Berlin | Germany

This beautiful postcard was sent to me by Carina from Berlin, Germany via Postcrossing [DE-7301557]. It shows the Berlin Cathedral, the Palace of the Republic and the Spree seen from the Nikolai Quarter. She informs me that 'the view on this postcard is not what you would see today. The Palace of the Republic has been torn down. In it's place, the old Berlin Palace is been rebuilt.'

The Palace of the Republic (German: Palast der Republik) in East Berlin was the seat of the parliament of the German Democratic Republic (also known as East Germany), the Volkskammer (People's Chamber), and also served various cultural purposes. Located between Schlossplatz and the Lustgarten (referred to jointly as Marx-Engels-Platz from 1951 to 1994) on an island in the River Spree, it also housed two large auditoria, art galleries, a theatre, 13 restaurants, a bowling alley, a post office, and a discothèque. On 23 August 1990, the Volkskammer ratified the treaty on German reunification, which was later also confirmed by the Bundestag in Bonn. The building was constructed between 1973 and 1976 on the site of the former Berliner Stadtschloss (City Palace), and was completely demolished by 2008 to make room for a reconstruction of the Stadtschloss, which began in 2013.

Kirchgang | Germany

This lovely postcard shows four girls and their mum [?] going to church. The written date is 06 August 1907.

The postcard was posted on 08 August 1907. Unfortunately it is written in German, so I cannot understand what it says [I get very disappointed when I don't understand what it's written in the back of a postcard. It almost feels like a fragment of history slipping through my hands].

Gruss aus Nurnberg | Germany

 

I am not a big fan of painted postcards, but this one is really special! I love the illustration and the vintage feel it has. It was sent by Florian from Germany via Postcrossing [DE-4626965].

Nuremberg, a city in Bavaria, is distinguished by its medieval architecture, including the fortifications and stone towers of its Altstadt (Old Town). At the northern edge of the Altstadt, surrounded by red-roofed buildings, stands Kaiserburg Castle. The Hauptmarkt (central square) contains the Schöner Brunnen, the gilded “beautiful fountain” with tiers of figures, and Frauenkirche, a 14th-century Gothic church.

It was postmarked with a Schloss Ludwigslust stamp.

Theme: Series "Castles" - Castle Ludwigslust
Nominal Value: 0.80 €
Issue Date: 2 January 2015
Design: Nicole Elsenbach

Seebrücke in Ahlbeck | Germany

This postcard was sent by Sina from Germany via postcrossing [DE-4540900]. It shows the Seebrücke in Ahlbeck. Ahlbeck is part of Heringsdorf, a seaside resort in Germany on the island of Usedom in the Baltic Sea. It is situated right next to the border with Poland and the city of Świnoujście (Swinemünde in German), both are freely connected by a street and by 12 km (7 mi) of beach promenade.

Two major attractions include the famous "Seebrücke" or Pier, and a railway museum. Ahlbeck has scenic houses and mansions in the German Gründerzeit style of resort architecture. The bathing resort "Ostseetherme" is a popular tourist attraction. Close to it, there is an architecturally noteworthy observation tower with a lift. [wikipedia]

This stamp brought back a lot of memories. It shows Ludwigslut Palace [Schloss Ludwigslut in German], a place I visited a long long time ago with my family. It is a stately home or schloss in the town of Ludwigslust, Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, northern Germany. It was built as a hunting lodge, rebuilt as a luxurious retreat from the ducal capital, Schwerin, then became for a time (1765–1837) the center of government. It was the "joy" of Prince Christian Ludwig, the son of the Duke of Mecklenburg-Schwerin, hence the name Ludwigslust. [wikipedia]

Philippina "Pina" Bausch | Germany

This postcard was sent by Ingrid from Germany via postcrossing [DE-4540617]. It shows Wohnhaus in Schinkelstrasse in Halle [Saale]. Unfortunately I couldn't find any information about it. [Note added on 19.09.2015] Ingrid very kindly sent me  a message with this very interesting information: 

'The collection of extraordinary "New buildings" within the city Halle / Saale was a project of the "Kunsthalle Villa Kobe" which was unfortunately closed for economic reasons 2012. There is a catalog in which all the "new buildings" are listed, probably with background information, unfortunately only in libraries. Ronald Kunze (Hrsg.): Architektursalon. Neue Bauten in Halle (Saale). Halle 2002'

On the stamp you can see Philippina "Pina" Bausch (27 July 1940 – 30 June 2009), who was a German performer of modern dance, choreographer, dance teacher and ballet director. With her unique style, a blend of movement, sound, and prominent stage sets, and with her elaborate collaboration with performers during the development of a piece (a style now known as Tanztheater), she became a leading influence in the field of modern dance from the 1970s on. She created the company Tanztheater Wuppertal Pina Bausch (de) which performs internationally. [wikipedia]

Chile House | Germany

This beautiful postcard of Das Chilehaus was sent by Claus via postcrossing [DE-4484848]. He wrote: "The Chilehaus has been named a UNESCO World Heritage Site together with the Warehouse district in July. It was built between 1922 and 1924 as an office building and it's shaped like a ship. The red bricks are very typical for Hamburg, many buildings were built with that material." I love it when fellow postcrossers actually read your profile and send you cards that you will probably like. I think Claus has nailed it!

