Monthly Fav. Surprise RR * October ´19

In October 1 of the 4 cards I was supose to get on this RR, didn't make it in to my mailbox and in November 2 seem to be lost too. Anyway, these are from Germany, Netherlands and USA. 

© Schöning GmbH & Co. KG

Dagmar wrote this card with a broken arm, hope she's better know. 

Hersfeld Abbey was an important Benedictine imperial abbey in the town of Bad Hersfeld. It existed from 769 to 1606 and had 66 abbots in these 837 years. The core of monastery life was the collegiate church, which today is the largest Romanesque church ruin in Europe. The abbey church, was built in the early part of the 12th century, but was used as a powder magazine and then destroyed by the French in 1761 during the Seven Years' War. The ruins are now a well-known venue for concerts and public events, and are the site of the annual "Bad Hersfeld Festival".

The Katharinenturm (tower) still stands. Within it is the Lullusglocke, Germany's oldest cast bell dated to 1038. - in: wikipedia

© Arnold Voordewind

The Castle of Staverden is located in the centre of the Veluwer National Park. After receiving city status in 1298 but has never really become a true city; development of Staverden never happened and is officially the smallest city in the Netherlands.

The castle has changed its appearance a number of times over the centuries. The current building dates from 1905 and was built by Herman Theodore s’Jacob, a descendant of a prominent family. 

The architecture is reminiscent of older styles but the interior exhibits elements characteristic of the then popular Art Nouveau style. - in: https://excitinghistory.com

The card was sent by Franciska.

Photo © D. J. Nordgren

Split Rock Lighthouse is a lighthouse located southwest of Silver Bay, Minnesota, USA on the North Shore of Lake Superior. The structure was designed by lighthouse engineer Ralph Russell Tinkham and was completed in 1910. It is considered one of the most picturesque lighthouses in the United States.

Split Rock Lighthouse was built in response to the great loss of ships during the famous Mataafa Storm of 1905, in which 29 ships were lost on Lake Superior.

The light was retired in 1969 by the U. S. Coast Guard. 

On June 30, 2011, the lighthouse was designated as a National Historic Landmark. - in: wkipedia

Card sent by Sandra. 

Marblehead Lighthouse - USA

A famous and iconic lighthouse that has been featured on a U.S. postage stamp, has appeared on Ohio’s license plates, and is now part of the Ohio State Parks system.

US-5684666, sent by Mike.

Marblehead Lighthouse in Marblehead, Ohio, is the oldest lighthouse in continuous operation on the United States side of the Great Lakes. The lighthouse was the only navigational aid in the Sandusky Bay region for many years.

US-6317873, sent by Kathy.

It has guided sailors safely along the rocky shores of Marblehead Peninsula since 1822, and is an active aid to navigation.
The U.S. Coast Guard continues to operate and maintain the lighthouse beacon. - in: wikipedia

Mozu-Furuichi Kofun Group - Japan

From the above those green areas on the card may look like parks surrounded by lakes but they're tombs. Known as kofun, these dramatic tombs are architectural masterpieces and are the latest addition to Japan's UNESCO World Heritage Site list. 

The card was sent by Annie.

Located on a plateau above the Osaka Plain, this property includes 49 kofun (“old mounds” in Japanese). These tombs were for members of the elite. These kofun have been selected from among a total of 160,000 in Japan and form the richest material representation of the Kofun period, from the 3rd to the 6th century CE. They demonstrate the differences in social classes of that period and show evidence of a highly sophisticated funerary system. Burial mounds of significant variations in size, kofun take the geometrically elaborate design forms of keyhole, scallop, square or circle. They were decorated with paving stones and clay figures. The kofun demonstrate exceptional technical achievements of earthen constructions. - in: https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/1593/

Pasargadae - Iran

Iran has 24 unesco sites and I only have cards from 6 of them. I've got this one from Pasargadae thanks to Stefanie. 

Pasargadae was the first dynastic capital of the Achaemenid Empire, founded by Cyrus II the Great, in Pars, homeland of the Persians, in the 6th century BC. Its palaces, gardens and the mausoleum of Cyrus are outstanding examples of the first phase of royal Achaemenid art and architecture and exceptional testimonies of Persian civilization. (...) Pasargadae was the capital of the first great multicultural empire in Western Asia. Spanning the Eastern Mediterranean and Egypt to the Hindus River, it is considered to be the first empire that respected the cultural diversity of its different peoples. This was reflected in Achaemenid architecture, a synthetic representation of different cultures. - in: https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/1106

Cyrus was the founder of the Achaemenid Dynasty (c. 550-330 BC), which became the world’s largest empire before it was eclipsed by that of Alexander the Great.

