3446 RUSSIA (Saint Petersburg) - Postcrossing Meetup, Saint Petersburg, 19 February 2020

This postcard was made on the occasion of the postcrossing meeting that took place on February 19, 2020 in Saint Petersburg. The organizers chose as image the Water Supply Tower, one of the oldest constructions on the SPbPU (Peter the Great St. Petersburg Polytechnic University), built in 1905, three years after the opening of Polytechnic Institute. Its bizarre architectural look with fragmented forms and lines clearly contrasts with the other buildings on the campus; it is a kind of a hi-rise dominant of the entire complex of the two- and four-storey buildings.

3425 ROMANIA (Bucharest) - Postcrossing Meetup, Bucharest, 2 February 2020

Because February 2, 2020 was a palindrome day, the Romanian postcrossers decided to meet, and Mihnea Răducu chose for the postcard published on this occasion, a symmetrical building, CEC Palace. Built in eclectic style in 1900 as a new headquarters for Romania's oldest bank, the public savings institution Casa de Depuneri, Consemnațiuni și Economie, later known as C.E.C. and nowadays CEC Bank, the palace is topped by a glass and metal dome. The entrance features an arch supported by two pairs of columns in composite style. The four corners are decorated with gables and coats of arms and ending in Renaissance domes.

3413 NETHERLANDS (Netherlands / Overijssel) - Postcrossing Meetup, Deventer, 9 June 2018

Located on the river IJssel, largely on the east bank, but also to a lesser extent on the west bank, Deventer was founded in the 8th century, developing much between the years 1000-1500 due to the river trade. Since 2007 it is twinned with Sibiu, a city in Romania.

3407 ROMANIA - Puzzle map of Romania - series of postcards

3407 The summary of the series
"100 years since the Great Union of Romania"

At the initiative of Mihnea Răducu, between 1st December 2017 and 1st December 2018, so in the year in which the Romanians celebrated the centenary of the Great Union, took place every month a meeting of the Romanian postcrossers, and at each meeting has been edited a postcard to recall this exceptional event for the Romanians. 
  

The all 12 postcards of the series
"100 years since the Great Union of Romania"

Moreover, each postcard contains a fragment from the outline of the borders of Romania and a letter, such that if you put together all the 12, you make on one side the map of Romania and on the other side the word "Postcrossing". Finally, Mihnea edited a postcard to solve this puzzle (3407). The 12 postcards can be seen here: 

P - Second Train Postcrossing Meetup, 24 February 2018
O - Postcrossing Meetup, Cornu, 15 September 2018
S - Postcrossing Meetup, Iaşi, 24 March 2018
T - Postcrossing Meetup, Chișinău, 23 June 2018
C - Postcrossing Meetup, Bucharest, 20 January 2018
R - Postcrossing Meetup, Bucharest, 2 December 2017
O - Postcrossing Meetup, Bucharest, 14 July 2018
S - Postcrossing Meetup, Bucharest, 17 June 2018
S - Postcrossing Meetup, Curtea de Argeş, 11 November 2018
I - Postcrossing Meetup, Bucharest, 1 December 2018
N - Postcrossing Meetup, Bucharest, 5 May 2018
G - Postcrossing Meetup, Bucharest, 7 October 2018 

3400 GERMANY (Rhineland-Palatinate) - Postcrossing Meetup, Konz & Trier, 31 May - 3 June 2018

Between 31 May and 3 June 2018 took place at Konz and Trier a 4th International Postcrossing Meetup, occasion with which was published this postcard. The two city are only 8 km from each other, on the Moselle river. The meeting point, was at the front of Porta Nigra (UNESCO WHS), and the program was varied and interesting. Excursions took place, inside and outside Trier (for exemple to Orscholz, to the canopy pathway), BBQ, a raffle and others. Furthermore, it was offered a special 70-cent-stamp of German Post to the 200th birthday of Karl Marx (on the postcard).

3375 GERMANY (Bremen) - Postcrossing Meetup, Bremerhaven, 30 June 2018

This postcard, issued special for the first Postcrossing meeting which held in Bremerhaven, depicts Havenwelten (Harbour worlds), a maritime-styled quarter in Bremerhaven (about the city I wrote here). It includes the Atlantic Hotel Sail City , the Climate House Bremerhaven 8° East, the shopping mall Mediterraneo, the Deutsches Schifffahrtsmuseum (German Shipping Museum), the Bremerhaven Zoo (Zoo am Meer) and other maritime-themed places.

3362 MOLDOVA - International Moldovan Philatelic Society

As it is written on this special postcard, the International Moldovan Philatelic Society (IMPS) promotes world-wide awareness of the history and culture of Moldova throught the medium of philately. On the other hand, it is an evolution of the highly successful project MoldovaStamps, first developed by the President of the society, Niall Murphy, in 2003 and developed continuously since then. MoldovaStamps succeeded in it's objective to be one of the best online single-country philatelic web sites in the world. It has enjoyed the support of people from over 160 countries and has earned a considerable reputation. MoldovaStamps is one of the most popular philatelic web sites in the world.

