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Friday, May 31, 2019

Poland: Saint Mary's Cathedral in Kraków with Postcrossing Postmark

On Tuesday I got two postcards: one from Poland and one from Lithuania.

The card from Poland shows the Saint Mary's Cathedral in Kraków. The Saint Mary's Cathedral is a Catholic church on Kraków's main market square. It was built in the 14th century and is considered to be one of the best examples of Polish Gothic architecture. As part of the Historic Centre of Kraków is the church since 1978 on the UNESCO World Heritage List.


The card was signed during the recent Postcrossing meet-up in Kraków.
Stamp:
EUROPA (issued 24-04-2019)
with an awesome special Postcrossing postmark



Thank You very much Maja!

Lithuania: Pilies Street in Vilnius

On Tuesday I got two postcards: one from Lithuania and one from Poland.

The card from Lithuania shows the Pilies Street in Vilnius. The Pilies Street is is one of the main streets in the Old Town of Vilnius and a popular place to buy gifts and souvenirs. As part of the Vilnius Historic Centre is the street since 1994 on the UNESCO World Heritage List.


Stamps:
EUROPA (whole set) (issued 05-04-2019)


Thank You very much Monika!

cover from Singapore

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

Stamp:
Traditional Confections (from set of four) (issued 17-04-2019)
with an advertising postmark about Singapore's Bicentennial


Inside was a mint souvenir sheet about the 50th anniversary of Diplomatic Relations with Israel (issued 08-05-2019).


Thank You very much Sriraam!

ESC Cover from Israel

On Monday I got a cover from Israel about the Eurovision Song Contest.

With a great stamp:
Gerbera (from set of five) (issued 05-02-2013)
Menora (issued 01-2010)
Eurovision Song Contest (issued 05-05-2019)
The stamps was cancelled on the 16th May, the date of the second semi-final.


Inside was a mint version of the ESC stamp.


Thank You very much Yuri!

Germany: Saint John's Abbey in Stralsund

On Saturday I got a postcard from Germany.

It shows the front court of the Saint John's Abbey in Stralsund. The Saint John's Abbey is a Franciscan abbey and was founded in 1254. As part of the Historic Centre of Stralsund is the abbey since 2002 on the UNESCO World Heritage List.


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


Thank You very much Edith!

Wednesday, May 29, 2019

Germany: Keltenwelt at Glauberg

On Thursday I got a postcard from Germany.

It shows the Keltenwelt at Glauberg. The Glauberg is a small mountain in the German State of Hesse. Once it was one of the most important early Celtic centres in Europa. To exhibit the Celtic findings of the site the Keltenwelt was built between 2009 and 2011. The most important exhibit of the museum is the Celtic Prince of Glauberg.


With a matching stamp:
Celtic Prince of Glauberg (issued 03-01-2005)


Thank You very much Edith!

cover from Germany

On Thursday 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 70th anniversary of the end of the Berlin Blockade


Sunday, May 26, 2019

Germany: Yellowhammer

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

The card from Germany shows a Yellowhammer. The Yellowhammer is a passerine bird in the bunting family which is native to Eurasia. It is synanthropic and was once perfectly adapted to the agriculture, but the industrialisation of the farming brought many problems to the species.


With a great matching stamp:
EUROPA (issued 02-05-2019)
The stamp can be scanned to listen to the bird.
with a matching special postmark from Essen


When I was in Quedlinburg last Sunday I was also able to get the official maxicard of the stamp.


Italy: Lucca

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

The card from Italy shows the Piazza dell'Anfiteatro in Lucca. Lucca is a city in Tuscany. It was once an important centre of the textile industry and was among the most influential European cities in the 13th and 14th century. Today it is especially known for its intact Renaissance-era city walls. It seeks for the inclusion on the UNESCO World Heritage List.


Stamp:
Italian City Squares (from set of eight) (issued 02-07-2016)


Thank You very much Alessandro!

France: Cosne-Cours-sur-Loire

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

The card from France shows a view of Cosne-Cours-sur-Loire. Cosne-Cours-sur-Loire is a commune in Central France.


Stamps:
New Marianne
Year of the Pig (from set of two) (issued 28-01-2019)
with a special postmark from the philatelic shop in Cosne-Cours-sur-Loire


Thank You very much William!

Austria: Russian Orthodox Cathedral in Vienna

On Monday I got a postcard from Austria.

It shows the Russian Orthodox Cathedral in Vienna. The Russian Orthodox Cathedral was built between 1893 and 1899. It is located next to the Russian Embassy.

