Germany: Walkenried Abbey

Today I got two postcards from Germany.

One of them shows the Walkenried Abbey. The Walkenried Abbey was a Cistercian abbey and was founded in 1127. The monks of the abbey developed the Upper Harz Water Management System and also owned parts of the Mines of Rammelsberg. In 2006 a Cistercian Museum was established in the Walkenried Abbey. In the course of the extension of the UNESCO World Heritage Site "Mines of Rammelsberg and Historic Town of Goslar" the Walkenried Abbey was added to the UNESCO World Heritage List in 2010.

On the backside there is a seal from the Walkenried Abbey.
Stamp:
Lily of the Valley (issued 06-05-2010)

Thank You very much Christine and Claas!

Germany: Wilhelmshöhe Castle

Today I got two postcards from Germany.

One of them shows the Wilhelmshöhe Castle in the Bergpark Wilhelmshöhe in Kassel. The Wilhelmshöhe Castle was built between 1786 and 1798 in the Neoclassical style at the behest of Landgrave Wilhelm IX of Hesse. It was once used as residence of Jérôme Bonaparte, King of Westphalia, after his old residence burned down in 1811. Between September 1870 and March 1871 Napoleon III was held in captivity in the castle. Today houses the Wilhelmshöhe Castle various museums including the Gallery of the Old Masters. Since 2013 is the Bergpark Wilhelmshöhe on the UNESCO World Heritage List.

Stamp:
Lighthouses (from set of two) (issued 06-06-2013)

Thank You very much Claas!

Algeria: Algiers

Yesterday I got four postcards: my first card from Algeria, one from Singapore and two from Germany.

Algeria is a country in North Africa bordering on Tunesia, Libya, Niger, Mali, Mauritania, Western Sahara and Morocco. It is the largest country in Africa and has large oil and natural gas reserves. In 1962 Algeria became independent from France. Today is the country a member of the Arab League, the African Union and of the United Nations. 

The card shows various views of Algiers. Algiers is the capital and largest city of Algeria. It is located on the Mediterranean coast. The Old Town of Algiers, the Casbah, is since 1992 on the UNESCO World Heritage List. In 2007 was Algiers the Arab Capital of Culture. 

The card was sent by Postcard United: DZA-91

Stamps:
Rose (from set of three) (issued 20-10-2005)
Bordj El Kiffan (issued 04-01-2015)

Thank You very much Tayeb!

Germany: Bad Homburg vor der Höhe

Yesterday I got four postcards: two from Germany, my first card from Algeria and one from Singapore.

One of the cards from Germany shows the Emperor Wilhelm Spa in Bad Homburg vor der Höhe. Bad Homburg vor der Höhe is a town in the German State of Hesse. In the 19th century it became a popular spa town. It is one of the wealthiest towns in Germany. The town seeks as one of the Great Spas of Europe for the inclusion on the UNESCO World Heritage List.

Stamp:
Lily of the Valley (issued 06-05-2010)

Thank You very much Brigitte!

Germany: Eisenhüttenstadt

Yesterday I got four postcards: two from Germany, my first card from Algeria and one from Singapore.

One of the cards from Germany shows various views of Eisenhüttenstadt. Eisenhüttenstadt is a town in the German State of Brandenburg. It was founded in 1950 as model city by the Socialist government of East Germany. Between 1953 and 1961 it was known as Stalinstadt, but in the course of the De-Stalinization the name was changed. In 1986 became Eisenhüttenstadt the first East German city with a twin city in West Germany. 

Stamp:
Chocolate Cosmos (issued 03-12-2015)

Thank You very much Sabine and Thomas!

Singapore: Postcrossing Meet-up

Yesterday I got four postcards: one from Singapore, two from Germany and my first card from Algeria.

The card from Singapore is the official card of Singapore's 5th Postcrossing Meet-up.

On the backside are the signatures of all attendees.
Stamps:
Year of the Monkey (from set of three) (issued 08-01-2016)

Thank You very much Sam!

Germany: Ducal Palace Museum in Braunschweig

Yesterday I visited the Ducal Palace Museum in Braunschweig. 

The Ducal Palace Museum is a history museum in the Brunswick Palace. It shows the original furniture of the palace. Other themes of the museum are the history of the palace and of the Duchy of Brunswick. The Ducal Palace Museum was inaugurated in 2011.

In the museum shop I bought three postcards. The first card shows a chair from the collection of the museum, the second card shows Princess Victoria Louise of Prussia and the third card was printed for the current special exhibition of the museum "Marie!".

Italy: South Tyrol Museum of Archaeology

Yesterday I visited the Braunschweigisches Landesmuseum to see the new special exhibition "Ötzi - The Man from the Ice ... and two from here". The exhibition was created in cooperation with the South Tyrol Museum of Archaeology. In the museum shop I had the chance to buy two cards printed by the museum in South Tyrol.

The South Tyrol Museum of Archaeology is an archaeological museum in Bolzano. It was established in 1998 to house Ötzi the Iceman and his equipment. It is one of the leading archaeological museums in Italy and a popular tourist destination. The cards show the Iceman and a reconstruction of him. 

