vintage and contemporary postcards and stamps from around the world


01 October 2026

ancient city, ancient gate

Torun is a city on the Vistula River.  It is one of Poland's oldest cities, first settled in the 8th century, and has been a world heritage site since 1997.  According to the sender, it is renowned for its gingerbread which has been made there for over 1,000 years.

The Porta Nigra in Trier, Germany is even older, having been built as a Roman Gate around 170A.D.  No one knows what the Romans called it, but it has been called 'nigra', or 'black', since the middle ages, when the original grey sandstone became darkened.   It is the only one of four city gates remaining and was designated a world heritage site in 1986.

Two UNESCO World Heritage Sites for Thursday Postcard Hunt


6 comments:

pnsoares said...

Nice cards.
The Porta Nigra looks quite complex for a city gate. Would love to see it in the flesh...
My take at today's theme can be seen here

violet s said...

The Romans didn't skimp on their building! It has been undergoing some careful restoration this year.

Joy said...

Two reasons to visit Torun both for its history and gingerbread.
My UNESO sites are here,?a>

Lisa said...

Enjoyable theme!
Mine:
https://thisandthatablog.blogspot.com/2026/10/world-postcard-day-thursday-postcard.html

Mail Adventures said...

And what about that gingerbread? I'm sure it is worth tasting!

My UNESCO postcard is on this post.

marina said...

What a great building, the Porta Nigra!