150th Birth Anniversary of Paul Wallot

Paul Wallot (26 June 1841 Oppenheim am Rhein - 10 August 1912 Bad Schwalbach) was a German architect of Huguenot descent, best known for designing the Reichstag building in Berlin, erected between 1884 and 1894. He also built the adjacent Palace of the President of the Reichstag, finished in 1904, and the former Saxon Ständehaus state diet building of 1906 at Brühl's Terrace in Dresden.

This stamp on the maxicard and the card itself were issued on 4^th June, 1991 being the 150^th Birth Anniversary of Paul Wallot the famous architect of Germany.

Thank you Merja.

The Mechanised Celestial Globe by Jost Bürgi

Jost Bürgi, or Joost, or Jobst Bürgi (February 28, 1552, Lichtensteig, Switzerland – January 31, 1632), active primarily at the courts in Kassel and Prague, was a Swiss clockmaker, a maker of astronomical instruments and a mathematician.

The maxi card and the stamp on it with the nice appropriate postmark displays one of Jost Burgi’s most famous creations, The Mechanised Celestial Globe, made 1594 in Kassel, now atSchweizerisches Landesmuseum in Zurich.

In astronomy and navigation, the celestial sphere is an imaginary sphere of arbitrarily large radius, concentric with a particular celestial body. All objects in the observer's sky can be thought of as projected upon the inside surface of the celestial sphere, as if it were the underside of a dome or a hemispherical screen. The celestial sphere is a practical tool for spherical astronomy, allowing observers to plot positions of objects in the sky when their distances are unknown or unimportant.

Thank you Merja.

Lighthouses of Estonia

Estonia is a small country with a surprisingly long coastline. Surrounded on 2-1/2 sides by water, it faces the Gulf of Riga on the southwest, the Baltic Sea on the west, and the Gulf of Finland on the north. There are two large islands in the Baltic, Saaremaa and Hiiumaa, and countless small islands. To guard these coasts, Estonia has more than 70 lighthouses and a well-developed lighthouse administration. Its major port, formerly called Reval, is now the Estonian capital of Tallinn.

Estonia was part of the Russian Empire until the end of World War I in 1918, and then it was incorporated into the Soviet Union from 1940 to 1990. Thus the older lighthouses are from the Russian Imperial period, and some of the newer ones are of Soviet construction. An example from the imperial period appear at right: the old Suurupi lighthouse, built in 1760.

Lighthouses in Estonia are operated by the Estonian Maritime Administration. In Estonia, a lighthouse is a tuletorn (fire tower) or amajakas.  These three maximum cards show three of the many lighthouses in Estonia.

Thank you Ella.

Badain Jaran Desert

The Badain Jaran Desert is a desert in China which spans the provinces of Gansu, Ningxia and Inner Mongolia. It covers an area of 49,000 sq. kilometers (19,000 sq. miles). By size it is the third largest desert in China.

This desert is home to some of the tallest stationary dunes on Earth. Some reaching a height of more than 500 meters (1,600 ft.) although most average at around 200 meters. Its tallest dune is also measured, from base to peak, as the world's third tallest dune and highest stationary dune in the world.

The desert also features over 100 spring-fed lakes that lie between the dunes, some of which are fresh water while others are extremely saline. These lakes give the desert its name which is Mongolian for "mysterious lakes". It is also crossed by one river, the Ruo Shui ("weak water"), which has formed an alluvial plain in the desert.

Thank you Aki for this card.

Easter Greetings

Easter Greetings from Kate in Belarus. Thank you Kate.

Good Friday

My friend Karoly sent me this card for Easter. It is a depicts a folk motif for Easter.
Today is Good Friday. For many years I had wondered what was good about Good Friday, when the day is really one of mourning. It was then that I came across this article that tells one about just this enigma - what is good about Good Friday?

Why do we call Good Friday “good,” when it is such a dark and bleak event commemorating a day of suffering and death for Jesus?

