Poland: Polish Post Office in Gdańsk

On Saturday I got a postcard from Poland.

It shows the Polish Post Office in Gdańsk. After World War I Gdańsk or Danzig in German was a semi-autonomous city state separated from both the newly independent Poland and the German Weimar Republic. It was under protection of the League of Nations and was put into a customs union with Poland. Also certain rights about communication, the port and the railway were given to Poland. While the free city also had its own postal service, a special Polish post office was created as well. Its building was considered Polish extraterritorial property and even had its own stamps, mainly Polish stamps overprinted with "Port Gdańsk". As tensions between Germany and Poland grew, the post office was prepared for hostilities and fortified. When World War II began on the 1st September 1939, the Polish Post Office was one of the first sites of fighting, but it was not as easily captured as the aggressors thought. In fact the Polish personnel defended the building for some 15 hours against units of the SS, the SA and the local police. After the defenders eventually had to surrender, all of them were sentenced to death by a German court martial as illegal combatants a month later and executed. Only four were able to escape during the surrender. In Poland the episode has become one of the better known episodes of the Polish September Campaign and it is usually portrayed as a heroic story of David and Goliath proportions, in Germany it is mainly known from The Tin Drum by Günter Grass. In 1979 a museum was established in the building and also it is still used as post office.

With a related stamp:
Sunflower (issued 26-06-2015)
Cornflower (issued 20-01-2016)
80 years Defense of the Polish Post Office in Gdańsk (issued 01-09-2019)

Thank You very much Doris!

Austria: Naschmarkt in Vienna

On Friday I got two postcards: one from Austria and one from Germany.

The card from Austria shows the Naschmarkt in Vienna. The Naschmarkt exists since the 16th century. Today it is Vienna's most popular market and is also often visited by tourists.

With a nice stamp:
Austrian Heraldy (from set of fourteen) (issued 01-07-2018)
Consumption Monster (issued 19-02-2020)
with First Day Special Postmark

Thank You very much Anita!

Germany: Brunswick Palace

On Friday I got two postcards: one from Germany and one from Austria.

The card from Germany shows the Brunswick Palace. The Brunswick Palace was built by Carl Theodor Ottmer between 1831 and 1841 as residence for the Dukes of Brunswick. During World War II the palace was heavily damaged and in 1960 it was demolished, but between 2005 and 2007 it was rebuilt using Ottmer's plans and original stones. Today it houses the city library, the city archive, the Ducal Palace Museum and a shopping centre. The palace is crowned by Europa's largest quadriga.

Stamp:
Cornflower (issued 01-07-2019)
cancelled on 20-02-2020

cover from Canada

On Friday I got not only two postcards but also two covers including one from Canada.

Stamp:

Year of the Rat (from set of two) (issued 17-01-2020)

with a special postmark about the Atlantic Charter showing USS Augusta

Thank You very much Erik!

cover from Germany

On Friday I got not only two postcards but also two covers including one from Germany.

Stamp:

Nasturtium (issued 01-07-2019)

with a special postmark about the 180th anniversary of the first stamp in Prussia

Lunar New Year Sheets from the Åland Islands

On Friday I got my stamp order from the Åland Islands.

From Åland I ordered the souvenir sheets about the Year of the Mouse (issued 24-10-2019), the Year of the Dog (issued 10-11-2017) and the Year of the Rooster (issued 11-11-2016).

My Trip to Wolfenbüttel and Vienenburg

On Thursday I visited Wolfenbüttel and Vienenburg.

The Herzog August Library was founded by Duke Julius of Brunswick-Lüneburg in 1572. It houses a large collection of manuscripts of the Middle Ages and the Early Modern Period and is one of the oldest libraries in the World which have never suffered loss to its collection. Its most famous librarians were Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz and Gotthold Ephraim Lessing. Among its most important and famous manuscripts are the Gospels of Henry the Lion, a copy of the Sachsenspiegel, a printed edition of the Latin Psalter with annotations by Martin Luther, Luther's German translation of the New Testament and parts of the Bibliotheca Corviniana Collection. The latter three are even part of the Memory of the World Programme of the UNESCO. Today the library is a major international research centre for Medieval and Early Modern culture and some of its rooms are used as museum.

The Lessinghaus was built in 1733 as residence for court officials. In 1777 Gotthold Ephraim Lessing moved to the house and lived there until his death in 1781. There he also wrote his play Nathan the Wise. Today it is owned by the Herzog August Library and houses a museum about Lessing's life and work.

Vienenburg was an independent municipality until January 2014 when it was incorporated in Goslar. A special building of Vienenburg is its Railway Station (lower left picture). It was opened in 1840 on the Brunswick-Bad Harzburg railway of the Duchy of Brunswick State Railway, the first government-owned railway in Germany, and is thus the oldest preserved railway building in Germany. Today it is still a regional railway hub. The railway station also houses a small railway museum.

Italy: Sanremo

On Tuesday I got seven postcards: one from Italy, two from France and four from Belgium.

The card from Italy shows Sanremo. Sanremo is a city on the Mediterranean coast near the French border. It is a popular tourist destination and many famous people already spent their holidays there. Alfred Nobel for example bought a villa in Sanremo in 1891 (shown on the card) and died there in 1896. Since 1951 it hosts the Sanremo Music Festival, a very popular song contest and the inspiration for the Eurovision Song Contest. It is also home to the headquarters of the International Institute of Humanitarian Law. 

