Germany - Bonn (2)

Multiviews of Bonn with the bronze statue/monument of Beethoven that stands on the Münsterplatz in Bonn.

Sent by Rose, a postcrosser who lives near Cologne.

Germany - Bonn (1)

 

Bonn by night.

Sent by Iris, a postcrosser who lives near Bonn, Germany.

This is from Wikipedia : Bonn is the 19th largest city in Germany. Located in the Cologne/Bonn Region, about 25 kilometres south of Cologne on the riverRhine in the State of North Rhine-Westphalia, it was the capital of West Germany from 1949 to 1990 and the official seat of government of united Germany from 1990 to 1999. Starting in 1998, many national government institutions were moved from Bonn toBerlin. Both houses of the German national parliament, the Bundestag and the Bundesrat, were moved along with the Chancellery and the residence of the President of Germany.

Bonn remains a centre of politics and administration, however. Roughly half of all government jobs were retained as many government departments remained in Bonn and numerous sub-ministerial level government agencies relocated to the former capital from Berlin and other parts of Germany. In recognition of this, the former capital now holds the title of Federal City ("Bundesstadt").

Bonn has developed into a hub of international cooperation in particular in the area of environment and sustainable development. In addition to a number of other international organizations and institutions, such as, for instance, the IUCN Environmental Law Center (IUCN ELC) the City currently hosts 17 United Nations institutions. Among these are two of the so-called Rio Conventions, the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) and the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD). The number of UN agencies in Bonn, most of which are based at the newly established United Nations Campus in the city's former parliamentary quarter on the banks of the Rhine, continues to grow. The most recent agency was started in 2007 in Bonn as the United Nations Platform for Space-based Information for Disaster Management and Emergency Response (UN-SPIDER).

Bonn is the seat of some of Germany's largest corporate players, chiefly in the areas of telecommunications and logistics. Simultaneously, Bonn is establishing itself as an important national and international centre of meetings, conventions and conferences, many of which are directly related to the work of the United Nations. A new conference centre capable of hosting thousands of participants is currently under construction in the immediate vicinity of the UN Campus.

From 1597 to 1794, it was the residence of the Archbishops and Prince-electors of Cologne, and is the birthplace of Ludwig van Beethoven (born 1770).

 

Germany - City Hall of Düsseldorf

The historic townhall of Düsseldorf in the Altstadt.

Sent by Sabine, a WiP partner from Germany.

Germany - Essen (2)

Essen.

Sent by Sigrid, a postcrosser from Essen, Germany.

Germany - Bielefeld

A map and multiviews of Bielefeld.

Sent by Alex, a postcrosser from Switzerland.

This is from Wikipedia : Bielefeld (German pronunciation: [ˈbiːləfɛlt]) is a city in the Ostwestfalen-Lippe Region in the north-east of North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. With a population of 323,000, it is also the most populous city in the Regierungsbezirk Detmold. Its current mayor is Pit Clausen.


The historical centre of the city is situated north of the Teutoburg Forest, but modern Bielefeld also incorporates boroughs on the opposite side and on the hilltops.

Bielefeld is home to a significant number of internationally operating companies, including Dr. Oetker, Gildemeister and Schüco. It has a university and several Fachhochschulen.

Founded in 1215 by Count Hermann IV of Ravensberg to guard a pass crossing the Teutoburg Forest, Bielefeld was the "city of linen" as a minor member of the Hanseatic League.


After the Cologne-Minden railway opened in 1849, the Bozi brothers constructed the first large mechanised spinning mill in 1851. The Ravensberg Spinning Mill was built from 1854 to 1857, and metal works began to open in the 1860s.

Between 1904 and 1930, Bielefeld grew, opening a railway station, a municipal theatre, and finally, the Rudolf-Oetker-Halle concert hall, famous for its excellent acoustics. The Dürkopp car was produced 1898-1927. After printing emergency money (German: Notgeld) in 1923 during the inflation in the Weimar Republic, Bielefeld was one of several towns that printed very attractive and highly collectable banknotes with designs on silk, linen and velvet. These pieces were issued by the Bielefeld Stadtsparkasse (town saving's bank) and were sent all around the world in the early 1920s. These pieces are known as 'stoffgeld' - that is, money made from fabric. Many examples can be found on the http://www.notgeld.com website, where a new catalogue listing all the variants of different coloured borders and edges made on the 100m piece is being compiled.
 

