Stamps covers & cards: 23/09/12

sabato 29 settembre 2012

384 - Postcard from Belarus (Thanks Maria)

383 - Postcard from Russia (Thanks Marina)

Belgorod (Russian: Белгород;)is a city and the administrative center of Belgorod Oblast, Russia, situated on the Seversky Donets River just 40 kilometers (25 mi) north of the Ukrainian border.

The name Belgorod in Russian literally means "a white city", name being a compound of "белый" (bely, "white, light") and "город" (gorod, "town, city"). The city was thus named after the region being rich in limestone. Etymologically, it corresponds to other Slavic city names of identical meaning: Belgrade, Białogard, Biograd, Bilhorod, Bilhorod-Dnistrovskyi etc.

The settlement was first mentioned in 1237, when it was ravaged by the hordes of Batu Khan. It is unclear whether this Belgorod was located at the same place where the current city is. In 1596, it was re-founded by the order of Feodor Ioannovich as one of numerous forts set up to defend Southern borders from the Crimean Tatars.[6]

After the Russian border was moved further south, the fortress fell in disrepair and the town was assigned to Kursk Governorate. Peter the Great visited it on the eve of the Battle of Poltava, and a dragoon regiment was stationed in the town until 1917.

Ioasaph of Belgorod, an 18th century bishop, became widely venerated as a miracle worker and was glorified as a saint of the Russian Orthodox Church in 1911.

It was occupied by Nazi Germany on October 25, 1941. On July 12, 1943, during the Battle of Kursk, the largest tank battle in world history took place near Prokhorovka, and the city was consequently liberated on August 5, 1943. The Belgorod Diorama is one of the World War II monuments commemorating the event.

Belgorod is an administrative, industrial and cultural center of Belgorod Oblast, established in 1954. The major educational centers of the city are Belgorod State University, Technological University, Agricultural Academy, Financial Academy.
Belgorod Drama Theater is named after one of the famous 19th-century actors Mikhail Shchepkin who was born in this region.
(from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Belgorod)

venerdì 28 settembre 2012

382 - Postcard from Taiwan (Thanks Jane-Yi-Chun)

381 - Postcard from Poland (Thanks Karolina)

Siedlce

giovedì 27 settembre 2012

380 - Postcard from Finland (Thanks Minna)

379 - Postcard from Finland (Thanks Inka)

Espoo - Finland

Espoo is the second largest city and municipality in Finland. The population of the city of Espoo is 255,121 (31 August 2012). It is part of the Helsinki Metropolitan Area along with the cities of Helsinki, Vantaa, and Kauniainen. Espoo shares its eastern border with Helsinki and Vantaa, while enclosing Kauniainen. Espoo is the only municipality in Finland to fully enclose another municipality. The city is on the shore of the Gulf of Finland, in the region of Uusimaa.

378 - Postcard from Germany (thanks Teresa)

Bremen

mercoledì 26 settembre 2012

377 - Postcard from Japan (Thanks Ren)

A Map of Japan

376 - Postcard from Canada (Thanks Gabriele)

Grouse Mountain

Vancouver, B. C., Canada

The super skyride glides into the upper terminals as the

occupants take in the unbelievable vista below.

Visible in this shot is Cleveland Lake and Dam wich provides

Vancouver with over 2/3 of its fresh drinking water.

375 - Postcard from India (Thanks Mukund)

Madurai - India

Meenakshi Temple

374 - Postcard from Hungary (Thanks Katalin)

Budapest - Parliament

Similar to the Palace of Westminster, the Parliament Building is in the Gothic Revival style.
Construction from the winning plan was started in 1885 and the building was inaugurated on the 1000th anniversary of the country in 1896, and completed in 1904. (The architect of the building went blind before its completion.)

373 - Postcard from Germany (Thanks Nordbaer)

Bad Urach possesses a late-medieval marketplace with a city hall and half-timbered

houses that date from the 15th and 16th centuries.

The Residenzschloss (Castle Residence), the residential home of the Counts of Württemberg-Urach where Eberhard the Bearded was born, contains rooms that date from the Gothic, Renaissance, and Baroque periods. The Goldener Saal (Golden Hall), one of Germany's loveliest Renaissance rooms, is particularly worth a visit.

The Church of Saint Amandus dates from 1477 and was built in the Gothic style for Eberhard the Bearded. His lavish praying desk dates from 1472. The pulpit is decorated with figures of the saints and church fathers and is considered an important piece of German stonemasonry. The 1518 baptismal font is by the sculptor Christoph von Urach.

Also of interest are the ruins of the old castle (Schloss Hohenurach) and the waterfall (Uracher Wasserfall) on the hiking trail up to it. The "round mountain" ("Runder Berg"), a former vulcano, is of archeological interest and shows an old Alemanni castle.