Love Horses, Ukraine

UA-126488

Sender Ksenia writes that this is scenery from eastern Crimea. Crimea is an autonomous parliamentary republic within Ukraine.

 These are from the 2010 Europa issue on children's books. The blue one with the horse is "mare's head" and the golden one with the people is "gold shoe."

Kiev, Ukraine

UA-147475 from Mariya.
This card shows St. Volodymyr cathedral in Kiev. The cathedral was completed in 1882, built in neo-Byzantine style - with 3 apses and 7 cupolas. Inside, it has a painting of Saint Olga, also known as Olga of Kiev. She ruled a the medieval polity of Kievan Rus in the 10th century after the death of her husband at the hands of the Drevlians (a rival group), as a regent for her young son. Then, according to wikipedia:

The Drevlians sent twenty of their best men to convince Olga to marry their Prince Mal and give up her rule of Kievan Rus. She had them buried alive. Then she sent word to Prince Mal that she accepted the proposal, but required their most distinguished men to accompany her on the journey in order for her people to accept the offer of marriage. The Drevlians sent their best men who governed their land. Upon their arrival, she offered them a warm welcome and an invitation to clean up after their long journey in a bathhouse. After they entered, she locked the doors and set fire to the building, burning them alive.

Wow. And there are further stories about how she held onto her power, which you can read for yourself on wikipedia if you are so inclined.

The stamp shows a clay bull, from a 2007 set of three definitives of ceramics and glass.

Zaporizhia, Ukraine

This is from the big groups RR. The city of Zaporizhia is located on the banks of the Dnieper River (shown on the card) in southeastern Ukraine. The area has been inhabited for around three thousand years, starting with Scythian nomads, who left behind anthropomorphic stelae - stone images carved to honor the dead. In the 16th-18th centuries, the island of Khortytsiya in the middle of the Dnieper provided a base for an "impenetrable fortress" for the Cossacks. Today, Zaporizhia is an important industrial city which houses a major auto manufacturing company and a large hydroelectric power plant.

The sender had almost no space to write as most of the back of the card was covered with stamps.

A definitive from 2007 showing a penny whistle.


The stamp in the bottom left corner is from 2005 and features Independence Square. Then there are two airplanes from a 2004 joint issue with Iran. The one on the top right is really cool: the 90th anniversary of the first postage stamps of Ukraine! Yes, it is a stamp depicting a stamp, in the denomination of 20 shahs. Issued in 2008.

Swallow's Nest, Ukraine

The Swallow's Nest is a "decorative castle" on the Crimean coast of Ukraine. The Baltic German Baron von Steingel had it constructed in 1911. It served various purposes over the next several years, including housing a restaurant, a reading club, and simply being a tourist attraction. Then in 1927, the cliff it stands on was seriously damaged in an earthquake, and the Swallow's Nest was closed for the next forty years. In 1968 the cliff was reinforced with concrete and the castle was renovated and reopened.

I got this card from helen_orlova for one of my vacation RR groups.

The stamp is a 2007 definitive showing an inkpot.