Bielefeld meeting - Germany

The 8th International Postcrossing Meeting in Bielefeld took place in the last days of October. I believe that Leonie has been to many of these meetings and once again, she sent me a card from there. 

© Schöning GmbH & Co. KG

The signatures on the card are too many to count.
Thanks Leonie.

Görlitz - Germany

Two nice cards from Görlitz, the easternmost town in Germany, located on the Lusatian Neisse River in the Federal State of Saxony.

The 1st card was sent by Emerich and the 2nd is an official. 

Görlitz is a town in the German federal state of Saxony, the largest town of the former Province of Lower Silesia that lies west of the Oder-Neisse line and hence remains in Germany today. Thus it is both the most Silesian town, in terms of character, and the largest in Germany today. The town combines Lusatian and Silesian traditions as well as German and Sorbian culture. It has around 55,000 inhabitants.

Görlitz has a rich architectural heritage. - in: wikipedia

DE-839419, sent by Rafal.

The Church of St. Peter and Paul is located on a hill above the Neisse River. It is a good example of a medieval Romanesque church, from 1230; and the church built after that, between 1423 and 1497 in Gothic style. The neo-Gothic towers were built in the late 1800's and can be seen from anywhere in Görlitz. Many tourists like to view this church from poland, across the Neisse River.

Fagus Factory - Germany

Fagus Factory was inscribed on the World Heritage Site list in 2011 and these postcards were sent that same year by Anja and Joanna.

Fagus Factory in Alfeld is a 10-building complex - began around 1910 to the design of Walter Gropius, which is a landmark in the development of modern architecture and industrial design. Serving all stages of manufacture, storage and dispatch of lasts used by the shoe industry, the complex, which is still operational today, is situated in Alfeld an der Leine in Lower Saxony. 

With its groundbreaking vast expanses of glass panels and functionalist aesthetics, the complex foreshadowed the work of the Bauhaus school and is a landmark in the development of architecture in Europe and North America. - in: http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/1368

Wartburg Castle - Germany

The 2nd favorite Ina sent me is this snowy view of Wartburg Castle. To send the card she even used a matching stamp with the castle. 

The other card was sent by Sabine 9 years ago. 

 

Nestlers Top Cards

Large, imposing and steeped in history: high above the town of Eisenach sits Wartburg Castle, a UNESCO World Heritage site since 1999. One of the best-preserved medieval German fortresses and almost 1,000 years old, it is possibly Germany's most famous castle, and certainly one of its most important.

With its impressive ceremonial hall, the surviving 12th century Palas – a perfect example of late-Romanesque architecture – still bears traces of the Wartburg's former glory. To enter this extensive site today is to experience an entire era of German history. Courtly art from the Middle Ages, St. Elisabeth's life and work, the German student fraternities' festival, the contest of the minnesingers and Wagner's romantic opera Tannhäuser – all these are an integral part of the Wartburg. As is Martin Luther, who in 1521-22, posing as 'Squire George', sought and found refuge here. He used his enforced confinement to steel himself for future theological conflicts and to write his German translation of the New Testament. - in: http://www.germany.travel/en/towns-cities-culture/unesco-world-heritage/wartburg-castle.html

Aachen Cathedral - Germany

A couple of weeks ago I put the 1st of these Aachen cathedral card on my favorites. Ina, who sent that card, asked me if we could swap cards and I said yes. I sent her two of her favs and she sent me two of my favs.  

I already had others cards of the cathedral but her card is so much prettier than the others. 

© Schöning GmbH & Co. KG

Aachen Cathedral was the very first site to be granted UNESCO World Heritage status in Germany, and with good reason: built in around 790 to 800, the cathedral is of world importance in terms of the history of art and architecture, and is one of the great examples of church architecture. The final resting place of Charlemagne, it was also where German emperors were crowned for 600 years.

Charlemagne's ambition was to create a new Rome when he made Aachen the centre of his empire in around 800. The imperial palace's chapel – the oldest part of the cathedral today – was to be the religious centre. The mighty octagonal domed building is now thought to have been built in a mere ten years or so. A unifying architectural masterpiece, it brought together forms from the eastern and western parts of the Holy Roman Empire. Charlemagne was buried in the Palatine chapel following his death in 814. His sarcophagus can be found in the Gothic chancel, near to the still-intact imperial throne.

