Switzerland: 150th Anniversary of the Swiss Red Cross (SRC)

On 17 July 1866, General Henri Dufour, Federal Councillor Jakob Dubs and other prominent figures met in Bern with the goal of founding the Swiss Red Cross (SRC). This new organisation was initially called the 'Aid organisation for Swiss soldiers and their families' and reflected the organisation's purpose at that time of supporting the Armed Forces medical services in times of war through voluntary workers. This was also one of Henry Dunant's basic ideas. The aid organisation's first major effort came with the internment of the Army of the East, commanded by General Bourbaki, in 1871 during the Franco-Prussian War. The SRC's activity during both world wars consolidated the aid organisation's position and enhanced its reputation at both national and international level. After World War II, its focus shifted increasingly to the civilian sector, with numerous new tasks. The Swiss Red Cross is currently Switzerland's largest humanitarian organisation. Further information is available at www.redcross.ch.

Stamps:
2x 150th Anniversary of the Swiss Red Cross (SRC) - Issued: 03-03-2016


Many thanks to Hansjürg for this nice Cover!

France: Nancy

Nancy is the capital of the north-eastern French department of Meurthe-et-Moselle. The metropolitan area of Nancy had a population of 410,509 inhabitants at the 1999 census, 103,602 of whom lived in the city of Nancy proper. On the card you can see the Place Stanislas, a large square built between March 1752 and November 1755 by Stanislaus I of Poland. Since 1983, the architectural ensemble comprising the Place Stanislas, the extension of its axis, the Place de la Carrière, and the Place d'Alliance, has been on the list of UNESCO World Heritage Sites.

Stamps:
left: Stamp Day - Issued: 06-03-1993
right: EUROPA "Holidays" - Issued: 10-05-2004


Thanks to Sylvie for this nice card!

Germany: Happy Easter

Wishing you all a Happy Easter!

Or as in german: Frohe Ostern!

Stamp:

Cartoons by Peter Gaymann (from a set of two) - Issued: 01-03-2014 with special cancellation from the Easter Bunny Bureau in Ostereistedt

Macedonia: Skopje

Today I also received my first card from Macedonia. Officially the Republic of Macedonia is a country located in the central Balkan peninsula in Southeast Europe. It is one of the successor states of the former Yugoslavia, from which it declared independence in 1991. The capital and largest city  of the Republic of Macedonia is Skopje. It is also the country's political, cultural, economic, and academic center. As in 2012 the population of Skopje was about 536,000.

Stamps (from the left):
Macedonian Stamps: Definitives - Cities (from a set of 5) - Issued: 04-12-2008
Macedonian Stamps: Definitives - Art Works (from a set of 5) - Issued: 08-06-2005
First Car and Airplane (from a set of two) - Issued: 15-06-2005


UPDATE: 31-03-2016

Ana was so kind to send me another card. I received it some days ago. The card shows some famous locations in Macedonia including traditional costumes and the macedonian flag.

Stamps:
left:  The 20th Anniversary of Independence - Issued: 05-09-2011
right: EU & Macedonia (from a set of two) - Issued: 09-05-2009



Many thanks to Ana for the cards!

USA: University of Texas at Austin

The University of Texas at Austin is a public research university and the flagship institution of The University of Texas System. Founded in 1883 as "The University of Texas," its campus is located in Austin, TX—approximately 1 mile (1,600 m) from the Texas State Capitol. The institution has the fifth-largest single-campus enrollment in the USA, with over 50,000 undergraduate and graduate students and over 24,000 faculty and staff.

On the card you can see the main Building of the University (known colloquially as "The Tower"). It was completed in 1937 and got a hight of 307-foot (94 m) makes it is one of the most recognizable symbols of the university and the city of Austin.

Stamps:
left: Vintage Flowers (from a set of two) - Issued: 14-02-2015
right: Civil War: 1864 (from a set of two) - Issued: 30-07-2014


Thanks to Pam for this nice card!

Luxembourg: New University of Luxembourg Campus

Some days ago, I received this nice cover from Luxemburg. Luxemburg, officially the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg, is a landlocked country in western Europe. It is bordered by Belgium to the west and north, Germany to the east, and France to the south. Its capital Luxembourg City is together with Brussels and Strasbourg one of the three official capitals of the European Union and seat of the European Court of Justice, highest juridical instance in the EU. Luxembourg is one of the smallest countries in Europe, and ranked 179th in size of all the 194 independent countries of the world.

On the cover you can see on the right a new issued stamp. Unfortunately, I don't get it scanned properly, because its reflecting, but it shows the New University of Luxembourg Campus in Belval. The University of Luxembourg was founded in 2003. Since 2015 the new headquarter of the University is in Belval. Belval was formerly the beating heart of Luxembourg’s steel industry and now takes on a new role as a place to live and to innovate. Now,  25,000 people, including 7,000 students and 3,000 scientists, will eventually live, work, and study in this area which is the size of 120 football pitches.

Stamps:
left: Vegetables of Yesteryear (from a set of 3) - Issued: 22-09-2015
right: New University of Luxembourg Campus - Issued: 03-03-2016


Many thanks to Jean-Marc for this nice Cover!

