Germany ATM FDC

Germany FDC
Name: Brandenburg Gate & Deutsche Post Tower
Date of Issue: 09 October 2008

0.45: Brandenburg Gate, Berlin
The Brandenburg Gate (German: Brandenburger Tor) is a former city gate and one of the main symbols of Berlin and Germany. It is located west of the city center at the intersection of Unter den Linden and Ebertstraße, immediately west of the Pariser Platz. It is the only remaining gate of a series through which one formerly entered Berlin. One block to its north lies the Reichstag. The gate is the monumental entry to Unter den Linden, the renowned boulevard of linden trees which formerly led directly to the city palace of the Prussian monarchs. It was commissioned by King Frederick William II of Prussia as a sign of peace and built by Carl Gotthard Langhans from 1788 to 1791. The Brandenburg Gate was restored from 2000 to 2002 by the Stiftung Denkmalschutz Berlin (Berlin Monument Conservation Foundation). Today, it is considered one of Europe's most famous landmarks. More...

0,55: Deutsche Post Tower, Bonn
The Deutsche Post Tower in Bonn, designed by Helmut Jahn, is sited in a public parkland adjacent to the river Rhine. The building reflects the ideal of transparency, weightlessness and immateriality. More...

Comment: I was so surprise that my Chinese friend (lives in Germany) made this FDC for me.

Germany Sky Disk FDC

Germany FDC
Name: Nebra Sky Disk
Date of Issue: 09 October 2008

The Nebra sky disk is a bronze disk of around 30 cm diameter, patinated blue-green and inlaid with gold symbols. These are interpreted generally as a sun or full moon, a lunar crescent, and stars (including a cluster interpreted as the Pleiades). Two golden arcs along the sides, marking the angle between the solstices, were added later. A final addition was another arc at the bottom surrounded with multiple strokes (of uncertain meaning, variously interpreted as a Solar Barge with numerous oars, as the Milky Way or as a rainbow).

The disk is attributed to a site near Nebra, Saxony-Anhalt in Germany, and associatively dated to c. 1600 BC. It has been associated with the Bronze Age Unetice culture.

The disk is unlike any known artistic style from the period, and had initially been suspected of being a forgery, but is now widely accepted as authentic. More...

Comment: It might be more beautiful and intuitive if this stamp had used in letterpress printing. I don't know whether my opinion is correct, Deutsche Post (Germany Post) seldom uses special printing technology in their stamps.

Germany Hans Grade FDC

Germany FDC
Name: 100 Years of First Powered Flight in Germany - Hans Grade
Date of Issue: 09 October 2008

Hans Grade was an engineer and a german aviation-pioneer. On the 28th of October 1908 he successfully conducted the first motor-flight over german soil in a motorised aircraft of his own construction at Magdeburg. More...

Comment: This is a double-First Day Cover, not only the commemorative stamp but also the definitive stamps (Carnation) were all new issue on 09 October, 2008. But it has a big problem on this FDC, the postage was overpaid. the correct registered postage from Germany to China is 3.75 euro, and it has 3.90 euro on this FDC. What a pity!

Germany Ship FDC

Germany FDC
Name: 50th Anniversary of Gorch Fock
Date of Issue: 07 August 2008

The Gorch Fock is a tall ship of the German Navy (Deutsche Marine). She is the second ship of that name and a sister ship of the Gorch Fock built in 1933. Both ships are named in honor of the German writer Johann Kinau who wrote under the pseudonym "Gorch Fock" and died in the battle of Jutland/Skagerrak in 1916. The modern-day Gorch Fock was built in 1958 and has since then undertaken 146 cruises (as of October 2006), including one tour around the world in 1988. She is sometimes referred to (unofficially) as the Gorch Fock II to distinguish her from her older sister ship. More...

Comment: My Turkish friend made this German FDC for me, He did a good job.

Germany Dam FDC

Germany FDC
Name: 75th Anniversary of Saale River Valley Dam
Issue date: 2007 August 9th

From 1925 to 1932 the first dams (Lake Bleiloch) was built, daming the Saale River for a hydroelectric power-plant and creating the largest artifical lake in Germany with a total length of 65 kilometers.

Germany Bridge FDC

Germany FDC
Name: 100th Anniversary of Kaiser-Wilhelm-Brücke(Emperor Wilhelm Bridge)
Issue date: 2007 August 9th

The Kaiser-Wilhelm-Brücke ("Emperor Wilhelm Bridge") is a swing bridge in Wilhelmshaven. It was build between 1905 (beginning) and 1907 (completion) as Europe's biggest swing bridge. The design scheme was created by Ernst Troschel, it was built by MAN Nuremberg.

The bridge has a length of 159 m and a width of 8 m. The two pillars are 20,4 m tall. The Kaiser Wilhelm-bridge connects the beach (Südstrandpromenade) with the South Quarter.

