POSTCARD N.56 - Germany

Postcrossing postcard sent on the 5th December; received on the 11th January
Postcard image: Night view of the Monument to the Battle of the Nations
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Leipzig... the city of Bach, I always thought I would have to go there someday, to Thomaskirche, to pay my respects and homage to someone who has given us so many reasons for wonderment and sheer happiness, be it through the exposed nakedness of  single instrument works or the phenomenal complexity  of multi chorus and orchestra oratorios. Our lives would be much different... for the worse.. if not for his music and his supreme legacy .

And that was all I knew of Leipzig... until now, that is! Thank you Hannelore! you have given me another reason to go and visit your city.

The monument to the Battle of the Nations... Wikipedia says it was built on the site of the Leipzig battle of 1813, when Napoleon's army  was defeated in what would be the largest European battle  before the 1st world war. In its aftermath, the allied nations of the sixth coalition (my own country was also part of it) would drive Napoleon out of Germany, forcing him into exile in the Island of Elba.

An extraordinary battle, would be remembered by an extraordinary landmark and so the city of Leipzing decided to build the tallest monument in Europe, standing 91 metres tall, to commemorate the centenary of the Battle, in 1913.

Modernism was the norm by then and the sculptures included in the immense structure to my eyes clearly evoke the geometric yet fluid lines of art noveau and art déco so representative of the beginning of the 20th century. 

The monument sits at the edge of a large pool that has the ability to reflect its image, what must make for an even more impressive sight, but this I'll have to confirm in loco... sometime in the future....hopefully...

Hannelore used the 0,95€ stamp issued on 01JUL2019, as part of the long standing definitive emission started in 2005 themed on wild flowers. it shows a cornflower (Centaurea sp.) 

The machine applied postmark indicates that the postcard was processed via Briefzentrum 04, serving the city of Leipzig.

Image credit: Deutsche Post

The vignette on the postmark  "Gemeinsam Gegen Corona sich selbst und andere Scützen..." (Together against Corona, protect yourself and the others...) began to be machine applied on correspondence in Germany on the 1st June 2021.