BELGIUM ~ Belgian Coast - Ostend & Nieuwpoort ~

... Two beautiful postcards sent by my nephew and his girlfriend from our Belgian coast on the North Sea💙... there many resorts along the 65km coastline, with beautiful nature reserves and expansive dunes separating them... visited by many day-trippers heading to the beaches, especially during July and August... I love it more in Autumn🍁 or Winter❄...  then you can make nice long walks with the endlessness of the sea at the background and have the beach almost all to yourself... with two newly released lovely stamps from the "Happy Winter" series... Hééél Erg Bedankt Ben en Loes!! (✿ ♥‿♥)

Ostend is the largest coastal city on the Belgian coast located in the province of West Flanders. It lies along the North Sea at the end of the Ghent-Brugge Canal. Landmarks include the Vismijn, or Minque (fish market), the 3-mile (5-km) Digue (promenade), the Kursaal (casino), the Chalet Royal, the Thermal Institute (for hydropathic and electrotherapeutic treatment), and the racecourse.

Stamp:

Happy Winter
(Issued 22-10-2018)

Completely destroyed during WWI, Nieuwpoort  is a fishing village renowned for its seafood. This is where the German invasion was brought to a halt, thanks to the flooding of the plain between the sea and the River Ijzer (Ypres).

The marina of Nieuwpoort with its 3 yacht clubs and about 2000 berths is the largest marina in Northern Europe. This beautiful marina is located at the end of the ‘Havengeul’ where you can walk along the IJzer until you reach Nieuwpoort-city.

Stamp:

Happy Winter
(Issued 22-10-2018)

BELGIUM ~ Bruges ~

...Always a pleasure to show beautiful places of my own country ツ... one of the best preserved medieval cities in Europe... a step back in time... Bruges is called the "Venice of the North" due to its picturesque canals which are found throughout the city... so, no trip to to the city  is complete without some sort of boat excursion... with great special first day postmark... Big Thanks Johan!!【ツ】

Bruges is the capital and largest city of the province of West Flanders in the Flemish Region of Belgium known for its canals, cobbled streets and medieval buildings.

Founded by the Vikings in the 9thC (although there is evidence of settlement during the Iron Age). The city rose, holding prominence for centuries but by the end of the 16thC, Bruges no longer held great power and by the middle of the 1800s, the city languished.

Its port, Zeebrugge, is an important center for fishing and European trade.

The historic city center was added to Unesco’s World Heritage List in 2000.


Photo:© Christophe Potigny


Stamp:

Prehistoric Animals
(Issued 27-09-2018)

 

BELGIUM ~ Verviers ~

... Lovely views of Verviers, also called "the city of Water"...  with an industrial past that links to "soft gold" (wool) and to "blue gold" (water)... situated in a rich rural region with countryside, wooded parks, pedestrian riverbanks, walks and cycle routes... today this daughter of the Vesdre river possesses a modern status of “ville d’eau” (water town) thanks in particular to its new 4 km route “Parcours des Fontaines” (Route of the Fountains)... Thanks Christian!!【ツ】

Verviers is a Walloon town located in the Vesdre Valley in the Belgian province of Liège, halfway between Liège and the German border.


The seats of the two Walloon public institutions for water distribution and water treatment are located in the town.





Views:
"Vesdre River - Monument de Victory - Park of Harmony - City Hall."

Stamp:

Sunsets
(Issued 11-06-2018)

BELGIUM ~ AfricaMuseum - Tervuren ~

... Lovely Belgian postcard nr2... this museum is a magnificent building set in beautiful large park... as of November 2013, the museum is closed for renovation work (including the construction of new exhibition space) which is expected to last until December 2018 when the museum will reopen.... the former name "Royal Museum for Central Africa" will be changed in "AfricaMuseum"... spending 66 million euro ($90 million) to modernize the museum and put a new eye on Belgium's brut colonial past☹... with beautiful extra large new stamp issue and special first day postmark... Héééél erg bedankt Johan voor alweer leuke verrassingen in mijn brievenbus!!(✿ ♥‿♥)

The Africa Museum, is an ethnography and natural history museum situated in Tervuren in Flemish Brabant. It was first built to showcase King Leopold II's Congo Free State in the 1897 World Exhibition.

The new museum started construction in 1904 in neoclassical "palace" architecture. It was officially opened by King Albert I in 1910 and named the Museum of the Belgian Congo (Musée du Congo Belge or Museum van Belgisch-Kongo).

In 1960, following the independence of the Congo, the museum's name was changed to its current title: the Royal Museum for Central Africa.

