Chinese Palace, Oranienbaum - Personal Residence of Catherine II of Russia

 

This, in my eyes, exceptionally beautiful postcard shows the Chinese Palace within the compound of the Russian royal residence of Oranienbaum, west of Saint Petersburg, at the Gulf of Finland.

It was built in 1762 to 1768 in Italian style and originally there was just one floor. In 19th century new features were added as well as a second floor. It was known at first as "Dutch House" but due to lots of decorations and works of art from China is acquired its current name.

I just love the colours and the reflections in the lake.

Oranienbaum is part of the UNESCO World Heritage Site: Historical Centre of the town of Lomonosov Including the Palace and Park Ensemble of the Upper Park and Lower Garden.

Thank you very much for this true beauty, Julia Kazachinskaya !!!

Oreshek Fortress (Shlisselburg), Russia

Oreshek Fortress or Shlisselburg is located on an island in Ladoga Lake, not far from St. Petersburg. It was built by Grand Prince Yuri of Moscow on behalf of the Novgorod Republic in 1323 and has served as a Russian forpost in this area for century. The original structure was made from wood and finally changed to stone in 1352. Over the centuries the fortress was often attacked and besieged, demolished, rebuilt and  fortified. For a while it was under Swedish rule and in World War II a contingent of 350 Russian soldiers held the fort against the advancing German troops for 500 days, cutting the last transit route from Leningrad to the mainland. Thus the food and provisions never reached the front and remained under Russian control. The German troops heavily damaged the fortress but were never able to conquer it. Only 6 of the original 10 towers survived the siege, which was finally lifted in January 1943.
Both the island with fortress as well as the town of Shlisselburg are part of the UNESCO site Historic Centre of Saint Petersburg and Related Group of Monuments (1990)
Thank you Natalia for this wonderful postcard !!

Kolyvanskoye Lake, Golden Mountains of Altay, Russian Federation (UNESCO)

Beautiful Kolyvanskoye lake in the Golden Mountains of Altay, a massive mountain range in Siberia. The name Altay comes from the Mongolian word "Altan" which translates as Golden. They are among nature's most marvellous gems, rich in diversity and beauty. The Altay covers an area of 845.000 square kilometers.
Thank you Vera for this beautiful card!!

Emperor Nicholas II of Russia wth Alice (Alix) of Hesse and by Rhine, Russia

Beautiful addition for my Royalty collection. The card shows the future Emperor of Russia, Nicholas II with his bride Princess Alice (also known as Alix) of Hesse and by Rhine. Nicholas was the last of the Russian emperors. He ascended the throne in November 1894, his coronation took place in May 1896. He ruled his vast country until his abdication in March 1917, following the February Revolution. In July 1918 he and his whole family were murdered by the Bolsheviks.
His wife, German born Princess Alix of Hesse and by Rhine, was a granddaughter of  Queen Victoria. After converting to the Russian Orthodox belief, she received the name Alexandra Feodorovna.
In 2000 Nicholas, his wife and children were canonized by the Russian Orthodox Church as Saints, henceforth known as Saint Nicholas II and Saint Alexandra the Passion Bearers.
Thank you Mikhail for this fantastic postcard with a matching Royalty stamp :)

Kazan Kreml, Russia (UNESCO)

This beautiful postcard sent by Irina shows the Kazan Kremlin, built by command of Ivan the Terrible on the ruins of the castle of the Kazan Khans. It is the chief historic castle of Tartastan. It includes several buildings, one of them the Annunciation Chapel.
The Kazan Kremlin was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2000.

Lena Pillars Nature Park, Russia (UNESCO)

This very impressive rock formation can be found in Siberia along the river Lean, hence the name Lena Pillars. The wall is 150 - 300 meters high. The site was inscribed into the UNESCO List in 2012.
Thank you very much Irina for sending this great card !!!

Russian UNESCO Sites

An official Postcrossing card that really made me happy. Julia picked it from my Flickr Favourites. It shows the Russian UNESCO sites, perfect for my UNESCO collection.
Thanks a lot Julia !!!

Valentina Tereshkova, first female Cosmonaut, Russia

This card definitely is a favourite ! It arrived here for the Postcrossing April 50 RR sent by Svetlana (Svettok).
It shows the first female Russian cosmonaut Valentina Tereshkova, with matching stamps. She piloted Vostok 6, which was launched into space on June 16, 1963 and flew 48 orbits in almost 3 days.

