Drobeta Turnu Severin

Heroes Monument

Drobeta-Turnu Severin  is a city in Mehedinți County, Oltenia, Romania, on the left bank of the Danube, below the Iron Gates.

The city was originally linked by historians with the Roman Empereor Severus[disambiguation needed], however its name is derived from Old Church Slavonic severno ("northern"), from sěverъ, "north", being the "city of the north". The name of Turnu ("Tower") refers to a tower on the north bank of the Danube built by the Byzantines.

Source:Wikipedia

Thanks to Ady via PostcardUnited for this view!

Sent: 21 December 2015   Received: 13 January 2016   Travelled: 23 days

The Freedom Monument, Riga

The Freedom Monument is a memorial located in Riga, Latvia, honouring soldiers killed during the Latvian War of Independence (1918–1920). It is considered an important symbol of the freedom, independence, and sovereignty of Latvia. Unveiled in 1935, the 42-metre high monument of granite, travertine, and copper often serves as the focal point of public gatherings and official ceremonies in Riga.

The sculptures and bas-reliefs of the monument, arranged in thirteen groups, depict Latvian culture and history. The core of the monument is composed of tetragonal shapes on top of each other, decreasing in size towards the top, completed by a 62 ft high travertine column bearing the copper figure of Liberty lifting three gilded stars. The concept for the monument first emerged in the early 1920s when the Latvian Prime Minister, Zigfrīds Anna Meierovics, ordered rules to be drawn up for a contest for designs of a "memorial column". After several contests the monument was finally built at the beginning of the 1930s according to the scheme "Shine like a star!" submitted by Latvian sculptor Kārlis Zāle. Construction works were financed by private donations.

Following the Soviet occupation of Latvia in 1940 Latvia was annexed by the Soviet Union and the Freedom Monument was considered for demolition, but no such move was carried out. Soviet sculptor Vera Mukhina is sometimes credited for rescuing the monument, because she considered it to be of the high artistic value. Soviet propaganda attempted to alter the symbolic meaning of the monument to better fit with Communist ideology, but it remained a symbol of national independence to the general public. Indeed, on June 14, 1987, about 5,000 people gathered at the monument to commemorate the victims of the Soviet regime and to lay flowers. This rally renewed the national independence movement, which culminated three years later in the re-establishment of Latvian sovereignty after the fall of the Soviet regime.
Source: Wikipedia and StampWorld

Thanks to Bauska via Postcrossing for this awesome card and stamps.

Left: 2015 Flowers which comes in denominations of 

0.01 , 0.04, 0.07, 0.10, 0.25, 0.70, 0.78, 2.13.

Right: 2015 25th Anniversary of Latvian Independence.

Avenue of Stars

The Avenue of Stars , modelled on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, is located along the Victoria Harbour waterfront in Tsim Sha Tsui, Hong Kong. It honours celebrities of the Hong Kong film industry.

Thanks to Jessica for this great card from Hong Kong!

Sent: 11 August 2015   Received: 21 August 2015   Travelled: 10 days

Niederwalddenkmal

The monument was constructed to commemorate the foundation of the German Empire after the end of Franco-Prussian War. The first stone was laid on September 16, 1871, by Wilhelm I. The sculptor was Johannes Schilling, and the architect was Karl Weisbach. The total cost of the work is estimated at one million gold marks. It was inaugurated on September 28, 1883. The 38 metres (125 ft) tall monument represents the union of all Germans.

Thanks to Anni for the lovely postcard of the German monument

Sent: 23 March 2015   Received: 7 April 2015   Travelled: 15 days

Statue of Naval Officer

Thanks to a postcrosser for this statue.

Sent: 3 February 2015   Received: 27 February 2015   Travelled: 24 days

The Musicians of Bremen

A bronze statue by Gerhard Marcks depicting the Bremen Town Musicians located in Bremen, Germany. The statue was erected in 1953. Thanks to Hans for this awesome card! (postcrossing)

Sent: 12 February 2015   Received: 26 February 2015   Travelled: 14 days

David

David is a masterpiece of Renaissance sculpture created between 1501 and 1504, by Italian sculptor, painter, architect, poet Michelangelo.

It is a 4.34-metre (14.2 ft), 5.17-metre (17.0 ft) with the base marble statue of a nude standing male. The statue represents the Biblical hero David, a favoured subject in the art of Florence. Originally commissioned as one of a series of statues of prophets to be positioned along the roofline of the east end of Florence Cathedral, the statue was placed instead in a public square, outside the Palazzo della Signoria, the seat of civic government in Florence, where it was unveiled on the 8th of September, 1504.

Because of the nature of the hero it represented, the statue soon came to symbolize the defense of civil liberties embodied in the Republic of Florence, an independent city-state threatened on all sides by more powerful rival states and by the hegemony of the Medici family. The eyes of David, with a warning glare, were turned towards Rome.The statue was moved to the Galleria dell'Accademia, Florence, in 1873, and later replaced at the original location by a replica.