Two thirds of the staff and the budget of the AfricaMuseum are dedicated to scientific research. The museum plays a crucial role in numerous international projects and networks to which it contributes expertise and specialized knowledge. RMCA scientists write over 300 scientific publications a year.

Stamp:

Royal Museum for Central Africa - AfricaMuseum
(Isssued 11-06-2018)

BELGIUM ~ Town Hall - Overijse ~

... Always nice to show my own country here... first one is a view of Overijse... a town surrounded by an extensive woodlands " het Zoniënwoud", with many walk- and bicycle paths... also once well-known for their delicious grapes growing in glass-houses... but since the 1960s, table grape production has been disappearing in Flanders... only a few ambitious domestic gardeners have maintained the vines as amateurs.... with nice "postman" stamp and special day postmark of TBC Post... the only private Post in Belgium operating for over 30 years now... they seem to use "blue postboxes" but I've never seen one in my neighbourhood... and I wouldn't even know where to get their stamps... Big Thanks Johan!!【ツ】

The city of Overijse is included to the region Flanders and to the province Flemish Brabant, the dutch speaking part of Belgium. The municipality comprises the town of Overijse, and the communities of Eizer, Maleizen, Jezus-Eik, Tombeek and Terlanen.

Statue of Justus Lipsius, a famous humanist and professor in Leuven. (born in Overijse in 1547).

Stamp:

 ?????

BELGIUM ~ Peter Paul Rubens Self Portrait - Rubens House - Antwerp ~

... First of two great Belgian postcards... both with newly released stamps and beautiful special first day postmarks...  lovely view of one of the few self-portraits he left us... Rubens painted only four... can be seen in the Rubens House museum...  here is where Rubens, one of the greatest artists ever, once lived with his wife and children and died in 1640...  it is also where he worked, together with his assistants, in his majestic studio and also kept his incomparable art collection...  one of Antwerp’s many and interesting and unique museums... in 2018, Peter Paul Rubens is honored as one of the great inspirators of Baroque painting by Bpost with a miniature sheet with five stamps... Thanks so much  Johan for this special and unique philatelic item!!【ツ】...matching postcard, stamp and cancellation👍 !!

This self-portrait in the Rubens House is the most informal of the four. He probably also intended this work to be used in the studio, as a model that his assistants could copy. This self-portrait is traditionally dated around 1630, the year in which Rubens wed Helena Fourment. The painter was 53 years old at the time.

In 1610, Rubens purchased a house with land along Wapper in Antwerp. He drew the plans himself for its extension, which fulfilled the wishes of the artist, businessman, family man and art collector that he was.


After Rubens died, the house underwent a number of changes before rising again as the Rubens House, the home of and museum about the Baroque master painter, Peter Paul Rubens.


© Musea en Erfgoed, Antwerpen

Stamp:

Peter Paul Rubens
(Issued 12-03-2018)

BELGIUM ~ Street Art - Louvain-La-Neuve ~

... Colorful postcard nr2... Street Art becomes Stamp art.... the Kosmopolite Art Tour is an international graffiti festival that aims to promote the richness and diversity of Street Art... Bpost released a set of stamps dedicated to street art... this stamp issue gives a beautiful overview of the creativity and variety of Street Art in Belgium.. with also a special postmark... Thanks once more Johan ✿◕ ‿ ◕✿... especially because I couldn't go myself this time!!→ http://johanpostcards.blogspot.be/

Louvain-La-Neuve is located in the heart of the young Walloon province of Brabant.

The Kosmopolite Art Tour is an urban arts festival born in Bagnolet in 2002. It took place in Brussels, Amsterdam, Jakarta, Sao Paulo among others.

The event took place in various strategic locations: the train station, the Place des Wallons, the Central Ring,

Each edition brings together over fifty international street artists around common murals, workshops and exhibitions.




© Office du Tourisme Inforville

Stamp:

Street Art
(Issued 12-03-2018)

BELGIUM ~ 60th Anniversary of The Smurfs ~

... Lovely postcard nr1... both with the first newly released stamps of 2018... with great special stamp postmarkツ... this one shows one more of Belgium's famous cartoons... Bpost had issued new Smurf stamps to celebrate the 60th anniversary of these sweet little blue dwarfs, featuring 5 of the main characters... I loved to read the Smurf comic albums as a kid, I grew up with them.... and I still love them♥... Thanks a lot Johan!! (✿◠‿◠)

The Smurfs  is a Belgian comic series, created by cartoonist Peyo (pen name of Pierre Culliford). The titular creatures were introduced as supporting characters in an already established series, Johan and Peewit in 1958, and starred in their own series from 1959.

