Postcard from Russia no. 4

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Here's a very nice postcard senr from St. Petersburg showing the main sights of the town of Kronshtadt, in Kronshtadtsky District of the federal city of St. Petersburg, located on Kotlin Island, 30 kilometers west of Saint Petersburg. The historic centre of the city and its fortifications are part of the World Heritage Site Saint Petersburg and Related Groups of Monuments. Pop. 43,000.

The 10 rouble stamp (16 Feb 2009) commemorates Grigory Yakovlevich Bahchivandzhi (1909-1943) is the test pilot of scientific research institute of the Air Forces, the Hero of the Soviet Union. Print run: 800,000 - quite a small number, I think, 800,000 copies of a stamp is an average print run of a commemorative here in the much small Czech Republic.

Covers from Russia no. 14 and 15

Two beautiful covers received earlier this week from Yuri in St. Petersburg, with a complete series of 4 stamps dedicated to the decorative art of the Republic of Dagestan in the North Caucasus region (2,5 million inhabitants). The head and scarf decorations and the ornamental dagger date from the late 19th and early 20th centuries (as far as I am able to read with my knowledge of the Russian alphabet...). The postage is complemented by the kremlin definitive self-adhesive stamps from 2009, and animal definitives from 2008.

Both covers contained also these lovely postcards showing the major sights of St. Petersburg: Palace Square and The University Embankment. Thank you very much, Yuri!!

Cover from Russia no. 13

An absolute stunner received a couple of days ago from the city of Tyumen in Russia (Tyumen was the first Russian settlement in Siberia), with the total of 17 stamps...

The first 10.50 ruble self-adhesive stamp is the most recent of them, being issued on 1 December 2010 for the upcoming New Year, and shows a smiling Father Frost. The poodle on the 2-ruble stamp from 2000 has its friends from the same series below (chihuahua - 1 ruble - and toy terrier - 1.50 ruble), accompanied by a shar-pei from 2002 (2 ruble). Back on top we have two horses from a series devoted to native Russian breed (7 November 2007): Orlov trotter and Vladimir breed, followed by a sword and a shield from the collections of the Moscow Kremlin (2006). The paintings show portraits of artists V. L. Borovikovsky and I. I. Shishkin (both 2007). The stamp-on-stamp from 2008 commemorated the 150th anniversary of the first Russian postal stamp. And the stork and the European bison (zubr) were issued in 2007 with the WWF logo.

These two animals are accompanied by a fox a and three hares from the 5th issue of definitive stamps (2008).

Thank you very much, Maria, for this splendid surprise!!

Postcard from Russia no. 3

A great postcard received a couple of days ago from Moscow, showing the lower Katun River and the Aya Lake, part of the Golden Mountains of Altai UNESCO World Heritage Site, located largely in the Altai Republic, Russia, and in Kazakhstan (Central Asia). The great thing is that the self-tenant stamps on the right are related to the Altai mountains too, they show (clockwise) Belukha Mount, Lake Teletskoye and the the River Katun. The set was issued on 18 November 2004 in 200,000 copies. The rest of the postage is covered by a stamp with the coat of arms of the city of Yaroslavl (10.5 roubles). Thank you, Julia!!

Postcard from Russia no. 2

Zvětšit mapu



A beautiful panoramic postcard received in September 2010 from Dalnerechensk, Russia, showing a vista of the city of Vladivostok, the capital of Primorsky Kray in Russian Far East on the Pacific Ocean, the terminus of the Trans-Siberian Railway. In 2010 Vladivostok celebrates the 150th anniversary of its founding, which is also commemorated by the 7.70 rouble stamp with the city's coat of arms (tiger on the rock). The other smaller stamp shows the coat of arms of the city of Yaroslavl (both issued on 27 August 2010), and the large 2 rouble stamp, issued in 2002, shows the portrait of admiral P. S. Nakhimov (1802-1855), who during the Crimean War defeated the Turkish fleet. The small hare definitive is part of the fifth issue of definitive stamps (2008). Thank you, Elena!

