The Cooper

This is another profession highlighted in the “For the Youth 1987” series of stamps released by Germany on 9.4.1987. This profession is as old as the desire of the people to enjoy the juice of the fruits harvested by him, be stored in suitable containers.  

A Cooper is a person who makes or repairs casks, barrels, etc. Traditionally, a Cooper is someone who makes wooden staved vessels, bound together with hoops and possessing flat ends or heads as shown on this card. Examples of a cooper's work include but are not limited to casks, barrels, buckets, tubs, butter churns, hogsheads, firkins, tierces, rundlets, puncheons, pipes, tuns, butts, pins and breakers.

The word is derived from Middle Dutch kūpe "basket, wood, tub" and may ultimately stem from cupa, the Latin word for vat. Everything a cooper produces is referred to collectively as cooperage. A cask is any piece of cooperage containing a bouge, bilge, or bulge in the middle of the container. A barrel is technically a measure of the size of a cask, so the term "barrel-maker" cannot be used synonymously with "cooper." The facility in which casks are made is also referred to as a cooperage.

Thank you Maria for this interesting card.

The Furrier

A Furrier is a person who sells or makes fur clothing. This profession is amongst the oldest of humanity. From time immemorial, man has used the skins of animals for protection against the cold. Today this craft is used to manufacture costly and exotic clothing for men and women.

This maxicard is one amongst many issued on 9.4.1987 highlighting traditional professions in Germany. 

Thank you Maria for this interesting card with a very nice stamp.

Murmansk

Murmansk is a port city and the administrative center of Murmansk Oblast, Russia, located in the extreme northwest part of Russia, on the Kola Bay, 12 kilometers (7.5 mi) from the Barents Sea on the northern shore of the Kola Peninsula, not far from Russia's borders with Norway and Finland. Population: 307,257 (2010 Census), 336,137 (2002 Census), 468,039 (1989 Census). Despite its rapidly declining population, Murmansk remains the largest city north of the Arctic Circle.

Murmansk is set to be the Russian terminus of the Arctic Bridge (or Arctic Sea Bridge), a sea route linking it to the Canadian port of Churchill, Manitoba. The passage has not been fully tested for commercial shipping yet, but Russia has shown interest in it. It is believed that, once developed (along with the Northwest Passage), the bridge will serve as major trade route between Europe and Asia.

At least two cruiser of the Soviet Navy  have borne the name Murmansk, after the city and naval base of Murmansk:

• Soviet Cruiser Murmansk (1944) was the former USS Milwaukee, an Omaha – class cruiser transferred to the USSR in 1944 and decommissioned in 1949.
• Soviet Cruiser Murmansk (1955) was a Sverdlov – class cruiser launched in 1955. She was decommissioned in 1989 and sold for scrapping in 1994, but was wrecked while being towed to the breakers.

Thank you Ksenia for this nice card.

Duluth Street, Montreal

Richard sent me this picture post card of the Duluth Street in the French-speaking area of Montreal, but English speakers will do OK in the many restaurants. Bring your own bottle, and enjoy the people-watching! The Duluth Avenue is an east-west line from Montreal. It connects the Mount Royal Park in Lafontaine Park and crosses the district Le Plateau-Mont-Royal.

There are many restaurants and small shops. Avenue Duluth appears from 1859 under the name of Saint-Jean-Baptiste in the village of the same name. On December 1, 1890, the street was renamed " Duluth ", in honor of Daniel Greysolon, Sieur the Lhut (1639-1710), French “woodsman and explorer”.
The commercial and manufacturing functions primarily characterized this way since the beginning of the twentieth century. They included a candy factory and clothing, shoe stores, a gas station, grocery store and a bakery. Towards the middle of the twentieth century, the shops are among others being replaced by shops of home repair and printing and a veterinary hospital. Partly under the influence of the Greek community of Montreal, the face of the avenue changed in the early 1980s and became highly commercialised. 

