Käthe (Katharina) Dorsch

Käthe (Katharina) Dorsch (29 December 1890 - 25 December 1957) was a German actress. She was born in the Bavarian town of Neumarkt in der Oberpfalz, the daughter of a bakery helper. Her family moved to Nuremberg, when she was three years old. Dorsch attended a commercial school and had her first engagement aged 15 as a choir singer at the Staatstheater, performing Wagner's Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg. She appeared in Carl Zuckmayer's 1927 play Schinderhannes.

Dorsch is buried at the cemetery of Bad Saarow-Pieskow. A memorial stands at Waldfriedhof Dahlem in Berlin.

Thank you Maria.

Great Lavra Bell Tower

Vika from Kiev sent me this lovely card featuring the Great Lavra Bell Tower in that fine city of hers. The Great Lavra Bell Tower or the Great Belfry is the main bell tower of the ancientcave monastery of Kiev Pechersk Lavra in Kiev, the capital of Ukraine. It is one of the most notable buildings of the Kiev skyline (see picture).

The bell tower was the highest free-standing bell tower at the time of its construction in 1731–1745. It was designed by the architect Johann Gottfried Schädel. Its total height, with the Christian cross, is 96.5 metres (316 feet).

The Great Lavra Bell Tower is a Classical style construction with a total of four tiers, surmounted by a gilded dome. The diameter of the tower's lowest tier at its base is 28.8 metres (94 feet), and the thickness of the first tier walls is 8 metres (26 feet). The tower's foundation exceeds 7 metres (22 feet). The tower is decorated with many architectural columns: the second tier is decorated with 32 Dorian columns, the third tier is decorated with 16 Ionic columns, and the fourth with 8 Corinthian columns.

Walter Scheel

Walter Scheel (born 8 July 1919) is a German politician (FDP). He served as Federal Minister of Economic Cooperation and Development from 1961 to 1966, Foreign Minister of Germany and Vice Chancellor from 1969 to 1974, acting Chancellor of Germany from 7 to 16 May 1974 (following the resignation of Willy Brandt after the Guillaume Affair), and finally as President of the Federal Republic of Germany from 1974 to 1979.

He is currently the oldest former German president alive and the longest-lived German head of state.

Thank you Maria for this maxi card.

Merry Christmas

Merry Christmas says Tonnie from Holland. Merry Christmas to you too Dear Tonnie.

The Santa Maria

La Santa María de la Inmaculada Concepción (Spanish for The Holy Mary of the Immaculate Conception), or La Santa María, was the largest of the three ships used by Christopher Columbus in his first voyage. Her master and owner was Juan de la Cosa.

The Santa María was probably a medium sized nao (carrack), about 58 ft (17.7 m) long on deck, and according to Juan Escalante de Mendoza in 1575, the Santa Maria was "very little larger than 100 toneladas" (About 100 tons, or tuns) burthen, or burden, and was used as the flagship for the expedition. The other ships of the Columbus expedition were the smaller caravel-type ships Santa Clara, remembered as La Niña ("The Girl"), and La Pinta ("The Painted"). All these ships were second-hand (if not third or more) and were not intended for exploration. The Niña, Pinta, and the Santa María were modest sized merchant vessels comparable in size to a modern cruising yacht, and not the largest ships in Europe at the time. The exact measurements of length and width of the three ships have not survived, but good estimates of their burden capacity can be judged from contemporary anecdotes written down by one or more of Columbus' crew members, and contemporary Spanish and Portuguese ship wrecks from the late 15th and early 16th centuries which are comparable in size to that of the Santa Maria; These include the ballast piles and keel lengths of the Molasses Reef Wreck and Highborn Cay Wreck in the Bahamas. Both were caravel type vessels 19 m (62 ft) in length overall, 12.6 m (41 ft) keel length and 5 to 5.7 m (16 to 19 ft) in width, and rated between 100 and 150 tons burden. The Santa María, being Columbus' largest ship, was only about this size, and the Niña and Pinta were even tinier, at only 50 to 75 tons burden and perhaps 15-18 meters (50 to 60 feet) on deck (updated dimensional estimates are discussed below in the section entitled Replicas).

Anny von Hamburg

Thank you Jessica for this lovely card showing the three masted gaff rigged schooner "Anny von Hamburg" in Hamburg harbour.

Hamburg, is the second largest city in Germany and the ninth largest city in the European Union. On the river Elbe, the port of Hamburg is the second largest port in Europe (after the Port of Rotterdam) and tenth largest worldwide.

