2342 - Werl, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany

I was going to write about schleiereules (barn owls) but when I was reading about Werl and the fact it was a part of the Hanseatic League I had to learn more. I knew nothing about the Hanseatic League and saw it referenced in many of the other European cities I wrote about.

Werl was a member of the Hanseatic League in the Middle Ages. The Hanseatic League was a medieval commercial and defensive confederation of merchant guilds and market towns in central and northern Europe. At its peak it had over 200 settlements in nine modern nations (Germany, Netherlands, Russia, United Kingdom, Poland. Sweden, Lithuania, Latvia, and Estonia).

Traders in the Hanseatic League enjoyed duty free treatment, protection, and diplomatic privileges in affiliated communities and on their trade routes. It developed a common legal system governing their merchants and goods, and operated their own armies for mutual defence and aid. It peaked between the 13 and 15th centuries. In the mid 16th century, the Hanseatic League began to unravel and eventually disbanded in 1669.

Historians describe the Hanseatic League as the most successful trade alliance in history, while its unique governance style has been identified as the precursor to the European Union.

If you were hoping I'd go into barn owls, here is a video about them:

I've also included a video about the Hanseatic League, if you a more comprehensive explanation about it.

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3566 - Bakhmach, Chernihiv, Ukraine

Bakhmach is locarted in northern Ukraine. I'm taking this next paragraph straight out of Wikipedia: During the Russian invasion of Ukraine on February 26, 2022, at least 65 units of Russian military equipment moved through Bakhmach, with about a hundred more on the outskirts. Local residents tried to stop the convoy on their own by blocking tank tracks with makeshift objects and convincing Russian soldiers not to move towards Kyiv . One man attempted to climb onto a tank and block the road with his body (he was not hurt). However, the military equipment continued to move, and Russian forces fired several shots into the air. Слава Україні!

3564 - Kassel, Hesse, Germany

A wonderful message on this card that translates to to those wh o can wait, everything comes with time.

2352 - Cologne (Köln), North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany

Cologne is home to the twelve Romanesque churches. All are Catholic churches and all are found in Altstadt (old town). All were severely damaged during the 262 Allied air raids on Cologne. All twelves have been restored. St. Andreas was consecrated in 974. The crypt of the church as a sarcophagus that dates back to the third century and it holds the remains of St. Albertus Magnus, who died in 1280. St. Apostein was consecrated in the 800s. St. Cecilia was built in the 800s and it the current home of the Schnutgen Museum for Medieval Art. It still holds Catholic Mass on rare occasions. St. Georg's was built near the end of 1000s. It was extensively restored after the Second World War. St. Gerion's was established in 612. St. Kunibert was consecrated in 1247. Cunibert, the 9th Bishop of Cologne, is buried here. St. Maria im Kapital was built between 1040-1065. It was also heavily damaged during the war and restoration was finally completed in 1984. St. Maria Lyskirchem is the ...

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