This is a portrait of Frida Kahlo, the famous Mexican painter. It was painted by Atelierschulze (that's what written on the card).  This postcard comes from Düren, a city in western Germany with a history stretching back more than two thousand years. Long before the Romans arrived, the region was home to the Eburones, a Celtic tribe that lived between the Meuse and Rhine rivers. They are perhaps best known for their leader, Ambiorix, who led a successful revolt against Julius Caesar's Roman legions in 54 BC. Following the Roman conquest, Düren developed as a settlement along an important Roman road linking Cologne with the city of Tongeren in present-day Belgium. Its location helped it grow into a centre for trade and travel, laying the foundations for the city that exists today. Over the centuries, Düren became known for its paper and textile industries, taking advantage of the clean water provided by the River Rur. Although much of the city was destroyed during the Second Wor...

I was so excited to receive this postcard. It comes from Portugal, where the sender used to live, and it is made of cork instead of paper. The image on the front is the Galo de Barcelos , or the Rooster of Barcelos. The Rooster of Barcelos is a Portuguese folk tale that tells the story of a dead rooster's miraculous intervention in proving the innocence of a man who had been falsely convicted and sentenced to death. According to the legend, a landowner in Barcelos had silver stolen from his property, and the townspeople were searching for the thief. A man from Galicia became a suspect despite his pleas of innocence. The Galician insisted that he was merely passing through Barcelos on a pilgrimage to Santiago de Compostela to fulfil a promise. Despite this, he was arrested and condemned to death. After being sentenced, the man asked to be taken before the judge who had condemned him. The judge was attending a banquet. The man pointed to a roasted rooster on the banquet table and dec...

This is a tourist postcard from Norderney. Norderney is one of the seven inhabited East Frisian Islands in the North Sea, off the coast of northern Germany. The island is approximately 14 km long and 2.5 km wide, and about 5,900 people call it home. Much of Norderney is part of the Lower Saxon Wadden Sea National Park. Access to some areas of the park is restricted and divided into zones to help protect wildlife and sensitive habitats. Car traffic on the island is also strictly regulated. Along the island's northern coast is a 14-kilometre-long sandy beach.

The sender is from Münster , but the postcard is from Bad Essen , where she spent time relaxing at a spa. In German, the prefix “Bad” indicates a spa town or health resort—places known for their therapeutic waters and wellness traditions. Bad Essen is particularly known for its natural salt springs, which have attracted visitors seeking rest and healing for generations. Like many German spa towns, it combines health treatments with a beautiful, scenic atmosphere that encourages relaxation. Bad Essen is a small municipality with a population of around 16 250 people. Despite its modest size, it has a long-standing reputation as a wellness destination, blending traditional spa culture with the charm of a historic town .

This is a photo of the Hackfort  Waterwheel in Vor den, Netherlands.  

I love cards that come from schools or English as a second language programmes. This one comes from a German high school, I think, they are a grade 8 level (14-15 year old). The student who sent it writes very well. 

Wesel is home to the Wesel Citadel. It is the largest intact fortification system of the Rhineland. Built between 1688-1722 in the form of a pentagonal star, with each point being a bastion. Today it is used as a cultural centre. 

Located in Essen is  Villa  Hügel. It was built in 1873 by industrial magnate Alfred Krupp (1812-1887), Krupp was a German stell manufacturer and inventor, and also the largest arms suppliers of his era, which earned him the nickname "The Cannon King." Villa  Hügel is a 269 room mansion that is  8100 m 2  with 28 hectares of surrounding park. At one time it had a staff of up to 640 people, as a single family home. It was very modern for the time as it featured central air heating system, indoor water and sewage system, a gas works, and internal and external telegraph and telephone systems . The mansion's central clock because the reference clock for the whole Krupp enterprise - every clock was to be set with a maximum difference of 30 seconds. The mansion also had its own railway station, Essen  Hügel, which is still a regular stop.  The Krupp family had to leave Villa  Hügel in 1945 when it was annexed by the allies following World War II. I...

