Rotterdam - Netherlands

 Last month Leonie, Heidi and Isa met in Rotterdam. It was an opportunity for them to meet, sightseeing, eat and sign a few cards. 

Rotterdam is a city with a modern Skyline. Almost no two buildings are alike, but it hasn’t always been like this. This change in appearance is due to WWII, when the city was bombed by the Germans in a 15-minute raid. Rather than rebuilding a carbon copy city, it was decided to construct a totally new, modern city – something Rotterdam has taken to with great enthusiasm, especially when it comes to its architecture. - in: https://www.discoverholland.com

 

- Beurs-World Trade Center is located on the Coolsingel and Beursplein in the centre of Rotterdam. It is a major business centre in Rotterdam with approximately 200 offices. The building is 93 meters high. The construction started in 1984.The green elliptical tower, designed by architect Rob van Erk, was completed in 1987;

- The Euromast is the highest watchtower in the Netherlands and an essential part of the city’s skyline. The elevator takes you to a height of 100 meters in 30 seconds, where the viewing platform and the Brasserie are located. From there you have a 360 degree view over Rotterdam and its surroundings. The Euroscoop, a rotating glass elevator, takes you all the way to the top at 185 meters. The Euromast, designed by the Rotterdam architect HA Maaskant, was built in 1960 on the occasion of the Floriade and was 100 meters high at the time. In 1970 the tower was expanded with a Space Tower; - in: - https://en.rotterdam.info

- Millennium Tower is a 35-story, 130.8 m (429 ft) skyscraper in Rotterdam, Netherlands design by WZMH Architects and AGS Architecten. It was completed in 2000. The tower was built on Weena in front of the Central station. It is mixed use, the first 15 floors belong to the Rotterdam Marriott Hotel, including 2 restaurants, the other floor are being used as offices. - in: wikipedia

NL-5548851

I must confess that I'm not a huge fan of shaped cards and that's mostly because of storage reasons. I definitely prefer the normal postcard format.

NL-5548851, sent by Elsje.

I'm not sure but this could be one of the "Molendriegang", three windmills of Leidschendam. Originally, there were four windmills but the fourth was demolished in 1840. The remaining three windmills (Bovenmolen, Middenmolen and Ondermolen) were taken out of service in 1951. They were no longer need to pump away the water from the polder as this was taken over by electric pumps.

Since the 1980s the iconic Molendriegang of Leidschendam has been in operation on a Saturday afternoon once a month. Unfortunately the windmills are not open to the public. From a distance you can take postcard perfect pictures of these 28-meter high windmills in a typical Dutch landscape with polders. - in: https://heavenly-holland.com

DE-13298022

Brücke der Solidarität, the Bridge of Solidarity, is a bridge across the Rhine between the boroughs of Rheinhausen and Hochfeld in the city of Duisburg. It's construction started in 1945 and was opened to traffic on 3 July 1950.

DE-13298022, sent by Dagmar.

In 1987, Rheinhausen was present in the media due to the protests against the closing of the local steelworks. On 10 December 1987 the bridge was occupied by Krupp workers to protest against the closure of their plant. During the whole winter of 1987 and 1988 large demonstrations against the closing of the remaining smeltery followed. Rheinhausen became a synonym for steel crisis. 

The Rheinhausen-Hochfeld bridge was renamed to Brücke der Solidarität by the protesting workers on 20 January 1988. On this day, 50,000 steel workers from more than 60 melteries marched to the bridge. The apprentices of the Krupp training workshop manufactured the new name plate overnight. Soon thereafter, the name was officially adapted by the city of Duisburg. - in: wikipedia

Porta Nigra, Trier - Germany

In 1986 Porta Nigra was designated as part of the Roman Monuments, Cathedral of St. Peter and Church of Our Lady in Trier UNESCO World Heritage Site. 

Raquel, Anne and Tanja have been to this city and sent me these cards.  Raquel sent me the south view of Porta Nigra; Anne and Tanja the views of the north side.

 The Porta Nigra is a magnificent 2nd-century Roman city gate in Trier. It was given its name (which means "black gate") in the Middle Ages because of its weathered color. 