The official name reflects its history as a member of the medieval Hanseatic League, as a free imperial city of the Holy Roman Empire, and that it is a city-state, and one of the 16 states of Germany.  

Hamburg is a major transport hub and is one of the most affluent cities in Europe. It has become a media and industrial centre. Hamburg has been an important financial centre for centuries, and is the seat of the world's second oldest bank, Berenberg Bank.

The city is a major tourist destination for both domestic and overseas visitors; it ranked 17th in the world for livability in 2012, and in 2010 it ranked 10th in the world.

The school classroom

Ella sent me this very expressive card. The theme of which is obviously the classroom. The school classroom which is the very corner-stone of Finland's enviable success in the field of education. The stamp on this card and the card itself salutes and commemorates those responsible for success in education in Finland. For more on this issue please see my post on my stamps blog www.letstalkstamps.blogspot.com today.

Merry Christmas

My friend Ella sent me these cards issued by Itella Posti for Christmas this year. The stamps on them are of special significance as this is the 40th Anniversary of Finnish Christmas  stamps. You can get more info on my other blog namely www:/letstalkstamps.blogspot.com. Thank you Ella for these lovely cards.

Belgrade

My friend Karoly sent me this card of Belgrade, showing a few important sites there. Belgrade is the capital and largest city of Serbia. It is located at the confluence of the Sava and Danube rivers, where the Pannonian Plain meets the Balkans. Its name translates to White city. The city proper has a population of over 1.2 million; 1.65 million people live within the administrative limits.

One of the most important prehistoric cultures of Europe, the Vinča culture, evolved within the Belgrade area in the 6th millennium BC. In antiquity, Thraco-Dacians inhabited the region, and after 279 BC Celts conquered the city, naming it Singidūn. It was conquered by the Romans during the reign ofAugustus, and awarded city rights in the mid 2nd century. It was settled by the Slavs in the 520s, and changed hands several times between the Byzantine Empire, Frankish Empire, Bulgarian Empire and Kingdom of Hungary before it became the capital of Serbian King Stephen Dragutin (1282–1316). In 1521, Belgrade was conquered by the Ottoman Empire and became the seat of the Sanjak of Smederevo. It frequently passed from Ottoman to Habsburg rule, which saw the destruction of most of the city during the Austro-Ottoman wars. Belgrade was again named the capital of Serbia in 1841. Northern Belgrade remained the southernmost Habsburg post until 1918, when the city was reunited. As a strategic location, the city was battled over in 115 wars and razed to the ground 44 times. Belgrade was the capital of Yugoslavia (in various forms of governments) from its creation in 1918, to its final dissolution in 2006.

Belgrade has a special administrative status within Serbia and it is one of five statistical regions of Serbia. Its metropolitan territory is divided into 17 municipalities, each with its own local council. It covers 3.6% of Serbia's territory, and 22.5% of the country's population lives in the city. The city has been awarded many titles, and the nomination for European Capital of Culture 2020.

Maria Sibylla Merian

The personality featured on this maxi card issued in Germany, is Maria Sibylla Merian (2 April 1647 – 13 January 1717) who was a German-born naturalist and scientific illustrator, a descendent of the Frankfurt branch of the Swiss Merian family, founders of one of Europe's largest publishing houses in the 17th century.

Merian received her artistic training from her stepfather, Jacob Marrel, a student of the still life painter Georg Flegel. She remained in Frankfurt until 1670, relocating subsequently to Nuremberg, Amsterdam and West Friesland. Merian published her first book of natural illustrations, titled Neues Blumenbuch, in 1675 at age 28. In 1699, following eight years of painting and studying, and on the encouragement of Cornelis van Aerssen van Sommelsdijck, the then-governor of the South American Dutch colony of Surinam, Merian was awarded a grant by the city of Amsterdam to travel to Surinam with her daughter Dorothea. After two years there, she was forced return to Europe as result of malaria. She then proceeded to publish her major work, Metamorphosis insectorum Surinamensium, in 1705, for which she became famous. Because of her careful observations and documentation of the metamorphosis of the butterfly, she is considered among the most significant contributors to the field of entomology.

Thank you Maria for this card.

