Karlskrona | Sweden

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The city of Karlskrona is spread over 30 islands in the eastern part of the Blekinge archipelago in the Baltic Sea. The city is host to Sweden's only remaining naval base and the headquarters of the Swedish Coast Guard.

Naval Port of Karlskrona is a UNESCO World Heritage site. According to UNESCO, Karlskrona is an outstanding example of a late-17th-century European planned naval city.

Flags of the World | Gibraltar

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The current version of the flag of Gibraltar was formally adopted on November 8, 1982. The gold key hanging from the middle tower represents the strategic position Gibraltar occupies at the gateway to the Mediterranean. The castle represents the fortress of Gibraltar.

Fortified city of Kotor | Montenegro

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The fortifications of Kotor are an integrated historical fortification system that protected the medieval town of Kotor containing ramparts, towers, citadels, gates, bastions, forts, cisterns, a castle, and ancillary buildings and structures.

It was included in UNESCO's World Heritage Site list as part of "Venetian Works of Defence between 15th and 17th centuries: Stato da Terra – western Stato da mar" in 2017. This property consists of 6 components of defence works in Italy, Croatia and Montenegro.
Fortified city of Bergamo (Italy)
Fortified city of Peschiera del Garda (Italy)
City Fortress of Palmanova (Italy)
Defensive System of Zadar (Croatia)
Fort of St. Nikola, Šibenik (Croatia)
Fortified city of Kotor (Montenegro)

Flags of the World | Azores

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The flag of the Azores was adopted in 1979 by the regional government of the Azores. It is based on the traditional colours and symbols of Portuguese flags used prior to the revolution of 1910.

The Palmeral of Elche | Spain

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The old city of Elche is basically built within a forest of 200,000 palm trees. One tree for every inhabitant! Its origins date back to the time the Muslim city of Elche was erected, towards the end of the tenth century A.C., when much of the Iberian peninsula was Arab.

The Palmeral of Elche is a UNESCO World Heritage site. The Palmeral is an oasis, a system for agrarian production in arid areas. It is also a unique example of Arab agricultural practices on the European continent.

Flags of the World | France

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The red, white and blue of the French tricolore finds its origin in the French Revolution. During the Revolution, blue and red rosettes were worn by the militia, in keeping with the colours of the French coat of arms as well as the red and blue flag of Paris.

Armenian Cathedral in Lviv | Ukraine

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The Armenian Cathedral of the Assumption of Mary in Lviv, Ukraine is located in the city's Old Town. The origins of this church dates back to the 14th century.

Here you see an interior view of this church.

Flags of the World | Iceland

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The flag of Iceland followed the example of the other Scandinavian countries and consists of a blue background bearing a red cross, which is embedded in the traditional white Scandinavian cross. The blue color is supposed to represent omnipresent Atlantic Ocean, the red lava and Icelandic volcanoes, and the white stands for another Icelandic natural landmarks - glaciers and geysers.

Wooden churches of Maramureș | Romania

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The Wooden churches of Maramureș in northern Transylvania in Romania are a group of churches of different architectural solutions from different periods and areas. The Maramureș churches are high timber constructions with characteristic tall, slim bell towers at the western end of the building, either single- or double-roofed and covered by shingles.

Wooden Churches of Maramureş is a UNESCO World Heritage site. The site comprises eight of these churches.

Old port of La Rochelle | France

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The old port area of the French city of La Rochelle is dominated by three 14th and 15th century towers that stand tall at the entrance.

 

On the left you see St-Nicolas Tower, once a formidable military building. Forty-two metres high, the inside is a labyrinth of stairs and corridors. On the right, Tour de la Chaine, the oldest one, built between 1382-1390. Not shown is Tower of the Lantern. 

The city was a member of the famous Hanseatic League, an economic alliance of trading cities and their merchant guilds that dominated trade along the coast of Northern Europe. 

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Europa stamp 2016, Think Green!

Fort Boyard | France

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Fort Boyard is a fort located between the islands of Aix and Oléron on the west coast of France. The fort was built to protect the harbors. Plans to build a fort date back to the 17th century but construction started in 1801 and lasted for 10 years.