For Christians, Good Friday is a crucial day of the year because it celebrates what we believe to be the most momentous weekend in the history of the world. Ever since Jesus died and was raised, Christians have proclaimed the cross and resurrection of Jesus to be the decisive turning point for all creation. Paul considered it to be “of first importance” that Jesus died for our sins, was buried, and was raised to life on the third day, all in accordance with what God had promised all along in the Scriptures.  

On Good Friday we remember the day Jesus willingly suffered and died by crucifixion as the ultimate sacrifice for our sins. It is followed by Easter, the glorious celebration of the day Jesus was raised from the dead, heralding his victory over sin and death and pointing ahead to a future resurrection for all who are united to him by faith.

Still, why call the day of Jesus’ death “Good Friday” instead of “Bad Friday” or something similar? Some Christian traditions do take this approach: in German, for example, the day is called Karfreitag, or “Sorrowful Friday.” In English, in fact, the origin of the term “Good” is debated: some believe it developed from an older name, “God’s Friday.” Regardless of the origin, the name Good Friday is entirely appropriate because the suffering and death of Jesus, as terrible as it was, marked the dramatic culmination of God’s plan to save his people from their sins.

In order for the good news of the gospel to have meaning for us, we first have to understand the bad news of our condition as sinful people under condemnation. The good news of deliverance only makes sense once we see how we are enslaved. Another way of saying this is that it is important to understand and distinguish between law and gospel in Scripture. We need the law first to show us how hopeless our condition is; then the gospel of Jesus’ grace comes and brings us relief and salvation.

In the same way, Good Friday is “good” because as terrible as that day was, it had to happen for us to receive the joy of Easter. The wrath of God against sin had to be poured out on Jesus, the perfect sacrificial substitute, in order for forgiveness and salvation to be poured out to the nations. Without that awful day of suffering, sorrow, and shed blood at the cross, God could not be both “just and the justifier” of those who trust in Jesus.   Paradoxically, the day that seemed to be the greatest triumph of evil was actually the deathblow in God’s gloriously good plan to redeem the world from bondage.

The cross is where we see the convergence of great suffering and God’s forgiveness.  Psalms sings of a day when “righteousness and peace” will “kiss each other.” The cross of Jesus is where that occurred, where God’s demands, his righteousness, coincided with his mercy. We receive divine forgiveness, mercy, and peace because Jesus willingly took our divine punishment, the result of God’s righteousness against sin. “For the joy set before him” Jesus endured the cross on Good Friday, knowing it led to his resurrection, our salvation, and the beginning of God’s reign of righteousness and peace.

Good Friday marks the day when wrath and mercy met at the cross. That’s why Good Friday is so dark and so Good.

Justin Holcomb who is an Episcopal priest and teaches theology at Reformed Theological Seminary and Knox Theological Seminary wrote this nice article.

Opening of the St. Gotthard tunnel on September 5, 1980

The St. Gotthard Tunnel in Switzerland runs from Göschenen in the Canton of Uri at its northern portal, to Airolo in Ticino to the south, and is 16.942 kilometres (10.527 mi) in length below the St. Gotthard Pass. It is the third-longest road tunnel in the world after Norway's Lærdal Tunnel (24.5 km), and China's Zhongnanshan Tunnel (18 km).

In response to the automobile boom in Switzerland and the popularity of Italy as a travel resort, the Swiss government gave approval in July 1969 for the construction of the 16-kilometre Gotthard Road tunnel. The tunnel would be longer than any existing road tunnel, and would provide year-round road link between central Switzerland and Milan to be used in place of the Gotthard Pass.

The now widely used motorway tunnel was opened on September 5, 1980. It remains a single bore tunnel with just one lane operating in each direction. It has four large ventilation shafts and an additional side gallery between 10 and 18 metres from the main tunnel, having its own independent ventilation system in order to facilitate the cutting of a second tunnel, should future traffic levels require it.

The stamp on this maxicard was issued to commemorate the opening of this Tunnel on 5.9.1980. Thank you Maria.

