2449 - Beckum, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany

Beckum is a city of just under 37 000 people. It was named after the nearby Beckum Hills. Beckum means "home upon the brooks" which is appropriate because there are three brooks around the town - Kollenbach, Lippbach, and Siechenbach.

Beckum was granted its town charter in 1224 and it grew quickly as merchants and craftsmen set up shop. War, riots, and the Black Death slowed progress.

In the second half of the 19th century, chalk and cement industries were developed. Beckhum quickly became one of the most important and largest cement producers in the world.

Today Beckum's economy is based on machine engineering, the cement industry, as well as commerce and service industries.

The lighthouse in the photograph is Westerheversand Leuchtturm (Lighthouse), built in 1907. It is in northern Germany and is 40 m high. It has been open to visitors since 2001, and is a popular spot for weddings.

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3227 - Mölln, Schleswig-Holstein, Germany

Mölln is a small city of about 20 000 located in northern Germany. The Elbe-Lübeck Canal flows through the town, and there are eight small lakes that surround the city. It was founded in the 12th century and was a part of the Old Salt Route. Salt that was produced in the salt mines of Lower-Saxony was shipped to the Baltic Sea. Till Eulenspiegel, a legendary trickster known for exposing vices and provoking thought, is said to have lived in Mölln the last year of his life. He apparently died of the plague in 1350, but his existence has never been proven. Mölln has several monuments dedicated to him.

3322 - Hamburg, Germany

Happy birthday to me! What a lovely handmade card from the sender. Beautiful penmanship. Am Rothenbaum is the site of the main court of the German Open Tennis Championships. The International German Open has been played at the Rothernbaum since 1892, making it Germany's longest running tennis tournament. The current stadium was built in 1999 and can hold 13 200 people.

3232 - Manitowoc, Wisconsin, United States of America

The Sturgeon Bay Ship Canal North Pierhead Light was built in 1882. There were nine keepers of the light until 1897. It was redesigned in 1903 and is 12 meters high. The Sturgeon Bay Ship Canal was started in 1872 and wasn't opened for large-scale watercraft until 1890. The canal is 2.1 kilometers long that goes from Sturgeon Bay in Lake Michigan to Green Bay. There are no locks on this canal. The canal was sold to the United States government in 1893 and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers maintains the canal.

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