DE-7860749 Rapid Transit / Regional Rail Route Map of HVV Hamburg

This great rapid transit / regional rail route map of HVV Hamburg came from Wiebke (Postcrossing, January 2019).

The Hamburger Verkehrsverbund (HVV) (English: "Hamburg Transport Association") is a company coordinating public transport in and around Hamburg, Germany. Its main objectives are to provide a unified fare system, requiring only a single ticket for journeys with transfers between different operating companies, and to facilitate and speed up travel by harmonising the individual companies' schedules. At its inception in 1965, HVV was the first organisation of this kind worldwide.

In 2010 HVV provides rail, bus and ferry transportation for an area of 8,616 square kilometres with approximately 3.6 million inhabitants in the states of Hamburg, Schleswig-Holstein and Lower Saxony. HVV has approximately 1.95 million customers on an average working day.

The HVV organised 27 rapid transit rail lines with a length of 881 km, with the following operators:

AKN Eisenbahn (AKN) 
S-Bahn Hamburg GmbH, part of Deutsche Bahn group, operating the Hamburg S-Bahn
DB Regio AG (Region Niedersachsen/Bremen), part of Deutsche Bahn group
DB Regionalbahn Schleswig-Holstein GmbH (RBSH)
Eisenbahnen und Verkehrsbetriebe Elbe-Weser, operating rail and bus services
Hamburger Hochbahn, operating the U-Bahn and many bus services in Hamburg
metronom Eisenbahngesellschaft
NBE nordbahn Eisenbahngesellschaft mbH & Co. KG 
Nord-Ostsee-Bahn GmbH 

DE-7741333 Nuremberg (Nürnberg) Bavaria, Germany

Nuremberg (Nürnberg) is the second-largest city of the German federal state of Bavaria after its capital of Munich, and its 511,628 (2016) inhabitants make it the 14th largest city of Germany. Nuremberg is the largest city and the unofficial capital of Franconia. 

Nuremberg held great significance during the Nazi Germany era. Because of the city's relevance to the Holy Roman Empire and its position in the centre of Germany, the Nazi Party chose the city to be the site of huge Nazi Party conventions — the Nuremberg rallies. The rallies were held in 1927, 1929 and annually from 1933 through 1938. After Adolf Hitler's rise to power in 1933 the Nuremberg rallies became huge Nazi propaganda events, a centre of Nazi ideals. After the Second World War, Nuremberg provided the site for the Nuremberg trials which held to account many major Nazi officials for war crimes during the war.

Nuremberg was an early centre of humanism, science, printing, and mechanical invention. It is a major cultural centre.

This postcard came from Chrissi (Postcrossing, January 2019)

Personal Note:  I have visited Nuremberg twice, the last visit was in 2017 - I like especially the Old Town and the beautiful churches within that area. Three stunning churches come to mind : Frauenkirche, St. Lorenz church and St. Sebaldus church. They were super beautiful, both inside and out.  The main purpose of my second visit was to visit the yearly Spielwarenmesse.

DE-7365970 Cologne Cathedral (Köln am Rhein - Dom)

Cologne Cathedral (German: Kölner Dom, officially Hohe Domkirche Sankt Petrus, English: Cathedral Church of Saint Peter) is a Catholic cathedral in Cologne, Northrhine-Westfalia, Germany. 

It can be seen from nearly every point in the city centre and from many places elsewhere: The magnificent Cologne Cathedral hovers above the roofs and chimneys of the city. It is not only used as a point of orientation but is the pride of the people in Cologne. The panorama of the city has been dominated by the Cathedral's gigantic pair of towers (the North Tower (157.38 m) is 7 cm higher than the South Tower) since their completion in 1880.

Cologne Cathedral is the seat of the Archbishop of Cologne and of the administration of the Archdiocese of Cologne. It is a renowned monument of German Catholicism and Gothic architecture and was declared a World Heritage Site in 1996. It is Germany's most visited landmark, attracting an average of 20,000 people a day, and currently the tallest twin-spired church at 157 m (515 ft) tall.

