Russia: Dudinka

Dudinka (Russian: Дуди́нка) is a town and the administrative center of Taymyrsky Dolgano-Nenetsky District of Krasnoyarsk Krai, Russia. It used to be the administrative center of Taymyr Autonomous Okrug, which was merged into Krasnoyarsk Krai on January 1, 2007. Population: 22,175 (2010 Census). Near Dudinka there is a 462-meter (1,516 ft) tall radio mast which was formerly used for the CHAYKA radio navigation system. On the card you can see the sea port of Dudinka. The city processes and sends cargo via Norilsk railway to the Norilsk Mining and Smelting Factory and also ships non-ferrous metals, coal, and ore.

3x Definitive Issue. Kremlins "Moscow Kremlin" - Issued: 01-10-2009

This is my last card for 2015. Many thanks to all, who sent me cards this year. Hope to see you on my blog also next year!

HAPPY NEW YEAR 2016!

♁ 69°24′N 86°11′O

USA: University of Kansas

The University of Kansas (KU) is a public research university and the largest in the U.S. state of Kansas. KU branch campuses are located in the towns of Lawrence, Wichita, Overland Park, Salina, and Kansas City, Kansas, with the main campus located in Lawrence on Mount Oread, the highest location in Lawrence (as you can see on the card). Enrollment at the Lawrence and Edwards campuses was 23,597 students in fall 2014; an additional 3,371 students were enrolled at the KU Medical Center[ for a total enrollment of 26,968 students across the three campuses.

Marked on the card, you can see the building of the Sigma Alpha Epsilon (ΣΑΕ) college fraternity.

Stamps:
1x Penguins - Issued: 01-06-2015
2x Pioneers of American Industrial Design (from a set of 12) - Issued: 29-06-2011


Many thanks to Brenda for this and many other fantastic cards!

Russia: Ulan-Ude

Ulan-Ude (Russian: Улан-Удэ) is the capital city of the Republic of Buryatia, Russia; it is located about 100 kilometers (62 mi) southeast of Lake Baikal on the Uda River at its confluence with the Selenga. According to the 2010 Census, 404,426 people lived in Ulan-Ude making the city the third largest in eastern Siberia by population.

On the card you can see "The Head of Lenin"-Monument located at Soviet Square in Ulan-Ude. With a height of 7,7 meters, a maximum width of 4,5 meters and a weight of 42 tons it is the largest head of former Soviet leader Vladimir Lenin ever built.

Stamps:
Winter Olympics - Sochi, Russia (from a set of three) - Issued: 03-10-2011
Wild Life.Definitive Issue (from a set of 15) - Issued: 29-08-2008


Thanks Tatiana for this nice card!

Liechtenstein: The Princely Family of Liechtenstein

The Princely House of Liechtenstein is one of the oldest noble families. The family has over 100 members of whom only a part live in the Principality of Liechtenstein. The Reigning Prince is the sovereign of the Princely House and watches over the "reputation, honour and welfare" of the Princely House according to the house laws. Prince Hans-Adam II took over the regency on the 13th of November 1989 after the death of Prince Franz Josef II.

On the card you can see Prince Hans-Adam II. and Princess Marie with their four children Hereditary Prince Alois, born 11th of June 1968, Prince Maximilian, born 16th of May 1969, Prince Constantin, born 15th of March 1972 and Princess Tatjana, born 10th of April 1973.

On the backside you can see a special postmark from the Tourist Office in Vaduz.

Stamp:
Four Seasons of Vaduz Castle (from a set of two) - Issued: 06-09-2010

Russia: Krasnoyarsk

Krasnoyarsk (Russian: Красноя́рск) is a city and the administrative center of Krasnoyarsk Krai, Russia, located on the Yenisei River. It is the third largest city in Siberia after Novosibirsk and Omsk, with a population of 1,035,528 as of the 2010 Census. Krasnoyarsk is an important junction of the Trans-Siberian Railway and one of Russia's largest producers of aluminum. The city is notable for its nature landscapes; author Anton Chekhov judged Krasnoyarsk to be the most beautiful city in Siberia.

Thanks to Olga for sending me this nice card in an envelope and thanks for including this nice fridge magnet showing a 10 ruble Russian banknote.

Stamps:
3x Definitive Issue. Kremlins "Moscow Kremlin" - Issued: 01-10-2009

Liechtenstein: Schaan

Schaan is the largest municipality of Liechtenstein by population. It is located to the north of Vaduz, the capital, in the central part of the country. As of 2005 it has a population of 5,806 making it the largest administrative district in Liechtenstein, and covers an area of 26.8 km², including mountains and forest. Schaan has over 4,000 enterprises, making it a large economic center in the country.

Stamp:

Christmas – Christmas Carols (from a set of four) - Issued: 16-11-2015

Germany: Freiberg

Freiberg is a university and mining town in the Free State of Saxony, Germany. Its historic town centre has been placed under heritage conservation and is a chosen site for the proposed UNESCO World Heritage Site known as the Ore Mountain Mining Region. Until 1969, the town was dominated for around 800 years by the mining and smelting industries.

The stamp on the card commemorates the 250th Anniversary of Freiberg University of Mining and Technology. It is a small German University of Technology with about 6000 students and established in 1765, by Prince Franz Xaver, regent of Saxony, based on plans by Friedrich Wilhelm von Oppel and Friedrich Anton von Heynitz, and is the oldest university of mining and metallurgy in the world. The chemical elements Indium (1863) and Germanium (1886) were discovered by scientists of Freiberg University.