500th Anniversary of Bartholomeu Dias Landing at Walvis Bay

Postage stamps were issued in the South African-administered colony of South West Africa from 1914 to 1989. The South African Army overran German South-West Africa in 1914–15 and, in 1922, a League of Nations mandate gave South Africa the responsibility of administering the colony, now renamed South West Africa. South Africa controlled the postal service until Namibian independence in 1989. After World War II, the mandate was supposed to transform the colony into a United Nations Trust Territory, but South Africa objected to it coming under UN control and refused to allow the territory's transition to independence, regarding it as a fifth province.

South African stamps were used from 1914 until 1923. The first stamps inscribed South West Africa were issued bilingually in English and Afrikaans (Suidwest Afrika) on 1 January 1923. From 1970, the abbreviation SWA was in general use. In 1989, the last stamps of South West Africa were a set of 15 depicting minerals and mining. The stamps were unusual in that only a short while after their issue the illegal Republic of South West Africa was declared independent, becoming Namibia. As the stamps were new, most of the designs were kept with only the name changed (cuprite was dropped and willemite added for the Namibian issue). Another problem was that one of the stamps, for boltwoodite, had an error in its chemical equation. This was corrected in the Namibian issue. Namibia has issued regular definitive and commemorative stamps since independence in 1989, NamPost being its postal authority. The stamp on this maxi card was issued by the Govt of South West Africa to commemorate the 500th Anniversary of the landing of Bartholomeu Dias at Walvis Bay.

Bartolomeu Dias (1451 – 29 May 1500), a nobleman of the Portuguese royal household, was a Portuguese explorer. He sailed around the southernmost tip of Africa in 1488, the first European known to have done so. Bartolomeu Dias was a Knight of the royal court, superintendent of the royal warehouses, and sailing-master of the man-of-war, São Cristóvão (Saint Christopher). King John II of Portugal appointed him, on 10 October 1487, to head an expedition to sail around the southern tip of Africa in the hope of finding a trade route to India. Dias was also charged with searching for the lands ruled by Prester John, who was a fabled Christian priest and ruler.

After having sailed past Angola, Dias reached the Golfo da Conceicão (Walvis Bay) by December.  Dias, who stopped at what today is Walvis Bay and Lüderitz (which he named Angra Pequena). This maxi card has been postmarked at Luderitz.

Having rounded the Cape of Good Hope at a considerable distance, Dias continued east and entered what he named Aguada de São Brás (Bay of Saint Blaise)—later renamed Mossel Bay—on 3 February 1488. Dias's expedition reached its furthest point on 12 March 1488 when they anchored at Kwaaihoek, near the mouth of the Bushman's River, where a padrão—the Padrão de São Gregório—was erected before turning back. Dias wanted to continue sailing to India, but he was forced to turn back when his crew refused to go further. It was only on the return voyage that he actually discovered the Cape of Good Hope, in May 1488. Dias returned to Lisbon in December of that year, after an absence of sixteen months.

400th Birth Anniversary of Friedrich Spee von Langenfeld

The stamp on this maxi card issued by Germany on 14.2.1991 was to commemorate the 400^th Birth Anniversary of Friedrich Spee von Langenfeld.

Friedrich Spee (February 25, 1591 – August 7, 1635) was a German Jesuit and poet, most noted as an opponent of trials for witchcraft. Spee was the first person in his time who spoke strongly and with arguments against torture in general. He may be considered the first who ever gave good arguments why torture is not a way of obtaining truth from someone undergoing painful questioning.

Spee was born at Kaiserswerth on the Rhine. On finishing his early education at Cologne, he entered the Society of Jesus in 1610, and, after prolonged studies and activity as a teacher at Trier, Fulda, Würzburg, Speyer, Worms and Mainz, where he was ordained priest in 1622. He became professor at the University of Paderborn in 1624; from 1626 he taught at Speyer, Wesel, Trier and Cologne, and preached at Paderborn, Cologne and Hildesheim.

An attempt to assassinate Spee was made at Peine in 1629. He resumed his activity as professor and priest at Paderborn and later at Cologne, and in 1633 moved to Trier. During the storming of Trier by the imperial forces in March 1635, he distinguished himself in the care of the suffering, and died soon afterwards of an infection contracted in a hospital.

Thank you Maria for this nice maxi card.

Pretty picture

A pretty picture to brighten your Day. Thank You Ella.

Stamp Day in Helsinki

This maxi card was issued on 9.10.2013 at Helsinki, Finland to commemorate Philately Day or “Stamp Day”as the locals call it. The stamp is a personalised one by the Post Office in Helsinki. I had featured another maxi card about Philately Day 2013. The building featured on this card is the famous Lutheran Church in Helsinki.

Thank you Ella for this nice card.