In 1871 the fort was temporarily in use a prison. The fort was abandoned early 20th century. Today Fort Boyard is the location for a TV show.  

Stockholm | Sweden

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Stockholm is the capital and largest city of Sweden. The city comprises fourteen islands connected by bridges: Venice of the North.

The 61st edition of the Eurovision Song Contest took place in Stockholm, following Sweden's victory at the 2015 contest in Vienna.

Archaeological Ensemble of the Bend of the Boyne | Ireland

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Newgrange is a Stone Age monument in the Boyne Valley, County Meath, Ireland. The large Passage Tomb was built about 3200 BC during the Neolithic period, which means it is older than Stonehenge and Great Pyramids of Giza.  

Stamps

The 68c stamp is part of a set of two Europa stamps 2015, Old Toys.

Cesis Castle | Latvia

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Cesis is a medieval town in Latvia. The Cēsis Castle dates back 800 years. German crusaders known as the Livonian Brothers of the Sword (Livonian Knights) started construction of the castle in 1206. During the Great Northern War in 1703 the castle was demolished by Russian army but has never been restored.

 

The city of Cesis was a member of the Hanseatic League.

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Europa stamp 2015, Old Toys.

Litomyšl Castle | Czech Republic

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The Litomyšl castle in Czech Republic is a UNESCO World Heritage site. The castle (or chateau) dates back to the 16th century.  

 

According to whc.unesco.org “ the castle is an outstanding and immaculately preserved example of the arcade castle, a type of building first developed in Italy and modified in the Czech lands to create an evolved form of special architectural quality.”

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Europa 2013 stamp “The Postman’s Van”. 

Dún Eochla, Inishmor Island | Ireland

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The Aran Islands are a group of three islands located at the mouth of Galway Bay, on the west coast of Ireland. Inishmor is the smallest of the Aran islands.

Dún Eochla is a superb stone ring fort located at the highest point on Inishmore. Built sometime between 550 and 800 A.D.

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Europa stamp 2014, depicting traditional Irish musical instrument the Celtic harp. 

The Church of St. Michael in hansestadt Hildesheim | Germany

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Hildesheim is one of the oldest cities in Germany, located on the banks of the Innerste River.

In 1367 Hildesheim became a member of the Hanseatic League.

 

The Church of St. Michael is an early-Romanesque church in Hildesheim. Construction started in the year 1010. A World Heritage site since 1985, together with St. Mary's Cathedral.

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Europa stamp 2015, with this year’s theme:  old toys.

Hanseatic city of Gdansk | Poland

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Gdansk is Poland's 6th largest city, situated in the Northern part of Poland, with a port near the Baltic Sea. Gdańsk, also known under its German name Danzig, had belonged to the Hanseatic League since the middle of the 14th century.

 

The Artus Court (Dwór Artusa), named after the famous King Arthur, was used to be the meeting place of merchants and a centre of social life. It’s origins dates back to the 14th century.

Stamps

Europa stamps 2005 and 2007. 

Tbilisi, capital of Georgia

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Georgia is a country in the Caucasus, bounded to the west by the Black Sea, to the north by Russia, to the south by Turkey and Armenia, and to the southeast by Azerbaijan. 

Tbilisi is the capital and with 1,5 million inhabitants, the largest city of Georgia.

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Europa 2012 stamps, two out of a set of twelve. 

Part of a set of four stamps about the cultural heritage of Georgia. 

The map of Malta

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The Maltese archipelago is located 100 km south of Sicily and 290 km north of Africa. It comprises five islands and two islets.

 

The main island are Malta, Gozo and Comino. Malta is the largest island and the cultural, commercial and administrative centre. Gozo is the second largest island and is more rural, characterised by fishing, tourism, crafts and agriculture. Comino, the smallest of the trio, has one hotel and is largely uninhabited.

The islets are named Kemmunett and Filfla, both uninhabited.

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2014 Europa stamp, this year’s theme is national musical instruments. This stamp portrays a bagpipe.