Visited Sites Jarek Pokrzywnicki

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Recent Reviews Jarek Pokrzywnicki


VIKING MONUMENTS AND SITES / Vestfold Ship Burials and Hyllestad Quernstone Quarries (T)

Jarek Pokrzywnicki Polska - 23-Jan-24

VIKING MONUMENTS AND SITES / Vestfold Ship Burials and Hyllestad Quernstone Quarries (T)

Visited in August, 2023 during long Scandinavian tour (Sweden, Norway, Denmark). Original nomination comprise of 4 components but one of them (Hyllestad Quernstone Quarries) is inconveniently located on the western coastal part of Norway (north of Bergen, more than 500 km from Oslo, including ferry crossing) I decided to focus on 3 other locations that are placed near Oslo.

The Gokstad Mound (Gokstadhaugen, different name: Kongshaugen) lies on the outskirts of Sandefjord, google coordinates 59.14027233638874, 10.253360500311365. It is a big burial tumulus (5 meters high, 50 meters in diameter) where one of Viking kings / chieftains was buried together with his boat and other equipment. The ship was constructed in late IX century and discovered in late XIX century during excavations. Tumulus seemed to be plundered in ancient times as no gold or silver artefacts were found but still archaeologists discovered remnants of riding equipment, sledge, tent as well as human and animal bones. The site currently is open free of charge, fenced and looked as well maintained

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Banska Stiavnica

Jarek Pokrzywnicki Polska - 06-Dec-23

Banska Stiavnica

Site visited in May 2023, shortly after the fire that destroyed part of historic houses in the strict center of Banska Stiavnica. 

That was my second visit to Banska Stavnica (first was in 1993), so after 30 years I had a chance to see the results of devastating fire and overall changes of city look-out from the early nineties. I hardly recognized the city. In 1993 it was neglected with hardly no open restaurants, lots of buildings were scratched, some city palaces were just transferred to hotels / hostels and overall impression was somehow disappointing. Currently it is completely the opposite. Historic center is full of cafes, art galleries, boutique hotels. The majority of houses (with exception of few) are restored and well maintained

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National Theater of Guatemala (T)

Jarek Pokrzywnicki Polska - 08-Mar-23

National Theater of Guatemala (T)

Site visited recently, February 2023. Modernist complex of buildings commonly known as Centro Cultural Miguel Ángel Asturias, located in the center of Guatemala City.  Approximate Google coordinates of the place 14.62723007680044, -90.51759755769069.

Quaint project of leading Guatemalan architects, Efrain Recinos and Carlos Alberto Haeussler. Main building of the complex (theatre or cultural centre) was intended to resemble a sitting jaguar, ornaments were taken from Mayan culture. Complex is relatively young, it was completed in 1978 and dedicated to Miguel Ángel Asturias who was a writer and Nobel Prize winner.

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Belize Barrier Reef

Jarek Pokrzywnicki Polska - 14-Mar-23

Belize Barrier Reef

Bacalar Chico national park and marine reserve

Site visited recently, February 2023. With limited time (as always) I decided to visit only small part of the site. Also due to flights schedules I was unable to fly to Blue Hole (no flight on the specific day) I decided to limit my visit only to Bacalar Chico national park and marine reserve as the only relatively accessible (and inexpensive) land component of Belize Barrier Reef.

Access to Bacalar Chico looked as fairly possible form San Pedro town / Ambergris Caye. In fact I arrived by ferry from Belize City to San Pedro (route via Caye Caulker) and immediately started to find out the possibilities of reaching the site. On the map it looked as quite remote but accessible via local road north of San Pedro town. But my host at the hotel who was a former biologist once working for Bacalar Chico strongly advised not to go there alone and certainly not by ordinary bike (because of bad roads, occasional sharp objects or due to problems with security – smuggling narcotics towards Mexican border). He tried to find an organised tour (by boat) to go there but unfortunately there was nothing at my specific date

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Himā Cultural area

Jarek Pokrzywnicki Polska - 25-Jan-23

Himā Cultural area

Area visited recently, November 2022. Certainly one of the best example of rock art (similar to those in the Hail region) with interesting addition of ancient wells. As located quite far from main roads site requires organised transport to get there.

It consist of several petroglyph’s sites located near small village of Hima (southern Saudi Arabia, around 120 km from Najran, and some 25 km from main Riyadh – Najran highway) and historical wells (5 cut in the rock, 2 of them looked as still in use).

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Profile Data

Name
Jarek Pokrzywnicki
Country
Polska
Most Impressive
Rome, Machu Picchu, Canaima, Los Glaciares, Ha Long Bay, Komodo, Tikal
Proposal
Defensive network along Danube river in Serbia (Bac, Golubac, Smederevo, Petrovaradin), Toro Muerto - Peru, Salar de Uyuni (Bolivia), Pierrefonds castle (France), Svalbard archipelago (Norway), Tetovo, North Macedonia - former Turkish monuments (painted mosque, Arabati Baba Tekke, Isa Beg hammam), Debre Damo monastery (Ethiopia)

Recently Visited WHS

Update 28.02.24
Rating Stats
L'viv 5
Torun 5
Warsaw 5
Djoudj 4
Copán 3
Le Havre 1.5
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