Germany - Bavaria - Kulmbach

A watercolor painting of the German town Kulmbach in Bavaria.

Sent by Thomas from Kulmbach in North Bavaria, Germany.

Kulmbach (German pronunciation: [ˈkʊlmbax]) is the capital of the district of Kulmbach in Bavaria in Germany. The town, once a stronghold of the Principality of Bayreuth, is renowned for its University of Life Sciences, a branch of the University of Bayreuth, the massive Plassenburg Castle, which houses the largest tin soldier museum in the world, for its brewery, its vivid food industry, which hosts some of the world's biggest food businesses, and for its sausages, or Bratwürste.

Kulmbach is located in the middle of the Bavarian province of Upper Franconia, about 25 kilometres (15.5 miles) northwest of the city of Bayreuth. To the south of Kulmbach, the River Main begins at the confluence of its headstreams, the White Main and Red Main (read more).

Marilyn Monroe (9)

Marilyn Monroe sitting on rock in striped trousers Magna.

This photograph was taken by British photographer Ted Baron in 1945 in California. The session occured on the last day of her marriage to bseball star Joe DiMaggio. Baron admired Monroe's ability to move naturally and gracefully into positions during the shoot. This image is often categorized as classic Hollywood vintage photography.

Sent by Waltraud from Bielefeld, Germany. 

Belarus - Slutsk Gate

Slutsk Gate in Nesvizh. Minsk region.

Sent by Inna from Minsk, Belarus.

The Slutsk Gate is an original monument of Baroque architecture of the XVII century. The Gate with ramparts on the left and right to the gate was the part of the town's fortifications, protecting the entrance to the town from the Slutsk tract. It is the only preserved gate which leads to the town of Nesvizh.

The Gate has two storeys. The ground storey has an entrance arch of ten meters length. It is closes with massive gates. On the ground floor there were rooms for guards and customs. On the wall there is still a board with the payment of tax written on it. The ground floor looks stern and strict, it is emphasized by powerful buttresses - so-called vertical projections.

The second storey has light architecture. On the second floor behind the colored windows was a chapel. There was an icon of the Mother of God. Before entering the town people came there to worship the icon. There is an inscription on the wall of the chapel: "Give us piece, protect us."

Solidity and narrow windows make the Gate look like a small fortress which it was in a way, once when the town was captured the guard of the gate did not give up.

The Slutsk Gate is a monument of international importance (read more).

Postcrossing Meet-Up - Wave-Gotik-Treffen (WGT) Meeting in Leipzig, Germany (June 6, 2025)

June 2, 2025.

Wave-Gotik-Treffen (WGT) Meeting in Leipzig, Germany.

Sent by Marzipanmaedchen from Leipzig, Germany.

Tanzania - Ngorongoro

Maasai dancing in Ngorongoro.

Sent by Stranger from Tanzania.

Ngorongoro District (Wilaya ya Ngorongoro, in Swahili) is one of seven districts in western Arusha Region of Tanzania. The district is bordered to the north by Kenya, to the east by Monduli District, the northeast by Longido District, and to the south by the Karatu District. The western border is the Serengeti District in Mara Region. Ngorongoro District is home to the Ngorongoro Crater and was named after it. It covers an area of 14,036 km² (5,419 sq mi). The district is comparable in size to the land area of Timor Leste. The administrative seat is the town of Loliondo. The district is home to the Ngorongoro Conservation Area which is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The district is also home to the third tallest mountain in the country, Mount Loolmalasin. According to the 2002 Tanzania National Census, the population of the Ngorongoro Region was 129,776. By 2012, the population of the district was 174,278. By 2022, the population had grown to 273,549 (read more).

Italy - Umbria - Basilica of Saint Francis of Assisi

ASSISI

Basilica of St. Francis

Sent by my friend Roberto of Italy who visited Assisi.

The property is situated in the central Italian region Umbria, on the slopes of the hill of Asio at the foot of the Subasio mountain, and comprises a rather large territory in which most of the important Franciscan places are located. Assisi and its built territory represent an outstanding example of an Umbrian hill town and cultural landscape that has maintained its historical stratigraphy since antiquity.

