My postcard and stamp week

Thursday, March 17, 2016

Italy: Piazza del Duomo in Pisa

On Monday I got eleven postcards including one from Italy.

The card from Italy shows the Pisa Cathedral and the Leaning Tower. The Pisa Cathedral and the Leaning Tower are two of the four buildings on Pisa's Piazza del Duomo. The Piazza del Duomo is an important centre of European medieval art and one of the World's finest architectural complexes. It is also known as Piazza dei Miracoli, Square of the Miracles. The Piazza del Duomo is since 1987 on the UNESCO World Heritage List.

Stamps:
Italian Mail 0,10€ (from set of three) (issued 01-07-2010)
Vulci Natural and Archaeological Park (issued 12-08-2015)

Thank You very much Chiara!

Norway: Bryggen of Bergen

On Monday I got eleven postcards including one from Norway.

The card from Norway shows the Bryggen of Bergen. Bergen was founded in 1070. In 1350 the Hanseatic League established a kontor in Bergen and soon the city became the centre of the Hanseatic activity in Norway. In their history the wooden houses of the Bryggen, where the kontor was located, were often destroyed by fire, but always they were rebuilt. In 1872 a Hanseatic Museum opened in the Bryggen. Bergen is today the second largest city of Norway. The Bryggen is since 1979 on the UNESCO World Heritage List. Bergen was the European Capital of Culture in 2000.

Stamps:
100th birthday of Thor Heyerdahl (two from set of four) (issued 28-04-2014)
with a special postmark about the Biathlon World Championships 2016 in Oslo

Thank You very much Cathrine!

Australia: Great Barrier Reef

This is the 1500th post on my blog! Thank You all of you for sending me all this nice postcards and covers with so many nice stamps!

On Monday I got eleven postcards including one from Australia.

The card from Australia shows a part of the Great Barrier Reef. The Great Barrier Reef is a coral reef system in the Coral Sea belonging to the Australian State of Queensland. It was created by billions of coral polyps and is the biggest single structure made by living organisms in the World. It is also the World's biggest coral reef and can be seen from outer space. It is home to many different animal species including the sea cow and the large green turtle. Today it is an important tourist destination and is considered to be one of the seven natural wonders of the World. Since 1981 is the Great Barrier Reef on the UNESCO World Heritage List.

Stamp:
Queen's Birthday (from set of two) (issued 07-04-2015)
with a special postmark from Gundagai showing the Dog on the Tuckerbox

Thank You very much Jemma!

Finland: Old Church of Petäjävesi

On Monday I got eleven postcards including one from Finland.

The card from Finland shows the Old Church of Petäjävesi. The Old Church of Petäjävesi was built between 1763 and 1765. It is a wooden church built in the Renaissance and the Gothic style. In 1821 the church got a bell tower. It went out of use in 1879, but today it is a popular tourist attraction and services and weddings are held there in summer. The Petäjävesi Old Church is since 1994 on the UNESCO World Heritage List.

It is an official card: FI-2656393

Stamp:
Finnish Flag (issued 01-03-2006)

Thank You very much Riitta!

South Africa: Leopard

On Monday I got eleven postcards including one from South Africa.

The card from South Africa shows a Leopard. The Leopard is the fourth biggest big cat. It is native to sub-Saharan Africa, West Asia, the Middle East, South and Southeast Asia and Siberia.

Stamp:
Rare Birds (from set of five) (issued 01-09-2014)

Thank You very much Rohini!

Malaysia: Bornean Gibbon

On Monday I got eleven postcards including one from Malaysia

The card from Malaysia shows a Bornean Gibbon. The Bornean Gibbon is a primate in the gibbon family. It is endemic to Borneo.

With a matching stamp:
Year of the Monkey (from set of three) (issued 26-01-2016)
with First Day Special Postmark

Thank You very much Bei Hao!

Germany: Sanssouci Palace and New Palace

On Monday I got eleven postcards including three from Germany.

One of the cards from Germany shows the Sanssouci Palace (upper row) and the New Palace (lower row) in Potsdam. The New Palace was built between 1763 and 1769 after the end of the Seven Years' War at the behest of Frederick the Great. It was actually not intended to be used as royal residence, however Emperor Wilhelm II used it as summer residence between 1888 and 1918. It is considered to be the last great Prussian baroque palace. Since 1990 are the Sanssouci Palace and the New Palace on the UNESCO World Heritage List.

I got this card a few weeks ago in a cover.

With a matching stamp and another related stamp:
Sanssouci Palace (issued 01-03-2016)
300th birthday of Frederick the Great (issued 02-01-2012)
with a special postmark showing also the Sanssouci Palace

Thank You very much Elisabeth for sending me the card in an envelope!

Germany: Abbey of Corvey

On Monday I got eleven postcards including three from Germany.

One of the cards from Germany shows the Westwork of Corvey. The Abbey of Corvey was founded in 822. It was a Benedictine monastery and imperial abbey. In 1803 it was secularized. The Carolingian Westwork and the Civitas Corvey are since 2014 on the UNESCO World Heritage List.

I got this card a few weeks ago in a cover.

On the backside there is a seal about Corvey's addition to the UNESCO World Heritage List.
With a matching stamp:
Abbey of Corvey (issued 01-03-2016)
with a special postmark showing also the Westwork of Corvey

Thank You very much Christine for sending me the card in an envelope!

Germany: Ostereistedt

On Monday I got eleven postcards including three from Germany.

One of the cards from Germany is an Easter card sent from Ostereistedt. Ostereistedt is a municipality in Lower Saxony. It is known for its Easter Bunny Post Office. Children can send letters or postcards to Hanni Hase in Ostereistedt and they will get a letter in return.

I bought this card in my home town.

With matching stamps:
Baby Animals (whole set) (issued 01-03-2016)
with a special postmark from the Easter Bunny Post Office in Ostereistedt

I also bought two other Easter cards for my collection. They show illustrations of a school of bunnies.

USA: Leap Day Card

On Monday I got eleven postcards including one from the USA.

The card from the USA is a fun card.

It is an official card: US-3878958

Stamp:
Sea Surface Temperatures (issued 22-04-2014)
with a postmark of the 29th February, the leap day

Thank You very much EV!

cover from China

On Monday I got not only eleven postcards but also three covers including one from China.

Inside was a maxicard from Macao. The stamp is from a set of five and was issued on 22nd January 2016. It celebrates the Year of the Monkey.

Thank You very much "Lokwongho"!

Franz Marc death anniversary cover

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

Stamps:

100 years Der Blaue Reiter (issued 09-02-2012)

The stamp shows Franz Marc's famous painting Blue Horse I.

Centenary of World War I (issued 07-08-2014)

with a special postmark about the 100th anniversary of Franz Marc's death

Franz Marc was born in 1880 in Munich and was one of the most important German painters of the Expressionism. He was also a member of Der Blaue Reiter. When the World War I started in 1914, Franz Marc was drafted for military service. On 4th March 1916 he was killed at the Western Front.