil aviation in 1998 and has made air travel to region easier since then. The road network was expanded after the Bosnian War. In addition the hamlet of Šurmanci in the lower Neretva valley has a train station on the route from Ploče to Sarajevo.
On April 6, 2001 demonstrations occurred in the region, with some violence, after the NATO-led Stabilisation Force had closed and searched the local branches of the Hercegovačka banka ("Herzegovina Bank"), through which a large part of the currency transactions in Herzegovina, including international donations intended for Međugorje, were carried out, on suspicion of white-collar crime. The Franciscan Province responsible for the parish was a shareholder of the bank.
Gazi Husrev-begova Džamija + Sahat Kula, Katedrala Srca Isusova, Saborna Crkva Rođenja Presvete Bogorodice, Grad Sarajevo, Bosna i Hercegovina
Sarajevo Clock Tower (Sahat Kula) is one of the highest and most beautiful ones in Bosnia and Herzegovina. It was built in the 17th century.
After a fire in 1697, when it was burnt during the invasion of Eugene of Savoy, Sahat Kula was restored, but again it was damaged, and again renewed in 1762.
After the Austro-Hungarian occupation the top of the tower was added, and a new clock, since the Turkish one, was old and had to replaced, was brought to Sarajevo by two Sarajevo traders, one of them Hašimaga Glođo, and the other Mustafa Hadžikapetanović, from London in 1874.
The old clock was taken to Vratnik, and placed on the Vratnik Mosque. On the tower, the clock mechanism is branded by Gillete & Bland Croydon, made in 1873, in London.
Builder of the tower is Gazi Husrev-bey, one of the greatest Bosnian vakifs from Ottoman period. The first written proof of it dates from the 17th century. The tower has 76 wooden steps, lined up in the squared series, up on which Muvekit climbes once a week to adjust the time.
The clock must be adjusted, because it shows the time “a la turca” (lunar hour). It is believed that this is the only (public) clock in the world that shows the time by the Lunar calendar.
This clock shows exactly noon at the moment of sunset in Sarajevo. In the yard of Beys mosque there is Muvaqqithana, where at, based on precise measurements and containers with water was accurately determined the time of pray. In the year 1967 the clock was repaired, and the hands and numbers on all four sides were gilded.
When, during the Islamic holy month of fasting, Ramadan clock tower at strikes 00:00, it is the time of Iftar.
After the first beat, on the Beys mosque kandilji are lighted, and after that from Bijela Tabija, cannon which traditionally shoots, indicates the end of fasting for that day.
The Cathedral of Jesus' Heart (Bosnian/Croatian: Katedrala Srca Isusova) in Sarajevo, commonly referred as the Sarajevo Cathedral is the largest cathedral in Bosnia and Herzegovina. It is the seat of the Vrhbosanski Archbishop, currently Cardinal Vinko Puljić, and center of Catholic worship in the city. The Cathedral is located in the city's Old Town district.
The Cathedral of Jesus' Heart was built in honor of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, an important Catholic concept. Architect Josip Vancaš modeled it after the Notre-Dame de Paris using the neo-Gothic style and elements of Romanesque architecture. Work began on August 25, 1884, and was completed in the same month in 1889. The Bishop of Dubrovnik was present for the opening.
The building was damaged during the Siege of Sarajevo, but was not completely destroyed, and the damage has since been repaired. The building is often used as a symbol of the city: The design above the door to the Cathedral is part of the flag and seal of Sarajevo Canton and the Romanesque towers are featured on the flag and coat of arms of Sarajevo.
The Cathedral Church of the Nativity of the Theotokos (Serbian: Саборна Црква Рођења Пресвете Богородице or Saborna Crkva Rođenja Presvete Bogorodice) is the largest Serbian Orthodox church in Sarajevo and one of the largest in the Balkans.
The cathedral is dedicated to the nativity of the Theotokos. It was erected at the request of the Orthodox parish of Sarajevo between 1863-1868. The church is constructed as a three section basilica incribed in a cross shaped plan, and has five domes. The domes are build on the beams, the central one is much larger than the other four side domes. The church is arched by round elements. The small gilded baroque style belfry is built in front of the entrance. The interior walls are decorated by painted ornaments. In the lower zones of the walls the painted ornaments are simulating the marble stone construction look. Arches and vaults are decorated in ornaments only. In 1898 the Orthodox Metropolian Palace was built near the cathedral.
The head master for construction was Andreja Damjanov, a man from the great Damjanovi-Renzovski family of master builders, masons, painters, iconographers, carpenters and stonecutters from the village of Papradishte near Veles, Macedonia.
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