Austria: Vienna Technical Museum

Last Wednesday I got four postcards: one from Austria, one from Indonesia, one from Sweden and one from Crimea.

The card from Austria shows the Vienna Technical Museum. The Vienna Technical Museum is a museum about technical history with an emphasis on Austria's role in the technical development. It shows many working models. The foundation stone of the museum's building was laid by Emperor Franz Josef in 1909 and in 1918 the museum was opened to the public.

With a great matching stamp:
Centenary of the Vienna Technical Museum (issued 17-03-2009)
The stamp was printed with a lenticular effect.

Thank You very much Anita!

Crimea: Chersonesus

Last Wednesday I got four postcards: one from Crimea, one from Austria, one from Indonesia and one from Sweden.

The card from Crimea shows the Basilica of Chersonesus. Chersonesus is an ancient Greek colony founded in the 5th century BC, which thrived until the 15th century. It was once a centre of trade and wine production. Since 2013 is the Ancient City of Tauric Chersonese with its Chora on the UNESCO World Heritage List.

Stamps:
EUROPA (issued 21-02-2018)
Uniforms of the Russian Courier Service (from set of four) (issued 12-02-2019)
with a special postmark from Moscow

Thank You very much Boris!

Sweden: Visby

Last Wednesday I got four postcards: one from Sweden, one from Crimea, one from Austria and one from Indonesia.

The card from Sweden shows an aerial view of Visby. Visby is a city on Gotland. It was once a member of the Hanseatic League and today it is the best-preserved fortified commercial city in northern Europa. Since 1995 is the Hanseatic Town of Visby on the UNESCO World Heritage List.

Stamps:
Woodland Creatures (from set of three) (issued 23-08-2018)
Queen Silvia (issued 17-08-2000)
Scandinavian Mythology (from set of two) (issued 27-03-2008)

Thank You very much Doris!

Indonesia: Bank Indonesia Museum

Last Wednesday I got four postcards: one from Indonesia, one from Sweden, one from Crimea and one from Austria.

The card from Indonesia shows the Bank Indonesia Museum in Jakarta. The Bank Indonesia Museum is a museum about the history of the money in Indonesia. It was opened in 2009 and is housed in the former headquarters of the central bank of the Dutch East Indies. 

Stamps:
Election Promotion (whole set) (issued 31-01-2019)
National Children's Day (from set of four) (issued 23-07-1992)
Year of Art and Culture (from set of two) (issued 01-01-1998)
Traditional Dances (from set of five) (issued 27-12-1994)

Thank You very much Shinta!

USA: Year of the Pig

Last Tuesday I got three postcards: two from the USA and one from Germany.

One of the cards from the USA shows a traditional Chinese paper-cut of a pig.

With a matching stamp:
Tiffany Lamp (issued 01-03-2003)
Year of the Pig (issued 17-01-2019)
with an awesome Digital Colour Postmark
label

The other card from the USA shows a view of New York City and was also sent with Year of the Pig stamp and another special postmark.

Thank You very much Yue!

Germany: Leipzig Postcrossing Meet-up

Last Tuesday I got three postcards: one from Germany and two from the USA.

The card from Germany is the official card of the recent Postcrossing Meet-up in Leipzig.

The card was signed during the meet-up.
Stamp:
Endangered German Whale Species - Porpoise (issued 02-01-2019)

Thank You very much Thomas!

Olympic Mascot Cover from Japan

Last Tuesday I got not only three postcards but also a cover from Japan.

With awesome stamps:

Olympic and Paralympic Games 2020 (two from set of ten) (issued 12-03-2019)

with First Day Special Postmark

Thank You very much Masako!

Japan: National Museum of Modern Art in Kyoto

Last Monday I got three postcards: one from Japan, one from Indonesia and one from Russia.

The card from Japan shows the National Museum of Modern Art in Kyoto (MoMAK). The MoMAK is a national institution devoted to the collection and preservation of artworks and related reference materials of the twentieth century in Japan and other parts of the World with a particular emphasis on artists and artistic movements in Kyoto and the Kansai area. It was established in 1963.

With an awesome stamp:
Olympic and Paralympic Games 2020 (from set of ten) (issued 12-03-2019)
with First Day Special Postmark

Thank You very much Keiko!

Russia: Bolgar Historical and Archaeological Complex

Last Monday I got three postcards: one from Russia, one from Japan and one from Indonesia.

The card from Russia shows a view of the Bolgar Historical and Archaeological Complex in Tatarstan. Bolgar was an early settlement of the civilization of Volga-Bolgars and later their capital. During the rule of the Golden Horde Bolgar acquired immense wealth, many imposing buildings and grew tenfold in size. The Bolgar Historical and Archaeological Complex is since 2014 on the UNESCO World Heritage List.

With a nice stamp:
Church of the Ascension in Kolomenskoe (issued 05-09-2014)
with a special postmark from Moscow

Thank You very much Boris!

Indonesia: Tintin

Last Monday I got three postcards: one from Indonesia, one from Russia and one from Japan.

The card from Indonesia shows Tintin at the Prambanan Temple.

Stamps:
Launch of Palapa-C Satellite (from set of two) (issued 31-01-1996)
Air Transport (whole set) (issued 27-10-2018)
Tourism (from set of four) (issued 01-02-1990)
National Children's Day (from set of four) (issued 23-07-1992)

Thank You very much Shinta!

cover from Germany

Last Monday I got not only three postcards but also a cover from Germany.