Foto: Jeiter

The oldest defensive structure in Germany, the Porta Nigra was erected in about 180 AD when the Roman city was surrounded by walls. Trier was a Roman colony from the 1st century AD and then a great trading centre beginning in the second century. It became one of the imperial capitals under the Tetrarchy at the end of the 3rd century, and became known as the "second Rome."

The Porta Nigra is the only one of four Roman gates that still stands in Trier; the others were gradually pillaged for their stone and iron. The Porta Nigra survived because it was used as the humble residence of a hermit monk named Simeon for seven years (1028-35). After his death he was buried in the gate and the structure was transformed into the two-story Church of St. Simeon (lay church on the bottom, monastery church on top).

 

Napoleon destroyed the church in 1803, but the 12th-century Romanesque apse survived and the entire structure has been restored to its medieval appearance. - in: http://www.sacred-destinations.com/germany/trier-porta-nigra

PT RR - Surprise Group * August

 I usually participate in this RR by sending 3 postcards and in return I receive another 3. I only have 2 here, sent by Ana Cláudia and Tiago but Nídia also sent me one, which I already had, the same windmill card that Paulo sent me in June 2019.

Photo by: François Kollar

This is a photo of a miner and his lamp, in a mine in Saint-Etienne, France, in 1931. 

The lamp was not only used for lighting, it was also used to detect the presence of methane which, in contact with oxygen, in closed environments, can form an explosive mixture that detonates easily in the presence of flames or sparks, and constitutes a great danger in coal mining. These safety lamps, in which the flame was protected by a metal screen, served as an indicator of the presence of the explosive mixture, as in this case the flame changed its appearance. The metal screen dissipated the heat of the flame so that the gases outside did not reach the necessary temperature to ignite.

Jaca is a small town in the Spanish province of Huesca and is known as the capital of the Aragonese Pyrenees. It is a tourist center that attracts visitors thanks to its historical heritage, the Camino de Santiago and winter sports.

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Lukang is one of the important historic towns in Taiwan. It is the town for well-preserved historic sites, old houses, old temples and folk arts.

TW-3549195, sent by Alex.

Lukang Longshan Temple is the largest temple in Lukang, whose founding year is unavailable, but most of the structures were completed by 1831. It is also believed to be Taiwan’s most well-preserved Fujianese style architecture from the Qing dynasty. Owing to its architectural, artistic and historical significance, Lukang Longshan Temple has been named a national historic site and one of the most beautiful temples in Taiwan. - in: https://www.rtaiwanr.com

Jiayuguan Pass Fortress - China

What we call the Great Wall of China was not initially built as a single, continuous wall. It is actually a set of fortifications and walls, built in sections. Jiayuguan is the closest section to Beijing and home to one of the wall's largest forts. Genghis Khan even once led his troops through this fort during his conquest of Chinese territory.

CN-3546015, sent by Annie.

Jaiyuguan (Jiayu Pass) is the most western end of the Great Wall. Also known as "the First and Greatest Pass under Heaven", Jiayu Pass is the best preserved and most magnificent military building among the passes of the Great Wall.

It is one of the main passes of the Great Wall, along with Juyong Pass and Shanhai Pass. It is located at the narrowest point of the western part of Hexi Corridor, and was a key passageway of the ancient Silk Road. It commands fascinating views of the boundless Gobi Desert and the snow-capped Qilian Mountains.

CN-1553140, sent by Françoise. 

Covering an area of 34 square kilometers (8 acres), the pass was built with rammed earth and is shaped like a trapezoid. The pass has a good layout with a three-storied gate tower, 4 corner towers and consisting of an inner city wall, outer city wall, trenches, and fortifications with walls around them. The walls are 10 meters (33 feet) tall on average and exceptionally thick.

 The initial construction began in 1372. It got its name for being located on the Jayu Highland between the Wenshu and Heishan mountains at the foot of the Qilian Mountains. Once abandoned, it was rebuilt, reinforced and garrisoned in 1539. In the Qing Dynasty (1636 - 1911) it became an office for checking merchants and travelers. - in: http://www.chinahighlights.com/greatwall/section/jiayuguan-pass.htm