New stamps

2009. May, 15.
The 175th anniversary of installation Hydrometeorogical service in Russia

Postcard from France

Photo by Michel Perez

New stamp

New stamp "Astonomy" from "Europe" set will be available since 5th March 2009.



In 2009 "astronomy" became a theme of traditional annual issue, organized by Association of the state post operators of Europe (PostEurope). The principal reason was that this year has been declared as the International year of astronomy (IYA2009) by the Association for the United Nations. In 1609 Italian astronomer Galileo Galiley for the first time looked in telescope, having begun modern astronomy. Nowadays the primary goals of astronomy are studying and explanation of apparent motions of heavenly bodies, finding of laws and reasons of these movements, studying of heavenly bodies structure, their physical and chemical properties, construction of models of their internal structure, solving problems of origin and development of heavenly bodies and their systems, studying of the most general properties of the Universe, construction of theory of observable part of the Universe ? Metagalaxies. Stamp represents Terskolsk observatory of the Institute of astronomy of Russian academy of science and on armillary sphere against the background with Big Dipper concellation.

Postcards from Netherlands

Rotterdam - city and municipality in the Dutch province of South Holland, situated in the west of the Netherlands. The municipality is the second largest in the country (behind Amsterdam).

The port of Rotterdam is the largest in Europe. From 1962 to 2004, it was the world's busiest port; then it was superseded by Shanghai. Rotterdam is situated on the banks of the river Nieuwe Maas ('New Meuse'), one of the channels in the delta formed by the Rhine and Meuse rivers. The name Rotterdam derives from a dam in the Rotte river.

Postcard from Germany

The Rhine is one of the longest and most important rivers in Europe.

The Rhine and the Danube formed most of the northern inland frontier of the Roman Empire and, since those days, the Rhine has been a vital, navigable waterway, and carried trade and goods deep inland. It has also served as a defensive feature and has been the basis for regional and international borders. The many castles and prehistoric fortifications along the Rhine testify to its importance as a waterway. River traffic could be stopped at these locations, usually for the purpose of collecting tolls, by the state that controlled that portion of the river.

Rhine

Postcard from Italy

Santa Maria delle Grazie (Milan)


Santa Maria delle Grazie ("Our Lady of Grace") is a famous church and convent in Milan, included in the UNESCO World Heritage sites list.

The church is also famous for the mural of the Last Supper by Leonardo da Vinci, which is in the refectory of the convent.

The Last Supper, Leonardo da Vinci


Thank you Lorenzo!


Santa Maria delle Grazie
The Last Supper

Russian Easter post cards