Thanks to jcluc for this postcard sent from France (postcrossing)

Sent: 4 February 2015   Received: 24 Febraury 2015   Travelled: 20 days

Wat Chai Watthanaram

Wat Chaiwatthanaram is a Buddhist temple in the city of Ayutthaya Historical Park, Thailand, on the west bank of the Chao Phraya River, outside Ayutthaya island. It is one of Ayutthaya's best known temples and a major tourist attraction.

The temple was constructed in 1630 by the king Prasat Thong as the first temple of his reign, as a memorial of his mother's residence in that area. The temple's name literally means the Temple of long reign and glorious era. It was designed in Khmer style which was popular in that time.

After the total destruction of the old capital by the Burmese in 1767, from which Wat Chai Watthanaram was not spared, the temple was deserted. Theft, sale of bricks from the ruins and the beheading of the Buddha statues were common. Only in 1987 did the Thai Department of Fine Arts start restoring the site. In 1992 it was opened to the public.

Thank you to Shieri for the beautiful card! another one for my collection of

Buddha and statues :)

Sent: 4 November 2014   Received: 18 November 2014   Travelled: 14 days

Konstadt, St Petersburg

 

Kronstadt, Anchor square. Naval Cathedral and the

monument to Admiral Stepan Makarov.

 

Thank you Maria A. for this view from Se Petersburg :)

Sent: 10 May 2014   Received: 27 May 2014   Travelled: 17 days

Dragon!

A landmark in Taipei, it is the tallest Chinese Classical building

and a welcoming dragon in the front. Thanks to a Taiwanese

postcrosser who noted my wishlist for all things culturally "Chinese",

if I've not mentioned it before I'm a banana, can't read or write

Chinese as I went to an English medium school so I find myself

lacking in Chinese knowledge. Ironically the Discover channel

has also started on a series called "Chineseness" every Sunday which

I haven't had the chance to tune into yet. xie xie! (she wrote in Chinese

and I can't read it at all...nor google translate, so now I have to wait

for my mom to come back in a week haha)

Sent: 27 March 2014   Received: 8 April 2014   Travelled: 12 days

Feathered serpent

Temple of Quetzalcoatl, Teotihuacan

Oooh what an interesting temple relief! Thank you Lando for the

awesome serpent poking his head out to bask in the sun :D

Sent: 10 January 2014,   Received: 4 March 2014,   Travelled: 53 days

Hermannsdenkmal

 

Battle of the Teutoburger forest in 9 AD

Cheruscan soverereign Arminius or Hermann ,leader of the German troops against the Romans ,led by Varus.

Thank you Jenny for the historical insight and card! (postcrossing.com)

Seems like I got many cards from Germany today!

Sent: 14 January 2014
Received: 27 January 2014
Travelled: 13 days

Mermaid of Warsaw

 I found a story which I like best which tells the story of two mermaid sisters, 

one who went to Copenhagen and the other to Warsaw. Swimming across the Baltics,

they arrived into Gdańsk. One made her way to Copenhagen, the other down to Wisła, 

bordering the old town.The locals then noticed that strange things were happening to their 

catch and swore to catch the troublemaker. Once they saw her they forgot about catching 

her. However a greedy merchant caught her in the hopes of making her into a sideshow. A

 fisherman hearing her haunting wails and set out to free her. As thanks to the townspeople 

who rescued  her the Syrenka vowed to protect Warsaw and this is why you see her in battle form :)

The city's motto is aptly called Contemnit procellas - "It defies the storms".

Thank you Chris for this awesome card!

Sent: 30 November 2012

Received: 14 December 2012

Travelled: 14 days

Singapore statues

 

Haw Par Villa-Dragon World: A scene from the tale of "The Battle of the Yellow River"

 

Received this card for the One Postcard from One Country #6 swap, where each member that signs up for the swap gets 10 names to send cards to. Love the stamp series called "Vanishing Trades". Malaysia released a similar series called "Traditional Livelihood".

Thanks Janet for this awesome card! the moment I saw this instantly the clang of Chinese opera music just floated into my head :D I love Chinese cultural cards because I'm such a "Banana", a term that Malaysian/Singaporean Chinese use for a Chinese person who doesn't know the Chinese culture much less speak Mandarin >.<

 

 

 

Columbia

Columbia, known as the Capital of Southern Hospitality,is the state capital and

largest city of South Carolina. Chosen as South Carolina's new capital in 1786

due to its central location in the state, Columbia was one of the first planned

cities in the United States. Shown is the State Capitol and a Confederate

memorial.

Sent by an anonymous sender, thank you for the Capitol building!

Rapa Nui

 

Big thank you to Carolina for sending a card from my wishlist! 

Easter Island, it's always been a mystery how the statues got to the coast from the quarry. National Geographic recently had an article and it's been suggested that the statues were made to walk by swinging with ropes.

Check out the video here :)
http://video.nationalgeographic.com/video/specials/nat-geo-live-specials/hunt-lipo-animation-bonus-nglive/

City Center, Belgrade

 

The monument to Prince Mihailo Obrenovic erected in 1882. It was made by the Florentine sculptor Enrico Pazzi. The National Theatre building is in the background.

 

 

Thank you Milan for another super big card of Belgrade, I know you are really proud of your city :)



Sent: 30 January 2013

Received 14 February 2013

Travelled: 15 days