Germany: History of Fulda

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

The card from Germany is the Chronicle card of Fulda. In 744 the Fulda Monastery was founded and soon a village arose near it, which got the town privileges in 1157. The town had its cultural and economic heyday in the 18th century. The Fulda Cathedral, the burial place of Saint Boniface and the seat of the Diocese of Fulda, was built between 1704 and 1712. 

Stamp:
Dresden (from set of two) (issued 03-04-2014)

Thank You very much Fabian!

China: Palace Museum

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

The card from China shows a royal costume from the collection of the Palace Museum. The Palace Museum is a museum in the Forbidden City in Beijing. It was established in 1925 and shows artifacts from Chinese Emperors and pieces of their art collection. It is the most important museum of China and one of the most visited museums in the World. 

The card is actually prepaid, but was added with three stamps:
?
Palace Museum (from set of four) (issued 10-10-2015)
Architecture in Macao (from set of four) (issued 12-12-1998)

Thank You very much Fusheng!

cover from Spain

On Tuesday I got not only two postcards but also a cover from Spain.

Stamp:

25 years National Transplantation Organisation (issued 16-01-2015)

Inside was a postcard from Latvia.

The card shows an Edible Dormouse. The Edible Dormouse is a large dormouse native to big parts of Europe. It goes into hibernation from October to May. For the Romans it was a delicacy.
The card is a maxicard. The stamp is from a set of four WWF stamps and was issued on 19th November 1994.

Thank You very much Marina!

Sweden: ABBA

On Monday I got six postcards: one from Sweden, one from Germany, one from the Netherlands, two from the USA and one from Indonesia.

The card from Sweden shows ABBA. ABBA was a Swedish pop group. It was founded in 1972. Its members were Agnetha Fältskog and her husband Björn Ulvaeus and Benny Andersson and his wife Anni-Frid Lyngstad. In 1974 they won the Eurovision Song Contest with their song Waterloo. Other famous songs of ABBA include Mamma Mia, Dancing Queen and The Winner Takes It All. In 1982 ABBA bisbanded due to private differences. ABBA is one of the most commercially successful acts in the history of popular music. 

Stamp:
Flora (from set of four) (issued 27-03-2008)
Norden (issued 17-03-2016)
with First Day Special Postmark
It is a joint issue with the Åland Islands, Denmark, the Faroe Islands, Finland, Greenland, Iceland and Norway.

Thank You very much Doris!

Indonesia: Orangutan

On Monday I got six postcards: one from Indonesia, one from Sweden, one from Germany, one from the Netherlands and two from the USA.

The card from Indonesia shows an Orangutan with a baby at the Bukit Lawang Reserve on Sumatra. The Orangutan is an arboreal great ape with reddish-brown hair. It is considered to be one of the most intelligent primates and is near related to the human. Once it was native to big parts of Asia, but today there are only populations on Borneo and Sumatra. The Sumatran Orangutan is critically endangered due to deforestation and illegal hunting. In Bukit Lawang there is a sanctuary for Orangutans.

With matching stamps:
Year of the Monkey (whole set) (issued 24-01-2016)
with First Day Special Postmark

Thank You very much Shinta!

USA: Grand Canyon

On Monday I got six postcards: two from the USA, one from Indonesia, one from Sweden, one from Germany and one from the Netherlands. 

One of the cards from the USA shows the Grand Canyon in the State of Arizona. The Grand Canyon was created by the Colorado River digging into the stone. It is considered to be one of the Seven Natural Wonders of the World. In 1919 the Grand Canyon National Park was established and today it is a popular tourist destination. Since 1979 is the Grand Canyon National Park on the UNESCO World Heritage List.

Stamps:
Year of the Monkey (issued 05-02-2016)
Eastern Tiger Swallowtail Butterfly (issued 01-06-2015)

Thank You very much Susan!

USA: Statue of Liberty

On Monday I got six postcards: two from the USA, one from Indonesia, one from Sweden, one from Germany and one from the Netherlands. 

One of the cards from the USA shows the Statue of Liberty. The Statue of Liberty is a colossal sculpture on Liberty Island in New York. It was inaugurated in 1886 and was until 1959 the tallest statue in the World. It was a gift to the USA from the people of France and was created by Frédéric Auguste Bartholdi and Gustave Eiffel. Today it is a symbol of the USA and of freedom. Since 1984 is the Statue of Liberty on the UNESCO World Heritage List.

Stamps:
Year of the Monkey (issued 05-02-2016)
Eastern Tiger Swallowtail Butterfly (issued 01-06-2015)

Thank You very much Susan!

Netherlands: Boomkwekerijmuseum in Boskoop

On Monday I got six postcards: one from the Netherlands, two from the USA, one from Indonesia, one from Sweden and one from Germany

The card from the Netherlands shows the Boomkwekerijmuseum in Boskoop. Boskoop is a town in the province of South Holland. It is the World's biggest joined floriculture area. The apple cultivar Belle de Boskoop is named after the town. The Boomkwekerijmuseum is a museum about fruit-growing and tree nurseries. It was established in 1974.

