Germany: Heinrich Schütz House in Weißenfels

On Friday I got two postcards from Germany.

One of them shows the Heinrich Schütz House in Weißenfels. The Heinrich Schütz House was the residence of the composer Heinrich Schütz between 1651 and his death in 1672. It is the only house of the composer which survived until today and houses a museum since 1985.

Stamp:
500th birthday of Lucas Cranach the Younger (issued 01-10-2015)

Thank You very much Elisabeth!

Germany: Imhoff Chocolate Museum

On Friday I got two postcards from Germany.

One of them shows the Imhoff Chocolate Museum in Cologne. The Imhoff Chocolate Museum is a museum about the history and the modern production of chocolate. It was opened in 1993 and is today one of the most visited museums in Germany. Since 2006 is the Swiss chocolate manufacturer Lindt & Sprüngli the museum's partner in producing exhibits.

Stamp:
Lighthouses (from set of two) (issued 07-07-2016)

Thank You very much Marcel!

cover from France

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

Stamps:

Marianne 0,05€, 0,10€

Les Légendaires (from set of two) (issued 16-09-2016)

Inside was a stamp booklet about the Chinese New Year (issued 28-01-2017).

Thank You very much William!

cover from Germany

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

Stamps:

Crocus (issued 11-08-2005)

10 years Maastricht Treaty (issued 13-11-2003)

with a special postmark about the 25th anniversary of the Maastricht Treaty

The Maastricht Treaty undertaken to integrate Europe was signed on 7 February 1992 by the members of the European Community in Maastricht, Netherlands. Upon its entry into force on 1 November 1993 it created the European Union and led to the creation of the single European currency, the Euro. The Maastricht Treaty has been amended by the treaties of Amsterdam, Nice and Lisbon.

Finland: FIS Nordic World Ski Championships 2017

On Thursday I got two postcards: one from Finland and one from France.

The card from Finland was printed for the FIS Nordic World Ski Championships 2017. The FIS Nordic World Ski Championships 2017 take place in Lahti between the 22nd February and the 5th March 2017. It is already the seventh time that Lahti hosts the championships. Until now the most successful countries are Norway, Germany and Russia. 

With a matching stamp:
Personalised stamp "FIS Nordic World Ski Championships 2017"
with a special postmark about the event

Thank You very much Sini!

France: Ault

On Thursday I got two postcards: one from France and one from Finland.

The card from France shows Ault. Ault is a commune in the Somme department. It is known for the good water quality.

Stamps:
Marianne 0,05€, 0,10€
50 years Neuwirth Law (issued 17-02-2017)

Thank You very much William!

Romania: Postcrossing

On Tuesday I got two postcards: my first card from Romania and one from the USA.

Romania is a country in Southeastern Europe bordering on Bulgaria, Serbia, Hungary, Ukraine and Moldova. It joined the NATO in 2004 and is since 2007 a member of the EU. Bucharest is the country's capital and largest city. 

The card was printed for the Postcrossing Stamp Launch Meet-up in Bucharest.

The card was signed during the meet-up.
With the new stamp:
Postcrossing (issued 24-02-2017)
with First Day Special Postmark

Thank You very much Mihnea!

USA: Monticello

On Tuesday I got two postcards: one from the USA and my first card from Romania.

The card from the USA shows Monticello in Charlottesville in the US State of Virginia. Monticello was the primary plantation of Thomas Jefferson, who had designed the house himself in the Neoclassical style. It now houses a museum. Together with the University of Virginia is Monticello since 1987 on the UNESCO World Heritage List.

Stamps:
New Year (issued 27-12-1999)
Purple Heart (issued 07-08-2007)

Thank You very much Kati!

cover from Germany

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

Stamp:

200 years Die Weser (issued 08-12-2016)

Inside were two postcards.

The first one shows the Lutherhaus in Eisenach. The Lutherhaus is one of the oldest surviving half-timbered houses in Thuringia. It is said that Martin Luther lived in the house when he went to school in Eisenach between 1498 and 1501. The house now is home to a museum about Martin Luther and the Bible.

The second one shows various places in Eisenach which have a connection with Johann Sebastian Bach. Johann Sebastian Bach was born in Eisenach in 1685. He was baptised in the Saint George's Church, where Martin Luther already had given sermons, and later went to the same Latin School as Luther. In 1695 he moved to Ohrdruf. In 1907 the World's first Bach Museum was founded in Eisenach (lower row middle picture).

Thank You very much Sandy!

Israel and World War I

On Monday I got my stamp order from Israel.

One FDC I ordered is about the World War I Centenary (issued 21-06-2016).