St. Nicholas Naval Cathedral, St. Petersburg, Russia (UNESCO)

Really awesome bird's eye view of the St. Nicholas Naval Cathedral in St. Petersburg, a huge baroque Orthodox cathedral in the western part of the city, and part of the UNESCO World Heritage List.
Inside there are numerous plaques commemorating the fallen sailors of sunken Russian ships and submarines. Plaques for the crew of the submarine Kursk, which was destroyed by two major explosions in August 2000 during a naval exercise, killing all 118 personnel, were also added.
I received this card from SixthSense for the Postcrossing Favourites Tag.

Czar Alexander III of Russia

I received this portrait of Czar Alexander III  as an official Postcrossing card by Irina. Alexander III was crowned in the Moscow Kremlin on May 27, 1883. During his reign Russia fought no major wars and so he was styled Alexander the Peacemaker.

St. Petersburg, Church of the Resurrection of Christ, Russia (UNESCO)

Alisa sent me this great card with a winter view of the beautiful Church of the Resurrection of Christ in Saint Petersburg for the Postcrossing Favourites Tag.
The church was built on the same place where Czar Alexander II was fatally wounded in 1881. Which explains the official name of the church "Church of the Saviour on Spilled Blood".

St. Petersburg, Russia

A beautiful view of Palace Bridge and Admirality Embankment in St. Petersburg. The city was founded by Czar Peter the Great in 1703 and was the capital city of the country for 2 periods of time in the 18th century before the government moved to Moscow.
The historic center of St. Petersburg was inscribed into the UNESCO World Heritage List in 1990.
The card was send as official Postcrossing card.

Cathedral of Christ the Saviour, Moscow, Russia

Beautiful view of the Cathedral of Christ the Saviour in Moscow, sent by Taja for the Postcrossing Favourites Tag.
It is the talles Orthodox Christian church in the world with a height of 103 meters. It is the second church built in this place, the first one was erected in the 19th century and it took 40 years to be completed. It was destroyed in 1931 during the Stalin rule. The new one, as seen on the postcard, was consecrated in August 2000.

Curonian Spit (Neringa), Lithuania / Russia (UNESCO)

Great addition to my UNESCO World Heritage Collection. The Curonian Spit is a sand dune peninsula that separates the Curonian Lagoon from the Baltic Sea Coast. It was inscribed into the UNESCO List in 2000.
This card was sent by Vilma for a Postcrossing Round Robin.

The Russian Federation, Mapcard, Russa

Welcome addition to my mapcard collection. It arrived here as an official Postcrossing Card (RU-1871605)

Sochi Harbour building, Russia

This beautiful postcard arrived here as an official Postcrossing card sent by Maria. (RU-19479470)
It shows the harbour building in Sochi, city of the 2014 Olympic Winter Games. The port was modernized for the Olympic games and new berths were added. Now the port is able to admit cruise ships of more than 300m length.

Historic Moscow, Russia

A historic street scene in Moscow, the card does not say what year the picture was taken. It was sent by Irina for the WiP Letter O Swap,  O for Old.

Spasskaya Tower, Moscow, Russia (UNESCO)

Beautiful winter view of the Spasskaya Tower of the Moscow Kremlin. It was built by an Italian architect in 1491 and originally was crowned by the two headed eagle of the Russian coat of arms, but the Soviet government had it replaced with a red star in 1935.
The Spasskaya Tower is part of the Kremlin and thus a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The Kremlin and Red Square were inscribed into the UNESCO list in 1990.
The postcard was sent by Tina for the Postcrossing Favourites Tag.

Lighthouse, Bolshoy Utrich, Russia

This is an official Postcrossing card, RU-1434753, sent by Katya. It shows the Lighthouse and the tip of the churchtower in Bolshoy Utrich in southern Russia.

Dormition Cathedral (Assumption Cathedral), Moscow Kremlin, Russia (UNESCO)

The breathtaking interior of the Assumption Cathedral in Moscow, a Russian Orthodox cathedral dedicated to the Dormition of the Theotokos. It was built in the late 15th century and from 1547 til 1896 the Russian monarchs were crowned here. It is also the burial site for most metropolitans and patriarchs of Moscow.
The card was sent by Maria (raima) for the  Postcrossing Favourites Tag.