Germany: Imperial Abbey of Corvey

The Imperial Abbey of Corvey or Princely Abbey of Corvey (German: Stift Corvey or Fürstabtei Corvey) was a Benedictine abbey on the River Weser, 2 km northeast of Höxter, in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It was one of the Imperial abbeys of the Holy Roman Empire from the late Middle Ages until 1792 when the abbey was dissolved and Corvey converted into a prince-bishopric. It was in turn secularized in 1803 and absorbed into the newly created Principality of Nassau-Orange-Fulda. In 2014, the former abbey was listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Stamp:
UNESCO World Heritage - Imperial Abbey of Corvey - Issued: 01-03-2016 with matching postmark

Russia: Ufa

Ufa (Russian: Уфа́) is the capital city of the Republic of Bashkortostan, Russia, and the industrial, economic, scientific and cultural center of the republic with a Population of 1,105,667 as in 2015. Ufa is situated in eastern Europe near its land boundary with Asia, at the confluence of the Belaya (Agidel) and Ufa Rivers, on low hills forming the Ufa Plateau to the west of the southern Urals. On the card you can see "Bashkir State Philharmony".

Stamps:
1x Definitive Issue. Kremlins "Novgorod Kremlin" (from a set of 12) - Issued: 01-10-2009
3x Definitive Issue. Kremlins "Moscow Kremlin" (from a set of 12) - Issued: 01-10-2009


Many thanks to Aigul for this nice card!

Germany: Düren

Düren is a town in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany, between Aachen and Cologne on the river Rur.  As in 2014 in population of the city was 89,024. The city of Düren was located on the main fighting front during the Allied invasion of Germany in World War II and was almost completely destroyed by Allied air bombings.

Stamp:
Germany's Most Beautiful Panoramas "Dresden" (from a set of two) - Issued: 03-04-2014


Thanks to Michael for this card!

Greenland: "Leap Year" Cover from Uummannaq

I received this self-made cover from Greenland today. Uummannaq is a town in the Qaasuitsup municipality, in northwestern Greenland. With 1,282 inhabitants in 2013, it is the eleventh-largest town in Greenland, and is home to the country's most northerly ferry terminal. Uummannaq is located 590 kilometres north of the Arctic Circle on Uummannaq Island located in the south-central arm of the Uummannaq Fjord. The island is also home to Uummannaq Mountain, rising very sharply to the height of 1170m. I'm very happy about the postmark, the cover was cancelled on 29th February, which was not intended but I'm happy they did it on that date. On the postmark you can see the Uummannaq Mountain.

Stamp:
Hunters’ Lives (whole Set) - Issued: 19-01-2015

This is also my 200th Post on this Blog!


♁ 70°40′ N 52°07' W

Canada: Year of the Monkey Domestic Stamp FDC

Today, I also received this nice FDC from Canada. The Year of the Monkey begins on February 8, 2016 and ends on January 27, 2017. Brilliance, flexibility and inventiveness are solid traits of those born under this simian sign, as are an excellent memory, skillfulness, an iron will and a strong drive to succeed. But beware: Monkeys are said to be easily discouraged by delays, tend to look down to others, and have a fast-flaring temper that (fortunately) cools down quickly. Passionate but sometimes flighty lovers, Monkeys are most compatible with Dragons and Rats.

Stamp:

Chinese New Year - Year of the Monkey - Issued: 11-01-2016

Thanks to Tristan for this great FDC!

Malta: Balluta Bay

Today I received a nice card from Malta. Malta is a Southern European island country comprising an archipelago in the Mediterranean Sea. It lies 80 km (50 mi) south of Italy, 284 km (176 mi) east of Tunisia, and 333 km (207 mi) north of Libya. The capital of Malta is Valletta, which at 0.8 km2, is the smallest national capital in the European Union. Malta has two official languages: Maltese and English. The card is from Balluta, which ist is a bay on the northeast coast of Malta within St. Julian's. It is a popular recreation spot used for swimming, diving, and water sports, with a triangular pjazza surrounded by cafés and shaded by Judas trees. Its skyline is dominated by the neo-gothic Carmelite Parish Church and the stunning art nouveau Balluta Buildings.

Stamp:
Christmas (from a set of 3) - Issued: 14-11-2015


Thanks to Roger for this nice card!

Germany: Expo 2000 Hannover

This time I would like to show an old cover, which I got in my collection. Its from the Expo 2000. The Expo 2000 was a World's Fair held in Hannover, Germany from Thursday, June 1 to Tuesday, October 31, 2000. It was located on the Hannover fairground (Messegelände Hannover), which is the largest exhibition ground in the world. In total, 155 nations took part in this World's Fair.

Stamps:
4x EXPO 2000 Hannover - Issued: 13-01-2000 with special postmark of the opening day

Canada: "Leap Year" Cover

Today I received another Leap Year cover, this time from Canada. It was posted on 29th February in Carlisle, Ontario. Many thanks to Brenda for sending me this nice cover.

Stamps:
2x Beneficial Insects (from a set of 5) - Issued: 12-10-2007
Mammals - Issued: 27-10-1998

Germany: "Leap Year" Cover

A leap year (also known as an intercalary year or a bissextile year) is a year containing one additional day (or, in the case of lunisolar calendars, a month) added to keep the calendar year synchronized with the astronomical or seasonal year. Because seasons and astronomical events do not repeat in a whole number of days, calendars that have the same number of days in each year drift over time with respect to the event that the year is supposed to track. By inserting (also called intercalating) an additional day or month into the year, the drift can be corrected.

For example, in the Gregorian calendar, each leap year has 366 days instead of the usual 365, by extending February to 29 days rather than the common 28.

I set up this cover myself with several ATM stamps showing 29-02-2016 and with an additional 0,03 € stamp for the right postage and a cancellation on 29th February.

5 x ATM Stamp  - Issued: 24-10-2008