Yes you guessed right. The card is from Canada, but posted in the United States. Hence, the really really nice US stamps you see alongside, which had been pasted on the envelope.

Mount Kirishima

Konnichiwa dear friends. This lovely card comes from Japan, courtesy Hiroko from Kumamoto. Mount Kirishima is a 1700 meter high active volcano group in Kagoshima Prefecture, Kyushu, Japan. Numerous eruptions have been recorded since 742. Very strong eruptions happened in 788, 1716 and 1717.  

The highest peak is Mount Karakuni (1700 m). Other peaks are Takachihonomine (1573 m) and Shinmoedake, both active volcanoes. They are part of Kirishima-Yaku National Park near Mount Kirishima is a 1700 meter high active volcano group in Kagoshima Prefecture, Kyushu, Japan. Numerous eruptions have been recorded since 742. Very strong eruptions happened in 788, 1716 and 1717.

The highest peak is Mount Karakuni (1700 m). Other peaks are Takachihonomine  (1573 m) and Shinmoedake, both active volcanos. They are part of Kirishima-Yaku National Park near Kirishima City. Mount Kirishima is considered one of the 100 Famous Japanese Mountains. The area is often foggy, and it is believed that the name Kirishima comes from the mountain looking like an island in the fog. The Kongō class battlecruiser Kirishima of the Imperial Japanese Navy, and the Kongo class guided missile destroyer Kirishima  of the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force were both named after this mountain.

Shinmoedake erupted in January 2011 and again in March 2011. Mount Kirishima is considered one of the 100 Famous Japanese Mountains. The area is often foggy, and it is believed that the name Kirishima comes from the mountain looking like an island in the fog. The Kongō class battlecruiserKirishima of the Imperial Japanese Navy, and the Kongō class guided missile destroyer Kirishima of the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force were both named after this mountain.

Shinmoedake erupted in January 2011 and again in March 2011.

Any interesting tid-bit about this mountain is that the secret SPECTER base of “You Only Live Twice” is located under the crater lake that you see at the centre of the picture.

Thank you Dear friend Hiroko for this lovely card.

M/s Skandia

M/s Skandia was Silja Line's first newly buiit car ferry and was put into service on the Turku – Àland – Stockholm route. The ferry carried 1200 passengers and 175 cars and was the first purpose-built car-passenger ferry for year-round service. The bow doors opened fore and aft, resulting in a full-length cardeck.

Thank you Sini from Lahti for this card.

750th Anniversary of the Mongols Battle of Legnitz

The card shows the painting "The Mongols at Liegnitz Battle" by Karl Homely, painted in the year 1870. The Mongol Invasion of Poland from late 1240 to 1241 culminated in the battle of Legnica, where the Mongols defeated an alliance which included forces from fragmented Poland and members of various Christian military orders, led by Henry II the Pious, the Duke of Silesia.

750 years ago, on April 9, 1241, the Mongols under Orda Khan defeated the German army of knights under Henry II of Silesia atLiegnitz. However, the Mongols could not take advantage of their victory, and had to retreat down south, due to internal unrest in their homeland.

The Battle of Legnica , also known as the Battle of Liegnitz was fought between the Mongol Empire and the combined defending forces of European Christendom that took place at on the plains of Legnica Pole (Wahlstatt) near the city of Legnica (Liegnitz) in Silesia on April 9, 1241 in what is now modern-day Poland.  

The Mongols invaded Europe with three armies. One of the three armies was tasked with distracting Poland, before joining the main Mongol force invading Hungary. That army, under Baidar, Kadan and Orda Khan, began scouting operations in late 1240.

The death of Duke Henry, who was close to unifying the Polish lands and reversing their fragmentation, set back the unification of Poland, and also meant the loss of Silesia, which would drift outside the Polish sphere of influence until the unification took place in the 14th century.

Thank you Merja for this nice maxi card, with the pretty stamp postmarked 9.4.1991, commemorating the 750^th anniversary of the famous Battle of Leignitz.