The Forbidden City

The Forbidden City was the Chinese imperial palace from the Ming dynasty to the end of the Qing dynasty. It is located in the center of Beijing, China, and now houses the Palace Museum. For almost 500 years, it served as the home of emperors and their households, as well as the ceremonial and political center of Chinese government.

Built in 1406 to 1420, the complex consists of 980 buildings and covers 720,000 m² (7,800,000 sq ft). The palace complex exemplifies traditional Chinese palatial architecture, and has influenced cultural and architectural developments in East Asia and elsewhere. The Forbidden City was declared a World Heritage Site in 1987, and is listed by UNESCO as the largest collection of preserved ancient wooden structures in the world.

Since 1925, the Forbidden City has been under the charge of the Palace Museum, whose extensive collection of artwork and artifacts were built upon the imperial collections of the Ming and Qing dynasties. Part of the museum's former collection is now located in the National Palace Museum in Taipei. Both museums descend from the same institution, but were split after the Chinese Civil War.

The card shows the Inner Court Complex of the Forbidden City. Thank you SiQi for this lovely card.

Omodos in Cyprus

Omodos is a charming little village in the Troödos Mountains of Cyprus, and while it attracts a lot of holidaymakers, it still retains a character and traditions. Its also a great place to eat, drink and shop. It is also located in the Limassol District of Cyprus and is 80 kilometers from the city of Nicosia. The village produces a lot of wine and holds a wine festival every August. You can visit a 17th Century stone built monastery via a cobblestone path and sample local wine for free at many outlets. You will also find a good mix of restaurants including traditional tavernas and a few modern bars housed in traditional buildings.

In the centre of this village lies the Monastery of the Holy Cross, which contains an alleged fragment of the Holy Rood the cross on which Christ was crucified and brought to Cyprus by St Helen in 327 AD.

The skull of St Philip, the fifth Apostle, is also there and its preserved in a silver casket. Religious, cultural and thrivin. Here you'll find plenty of local crafts like leather bags, belts and clothes, pottery, copperware and lace.

Tourists are generally very familiar with the beaches and the coastal resorts but many are unaware that there is a stunning inland with mountains, pine forests and waterfalls this area is a paradise for nature and outdoor lovers. For the sun worshipper leaving the beaches and the bars isn't easy but you'll be rewarded for your willpower if you drive up into the Troodos Mountains.  

This card gives a view of the quaint narrow sreets of Omodos. Thank you Merja for this lovely card. Yet another reason to visit Cyprus J

Greetings from Turkey

This card from Filiz from Turkey wishes everyone " Happy Eid".

Autumn's Keeper

Alexey sent this card from Russia. It shows a painting by Anastasia Kucherenko titled "Autumn's Keeper". Anastasia Kucherenko is an exponent of Vector Art.

Komsomolskaya Metro station in Moscow

Komsomolskaya is a Moscow Metro station in the Krasnoselsky District, Central Administrative Okrug, Moscow. It is on the Sokolnicheskaya Line, between Krasnye Vorota and Krasnoselskaya stations. It is located under Komsomolskaya Square, between the Leningradsky, Yaroslavsky, and Kazansky railway terminals. The station was named for the workers of the Komsomol youth league who helped to construct the first Metro line. It has a transfer at the-same-called-station on the Koltsevaya Line.

Komsomolskaya was built using the cut and cover method, with construction beginning on 3 May 1933. Temporary bridges were built over the construction site to avoid disrupting traffic, especially the numerous tram routes in the area. To counteract the high water table, the station was built on 636 piles which were driven into the saturated soil.

The station was designed by Dmitry Chechulin, and a model of it was displayed at the 1937 Paris World's fair.

This station, with its arched yellow ceiling, is known for being equally beautiful and busy. Though this station was built in the 1950s, it shows influence of the Baroque style, with intricate medallions decorating the ceiling. Mosaics depict scenes from Russian history and historic weaponry.

Thank you Zoya for this lovely card. I had the good fortune of visiting this extraordinary station. But that was a long long time ago.

