Georgia: Cityview of Tbilisi

 

Stamp:

EUROPA - "Castles" (from a set of 2) - Issued: 05-10-2017

Many thanks to Hansjürg, my first card from Georgia!

Greenland: EUROPA - "Castles"

We have seen many beautiful castle stamps for the 2017 EUROPA theme. Even Greenland issued two stamps for this theme. But there is a problem, in Greenland, there aren’t any castles...but like Finland, Greenland Post has found a very creative solution to this by illustrating beautiful castles from Greenland’s nature on their issue. This nice cover was sent from the city of Nuuk.

Stamps:
EUROPA (full set) - Issued: 15-05-2017




UPDATE 09/2018:

I recently received another cover with these nice stamps. This cover was sent from Tasiilaq. Thanks a lot Rosmarie!

Stamps:
EUROPA (full set) - Issued: 15-05-2017

Slovakia: EUROPA - "Castles"

The stamp for the 2017 EUROPA Series of Slovakia depicting the Lietava castle in Northern Slovakia. The castle was built after 1241, most likely as an administrative and military centre. In the 16th century when the Thurzó family gained it, it was reconstructed and fortified, and given its own military garrison. After the death of Imre Thurzó in 1621, it was divided between his heirs. After the ownership disputes in 1641, they lost interest in it. The castle report in 1698 said that the castle was uninhabited and there was only an archive, which was moved to the Orava Castle (Hungarian: Árva) in the 1760s. After that, the castle was abandoned and not used any more. Today the castle is in the hands of the non-profit organisation Združenie na záchranu Lietavského hradu, which takes care of the castle and oversees it's conservation.

As you can see by the postmark on the left, this cover was sent during the International Stamp Fair in Sindelfingen 2017.

Stamp:
EUROPA - Castles - Issued: 05-05-2017

Lithuania: EUROPA - "Castles"

Lithuanian Post issued two stamps for the 2017 EUROPA theme "Castles". The stamps on this cover below are showing ancient documents of the castles of Biržai (left stamp) and Klaipėda (right stamp). Biržai Castle is a castle in the city of Biržai, located in the northern part of Lithuania. The city and the whole region is renowned for its many traditional-recipe beer breweries. Klaipėda Castle, also known as Memelburg or Memel Castle, is an archeological site and museum housed in a castle built by the Teutonic Knights in Klaipėda, Lithuania, near the Baltic Sea. It was first mentioned in 1252.

On the left bottom, you can also see a cachet postmark from the International Stamp Fair in Sindelfingen 2017.

Stamps:
EUROPA "Castles" (full set) - Issued: 29-04-2017

Austria: EUROPA - "Castles"

Schönbrunn Palace (German: Schloss Schönbrunn) is a former imperial summer residence located in Vienna, Austria. The 1,441-room Baroque palace is one of the most important architectural, cultural, and historical monuments in the country. Since the mid-1950s it has been a major tourist attraction. The history of the palace and its vast gardens spans over 300 years, reflecting the changing tastes, interests, and aspirations of successive Habsburg monarchs. This beautiful Palace was chosen by the The Austrian Post for their 2017 EUROPA theme.

Stamps:
2x EUROPA - Issued: 09-05-2017

Åland: EUROPA - Kastelholms Slott

Kastelholm Castle (Swedish: Kastelholms slott) is a Swedish-buil medieval castle located in Sund, Åland, Finland, approximately 25 kilometres (16 mi) northeast of of the capital Mariehamn, overlooking a fjord to the south of the village of Kastelholm. Built in the 14th century, and held in fief during the Middle Ages by various nobles, feudal chiefs, and kings, it had significant period in the 15th and 16th centuries. Today it is an important part of the tourist circuit in Åland.

I'm happy to receive this cover with a matching illustrated postmark from Kastelholm Castle!

Stamp:
EUROPA "Castles" - Issued: 09-05-2017 with matching postmark

Latvia: EUROPA - "Castles"

Latvia is a country in the Baltic region of Northern Europe, one of the three Baltic states. The capital of Latvia is Riga. For this year's EUROPA theme Latvian Post issued two stamps. The first one shows Bauska Castle (Nom. 1,71 €). It is a complex consisting of the ruins of an earlier castle and a later palace on the outskirts of the Latvian city of Bauska. The other one is Cesvaine Palace (Nom. 0,78 €). It is located in the town of Cesvaine in the Madona District. Next to the palace are the old medieval castle ruins, remains from the old bishops castle. Cesvaine Palace was built in 1896 for the German baron Emil von Wulf.

Stamps:
EUROPA Castles (full set) - Issued: 21-04-2017


Many thanks to Vera for this nice Cover!

France: EUROPA - "Castles"

For this year's EUROPA Issue the french Post put together three castles on one stamp. You can see Castles of the Loire Valley, Chambord (Loir-et-Cher), Azay-le-Rideau (Indre-et-Loire) and Chenonceau (Indre-et-Loire). The Loire-Valley, the region, where all these castles are located is a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 2000. 

Stamp:

EUROPA 2017 "Castles" - Issued: 14-05-2017

Many thanks to Eric for this nice Cover!

