2548 - Freiberg, Saxony, Germany

Michelle sends a beautiful card of a lake and mountains, but it doesn't indicate where it is. I can only speculate those are the Ore Mountains in the background.

I've written about Frieberg before so I had a look at the notable people that lived there and the name Kunz von Kaufungen stuck out for me. He was a German knight and military commander that lived from 1410 -1455. He fought for Frederick II, Elector of Saxon against Frederick's brother Duke William III during the Saxon Fratricidal War

He is known for kidnapping Frederick's two sons, Ernest and Albert, from the castle in Altenburg and called Prinzenraub (the stealing of the princes). It was revenge for Frederick not repaying von Kaufungen for the damages or the ransom that wasn't paid to him from losses during the Saxon Fratricidal War. Frederick argued he was a hired soldier and he wasn't bound to make good on von Kaufungen's losses.

Prince Albert was rescued the same night of the kidnapping, and Prince Ernest was rescued four days later after von Kaufungen's co-conspirators released him after securing pardons for their part in the kidnapping.

von Kaufungen was beheaded in the marketplace of Freiberg on 14 July 1455.

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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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