For much of Herne's existence, it was a small village. In the 19th century, villages in the Ruhr starting mining coal and producing coke and making steel, there was an influx of eastern Germans to the area.  Today Herne is a city of 160 000 people. 

Troisdorf is located about 20 kilometres south of Cologne and 13 kilometres north of Bonn. There are about 77 000 people who live here. It doesn't say in the article I read, but I will guess Troisdorf is a bedroom community with many of the workers travelling to Cologne or Bonn to work. 

On this card it translate to "Harz Narrow Gauge Railway." Harz Narrow Gauge Railways (HSB) is a railway company that operates a 1000 mm gauge network in the Harz Mountains, in central Germany. It mostly employs 1950s vintage 2-10-2 tank locomotives, hauling traditional open platform bogie carriages. It employs 249 people. 

This card is from a beach on the North Sea, where the sender and her family will be travelling for their three week holiday. I hope they had a good time!

I'm not sure if this is St. Peter Church in Waltrop or not. If it is, Waltrop developed around the parish church of St. Peter in the 9th/10th century. It was a coal mining town starting in 1905, but both mines closed in 1979 and 1992. 

Nice birthday wishes from Cologne.

The sender says that Wangerooge is a place they like to holiday at. Wangerooge is one of the 32 Friseian Islands in the North Sea. Wangerooge is the easternmost and smallest of the inhabited islands. There are 1055 residents, however that can balloon to 7000 during the day in the summer. Cars are prohibited on the island. The sender also asks if I had ever heard of Papa Moll, which I have (2550 - Switzerland).

Wuppertal is home to Barmer TV. This women's basketball team is Wuppertal's most successful club They are 11 time German champions and 12 time German Cup winners. Between 1993 and 2002, Barmer TV won the double (German champions and German Cup) ten consecutive times. In 1996 they won the European Cup - the first and only time to date a German club has won it.  In 2002, the club withdrew from the Bundesliga due to financial troubles. The continued to play in amateur divisions until 2014, when they returned to the second-tier 2nd Bundesliga North. 

The card comes from a series entitled, Deutschland von oben (Germany from Above).  This is a great photo of the Cologne Cathedral. The card reads, Cologne Cathedral: the city's landmark is also Germany's finest example of High Gothic church architecture. Although the foundation stone was laid as long ago as 1248, the Cathedral was not completed until 1880.

This is a Postcrossing Meetup card. It looks like they had a good turn out with about 15 ink stamps on the back. 

Ralph Waldo Emerson was an American essayist, lecturer, philosopher, minister, abolitionist, and poet. He was seen as a champion of individualism and critical thinking, as well as a critic of conformity.  Here is his poem Concord Hymn: By the rude bridge that arched the flood,     Their flag to April’s breeze unfurled, Here once the embattled farmers stood,     And fired the shot heard round the world. The foe long since in silence slept;     Alike the conqueror silent sleeps; And Time the ruined bridge has swept     Down the dark stream which seaward creeps. On this green bank, by this soft stream,     We set to-day a votive stone; That memory may their deed redeem,     When, like our sires, our sons are gone. Spirit, that made those heroes dare     To die, and leave their children free, Bid Time and Nature gently spare    ...

A great tourist card of several places in  Münster.  Münster   is a city in north west Germany.  Münster  was the site of an Anabaptist rebellion, led by John of Leiden, in 1534. After capturing  Münster, a proto-socialistic state was founded. It claimed all property, burned all books except for the Bible, and re-named  Münster  to "New Jerusalem." John of Leiden believed he would lead the sect from  Münster  to capture the entire world and purify it of evil with the sword in preparation for the Second Coming of Christ. The town was recaptured in 1535 and the Anabaptists were tortured to death. Their corpses were exhibited in metal baskets, which can still be seen hanging from the tower of St. Lambert's Church.