A bit more trivia about the building: The Chilehaus (Chile House) is a ten-story office building in Hamburg, Germany. It is located in the Kontorhausviertel. It is an exceptional example of the 1920s Brick Expressionism style of architecture. This large angular building is located on a site of approximately 6,000m², spanning the Fischertwiete Street in Hamburg. It was designed by the German architect Fritz Höger and finished in 1924. [wikipedia]

Alps

This is a multi view postcard showing some castles in the Alps. Starting from top left is shows Schloss Linderhof (more you can read here), Kloster Ettal, Schloss Neuschwanstein (more you can read here), Schloss Hohenschwangau, Echelsbacher Brucke, Wierkirche and Fussen.

The Alps (German: Alpen; Italian: Alpi; French: Alpes; Greek: Αλπεις; Occitan: Aups/Alps; Romansh: Alps; Slovene: Alpe) is one of the great mountain range systems of Europe, stretching from Austria and Slovenia in the east through Italy, Switzerland, Liechtenstein and Germany to France in the west.

The highest mountain in the Alps is Mont Blanc, at 4,810.45 metres (15,782 ft), on the Italian–French border. All the main peaks of the Alps can be found in the list of mountains of the Alps and list of Alpine peaks by prominence. The English name Alps was taken via French from Latin Alpes, which formerly was believed to be ultimately cognate with Latin albus ("white"). Few scholars share this opinion today. The German Albe, Alpe or Alp (f., Old High German alpâ, plural alpûn), the Occitan Alp/Aup and the French Alpage or Alpe in the singular mean "alpine pasture", and only in the plural may also refer to the mountain range as a whole. [wikipedia]

Augsburg

This postcard was sent by Elke from Augsburg in Germany via postcrossing [DE-1013760]. 

Augsburg is a city in the south-west of Bavaria, Germany. It is a university town (German: 'Universitätsstadt') and home of the Regierungsbezirk Schwaben and the Bezirk Schwaben. Augsburg is an urban district and home to the institutions of the Landkreis Augsburg. It is, as of 2008, the third-largest city in Bavaria with a population exceeding 264,000 citizens. After Neuss and Trier, Augsburg is Germany's third oldest city.
Augsburg is the only German city with its own legal holiday, the Augsburger Hohes Friedensfest, celebrated on August 8 of every year. This gives Augsburg more legal holidays than any other region or city in Germany.

While commonly coined Fuggerstadt (Fuggers' city) due to the Fuggers residing there, within Swabia it's also often referred to as Datschiburg: which originated sometime in the 19th century refers to Augsburgs favorite sweet: the Datschi made from fruit, preferably prunes, and thin cake dough. The Datschiburger Kickers charity football team (founded in 1965) reflects this in its choice of team name. [wikipedia]

The stamp used on this card shows a Ballonblume. Platycodon grandiflorus is a species of perennial flowering plant of the family Campanulaceae and the only member of the genus Platycodon (from Greek "πλατυκώδων", meaning 'a broad bell'). This species is known as platycodon or Chinese bellflower. Depending upon the region, it is also referred to as the Japanese bellflower, common balloon flower, or balloon flower. It is native to East Asia (such as China, Korea, Japan, and East Siberia) and bears big blue flowers, although varieties with white and pink flowers are in cultivation. In Korea, white flowers are more common. [wikipedia]

European Patent Office

This postcard shows the European Patent Office in Munich and it was sent by a friend of my parents who had moved to Germany many many years ago.

The European Patent Office (EPO) is one of the two organs of the European Patent Organisation (EPOrg), the other being the Administrative Council. The EPO acts as executive body for the Organisation while the Administrative Council acts as its supervisory body as well as, to a limited extent, its legislative body. 

Within the European Patent Office, examiners are in charge of studying European patent applications, filed by applicants, in order to decide whether to grant a patent for an invention. The patents granted by the European Patent Office are called European patents.