Stamp:

Chocolate Cosmos (issued 03-12-2015)

with a special postmark about the 100th throne jubilee of Grand Duchess Charlotte of Luxembourg

Epic Marvel FDC from the United Kingdom

On Saturday I got the British FDC which I ordered online.

With epic stamps:

Marvel Comics (souvenir sheet) (issued 14-03-2019)

with First Day Special Postmark

You can see the other philatelic Marvel things I bought here.

Germany: Museum Barberini

Last Friday I got a postcard from Germany.

It shows the Museum Barberini in Potsdam. The Museum Barberini is an art museum that opened in 2017. Back then it was said to be one of the most important new museums of the year. Its collection is centred on the private collection of its founder and patron Hasso Plattner, but for its special exhibitions it also shows loans from many important art museums around the World. The museum is housed in the Barberini Palace, which was rebuilt between 2013 and 2016 after it was destroyed in World War II. 

Stamp:
100th birthday of Heinz Sielmann (issued 08-06-2017)

Thank You very much Edith!

cover from France

Last Thursday I got a cover from France.

Stamps:

Fête du Timbre (whole set) (issued 09-03-2019)

with First Day Special Postmark

Thank You very much William!

Gruffalo Stamp and Postcards from Germany

The Gruffalo is a children's book written by Julia Donaldson and illustrated by Axel Scheffler. It tells the story of a mouse taking a walk in a European forest. During the walk it meets a fox, a snake and an owl and to protect itself from being eaten it invents a monster called Gruffalo, which later turns out to be real. The book was first published in 1999 and today it is considered to be a modern children's book classic.

To commemorate the 20th anniversary of the Gruffalo the German Post issued a stamp on 1st March 2019. Luckily I was able to get three matching postcards, which I used to get special postmarks. They returned during the course of the last week.

Germany: History of Düsseldorf

On Tuesday I got a postcard from Germany.

It is the Chronicle card of Düsseldorf. Düsseldorf was first mentioned in 1150 as small fishing village and in 1288 it got the town privileges. It reached a heyday under the reign of Johann Wilhelm II, Elector Palatine in the early 18th century. In 1795 it was captured by the French. Soon after it became the capital of the Grand Duchy of Berg, which was created by Napoleon Bonaparte in 1806. After the Congress of Vienna it became a part of Prussia. Starting in the middle of the 19th century it turned into a centre of trade and industry and in 1882 it became a big city. Since 1946 it is the capital of the German State of North Rhine-Westphalia.

Stamp:
Endangered German Whale Species - Porpoise (issued 02-01-2019)

Thank You very much Marcel!

cover from Germany

On Tuesday I got not only a postcard but also a cover from Germany.

Stamp:

Chocolate Cosmos (issued 03-12-2015)

with a special postmark about the 60th anniversary of the commissioning of the last steam engine of the German Railways

Austria: David with the Head of Goliath

On Monday I got two postcards from Austria.

One of them shows Caravaggio's David with the Head of Goliath. David with the Head of Goliath was painted by Caravaggio in 1606/7. Today it can be seen in the Kunsthistorisches Museum in Vienna.

With a great matching stamp:
David with the Head of Goliath (issued 09-03-2019)
with First Day Special Postmark

Thank You very much Anita!

Austria: Poppies

On Monday I got two postcards from Austria.

One of them shows poppies.

With a matching stamp:
Austrian Heraldy (from set of fourteen) (issued 01-07-2018)
Loyalty Bonus Stamp (issued 09-03-2019)
The stamp is exclusively sent to subscribers and collectors who have bought something in the online shop of the Austrian Post during the last year. There is no other way to get it.
with First Day Special Postmark

Thank You very much Anita!

cover from India with Year of the Pig stamps and Postcrossing cover inside

On Saturday I got a cover from India.

Stamps:

150th birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi (four from set of seven) (issued 02-10-2018)

Centenary of the Dakshina Bharat Hindi Prachar Sabha (issued 17-06-2018)

Inside were the Year of the Pig stamps from Australia/Christmas Island (issued 08-01-2019), New Zealand (issued 16-01-2019) and Jersey (issued 04-01-2019).

Also inside was a special cover with a Postcrossing postmark from the POSTPEX 2018 in Bengaluru.

Thank You very much Sriraam!

Germany: History of Mainz

Last Friday I got a postcard from Germany.

It is the Chronicle card of Mainz. Mainz was founded as Roman military camp Mogontiacum in BCE 38. In the 7th century it was refounded by the Franconians and when it became the bishop's see of Saint Boniface in 745, it was already a fortified town. In the Middle Ages it reached an economic and cultural heyday. Around 1450 Johannes Gutenberg invented there the mechanical movable type printing. In 1514 Mainz became a electoral residence, which it remained until the French Revolution. In 1806 the city became a part of Prussia and since 1950 it is the capital of the German State of Rhineland-Palatinate. 

Stamp:
Endangered German Whale Species - Porpoise (issued 02-01-2019)

Thank You very much Svea!

cover from Germany

Last Friday I got not only a postcard but also a cover from Germany.

Stamp:

Chocolate Cosmos (issued 03-12-2015)

with a special postmark showing a submarine at the Germaniawerft in Kiel

China: Shanghai Museum

Last Wednesday I got a postcard from China.

It shows the Shanghai Museum. The Shanghai Museum is a museum about Chinese art, which gives a complete overview of Chinese art and culture. It was founded in 1952 and is housed in its current building since 1996. Today it is one of the most visited art museums in the World and is considered to be one of the best modern museums in China.

Stamps:
Yin Ruins (whole set) (issued 13-07-2016)

Thank You very much Keiko!