My Trip to Hamburg

On Monday I was in Hamburg.

Hamburg is the second largest city in Germany and one of the sixteen German States. Also it is the third largest German-speaking city, the seventh largest city of the European Union and the largest city of the European Union which is not the capital of its country. For centuries Hamburg has been a centre of trade and although it witnessed many catastrophes during its history, the city has managed to recover and emerge wealthier each time. Especially due to its port, the third largest in Europa, it is known as Germany's Gate to the World. It is also a centre of commerce, education, industry, law,  logistics, media, music, research, science and tourism and international summits are often held in the city such as the G20 Summit in 2017.

My main reason to visit Hamburg was the chance to get a special postmark for the new Sesame Street stamp (issued 02-03-2020), which was available from a special post office at the headquarters of the NDR. I got the postmark on the card above. Later that day I also got the card cancelled at the philatelic shop in Hamburg with both a normal and a pictorial postmark.

Afterwards I also visited the Museum of Hamburg History.

The Museum of Hamburg History is a museum about Hamburg's history from 800 until today. It was opened in 1922.

My Trip to Magdeburg

Last Thursday I was in Magdeburg and there I bought some cards for my collection. On three of the cards I put matching stamps and got them handcancelled at the local post office.

Magdeburg was first mentioned in 805. It soon became an important trading centre with the Slaws. In the Middle Ages the Magdeburg Rights, a set of town privileges, were spread in big parts of East Europa. They are considered to be a milestone in urbanisation of the entire region. The city later became an early centre of the Reformation. Due to this the city was destroyed during the Thirty Years's War by the Count of Tilly. In 1680 the city became a part of Prussia and was turned into an important fortress. During World War II the city was again destroyed. After the war it became an East German district capital and since 1990 it is the capital of the German State of Saxony-Anhalt.

With a matching stamp:
1200 years Magdeburg (issued 08-09-2005)

The State Diet of Saxony-Anhalt convenes in Magdeburg since 1990. It is housed in a Baroque building.

With a matching stamp:
State Diet of Saxony-Anhalt (issued 10-05-2001)

One of the most famous persons connected with Magdeburg is Emperor Otto the Great. Otto was German King from 936 and Holy Roman Emperor from 962. In 968 he founded an archdiocese in Magdeburg and the city thus turned into a centre for the christianisation of Eastern Europa.

With a matching stamp:
1100th birthday of Otto the Great (issued 09-08-2012)

The Magdeburg Cathedral is the most famous landmark of Magdeburg. The current church was built over a period of 300 years starting in 1209, but earlier there was also a church from the time of Otto the Great. It is the oldest Gothic church in Germany and one of the tallest cathedrals in Eastern Germany. The tomb of Otto the Great is housed inside.

The Cathedral Museum Ottonianum was opened in 2018. In a modern exhibition it presents the findings of excavations carried out in the cathedral area between 2001 and 2010.

The Cultural History Museum is a museum about Magdeburg's history. It was opened in 1906 and is especially known for its special exhibitions. The most famous exhibit of the museum is the original Magdeburg Rider.

The Natural History Museum showed its first exhibition in 1875 and is since 1948 housed in the same building as the Cultural History Museum, as the museum's building was destroyed in World War II. It mainly shows the flora and fauna of Saxony-Anhalt.

Germany: Berlin

On Tuesday I got three postcards: two from Germany and one from Italy.

One of the cards from Germany shows important political buildings in Berlin. Berlin became capital of the Margraviate of Brandenburg in 1417 and was later also the capital of the Kingdom of Prussia, the German Empire, the Weimar Republic and the Third Reich. After World War II the city was divided between France, the Soviet Union, the United Kingdom and the USA. The eastern part became the capital of East Germany, while the western part formed an exclave of West Germany surrounded by the Berlin Wall. After the German Reunification also Berlin was reunited and in 1991 the Bundestag decided to move the German capital from Bonn to Berlin. Today the Bundestag, the Cabinet of Germany, the President and most of the ministries and foreign embassies are located in Berlin. Berlin is the largest city in Germany, the second largest in the European Union and an international centre of culture, politics and science. 

I bought this card when I recently visited Berlin.

With a matching stamp:
Bellevue Palace (issued 03-05-2007)
with a special postmark about the election of the new President of Germany

Germany: My Trip to Hanover

Yesterday I was in Hanover to buy the new Variable Value stamps.

Hanover was first mentioned in 1163. In 1636 Duke George of Brunswick-Lüneburg from the House of Welf moved his residence to the town. In 1692 it became the capital of the Electorate of Hanover and in 1815 of the Kingdom of Hanover. Between 1714 and 1827 Hanover was ruled in personal union with the United Kingdom. The kingdom was annexed by Prussia in 1866 and Hanover became capital of a Prussian province. The new connection with Prussia meant an improvement in business and industry, although it was generally opposed by the people of Hanover. Since 1946 is Hanover the capital of the German State of Lower Saxony and today it is also the thirteenth largest city of Germany.

Although the new Variable Value stamps were issued yesterday, they were only available in a few selected vendors all over Germany. The other vendors will be equipped later.

The Herrenhausen Gardens consist of the Great Garden, the Berggarten, the Georgengarten and the Welfengarten. Started by the Kings of Hanover in the 17th century the gardens were not much altered after the beginning of the personal union. Thus they remained their Baroque appearance and are today among the most important Baroque gardens in Europe.

The Market Church of Saints George and James is the oldest parish church in Hanover's Old Town and the preaching venue of the bishop of the Evangelical-Lutheran Church of Hanover. The church has a large pentagram on the tower and a Martin Luther Memorial is located next to the church.

The Leibniz House was built in 1499. It is named after Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz, who lived in the house between 1698 and his death in 1716. The house is today used by the University of Hanover and houses a small exhibition about Leibniz.

The Church of the New Town was built in the Baroque style between 1666 and 1670. Leibniz is buried in the church.

The Lower Saxony State Museum was founded in 1856. First known as Museum of Art and Science and later called Museum of the Province of Hanover, it got its current name in 1950. Its collections focus on archaeology, art, coins, ethnology and natural history.

The Historical Museum of Hanover was founded in 1903. It focuses on the history of Hanover and the former possessions of the House of Welf in modern day Lower Saxony.

One of the cards I bought in the Historical Museum shows Hanover's Synagogue. The Synagogue of Hanover was built between 1864 and 1870 and was destroyed in 1938. The Historical Museum shows a model of the Synagogue.

In 2000 the World's Fair was hold in Hanover. It was located on the Hanover fairground, the largest exhibition ground in the World.