With a nice related stamp:
Italian Mail (from set of three) (issued 01-07-2010)
70th Sanremo Music Festival (issued 07-02-2020)
with a special postmark from Sanremo

In addition to the stamp used on this card William also sent me the stamp with First Day Special Postmark on a piece of paper.

Thank You very much William!

Belgium: Suske and Wiske

On Tuesday I got seven postcards: four from Belgium, one from Italy and two from France.

One of the cards from Belgium shows Suske and Wiske. Suske and Wuske is a Belgian comics series created by Willy Vandersteen. The books revolve around the two children Suske and Wuske along with their friends and family, who experience adventures combining elements of comedy, fantasy and science fiction. First created in 1945, the series was serialised in Hergé's Franco-Belgian comics magazine Tintin between 1948 and 1959 and still runs today daily in the Belgian newspaper De Standaard. So far more than 300 albums have been published. Although Suske and Wiske are very popular in Belgium and the Netherlands, they are mainly unknown in other countries despite translations in other languages like French, German or Spanish.

With nice matching stamps:
75 years Suske and Wiske (two from set of five) (issued 25-01-2020)
with First Day Special Postmark

Thank You very much Gerda!

Belgium: Ommegang of Dendermonde

On Tuesday I got seven postcards: four from Belgium, one from Italy and two from France.

Two of the cards from Belgium are about the Ommegang of Dendermonde. The Ommegang of Dendermonde is a folkloric ceremony. As part of the Processional giants and dragons in Belgium and France it is since 2008 an Intangible Heritage of the UNESCO. 

The first card shows the Bayard Steed or Ros Beiaard. The Bayard Steed is a large folkloristic horse dating back to the time of Charlemagne. Just once every ten years this horse becomes alive in a popular parade in Dendermonde. During this parade the horse is ridden by four brothers from the town. The parade will take place for the next time on 24th May 2020.

Stamp:
Geometry in Nature - Pentagon (from set of five) (issued 25-01-2020)

The second card shows the three giants Indiaan, Mars and Goliath. Unlike Bayard Steed the three giants can be seen every year during a parade on the last Thursday in August.

With nice stamps:
75 years Suske and Wiske (two from set of five) (issued 25-01-2020)
with First Day Special Postmark

Thank You very much Gerda!

Belgium: City Hall of Dendermonde

On Tuesday I got seven postcards: four from Belgium, one from Italy and two from France.

One of the cards from Belgium shows the City Hall of Dendermonde. The City Hall of Dendermonde with its belfry is a gem of medieval Flemish architecture. As one of the Belfries of Belgium and France it is since 1999 on the UNESCO World Heritage List.

With nice stamps:
75 years Suske and Wiske (two from set of five) (issued 25-01-2020)
with First Day Special Postmark

Thank You very much Gerda!

France: Nantes

On Tuesday I got seven postcards: two from France, four from Belgium and one from Italy.

One of the cards from France shows various views of Nantes. Nantes is a city in the region of Pays de la Loire. It is the sixth-largest city in France and is known for its quality of life. In 2013 it received the European Green Capital Award. Historically Nantes is known for the Edict of Nantes signed in 1598, which legalised the Protestantism in France. In the 18th century it was an important port for the French Atlantic slave trade.

With a nice stamp:
Year of the Rat (from set of two) (issued 20-01-2020)
with a special postmark from the philatelic shop in Nantes

On the same day I also got a cover with the second Year of the Rat stamp and a special postmark from the philatelic shop in Boulogne-sur-Mer.

Thank You very much William!

France: Cannes

On Tuesday I got seven postcards: two from France, four from Belgium and one from Italy.

One of the cards from France shows various views of Cannes. Cannes is a city on the Côte d'Azur and known for its association with the rich and famous, its luxury hotels and restaurants. Especially famous it is also for the annual Cannes Film Festival, one of the most important film festivals in the World. In 2011 it hosted the G20 Summit.

Stamp:
Year of the Rat (from set of two) (issued 20-01-2020)
with a special postmark from the philatelic shop in Cannes

Thank You very much William!

Vienna: Vienna Technical Museum

On Monday I got a postcard from Austria.

It shows a car from the collection of 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 related stamp:
Austrian Heraldy (from set of fourteen) (issued 01-07-2018)
Classic Cars (issued 12-02-2020)
with First Day Special Postmark

Thank You very much Anita!

France: Menton

Last Saturday I got two postcards from France.

One of them shows various views of Menton. Menton is a commune on the Côte d'Azur near the Italian border. For centuries it belonged to Monaco and became a part of France just in 1860. After that it soon became a fashionable tourist centre with grand mansions and gardens. It has a strong connection to the citrus industry and every year in February the Fête du Citron, Lemon Festival, takes place in Meton.

Stamps:
New Marianne
Lille - World Capital of Design 2020 (issued 06-01-2020)
with a special postmark from the philatelic shop in Menton

Thank You very much William!

France: Nice

Last Saturday I got two postcards from France.

One of them shows various views of Nice. Nice is a city on the Côte d'Azur. In the 18th century it became a popular winter residence for the British upper class and the picturesque surrounding also attracted many famous painters. Today is Nice the fifth-largest city in France.

EDIT: Nice, Winter Resort Town of the Riviera was inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List in July 2021.

Stamps:
New Marianne
EUROPA (issued 13-05-2019)
with a special postmark from the philatelic shop in Nice

Thank You very much William!