Merry Christmas

Thank you Ella for this lovely card. And yes, a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year to you too.

Boqueria market in Barcelona

The Mercat de Sant Josep de la Boqueria, often simply referred to as La Boqueria, is a large public market in the Ciutat Vella district of Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain and one of the city's foremost tourist landmarks, with an entrance from La Rambla, not far from the Liceu, Barcelona's opera house. The market has a very diverse selection of goods. This lovely card was sent to me by Anna from Barcelona.

The first mention of the Boqueria market in Barcelona dates from 1217, when tables were installed near the old city gate to sell meat. From December 1470 onwards, a pig market was held at this site; at this time it was known as Mercat Bornet. Later, until 1794, it was known simply as Mercat de la Palla, or straw market. In the beginning, the market was not enclosed and had no official status, being regarded simply as an extension of the Plaça Nova market, which extended to the Plaça del Pi.

Later, the authorities decided to construct a separate market on La Rambla, housing mainly fishmongers and butchers. It was not until 1826 that the market was legally recognized, and a convention held in 1835 decided to build an official structure. Construction began on March 19, 1840 under the direction of the architect Mas Vilà. The market officially opened in the same year, but the plans for the building were modified many times. The inauguration of the structure finally took place in 1853. A new fish market opened in 1911, and the metal roof that still exists today was constructed in 1914.

Old Believers’ manuscript “ The roll from the White Sea Coast region (late18th – early 19th Century)

The roll or scroll shown on on the card is one of many in the National Library of Belarus. This roll is from the collection of Old Believers’ manuscript “ The roll from the White Sea Coast region (late18th – early 19^th Century). This card was sent to me by Alexander from Minsk.

The National Library of Belarus is the main information and cultural centre of the country. Its depository collections include 8 million items of various media. In 1993 the National Library of Belarus started to create its own electronic information resources. It has generated a collection of bibliographic, factual graphic, full-text, graphic, sound and language databases that comprise more than 2 million records. The scope of databases is quite wide: humanities, social sciences, history, art and culture of Belarus. Library users also have access to databases of other libraries and academic institutions, including foreign ones.

Painting by Inge Löök

A lovely painting by Inge Löök (real name Ingeborg Lievonen) gives a real Christmasy feeling to this card. Thank you Pia for this pretty card. 

Zaan Streek Museum at Zaandam

This lovely painting of a tall ship reproduced on this card is at the Zaan Streek Museum  at Zaandam. The card was sent to me by Marijie from Holland.

Zaandam is a town in the Netherlands, in the province of North Holland. It is the main city of the municipality of Zaanstad, and received city rights in 1811. It is located on the Zaan, close to the North Sea Canal, and is close to Amsterdam. The statistical district Zaandam, which covers the city and the surrounding countryside, has a population of around 72.597. Zaandam was a separate municipality until 1974, when it became a part of the new municipality of Zaanstad.

Minsk Railway Station Square

Viktor from Minsk sent me this pretty card. The square was formed in the period 1947-1956, before the beginning of the 60s near the square stood a water tower. In the late 20th century, construction of a new railway station began at the square. And in the early 21st century the square had acquired a modern look.

Minsk Passazhirsky  is the main passenger rail terminal in Belarus. It is located in the centre of Minsk. It is sometimes called Minsk Ploshchad Lenina due to the metro station serving the terminal, or simply Minsk.

The station was built in 1873 as Vilenski vakzal, Vilnius station. The initial wooden building was demolished in 1890 and rebuilt in stone. During World War II Minsk railway station was completely destroyed. It was rebuilt in 1945-1946 and served until 1991. The new building of Minsk-Passazhyrski railway station was built in 1991-2002. Its construction was delayed due to financial difficulties. However now Minsk boasts one of the most modern and up-to-date railway stations in the CIS. There are plans to move all suburban rail traffic from Minsk-Passazhyrski to smaller stations Minsk-Uskhodni (East), Minsk-Paudnyovy (South) and Minsk-Paunochny (North) by 2020.

The two large buildings at the Station Square are centrally located and are characterised by the obvious Stalinist architecture .

Finnish Christmas Maxicards Spread the Holiday Spirit in new ways

On Monday, November 5, Posti issued Christmas stamps with two seasonal themes: Christmas tree and stable lantern. The maxicards shown have these two stamps.

The Christmas Tree stamp comes in a triangular sheet that doubles as an impressive Christmas decoration. Thanks to its special fold, the 20-stamp sheet stands upright like a miniature Christmas tree. Use it to get your desk in the holiday spirit – and to remind you to send your holiday greetings!  

The Stable Lantern stamp creates the peaceful mood of expectation that is the heart of the Christmas season. 

Nina Rintala designed the 2012 Christmas stamp. Nina is a graphic artist from Turku who has previously designed stamps for Itella, including the Church Sleigh Christmas stamp, which was recognized as the most beautiful stamp of 2002. In 2008, Rintala designed the world’s first transparent stamp, Frosty Night, for Itella.

Thank you Ella for these lovely cards.