Orenburg Children's Railway

This card shows a photo of The Orenburg Children's Railway in Russia was constructed at a record-breaking speed. Construction began on 19 May, 1953, and in 68 days, 26 July the same year, its formal opening was held! Five kilometers of track were laid (later another 0.8 km was added). Three stations and 2 intermediate stations on which there were wooden station buildings and high wooden platforms were constructed (in 1957 the platform at the "Plyazh" ("Beach") was closed).

The Children's Railway line passes along one bank of the river Ural from the city up to an area in which 33 Pioneer camps were located. The ChRW was one of the most convenient ways of getting from the city up to the "Pioneer campground". This provided the line with a constant volume of passenger traffic. On holidays the trains are overcrowded.

Orenburg is a transcontinental city and the administrative center of Orenburg Oblast, Russia, located on the Ural River 1,478 kilometers (918 mi) southeast of Moscow, very close to the border with Kazakhstan. Population: 548,331 (2010 Census); 549,361 (2002 Census); 546,501 (1989 Census). From 1938 to 1957, the city bore the name Chkalov (after the prominent test pilot Valery Chkalov). The city's distance from the German invasion during World War II led many Soviet enterprises to flee there, helping to spur the city's economic growth.

Mountain and river tourism is developed in the region. There are a number of fast mountain rivers and rocks in pleated spurs of the southern edge of the Urals range, popular with tourists. The city is famous for its down Orenburg shawls. The thinnest lacy design, knitted by hand shawls and cobweb-like kerchiefs (pautinkas), is not only warm, but also is used for decorative purposes.

Thank you Ludmila for this lovely card.

Happy Holidays in October

This card from Russia wishes "Happy Holidays"during the national celebrations in October. This was during the Soviet days.

The Prague astronomical clock

Here’s another pretty card of Prague showing a few of the many lovely sights in Prague. Prominently seen on the card is the Prague Astronomical Clock.

The Prague astronomical clock, or Prague orloj, is a medieval astronomical clock located in Prague, the capital of the Czech Republic. The clock was first installed in 1410, making it the third-oldest astronomical clock in the world and the oldest one still working. The Orloj is mounted on the southern wall of Old Town City Hall in the Old Town Square. The clock mechanism itself is composed of three main components: the astronomical dial, representing the position of the Sun and Moon in the sky and displaying various astronomical details; "The Walk of the Apostles", a clockwork hourly show of figures of the Apostles and other moving sculptures—notably a figure of Death (represented by a skeleton) striking the time; and a calendar dial with medallions representing the months.

The oldest part of the Orloj, the mechanical clock and astronomical dial, dates back to 1410 when it was made by clockmaker Mikuláš of Kadaň and Jan Šindel, the latter a professor of mathematics and astronomy at Charles University. Later, presumably around 1490, the calendar dial was added and clock facade decorated with gothic sculptures. 

In 1552 it was repaired by Jan Taborský, clock-master of Orloj, who also wrote a report on the clock where he mentioned Hanuš as maker of the clock.

Thank you Misa for this nice card.

Alfons Maria Mucha

Alfons Maria Mucha (Ivančice, 24 July 1860 – Prague, 14 July 1939), often known in English and French as Alphonse Mucha, was a Czech Art Nouveau painter and decorative artist, known best for his distinct style. He produced many paintings, illustrations, advertisements, postcards, and designs.

Mucha produced a flurry of paintings, posters, advertisements, and book illustrations, as well as designs for jewelry, carpets, wallpaper, and theatre sets in what was termed initially The Mucha Style but became known as Art Nouveau (French for "new art"). Mucha's works frequently featured beautiful young women in flowing, vaguely Neoclassical-looking robes, often surrounded by lush flowers which sometimes formed halos behind their heads. In contrast with contemporary poster makers he used pale pastel colors. Mucha's style was given international exposure by the 1900 Universal Exhibition in Paris, of which Mucha said, "I think [the Exposition Universelle] made some contribution toward bringing aesthetic values into arts and crafts."He decorated the Bosnia and Herzegovina Pavilion and collaborated with decorating the Austrian Pavilion. His Art Nouveau style was often imitated. The Art Nouveau style however, was one that Mucha attempted to disassociate himself from throughout his life; he always insisted that rather than maintaining any fashionable stylistic form, his paintings were entirely a product of himself and Czech art. He declared that art existed only to communicate a spiritual message, and nothing more; hence his frustration at the fame he gained by his commercial art, when he most wanted to concentrate on more artistic projects.