The Kaiser-Wilhelm-Brücke is the town's landmark. In 2007 a stamp with the bridge is expected to be produced.

In 2003 the rotary mechanics of the southern part of the bridge were damaged by a Tugboat-Accident (collision with a frigate) and had to be repaired partially.

The maximum passage hight is 9,00 m at + 1,10 m medium water-level in the harbor, the passage width is 58,60 m.

On the bridge the road traffic can only drive one way at the same time. It is controlled by traffic lights. Before it tilts out the bridge is blocked for the whole traffic by light signals and pikes.

Germany Bank FDC

Germany FDC
Name: 50th Anniversary of Deutsche Bundesbank(German Federal Bank)
Issue date: 2007 August 9th

The Deutsche Bundesbank (German for German Federal Bank) is the central bank of the Federal Republic of Germany and as such part of the European System of Central Banks (ESCB). Due to its strength and former size, the Bundesbank is the most influential member of the ESCB. Both the Deutsche Bundesbank and the European Central Bank (ECB) are located in Frankfurt am Main.

The Bundesbank was established in 1957 and succeeded the Bank deutscher Länder, which introduced the Deutsche Mark on 20 June 1948. Until the Euro was physically introduced in 2002, the Deutsche Bundesbank was the central bank of the former Deutsche Mark ("German Mark", sometimes known in English as the "Deutschmark").

The Deutsche Bundesbank was the first central bank to be given full independence, leading this form of central bank to be referred to as the Bundesbank model, as opposed, for instance, to the New Zealand model, which has a goal (i.e. inflation target) set by the government.

The Bundesbank was greatly respected for its control of inflation through the second half of the 20th century. This made the German Mark one of the most respected currencies, and the Bundesbank gained substantial indirect influence in many European countries.

More Information of Deutsche Bundesbank in Wikipedia.com

Germany Lighthouses FDC

Germany FDC
Name: Lighthouses
Date of Issue: 12 July 2007

Designs:
0,45 €: Bremerhaven Oberfeuer
1855 (Simon Loschen). Active; focal plane 34 m (111 ft); white light, 2 s on, 2 s off, synchronized with the front light. 37 m (121 ft) square brick New Gothic tower with octagonal lantern. Tower is unpainted brick, lantern painted green. On the side of the tower is a large iron bracket structure formerly used to display storm signals. A photo appears at the top of the page, and Trabas also has a good photo. This elegant lighthouse could not be more different from the front range tower. Located about 200 m (220 yd) north of the front light, near the lock that provides entry to the Neuer Haven (originally the light keepers also operated the lock).

0,55 €: Hörnum
1907. Active; focal plane 48 m (157 ft); two white flashes, separated by 2.6 s, every 9 s. 34 m (112 ft) round cast iron tower with lantern and double gallery, mounted on a 1-story concrete base. Lighthouse painted red with one white horizontal band; lantern, watch room, and galleries painted black. Adjacent keeper's house now used as a registrar's office. A beautiful and popular lighthouse, sibling of the Pellworm and Westheversand lighthouses. Until 1930 the lighthouse served as the local school, with classes on the upper floors. Today the lighthouse is a popular tourist destination and site for weddings. Trabas has a wonderful photo, Schüler has the history of the station, and a local tourist site, Hoernum.de, has an informative page on the lighthouse. Located atop a dune at the end of the road at the south end of Sylt. Island accessible by causeway from the mainland.

2008 Latvia Akmeņraga Lighthouse FDC
2008 Estonia Mehikoorma Lighthouse FDC
2007 Germany Lighthouses FDC
2007 Indonesia Lighthouses FDC

Germany UNESCO FDC

Germany FDC
Name: UNESCO World Culture Heritage (Germany & Latvia Jointly Issue)
Issue date: 2007 July 12th

1. Historic Centre of Riga (Latvia)
Riga was a major centre of the Hanseatic League, deriving its prosperity in the 13th–15th centuries from the trade with central and eastern Europe. The urban fabric of its medieval centre reflects this prosperity, though most of the earliest buildings were destroyed by fire or war. Riga became an important economic centre in the 19th century, when the suburbs surrounding the medieval town were laid out, first with imposing wooden buildings in neoclassical style and then in Jugendstil. It is generally recognized that Riga has the finest collection of art nouveau buildings in Europe.

2. Historic Centres of Stralsund and Wismar (Germany)
The medieval towns of Wismar and Stralsund, on the Baltic coast of northern Germany, were major trading centres of the Hanseatic League in the 14th and 15th centuries. In the 17th and 18th centuries they became Swedish administrative and defensive centres for the German territories. They contributed to the development of the characteristic building types and techniques of Brick Gothic in the Baltic region, as exemplified in several important brick cathedrals, the Town Hall of Stralsund, and the series of houses for residential, commercial and crafts use, representing its evolution over several centuries.