#1652 Estonia

Sõrve lighthouse (Estonian: Sõrve tuletorn) is a lighthouse located in Torgu Parish, on the island of Saaremaa, in Estonia. The current lighthouse is a cylindrical concrete tower, which was built to replace a temporary wooden structure lighthouse that served as a signal point between 1945 and 1960.

Wikipedia.org

Aitäh, Katrina !

Sent on: August 21, 2018

Received on: August 22, 2018

#1137 Estonia - Finland - Germany - Ukraine - Italy

Thank you all !

Sent from Estonia to Finland: June 15, 2016

From Finland to Germany: ?

From Germany to Ukraine: ?

From Ukraine to Italy: July 21, 2016

From Italy to Estonia: ?

Received from Italy: August 15, 2016

#1124 Hiiumaa, Estonia

Hiiumaa (German & Swedish: Dagö; Danish: Dagø; Finnish: Hiidenmaa) is the second largest island (989 km²) in Estonia. It is in the Baltic Sea, north of the island of Saaremaa, part of the West Estonian archipelago. Its largest town is Kärdla.

Archaeological evidence of the first human settlement in Hiiumaa dates to the 4th century BC. The first documented record of the island of Dageida was made by contemporary chroniclers in 1228, when Hiiumaa and the rest of Estonia were conquered by Germanic crusaders. In 1254, Hiiumaa was divided between the Bishopric of Ösel-Wiek and the Livonian branch of the Teutonic Order, acting partly on behalf of the Hanseatic League.

The island was part of Swedish Estonia from 1563 to 1721, after which it passed to the Russian Empire as part of the Governorate of Estonia, though Dagö's Swedish population kept most of their privileges. Most of the island's previously numerous Swedish-speaking population emigrated or were "Estonianised" during the period of Imperial Russian rule, although a minority remains to this day. Estonian Swedes are also known as "aibofolke" (meaning island people in Swedish) or "rannarootslased" (meaning coastal Swedes in Estonian).

Wikipedia.org

Date of Issue: March 17, 2016 - Architecture

Sent on: July 14, 2016

Received on: July 19, 2016

#1122 Hiiumaa, Estonia

Kõpu Lighthouse (Estonian: Kõpu tuletorn) is one of the best known symbols and tourist sights on the Estonian island of Hiiumaa. It is one of the oldest lighthouses in the world, having been in continuous use since its completion in 1531.

The lighthouse marks the Hiiu sandbank (Estonian: Hiiu madal, Swedish: Neckmansgrund) and warns ships away from the shoreline. Light from Kõpu Lighthouse can be used for navigation as far as 26 nautical miles (48 km; 30 mi) away, although in 1997 a radar lighthouse largely took over its role as navigation aid.

Wikipedia.org

Kassari Chapel (Estonian: Kassari kabel) is a chapel on the island of Kassari in Hiiu County, Estonia, thought to date to the 18th century.

Kassari Chapel is the only functioning stone church in Estonia with a thatched roof. Major repair work bearing the date 1801 on an inner wall suggests that the current chapel was built in the 18th century, probably replacing a wooden structure dating to the 16th century.

Wikipedia.org

Date of Issue: March 17, 2016 - Architecture

Sent on: July 14, 2016

Received on: July 19, 2016

#1086 Saint-Nazaire, France

Date of Issue: May 9, 2016 | Europa CEPT 2016 'Think Green'

Thank you, Stef !

Sent on: May 13, 2016

Received on: May 16, 2016

#1042 Saaremaa, Estonia

Kiipsaare Lighthouse is located on the tip of Harilaid Peninsula in Saaremaa, Estonia in the territory of Vilsandi National Park.

The lighthouse was built from reinforced concrete in 1933. Its purpose was to warn mariners on the Baltic Sea about the dangers in the vicinity of the peninsula and to be of assistance in taking bearings. At that time the 25 metres (82 ft) high lighthouse was between 100 to 150 metres (330 to 490 ft) inland, but due to erosion it is now a few meters offshore. A lack of supporting ground has caused the lighthouse to lean.

While in 1988 the waterline was still 11 metres (36 ft) from the lighthouse, by the early 1990s the sea had already reached the lighthouse and it started to incline. Because of this the generator was removed in 1992 and Kiipsaare lighthouse remained in the records as a daymark until 2009.

Wikipedia.org

Sent on: March 15, 2016

Received on: March 16, 2016

#981 Taiwan

For more info, see received card #868.

Thank you, Kitty !

Sent on: September 11, 2015
Received on: September 24, 2015

#957 Taiwan

The Navesink Twin Lights is a non-operational lighthouse and museum located in Highlands, Monmouth County, New Jersey, United States, overlooking Sandy Hook Bay, the entrance to the New York Harbor and the Atlantic Ocean. The Twin Lights, as the name implies, are a pair of beacons located 246 feet (75 m) above sea level on the headlands of the Navesink Highlands.

