Würzburg Residence | Germany

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The Würzburg Residence with the Court Gardens and Residence Square is a Unesco World Heritage site since 1981.

Many large castles and residences evolve over hundreds of years, incorporating all different styles. However the Würzburg Residence was built completely within a single generation (from 1720-1744). But finishing the interior took another 30 years.

The Abbey of Saint Gall | Switzerland

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The Abbey of Saint Gall is a Roman Catholic religious complex in the city of St. Gallen in Switzerland.

Its library is one of the richest and oldest in the world and contains precious manuscripts such as the earliest-known architectural plan drawn on parchment.

Convent of Christ in Tomar | Portugal

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The Convent of Christ is a former Roman Catholic monastery in Tomar, Portugal. Originally a 12th-century Templar stronghold, when the order was dissolved in the 14th century the Portuguese branch was turned into the Knights of the Order of Christ.

The Convent and Castle complex is a UNESCO World Heritage site since 1983.

Ross Island Penal Colony | India

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Ross Island is part of the remote Andaman Islands, an archipelago in the Bay of Bengal between India and Myanmar. It is a small island which has a circumference of only one mile.

Ross Island Penal Colony was part of a convict settlement that was established in 1858 by the British colonial government in India, primarily to jail a large number of prisoners from the Indian Rebellion of 1857. The prisoners where jailed in nearby Port Blair. On Ross Island, a church and barracks for troops and a Government House for the Chief Commissioner where located.

The remains of the colony got devastated after the 2004 tsunami, visits to the island are no longer possible.

Lakes of Ounianga | Chad

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Located in North-Eastern Chad, in a hot and hyperarid desert setting with less than 2mm rainfall per year, the Lakes of Ounianga comprises a total of 18 lakes.

The Lakes of Ounianga are located in a basin which, less than 10,000 years ago, was occupied by a much larger lake and has a globally unique hydrological system, sustaining the largest permanent freshwater lakes system in the heart of a hyperarid environment.

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The stamp on the left is part of a set of four cat-stamps, issue 2012.

In 2001 Chad issued a sheet with 9 different stamps showing paintings by famous Dutch painter Van Gogh.

Historic City of Toledo | Spain

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Toledo is one of the Spanish cities with the greatest wealth of monuments. The city is known as the “city of the three cultures”, because Christians, Arabs and Jews lived together there for centuries.

Behind its walls Toledo preserves an artistic and cultural legacy in the form of churches, palaces, fortresses, mosques and synagogues. Toledo still has exactly the same layout it had in the Middle Ages.

The Historic City of Toledo is a UNESCO World Heritage site.

Dakar, capital of Senegal

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Dakar, capital of Senegal, located in West Africa. Only two months ago I received another card picturing this city. I feel very lucky!

You probably all have heard about the rally Paris-Dakar. It started almost 40 years ago, in December 1978. Until 2008 the rally finished in Dakar. But in following years start and finish is in South America.

Thank you very much Chris!

Rabaul City | Papua New Guinea

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Papua New Guinea occupies the eastern half of the island of New Guinea and its offshore islands in Melanesia. New Britain is one of the main islands of PNG, located about 60 kilometres to the east of the island of New Guinea.

Rabaul is a township located on the island of New Britain.

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Blyth's hornbill, also known as the Papuan hornbill, is a large hornbill inhabiting the forests of PNG. Its local name in Tok Pisin (an official language of Papua New Guinea) is Kokomo.

Benedictine Convent of St John | Switzerland

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The Benedictine Convent of St John at Müstair is located in a valley in the extreme south-eastern part of Switzerland. Religious activities have continued uninterrupted from its founding in 775 until present day.

It has Switzerland's greatest series of figurative murals along with Romanesque frescoes and stuccoes, dating back 1200 years. The convent is a UNESCO World Heritage site.

The church of peace in Jawor | Poland

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The religious and political conflicts of the 17th century that took place in the German states ended with the so called Peace of Westphalia in 1648. Silesian Protestants, supported by Sweden, negotiated the right to establish three new churches.

The Austrian emperor, Ferdinand, allowed to build churches in Glogau (Głogów), Schweidnitz (Świdnica) and Jauer (Jawor). Two of the three churches are still standing today, only the Protestant church in Glogow had burned down in 1758.

The Churches of Peace in Jawor and Świdnica are the largest timber-framed religious buildings in Europe. Both churches are on the UNESCO list of World Heritage sites.

Loch Etive | Scotland

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Loch is the Irish and Scottish Gaelic word for a lake or for a sea inlet.

The name Etive is believed to mean "little ugly one" from the Gaelic goddess associated with the loch. But looking at this postcard, Loch Etive must be one of the prettiest. Well, as Shakespeare already taught us, beauty is in the eye of the beholder.

Thx Steve!

Avarua, capital of the Cook Islands

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The Cook Islands is a self-governing island country in the South Pacific Ocean. The island's defence and foreign affairs are the responsibility of New Zealand.

The archipellago comprises 15 islands, of which Rarotonga is the main island with about 11,000 inhabitants. Most of them live in Avarua, the capital city of the Cook Islands.

Litani River | Lebanon

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The Litani River  is an important water resource in southern Lebanon. The river rises in the fertile Beqaa Valley, west of Baalbek, and empties into the Mediterranean Sea north of Tyre. With a length of over 140 km, the Litani River is the longest river in Lebanon.

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On the right picturing Suleiman Kabalan Frangié (1910-1992). He was the 5th president of Lebanon from 1970 to 1976.

Lake Kivu’s Karongi Island | Rwanda

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Lake Kivu is one of the African Great Lakes. It lies on the border between the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Rwanda. It is the sixth largest lake in Africa.

The Karongi islands are 16 in number, located on Lake Kivu, some rather small, others more signficant in size.