Germany - Dorsten

Multiviews of Dorsten, Germany.

Sent by Doris, a postcrosser from Germany.

This is from Wikipedia : Dorsten (German pronunciation: [ˈdɔʁstən]) is a town in the district of Recklinghausen in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany and has a population of just below 80,000.

Dorsten is situated on the western rim of Westphalia bordering the Rhineland. Its historical old town lies on the south bank of the river Lippe and the Wesel–Datteln Canal and was granted city rights in 1251. During the twentieth century, the town was enlarged in its north by the villages of the former Herrlichkeit Lembeck. While Dorsten's northern districts are thus shaped by the rural Münsterland with its many historical castles, just south of the town the Ruhr region begins, Germany's largest urban agglomeration with more than seven million inhabitants.

The exact linguistic derivation of the word “Dorsten” is unknown, leaving the meaning of the town’s name unclear.

Archaeological findings show that the area was already populated during the Neolithic and Bronze Ages, from about 4000 BC onwards. The Romans established a military camp in Dorsten-Holsterhausen in 11 BC and Varus passed through it in 9BC on his way to the Battle of the Teutoburg Forest.

From around 700 AD onwards, the Archbishopric of Cologne began to evangelise the area around Dorsten. Archbishop Konrad von Hochstaden, together with the Count of Cleves, granted Dorsten the city rights in 1251. Due to its economically favourable position on the river Lippe, the town became a member of the Hanseatic League of international trading cities and turned into the richest town in the Vest Recklinghausen.

In 1488, Franciscan monks established a monastery which continues to exist today as the world’s oldest permanently existing cloister of this order. The monks founded Gymnasium Petrinum in 1642 and in 1699 the Ursulines set up a cloister including a boarding school for girls. However, the Thirty Years’ War (1618–48) and the continuous occupation by various forces badly derogated Dorsten’s medieval wealth.

It was only during the Industrial Revolution of the nineteenth century that Dorsten returned to its former prosperity. Spinning, weaving and metal casting industries found their way into town and in 1912, the first coal mine opened. Between 1929 and 1975, surrounding villages became districts of the gradually enlarging town of Dorsten. Only a few days before the end of the Second World War, the historical old town was almost completely destroyed in an Allied air raid. However, after 1945, the town’s centre was rebuilt on its historical foundations and thus still resembles its medieval shape today.

Dorsten is widely known today for its Jewish Museum of Westphalia which was established in 1987. In 2001, the last coal mine closed and the town celebrated its 750th jubilee with a festival in the old town.

Germany - Red Wine Hiking Trail

Rotweinwanderweg or Red Wine Hiking Trail.

Sent by Sabine, a WiP partner from Germany.

"The red wine hiking trail is definitely an experience, as you can walk along the paths of wine, appellation for appellation, variety for variety, through a wonderful scenery. High above the Ahr Valley the red wine hiking trail connects the famous winegrower’s villages in the “Valley of the Red Grape”. On a length of 35 kilometres the trail winds from Altenahr to Bad Bodendorf through the steep vineyard terraces.
A special tip: From Ahrweiler on, a winegrowing training path with 31 notice boards leads via the red wine hiking trail to Walporzheim."(Source)

Germany - Akademie Mont-Cenis

Akademie Mint-Cenis in Herne, Germany.

Sent by Mecki, a postcrosser from Herne in Germany.

Germany - Gothic Parish Church

Interior of Gothic Parish Church. St John. Bapt. (1857) in Giershagen.

Sent by Ellen, a postcrosser from Germany.

Germany - Aachen Cathedral (2)

Aachener Dom or Aachen Cathedral, a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Sent by Thomas from Germany.

Germany - Körbergasse (Basket Street)

BAD AACHEN
Körbergasse (Basket Street).

Sent by Sabine, a WiP partner from Germany.

