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3337 - Ibbenbüren, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany



This card is a photo of Sigiriya, Sri Lanka. The writer says that he and his wife will be travelling to Sri Lanka in the winter of 2024-2025. They are from Ibbenbüren, a city of just over 50 000 people in north west Germany. Ibbenbüren is first mentioned in documents in 1146. A document from 1348 mentions the establishment of a church here in 799, but Ibbenbüren considers 1146 as its birth year. 

Sigiriya is an ancient rock fortress located in central Sri Lanka. it was built for King Kashyapa of Sri Lanka during his reign (CE 477-495). After the king died, the royal palace was abandoned. Buddhists used it as a monastery until the 14th century. Today it is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and is one of the best examples of ancient urban planning. About 1 million people visit the site each year. 

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