Stamp:
The 250th Anniversary of Freiberg University of Mining and Technology - Issued: 03-12-2015 with special first day of Issue postmark


UPDATE 09-01-2016

Today I got another card. Its the same one like above, but this time with a different postmark

Switzerland: Marsupilami

Marsupilami is a fictional comic book species created by André Franquin, first published on 31 January 1952 in the Franco-Belgian comics magazine Spirou. Since then it appeared regularly in the popular Belgian comic book series Spirou et Fantasio until Franquin stopped working on the series in 1968 and the character dropped out soon afterward. In the late 1980s, the Marsupilami got its own successful spin-off series of comic albums, Marsupilami, written by Greg, Yann and Dugomier and drawn by Batem, launching the publishing house Marsu Productions. It reminds me of my own childhood.

Stamps:
Marsupilami (whole set) - Issued: 03-09-2015

Thanks again to Hansjürg for this great cover!

Russia: Salekhard

Salekhard (Russian: Салеха́рд) is a town and the administrative center of Yamalo-Nenets Autonomous Okrug, Russia. It is the closest town to the Arctic circle, the main parts being about 1 kilometer (0.62 mi) south and suburbs stretching to the north of the circle. The population in 2010 was 42,544. On the card you can see the City Administration Building of Salekhard.

Stamps:
Definitive Issue. Kremlins "Ryazan Kremlin" - Issued: 01-10-2009
Definitive Issue. Kremlins "Novgorod Kremlin" - Issued: 01-10-2009


Thanks to Olga for this nice card!


♁ 66° 32′ N 66° 36′ O

Greenland: Nuuk

This week is truly a great week for my self-made covers. Within a few days I got all my covers back. Today the last one arrived from Greenland. It is also my very first cover I received from there. Greenland is an autonomous country within the Kingdom of Denmark, located between the Arctic and Atlantic Oceans, east of the Canadian Arctic Archipelago. Though physiographically a part of the continent of North America, Greenland has been politically and culturally associated with Europe (specifically Norway and Denmark, the colonial powers, as well as the nearby island of Iceland) for more than a millennium. I got this cover postmarked in Nuuk. It is the capital and largest city of Greenland. It is the seat of government and the country's largest cultural and economic center with a population of about 16,500 (as in 2013). The cover commemorates the upcoming Arctic Winter Games which will take place in Nuuk from 6th to 11th March 2016.

Stamps:

2x Arctic Winter Games 2016 - Nuuk, Greenland - Issued: 19-01-2015

Canada: "Christmas Animals" Souvenir Sheet Official First Day Cover

This nice FDC arrived some days ago. On the Sheet you can see three classic Canadian animals dress up with droll holiday cheer. A majestic bull moose wearing a red scarf and striped toque graces the permanent domestic stamp. On the U.S.-rate stamp, a grinning beaver in a flannel shirt and flat cap playfully sports a sprig of holly in his mouth. On the international-rate stamp, a polar bear braces for the cold with a stylish cap, scarf and sweater. A clothing detail extends beyond the frame of each stamp, adding a three-dimensional touch.

It arrived safely in a cover with nice stamps:

Stamps:

2x Beneficial Insects (from a set of 5) - Issued: 12-10-2007

2x Baby Wildlife (from a set of 5) - Issued: 31-03-2014

Many thanks again to Tristan for this nice FDC!

Norway: Longyearbyen

Today I received another cover I sent to myself. Its from Longyearbyen. Longyearbyen is the largest settlement and the administrative center of Svalbard, Norway. As of 2008, the town had a population of 2,040. Longyearbyen is located in the valley of Longyeardalen and on the shore of Adventfjorden, a bay of Isfjorden located on the west coast of Spitsbergen. It is the world's northernmost settlement of any kind with greater than 1,000 permanent residents.

Stamp:
Tourism - Oslo Viking Ship Museum (from a set of 3) - Issued: 28-04-2014


♁ 78° 12′ N, 15° 38′ O

Åland: EUROPA Cover w/ Christmas Postmark

Today I also received a cover from Åland. I set up this cover myself. Buyed it at the Åland Post Webshop, added a stamp, sent it to Åland Post and asked for the special christmas postmark and to send it back to me. After a few weeks I got my cover back cancelled. And of course, I would like to show it here.

Stamp:
EUROPA "Old Toys" - Issued: 08-05-2015 with special christmas postmark


If you also like to send a cover to yourself from Åland, here is the address to send it to:

Posten Åland Frimärken
PB 1100
AX-22111 Mariehamn
Åland

Good Luck!

Taiwan: National Tsing Hua University

This card shows parts of the National Tsing Hua University (NTHU; Chinese: 國立清華大學). It was founded in Beijing, China. After the Kuomintang fled to Taiwan following defeat by the Communist Party of China in the Chinese Civil War, NTHU was re-established in Hsinchu City in 1956. Today, there are 7 colleges, 17 departments and 22 independent graduate institutes in the university. 

Stamp:

Flowers "Tabebuia chrysantha" - Issued: 12-03-2009

The Netherlands: Emmen

Emmen is a municipality and a town in the northeastern Netherlands not far away from the german border. The municipality of Emmen has about 104,000 inhabitants, with 56,000 living in the town Emmen. Prime economic booster since the 1980s is the zoo, the Dierenpark Emmen. Begun in the 1930s, it was almost completely redesigned in the 1970s, and is now co-owned by the municipality of Emmen. It attracts over 1.5 million visitors per year.

The card arrived in an envelope with some nice stamps:

Stamps:
from the left:
Beautiful Netherlands - Issued: 24-05-2006
Beautiful Netherlands (from a set of two) - Issued: 09-08-2005