cover from Germany

On Friday I got a cover from Germany.

Stamp:

Chocolate Cosmos (issued 03-12-2015)

with a special postmark about the 150th anniversary of the finishing of the Railway between Berlin and Königsberg

My Cards from Belgium

When I was in Belgium two weeks ago I sent myself five postcards. The first two arrived last Thursday. The third one arrived last Saturday and the fourth card on Monday. The last card finally arrived on Thursday, one week later than the first one. Of the five cards three card were bended, while two were not cancelled. Only one card arrived undamaged and cancelled, the last one.

The card that arrived last Saturday shows the Belgian Comic Strip Center. The Belgian Comic Strip Center is a museum about Belgian comics. The museum is housed in a building designed by Victor Horta and was opened in 1989. It is among the most popular museums in Brussels.

With related stamps:
Lucky Luke - Friend and Enemy (two from set of ten) (issued 13-04-2015)

The card that arrived on Monday shows Manneken Pis. Manneken Pis is the most famous landmark of Brussels. It is a small bronze sculpture depicting a naked little boy urinating into a fountain's basin and was erected in 1619. For various occasions the statue is dressed in costumes.

Stamps:
Lucky Luke - Friend and Enemy (two from set of ten) (issued 13-04-2015)

The card that arrived on Thursday shows the Grand Place. The Grand Place is the main square of Belgium's capital and was an important political and commercial centre. Due to its homogeneous buildings it is considered to be the most beautiful square in Europe. It is also a popular tourist destination. The Grand Place is since 1985 on the UNESCO World Heritage List.

Stamps:
Lucky Luke - Friend and Enemy (two from set of ten) (issued 13-04-2015)

Estonia: Estonian Maritime Museum

On Thursday I got a postcard from Estonia.

It shows the Estonian Maritime Museum. The Estonian Maritime Museum was opened in 1935 and focuses on the history of ships and navigation in Estonia. It is housed in the Fat Margaret tower of Tallinn's medieval city fortification. 

Stamp:
EUROPA (from set of two) (issued 08-05-2017)

Thank You very much Marcel!

Republic of Ireland: New Irish Postcrossing Stamp

On Wednesday I got two postcards: one from Ireland and one from Italy.

The card from Ireland was printed for the new Irish Postcrossing stamp.

The card was signed during a Postcrossing Meet-up.
With the new stamp:
Postcrossing (issued 05-10-2017)
with First Day Special Postmark

Thank You very much Amit!

Italy: Verona

On Wednesday I got two postcards: one from Italy and one from Ireland.

The card from Italy shows various views of Verona. Verona is a city in the Italian region of Veneto. It is the setting of three plays by William Shakespeare including Romeo and Juliet. The City of Verona is since 2000 on the UNESCO World Heritage List.

Stamp:
Basilica Pontificia di San Nicola in Bari (issued 15-09-2017)
with an unclear postmark about World Post Day

Thank You very much Giulia!

Japan: Miho Museum

On Tuesday I got four postcards: one from Japan, one from Germany, one from China and one from Finland.

The card from Japan shows the Miho Museum. The Miho Museum was opened in 1997. It exhibits Mihoko Koyama's private collection of Asian and Western antiques and is housed in a building designed by I. M. Pei. 

Stamps:
Definitives (from set of twelve) (issued 2015)
Rilakkuma (from set of twenty) (issued 26-07-2017)

Thank You very much Keiko!

Finland: Virpi Pekkala

On Tuesday I got four postcards: one from Finland, one from Japan, one from Germany and one from China.

The card from Finland was designed by Virpi Pekkala for the Finnish Postcrossing Friends. Virpi Pekkala is a Finnish artist, who is especially known for her postcards.

Stamp:
Moomin (from set of six) (issued 06-05-2009)

Thank You very much Laura!

China: Qinghai Hoh Xil

On Tuesday I got four postcards: one from China, one from Finland, one from Japan and one from Germany.

The card from China shows Qinghai Hoh Xil. Qinghai Hoh Xil is the largest and highest plateau in the World. It is known for its unique biodiversity and its many endemic species including the Tibetan Antilope. Qinghai Hoh Xil is since 2017 on the UNESCO World Heritage List.

Stamps:
Sanjiangyuan Nature Reserve (two from set of three) (issued 25-07-2009)
Yin Xu (from set of three) (issued 13-07-2016)
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Thank You very much Hanghui!

Germany: Trier

On Tuesday I got four postcards: one from Germany, one from China, one from Finland and one from Japan.

