USA - Missouri - Gateway Arch National Park

Gateway Arch National Park

Gateway Arch National Park was authorized in 1935 to commemorate Saint Louis role in the westward expansion of the United States during the 19th century. The park honors Thomas Jefferson's vision of a continental nation, which was the inspiration for architect Eero Saarinen's soaring 630 foot stainless steel Gateway Arch. In addition to the Arch and the museum beneath it, the Old Courthouse, scene of the historic Dred Scott case, is a major landmark in the story of the Civil Rights movement in the United States.

Sent by Allison from Saint Louis in Missouri, USA.

Gateway Arch National Park is a national park of the United States located in St. Louis, Missouri, near the starting point of the Lewis and Clark Expedition.

In its initial form as a national memorial, it was established in 1935 to commemorate:

• the Louisiana Purchase and subsequent westward movement of American explorers and pioneers;
• the first civil government west of the Mississippi River; and
• the debate over slavery raised by the Dred Scott case.

The national park consists of the Gateway Arch, a steel catenary arch that has become the definitive icon of St. Louis; a park along the Mississippi River on the site of the earliest buildings of the city; the Old Courthouse, a former state and federal courthouse where the Dred Scott case originated; and the 140,000 sq ft (13,000 m²) museum at the Gateway Arch. It is the smallest national park in the United States at 192.83 acres (78.04 ha), less than 2% the size of the next-smallest, Hot Springs National Park.

The immediate surroundings of the Gateway Arch were initially designated the Jefferson National Expansion Memorial by secretarial order on December 21, 1935. The Gateway Arch was completed on October 28, 1965. The park is maintained by the National Park Service (NPS) (read more).

Canada - 1945's Liberation of the Netherlands

80th Year of Liberation of the Netherlands 1945.

Whether on land, at sea or in the air. Past or present. In Canada or far from home. We recognize and remember your service and sacrifice.

A joyful moment during the liberation of the Netherlands at the end of World War II, specifically showing Dutch citizens celebrating with Canadian troops on a Sherman tank in front of a windmill.

Sent by Maeghan from Manitoba, Canada. 

The Netherlands was liberated from German occupation in May 1945, primarily by Canadian forces, with the formal surrender of German forces occurring on May 5th, 1945. This liberation marked a joyous occasion for the Dutch people after years of hardship and occupation. 

China - Xinjiang - Kizil Buddhist Caves

Kizil Buddhist Caves

The Kizil Caves were inscribed in 2014 on the UNESCO World Heritage List as part of the Silk Roads: the Routes Network of Chang'an-Tianshan Corridor.

Sent by Jingtairan from Shenyang, China.

The Kizil Caves (also romanized as Qizil or Qyzyl; Uyghur: قىزىل مىڭ ئۆي, lit. 'The Thousand Red Houses'; Chinese: 克孜尔千佛洞; lit. 'Kizil Caves of the Thousand Buddhas') are a set of Buddhist rock-cut caves located near Kizil Township (克孜尔乡; Kèzī'ěr Xiāng) in Baicheng County, Aksu Prefecture, Xinjiang, China. The site is located on the northern bank of the Muzat River 65 kilometres (75 km by road) west of Kucha. This area was a commercial hub of the Silk Road. The caves have an important role in Central Asian art and in the Silk Road transmission of Buddhism, and are said to be the earliest major Buddhist cave complex in China, with development occurring between the 3rd and 8th centuries CE. The caves of Kizil are the earlier of their type in China, and their model was later adopted in the construction of Buddhist caves further east. Another name for the site has been Ming-oi (明屋), although this term is now mainly used for the site of Shorchuk to the east (read more).

the matching stamp

Singapore

Featuring iconic Singapore landmarks and a vibrant night scene with fireworks.

Sent by Daphne from Singapore. Thanks for the nice beautiful stamp and beautiful postmark.

Peterbilt 379

PETERBILT 379 positioned in front of the iconis Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco, California.