Germany - Essen (1)

Images of Essen.

Sent by Michaela, a postcrosser from Germany.

This is from Wikipedia : Essen (German pronunciation: [ˈɛsən]) is a city in the central part of the Ruhr area in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. Located on the River Ruhr, its population of approximately 579,000 (as of June 30, 2008) makes it the 9th-largest city in Germany. For the year 2010, Essen was the European Capital of Culture on behalf of the whole Ruhr area.

Formerly one of Germany's most important coal and steel centres and historically linked to the centuries-old Krupp family iron works, the city has developed a strong tertiary sector of the economy and (sometimes together with nearby Düsseldorf) claims to be the "desk of the Ruhr area". It is home to 13 of the 100 largest German corporations and seat to several of the region's authorities.

In 1958, the city was chosen to serve as the seat to a Roman Catholic diocese (often referred to as Ruhrbistum or diocese of the Ruhr). In early 2003, the universities of Essen and the nearby city of Duisburg (both established in 1972) were merged into the University of Duisburg-Essen with campuses in both cities and a university hospital in Essen.

Essen is located in the centre of the Ruhr area, one of the largest urban areas in Europe (see also: megalopolis), comprising 11 independent cities and 4 districts with some 5.3 million inhabitants. The city limits of Essen itself are 87 km (54 mi) long and border 10 cities, 5 of them independent and 5 kreisangehörig (i.e., belonging to a district), with a total population of approximately 1.4 million.

The city extends over 21 km (13 mi) from north to south and 17 km (11 mi) from west to east, mainly north of the River Ruhr, which forms the Lake Baldeney reservoir in the boroughs of Fischlaken, Kupferdreh, Heisingen and Werden. The lake, a popular recreational area, dates from 1931–1933, when some thousands of unemployed coal miners dredged it with primitive tools . Generally, large areas south of the River Ruhr (including the suburbs of Schuir and Kettwig) are quite green and are often quoted as examples of rural structures in the otherwise relatively densely populated central Ruhr area.

The lowest point can be found in the northern borough of Karnap at 26.5 m (86.9 ft), the highest point in the borough of Heidhausen (202.5 m/664 ft). The average elevation is 116 m (381 ft).

Germany - Drachenfels

Ruin of Castle Drachenfels.

Sent by Stefan, a postcrosser from Germany.

This is from Wikipedia : The Drachenfels ("Dragon's Rock", German pronunciation: [ˈdʁaxənˌfɛls]) is a mountain 321 metres (1,053 ft) in the Siebengebirge mountain range near Bonn, Germany. The ruined castle atop the mountain bears the same name. A newer castle, recently restored (2003) and down the Rhine, is named Schloss Drachenburg.

A German legend recounts that Siegfried – the hero of the Nibelungenlied – killed a dragon living in a cave in the mountain, then bathed in its blood to become invulnerable. Hence, the mountain is named the "Dragon's Rock" -- Drachenfels.

A mountain railway, the Drachenfels Railway, connects Königswinter with the summit of the Drachenfels.

About a third of the way up is the Nibelungenhalle, built in 1913, a gallery of paintings by the symbolist painter Hermann Hendrich depicting scenes from Richard Wagner's operas.

Germany - Wuppertal Schwebebahn

WUPPERTAL
Schwebebahn

Sent by Hannah, a postcrosser from Wuppertal in Germany.

This is from Wikipedia : Wuppertal Schwebebahn is a suspended monorail in Wuppertal, Germany. Its full name is the “Eugen Langen Monorail Suspension Railway” (Einschienige Hängebahn System Eugen Langen). Designed by Eugen Langen, who originally planned to build it in Berlin, it was built in 1900, opened in 1901 and is still in use today as a local transport system in the city. It is the oldest monorail system in the world.

The suspension railway travels along a route 13.3 kilometres long, about 12 metres (39 ft 4 in) above the surface of the river Wupper between Oberbarmen and Sonnborner Straße (10 km) and approximately 8 m above the city streets, between Sonnborner Straße and Vohwinkel (3.3 km). At one point the railway crosses the A46 motorway. The entire trip takes about 30 minutes. The Schwebebahn transports 25 million passengers annually (2008).