As the “father of the Iranian nation,” Cyrus II of Persia, known as Cyrus the Elder by the Greeks, was the first world leader to be given the epithet “the Great,” due to his conquering the Median, Lydian, and Neo-Babylonian empires.

The tomb was discovered by Alexander the Great in the late 4th century B.C. when he had conquered the Persian Empire.

The tomb is believed to be the oldest base-isolated structure and also one of the first earthquake-protected structures in the world.

Although the city of Pasargadae is now in ruins, the burial place of Cyrus the Great has remained largely intact and today it is an archaeological site listed as a UNESCO heritage site to help protect such an influential part of Iranian history. - in: https://www.thevintagenews.com

PL-1632640

Official from Poland with the cathedral of Pelplin, a town in northern Poland. 

Fot. K. Mania

PL-1632640, sent by Ewelina.

The Cathedral Basilica of the Assumption or Pelplin Abbey was founded in 1258 by Sambor II, Duke of Pomerania, as "Samboria", and was a daughter house of the Cistercian Doberan Abbey.

Work on the Brick Gothic building (length 80 m, height 26 m) began in 1289. The church was finished in 1323; additional work was completed in 1557. Currently, it is one of the largest church buildings in Poland. - in: wikipedia

Vasa Museum - Sweden

As I said before, I'm not a museum kind of person but Vasa Museum was on my must visit list when I visited Stockholm in June. The idea of seeing a ship that was underwater for more than 300 years was way too exciting. My 1st expression when I saw it was "wow, amazing!!". 

The card was sent by Damien.

The Vasa Museum is located in the royal parkland, Djurgården. This is one of the most visited museums in Scandinavia; around 1.5 million visitors every year enjoy the exhibitions in the museum, which describe the warship Vasa's history and life at the time; how, after 333 years at the bottom of Stockholm bay, the ship was rediscovered and salvaged. - in: https://www.vasamuseet.se/en/about

Photo cover: Magnus Svensson ©

Vasa is a Swedish warship built between 1626 and 1628. The ship foundered after sailing about 1,300 m (1,400 yd) into its maiden voyage on 10 August 1628. It fell into obscurity after most of her valuable bronze cannon were salvaged in the 17th century until it was located again in the late 1950s in a busy shipping lane just outside Stockholm harbor. The ship was salvaged with a largely intact hull in 1961. 

During the 1961 recovery, thousands of artifacts and the remains of at least 15 people were found in and around the Vasa's hull by marine archaeologists. Among the many items found were clothing, weapons, cannons, tools, coins, cutlery, food, drink and six of the ten sails. The artifacts and the ship herself have provided scholars with invaluable insights into details of naval warfare, shipbuilding techniques and everyday life in early 17th-century Sweden. - in: wikipedia

Victor Horta Museum - Belgium

I must confess that I'm not a museum kind of person, unless it is a museum about something I really enjoy. When I went to Brussels I wanted to visit this museum, just because it was a UNESCO site, not because I was especially interested in Art Nouveau. I didn't think it was going to surprise me but I actually loved it and is now my favorite museum.

Recently Tiago went to Belgium and I suggested that he visited this museum. He followed my advice and liked it a lot too. He and Raquel sent me a postcard from there, the interior view card. The other, with a matching stamp, was sent by me during my trip.

 Victor, Baron Horta (6 January 1861 - 9 September 1947) was a Belgian architect and designer. John Julius Norwich described him as "undoubtedly the key European Art Nouveau architect." Indeed, Horta is one of the most important names in Art Nouveau architecture. Four of the buildings he designed have been designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

© Photo Basin & Evrard

The Horta Museum is a museum dedicated to the life and work of the Belgian Art Nouveau architect Victor Horta and his time. The museum is housed in Horta's former house and atelier, Maison & Atelier Horta (1898), in the Brussels municipality of Saint-Gilles. In the splendid Art Nouveau interiors there is a permanent display of furniture, utensils and art objects designed by Horta and his contemporaries as well as documents related to his life and time. - in: wikipedia