GERMANY #10 Direct Swap

The Monument to the Battle of the Nations is a monument in Leipzig, Germany, to the 1813 Battle of Leipzig, also known as the Battle of the Nations. Paid for mostly by donations and by the city of Leipzig, it was completed in 1913 for the 100th anniversary of the battle, at a cost of 6 million Goldmark. The monument commemorates Napoleon's defeat at Leipzig, a crucial step towards the end of hostilities in the War of the Sixth Coalition, which was seen as a victory for the German people, although Germany as we know it did not begin to exist until 1870. There were German speakers fighting on both sides, as Napoleon's troops also included conscripted Germans from the French-occupied left bank of the Rhine as well as from the Confederation of the Rhine.

Thanks Marco!

Sent on: 16/01/2015
Received on: 29/01/2015
Travel time: 13 days

PORTUGAL #1 & #2 Direct Swap

This envelope brought me many surprises, gifts algusn friend Manuel of Portugal. In particular the second which is made of cork (yes!). The first is about Silves, the former capital of the Algarve and is of great historical importance. The stamp shows the transfer of the Portuguese Court to Brazil in 1808.

Thanks Manuel!

Sent on: 12/01/2015
Received on: 29/01/2015
Travel time: 17 days

GERMANY #9

Duisburg is a German city in the western part of the Ruhr Area (Ruhrgebiet) in North Rhine-Westphalia. It is an independent metropolitan borough within Regierungsbezirk Düsseldorf. With the world's biggest inland harbor and its proximity to Düsseldorf International Airport, Duisburg has become an important venue for commerce and steel production. In the early middle ages it was a royal court of the Franks, first mentioned in writing in 883.

Thanks Monika!

DE-3866232

NETHERLANDS #2 Direct Swap

Trier historically called Treves in English, is a city in Germany on the banks of the Moselle. It may be the oldest city in Germany, founded in or before 16 BC (contested with Worms, Kempten, and Cologne). The city is the oldest seat of a bishop north of the Alps. In the Middle Ages, the Archbishop of Trier was an important prince of the church, as the Archbishopric of Trier controlled land from the French border to the Rhine. The Archbishop also had great significance as one of the seven electors of the Holy Roman Empire.

Thanks Gerdientje!

NL-2838811

BRAZIL #7 Direct Swap

Located in Florianopolis, the capital city of Santa Catarina State in southern Brazil, the Hercilio Luz Bridge is the first bridge constructed to link the Island of Santa Catarina to the mainland. It is the longest suspension bridge in Brazil. The central span was considered quite long (but not the longest, at 340 metres) at the time of its opening and is still one of the 100 largest suspension bridges. 

Construction commenced on 14 November 1922 with the bridge being inaugurated on May 13, 1926. The total length is 819.471 metres, with 259 metres of viaduct from the island, a central span of 339.471 metres and 221 metres of viaduct from the mainland.

Thanks Ana!

Sent on: 19/12/2014

Received on: 21/01/2015

Travel time: 33 days

CROATIA #5 Direct Swap

Pregrada is a town and municipality in Krapina-Zagorje County in Croatia. In the 2011 census, there were 6,594 inhabitants in the following settlements. In the late 19th and early 20th century, Pregrada was a district capital in the Varaždin County of the Kingdom of Croatia-Slavonia.

Thanks Darko!

Sent on: 29/12/2014
Received on: 13/01/2015
Travel time: 15 days

BRAZIL #5 & #6 Direct Swap

Praia do Santinho (Santinho beach) is located in the Ingleses do Rio Vernelho district, north of the island of Santa Catarina, in the municipality of Florianópolis, capital of the Brazilian state of Santa Catarina.

The Metropolitan Cathedral of Florianópolis, dedicated to Our Lady of Exile, is the church in which he is the chair of the Archdiocese of Florianópolis, since its inception on March 19, 1908. The building is listed by the Institute Historical and Artistic Heritage Institute.

Thanks Ana!

Sent on: 06/01/2015

Received on: 13/01/2015

Travel time: 7 days

POLAND #9 & #10 Direct Swap

Łódź  is the third-largest city in Poland. Located in the central part of the country. The city's coat of arms is an example of canting: depicting a boat, it alludes to the city's name which translates literally as "boat."

The Beskids or Beskid Mountains is a traditional name for a series of mountain ranges in the Carpathians, stretching from the Czech Republic in the west along the border of Poland with Slovakia up to Ukraine in the east.

Thanks Anna!

Sent on: 23/10/2014

Reeived on: 08/01/2015

Travel time: 77 days