Notre Dame de Paris

A beautiful cover from Czech Republic 🇨🇿 with a very significant postmark 

The cathedral of Notre-Dame de Paris ("Our Lady of Paris"), part of the "Paris, Banks of the Seine" UNESCO World Heritage Site, was begun in the 12th century. Its walls and interior vaulted ceiling are of stone; its roof and flèche (spire) were of wood (much of it 13th-century oak), sheathed in lead to exclude water. The spire was rebuilt several times, most recently in the 19th century.

Extensive attention had been given to the risk of fire at the cathedral. The Paris Fire Brigadedrilled regularly to prepare for emergencies there, including on-site exercises in 2018; a firefighter was posted to the cathedral each day; and fire wardens checked conditions beneath the roof three times daily.

On 15 April 2019, just before 18:20 CEST, a structure fire broke out beneath the roof of Notre-Dame Cathedral in Paris. By the time it was extinguished, the building's spire and most of its roof had been destroyed and its upper walls severely damaged; extensive damage to the interior was prevented by its stone vaulted ceiling, which largely contained the burning roof as it collapsed. Many works of art and religious relics were moved to safety early in the emergency, but others suffered some smoke damage and some exterior art was damaged or destroyed.

Czech Post in response to fatal damage of the Notre-Dame Cathedral in Paris issued commemorative postmark, which will be in use since April 24-30, 2019. It depicts the Cathedral with a text saying "WE ARE WITH YOU" [= JSME S VÁMI]".

It was truly a very nice gesture of Czech Republic to show their support for the people of France in times of a tragedy ! 

Thanks Radim for this beautiful cover !! 

750th anniversary of Zlata Koruna Monastery 

Date of issue : 03-04-2019

The Zlatá Koruna monastery was founded by the Czech king Přemysl Otakar II. in 1263. The monastery is located about 8 kilometres to the north of Český Krumlov, in the direction of České Budějovice. 

Záviš’ cross 

Date of issue : 29-05-2019

Záviš’ Cross, a two-barred golden cross, has been used as a reliquary since the Early Middle Ages. It was likely created between 1220 and 1230 AD. It is 70 cm high and 28 cm wide. The original height was 44.5 cm but a base made of silver gilded with gold was added to the cross in mid-19th century. The figure of Christ was also added later. Each side of both beams ends with a typical French three-leaf lily (fleur-de-lis). 

For fear of its being seized by the Nazi Germany, the cross was moved before the 1939 annexation of the Sudetenland from the monastery in Vyšší Brod to Prague and deposited in the treasury of St Vitus Cathedral at Prague Castle. At the end of the war, the Nazis spirited the cross to the Salzburg salt mines in Austria and hid it among other artefacts from the whole Europe. It was found there by U.S. troops who returned it back to Czechoslovakia. In 2010, the cross was placed on the list of national cultural heritage. Together with the crown jewels and St. Maurus reliquary, it belongs to the most precious gold artefacts in the Czech Republic. It is also one of the top 10 most precious church historical items in the world.

Gregor Mendel - Czech Antarctic foundation

A postcard from the Antarctica base station ! 

The Mendel Polar Station is the Czech research station in the Antarctica owned by the Masaryk University. It was built in the northern part of the John Ross Island. This island (with the area of approx. 2 500 km²) is situated from 80% under a covering iceberg, only its northern part (Ulu Peninsula) is not covered by the iceberg. 

In 2004, a small group of scientists and technicians realised preparation works on the James Ross Island - a precise geometric survey was performed and the terrain was prepared for placement of the foundations of the main building of the station and technical containers. The transport of the construction material and technological units from Europe to the Chilean Punto Arenas was initiated in the end of 2004 and it was realized by the company CZECHOSLOVAK OCEAN SHIPPING s.r.o., and from there everything was transported by the Chilean military icebreaker Almirante Viel to the John Ross Island in 2005. The construction works were initiated immediately after the disembarking activities were finished.

The station is situated 100 m from the sea and it consists of the main building intended for boarding and accommodation of 15-20 researchers (and also serves for relaxation, laboratory activities etc.) and of nine technical containers in the vicinity of the building, which contain storehouses, garages and the power supply generator. Currently, the station is used especially by scientists from the Masaryk University of Brno in summer months, but it is open to various external projects as well.

Base Esperanza

Esperanza base ("Hope Base") is a permanent, all year-round Argentine research station in Hope Bay, Trinity Peninsula (Graham Land, Antarctic Peninsula). It is one of only two civilian settlements in Antarctica (the other being the Chilean Villa Las Estrellas). The Base's motto is "Permanencia, un acto de sacrificio" ("Permanence, an act of sacrifice").

Built in 1953, the base houses 55 inhabitants in winter, including 10 families and 2 school teachers. Provincial school #38 Presidente Raúl Ricardo Alfonsín (formerly named Julio Argentino Roca) was founded in 1978 and acquired independent status in 1997. It maintains the furthest South Scout troop. The base has an Argentine civil registry office where births and weddings are recorded. The base has tourist facilities that are visited by about 1,100 tourists each year. 

The base has some measure of fame because it is the birthplace of Emilio Marcos Palma, the first person to be born in Antarctica. There have been at least ten other children born at the base. 

35th China Antarctica Expedition ( 2019) 

China plans to build the country's first permanent airport in the South Pole which will provide logistical support to scientists and enhance airspace management in the resource-rich Antarctic.

The 35th China's Antarctic expedition’s major task is to build the airport, which is expected to be located along the ice sheet, 28 kms from the China-built Zhongshan station in Antarctic. China is joining the US, Russia, Britain, Australia and New Zealand among others in having airfields in the Antarctic, which is rich in natural resources such as silver, gold, platinum and coal.

Chinese scientists built a 4-kilometer-long, 50-meter-wide runway for fixed-wing aircraft in 2009 during the 25th expedition in the Antarctic. The existing runway near the Taishan station is only fit for light aircraft equipped with sleds, which have limited transport capabilities. 

As global warming melts sea ice across the far north, the region is becoming a development hot spot, with major powers like Russia and China seeking control of resources and transport routes. 

The postcard has been sent via the Chilean Post !

Temples and castles - architectural wonders

A cover that went through three countries with interesting stamps from each country 

🇮🇳 India - stamps on famous temple architecture 

🇨🇿 Czech Republic- White tower of Hradec Králove and the Church of the Ascension Of our lady 

🇩🇪 Germany - Glucksburg castle and SchachtschleuseMinden 

All the stamps depict architectural wonders of the respective countries with the country’s postmarks on each stamp !