3356 ROMANIA (Bucharest) - Postcrossing Meetup, Bucharest, 1 December 2018

3356 The twelfth postcard of the series
"100 years since the Great Union of Romania" (12/12)
- the Michael the Brave 30th Guards Brigade
on National Day parade

The previous postcard of the series "100 years since the Great Union of Romania" (11/12)

The last meeting of the Romanian postcrossers in the year of the Centenary of the Great Union took place on Bucharest, of course on December 1, the National Holiday of Romania. Mihnea Răducu chose for these 12th postcard an image from the parade that took place with this occasion, featuring the Michael the Brave 30th Guards Brigade. This unit is a primarily ceremonial, as well as combat unit of the Romanian Land Forces, and was established on 1 July 1860 through a decree issued by Prince Alexandru Ioan Cuza as the 1st Honor Guard battalion of Tirailleurs, which ensured the security of Royal palaces.

3347 ROMANIA (Argeş) - Postcrossing Meetup, Curtea de Argeş, 11 November 2018

3347 The eleventh postcard of the series
"100 years since the Great Union of Romania" (11/12)
- Vidraru Dam.

The previous postcard of the series "100 years since the Great Union of Romania" (10/12)

On 11 November, the monthly meeting of the Romanian postcrossers in the year of the Centenary of the Great Union took place this time in Curtea de Argeş, and Mihnea Răducu chose for the postcard a picture of Vidraru Dam, which was completed in 1966 on the Argeș River, in the shadow of the Făgăraș Mountains, and creates Lake Vidraru, which has a total shoreline length of 28 km. The dam's height is 166 metres, the arch length 305 meters and it can store 465 million cubic metres of water.

3334 ROMANIA (Bucharest) - Postcrossing Meetup, Bucharest, 7 October 2018

3334 The tenth postcard of the series
"100 years since the Great Union of Romania" (10/12)
- Xenofon Street in Bucharest.

The previous postcard of the series "100 years since the Great Union of Romania" (9/12)

On 7 October, the meeting of the Romanian postcrossers in the year of the Centenary of the Great Union took place again in Bucharest, and Mihnea Răducu chose for the postcard the road to Bucharest's highest altitude point, which is a unique one in the capital city of Romania. Located in the Cotroceni area, the Xenofon street, as it is named, after Greek philosopher author of famed Anabasis, is often referenced as the city's only stairways street. The 220 years old and narrow road is less than 100 meters long but has 70 steps (divided into two sections), and links the Constantin Istrati street to the Suter alley. 

3328 ROMANIA (Prahova) - Postcrossing Meetup, Cornu, 15 September 2018

3328 The nineth postcard of the series
"100 years since the Great Union of Romania" (9/12)
- Cornu landscape.

The previous postcard of the series "100 years since the Great Union of Romania" (8/12)

In september, on 15, the meeting of the Romanian postcrossers in the year of the Centenary of the Great Union took place in Cornu, a commune located in the northwest of Prahova County, on the middle course of the Prahova river, 90 km north of Bucharest. It was founded in 1583, by refugees fleeing from other localities in the path of wars. On its territory is the church Ascension of the Lord of the former hermitage Drăghici Spătarul (18th century, rebuilt in 1811).

3320 CZECH REPUBLIC (South Bohemia) - Postcrossing Meetup, České Budějovice, 4 November 2017

Located in the center of a valley of the Vltava River, at the confluence with the Malše, České Budějovice, the political and commercial capital of the South Bohemian Region, is famous for Budweiser.The beautiful Otakar II Square, named for the Czech King who founded the city over 750 years ago, is famous for its regular square shape (133m by 137m). Around are 48 historical buildings, including the 3-spired Town Hall, and in the centre is the baroque-styled Samson's Fountain, built between 1721-1726 by Zachariáš Horn, with biblical sculptures were created by Josef Dietrich.

3317 MOLDOVA - Postcrossing Meetup, Chișinău, 23 June 2018

3317 The eighth postcard of the series
"100 years since the Great Union of Romania" (8/12)
- Old Orhei landscape.

The previous postcard of the series "100 years since the Great Union of Romania" (7/12)

Another meeting of the Romanian postcrossers in the year of the Centenary of the Great Union took place on June 23, 2018, in Chișinău. Actually it was the second Postcrossing meeting between members from Moldova and Romania, which took place on the occasion of the launch of a stamp dedicated to the Postcrossing project. Mihnea Răducu chose for the postcard a landscape from Orheiul Vechi Archaeological Landscape (about which I wrote here), submitted by Moldova to UNESCO for inclusion among the World Heritage Sites.

3310 ROMANIA - Postcrossing Meetup, Bucharest, 14 July 2018

3310 The seventh postcard of the series
"100 years since the Great Union of Romania" (7/12)
- traditional Romanian dance named hora.

