October 31, 2016

2848 PORTUGAL (Viseu) - Soar Door in Viseu


Located approximately 50km East of the Atlantic ocean and surrounded by a number of mountains, Viseu was populated throughout history by a series of cultures, that include the Romans, Suebs, Visigoths and Moors. During the Middle Ages, the city often served as seat for Visigothic nobles (such as King Roderic), and is considered one of the probable birthplaces of Afonso Henriques. Following his successful defense of his hereditary rights, and supported by nobles and clergy, Afonso Henriques founded the Kingdom of Portugal in 1139.

0884, 2847 CZECH REPUBLIC (South Moravia) - Tugendhat Villa in Brno (UNESCO WHS)

0884 Tugendhat Villa in Brno (1)

Posted on 02.12.2013, 31.10.2016
Built between 1928 and 1930 in the wealthy neighbourhood of Černá Pole in Brno for the Jewish factory-owner Fritz Tugendhat by the architect Ludwig Mies van der Rohe (1886-1969), subsequently the last director of Berlin's Bauhaus (1930-1933), Villa Tugendhat is a masterpiece of the Modern Movement in architecture. Its design principle of "less is more" and emphasis on functional amenities created a fine example of early functionalism architecture. Mies used the revolutionary iron framework which enabled him to dispense with supporting walls and arrange the interior in order to achieve a feeling of space and light.

2847 Tugendhat Villa in Brno (2)

There are no decorative items in the villa, but the interior isn't austere due to the naturally patterned materials such as the onyx wall and rare tropical woods. The villa suffered considerable damage at the end of WWII and later, when it shortly served as quarters and stables for the Soviet military. Greta Tugendhat returned to the villa in 1967 with a senior architect from Mies's Chicago studio and filled him in on the original design. Restored after 1980, it was designated a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 2001, and again restored between 2010 and 2012.

October 29, 2016

2845 FRANCE (Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes) - The exhibition "Space of Light"


The painter Patrice Giorda was born in 1952 in Lyon, where he lives and works until now. Spotted very early on, notably among the international selection at the XIIIth Paris Biennale in 1985, he has constantly made his personal mark as a painter in the classical sense. Although far removed from the avant-gardes that turn their backs on Painting, his figurative art nevertheless remains absolutely contemporary. His symbolic representation of man and nature goes beyond straightforward landscapes, scenes, portraits or still lives.

2844 CHINA (Anhui) - Mount Huangshan (UNESCO WHS)


Located in the humid subtropical monsoon climate zone of Anhui province, Huangshan (Yellow Mountain) is renowned for its magnificent natural scenery which includes massive granitic boulders and ancient pine trees which are often enhanced by cloud and mist effects.  This dramatic landscape includes formations of natural stone pillars, grotesquely-shaped rocks, waterfalls, caves, lakes and hot springs, formed by its complex geological history.

October 28, 2016

2843 MOLDOVA (Chişinău) - Wine Festival in Chişinău


In the entire Moldavia, from the Carpathians to the Dniester, and from Ceremuş to the Black Sea, the growing of vines is a very old tradition, its viticulture dating back more than 6,000 years. In Middle Ages, it has grown significantly, becoming an important occupation for moldavians, and this was preserved until today. In 2009, Republic of Moldova (which is only a part of historic Moldavia) was the 22nd largest wine producing country in the world. Therefore, a wine festival to celebrate the winemaking traditions is even an obligation.

October 27, 2016

2842 JAPAN (Kantō) - Tokyo Station


Tokyo Station is a railway station in the Marunouchi business district of Chiyoda, being the main intercity rail terminal in Tokyo. It is also the busiest station in Japan in terms of number of trains per day (over 3,000), and the fifth-busiest in Eastern Japan in terms of passenger throughput (415,908 passengers daily). Its façade on the western side is brick-built, surviving from the time when the station opened in 1914. The main station consists of 10 island platforms serving 20 tracks, raised above street level running in a north-south direction.