Actually a recent matching stamp was located on the front side of the card, but it got lost and only a part of the postmark is still visible.


Stamps:
Austrian Heraldy (from set of fourteen) (issued 01-07-2018)
Postcrossing (issued 21-05-2016)
with a special postmark showing also the Russian Orthodox Cathedral


Thank You very much Anita!

cover from France

On Monday I got not only a postcard but also a cover from France.

Stamps:
Centenary of the Theatre Mogador (whole set) (issued 15-04-2019)
with a special postmark from Boulazac


Inside were two FDCs about this year's EUROPA stamps. The first one bears the stamp from Andorra (French Post) and the other one the stamp from France. Both stamps were issued on the 10th May 2019.



Thank You very much William!

My Trip to Quedlinburg

Last Sunday I was in Quedlinburg and there I bought some cards for my collection.

Quedlinburg is a small city in the German State of Saxony-Anhalt. It is especially known for its role in Ottonian history. The Collegiate Church, the Castle and the Old Town of Quedlinburg are since 1994 on the UNESCO World Heritage List.


The Collegiate Church is located on the castle hill. It was originally built as burial site for King Henry I, but was later mainly used as main church of the Quedlinburg Abbey, which was founded in 936 by Henry's widow Mathilda as his memorial. The current church was built between 1070 and 1129 in the Romanesque style after three earlier churches on the same site had been destroyed. Today the church houses the cathedral treasure of Quedlinburg, one of the most important treasuries in Germany.






The Castle Museum is also located on the castle. It shows the Renaissance rooms of the castle of the Abbess of Quedlinburg and other exhibits about the town's and abbey's history.



The Town Hall of Quedlinburg was first mentioned in the 14th century. Quedlinburg's Roland Statue is located in front of it.


The last card I bought shows some timber-framed houses.


Last Sunday a new special exhibition about Henry I, who was coronated 1100 years ago, was opened in the Collegiate Church and the Castle Museum. For this event also a special postmark was available, which I got on a special cover.


France: Paris

Last Saturday I got a postcard from France.

It shows an old style illustration of Paris.


With a nice stamp:
New Marianne
Lascaux (issued 29-04-2019)
with a special postmark from the philatelic shop in Paris


Thank You very much William!

Switzerland: Grossmünster of Zurich

Last Friday I got two postcards: one from Switzerland and one from Germany.

The card from Switzerland shows the Grossmünster of Zurich. The Grossmünster is a Romanesque-style Protestant church and one of the four major churches in the city. Starting in 1519 Huldrych Zwingli initiated the Swiss-German Reformation from his pastoral office at the Grossmünster.


With a related stamp:
EUROPA (from set of two) (issued 24-05-1988)
Pro Patria (from set of four) (issued 30-05-1974)
Huldrych Zwingli - 500 years Reformation in Zurich and Southern Germany (issued 02-05-2019)
It is a joint issue with Germany.


Thank You very much Ulrike!

Germany: German Leather Museum in Offenbach

Last Friday I got two postcards: one from Germany and one from Switzerland.

The card from Germany shows two exhibits from the German Leather Museum in Offenbach. The German Leather Museum was founded in 1917 to showcase historic pieces of leather for the education of young designers and producers. Today it is one of the largest leather museums in the World.


Stamp:
Emoji (issued 04-04-2019)


Thank You very much Svea!

Friday, May 24, 2019

France: Vichy

Last Thursday I got three postcards from France.

Two of them show various views of Vichy. Vichy is a city in Central France. It is an important spa and resort town and as one of the Great Spas of Europe it seeks for the inclusion on the UNESCO World Heritage List. During World War II it was the seat of government of Vichy France.

EDIT: As one of The Great Spa Towns of Europe is Vichy since July 2021 on the UNESCO World Heritage List.


Stamp:
EUROPA (issued 13-05-2019)
with a special postmark from the philatelic shop in Vichy



Stamp:
Treasures of our Museums (from set of two) (issued 29-04-2019)
It is a joint issue with Morocco.
with a special postmark from the philatelic shop in Vichy


Thank You very much William!

France: Nevers

Last Thursday I got three postcards from France.

One of them shows Nevers. Nevers is a city in Central France. It was once the capital of the County of Nevers.


Stamps:
Old Marianne
EUROPA (issued 18-05-2018)
with a special postmark from the philatelic shop in Nevers


Thank You very much William!