Aerial Navigation Day - Zeppelin in St. Gallen - Saronno, Italy

St. Gallen evolved from the hermitage of Saint Gall, founded in the 7th century. Today it is a large urban agglomeration and represents the centre of eastern Switzerland. Its economy consists mainly of the service sector. The city is home to the University of St. Gallen, one of the best business schools in Europe.

 

200 years since the first balloon flight Maxicard 1984 - McLean, Virginia

The picture depicts the first manned balloon ascent in Austria, which was carried out by Johann Georg Stuwer (1732-1802).

On July 6, 1784, Johann Georg Stuwer ascended a hot-air balloon of his design from his fireworks display, marking the beginning of manned aviation in Austria. Instead of a basket, Stuwer had a "large wooden ship" attached. On board, along with Stuwer, were his son Kaspar, his assistants Michael Schmalz and Johann Hiller, and the architect Daniel Hakmillner. 15,000 spectators watched the spectacle. After the successful ascent, the balloon was pulled down again and the evening concluded with the allegorical fireworks display "Monument of Honor to the Invention of Mr. Montgolfier."

 

Tausendschön PK721 - Cologne, Germany

Cologne Cathedral is a renowned monument of German Catholicism and Gothic architecture and was declared a World Heritage Site in 1996. It is Germany's most visited landmark, attracting an average of 6 million people a year. At 157 m, the cathedral is the tallest twin-spired church in the world, the second tallest church in Europe after Ulm Minster, and the third tallest church of any kind in the world.

 

Poppy seed flowers - Kurume, Japan

Kurume is a city in Fukuoka Prefecture, Japan. As of June 1, 2019, the city has an estimated population of 303,579.

Traditional products of Kurume are kasuri, or woven indigo-dyed cloth; tonkotsu ramen (pork-bone broth noodles); and trays and bowls made from rantai shikki, a composite made from lacquered bamboo.

 

Postcrossing - Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky, Russia

Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky is a city and the administrative centre of Kamchatka Krai, Russia. It is located in the far east of the country and lies along the coast of Avacha Bay by the Pacific Ocean. The city is situated at sea level and surrounded by volcanoes. The surrounding terrain is mountainous enough that the horizon cannot be seen clearly from any point in town. Across Avacha Bay from the city of Vilyuchinsk is Russia's largest submarine base, the Rybachiy Nuclear Submarine Base, established during the Soviet period and still used by the Russian Navy.

 

Balloon pilot with danish flags by Ib Antoni - Copenhagen, Denmark

Ib Antoni lived a short and intense life. In the late 1950s, only 27 years of age, he sat behind the desk in one of the greatest advertising agencies on Madison Avenue in New York, and just a few years later he became one of the world's most coveted advertising designers in the crowd today known as the "Mad Men" of the advertising industry.
In Denmark Ib Antoni was called the ”national illustrator of Denmark”, because his posters with The Little Mermaid, Tivoli, and Copenhagen were - and still are - a part of creating the narrative of the native country and the national brand, that attracts visitors from all over the world. A narrative of great and clean-cut designs and the love of fairytales taken straight out of H. C. Andersen's adventure.

 

Hot air balloon - Makati City, Philippines

Makati is the financial center of the Philippines; it has the highest concentration of multinational and local corporations in the country. Major banks, corporations, department stores as well as foreign embassies are based there. 

 

Saga International Balloon Fiesta - Saga, Japan

The fiesta is held just outside Saga City, along the Kase River. It has grown from a gathering of 5 hot air balloons to a competition where over 3500 people volunteer and has gained a reputation as one of the top ballooning competitions in the world. 

It is also a popular time for tourists as the Karatsu Kunchi Festival is held at the same time in Karatsu City. Since 1980 the launch site has been visited by over 10 million spectators.

 

"Air dream" by Maria Dmitrieva - Moscow, Russia

The first public presentation of the hot air balloon was made by the Montgolfier brothers in a meadow near Annonay on June 4, 1783. Their balloon rose to a height of 2,000 m and during a 10-minute flight, it covered a distance of nearly 2 km.

 

Luye Highlands - Gongguan Township, Taiwan

"The night sky in Taitung is as beautiful as a dream. Boundless hope seems to accompany the hot air balloons as they rise into heaven." - that's what's printed on the postcard. On the card, you can seeTaitung International Balloon Festival.

 

Boats and balloons - Beijing, China

Beijing's history goes back to 3,000 years. It's as old as London, six times older than New York, and ten times older than Sydney. Beijing has had many names over the centuries. Beijing was given its current name in 1403. The rulers of the Ming Dynasty called the city the "Northern Capital" to distinguish it from Nanjing or the "Southern Capital".

International Balloon Festival - New Taipei City, Taiwan

The 2011 Taiwan International Balloon Festival was a new opportunity for aerial activities, and it 2012 it challenged the world record in terms of length of time and scale of the event. 

Travel Channel, the prestigious tourism channel, named the Taiwan International Balloon Festival as one of the top 12 hot air balloon festivals around the world.   

Hot air balloon - Semarang, Indonesia

The country's motto - "Unity in diversity".   

Indonesia is the only place in the world where you can see Komodo dragons in nature. It is the largest archipelago in the world consisting of over 18,000 islands (about 6,000 inhabited).

Hot air balloon - Voronezh, Russia

Voronezh is known in Russia as the "cradle of the Russian fleet" because at the end of the 17th century Peter I built the first Russian military ships in Voronezh shipyards (Russia did not have access to the sea at that time).  

EUROPA stamp 2009 - "Astronomy"

Hot air balloons - Helsinki, Finland

The first hot air balloons were built by the Montgolfier brothers in 1782. The renaissance of hot air balloons occurred in the 1960s when propane burners began to be used to heat the air.