October 26, 2016

2841 ITALY (Veneto) - The Torrione in Legnago


Located on the Adige river, about 43km from Verona, Legnago had an important military role since the early Middle Ages. In the 19th century it was one of the Quadrilatero fortresses, the main strongpoint of the Austrian Lombardy-Venetia puppet state during the Italian Wars of Independence. The present fortifications were planned and made in 1815, the older defences having been destroyed by Napoleon in 1801. The Torrione (Grand Tower), located in Liberty Square, is the only surviving tower from the old medieval walls.

2840 NETHERLAND (Netherland / South Holland) - Van Nelle Factory (UNESCO WHS)


Designed and built between 1925 and 1931 on the banks of a canal in the Spaanse Polder industrial zone north-west of Rotterdam, Van Nelle Factory is considered a prime example of the International Style, and an example of Nieuwe Bouwen, modern architecture in the Netherlands, influenced by Russian Constructivism. Prominent architects described it as "the most beautiful spectacle of the modern age" (Le Corbusier in 1932) and "a poem in steel and glass" (Robertson and Yerbury in 1930).

October 24, 2016

2838 GERMANY (Hesse) - Braunfels Castle


Lying at a height of some 100m above the valley of the River Lahn, an eastern tributary of the Rhine River, Braunfels is considered in nowadays a climatic spa. The history of the town is closely linked with the history of the castle erected on the crest of a basalt rock, which has been (and still is) the home of the Counts and Princes of Solms-Braunfels for more than 800 years. It seems that the house of Solms has its roots in the 8th century, but the first Lord of Solms appeared in a document in 1129.

October 23, 2016

2837 FRANCE (New Aquitaine) - The Limousins and the Blondes d'Aquitaine


Situated largely in the Massif Central, Limousin, the least populated region of mainland France, is an essentially rural region. Famed for some of the best beef farming in the world, herds of Limousin cattle, a distinctive chestnut red, are a common sight in the region. Initially used mainly as draft animals, interest in Limousins as a source of high quality meat grew about two hundred years ago. The first Limousin herd book was then established in France in 1886 to ensure the breed's purity and improvement by only recording and breeding animals that satisfied a strictly enforced breed standard.

October 21, 2016

2836 UNITED KINGDOM (England) - China Miéville


China Tom Miéville is an English fantasy fiction author, comic writer, political activist and academic. He often describes his work as weird fiction and specifically to the loosely associated movement of writers sometimes called New Weird. Born in Norwich, Miéville was brought up in Willesden, northwest London, and has lived in the city since early childhood. He grew up with his sister Jemima and mother Claudia, a translator, writer and teacher. By virtue of his mother's birth in New York City, Miéville holds dual American and British citizenship.

2835 FRANCE - Flora of the Alps


The Alps are one of the great mountain range systems of Europe stretching approximately 1,200km across eight countries from Austria and Slovenia in the east, Switzerland, Liechtenstein, Germany, France to the west and Italy and Monaco to the south. As it is known, in the mountains the vegetation gradually changes with altitude, sun exposure, and location on the mountain. In Alps there are five successive life zones, each with distinct landscapes and vegetation characteristics: premontane, montane, subalpine, alpine, and alvar.

2834 CANADA (Quebec) - Architecture of Montreal


Historically the commercial capital of Canada, Montreal was surpassed in population and economic strength by Toronto only in the 1970s, and this is reflected in buildings inherited, that today provides an invaluable insight into the city's history, especially in the downtown area and the Old Port area. Therefore Montreal is an old, but a very modern city, and the modern buildings are situated right next to some of the oldest and most fascinating structures.