The foundation stone of the Gothic Cathedral was laid on 15 August 1248. Unfortunately work was halted in 1473, leaving it unfinished. Work restarted in the 19th century and was completed, to the original plan, in 1880. The cathedral is the largest Gothic church in Northern Europe and has the second-tallest spires. The towers for its two huge spires give the cathedral the largest façade of any church in the world. The choir has the largest height to width ratio, 3.6:1, of any medieval church.  (Source: Wikipedia)

This postcard came from Dirk (Postcrossing, July 2018).

Personal Note:  We visited Cologne in 2006 and saw this great Cathedral.

DE-7270981 Ruhrpott - largest urban area in Germany

The Ruhr (German: Ruhrgebiet) or the Ruhr district, Ruhr region, Ruhr area or Ruhr valley, is a polycentric urban area in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. Other colloquial names that are used include Ruhrpott, Revier or Kohlenpott.

With a population density of 2,800/km² and a population of over 5 million (2011), Ruhrpott is the largest urban area in Germany. It consists of several large, industrial cities bordered by the rivers Ruhr to the south, Rhine to the west, and Lippe to the north. In the southwest it borders the Bergisches Land. It is considered part of the larger Rhine-Ruhr metropolitan region of more than 12 million people, which is among the largest in Europe.

From west to east, the region includes the cities of Duisburg, Oberhausen, Bottrop, Mülheim an der Ruhr, Essen, Gelsenkirchen, Bochum, Herne, Hagen, Dortmund, and Hamm, as well as parts of the more "rural" districts of Wesel, Recklinghausen, Unna and Ennepe-Ruhr-Kreis. The most populous cities are Dortmund (approx. 600,000), Essen (approx. 590,000) and Duisburg (approx. 500,000). Since the 19th century, these cities have grown together into a large complex with a vast industrial landscape, inhabited by some 7.3 million people (including Düsseldorf and Wuppertal). Historically, the western Ruhr towns, such as Duisburg and Essen, belong to the Rhineland, whereas the eastern part of the Ruhr, including Gelsenkirchen, Bochum, Dortmund and Hamm, were part of Westphalia.

The Ruhr area has no administrative center; each city in the area has its own administration, although there exists the supracommunal "Regionalverband Ruhr" institution in Essen. (Source: Wikipedia)

This multi-panel postcard came from Katrin (Postcrossing, July 2018).

DE-7270610 Castle Lauenstein in Bavaria

The castle Lauenstein is a medieval hilltop castle at 550 m above sea level. It is located above the Upper Franconian village of Lauenstein.  The castle, whose oldest parts can be dated to the 12th century, is the northernmost castle in Bavaria .

This postcard which shows the castle Lauenstein in the distance was sent by Michael of Dueren (Postcrossing, July 2018).

DE-7290652 Xanten Cathedral, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany

Xanten Cathedral (German: Xantener Dom), sometimes called St. Victor's Cathedral (German: St.-Viktor-Dom), is a Roman Catholic church situated in Xanten, a historic town in the lower Rhine area, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It is considered the biggest cathedral between Cologne and the sea. In 1936 it was declared a minor basilica by Pope Pius XI. Even though the church is called a cathedral, it has never been the seat of a bishop.

The cathedral contains a five-aisle nave built in the Gothic style. In contrast to many other cathedrals of the period, St. Victor's lacks an ambulatory. Instead a twin pair of chapels is connected to the choir similar to that seen at the Church of Our Lady (German: Liebfrauenkirche) in Trier. The Cathedral houses one of the most important religious libraries of the Lower Rhine. (Source: Wikipedia)

This postcard came from Isolde (Postcrossing, July 2018) who wrote that this Gothic church began as early as 1263.

DE-7185531 St Annenkirche in Annaberg-Buchholz, Saxony, Germany

St. Anne's Church (German: St.-Annen-Kirche) in Annaberg-Buchholz, German Free State of Saxony, is a hall church whose architectural style is on the boundary between the Late Gothic and Renaissance. With a length of 65 metres and width of 40 metres, it is the largest, true hall church of the Late Gothic in Saxony. Its tower is 78 metres high, the interior of the church 28 metres high. It is the emblem of the town and visible from a long way off. Saint Anne's was originally built in 1499 as a Roman Catholic church, but became Evangelical-Lutheran in 1539.