These creatures, which later became the Smurfs, were such a hit that they got their own comic series.

Thirty-one Smurf comic albums have been created, 16 of them by Peyo.

Stamp:

Smurfs
(Issued 29-01-2018)

BELGIUM ~ Beers - UNESCO ~

... Great postcard nr 2... showing one of our most famous products and part of our culture for centuries... we are known for producing some of the world's best beer... with a wide array of tastes... from extremely sour to bitter... brewed in numerous cities, towns and villages... almost every style of beer has its own uniquely shaped glass... with nice stamp and special unique postmark...Thanks once more Johan!!【ツ】

ⒸUitg. Thill, N.V.,Brussel Belgium makes over 1500 different beers and has more than 160 breweries. The beer’s history stretches back centuries to medieval monks and has been celebrated in paintings by Pieter Brueghel the Elder.

A few Belgian beers are Stella Artois, Hoegaarden and Leffe and the Trappist beers (Chimay, Rochefort, Westmalle, etc.) Beer is also used widely by cooking and producing products like beer-washed cheese.

UNESCO has listed Belgium's beer culture among the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity in 2016.


Stamp:

Belgian Beer culture
(Issued 29-01-2018)

BELGIUM ~ Christmas Greetings ~

... With Christmas around the corner its time to post a few lovely season's greetings cards 🦌 ⛄ ⛪ ... matching stamp and great first day postmark... Thanks a lot Johan!! (✿ ♥‿♥) ➞  Johan postcards

Stamp:

Christmas
(Issued 23-10-2017)

BELGIUM ~The Royal Museum of Central Africa - Mwanaphwo Mask ~

... This impressive " Mwanaphwo" mask is from the African Museum collection... on 1 December 2013 the museum closed its doors for a three-year renovation period.... when the museum reopens next year, it will have drastically changed in appearance... .I've been there once, on a schooltrip, a very long time ago... I hope to visit it again next year... Belgian post issued a souvenir sheet "Masks of Tervuren" from the Democratic Republic of Congo with 5 large stamps dedicated to this museum... with great special postmark... Héééél erg bedankt Johan voor alweer een leuke verrassing in mijn brievenbus!! (✿ ♥‿♥)

The Royal Museum for Central Africa is an ethnographical and natural history museum in Tervuren, near Brussels. It was first built to showcase King Leopold II's Congo Free State for the 1897 World Exhibition.

It houses collections unique in the world, in particular 180,000 ethnographic objects including many masks.

Mwanaphwo literally means "young woman." Masks like this depict an archetypal ancestral personality who died at a young age. The mask's eyes are rendered as narrow slits, indicative of a dead person. Only male dancers wear these masks; women never do. The masks are used in village performances for boys' initiation, or "coming of age," ceremonies. Such masks also symbolize the prominence women enjoy in the Chokwe's matrilineal society.

ⒸAfrica Museum - Photo: R. Asselberghs

Stamp:

Royal Museum for Central Africa - Tervuren Masks
(Issued 23-10-2017)

BELGIUM ~ Victor Horta atelier & museum - Brussels - UNESCO

... Great Brussels postcard nr2... most of them are private properties except one, the Victor Horta museum... he designed some of the country’s most iconic buildings... like many in Brussels, the house is tall and slim, but Horta’s mastery of architecture and design created a unique residential experience... an illustration of Horta’s amazing talents.... with another lovely comic Lucky Luke stamp...  sadly without postmark☹... this happens so often when posted in any mailbox here... that's why I almost always go the postoffice itself to ask for a cancellation...Thanks once more Dustin♥!! Hope you enjoyed your stay in Belgium!! ✿◕ ‿ ◕✿➟ My postcard and stamp week

Victor Horta was born in Ghent and lived between 1861 and 1947. He was one of the most prominent designer in the Art Nouveau-movement, a new decorative style that developed in the late 19th century.

The site consists of four houses: Hôtel Tassel, Hôtel Solvay, Hôtel van Eetvelde, and Maison & Atelier Horta.

Characteristics are  the use of industrial materials like steel and iron in the visible parts of houses, new decorations inspired by nature, decorative facades of houses. Most of these principles can be seen in the house that Victor Horta built for himself in the late 1890's. This house now is a museum.

Along with three of Horta’s other townhouses in Brussels, it was recognized as a UNESCO World Heritage site in 2001.