In 1962, the State of New Jersey acquired Twin Lights. At the current museum facility, tours of the lighthouse, a climb of the North Tower and its expansive ocean view, and a view of the lighthouse equipment, await visitors. Twin Lights is listed on the State and National Register of Historic Places.

The Twin Lights State Historic Site is part of the New Jersey Coastal Heritage Trail Route.

Wikipedia.org

Thank you, Y.Z. Chen !

Sent on: August 17, 2015

Received on: August 25, 2015

#956 Taiwan

Whaleback Light is located offshore of Fort Foster and Wood Island in Kittery, Maine, at the entrance to the Piscataqua River and Portsmouth Harbor.

The station (known in early records as "Whales Back") was first established in 1820. In 1829, a replacement was built for $20,000. The tower was upgraded in 1855 with a new lantern and a fourth order Fresnel lens. A fog bell and tower were installed in 1863. In 1869, storms had caused cracks in the tower and foundation causing the decision to build a new tower in 1872. The new tower was built with dovetailed granite blocks alongside the original tower, which was removed in 1880. At some point the fog bell was replaced with a horn and in 1991, the volume of the horn was reduced because it was damaging the integrity of the structure.

Wikipedia.org

Thank you, Y. Z. Chen !

Sent on: August 17, 2015

Received on: August 25,2015

#868 Taiwan

Sand Island Lighthouse is a lighthouse located at the southernmost point of the state of Alabama, United States, near Dauphin Island, at the mouth of Mobile Bay, Alabama. It is located roughly three miles offshore from the primary Mobile Bay entrance, bounded on the east by Mobile Point and on the west by Dauphin Island. The lighthouse is 132 feet (40 m) high.

An earlier lighthouse on Sand Island was destroyed during the Civil War, on February 23, 1863 by Confederate John W. Glenn.

Sand Island itself faced continuous erosion, to the point where granite blocks were being added to the island to try and stave off the erosion and loss of the lighthouse. Restoration efforts resulted primarily in stabilization of the island through 2008. Sand Island Lighthouse's dire situation is similar to "its sister light", the Morris Island Lighthouse, near Charleston, South Carolina. Both lighthouses were situated on sandy islands that have eroded, leaving the towers surrounded by water.

It is on the Lighthouse Digest Doomsday List as one of the most endangered lighthouses in the country. The Sand Island Lighthouse (and Mobile Bay light) were damaged by Hurricane Ivan in 2004 and Hurricane Katrina in 2005. Repairing that damage will further delay restoration efforts.
Wikipedia.org

Thank you !

Sent on: April 17, 2015

Received on: April 27, 2015

#763 Connecticut, USA

Saybrook Breakwater Lighthouse is a sparkplug lighthouse in Connecticut, United States, at Fenwick Point at the mouth of the Connecticut River near Old Saybrook, Connecticut. It is featured on the state's "Preserve the Sound" license plates.

Wikipedia.org

Falkner Island Light, also known as the Faulkner Island Lighthouse is a lighthouse in Connecticut, United States, on Falkner Island which is off Guilford Harbor on Long Island Sound. The lighthouse was constructed in 1802 and commissioned by President Thomas Jefferson. The lighthouse has had three keeper's houses: the original house of 1802 was rebuilt in 1851 and then again in 1871. The 1871 keeper's house survived to 1976, when it was destroyed by fire; the Coast Guard repaired and automated the lighthouse two years later. A volunteer group, the Faulkner's Light Brigade, has undertaken the restoration and preservation of the lighthouse since 1991, completing the last major restoration work in March 2011. Access to Falkner Island and the light is restricted during the nesting season of the roseate terns from May to August yearly. The Falkner Island Lighthouse, as the second oldest extant lighthouse in Connecticut, is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

Wikipedia.org

The Stonington Harbor Light is a historic nineteenth century lighthouse located on the east side of Stonington Harbor in Stonington, Connecticut. A light housed in a small granite lighthouse known by this name was originally built by the federal government in 1824, and was located on Windmill Point in the harbor. Erosion led to the lighthouse being torn down and relocated to its current site in 1840. A second stone building was constructed and the 35 feet (11 m) tower was attached to the structure.

Wikipedia.org

Five Mile Point Light, also known as Five Mile Point Lighthouse or Old New Haven Harbor Lighthouse, is a lighthouse in New Haven, Connecticut, United States, on the harbor entrance to Long Island Sound, five miles (8 km) from Downtown New Haven. Originally in 1805, a 30-foot (9.1 m) octagonal wooden tower was built by Abisha Woodward. In 1847, a new 80-foot (24 m) octagonal tower was constructed by Marcus Bassett with East Haven brownstone from Jabez Potter's quarry. The light was powered by 12 lamps with reflectors and was located 97 feet (30 m) above sea level. Also constructed was a two-and-one-half story brick house to replace an existing structure in a "very bad state of repair". In 1855, a fourth-order Fresnel lens replaced the lamps, and a fog bell was added in the 1860s. The light was discontinued in 1877 and replaced by the Southwest Ledge Light. The lighthouse is located in Lighthouse Point Park and the light and its keeper's house were listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1990.