St. Anne's is considered to be one of the most important examples of Late Gothic architecture. The style of its vivid interior has aspects of very early forms of the Renaissance in Central Europe, as well as those of the Late Gothic era. Its tall, mostly strictly vertical style, typical of the older Gothic, is achieved here using imaginative, intricate designs and arches. The style of the Italian Renaissance, which is a throw back to antiquity, is reflected in places in the architectural sculpture and altar pieces.

St. Anne's Church is the most advanced representative of a range of religious buildings that emerged in the late 15th and early 16th centuries especially in upper Saxony. Economic prosperity - promoted by rich silver yields - resulted in an intensive period of construction in the Ore Mountains at that time. The design of St. Anne's is reflected in other churches, including Freiberg Cathedral, St. Mary's at Marianberg and St. Wolfgang's at Schneeberg. A clear similarity in interior design is particularly evident in St. Barbara's Church, Kutná Hora in Bohemian Kuttenberg (Kutná Hora).

In a renovation programme that lasted more than 20 years, many later alterations and changes were removed so that the inside of St. Anne's Church today has been substantially restored to its original state in the 16th century.  (Source: Wikipedia)

This postcard came from Lothar (Postcrossing, June 2018).

DE-7223400 Schloss Pillnitz in Dresden, Germany

Pillnitz Castle (German: Schloss Pillnitz) is a restored Baroque palace at the eastern end of the city of Dresden in the German state of Saxony. It is located on the bank of the River Elbe in the former village of Pillnitz. Pillnitz Castle was the summer residence of many electors and kings of Saxony.

The Pillnitz Castle complex consists of three main buildings,
(1) the Riverside Palace (Wasserpalais) on the riverfront;
(2) the Upper Palace (Bergpalais) on the hillside (1) & (2) are both Baroque with Chinoiserie elements; and
(3) the later Neoclassical New Palace (Neues Palais), which links them together on the east side.
The buildings enclose a Baroque garden and are surrounded by a large public park.

Today, the palace houses the Arts and Crafts Museum (Kunstgewerbemuseum) of the Dresden State Art Collections and a Palace Museum (Schlossmuseum). (Source: Wikipedia)

This postcard came from Günter (Postcrossing, June 2018).

DE-7152396 Kugelbake in Cuxhaven, Germany

The Kugelbake is a historic aid to navigation in the city of Cuxhaven, Germany, at the northernmost point of Lower Saxony, where the River Elbe flows into the North Sea. In the Low German dialect of the Middle Ages, the term 'bake' referred to all navigational aids – including lighthouses. About 30 metres (100 feet) high and built of wood, the Kugelbake is the principal landmark of Cuxhaven; since 1913, it has been depicted on the city's coat of arms.

The Kugelbake stands at a busy shipping lane and was once a vital nautical landmark. At this point, the estuary is about 18 km wide. Geographically speaking, the Elbe ends here and the North Sea begins. From a nautical point of view, the Kugelbake can be said to separate the Outer and Lower portions of the Elbe. It is also regarded as the symbolic separation between the Elbe and Weser estuaries. Its distinctive design, well known to skippers, is now a popular tourist destination. (Source: Wikipedia)

This postcard came from Ursula (Postcrossing, June 2018)

DE-7188210 Marksburg - a medieval castle in Braubach, Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany

The Marksburg is a castle above the town of Braubach in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. The fortress was used for protection rather than as a residence for royal families. It has a striking example of a bergfried designed as a butter-churn tower. Of the 40 hill castles between Bingen am Rhein and Koblenz the Marksburg was the only one which was never destroyed.

The German Castle Association, a private initiative founded to preserve castles in Germany, has its head office in the Marksburg since 1931. In the 18th and 19th centuries, the castle was used as a prison.

Marksburg is open for visitors but one travel site has warned that getting to the castle involved a steep walk up with many stairs to climb.