The previous postcard of the series "100 years since the Great Union of Romania" (6/12)

The seventh meeting of the Romanian postcrossers in the year of the Centenary of the Great Union took place on July 14, 2018, in Bucharest, and Mihnea Răducu chose for the postcard a traditional Romanian folk dance named horă. The dancers hold each other's hands and the circle spins, usually counterclockwise, as each participant follows a sequence of three steps forward and one step back. The dance is usually accompanied by musical instruments such as the cymbalom, accordion, violin, viola, double bass, saxophone, trumpet or the pan pipes.

3306 CZECH REPUBLIC (Vysočina) - Postcrossing Meetup, Jihlava, 27 January 2018

Masaryk Square in Jihlava, with Saint Ignatius Church and City Hall

Situated on the Jihlava river, on the historical border between Moravia and Bohemia, Jihlava is the oldest mining town in the Czech Republic, approximately 50 years older than Kutná Hora. Among the principal buildings is the Church of Saint Ignatius of Loyola, built in the years 1683-89 by Jacopo Brascha, an Italian builder. This single-bay church with three pairs of side chapels and a flat chancel termination is a typical early Baroque structure, and formerly belong to the Jesuit Order.

3300 ROMANIA - Postcrossing Meetup, Bucharest, 17 June 2018

3300 The sixth postcard of the series
"100 years since the Great Union of Romania" (6/12)
- Pelicans in Danube Delta

The previous postcard of the series "100 years since the Great Union of Romania" (5/12)

The sixth meeting of the Romanian postcrossers in the year of the Centenary of the Great Union took place on June 17, 2018, in Bucharest, and Mihnea Răducu chose for the postcard some pelicans, probable great white pelicans (Pelecanus onocrotalus), in Danube Delta (UNESCO WHS, about which I wrote here). The great white pelican is a huge bird (140 to 180 cm in length) with a 28.9 to 47.1 cm enormous pink and yellow bill, and a dull pale-yellow gular pouch. The wingspan measures 226 to 360 cm, the latter measurement being the highest among extant flying animals outside of the great albatross. It mainly eats fish.

3295 ROMANIA - Postcrossing Meetup, Bucharest, 5 May 2018

3295 The fifth postcard of the series
"100 years since the Great Union of Romania" (5/12)
- "The passage of the Romanian army to Dobruja"
by Henryk Dembitzky.

The previous postcard of the series "100 years since the Great Union of Romania" (4/12)

The fifth meeting of the Romanian postcrossers in the year of the Centenary of the Great Union took place on May 5, 2018, in Bucharest. This time Mihnea Răducu chose for the postcard dedicated to the meeting the lithography The passage of the Romanian army to Dobrudja by Henryk Dembitzky (1830-1906), a Polish artist, graduate of the Royal Academy of Fine Arts in Vienna, refugee in Romania. He made his debut as a lithographer in Bucharest, in 1877, therefore in the very year in which Romania proclaimed its independence, and his lithographs in colors related to the War of Independence are very well known by the Romanians.

3289 NORWAY (Oslo) - Holmenkollen

Holmenkollen is a neighborhood in the Vestre Aker borough of Oslo, the capital city of Norway. In addition to being a residential area, the area has been a ski recreation area since the late 19th century, with its famous ski jumping hill, the Holmenkollbakken, hosting  Holmenkollen Ski Festival since 1892. The hill has been rebuilt 19 times; important upgrades include a stone take-off in 1910, an in-run superstructure in 1914, and a new superstructure in 1928. Between 2008 and 2010, the entire structure was demolished and rebuilt.

3284 ROMANIA (Iaşi) - Postcrossing Meetup, Iaşi, 24 March 2018

3284 The fourth postcard of the series
"100 years since the Great Union of Romania" (4/12)
- The Palace of Culture in Iaşi

The previous postcard of the series "100 years since the Great Union of Romania" (3/12)

The fourth meeting of the Romanian postcrossers in the year of the Centenary of the Great Union took place on March 24, 2018, in Iaşi. However, the postcard was sent by Mihnea Răducu not from Iaşi, but from Chişinău, from the Republic of Moldova, which is proven not only by the stamp and the postmark, but also by the signatures of several Moldovan postcrossers, to whom I thanks from the bottom of my heart. The postcard depict The Palace of Culture in Iaşi, about which I wrote here.

2428, 3278 MOLDOVA - Rudi Geodetic Point - part of Struve Geodetic Arc (UNESCO WHS)

2428 Rudi Geodetic Point

Posted on 02.04.2016, 01.12.2019
The Struve Geodetic Arc is a chain of survey triangulations stretching from Hammerfest in Norway to the Black Sea (designated an UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2005), about which I wrote here. In Oblast of Moldavia and Bessarabia, back then in Russian Empire, were 27 observation points, but UNESCO included only one in World Heritage Site, located near Rudi village, in Soroca district. This point was set up in 1847, and the obelisk was opened on June 17, 2006.

3278 Rudi Geodetic Point