The rising tide of fascism during the late 1930s resulted in Mucha's works and his Slavic nationalism being denounced in the press as 'reactionary'. When German troops moved into Czechoslovakia during the spring of 1939, Mucha was among the first persons to be arrested by the Gestapo. During his interrogation, the aging artist became ill with pneumonia. Though released eventually, he may have been weakened by this event. He died in Prague on 14 July 1939, due to lung infection, and was interred there in the Vyšehrad cemetery.

The Cutty Sark

Kate sent me this lovely card of The Cutty Sark, a British clipper ship. Built on the Clyde in 1869 for the Jock Willis Shipping Line, she was one of the last tea clippers to be built and one of the fastest, coming at the end of a long period of design development which halted as sailing ships gave way to steam propulsion.

The opening of the Suez Canal (also in 1869) meant that steam ships now enjoyed a much shorter route to China, so Cutty Sark spent only a few years on the tea trade before turning to the trade in wool from Australia, where she held the record time to Britain for ten years.

 Improvements in steam technology meant that gradually steamships also came to dominate the longer sailing route to Australia and the ship was sold to the Portuguese company Ferreira and Co. in 1895, and renamed Ferreira. She continued as a cargo ship until purchased by retired sea captain Wilfred Dowman in 1922, who used her as a training ship operating from Falmouth, Cornwall. After his death, Cutty Sark was transferred to the Thames Nautical Training College, Greenhithe in 1938 where she became an auxiliary cadet training ship alongside HMS Worcester. By 1954 she had ceased to be useful as a cadet ship and was transferred to permanent dry dock at Greenwich, London on public display.

Cutty Sark is one of three historical sea vessels in London on the Core Collection of the National Historic Ships Register (the nautical equivalent of a Grade 1 Listed Building) – alongside HMS Belfast and SS Robin. She is one of only three remaining original composite construction (wooden hull on an iron frame) clipper ships from the nineteenth century in part or whole, the others being the City of Adelaide, awaiting transportation to Australia for preservation, and the beached skeleton of Ambassador of 1869 near Punta Arenas, Chile.

The ship was badly damaged by fire on 21 May 2007 while undergoing conservation. The vessel has since been restored and reopened to the public on 25 April 2012.

IJmuiden

IJmuiden is a port city in the Dutch province of North Holland and is the main town in the municipality of Velsen. It is located at the mouth of the North Sea Canal to Amsterdam, and lies approximately 17 kilometres north of Haarlem.

In the picture on this card sent to me by Kitty one can see the IJmuiden's Rear Range lighthouse, a radar reflectoe buoy and the Old water tower.

Marken Lighthouse

The lighthouse on the Peninsula of Marken on the IJsselmeer.
The present lighthouse was built in 1839 and was declared a national monument in 1970. When on a sailing trip at the IJsselmeer, Marken is definitely worth a stop.

Marken is a peninsula in the Markermeer, in the Netherlands and a former island in the Zuiderzee, located in the municipality Waterland in the province North Holland. It is the namesake of the Markermeer, the body of water which surrounds it. The former island is nowadays connected to the North Holland mainland by a causeway. Also, Marken is a well-known tourist attraction, well known for its characteristic wooden houses. For some time during the later 19th and early 20th centuries, Marken and its inhabitants were the focus of considerable attention by folklorists, ethnographers and physical anthropologists, who regarded the small fishing town as a relic of the traditional native culture that was destined to disappear as the modernization of the Netherlands gained pace. Marken was a separate municipality until 1991, when it was merged into Waterland.