This lovely postcard came from Silke (Postcrossing, May 2018)

DE-6553153 The flag of Germany

The flag of Germany consists of three equal horizontal bands of black (top), red, and gold. Flags used by German government for official purposes are defaced with the Bundesschild ("Federal Shield"), which overlaps with up to one fifth of the black and gold bands.

I received this very nice postcard from Peter (13 October 2017).

For a more interesting presentation of the German flag see:
https://flynnfrogg.blogspot.com.au/2015/03/de-3958448-colours-of-german-flag.html

The Speicherstadt (warehouse district) in Hamburg, Germany

The Speicherstadt (literally: 'City of Warehouses', meaning warehouse district) in Hamburg, Germany is the largest warehouse district in the world where the buildings stand on timber-pile (oak logs) foundations. The Speicherstadt is located in the port of Hamburg and was built from 1883 to 1927. It is 1.5 km (0.93 mi) long and interlaced by loading canals.

The district was built as a free zone to transfer goods without paying customs. The Speicherstadt has been awarded the status of UNESCO World Heritage Site on 5 July 2015.

In World War II, Allied bombing destroyed around 50% of the Speicherstadt. Some of the structures completely destroyed were not rebuilt. They are now the location of the Hanseatic Trade Center.

Currently, the Speicherstadt is a major tourist attraction in Hamburg. There are several attractions like the Deutsches Zollmuseum (German Customs Museum), Miniatur Wunderland (a model railway) and the Hamburg Dungeon.

This postcard came from Sonia of Hamburg (14 June 2017) who kindly sent me 4 postcards after I wrote to her that my Hamburg postcards were stolen. 

NL-3462250 Décolletage blouses and beers of Bavaria (Bayern)

Well, I wanted to title this post as "Bosoms and beers of Bavaria" but "décolletage" is too good (and cultured) a word not to use.
Beer and ample bosoms - cheers!

This postcard came from Erwin (a Netherlands postcrosser) who sent this German postcard from Slovakia (truly international) - he is on a road trip !

DE-5278314 Rendsburg in Schleswig-Holstein, Germany

Rendsburg is a town on the River Eider and the Kiel Canal in the central part of Schleswig-Holstein, Germany. It has a population of about 28,000 people. Because of its closeness to Denmark, the town throughout history has passed from Danish to German control and vice versa many times. Although the River Eider is navigable for small craft from its mouth on the North Sea to Rendsburg, the town's importance rose in 1895, when the Kiel Canal was finished. The much larger ships that could navigate the Kiel Canal meant that, although situated inland, Rendsburg became a seaport and a dockyard.

This postcard came from Julia L. (16 June 2016) Postcrossing and it shows the most prominent structure in town, the Rendsburg High Bridge, a railway bridge made of steel, 2,500m in length and 41m in height. The bridge was constructed in 1913.  Other items shown on the postard are (1) the 16th century Town hall (Rathaus) (2) Christchurch (3) Marienkirche (St. Mary's Church) and (4) the Landestheater.

DE-5302209 Bad Pyrmont a spa resort town in Lower Saxony, Germany

Bad Pyrmont is a town in the district of Hamelin-Pyrmont, in Lower Saxony (Niedersachsen), Germany, with a population close to 19,000. It is located on the River Emmer, about 10 km west of the Weser. Bad Pyrmont is a popular spa resort that gained its reputation as a fashionable place for princely vacations in the 17th and 18th centuries.
As a town relying on its reputation as a spa resort, Bad Pyrmont's economy is geared towards tourism.

This postcard came from Johanna (14 June 2016) Postcrossing and it shows various attractions in Bad Pyrmont.

The "Hyllige Born" is shown and this spring together with the Fountain Place ("Brunnenplatz") represent the city centre as well as the main landmark of Bad Pyrmont. This is also where the historical Main Alley ("Hauptallee") begins, a long established promenade and the oldest spa park complex in the world, which continues as a water experience route at the lower end. Illustrated with sculptures by the artist Jürgen Goertz, water is used to portray the human flow of life, from its birth to its old age. The flow of the water is interrupted by the "Place of the Four Seasons" where music sounds from four pylons in the corners of the square. Following the natural gradient, the watercourse reaches its end at the “Gate of Old Age”.
Also shown on the postcard is the Bad Pyrmont Schloss which houses the Museum.
At the bottom right is the Palm Garden within the Kurpark.