Cover from Russia no. 11

A lovely colourful cover received from Yuri, in St. Petersburg, sent on 6 April 2010.

The se-tenant sheet with three 7-ruble stamps and a coupon with verses by Nikolai Gumilev (1886 - 1921) is dedicated to the beauties and importance of forests, and was issued on 12 September 2008.

There also two interesting definitives, a 0.10 ruble hare from the fifth issue of definitive stamps of the Russian Federation (29 August 2008, 15 values) and the self-adhesive Kazan kremlin (from the sixth issue of definitive stamps of the Russian Federation (1 October 2009, 12 values).

Thank you, Yuri!

Cover from Russia no. 10

Another great cover from Alex (Astrakhan)! A complete series of three stamps dedicated to the 50th anniversary of the Russian Research of Antarctica, issued on 26 January 2006, with a map of Antartica and showing the Obj Diesel-electric Ship, the Il-76TD transport aircraft and the research expedition ship “The Academician Feodorov", and the scientific investigations, the under the ice research, the sledge transport train. The letter was sent on 15 January 2010. Thank you, Alex!

Cover from Russia no. 9

Another fine cover from Alex in Astrakhan, Russia, featuring two se-tenant stamps issued on 15 May 2009 to commemorate the 175th anniversary of installation of the hydrometeorogical service in Russia. The left-hand stamps shows the satellite "Meteor-3М" and map of ground temperature forecast, the right-hand stamp a portrait of A.J. Kupfer, academician of the Russian Academy of Sciences, the first head of Hydrometeorological service of Russia, and also meteorological station МК-14.

Below them is this year's Russian contribution the the EUROPA project, with the astronomy stamp representing Terskolsk observatory and an armillary sphere against the background with Ursa Major concellation (issued on 5 May 2009). Thank you, Alex!

Cover from Russia no. 8

Another beauty from Alex, in Astrakhan, Russia! A cover sent on 6 May 2009 with a huge miniature sheet commemorating (along with four other stamps shown above) the 150th anniversary of the New Hermitage, one of the five buildings of the Hermitage complex in Saint Petersburg, opened in 1852 as the first public museum in Russia. The stamp features a picture by Luigi Premazzi "The New Hermitage" from 1861. The rest of the sheet is embossed (chandeliers, tables and chairs) and looks impressive. Issued on 15 February 2002 in 150,000 copies.

The other two stamps are part of a series dedicated to the 60th anniversary of victory in the Great Patriotic War (1941-45) and show documentary photos from those days (issued on 5 April 2005). I commented upon other two stamps from this series in an earlier post. The rest of the postage of 22.5 rubles is made up by three 0.50 ruble wolf definitives on the back of the cover. Thank you, Alex!

Cover from Russia no. 7

Another fine cover from Alex from Astrakhan! The souvenir sheet (issued on 1 February 2009) is dedicated to the 175th anniversary of birth of the Russian chemist, inventor and teacher D. I. Mendeleev (born 1834), and apart from his major achievement, the periodic table of the elements, shows a very cosy bookshelf with some leather-bound volumes and an old-fashioned chemical apparatus. I find this sheet quite lovely.

The other commemorative stamp is dedicated to another Russian personage, the writer A. N. Tolstoy, and his 125th anniversary of birth (stamp issued on 10 January 2008). Besides his writing historical fiction, he penned also some works in the science fiction genre like "The Hyperboloid of Engineer Garin" (1926).

Cover from Russia no. 6

Another great cover received on 30 March 2009 from Alex in Astrakhan, Russia, with stamps of my favourite topic: regions. This time there is a 5 ruble stamp of the Nizhniy Novgorod Region issued on 6 January 2004, with a print-run of 200,000, featuring Boldino hall, a tower of the Nizhegorodsky Kremlin, the Nizhegorodskaya Fair building, a monument to Seraphim Sarovsky in Sarov and also productions of the local handicrafts. The other stamp was issued on 20 May 2008, in a series of 5 (print-run 210,000), presenting the Sverdlovsk Region in the Ural Mountains, and with it its landscape, malachite, and also the Nevjansky inclined tower, which is the unique monument of architecture of the first quarter of the XVIII century. The last stamp is from 13 November 2008 and commemorates the 15th anniversary of the Council of Federation of the Federal Assembly of the Russian Federation (print-run 700,000).