Wikipedia.org

Date of Issue: October 23, 2014 - Global Silver Bells Wreath

Thank you, Seida !

Sent on: December 2014

Received on: December 8, 2014

#579 Saint-Nazaire, France

The Lighthouse of Four

Couldn't find any information in English, but here's some facts from Wikipedia in French.

Construction: 1869 - 1874

Height: 28 m

Elevation: 31 m

Range: 24.5 nautical miles (45 km)

Automated: 1993

fr.wikipedia.org

Thank you, Stef !

Sent on: May 12, 2014

Received on: May 15, 2014

#509 Raleigh, North Carolina, USA

The Outer Banks (also known as OBX) is a 200-mile (320-km) long string of narrow barrier islands off the coast of North Carolina and a small portion of Virginia, beginning in the southeastern corner of Virginia Beach on the east coast of the United States. They cover most of the North Carolina coastline, separating the Currituck Sound, Albemarle Sound, and Pamlico Sound from the Atlantic Ocean.

The Outer Banks is a major tourist destination and is known for its temperate climate and wide expanse of open beachfront. The Cape Hatteras National Seashore has four campgrounds where visitors may camp.

The Wright brothers' first flight in a powered, heavier-than-air vehicle took place on the Outer Banks on December 17, 1903, at Kill Devil Hills near the seafront town of Kitty Hawk. The Wright Brothers National Monument commemorates the historic flights, and First Flight Airport is a small, general-aviation airfield located there.

The English Roanoke Colony - where the first person of English descent, Virginia Dare, was born on American soil - vanished from Roanoke Island in 1587. The Lost Colony, written and performed to commemorate the original colonists, is the longest running outdoor drama in the United States and its theater acts as a cultural focal point for much of the Outer Banks.

The treacherous seas off the Outer Banks and the large number of shipwrecks that have occurred there have given these seas the nickname Graveyard of the Atlantic. The Graveyard of the Atlantic Museum is located in Hatteras Village near the United States Coast Guard facility and Hatteras ferry.

Wikipedia.org

Thank you !

Sent on: February 18, 2014

Received on: February 25, 2014

#483 Rotterdam, Netherlands | NL-2307996

Zeelandic Flanders (Dutch: Zeeuws-Vlaanderen) is the southernmost region of the province of Zeeland in the south-western Netherlands. It lies south of the Western Scheldt that separates the region from the remainder of Zeeland to the north. Zeelandic Flanders is bordered to the south by Belgium.

Wikipedia.org

On the Stamp: Dutch symbols

On the Stamp: King William Alexander (definitive)

Thank you, Cobi (Cobi51) !

Received on: February 3, 2014

Travel time: 9 days

Distance: 1611 km (1,001 miles)

#381 Chattanooga, Tennessee, USA

Thank you, Yoozy !

Sent on: October 11, 2013

Received on: October 17, 2013

#268 Dublin, Ireland

The Hook Lighthouse (also known as Hook Head Lighthouse) is a building situated at the tip of the Hook Peninsula in County Wexford, in Ireland. It is one of the oldest lighthouses in the world, and the oldest operating lighthouse in Ireland. It is operated by the Commissioners of Irish Lights, the Irish Lighthouse Authority, it marks the eastern entrance to Waterford Harbour. The current structure has stood for almost 800 years.

Wikipedia.org

Thank you, Monika !

Sent on: July 4, 2013

Received on: July 9, 2013

#240 Christchurch, New Zealand

The original Akaroa lighthouse started operation on the precipitous headland of Akaroa Heads on January 1, 1880. One hundred years later, it was moved down to Akaroa township after being replaced in 1977 by an automated light.

Thank you, Jess !

Sent on: April 22, 2013

Received on: May 4, 2013

#217 Köln, Germany | DE-2041817

Cape Egmont Lighthouse is a Lighthouse at Cape Egmont in the Taranaki Region of the North Island of New Zealand. It is owned and operated by Maritime New Zealand. The light was manufactured by Simpson & Co., Pimlico, London, in 1864 and erected on Mana Island to the north west of Porirua in 1865, but it was sometimes confused with the Pencarrow Head light at the entrance to Wellington Harbour and in 1877 the light was dismantled and moved to Cape Egmont.

The light was fully automated in 1986.

Wikipedia.org

Date of Issue: September 9, 2010

Thank you, Konrad (Monithari) !

Received on: April 1, 2013

Travel time: 11 days

Distance: 1475 km (917 miles)

#212 Zwolle, Netherlands | NL-1770362

Texel Lighthouse is one of the landmarks of Texel. The top is at 45 metres high and gives a great view over Texel and the Wadden Sea. The way up there is basically a museum, which explains the history of the lighthouse and its current purpose.

On the Stamp: Beatrix of the Netherlands.

Thank you, Jet !

Received on: March 26, 2013

Travel time: 7 days

Distance: 1406 km (874 miles)