DE-5228286 Düsseldorf capital city of the German state of North Rhine-Westphalia

Düsseldorf is the capital city of the German state of North Rhine-Westphalia and the seventh most populous city in Germany. Düsseldorf is an international business and financial centre, renowned for its fashion and trade fairs.The city is headquarters to five Fortune Global 500 and several DAX companies.

These 2 postcards came from Jurgen K. (19 May 2016) Postcrossing.  The first postcard features the most prominent landmark in Düsseldorf - the Rheinturm (Rhine Tower) and the second postcard shows it in greater details.

The Rheinturm is a 240.5 metre high concrete telecommunications tower. Construction commenced in 1979 and finished in 1981. The Rheinturm carries aerials for directional radio, FM and TV transmitters. It houses a revolving restaurant and an observation deck at a height of 170 metres.

DE-5019248 Schloss Burg in Burg an der Wupper, Germany

Burg Castle (German: Schloss Burg), is located in Burg an der Wupper (Solingen). It is the largest reconstructed castle in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany and a popular tourist attraction. Its early history is closely connected to the rise of the Duchy of Berg.

Because of war and neglect, the castle in 1849 was fit only to be scrapped. In 1882 however a proposal for the reconstruction of the castle was made.  Drawings and plans based on old documents primarily using the castle’s appearance in the 16th century were consulted.  For the next 24 years restoration work on the castle was carried out and in 1914 the work appeared to be completed.

On the night of November 26, 1920 a large fire destroyed much of the castle. Reconstruction was started again and lasted from 1922 to 1925. 

The appearance of the castle in present times does not exactly match the condition documented by Erich Philipp Ploennies at about 1715. This has not deterred anyone as the reconstructed castle is a major public attraction these days.

This postcard came from Antje (2 March 2016) Postcrossing.

DE-4577330 The German Wine Route (Deutsche Weinstraße)

The German Wine Route or Wine Road (Deutsche Weinstraße) is the oldest of Germany's tourist wine routes. Located in the Palatinate region of the federal state of Rhineland-Palatinate, the route was established in 1935.

The German Wine Gate (Deutsches Weintor) in Schweigen-Rechtenbach on the French border adjacent to Wissembourg (Weißenburg) in France marks the start of the route. Built in 1936, the gate is an imposing ceremonial gatehouse made of sandstone. The route runs northward, beside the path of Bundesstraßen B 38 and B 271 for 85 km, passing through towns like Bad Bergzabern, Edenkoben, Neustadt an der Weinstraße, Deidesheim, Bad Dürkheim and Grünstadt. The Wine Route ends at the House of the German Wine Route in Bockenheim an der Weinstraße.

The entire route is marked by a yellow sign with a stylized bunch of ten grapes and the name of the route (see the postcard for this sign).

This postcard came from Karsten (5 November 2015) Postcrossing.

DE-4279066 DE-5316384 A German Landmark : The Tetrahedron in Bottrop (Bottrop Tetraeder)

At one time, this region of Germany was well-known for coal production.  These days, all the coal mines in Bottrop are gone.  To remember the hey-day of coal production, this structure called the Tetrahedron was erected.
The Tetrahedron in Bottrop (Bottrop Tetraeder or officially Haldenereignis Emscherblick) is a walkable steel structure in the form of a tetrahedron with a side length of 60m, resting on four 9m tall concrete pillars. It is located in Bottrop, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany, on top of the mine dump Halde Beckstraße and serves as the town's landmark. It was opened on German Unity Day 3 October 1995.

I have received two postcards of this interesting structure.  The first postcard came from Donela (18 June 2015) Postcrossing and the second from Anne (13 July 2016) Postcrossing.

FI-2531663 Early locomotives in Germany

This postcard from Sirpa (5 November 2015) shows seven early German locomotives in the period 1838 -1900.  Of course there were many more different types of locomotives used in this period.

The sender has affixed a great train-related Finnish stamp.