Assisi, developed in ancient Roman times achieving importance, in part, as a religious and spiritual centre.  It continues that role into the present with its association with the birth and life of Saint Francis (1182-1226) and development of the Franciscan Order since the 13th century, which gives it an important influence in Italy and around the world. The medieval historic centre grew on the foundations of the terraced Roman town extends from the southeast to the northwest. It is flanked by the San Francesco Basilica at one end and the Basilica Santa Chiara at the other. At the summit of the hill town is the Rennaisance fort of Rocca Maggiore. Beyond the town’s walls, the site includes the Carceri Hermitage, in the valley, originally a series of caves occupied by Saint Francis and his companions, and the Saint Damian and Rivotorto sanctuaries along with the Santa Maria degli Angeli Basilica in the plain. It is an extensive site, covering 14,563 hectares with an additional 4,087-hectare buffer zone (read more).

Janis Joplin

Iconic American singer-songwriter Janis Joplin, often referred to as the "Queen of Psychedelic Soul".

Sent by Kieran from Albany, Oregon, USA.

Janis Lyn Joplin (January 19, 1943 – October 4, 1970) was an American singer and songwriter. One of the most iconic and successful rock performers of her era, she was noted for her powerful mezzo-soprano vocals and her electric stage presence.

In 1967, she rose to prominence following an appearance at the Monterey International Pop Festival, where she was the lead singer of the then little-known San Francisco psychedelic rock band Big Brother and the Holding Company. After releasing two albums with the band, she left Big Brother to continue as a solo artist with her own backing groups, first the Kozmic Blues Band [it; pt] and then the Full Tilt Boogie Band. She performed at the 1969 Woodstock Festival and on the Festival Express train tour. Five singles by Joplin reached the US Billboard Hot 100, including a cover of the Kris Kristofferson song "Me and Bobby McGee", which posthumously reached number one in March 1971. Her most popular songs include her cover versions of "Piece of My Heart", "Cry Baby", "Down on Me", "Ball and Chain", and "Summertime", as well as her original song "Mercedes Benz", which was her final recording.

Joplin died of a heroin overdose in October 1970, at the age of 27. A second solo album, Pearl, was released in January 1971, three months after her death. It reached number one on the Billboard 200. She was posthumously inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1995. Rolling Stone ranked Joplin number 28 on its 2008 list of the "200 Greatest Singers of All Time", dropping to number 78 in the 2023 list. As of 2013, she was still one of the top-selling vocalists in the United States, with Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) certifications of 18.5 million albums sold (read more).

Germany - Baden-Württemberg - Schwetzingen

Schwetzingen Palace in the town of Schwetzingen, Baden-Württemberg, Germany.

Sent by Marina from Schwetzingen, Germany.

Schwetzingen (German pronunciation: [ˈʃvɛtsɪŋən]; Palatine German: Schwetzinge) is a German town in northwest Baden-Württemberg, around 10 km (6.2 mi) southwest of Heidelberg and 15 km (9.3 mi) southeast of Mannheim. Schwetzingen is one of the five biggest cities of the Rhein-Neckar-Kreis district and a medium-sized centre between Heidelberg and Mannheim.

The city is most famous for Schwetzingen Palace and the Schlosstheater. The palace grounds also feature a mosque, the oldest in Germany. Although not functional, it was used by Muslim prisoners in the Franco-Prussian War (read more).

Germany - North Rhine-Westphalia - Metropole Ruhr (Ruhr Area)

Hoheward Landscape Park, Landschaftspark Dusiburg-Meiderich, and Zollverein (a UNESCO World Heritage Site) in Ruhr Area, Germany.

Sent by Sandra from Ruhr, Germany.

The Ruhr area (/ˈrʊər/ ROOR; German: Ruhrgebiet [ˈʁuːɐ̯ɡəˌbiːt], also Ruhrpott German pronunciation: [ˈʁuːɐ̯pɔt]), also referred to as the Ruhr District, Ruhr Region, or Ruhr Valley, is a polycentric urban area in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. With a population density of 1,160/km² and a population of over 5 million (2017), it is the largest urban area in Germany and the third of the European Union. It consists of several large cities bordered by the rivers Ruhr to the south, Rhine to the west, and Lippe to the north. In the southwest it borders the Bergisches Land. It is considered part of the larger Rhine-Ruhr metropolitan region of more than 10 million people, which is the third largest in Western Europe, behind only London and Paris.