The Schwebebahn operates within the VRR transport association and accepts tickets issued by the VRR companies.

Germany - Northernmost of River Rhine

A mapcard northernmost Rhine River.

Sent by Norbert, a postcrosser from Düsseldorf in Germany.

Germany Cologne Cathedral (2)

Cologne Cathedral or Cologne Dome.

Sent by Steffi, a postcrosser from Germany.

Germany - Satzvey Castle

Satzvey castle in the Eifel, North-Rhine Westphalia.

Sent by Sonja, a postcrosser from Essen in Germany.

Effelsberg 100-m Radio Telescope

This is the Effelsberg 100-m Radio Telescope in the forest of the Eifel. Sent by Sabine, a WiP partner from Germany.

This is from Wikipedia : The Effelsberg 100-m Radio Telescope is a radio telescope in the Ahrgebirge (part of the Eifel) in Bad Münstereifel, district of Euskirchen, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany.

Karneval In Köln

Sent by Isabelle from Grevenbroich in Germany. This postcard shows a carnival in Cologne, Germany.

According to Isabelle : "The women on this card are called TANZMARIECHEN and the men are called the GARDE.

Germany - Cologne Cathedral (1)

View of Cologne Cathedral.

Sent by Balbina, a postcrosser who lives in a small town near Cologne (Köln).

Cologne Cathedral, constructed over more than six centuries, has an exceptional intrinsic value and contains artistic masterpieces. It is a powerful testimony to the strength and persistence of Christian belief in medieval and modern Europe.

Christians met for worship in a private house in Roman Cologne near the city wall. Following the Edict of Milan in 313, when Constantine proclaimed religious freedom, this building was enlarged as a church. Alongside it were an atrium, a baptistry and a dwelling-house, possibly for the bishop. This modest ensemble was extended and enlarged in the following centuries. This immense building, known by the 13th century as 'the mother and master of all churches in Germany', was consecrated in September 70.

Post-Second World War excavations, as well as contemporary documents, provide evidence of its form and decoration - a basilica, with a central nave flanked by two aisles and a large atrium in front of its western facade. A two-storeyed Chapel of the Palatinate, in the style of Charlemagne's chapel in Aachen, was added to the south transept at the beginning of the 11th century, and later that century it was connected by two lofty arcades at the east end with the Collegiate Church of St Mary ad Gradus.

Despite its generous dimensions, this cathedral was found to be too small to accommodate the throngs of pilgrims who visited it after the relics of the Magi were brought there from Milan in 1164. The ambition of Engelbert to make his archiepiscopal cathedral into one of the most important in the Holy Roman Empire led him to urge the construction of an entirely new building, but the start of the work was delayed by his murder in 1225, and it was not until 1248 that work began. In 1560 much of the nave and the four side-aisles had been completed, along with the main structure of the lofty south tower of the west end. Despite numerous efforts, the cathedral remained in an uncompleted state for the following centuries.

When the French seized Cologne in 1794 the Archbishop and Chapter moved to Aachen, and the building was used first for storage of grain and fodder and then as a parish church. Work was to begin again after Cologne passed to Prussia in 1815. Karl Friedrich Schinkel visited the cathedral in 1816 and sent his talented pupil Ernst Friedrich Zwirner there as cathedral architect. The work did not begin, however, until 1840. By 1880 the building was complete, after 632 years and two months.

Cologne Cathedral is a High Gothic five-aisled basilica, with a projecting transept and a two-tower facade. The construction is totally unified. The western section, begun in 1330, changes in style, but this is not perceptible in the overall building. The 19th-century work followed the medieval forms and techniques faithfully. The original liturgical appointments of the choir are still extant to a considerable degree. These include the high altar on an enormous monolithic slab of black marble, the carved-oak choir stalls (1308-11), the painted choir screens (1332-40), the 14 statues on the pillars in the choir (1270-90), and the stained-glass windows, the largest extant cycle of 14th-century windows in Europe. There is an outstanding series of tombs of 12 archbishops between 976 and 1612. (Source)