3141 - Niederzissen, Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany

Büsum is a fishing and tourist town in northern Germany. It was first mentioned in documents in 1140. During medieval times, Büsum was an island with three villages - Süderdorp, Middeldorp, and Norddorp. Floods in 1362, 1436, and 1570 drowned most of the island and destroyed Süderdorp and Middeldorp. Norddorp forms the old core of Büsum.

In 1585 the island was connected to the mainlain with the building of a dam. Sediment that was deposited by the sea created new land, which was then further secured with dikes. Flooding was still a problem. In 1634, a flood killed 168 people in Büsum. In 1717, a village near Büsum sank completing due to flooding. The last devastating flood was in 1825. Improved dikes have been able to protect the town from storm tides.

The Kriegsmarine (Germany navy between 1935-45) used Büsum as a base. Because of that, Büsum was bombed several times - the last being on the same day German troops surrendered in northern Germany. In that air raid, nine people were killed.

Büsum has been a spa town since 1818. It is believed the seawater and the mudflats of the Wadden Sea have some healing effects on the body. A railway was connected to Büsum in 1883 to accomadate spa guests. In 1949, Büsum was designated a Nordseeheilbad (North Sea Health Spa).

It is common in the summer for tourists to outnumber the residents of Büsum.

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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