The Ruhr cities are, from west to east: Duisburg, Oberhausen, Bottrop, Mülheim an der Ruhr, Essen, Gelsenkirchen, Bochum, Herne, Witten, Hagen, Dortmund, Hamm and the districts of Wesel, Recklinghausen, Unna and Ennepe-Ruhr-Kreis. The most populous cities are Dortmund (with a population of approximately 612,065), Essen (about 583,000) and Duisburg (about 497,000) (read more).

Germany - Schleswig-Holstein - Eckernförde

Scenes from Eckernförde, a popular seaside town in northern Germany.

Sent by Birgit from Eckernförde in Schleswig-Holstein, Germany.

Eckernförde (German pronunciation: [ɛkɐnˈføːɐ̯də]; Danish: Egernførde, sometimes also Egernfjord; Low German: Eckernför, sometimes also Eckernföör) is a city located in the Kreis of Rendsburg-Eckernförde, Schleswig-Holstein, northern Germany. Situated on the coast of the Baltic Sea, approximately 30 km north-west of Kiel, it has a population of about 23,000. Eckernförde is a popular tourist destination.

The name of Eckernförde is of mixed origin, but derived from the name of a Danish castle formerly located near the current town, which is also reflected in the name of the town district of Borby. This fortification is listed in the 13th-century Liber Census Daniæ (Danish Census Book) as Ykærnæburgh. In 1441, the town used an official seal listing its name as Eherneborgh. The first syllable corresponds to the modern Danish word "egern" meaning squirrel, while "-förde" is Low German meaning fjord. The -förde ending is documented in Latinized form on two official seals used by the town in 1602 and 1624. The etymology of the town's name is reflected in the presence of a squirrel in the town's coat of arms, a feature first documented by the 1441 seal (read more).

Germany - Saxony - Zwickau

Places in Zwickau in Saxony, Germany.

Sent by Kerstin from Lichtentanne in Saxony, Germany.

Zwickau (German pronunciation: [ˈtsvɪkaʊ]) is the fourth-largest city of Saxony, Germany, after Leipzig, Dresden and Chemnitz, with around 88,000 inhabitants.

The West Saxon city is situated in the valley of the Zwickau Mulde (German: Zwickauer Mulde; progression: Mulde→ Elbe→ North Sea), and lies in a string of cities sitting in the densely populated foreland of the Elster and Ore Mountains stretching from Plauen in the southwest via Zwickau, Chemnitz and Freiberg to Dresden in the northeast. Zwickau is the seat of the Zwickau District, the most densely populated district in the new states of Germany.

Zwickau is the seat of the West Saxon University of Zwickau (German: Westsächsische Hochschule Zwickau) with campuses in Zwickau, Markneukirchen, Reichenbach im Vogtland and Schneeberg (Erzgebirge). The city is the birthplace of composer Robert Schumann (read more).

Germany - Rhineland-Palatinate - Speyer Cathedral (3)

1294 1797 Imperial City, 1527 - 1689 seat of the Imperial Chamber Court, 1689 and 1793 devastated by the French, restored in 1771 and 1852. The cathedral, is a masterpiece of the German Romanesque "Imperial Style" (built 1030 - 1061); Eight kings/emperors and three empresses rest in the crypt (burial place of the Salians, Hohenstaufens, and Rudolf of Habsburg).

Sent by Yvonne from Germersheim in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany.

Two other postcards of Speyer Cathedral are here and here.

Germany - Thuringia - Erfurt (3)

Features of German city Erfurt.

Sent by Sabine from Erfut in Thuringia, Germany.

Two other different postcards of Erfurt are here and here.

USA - Maine - Owls Head General Store

Owls Head General Store., 2 S Shore Dr., Owls Head, ME 04854 (207) 466 -9046.

Sent by Katarina from San Francisco Bay Area in California, USA.

OWLS HEAD'S ONE-STOP SHOP FOR GREAT FOOD, GROCERIES, GIFTS, FUDGE & MORE!

