The postcards keep on coming, and bringing smiles to my face. Today, I'll show you a couple, as usual from Eastern Europe and the former Soviet Union. First, this card with a Jelcz 043 bus, built from 1959 to 1986! Thanks, once again, to Hark for this one, which also includes many different stamps that I had not received before.
The Jelcz 043 was actually an Škoda 706 made under license in Poland, and seems like its engine was imported from Czechoslovakia. The bus was nicknamed "ogórek", cucumber.
I was surprised to learn Jelcz still exists, making military vehicles for the Polish Army.  |
| Jelcz O43 bus (#1679, built 1985) and bus trailer Jelcz P01 (#1813, built 1972) in Poznań, MPK Poznań operator. Photo by Radomil. |
The company comes from the city of Jelcz-Laskowice, which was part of Germany until after World War II, and which grew primarily from bus and truck building by Jelcz, so much so, that the coat of arms of the city even includes a steering wheel, in honour of the factory.
The impresive and very cerulean Almaty Mosque, in the countrie's capital, and two stamps with some important Kazakh guys... it seems to me like there was an extra stamp in there, which got "missing". Cool how the two stamps bear the colour of the Kazakhstan flag!
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| Jelcz HQ |