It is an official card: NL-3367897

Stamps:
Miffy flying (from set of five) (issued 19-01-2015)
Children's Welfare (from set of six) (issued 02-11-2015)

Thank You very much Johanna!

Germany: European Hare

On Monday I got six postcards: one from Germany, one from the Netherlands, two from the USA, one from Indonesia and one from Sweden. 

The card from Germany shows an European Hare. The European Hare is a species of hare native to Europe and parts of Asia. It is herbivorous and mainly shy, but during the spring frenzy it can be seen boxing. The population in Europe is declining due to changes in farming practices. It was the German Animal of the Year in 2001 and 2015.

I bought this card in my hometown.

With a matching stamp:
Baby Animals (from set of two) (issued 01-03-2016)
with First Day Special Postmark

cover from Russia

On Monday I got not only six postcards but also three covers including one from Russia.

Stamps:

Flora and Fauna (two from set of fifteen) (issued 29-08-2008)

Inside was my first card from Abkhazia.

Abkhazia is a partially recognised state on the Black Sea coast bordering on Georgia and Russia. It claims to be independent, but most countries consider it to be a part of Georgia. Abkhazia's capital is Sukhumi. Together with Nagorno-Karabakh, South Ossetia and Transnistria it forms the Commonwealth of Unrecognized States.

A translation of the text on the backside of the card says that the cards shows the River Gera, the largest tributary of the river Bzyb, but I could not find any information about such a river in Abkhazia. If you know something please tell me.

On the backside the card has a postmark from an Abkhazian post office.

Thank You very much Irakliy!

cover from Turkey

On Monday I got not only six postcards but also three covers including one from Turkey.

Stamps:

Ishak Pasha Palace (from set of two) (issued 26-02-2016)

Animals (from set of three) (issued 31-12-2015)

Inside was a Turkish maxicard about the Battle of Gallipoli.
The Battle of Gallipoli was fought by British and French forces from April 1915 onwards. They tried to open the Dardanelles strait to the Allied fleets to get access to the Ottoman capital Constantinople, today's Istanbul. The campaign ended in January 1916 with an Ottoman victory. 
The card shows the Çanakkale Martyrs' Memorial and the Respect to Mehmetçik Monument.
The stamp on the card is from a set of three and was issued on 18th March 2015 to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the Battle of Gallipoli.

Thank You very much Öykü!

cover from Germany

On Monday I got not only six postcards but also three covers including one from Germany.

Stamp:

Uli Stein-cheer mouse (from set of three) (issued 08-05-2014)

with a special postmark celebrating Germany's victory in the European Men's Handball Championship

Germany: New Synagogue of Ulm

On Thursday I got a postcard from Germany.

It shows the New Synagogue of Ulm. The New Synagogue opened in 2012. It was built at the place where the Old Synagogue was located, which was destroyed during the pogroms of 1938. It is only the second synagogue built in Württemberg after World War II. 

Stamp:
Dresden (from set of two) (issued 03-04-2014)

Thank You very much Nicy!

Germany: Recklinghausen

On Wednesday I got a postcard from Germany.

It shows various views of Recklinghausen. Recklinghausen is a big city in the German State of North Rhine-Westphalia. It is located in the Ruhr district and was once a mining town. It is the capital of the Recklinghausen District, Germany's most-populous district. Recklinghausen is famous for hosting the Ruhrfestspiele every year.

Stamp:
500th birthday of Lucas Cranach the Younger (issued 01-10-2015)

Thank You very much Marcel!

cover from Germany

On Tuesday I got a cover from Germany.

Stamp:

Chocolate Cosmos (issued 03-12-2015)

Inside were two postcards: my first card from Mount Athos and one from Germany.

Mount Athos is an autonomous monastic state located on a peninsula in northern Greece. It is an Orthodox spiritual centre and artistic site. The primary church is located in Karyes, making it the capital of the state.

The card shows a map of the peninsula with the 20 monasteries. Mount Athos is since 1988 on the UNESCO World Heritage List.

The German card shows the Church of Ramsau. Ramsau is a municipality in the German State of Bavaria. It is considered to be one of the most picturesque villages in Germany. The Church of Ramsau is a popular motive of landscape paintings, postcards and puzzles.

Thank You very much Svenja!

Jamaica: Blue Mountains

On Monday I got eleven postcards including my first card from Jamaica.

Jamaica is an island country in the Caribbean. In 1962 Jamaica became independent from the United Kingdom. It is a member of the United Nations and the Commonwealth of Nations. The country's capital is Kingston.

The card shows a view of the Blue Mountains. The Blue Mountains are a mountain range in the eastern part of Jamaica. It is a biodiversity hotspot of the Caribbean Islands. Once the mountains were a refuge for fled slaves establishing there a network of trails, hiding places and settlements. The Blue and John Crow Mountains became Jamaica's first UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2015.

Stamp:
50th birthday of Bob Marley (from set of five) (issued 31-07-1995)

Thank You very much Sharni!