The card from Germany shows various views of Trier. According to the legend Trier was already founded in 2050 BC and is thus considered to be the oldest city in Germany. Between 286 and 392 it was a residence of the Western Roman emperors and in the 3th century it became the seat of the first German diocese. Since 1986 are the Roman Monuments and the Cathedral of St Peter and Church of Our Lady in Trier on the UNESCO World Heritage List.

Stamp:
Chiemsee (from set of two) (issued 01-07-2015)

Thank You very much Mariel!

Germany: North Rhine-Westphalia from Papersisters

On Monday I got two postcards from Germany.

One of them is Papersisters' German Landmark postcard of North Rhine-Westphalia. North Rhine-Westphalia is one of the States of the Federal Republic of Germany bordering on Lower Saxony, Hesse, Rhineland-Palatinate, Belgium and the Netherlands. It is the most populated German State and 29 of Germany's 79 big cities are in this state. Düsseldorf is the state's capital, while Cologne is the largest city. Bonn was until 1999 the capital of West Germany. 

Among others the card shows the Cologne Cathedral, the Emperor William Memorial in Porta Westfalica, the Aachen Cathedral and the Corvey Abbey.

With matching stamps:
Ruhr Area (issued 10-07-2003)
Cologne Cathedral (issued 06-03-2003)
with a special postmark about the 150th anniversary of the Bethel Institution in Bielefeld

Germany: Bavaria from Papersisters

On Monday I got two postcards from Germany.

One of them is Papersisters' German Landmark postcard of Bavaria. Bavaria is one of the States of the Federal Republic of Germany bordering on Thuringia, Saxony, the Czech Republic, Austria, Baden-Württemberg and Hesse. It is the largest German State and the second-most populated. Munich is the capital and largest city of Bavaria. Other big cities are Nuremberg, Augsburg, Regensburg, Ingolstadt, Würzburg, Fürth and Erlangen.

Among others the card shows Neuschwanstein Castle, the Frauenkirche in Munich and the Zugspitze.

With matching stamps:
200 years Oktoberfest (issued 09-09-2010)
Augsburger Puppenkiste (issued 10-08-2017)
with a special postmark of this year's Oktoberfest

covers from Germany

On Monday I got not only two postcards but also seven covers from Germany.

Stamp:

500 years Reformation (issued 13-04-2017)

with a special postmark showing Christoph Schappeler

Stamp:
Fix and Foxi (issued 07-09-2017)
with a special postmark showing Rolf Kauka

Stamp:
500 years Reformation (issued 13-04-2017)
with a special postmark showing the Town Church of Wittenberg

Stamps:
Supplemental Stamp 8c (issued 03-12-2015)
175 years Stamps (issued 01-09-2015)
with a special postmark showing Hans Wagner

Stamp:
200 years Bicycle (issued 13-07-2017)
with a special postmark showing Karl Drais on his bicycle

Stamp:
500 years Reformation (issued 13-04-2017)
with a special postmark showing Johannes Bugenhagen and Martin Luther

Stamp:
Fix and Foxi (issued 07-09-2017)
with a special postmark from Königslutter

My Trip to Berlin

This weekend I was in Berlin and there I got some cards for my collection.

The German-Russian Museum is housed in the former officers' mess of the Wehrmacht pioneer school, where the unconditional surrender of the German Wehrmacht was signed on 8th May 1945. Later it housed the headquarters of the Soviet Military Administration in Germany. In 1967 the Museum of the Unconditional Surrender of the Fascist Germany in the Great Patriotic War was opened in the building. After the German Reunification the museum was modernised and reopened as German-Russian Museum in 1995, which is dedicated to German-Soviet and German-Russian relations with a focus on the German-Soviet War. 

The Marienfelde Refugee Transit Camp was one of three camps operated by West Germany in West Berlin during the Cold War for dealing with the great waves of immigration from East Germany. It was opened in 1953 and was always densely populated until the construction of the Berlin Wall in 1961. Today it is still in use, but since 1993 it also houses a museum about the emigration from East to West Germany.

The Federal Chancellor Willy Brandt Foundation was established in 1994. It serves to honour the memory of Brandt's political accomplishments and his commitment to peace, freedom and democracy. The main exhibition is shown in Berlin, but since 2007 there is also a second exhibition in Lübeck.

Europa Experience is a multimedia exhibition about the European Union. It was opened in 2016.

Unfortunately they did not have postcards of the exhibition, but luckily I got a set of cards about the 60th anniversary of the Treaty of Rome there.