Thank you Ina.

Town Hall Square in Tallinn

Raekoja plats (Town Hall Square) is a town square beside Tallinn Town Hall in the center of the Tallinn Old Town in Tallinn, Estonia. It is a venue for numerous small festivals or concerts like Tallinn Old Town Days, and several bars and restaurants are located in the near vicinity. The square also hosts a market regularly, with many stalls selling traditional Estonian items and souvenirs.

There has been a town hall in Tallinn since at least 1322 and a town square next to it ever since then. The hall was rebuilt from 1402 to 1404 into its current form, and a Christmas tree display has been held in the square since 1441, making the Tallinn Christmas tree display over 570 years old.

The Tallinn Town Hall is a building in the Tallinn Old Town, Estonia, next to the Town Hall Square. It is the oldest town hall in the whole of the Baltic region and Scandinavia. The building is located in the south side of the ancient market square and is 36.8 metres long. The west wall is 14.5 metres in length, and the east is 15.2 meters. It is a two-storey building with a spacious basement. The wind vane “Old Thomas” on the top of the Town Hall's tower, that has been there since 1530, has become one of the symbols of Tallinn. The height of the tower is 64 metres.

  

Thank you Ella for this nice card. I am sure you had a lovely break there.

THE PIED PIPER OF HAMELIN?

AND WHO DOESN'T KNOW ABOUT THE PIED PIPER OF HAMELIN? 

Now, where is Hamelin you may very well ask. Is it just a fairy tale town or is it a real place?

Hamelin is a town on the river Weser in Lower Saxony, Germany. It is the capital of the district of Hamelin-Pyrmont and has a population of 58,696 (as at 2006). Hamelin is also the gateway to the surrounding Weserbergland mountains, which are popular with hikers and bikers.

The town is famous for the folk tale of the Pied Piper of Hamelin, a medieval story that tells of a tragedy that befell the town in the thirteenth century. The version written by the Brothers Grimm made it popular throughout the world; it is also the subject of well-known poems by Goethe and Robert Browning. Although Hamelin has a fine medieval old town with some remarkable buildings, the main attraction is the tale of the Pied Piper. In the summer every Sunday, the tale is performed by actors in the town centre.

The Pied Piper of Hamelin (the Rat-Catcher of Hamelin) is the subject of a legend concerning the departure or death of a great number of children from the town of Hamelin (Hameln), Lower Saxony, Germany, in the Middle Ages. The earliest references describe a piper, dressed in multicolored clothing, leading the children away from the town never to return. In the 16th century the story was expanded into a full narrative, in which the piper is a rat-catcher hired by the town to lure rats away with his magic pipe. When the citizenry refuses to pay for this service, he retaliates by turning his power that he put in his instrument on their children, leading them away as he had the rats. This version of the story spread as folk lore. This version has also appeared in the writings of, amongst others, Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, the Brothers Grimm and Robert Browning.

The story may reflect a historical event in which Hamelin lost its children. Theories have been proposed suggesting that the Pied Piper is a symbol of the children's death by plague or catastrophe. Other theories liken him to figures like Nicholas of Cologne, who is said to have lured away a great number of children on a disastrous Children's Crusade. The current theory, generally accepted by scholars and historians, ties the departure of Hamelin's children to the Ostsiedlung, in which a number of Germans left their homes to colonize Eastern Europe.

Thank you Claudia for this lovely card. The story of the Pied Piper of Hamelin has enthralled children around the world for ever and ever!

Greetings from Prague zoo

Greetings from Prague zoo

In this zoo enclosure one can take a peek into the life of a gorilla family, whose members are among Prague Zoo’s best-known personalities. They include Richard, a brawny silverback male; Bikira, a gentle female who, in 2012, was voted the number-one celebrity of Czech zoos; and baby gorillas, whose games have the power to put a smile on everyone’s face, it seems.

The gorillas share the pavilion with smaller tamarin monkeys and armadillos.

Thank you Irena from Prague for this lovely card.