Sent by Anna from Nebraska, USA.

The Peterbilt 379 is a model line of Class 8 trucks that was produced by the Peterbilt division of PACCAR from 1987 to 2007. Serving as the successor to the 359, the 379 was a conventional-cab truck configured primarily for highway use, serving as the flagship of the Peterbilt model line. During much of its production, the 379 was popular among owner-operator drivers. In line with the Kenworth W900, the 379 serves as a popular basis for truck customization.

Following its 2007 discontinuation, the 379 was replaced by the Peterbilt 389, distinguished by oval headlamp clusters and a longer hood. To commemorate the end of production, the final 1000 examples of the 379 were designated as Legacy Class 379.

The largest highway truck sold by Peterbilt at its launch, the 379 was produced in two configurations, a 119-inch BBC (bumper to back of cab length) and an extended-length hood, for a 127-inch BBC. The 379 is externally distinguished from the 359 from the use of an enlarged windshield (allowing for horizontally mounted windshield wipers); the 379 also introduced headlamp-mounted turn signals (relocated from the fender), making rectangular headlamps standard (read more).

20th Year of Postcrossing #7 - Duck Harbor, Wellfleet, Massachussetts, USA

Sunset at Duck Harbor, Wellfleet, MA, USA.

Sent by Bonnie Jeanne from Wellfleet in Massachussets, USA.

Scenic and secluded, Duck Harbor Beach is one of Wellfleet’s best kept secrets. The bay side beach features long stretches of rocky shoreline that stretch as far as the eye can see in either direction. Great spot to avoid the crowds and catch a sunset or take in the views of Provincetown and Cape Cod Bay. Kids will enjoy combing the beach for rocks and shells and the calm, warm waters are good for swimming (read more).

The Pinta, The Nina, and The Santa Maria

SPANISH SCHOOL (19 Jh.) : The Pinta, the Nina, and the Santa Maria sailing towards the West Indies in 1492, from The Discovery of America (1878).

Sent by Eric from Saarland, Germany.

A ship built in medieval Spain in c. 1441, known as La Pinta (Spanish for The Painted One, The Look, or The Spotted One) was the fastest of the three Spanish ships used by Christopher Columbus in his first transatlantic voyage in 1492. The New World was first sighted by Rodrigo de Triana aboard La Pinta on 12 October 1492. The owner of La Pinta was Cristóbal Quintero. The Quintero brothers were ship owners from Palos. The owner of the ship allowed Martín Alonso Pinzón to take over the ship so he could keep an eye on her.

La Pinta was a caravel-type vessel. By tradition, Spanish ships were named after saints and usually given nicknames. Thus, La Pinta, like La Niña, was not the ship's actual name; La Niña's actual name was the Santa Clara. The Santa María's original nickname was La Gallega. The actual original name of La Pinta is unknown. The origin of the ship is disputed but is believed to have been built in Spain in 1441. She was later rebuilt for use by Christopher Columbus (read more).

Bicycle (60)

Bicycle #60.

Sent by Alexandra from Föhr, an island in Germany.

Bicycle (59)

Ai Weiwei. Forever Bicycles (2003)

42 bicycles Ф 450 x 275 cm

Private collection.

Sent by David from Dordrecht, Netherlands.

USA - Tennessee - Memphis

Memphis, TN.

Sent by Jamie from Memphis in Tennessee, USA.

Memphis is a city in Shelby County, Tennessee, United States, and its county seat. Situated along the Mississippi River, it had a population of 633,104 at the 2020 census, making it the second-most populous city in Tennessee, the fifth-most populous in the Southeast, and the 28th-most populous in the nation. Memphis is the largest city proper on the Mississippi River and anchors the Memphis metropolitan area that includes parts of Arkansas and Mississippi, the 45th-most populous metropolitan area in the U.S. with 1.34 million residents.