October 20, 2016

2833 ITALY (Friuli-Venezia Giulia) - Aurelio Baruzzi, the hero of Gorizia


Born in 1897 at Lugo, at 30 km from Ravenna, Aurelio Baruzzi voluntarily enrolled in the Royal Italian Army in 1915, at the age of only 18 years, as infantry officer cadet. He participated in the WWI with the rank of second lieutenant, in the 28th Regiment "Pavia", which fought in the Karst region. He distinguished himself in the fighting on the front line in the Third Battle of the Isonzo, receiving a bronze medal. Since August 6, 1916 he took part at the Sixth Battle of the Isonzo, also known as the Battle of Gorizia.

2832 AUSTRIA - "542 Garten Im Regentropfen - Theater - Maul - Cappana 140" by Friedensreich Hundertwasser


Although Friedensreich Hundertwasser (about which I wrote a little here) is more widely known for his architectural works, he first achieved notoriety for his paintings. He used bright colours and organic forms, rejecting the straight lines. Painted in Venice, Lido - Giudecca - Anguillara, in summer-autumn 1962, 542 Garten Im Regentropfen - Theater - Maul - Cappana 140 (Garden in the Raindrop - Theatre - Mouth - Cabin 140) is a watercolour on wrapping paper, primed with chalk and PV (390 mm x 550 mm).

October 16, 2016

0507, 2830 VATICAN CITY (UNESCO WHS)

0507 Saint Peter's Square in Vatican City (1)

Posted on 11.02.2013, 16.10.2016
Everybody knows that Vatican City is the smallest independent state in the world by both area and population (0.44 km2, and 836 inhabitants). But few know that this walled enclave within the city of Rome was established as an independent state only in 1929 by the Lateran Treaty (signed on behalf of King Victor Emmanuel III of Italy by... Prime Minister Benito Mussolini), which spoke of it as a new creation, not as a vestige of the Papal States (756-1870). Even fewer know that Vatican City is distinct from the Holy See, the two entities having distinct passports.

2830 Saint Peter's Square in Vatican City (2)
 

I think that one of the reasons for the existence of these two entities is diplomatic, because in this way the Pope can address to the Catholic prelates as the leader of the Catholic Church, and to the heads of state (regardless of faith) as a head of a state. The name "Vatican" predates Christianity and comes from the Latin Mons Vaticanus (Vatican Mount). Separated from the city, on the west bank of the Tiber river, Vatican comprise St. Peter's Basilica (in the foreground of the postcard), the Apostolic Palace, the Sistine Chapel, museums, and various other buildings.

2829 Bathed in Moonlight


Obviously, this postcard has no relation to Antarctica. I applied that tag only because it was sent from there. I don't know who is the author of the photography or other details about the postcard. I know only that it was used by Arte Nova Classics label as cover for a CD containing Piano Works of Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy.

2828 SENEGAL - The happy people of Cap-Vert


Cap-Vert is a peninsula in Senegal, and the westernmost point of the continent of Africa and of the Old World mainland. Originally called Cabo Verde or "Green Cape" by Portuguese explorers, it is not to be confused with the Cape Verde islands. The indigenous inhabitants of the peninsula, the Lebou, lived as fishermen and farmers. Since about 1444, when the Portuguese first sighted the cape, it has been an entrepôt for African-European trade. The French later established the city of Dakar on the cape in 1857.

2827 ROMANIA - TR-85M1 "Bizonul" (The Bison)


The TR-85 is a main battle tank designed for the armed forces of Romania. Based on the TR-77-580 (Romanian-built version of the Soviet T-55 tank), the TR-85 tank was developed from 1978 to 1985 and produced from 1986 until 1990. A modernization program was initiated in March 1994 in order to upgrade the TR-85 tanks to NATO standards. The result was the TR-85M1 "Bizonul" (The Bison) main battle tank, currently the most modern tank in service with the Romanian Land Forces.

October 15, 2016

2868 CZECH REPUBLIC (Prague) - Postcrossing Meetup, Prague, 20 May 2017

2868 Prague - Charles Bridge and city skyline on sunset

This postcard, a special issue for the postcrossing meetup which held on Prague, 20 May 2017, depicts Charles Bridge, an historic bridge that crosses the Vltava river in Prague, about which I wrote here.

