This illustration is of an idealized winter setting with a rural home lit up for the Christmas celebrations.
There is no description on the back of this card. The phrase on the front translates as “Merry Christmas”.
This card was purchased in East Germany and sent as a gift to a recipient in the Soviet Union.
The card was used but not mailed separately, so has no date. However, it is of the same series as the previous posting, and likely dates from the 1950s.
Month: April 2017
Christmas Card, Germany
This illustration is from a Christmas postcard purchased in East Germany and sent to the Soviet Union.
There is no description on the back of this card.
It is not clear exactly what location is being depicted in this illustration.
The card was dated 11 June 1953 when purchased.
Oldest Bookseller in Paris, France
This image is of the small shops that lined the Seine in Paris, featuring a very old man who was known as the oldest bookseller, referring to his age and not the age of the books.
The description states, in rough translation:
THE LITTLE TABLES
Quai Voltaire. The oldest bookseller of the quays. The poet bookseller Charles Dodeman.
The oldest bookseller.
–These sorts of stalls exist today along the Seine. Such sellers are known in French as “les Banquinistes”.
This postcard was used and is dated 25 July 1930.
Ice Cave in the Rhone Glacier, Germany
This is an early image of the ice cave, or eisgrotte in the Furka Pass of the Swiss Alps. The ice cave is part of the Rhone Glacier which covers the nearby mountains.
The description states simply:
30674 Eisgrotte im Rhonegletscher
–This cave is much more extensive and well developed than indicated from this image, and is easily visited by tourists. It has also been used in films, notably the James Bond film “Goldfinger”.
This image likely dates from the 1950s.
Marmorkirken, Copenhagen, Denmark
This image shows the front entrance of the Marmorkirken, or Marble Church, located in Copenhagen, Denmark. It is also known as Frederick’s Church.
The description states simply:
MARMORKIRKEN
The Marble Church
–It was originally intended to be built entirely of marble, but was later redesigned to be built of limestone. The building was started in 1749 but not completed in 1894.
This poscard was used and is dated 1953.
Grundvig’s Church, Copenhagen, Denmark
This image is an illustration of the famous Grundvig’s Church in Copenhagen, Denmark. It is notable for its expressionist church architecture.
The description on the back states simply:
Kobenhaven, Grundvigskirken.
Copenhagen, Grundvig’s Church.
–It was started in 1927 and completed in 1940. It can hold a congregation of 1800.
This card was used and is dated 1953.
Landhaus Georg Schilcher, Germany
This image is of a large country house once owned by Georg Schilcher. I have been unable to identify it further.
There is no description on the back of this card, other than the publisher, which is shown as:
Eigent u. Verlag: Heinrich Uhlschmidt, Oberammergau
–Judging solely by the publisher’s tag, this may be located somewhere near Oberammergau in Bavaria.
This image likely dates from the 1920s.
Bacharach, Germany
This image is an illustration of the view of Bacharach from the southern end, looking north into town.
The description roughly translates as:
Bacharach from the south. Picturesque cityscape with pretty plants on the Rhine. Bacharach is world famous for the Rheingau wines in the Middle Ages.
—Rheingau is a small district to the north of the Rhine River between Lorch and Wiesbaden, famous for sweet white wines, particularly Riesling,
Werner Chapel, Bacharach, Germany
This is an illustration of the ruins of the Werner Chapel, situated on a bluff above the town of Bacharach, Germany.
The description translates roughly as follows:
The Wernerkapelle in Bacharach, one of the most picturesque architectural images on the Rhine, was built in 1428 in the most noble Gothic forms, destroyed in the Thirty Years’ War and again in 1689.
–The description avoids the more sinister nature of the site. It is named after Werner of Oberwesel, a young man who was killed in 1287 and the accusation fell on local Jews who were supposed to have used his blood in Passover ceremonies (an accusation known as the blood libel). The accusation resulted in extensive programs against Jews in the area, leading to widespread killing and expulsion. Werner was venerated and the cult following was sustained by the Bishopric of Trier until 1963.
This image likely dates from the 1920s.
Bingen, Germany
This image is an illustration of the town of Bingen am Rhein, Germany, showing it’s location at the confluence of the Rhine and the Nahe.
The description translates roughly as:
Bingen. “The funniest town along the Rhine, this is the town of Bingen,” sings Kobell, and he is right. The friendly, lively town full of genuine Rhenish life has a glorious location at the entrance of the romantic Felsenthal, which enters the Rhine here. The beauty of the feminine woman in Bingen is profound: “See Meenz’s child, where is it from?” From Binge. ”
–This section of the Rhine is known as the Rhine Gorge. The town looks much the same, but the monument shown on the far bluff appears to have been removed.
This image likely dates from the 1920s.