At the beginning of World War I the territory of Israel was a part of the Ottoman Empire, but in late 1917 the British Army had occupied a part of Southern Syria, which later became a British Mandate. According to the Balfour Declaration the British government supported the establishment of a home for the Jewish people in Palestine and many Jews escaping the post-revolutionary Russia arrived in Palestine afterwards.

Another stamp I ordered is about the Centenary of Nili (issued 08-12-2015).

Nili was a Jewish espionage network active during World War I, which assisted the United Kingdom in its fight against the Ottoman Empire in Palestine. It was founded in 1915 and was unraveled in 1917.

Philippines: Paoay Church

On Saturday I got four postcards: one from the Philippines, one from France, one from Germany and one from Canada.

The card from the Philippines shows the Paoay Church. The Paoay Church is a Roman Catholic church. It was built between 1694 and 1710 in a combination of Baroque and Javanese architecture. As one of the Baroque Churches of the Philippines it is since 1993 on the UNESCO World Heritage List.

Stamps:
Year of the Rooster (whole set) (issued 16-12-2016)

Thank You very much Mitch!

Canada: Canadian National Vimy Memorial

On Saturday I got four postcards: one from Canada, one from the Philippines, one from France and one from Germany.

The card from Canada shows the Canadian National Vimy Memorial. The Canadian National Vimy Memorial is a memorial site in France dedicated to the memory of Canadian Expeditionary Force members killed during World War I. King Edward VIII unveiled the memorial in 1936. It is located at the battleground of the Battle of Vimy Ridge and is one of just two National Historic Sites of Canada outside of Canada.

As British Dominion Canada's involvement in World War I started when the United Kingdom declared war against the German Empire on 4th August 1914. One day later also Canada's Governor General declared war and soon an independent Canadian Expeditionary Force was raised. Canada's sacrifices and contributions to the Great War changed its history and enabled it to become more independent, while opening a deep rift between the French and English speaking populations. 

The Battle of Vimy Ridge was fought in 1917 between the German Empire and the British Empire and is a part of the Battle of Arras. It was the first battle in which the four divisions of Canadian Expeditionary Force fought together. It ended with a victory of the British Empire. 

Stamp:
Baby Wildlife (from set of five) (issued 31-03-2014)

Thank You very much Marcie!

Germany: Baden-Württemberg from Papersisters

On Saturday I got four postcards: one from Germany, one from Canada, one from the Philippines and one from France.

The card from Germany is Papersisters' German Landmark postcard of Baden-Württemberg. Baden-Württemberg is one of the States of the Federal Republic of Germany. It is located in Southern Germany and borders on Rhineland-Palatinate, Hesse, Bavaria, Switzerland and France. The modern state of Baden-Württemberg was created in 1952, when the three former states of Württemberg-Hohenzollern, Baden and Württemberg-Baden were merged. By area and population it is the third largest State of Germany. Stuttgart is the capital and largest city. Other big cities are Mannheim, Karlsruhe, Freiburg, Heidelberg, Heilbronn, Ulm, Pforzheim and Reutlingen. 

Among others the card shows Maulbronn Monastery, the Pfahlbaumuseum in Unteruhldingen, Hohenzollern Castle and the Ulm Minster.

With matching stamps:
50 years Baden-Württemberg (issued 04-04-2002)
Monastic Island of Reichenau (issued 02-01-2008)
Ludwigsburg Palace (issued 09-02-2017)
with a special postmark from Ludwigsburg

Recently I was also able to buy a maxicard of the Ludwigsburg Palace for my collection.

The Ludwigburg Palace was built between 1704 and 1733 at the behest of Duke Eberhard Ludwig of Württemberg. It is one of the Germany's largest Baroque palaces and around the palace Baroque model city of Ludwigsburg was built. Between 1730 and 1800 the royal residence of Württemberg changed several times between Ludwigsburg and Stuttgart. Today the Ludwigsburg Palace houses the Baroque Gallery, the Porcelain Museum and the Baroque Fashion Museum.

France: Le Tréport

On Saturday I got four postcards: one from France, one from Germany, one from Canada and one from the Philippines.

The card from France shows various views of Le Tréport.

Stamps:
Marianne 0,10€
350 years French Academy in Rome (issued 30-11-2016)
It is a joint issue with Italy.

Thank You very much William!

cover from Germany

On Saturday I got not only four postcards but also a prepaid envelope about the 175th birthday of Karl May.

Karl May was born in 1842. He was a German author and is especially known for his adventure novels set in Mexico, the Middle East and the USA. Many of his books were adapted for movie and stage and he is said to be one of the most-translated and best-selling German authors of all time. Karl May died in Radebeul in 1912.