1681, 1688, 2032, 2695, 2807, 2825 UNITED STATES - The Ojibwe (Chippewa) people

1681 Obtossaway, an Ojibwe Chief, 1903

Posted on 19.06.2015, 24.06.2015, 13.11.2015, 21.08.2016, 08.10.2016, 15.10.2016
The Ojibwe (or Chippewa) are a large group of First Nations and Native Americans in Canada and the United States. In Canada, they are the second-largest population among First Nations, surpassed only by the Cree, and in the United States they have the fourth-largest population among Native American tribes, surpassed only by the Navajo, Cherokee and Lakota. They are a major component group of the Anishinaabe-speaking peoples, a branch of the Algonquian language family. The Anishinaabe peoples include the Algonquin, Nipissing, Oji-Cree, Odawa and the Potawatomi.

1688 Arrowmaker, an Ojibwe Brave, 1903

Because many Ojibwe were formerly located around the outlet of Lake Superior, called Sault Ste. Marie by the French colonists, they referred to the Ojibwe as Saulteurs. Ojibwe who subsequently moved to the prairie provinces of Canada have retained the name Saulteaux. Ojibwe who were originally located along the Mississagi River and made their way to southern Ontario are known as the Mississaugas. The majority of the Ojibwe peoples live in Canada. There are 77,940 mainline Ojibwe; 76,760 Saulteaux and 8,770 Mississaugas, organized in 125 bands, and living from western Quebec to eastern British Columbia. Ojibwe in the U.S. number over 56,440, living in an area stretching across the northern tier from  New York west to Montana.

2695 Two Chippewa Maidens
in Eau Claire (Wisconsin), cca. 1950
 

The Ojibwe are historically known for their crafting of birch bark canoes, their sacred birch bark scrolls, the use of cowrie shells for trading, the cultivation of wild rice, and the use of copper arrow points. They live in groups (otherwise known as "bands"). Most Ojibwe, except for the Great Plains bands, lived a sedentary lifestyle, engaging in fishing and hunting to supplement the women's cultivation of numerous varieties of maize and squash, and the harvesting of manoomin (wild rice). They developed a form of pictorial writing, used in religious rites of the Midewiwin and recorded on birch bark scrolls and possibly on rock.

2807 A Chippewa maiden
 

The Ojibwe people were divided into a number of odoodeman (clans; singular: doodem) named primarily for animals and birds totems (pronounced doodem). Traditionally, they had a patrilineal system, in which children were considered born to the father's clan. For this reason, children with French or English fathers were considered outside the clan and Ojibwe society unless adopted by an Ojibwe male. The Ojibwe have a number of spiritual beliefs passed down by oral tradition under the Midewiwin teachings. Teaching lodges are common today to teach the next generations about the language and ancient ways of the past. The traditional ways, ideas, and teachings are preserved and practiced in such living ceremonies.

2825 Chippewa in Hayward, Wisconsin

Shingabawossin (from the Ojibwe: zhingaabewasin - "image stone") (c. 1763 - c. 1830) was an Ojibwa chief (of the Crane doodem) about Sault Ste. Marie, formerly a single settlement from 1668 to 1817, then a cross-border region in Canada and the United States. He was the grandson of Gi-chi-o-jee-de-bun and the oldest of the nine son of Naid-o-sa-gee's family, consisting of about 20 children in all from four wives. Chief Shingabawossin had one wife and twelve children.

2032 Chief Shingabawossin, 1826

He participated in the 1783 Battle of St. Croix Falls, under the leadership of La Pointe Chief Waubojeeg. During the War of 1812, he was enlisted by the British to fight against the Americans and went to York to join Tecumseh's War. He was prominent during the first quarter of the 19th century, thus taking part as a signatory to the important treaties. Often, he was the leading speaker and usually the most important person among the Ojibwa delegates.