Wooden churches cover from Russia

Another beautiful cover with a sheet from Alexander, from the city of Astrakhan. It was sent on 10 February 2009 and reached me in 6 days. The Kizhi Pogost is an ensemble of wooden churches, chapels and houses on an island on Lake Onega in the Republic of Karelia.

On 31 July 2008 the Russian post issued, in 100,000 copies, this souvenir sheet featuring the most significant buildings of this UNESCO World Heritage Site: the 22-domed Transfiguration Church (1714), the smaller, 9-domed Intercession Church (also known as the "winter church") built in 1764, and the belltower which was built in 1874. Fantastic!

I covered a similar topic here.

International Polar Year stamps from Russia

On 13 January 2009 I received another great letter from Astrakhan in Russia (sent on 6/1/09). This time the cover features a sheet with the last year's Russian International Polar Year stamps (issued on 28 August 2008, in 200,000 copies). The stamps, apart from the photos of ships, together make up a map of the North Way - a connection of the east and west of Russia by the sea (navigable only during summer).

The small fox definitive of 1 ruble was issued one day later (29 August 2008) along with 14 other stamps as part of the fifth issue of definitive stamps of the Russian Federation. The other definitive with the logo of the Federal Postal Service of the Russian Federation is from 1998 and part of the third issue of standard postage stamps of the Russian Federation (1/1/1998).

Alex, thank you again!

6-stamp cover from Russia!

Oh yes, this is what I like:-) An envelope full of various commemorative stamps with lots of history about them. I received this one on 11 December 2008. It was mailed from the city of Astrakhan in the delta of Volga in southwest Russia, on 29 November.

The small 0.50 ruble defintive bears the date 1998. The 5 ruble Plekhanov Russian Economical Academy stamp was issued on 9 February 2007 (in 720,000 copies). The 2 and 5 ruble black-and-white stamps commemorated (on 5 April 2005) the end of the WW2. They show the documentary war photographs: "Victory in Berlin" (2 ruble) and "Soldiers Throwing Captured Banners before the Kremlin Wall" (both print-run 200,000). The blue stamp with the Suyumbike Tower - the Kazan Kremlin - is dedicated to the city of Kazan in the Republic of Tatarstan and its 1000 years of existence; it was issued on 10 March 2005 in 200,000 copies. The red stamp from 2006 (issued on 6 March in 230,000 copies) shows the throne of Ivan the Terrible, the Tsar of Russia (1530-1584), from the collections of the Moscow Kremlin Museum.

Thank you, Alex, for this one; it has plenty of history and things to find out about Russia.

WWF cover from Russia

At the end of March 2008 I received this great letter from Ufa, the capital of Republic of Bashkortostan, in the western Urals area. It features the complete series of the Russian WWF stamps issued in 2007 with Bison bonasus (European bison), Uncia uncia (snow leopard) and Ciconia boyciana (Oriental stork), print-run 230,000 each. The set is complemented by two definitives: Pavlovsk from 2002 (4 rubles) and a coat-of-arms from 1998 (0.50 rubles). Thank you B. for this one!

Lovely postcard from Russia

I received one of my most beautiful postcards from the city of St. Petersburg on 26 August 2008 after 9 days of travel. It features the Palace Bridge between the two parts of which the Peter and Paul Fortress can be seen. There are some strong dramatics in the picture and a great colour composition.
Also the stamps are very nice. The 4 ruble stamp is not connected to a Soviet/Russian cartoon as I had thought, but was issued (on 5 August 2004) to warn children against traffic dangers (print-run 150,000).
The 12 ruble stamp was issued on 25 March 2008 as part of a souvenir sheet (print run 120,000) about archaelogical heritage and is embossed and varnished. It shows a bronze plate with the image of bulls.
Well, wow! Thank you K.