© Photo Bastin & Evrard

Stamp:

Comics - Lucky Luke
(Issued 13-04-2015)

BELGIUM ~ The Belgian Centre for Comic Strip Art - Brussels ~

... First of two really nice surprises... sent by my German postcard friend Dustin who was visiting our capital Brusselsツ... we have over 700 comic strip authors... the museum library houses probably the biggest collection of comic strips in the world ... it's one of the major tourist attractions of Brussels and welcomes more than 200.000 visitors each year... the most famous comic strip is Tintin by Hergé... the postcard shows the rocket ship that took the young reporter Tintin and his friends Professor Calculus and Captain Haddock to the moon in "Destination Moon" the 16th album of the Adventures of Tintin series... with cute matching comic stamp...Thanks a lot Dustin!!【ツ】

The museum is located in the heart of  Brussels in a stylish Art Nouveau building designed by the famous Victor Horta (1906). The Center was inaugurated by HM the King and HM the Queen on 3 October 1989.

The Comics Art Museum has been honouring the creators and heroes of the 9th Art for more than 25 years on 4.200 m² of museum floors.

It exhibits the works of some of the greatest Belgian masters of the art, from Hergé (the author of TinTin), Peyo (the Smurfs) Franquin (Spirou, Gaston, Marsoupilami) Willy Vandersteen (Bob et Bobette)  Marc Sleen (The Adventures of Nero)  Bob de Moor and Morris (Lucky Luke).



©Photo Plaizier

Stamp:

Comics - Lucky Luke
(Issued 13-04-2015)

BELGIUM ~ European Parliament - Brussels ~

... View of the Plenary Hall in the European Parliament, which hosts meetings of deputies... a visit is a great way to see how the world’s largest transnational parliament works and find out about its role and powers...  they are organized for both individuals and groups free of charge...Thanks a lot Johan!!ヽ(ヅ)ノ

The European Parliament (EP) represents the citizens of the European Union, with members (MEPs) from each member state roughly approximate to their share of EU population (about 508 million). EU citizens elect representatives in direct elections, just like in a domestic setting.

Currently the European Parliament is based both in Brussels as well as in Strasbourg. The home of the Parliament is in Brussels, together with the other key EU bodies - the European Commission and the European Council.

Stamp:

Machine label

BELGIUM ~ Gembloux Abbey ~

... Beautiful postcard nr 2 with many nice views of the abbye from dear postcard friend Johan... the largest Neoclassical abbey building in the Benelux, and one of the biggest in northern Europe... with wonderful stamp and a bit "blurry"o͜͡o special postmark of the newly released  stamp sheet "Sea Life in danger"... couldn't visit the event myself... Thanks so much Johan!!【ツ】➞johan postcards

Photos: A. Gillet - M. Clève
Gembloux  was founded in 936 by Saint Guibert, along with a benedictine abbey, dedicated to Saint Peter and the martyr Saint Exuperius. In 954 the Hungarians threatened to pillage the monastery. Guibert not only saved it from harm but also converted some Hungarians to Christianity. On 23 May 962, Guibert died at Gorze and his remains were brought for burial to Gembloux.

The abbey, last rebuilt in the 18th C now houses a renowned College of Agronomical Sciences (established in 1860).

Stamp:

Sealife in danger
(Issued 21-08-2017)

BELGIUM ~ Gembloux ~

...First of two great Belgian postcards coming from the French speaking part of my country... both with newly released stamps and special first day postmarks... with nice views of the city where the event was held... Thanks a lot Johan for this unique item!! (✿ ♥‿♥)




Gembloux is a Walloon city  located in the Belgian province of Namur.

The town grew around the Gembloux Abbey, founded in the 10C. In the vicinity of the town, in 1578, the Battle of Gembloux was fought during the Eighty Years' War.

 In May 1940 the Battle of Hannut and the Battle of the Gembloux Gap took place nearby, tank battles during the larger Battle of France.


Gembloux's belfry belongs to the set of belfries of Belgium and France inscribed on UNESCO's World Heritage List in 2005. (first picture)

Stamp:

Train design
(Issued 21-08-2017)

BELGIUM ~ Spa - The Pouhon Pierre le Grand Monument ~

... Always a pleasure showing my own country... Spa is located in the beautiful lush forests of our Belgian Ardennes... the original town of Spa, from which spa centres all over the world took their name, boasts Europe's oldest health resort... the term ‘spa’ has come to mean any place having a natural water source that has healthy properties... must admit been only once the Tourist Office ( just for buying postcards; ofcourseッ) but never visited the "Spa Experience"... maybe something for this summer... Thanks for the lovely surprise Arnaud!! ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ He used nice old Belgian franc-denominated stamps ...