European exploration of the area began with Spanish conquistador Hernando de Soto in 1541. Located on the high Chickasaw Bluffs, the site offered natural protection from Mississippi River flooding and became a contested location in the colonial era. Modern Memphis was founded in 1819 by John Overton, James Winchester, and Andrew Jackson. The city thrived due to its river traffic and cotton-based economy, becoming one of the largest cities in the Antebellum South. After the American Civil War, it remained a key hub for the cotton and hardwood industries. Memphis is also notable for its role in the American Civil Rights Movement; Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was assassinated there in 1968, and the city is now home to the National Civil Rights Museum, a Smithsonian affiliate.

Memphis is one of the nation's leading commercial centers in transportation and logistics. The largest employer is FedEx, which maintains its global air hub at Memphis International Airport, one of the world's busiest cargo airports. The Port of Memphis also hosts the fifth-busiest inland water port in the U.S. Memphis is also known for its music scene, with Beale Street central to the development of Memphis blues and a broader legacy that includes soul, rock and roll, and hip-hop. Cultural landmarks include Graceland, Sun Studio, the Memphis Pyramid, and Stax Museum of American Soul Music. The city is also famed for its Memphis-style barbecue and hosts the annual World Championship Barbecue Cooking Contest. It is home to the Memphis Grizzlies of the NBA and several colleges and universities, including the University of Memphis, Christian Brothers University, and Rhodes College (read more).

USA - California - The Golden Gate Bridge (3)

SAN FRANCISCO

The Golden Gate Bridge

Sent by Darrell from San Francisco in California, USA.

My other postcards of Golden Gate Bridge are here and here.

USA - Arizona - Saguaro National Park (2)

SAGUARO National Park

ARIZONA

A land of mysteries. A dry desert teeming with wildlife and dense plant life. And always the saguaros with arms reaching toward the blue sky. A rugged terrain beckons visitors to explore and discover Saguaro National Park, a place to wander and wonder.

Sent by Adrienne from Nashville in Tennessee, USA.

My first postcard of Saguaro National Park is here.

USA - Kentucky - Mammoth Cave National Park (4)

Mammoth Cave National Park, Kentucky - Park Entrance Sign.

Sent by Keith from Kentucky, USA.

My other postcards of Mammoth Cave National Park are here, here, and here.

USA - South Dakota - Wind Cave National Park (2)

Wind Cave National Park was established in 1903, the 6th park among America's 59 National Parks. Located in South Dakota, the vast Wind Cave has over 142 mies of passages with chambers like Post Office, Jungle Gym, Elbow Room and Ginsu Alley. The cave's wall are rich in honeycomb-shaped calcite formations known as boxwork. Prairie grasslands and pine forests are home to bison, elk and pronghorn antelope.

Sent by Sharon from Chicago in Illinois, USA.

My first Wind Cave National Park postcard is here.

USA - Wisconsin - Badger State

WISCONSIN

Badger State

Date of Statehood : May 29, 1848

Capital : Madison

Population : 5,757,564

Name for Residents : Wisconsinites

State Bird : American Robin

State Flower : Wood Violet

State Tree : Sugar Maple

Highest Point : Timms Hill, 1,951 ft.

Total Area : 65,496 sq mi. (ranked 23rd).

Sent by Joni from Milwaukee in Wisconsin, USA.

Wisconsin (/wɪˈskɒnsɪn/ wih-SKON-sin) is a state in the Upper Midwest and Great Lakes regions of the United States. It borders Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake Michigan to the east, Michigan to the northeast, and Lake Superior to the north. With a population of about 6 million and an area of about 65,500 square miles, Wisconsin is the 20th-largest state by population and the 23rd-largest by area. It has 72 counties. The state's most populous city is Milwaukee. Its capital and second-most populous city is Madison; other urban areas include Green Bay and the Fox Cities.