DE-992417, sent by Vanessa.

 Containing exquisite relics from late antiquity and medieval times, the cathedral treasury in the cloister is one of the finest in Europe. It also features artefacts such as the silver and gold bust of Charlemagne and the Cross of Lothair dating from around 1000, which is still shown to faithful followers as a liturgical object on major religious holidays. Since the Middle Ages, the cathedral along with its relics has become increasingly important as a pilgrimage site. However, it was the imperial coronations that kept Aachen at the centre of world politics over the centuries. More than 30 German kings were crowned here between 936 and 1531 – in a building that could hardly be more solemn and majestic, and that makes every visit to the former imperial city of Aachen a memorable one. - in: http://www.germany.travel/en/towns-cities-culture/unesco-world-heritage/aachen-cathedral.html

Prater - Vienna

Exactly 2 weeks ago I was in Vienna.
When Heidi sent me the 2nd of these card, seven years ago, Vienna was on my travel plans for that year but I didn't make it. I finally travel to Vienna, didn't spend a lot of money and could afford an entire card to send to myself. Karina, the friend I travelled with, chose this card for me because the Prater's ferris wheel was on my must do list and it was the last thing we did in the city.

smile GmbH, Wien

"The Wiener Prater is a large public park in Vienna's 2nd district Leopoldstadt. The Wurstelprater amusement park, often simply called "Prater", stands in one corner of the Prater and includes the Riesenrad.

The Riesenrad is a ferris wheel at the entrance of the Prater amusement park. It is now one of Vienna's most popular tourist attractions, and symbolizes the district as well as the city for many people.

The Riesenrad was one of the earliest Ferris wheels, erected in 1897 to celebrate Emperor Franz Josef I's golden Jubilee, and has an overall height of 64.75 meters(212.4 ft).

The wheel originally had 30 gondolas, but was severely damaged in the World War II, and when it was rebuilt, only 15 gondolas were replaced. The spokes are steel cables, in tension, and the wheel is driven by a circumferential cable which leaves the wheel and passes through the drive mechanism under the base." - in: wikipedia

Sion - Switzerland

I'm back after my holidays in Vienna and Budapest. I returned with new postcards and while I was traveling I've received a few more.
Last month Óscar received his 200th official postcard and to celebrate he opened a lottery. I won the lottery and received a postcard from Sion, which I'm posting here now with another card with the Basilica of Valère and also sent by Óscar.

© Photo Edition darbellay CH - Martigny

Sion, the capital of the Canton of Valais, is known as the most sun-blessed town of Switzerland. Thanks to its central location, the small town abounding with culture is also an ideal starting point for exploring the summer and winter holiday resorts in the Valais side valleys.

Sion is recognizable from afar thanks to the high towers of Castle Tourbillon and the Castle of Valeria. These landmarks guard the capital of Valais and its 30,000 inhabitants. Past and future blend in one of Switzerland’s oldest cities. Sion, which boasts a 7,000-year history, is today the economic center of Valais and an important traffic junction with its own international airport. 

Particularly charming are the many historical monuments in the Old Town, the shopping area, and the new modern and convenient municipal facilities. Here one feels a little closer to the south. A visit to one of the numerous museums lets you discover the varied history of the city. - in: https://www.myswitzerland.com/en/sion-sitten.html

Edition PERROCHET S. A.

The Valère basilica, also called Valère castle, is a fortified church situated in Sion in the canton of Valais in Switzerland.

The church (Notre-Dame de Valère) was built during the 12th and 13th centuries and obtained the rank of minor basilica at the time of the visit of Pope John Paul II in 1984.

The organ on the west side of the Valère basilica, believed to have been built in 1435, is one of the oldest in the world. Its pipes are arranged to form a rough outline of a church; the larger pipes form two towers, and the smaller ones create a triangular church roof. - in: wikipedia