This monument  in the shape of a large octagonal kiosk was designed by the architect Victor Besme. The "Pouhon Pierre le Grand" dates back to 1880 and houses the largest spring in Spa, along with the town's Tourist Office.

It also offers you the "Spa Experience", a 360° film. You will be able to join migrating birds as they fly over the Fens, participate in the Spa 24 Hours race on the most beautiful race track in the world or even take part in Stavelot Carnival. The virtual reality makes you feel like you are there.

In the 16th century, only a humble niche housed the spring that flowed there. It owed its name to tsar Peter the Great, who was staying in Spa, on spa therapy, during the summer of 1717. Delighted by the results of his treatment, he had a black marble stele placed. A vaste canvas is hung up in the Pouhon's great hall, called the "Livre d'Or de la ville de Spa" by Antoine Fontaine (1894), which shows 96 illustrious figures who are staying in Spa, among which tsar Peter the Great, Offenbach, Marie-Henriette, Emperor Joseph II of Austria, Wellington, John Cockerill, Victor Hugo and Montaigne.

Stamp:

Birds
(01-04-1992)

The 25th Anniversary of King Baudouins Regency
(26-06-1976)

BELGIUM ~ Antwerp ~

... And beautiful card nr3 showing the city's most famous landmarks... world renowned for being the "world's leading diamond city" (more than 70% of all diamonds are traded here) and its fashion industry... with great EUROPA stamp and first day postmark... it shows a sand castle based on existing Belgian castles with a sandgrain effect by applying a varnish with a sand texture... Thanks a lot Johan!! ¯\_(ツ)_/¯  http://johanpostcards.blogspot.be/

Photo: Tony Gonzalez (Toerisme Antwerpen)
Antwerp is  is the second largest city of Belgium on the River Scheldt, linked to the North Sea by the Westerschelde estuary. The port of Antwerp is the second largest in Europe, and a major economic player in Belgium.

Peter Paul Rubens Statue in front of Antwerp Cathedral. The 17thC artist Peter Paul Rubens was a Flemish Baroque painter.  He is well-known for his Counter-Reformation altarpieces, portraits, landscapes, and history paintings of mythological and allegorical subjects.

Stamp:

EUROPA 2017 - Castles
(Issued 12-06-2017)

BELGIUM ~ Eddy Merckx - Road and track bicycle racer ~

... Great postcard nr2... cycle racing is one of the most popular sports in my country... the greatest cycle races take place here, especially in road bicycle racing ... view of Eddy Merckx nicknamed "the Cannibal" in the yellow jersey in the Tour de France... the Belgian obsession with cycling may have begun with him... having won the Tour de Fance five times, Merckx was one of the best racers ever in Belgium or anywhere else... with beautiful stamp of a sheet of 10 depecting all our Tour de France winners... love the special postmark too♥... Big Thanks Johan ❀◕ ‿ ◕❀ ➞ Johan postcards

Édouard Louis Joseph, baron Merckx (born 17 June 1945), better known as Eddy Merckx, is a Belgian former professional road and track bicycle racer.

 During his career from 1965 to 1978, the Belgian won 525 races. He is still the joint record holder for the number of Tour de France overall victories (five). He has undisputedly won the most Tour de France stages (34), the most Grand Tours (11) and the most Grand Tour stages (64).

He has won the most Monuments (19) including seven victories at Milan-San Remo. He broke the Hour Record. He was the first rider to achieve the Triple Crown of Cycling — victory in the Tour, Giro d’Italia and World Championships in one season — and only one other rider, Stephen Roche, has done so since.

Stamp:

The 10 Belgian Tour winners - Lucien van Impe
(Issued 12-06-2017)

BELGIUM ~ Grand Place - UNESCO ~

... First of three great postcards with Belgium's newest released stamps and first day postmark... this square is considered to be one of the most beautiful town squares in Europe... an absolute must when visiting Brusselsシ... with nice stamp and postmark about Belgian medical breakthroughs...Heel erg bedankt Johan !! \_(♥‿♥)_/

The Grand Place or Grote Markt is the central square of Brussels. It is surrounded by opulent guildhalls and two larger edifices, the city's Town Hall, and the Breadhouse building containing the Museum of the City of Brussels. Most of the historic buildings are dating from the 17th century.

The Grand-Place of Brussels was registered on the World Heritage List of the UNESCO in 1998.

Stamp:

Medical Breakthroughs
Adolphe Guetelet: Body Mass Index (BMI)
(Issued 12-06-2017)