Thank you, Grace !
Received on: June 28, 2019
Showing posts with label Switzerland. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Switzerland. Show all posts
23 July 2019
06 October 2017
#1420 Switzerland
The Old City (German: Altstadt) is the medieval city center of Bern, Switzerland. Built on a narrow hill surrounded on three sides by the river Aare, its compact layout has remained essentially unchanged since its construction during the twelfth to the fifteenth century. Despite a major fire in 1405, after which much of the city was rebuilt in sandstone, and substantial construction efforts in the eighteenth century, Bern's old city has retained its medieval character.
The Old City is home to Switzerland's tallest cathedral as well as other churches, bridges and a large collection of Renaissance fountains. In addition to many historical buildings, the seats of the federal, cantonal and municipal government are also situated in the Old City. It is a UNESCO Cultural World Heritage Site since 1983 due to the compact and generally intact medieval core and is an excellent example of incorporating the modern world into a medieval city. Numerous buildings in the Old City have been designated as Swiss Cultural Properties of National Significance, as well as the entire Old City.
Date of Inscription on the List of UNESCO WHS: 1983
Thank you, Nicole !
Received on: October 6, 2017
29 June 2017
21 June 2017
#1267 Switzerland
The Abbey of Saint Gall (German: Abtei St. Gallen) is a Roman Catholic religious complex in the city of St. Gallen in Switzerland of a dissolved abbey (747-1805). The Carolingian-era monastery has existed since 719 and became an independent principality between 9th and 13th centuries, and was for many centuries one of the chief Benedictine abbeys in Europe. It was founded by Saint Othmar on the spot where Saint Gall had erected his hermitage. The library at the Abbey is one of the richest medieval libraries in the world. The city of St. Gallen originated as an adjoining settlement of the abbey. Following the secularization of the abbey around 1800 the former Abbey church became a Cathedral in 1848. Since 1983 the whole remaining abbey precinct has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Property No #268
Date of Inscription on the List of UNESCO WHS: 1983
Date of Inscription on the List of UNESCO WHS: 1983
Thank you, Susanne !
Sent on: April 10, 2017
Received on: April 14, 2017
10 August 2016
#1131 Switzerland
The flag of Switzerland consists of a red flag with a white cross (a bold, equilateral cross) in the centre. It is one of only two square sovereign-state flags, the other being the flag of Vatican City. (The civil and state ensign, used by Swiss ships and boats, has the more common proportions of 3:2.)
Only the dimensions of the cross are formally established since 1889: "The coat of arms of the federation is, within a red field, an upright white cross, whose [four] arms of equal length are one and a sixth times as long as they are wide." The size of the cross in relation to the field is not formally established except on the naval ensign, for which the ratio of the size of the cross to the height is 5:8, and to the length is 5:12. A ratio of 2:3 or 7:10 to the span of the flag is usual.
Use of the white cross as a military ensign (attached to the cantonal flags in the form of strips of linen) has been used in the Old Swiss Confederacy since the 14th century, but the modern design of a white cross suspended in a square red field was introduced only during the Napoleonic period, first used in 1800 during the Hundred Days by general Niklaus Franz von Bachmann, and was introduced as official national flag in 1889.
Thank you, Hansjürg !
Sent on: August 6, 2016
Received on: August 10, 2016
23 May 2016
#1095 Switzerland
Soglio is a village and a former municipality in the district of Maloja in the Swiss canton of the Grisons close to the border with Italy. It is now part of the municipality of Bregaglia.
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| Date of Issue: May 12, 2016 | Europa CEPT 2016 'Think Green' |
Thank you, Hansjürg !
Received on: May 23, 2016
14 April 2016
#1058 Switzerland
Romont is a municipality and capital of the district of Glâne in the canton of Fribourg in Switzerland.
Thank you, Stéphanie !
Sent on: April 11, 2016
Received on: April 14, 2016
07 April 2016
#1054 Switzerland
The Bernese Alps (German: Berner Alpen, French: Alpes bernoises, Italian: Alpi bernesi) are a mountain range of the Alps, located in western Switzerland. Although the name suggests that they are located in the Berner Oberland region of the canton of Bern, portions of the Bernese Alps are in the adjacent cantons of Valais, Fribourg and Vaud, the latter being usually named Fribourg Alps and Vaud Alps respectively. The highest mountain in the range, the Finsteraarhorn, is also the highest point in the canton of Bern.
The Eiger is a 3,970-metre (13,020 ft) mountain of the Bernese Alps, overlooking Grindelwald and Lauterbrunnen in the Bernese Oberland, just north of the main watershed and border with Valais. It is the easternmost peak of a ridge crest that extends across the Mönch to the Jungfrau at 4,158 m (13,642 ft), constituting one of the most emblematic sights of the Swiss Alps. While the northern side of the mountain rises more than 3,000 m (10,000 ft) above the two valleys of Grindelwald and Lauterbrunnen, the southern side faces the large glaciers of the Jungfrau-Aletsch area, the most glaciated region in the Alps. The most notable feature of the Eiger is its 1,800-metre-high (5,900 ft) north face of rock and ice, named Eigerwand or Nordwand, which is the biggest north face in the Alps. This huge face towers the resort of Kleine Scheidegg at its base, on the homonymous pass connecting the two valleys.
The Mönch (German: "monk") is a mountain in the Bernese Alps, in Switzerland. Together with the Eiger and the Jungfrau it forms a highly recognisable group of mountains visible from far away.
The Jungfrau (German: "maiden/virgin"; 4,158 metres (13,642 ft)) is one of the main summits of the Bernese Alps, located between the southern canton of Bern and the northern canton of Valais, halfway between Interlaken and Fiesch. Together with the Eiger and Mönch, the Jungfrau forms a massive wall overlooking the Bernese Oberland and the Swiss Plateau, one of the most distinctive sights of the Swiss Alps.
