2497 - Königstein, Saxony, Germany

Königstein is a town in Saxony with a population of almost 2100. It's in the Elbe Sandstone Mountains and on the banks of the River Biela. The town was first mentioned in 1379 as a settlement near the castle of Königstein. It was named after the King of Bohemia.

During the Second World War, the castle was prisoner-of-war camp Oflag IV-B for Allied officers. Polish officers were imprisoned there after the Invasion of Poland in 1939. The officers were granted relative freedom and had a part of the fortress gardens at their disposal. All Polish army commanders were held there with the exception of two - Generał dywizji Antoni Szylling and General Tadeusz Piskor. Szylling, after being freed by the Americans in 1945 decided not to return to Poland because of Soviet Russia and instead emigrated to France, then the United Kingdom, and finally to Canada in 1947. He lived on a farm at Abercorn, near Montreal. Piskor ended up emigrating to London but died in 1951.

After the fall of France, the Polish officers were moved to Oflag VIIA Murnau or Oflag VIII E. Johannisbrunn, and French officers were housed at the Königstein castle. Although one French general said the prison was "not particularly onerous" and "adequate by European prison standards," and there was inadequate but regular rations, and cigarettes for purchase. However, they did find Germany bugs in their rooms, and discovered a prisoner they thought was an English general was actually a German agent. The camp was surrendered to French General
Condé on 8 May 1945. Russians arrived the next day and took anything of value and the German guards. All the prisoners were flown back to Paris on 12 May 1945.

The card is a photo of the German television show Drei Damen vom Grill, or Three Ladies from the Grill. It aired on Germany's public television station ARD from 1978 to 1992. It revolved around the Färber family - Margarete, Magda, and Margot - running a snack bar in West Berlin. It depicted their lives and work, as well as reflecting the division of Berlin and then German Reunification. In Australia it was translated to Three Ladies and Their Hot Dog Stand.

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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