The European Patent Office (EPO) grants European patents for the Contracting States to the European Patent Convention. The EPO provides a single patent grant procedure, but not a single patent from the point of view of enforcement. Hence the patents granted are not European Union patents or even Europe-wide patents, but a bundle of national patents. Besides granting European patents, the EPO is also in charge of establishing search reports for national patent applications on behalf of the patent offices of Belgium, Cyprus, France, Greece, Italy, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, and Turkey.

The EPO headquarters are located at Munich, Germany. The European Patent Office also includes a branch in Rijswijk (a suburb of The Hague, Netherlands), sub-offices in Berlin, Germany, and Vienna, Austria and a "liaison bureau" in Brussels, Belgium. At the end of 2009, the European Patent Office had a staff of 6818 (with 3718 based in Munich, 2710 in Rijswijk, 274 in Berlin, 112 in Vienna and 4 in Brussels). The predecessor of the European Patent Office was the Institut International des Brevets or IIB. [wikipedia]

The card does not have a date, but has these beautiful stamps.

Royal Castle Linderhof

These two postcards are from my mother's collection. They show Royal Castle Linderhof in Germany. On the first one, you can see King Ludwig II, who built it.

Linderhof Palace (German: Schloss Linderhof) is in Germany, near Oberammergau in southwest Bavaria near Ettal Abbey. It is the smallest of the three palaces built by King Ludwig II of Bavaria and the only one which he lived to see completed. Ludwig already knew the area around Linderhof from his youth when he had accompanied his father King Maximilian II of Bavaria on his hunting trips in the Bavarian Alps. When Ludwig II became king in 1864 he inherited the so-called Königshäuschen from his father, and in 1869 began enlarging the building. In 1874 he decided to tear down the Königshäuschen and rebuild it on its present-day location in the park. At the same time three new rooms and the staircase were added to the remaining U-shaped complex, and the previous wooden exterior was clad with stone façades. The building was designed in the style of the second rococo-period. Between 1863 and 1886 a total of 8,460,937 marks was spent constructing Linderhof.

The oldest town in Germany

This postacrd was sent by Chris, my postcard pal. It shows Trier, the oldest town in Germany!!

Trier (French: Trèves, Luxembourgish: Tréier; Latin: Augusta Treverorum; the Latin adjective associated with Trier is Treverensis) is a city in Germany on the banks of the Moselle River. It is the oldest city in Germany, founded in or before 16 BCE.

Trier lies in a valley between low vine-covered hills of ruddy sandstone in the west of the state of Rhineland-Palatinate, near the German border with Luxembourg and within the important Mosel wine-growing region.

Trier is the oldest seat of a Christian bishop north of the Alps. In the Middle Ages, the Archbishop of Trier was an important ecclesiastical prince, as the Archbishopric of Trier controlled land from the French border to the Rhine. He was also one of the seven electors of the Holy Roman Empire.

Cherry blossom near Oberkrumbach

This card shows Cherry blossom near Oberkrumbach, Germany, and it was sent by Angela via postcrossing [DE-877556].

A cherry blossom is the flower of the cherry trees known as sakura (桜 or 櫻; さくら^?). In English, "sakura" refers to the Japanese flowering cherry, Prunus serrulata. Cherry fruit (桜んぼ, sakuranbo) comes from another species of tree. Cherry blossoms are indigenous to many East Asian states including Japan, Korea, and China. Japan has a wide variety of cherry blossoms (sakura): well over 200 cultivars can be found there.

Schloss Nymphenburg

These three postcards show Schloss Nymphenburg in Germany. I have bought them many years ago!

 Nymphenburg Palace owes its foundation as a summer residence to the birth of the long-awaited heir to the throne, Max Emanuel, who was born in 1662 to the Bavarian Elector Ferdinand Maria and his wife, Henriette Adelaide of Savoy, after some ten years of marriage.

Düsseldorf

This postcard from Düsseldorf was sent by another of my postcard pals, Chris. She writes: "Düsseldorf is the state capital of North Rhine - Westphalia. Düsseldorf has a beautiful old town. On the card you can see the Ko, a boulevard with a canal running in the middle of it. It has many luxury stores of well-known brands. It's too expensive, but it's nice to walk along the street and just to do some window-shopping."

Well,  it sure looks amazing on the card and the description of Chris makes it even more appealing. Hope I'll do window - shopping at Ko boulevard someday, too!!

Kaiser Wilhelm Memorial Church

Another postcard of Protestant Kaiser Wilhelm Memorial Church (in German: Kaiser-Wilhelm-Gedächtniskirche, but mostly just known as Gedächtniskirche), sent by Florian via postcrossing [DE-855510]. As Florian writes "the original memorial church was damaged in the WWII. After the war the ruin was conserved as a memorial against the war and a new part was built."