Voted Maine's Best Burger by Food Network and Best of the Best Burger by Village Soup and the readers of Down East Magazine two years in a row! (read more)

USA - Utah - Wasatch Mountains/Range

UTAH

WASATCH MOUNTAINS

Rising to an elevation of 12,000 feet, the Wasatch Mountains receive over 500 inches of snow annually, providing some of the most desirable skiing conditions on earth.

Sent by Tatiania from Utah, USA.

The Wasatch Range (/ˈwɑːsætʃ/ WAH-satch) or Wasatch Mountains is a mountain range in the western United States that runs about 160 miles (260 km) from the Utah–Idaho border south to central Utah. It is the western edge of the greater Rocky Mountains, and the eastern edge of the Great Basin region. The northern extension of the Wasatch Range, the Bear River Mountains, extends just into Idaho, constituting all of the Wasatch Range in that state.

In the language of the native Ute people, wasatch means "mountain pass" or "low pass over high range." According to William Bright, the mountains were named for a Shoshoni leader who was named with the Shoshoni term wasattsi, meaning "blue heron". In 1926, Cecil Alter quoted Henry Gannett from 1902, who said that the word meant "land of many waters," then posited, "the word is a common one among the Shoshones, and is given to a berry basket" carried by women (read more).

Postcrossing Meetup - Sofia Online Meeting 28th March 2020

Postcrossing online meeting.

Sofia, 28th March 2020.

Sent by Zenny from Sofia, Bulgaria.

Belgium - Antwerpen-Centraal Railway Station

An illustration of the grand hall of the Antwerp-Centraal Railway Station in Belgium.

Sent by Elise from Flanders, Belgium.

Antwerpen-Centraal railway station (Dutch: Station Antwerpen-Centraal; French: Gare d'Anvers-Central) is the main railway station in Antwerp, Belgium. It is one of the most important hubs in the country and is one of the four Belgian stations on the high-speed rail network. From 1873 to early 2007, it was a terminal station. The current building, designed by the architect Louis Delacenserie, was constructed between 1895 and 1905. On 23 March 2007, a tunnel with two continuous tracks was opened under part of the city and under the station. The train services are operated by the National Railway Company of Belgium (NMBS/SNCB).

Antwerp's first station was the terminus of the Brussels–Mechelen–Antwerp railway line, which opened on 3 June 1836. The original station building was made of wood and was replaced by a new and larger building on the occasion of the opening of the new international connection to the Netherlands in 1854–55 (read more).

USA - Pennsylvania - Edward W. Bok Vocational High School

The image of Edward W. Bok Technical School in Philadelphia, which was named after Edward W. Bok.

Sent by Ramya Sivakumar from Philadelphia, USA.

The Edward W. Bok Technical High School was a public high school in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, designed by Irwin T. Catharine and named after literary figure Edward William Bok, editor of the Ladies' Home Journal. It was completed in February 1938 by the Public Works Administration (WPA) as a vocational high school at 8th & Mifflin Streets. As part of the Philadelphia Public Schools' Multiple Property Submission, the school was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in December, 1986. Bok High School was reorganized in 2006-2007 to prepare students for jobs in modern technology. After the 2012-2013 school year, the school was closed. In 2014, the school was renovated to become a home for over 200 businesses including restaurants, art studios, daycares, and hair salons (read more).

Finland - Kymenlaakso - Verla Groundwood and Board Mill (2)

Verla Groundwood and Board Mill, a historical industrial site located in Jaala, Kouvola, Finland. It is a UNESCO World Heritage Ste, inscribed in 1996.

Sent by Leena from southern Savonia, Finland.

My other postcard of Verla Ground an Board Mill is here.

The Verla groundwood and board mill and its associated residential area is an outstanding, remarkably well-preserved example of the small-scale rural industrial settlements associated with pulp, paper and board production that flourished in northern Europe and North America in the 19th and early 20th centuries. Only a handful of such settlements survive to the present day.

Verla Groundwood and Board Mill, located in the northern part of the Kymi River Valley in southeast Finland, consists of the Mill, the associated residential area and the power plants. The mill buildings and the workers' houses mostly date from the 1890s and from the beginning of the 20th century. The property is a very well preserved example of a forest industry settlement of the late 19th century. Similar communities were established in coniferous forest zones in northern Europe and in North America, where wood as a raw material and water as a source of energy were easily at hand (read more).