Switzerland: EUROPA - "Castles"

Switzerland issued two different stamps for the 2017 EUROPA theme. The stamps show three different Castles in Bellinzona: Sasso Corbaro, Montebello and Castelgrande. Bellinzona's castles and their fortified walls form part of the UNESCO World Heritage Site. Their history dates back to the Palaeolithic Period. Castelgrande - depicted on the right-hand stamp - is the oldest of the three castles and was first mentioned in 590. From 1506 it became the seat of the federal governors of Canton Uri.Castello Montebello is the fortification in the middle. It was built towards the end of the 13th century, just as the Gotthard Pass was becoming the most important route across the Alps. It was home to the governors of Canton Schwyz. Castello di Sasso Corbaro, shown on the left, is the smallest and newest of the three castles, but enjoys the most elevated position. In 1506 the castle fell into the hands of Canton Nidwalden and remained there until it was passed on to newly founded Canton Ticino in 1803.

Stamps:
EUROPA "Castles" (Full Set) - Issued: 11-05-2017


Many thanks to Hansjürg for this nice Cover!

Liechtenstein: EUROPA - "Castles"

Liechtenstein issued two different stamp for this year's EUROPA theme. The first stamps shows Vaduz Castle. Vaduz Castle (German: Schloss Vaduz) is the palace and official residence of the Prince of Liechtenstein. The castle gave its name to the town of Vaduz, the capital of Liechtenstein, which it overlooks from an adjacent hilltop. I got the stamp on a special Fair Cover from the International Stamp Fair in Essen including a special Fair Cancellation.

The second stamp shows Gutenberg Castle (German: Burg Gutenberg). It is a preserved castle in the town of Balzers, Liechtenstein, the centre of the municipality of Balzers. Gutenberg is one of the five castles of the principality and one of two that have survived preserved until the present day. Unlike Vaduz Castle, Gutenberg Castle does not serve as a residence of the princely family of Liechtenstein and is open to the general public as a museum.

Stamps:
EUROPA - Palaces and Castles (full Set) - Issued: 06-03-2017

Ukraine: EUROPA - "Castles"

Ukraine issued two different stamps for the EUROPA 2017 theme. The stamps show Medzhybizh Fortress (left) and Olesko Castle (right). The first one is situated at the confluence of the Southern Bug and Buzhenka rivers, in the town of Medzhybizh. It was built as a bulwark against Ottoman expansion in the 1540s and became one of the strongest fortresses of the Crown of the Kingdom of Poland in Podolia. Olesko Castle is located within the borders of the present-day Busk Raion in Ukraine. The first historical records of the castle are in a document dated 1327, when Pope Boniface IX gave Halych, a Catholic bishop, this castle as a gift. It is located about seventy-five kilometers from Lviv, the largest city in western Ukraine.

Stamps:
EUROPA - "Castles" - Issued: 09-06-2017


Many thanks to Roman for this nice Cover!

San Marino: EUROPA - "Castles"

This Cover was also mailed from the International Stamp Fair in Essen. It arrived some days ago and shows the contribution of San Marino to this year's EUROPA stamps theme. San Marino is an enclaved microstate surrounded by Italy, situated on the Italian Peninsula on the northeastern side of the Apennine Mountains. Its size is just over 61 km2 (24 sq mi), with a population of 33,562. Its capital is the City of San Marino and its largest city is Serravalle. San Marino has the smallest population of all the members of the Council of Europe.

The € 0.95 value shows the Second Tower of San Marino, called Cesta, situated on the highest point of Mount Titano, 755 meters above sea level. It was an ancient Roman watchtower and in 1956 it became the seat of the Museum of Ancient Arms. The €1.00 value shows the First Tower, named Guaita, which is the major and most ancient of the three rocks, dating back to the 11th century.

Stamps:
EUROPA "Castles" (Full Set) - Issued: 07-03-2017

Guernsey: EUROPA - Castle Cornet

Another nice Cover with the 2017 EUROPA Theme stamp. This comes from Guernsey, an island in the English Channel off the coast of Normandy. The stamps on the cover were issued in a set of six different views of Castle Cornet. But only these two stamps are the contribution to the 2017 theme. Castle Cornet is located on a former tidal island, also known as Cornet Rock or Castle Rock. Its importance was as a guardian not only of the Island, but of the roadstead. It became part of one of the breakwaters of St Peter Port's harbour, the main one in the island, since 1859. It was built between 1206 and 1256 and in use until mid 19th century.

I sent this cover from the International Stamp Fair in Essen and so a special Postmark from this event was also applied on the Cover.

Stamps:
EUROPA "Castle Cornet" (from a set of six) - Issued: 04-05-2017

Finland: EUROPA - "Castles"

The Europa issue (also known as Europa - CEPT until 1992) is an annual joint issue of stamps with a common design or theme by postal administrations member of the European Communities (1956-1959), the European Conference of Postal and Telecommunications Administrations (CEPT from 1960 to 1992), then the PostEurop Association since 1993. The Theme for this year, 2017, is "Castles". The Finnish Post was very creative with it's design of the stamp. They just choose a Snowcastle - brilliant idea!

Stamp:
EUROPA "Castles" - Issued: 20-01-2017


Many thanks to Kimmo for this nice Cover!