New Hohenschwangau Castle

 

I bought these cards many years ago. I remember only a few things about this magnificent castle. The thing that stays more vivid in my mind is the huge kitchen!!

History of the origins of Neuschwanstein Castle

Ludwig II, King of Bavaria since 1864, addressed the following lines to the man he so greatly admired, Richard Wagner:

«It is my intention to rebuild the old castle ruin of Hohenschwangau near the Pöllat Gorge in the authentic style of the old German knights' castles, and I must confess to you that I am looking forward very much to living there one day (in 3 years); there will be several cosy, habitable guest rooms with a splendid view of the noble Säuling, the mountains of Tyrol and far across the plain; you know the revered guest I would like to accommodate there; the location is one of the most beautiful to be found, holy and unapproachable, a worthy temple for the divine friend who has brought salvation and true blessing to the world. It will also remind you of "Tannhäuser" (Singers' Hall with a view of the castle in the background), "Lohengrin'" (castle courtyard, open corridor, path to the chapel); this castle will be in every way more beautiful and habitable than Hohenschwangau further down, which is desecrated every year by the prose of my mother; they will take revenge, the desecrated gods, and come to live with Us on the lofty heights, breathing the air of heaven».

Ideal design for Neuschwanstein Castle by Christian Jank, 1869

Gerolstein

This beautiful postcard was sent by my postcard buddy Chris, from Germany!She writes me that  on the card there is a small part of Gerolstein city and that the hill in the back is called Munterley  You have a great view from up there! Vulkaneifel is the whole district.

Gerolstein is a town in the Vulkaneifel district in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. It is the seat of the like-named Verbandsgemeinde. Gerolstein is headquarters to a large mineral water firm, Gerolsteiner Brunnen. The town is also a climatic spa (Luftkurort).

One form of the name Gerolstein first cropped up in connection with the building of the Löwenburg (Castle Gerolstein) in 1115, which was then named as the Burg Gerhardstein. Nevertheless, as early as the Stone Age there is evidence of human habitation in the Buchenloch, a nearby cave. In the Bronze Age, the Dietzenley was used by the Celts as a flight castle. From Roman times, a temple and dwellings are known, and remnants are preserved.

Osnabrück, the city of peace

This postcard was sent by Beatriz from Germany via postcrossing [DE-829757]. It shows Osnaburck, a small city in Germany.

As the centre of an economic region located in Lower Saxony and bordering on North Rhine Westphalia with about 700,000 inhabitants, Osnabrück has always played an important leadership role. Its existence as the 3rd biggest city of Lower Saxony is due to a long-sighted decision taken by Charlemagne more than 1,200 years ago. In 780 he founded a mission at an intersection of old trade routes.

Osnabrück achieved its place within the history of Europe as the venue of the Peace of Westphalia (1648). With around 163,000 inhabitants, Osnabrück is the economic and cultural centre of west Lower Saxony and the heart of the Osnabrück region. Its leisure value profits from the attractive location between the Teutoburger Wald mountains and Wiehengebirge hills with a large number of therapeutic baths nearby. Osnabrück is the only large German city situated in the middle of a nature park – the UNESCO Geopark TERRA.vita.

The lipstick and the powder box

I bought these postcards a few years ago on my trip to Berlin along with the one that shows only the old, destroyed church. It is truly a unique sight. If I remember correctly, Berliners call it "broken tooth". The church is located at the Breitscheidplatz, the center of former West-Berlin. It is still the commercial center of Berlin, with the Kurfürstendamm shopping street and Europa Center near by.

The Protestant Kaiser Wilhelm Memorial Church (in German: Kaiser-Wilhelm-Gedächtniskirche, but mostly just known as Gedächtniskirche) is located in Berlin on the Kurfürstendamm in the center of the Breitscheidplatz. The original church on the site was built in the 1890s. It was badly damaged in a bombing raid in 1943. The present building, which consists of a church with an attached foyer and a separate belfry with an attached chapel, was built between 1959 and 1963. The damaged spire of the old church has been retained and its ground floor has been made into a memorial hall. 

Laufen an der Salzach

This postcard was sent to me a while ago from Norbert from Germany via postcrossing [DE-782022]. Although on the card it says: "Laufen an der Salzach", river Salzach is nowhere to be seen :(

Laufen is a municipality on the southeastern border of Bavaria with Austria. Laufen, situated inside the Salzach river bend lies directly across the river from the Austrian town of Oberndorf, where the carol "Silent Night" was first performed at St. Nicola church by the school master Franz Gruber and the young priest Joseph Mohr in 1818.