Thank you, Malika !
Sent on: April 2, 2016
Received on: April 7,2016
12 October 2015
#995 Switzerland
The Jungfrau-Aletsch protected area (officially Swiss Alps Jungfrau-Aletsch) is located in south-western Switzerlandbetween the cantons of Berne and Valais. It is a mountainous region in the easternmost side of the Bernese Alps, containing the northern wall of Jungfrau and Eiger, and the largest glaciated area in western Eurasia, comprising the Aletsch Glacier. The Jungfrau-Aletsch protected area is the first World Natural Heritage site in the Alps, it was inscribed in 2001.
Date of Inscription on the List of UNESCO WHS: 2001
Thank you, Hansjürg !
Sent on: October 9, 2015
Received on: October 12, 2015
28 September 2015
#982 Switzerland
Switzerland (German: Schweiz; French: Suisse; Italian: Svizzer; Romansh: Svizra), officially the Swiss Confederation (Latin: Confoederatio Helvetica, hence its abbreviation CH), is a country in Europe. While still named the "Swiss Confederation" for historical reasons, modern Switzerland is a federal directorial republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities, called Bundesstadt ("federal city"). The country is situated in Western and Central Europe, where it is bordered by Italy to the south, France to the west, Germany to the north, and Austria and Liechtenstein to the east. Switzerland is a landlocked country geographically divided between the Alps, the Swiss Plateau and the Jura, spanning an area of 41,285 km2 (15,940 sq mi). While the Alps occupy the greater part of the territory, the Swiss population of approximately 8 million people is concentrated mostly on the Plateau, where the largest cities are to be found; among them are the two global and economic centres of Zürich and Geneva.
The establishment of the Swiss Confederation is traditionally dated to 1 August 1291, which is celebrated annually as Swiss National Day. The country has a long history of armed neutrality - it has not been in a state of war internationally since 1815 - and did not join the United Nations until 2002. Nevertheless, it pursues an active foreign policy and is frequently involved in peace-building processes around the world. In addition to being the birthplace of the Red Cross, Switzerland is home to numerous international organizations, including the second largest UN office. On the European level, it is a founding member of the European Free Trade Association, but notably, it is not part of the European Union, nor the European Economic Area (and thus does not use the Euro currency). However the country does participate in the Schengen Area and the EU's single market through a number of bilateral treaties.
Thank you, Claudio !
Sent on: September 24, 2015
Received on: September 28, 2015
05 June 2014
#647 Härkingen, Switzerland
About some facts written on the postcard:
The Latin name Confoederatio Helvetica (CH) was neologized and introduced gradually after the formation of the federal state in 1848, harking back to the Napoleonic Helvetic Republic, appearing on coins from 1879, inscribed on the Federal Palace in 1902 and after 1948 used in the official seal. It is derived from the name of the Helvetii, a Gaulish tribe living on the Swiss plateau before the Roman era. Helvetia appears as a national personification of the Swiss confederacy in the 17th century, with a 1672 play by Johann Caspar Weissenbach.
Monte Rosa (Italian) or Mont Rose (French), both meaning "Pink Mountain", is the highest mountain in Switzerland and the second-highest in both the Alps and western Europe. The main summit, known as the Dufourspitze (4,634 m (15,203 ft)), is the culminating point of the Pennine Alps. Although its main peak is located within Switzerland in the southeastern part of the canton of Valais, the Monte Rosa Massif is the second-highest massif in Italy.
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| Date of Issue: May 8, 2014 | Europa 2014 'National Music Instruments' |
Thank you, Sara !
Sent on: June 2, 2014
Received on: June 5, 2014
29 January 2014
#472 Switzerland
Winterthur is a city in the canton of Zürich in northern Switzerland. It has the country's sixth largest population with an estimate of more than 100,000 people. In the local dialect and by its inhabitants, it is usually abbreviated as Winti. Today Winterthur is a service and high tech industry centre, but many people make use of its proximity to Zürich, which lies approximately 30 kilometres (19 mi) to the south-west, and only 18 minutes by train.
Winterthur is connected to Germany and Italy by direct trains and enjoys links to Zürich Airport. It is also a regional transport hub: the A1 motorway from Geneva through to St. Margrethen connects in Winterthur with the A4 motorway heading north toward Schaffhausen and the A7 motorway heading close to the Swiss-German border at Kreuzlingen. There are also roads leading to other places such as Turbenthal. Winterthur Hauptbahnhof is one of the busiest railway stations in Switzerland.
On the Stamp: Olympic Games 2004
Thank you, Rita (grobhaas) !
Received on: January 29, 2014
Travel time: 4 days
Distance: 1688 km (1,049 miles)
14 August 2013
#283 Netherlands
The Bernese Oberland (Bernese Highlands) is the higher part of the canton of Bern, Switzerland, in the southern end of the canton: The area around Lake Thun and Lake Brienz, and the valleys of the Bernese Alps (thus, the inhabitable parts from approximately the level of Lake Thun at 558 m [1,831 ft]).
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Thank you, Priscilla !
Sent on: August 11, 2013
Received on: August 14, 2013
02 April 2013
#224 Switzerland
Klöntalersee is a natural lake in the Canton of Glarus, Switzerland. Since 1908, it has been used as a reservoir for electricity production. The dam's construction substantially increased the lake's volume.
Klöntalersee is drained by the Löntsch, a left tributary of the Linth.
Thank you, Hansjürg !
Sent on: March 20, 2013
Received on: April 2, 2013
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