POSTCARD N.103 - GERMANY

Postcard sent on the 31st March, received on the 6th April 2023

Postcard image: Nördlingen - Die Runde Stadt im Ries - The round city in Ries - aerial view of Saint George church and "Daniel" Tower 
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It has been a while since I last received a postcard, so Alex's last surprise to land in my letterbox was even more welcomed than usual. The more so, since when I started to research the town depicted I realised that this is really an interesting place to visit.... I'll keep a note for it on my "places to visit" checklist. Thanks a lot, Alex!

As it turns out, Nördlingen is round because it sits within the roughly 1 km wide impact crater of a meteorite, something that is not readily perceived from ground level or even from the air. It seems that the settlers who founded it in medieval times just went about building houses according to the orography not realising that in fact they were following a contour line  that would impart their city a characteristic circular expansion area, something that is now clearly visible in any aerial view.

The gothic St. George church in the centre of town (and of my postcard), dates back to the 15th century and is one of the biggest in Southern Germany. Of note is the fact that the stone used for its construction is suevite, a melted rock originated by the meteorite impact.

Nördlingen is located in the Swabia region, in the Free State of Bavaria, and has approximately 20.600 inhabitants.

The 0,95€ stamp is part of the 2 stamp set (0,95€ and 2,70€) issued on 01MAR2021, of the series U-Bahn-Stationen (U-Bahn Stations). It depicts the Übserseequartier Station of the Hamburg U-Bahn.

The Postmark indicates that the card was mailed from Nördlingen 86720, which is actually the post code for Nördlingen's Post Office.