The Abbey of Saint Gall | Switzerland

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The Abbey of Saint Gall is a Roman Catholic religious complex in the city of St. Gallen in Switzerland.

Its library is one of the richest and oldest in the world and contains precious manuscripts such as the earliest-known architectural plan drawn on parchment.

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Benedictine Convent of St John | Switzerland

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The Benedictine Convent of St John at Müstair is located in a valley in the extreme south-eastern part of Switzerland. Religious activities have continued uninterrupted from its founding in 775 until present day.

It has Switzerland's greatest series of figurative murals along with Romanesque frescoes and stuccoes, dating back 1200 years. The convent is a UNESCO World Heritage site.

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La-Chaux-de-Fonds | Switzerland

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La Chaux-de-Fonds is a Swiss city located high in the Jura mountains, a few kilometres south of the French border.

The city is part of the UNESCO World Heritage site inscribed under the name “La Chaux-de-Fonds / Le Locle, Watchmaking Town Planning”. Both towns depend(ed) solely on the watch making industry. 

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Abbey Library of Saint Gall | Switzerland

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The Abbey of Saint Gall is a Roman Catholic religious complex in the Swiss city of St. Gallen. 

The library at the Abbey is one of the richest medieval libraries in the world.

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Jungfrau Railway | Switzerland

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With 4,158 metres Jungfrau is one of the highest mountain peaks in Switzerland. The Jungfrau Railway went into service in 1912. The railway travels to the highest railway station in Europe, located 3,454 meters above sea level.

The Jungfrau is part of the Jungfrau-Aletsch area, which was declared a World Heritage Site in 2001.

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Glarner Hauptüberschiebung | Switzerland

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Glarner Hauptüberschiebung is a major thrust fault in the Alps of eastern Switzerland. It is part of the UNESCO World Heritage site inscribed under the name ‘ Swiss Tectonic Arena Sardona’.

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Mainau Island | Germany

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Mainau is a small island in Lake Constance (Bodensee in German) in the most Southern part of Germany. The island is known for its parks and gardens and a 13th century baroque palace.

 

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Mainau is a German island but the card was actually sent from Switzerland. Normally I only like ‘sent from country of origin’ but this time the exception proves the rule.

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Lavaux Vineyard Terraces, Switzerland

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The Lavaux is a region in the canton of Vaud in Switzerland. The Lavaux consist of 830 hectares of terraced wineyards that stretch for about 30 km along the south-facing northern shores of Lake Geneva.

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Europa 2013 stamp: The Postman’s Van 

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The Bernina Express, Switzerland

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The Bernina Express is a train connecting Switzerland with Italy by crossing the Swiss Alps. For most of its journey, the train also passes along and through the World Heritage Site known as the Rhaetian Railway.

With its 196 bridges and viaducts, 55 tunnels and 128 km of track, the railway is a miracle of technology – an achievement that, even a hundred years after it was built, continues to fascinate. It is the highest altitude transalpine railway in Europe and one of the steepest adhesion railways in the world.

The postcard pictures Wiesen Viaduct, spanning the Landwasser River. The viaduct is 88 metres (289 ft) high and 204 metres (669 ft) long.

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Vegetable Blossoms – Tomato (issued 2012)

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Bern Switzerland

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In 1848 Bern was chosen by the first Swiss Parliament to be the Federal Capital of Switzerland. In 1983 the historic old town in the centre of Bern became a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

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(left) 700th Anniv of Swiss Confederation.

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Sissach, Switzerland

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Sissach nestles between two forested hills in the densely populated Ergolztal valley. The town combines an urban character with rural surroundings.

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(left) The Dark Green Fritillary (Argynnis aglaja)

(right) From a set of 4 stamps with endangered animals.

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