Wisconsin's geography is diverse, with dense forests in the north (including Chequamegon–Nicolet National Forest), rugged unglaciated hills in the western Driftless Area, and wooded plains, lowlands, and farms stretching from the interior east to Lake Michigan. Wisconsin has the third-longest Great Lakes coastline, after Ontario and Michigan. At the time of European contact, the area was inhabited by Algonquian and Siouan nations, and today it is home to eleven federally recognized tribes. Originally part of the Northwest Territory, it was admitted as a state in 1848. During the 19th and early 20th centuries, many European settlers entered the state, mostly from Germany and Scandinavia. Wisconsin remains a center of German American and Scandinavian American culture, particularly in its cuisine, with foods such as bratwurst and kringle (read more).

USA - Michigan - Mapcard

MICHIGAN

Wolverine State

26th State admitted to the Union.

CAPITAL : Lansing.

AREA : 58,216 sq. mi.

POPULATION : 8,875,083.

MOTTO : Si Quaeris Peninsulam Amoenam Circumspice (If You Seek a Pleasant Peninsula, Look About You).

FLOWER : Apple Blossom

BIRD : Robin.

Sent by Christel from Watervliet in Michigan, USA.

Michigan (/ˈmɪʃɪɡən/ MISH-ig-ən) is a peninsular state in the Great Lakes region of the Upper Midwestern United States. It shares water and land boundaries with Minnesota to the northwest, Wisconsin to the west, Indiana and Illinois to the southwest, Ohio to the southeast, and the Canadian province of Ontario to the east, northeast and north. With a population of 10.14 million and an area of 96,716 sq mi (250,490 km²), Michigan is the 10th-largest state by population, the 11th-largest by area, and the largest by total area east of the Mississippi River. The state capital is Lansing, while its most populous city is Detroit. The Metro Detroit region in Southeast Michigan is among the nation's most populous and largest metropolitan economies. Other important metropolitan areas include Grand Rapids, Flint, Ann Arbor, Kalamazoo, the Tri-Cities, and Muskegon.

Michigan consists of two peninsulas: the heavily forested Upper Peninsula (commonly called "the U.P."), which juts eastward from northern Wisconsin, and the more populated Lower Peninsula, stretching north from Ohio and Indiana. The peninsulas are separated by the Straits of Mackinac, which connects Lake Michigan and Lake Huron, and are linked by the 5-mile-long Mackinac Bridge along Interstate 75. Bordering four of the five Great Lakes and Lake St. Clair, Michigan has the longest freshwater coastline of any U.S. political subdivision, measuring 3,288 miles. The state ranks second behind Alaska in water coverage by square miles and first in percentage, with approximately 42%, and it also contains 64,980 inland lakes and ponds (read more).

20th Year of Postcrossing #6 - Meetup in Berlin, Germany

Postcrossing's 20th Anniversary Meetup

Berlin, Germany

12th - 13th July 2025.

Sent by Waltraud from Bielefeld, Germany.

20th Year of Postcrossing #5 - Den Haag, The Netherlands Meetup

Postcrossing's 20th Anniversary Meetup

Den Haag, The Netherlands

14th July 2025

Sent by Marianne from Utrecht, The Netherlands.

20th Year of Postcrossing #4 - 1st International Postcard Convention in Berlin

Berlin

12th - 13th July 2025

1st International Postcard Convention

Sent by Merlin from Berlin, Germany

Postcrossing Meet-Up - Socorro, New Mexico, USA

November 16, 2024

Socorro, New Mexico

Sent by Jen from Los Alamos in New Mexico, USA.

Socorro (/səˈkɔːroʊ/, sə-KOR-oh) is a city in Socorro County in the U.S. state of New Mexico. It is in the Rio Grande Valley at an elevation of 4,579 feet (1,396 m). At the 2020 census, the population was 8,707. It is the county seat of Socorro County. Socorro is located 74 miles (119 km) south of Albuquerque and 146 miles (235 km) north of Las Cruces.

The instruments used by the LINEAR program are located at Lincoln Laboratory's Experimental Test Site (ETS) on the White Sands Missile Range (WSMR) near Socorro, New Mexico (read more).