#1715 Liechtenstein

The House of Liechtenstein, from which the principality takes its name, is the family which reigns by constitutional, hereditary right over the nation of Liechtenstein. Only dynastic members of the family are eligible to inherit the throne. The dynasty's membership, rights and responsibilities are defined by a law of the family, which is enforced by the reigning Prince and may be altered by vote among the family's dynasts, but which may not be altered by the Government or Parliament of Liechtenstein.

Wikipedia.org

Hans-Adam II (Johannes Adam Ferdinand Alois Josef Maria Marco d'Aviano Pius; born 14 February 1945) is the reigning Prince of Liechtenstein. He is the son of Franz Joseph II, Prince of Liechtenstein (1906–1989) and his wife Countess Georgina von Wilczek (1921–1989). He also bears the titles Duke of Troppau and Jägerndorf, and Count Rietberg. Hans-Adam is the richest monarch in Europe.

Wikipedia.org

Marie Aglaë, Princess of Liechtenstein (born a Countess Kinsky of Wchinitz and Tettau, Czech: hraběnka Kinská z Vchynic a Tetova, German: Gräfin Kinsky von Wchinitz und Tettau; April 14, 1940) is the wife of Prince Hans Adam II of Liechtenstein. By birth, she is a member of the House of Kinsky.

Wikipedia.org

For more info about Vaduz Castle, see received card #206.

Thank you, Rosmarie !

Sent on: March 12, 2019

Received on: March 18, 2019

#1366 Japan

Himeji Castle (姫路城 Himeji-jō) is a hilltop Japanese castle complex located in the city of Himeji, Hyōgo, Japan. The castle is regarded as the finest surviving example of prototypical Japanese castle architecture, comprising a network of 83 buildings with advanced defensive systems from the feudal period. The castle is frequently known as Hakuro-jō or Shirasagi-jō ("White Egret Castle" or "White Heron Castle") because of its brilliant white exterior and supposed resemblance to a bird taking flight.

Himeji Castle dates to 1333, when Akamatsu Norimura built a fort on top of Himeyama hill. The fort was dismantled and rebuilt as Himeyama Castle in 1346, and then remodeled into Himeji Castle two centuries later. Himeji Castle was then significantly remodeled in 1581 by Toyotomi Hideyoshi, who added a three-story castle keep. In 1600, Tokugawa Ieyasu awarded the castle to Ikeda Terumasa for his help in the Battle of Sekigahara, and Ikeda completely rebuilt the castle from 1601 to 1609, expanding it into a large castle complex. Several buildings were later added to the castle complex by Honda Tadamasa from 1617 to 1618. For over 400 years, Himeji Castle has remained intact, even throughout the extensive bombing of Himeji in World War II, and natural disasters such as the 1995 Great Hanshin earthquake.

Himeji Castle is the largest and most visited castle in Japan, and it was registered in 1993 as one of the first UNESCO World Heritage Sites in the country. The area within the middle moat of the castle complex is a designated Special Historic Site and five structures of the castle are also designated National Treasures. Along with Matsumoto Castle and Kumamoto Castle, Himeji Castle is considered one of Japan's three premier castles. In order to preserve the castle buildings, it underwent restoration work for several years and reopened to the public on March 27, 2015. The works also removed decades of dirt and grime, restoring the formerly grey roof to its original brilliant white colour.

Wikipedia.org

Property No #661

Date of Inscription on the List of UNESCO WHS: 1993

Thank you, Yoko !

Sent on: August 5, 2017

Received on: August 23, 2017

#1276 Czech Republic

Hluboká Castle (German: Schloss Frauenberg) is a historic château situated in Hluboká nad Vltavou, and it is considered one of the most beautiful castles in the Czech Republic.

Wikipedia.org

Thank you !

Received on: April 27, 2017

#1244 Tallinn, Estonia

The Château de Vincennes is a massive 14th and 17th century French royal fortress in the town of Vincennes, to the east of Paris, now a suburb of the metropolis.

Wikipedia.org

Aitäh !

Sent on: March 24, 2017

Received on: March 27, 2017

#1201 Poland

The Castle of the Teutonic Order in Malbork (Polish: zamek w Malborku; German: Ordensburg Marienburg), located in the Polish town of Malbork, is the largest castle in the world measured by land area.

It was originally built by the Teutonic Knights, a German Roman Catholic religious order of crusaders, in a form of an Ordensburg fortress. The Order named it Marienburg (Mary's Castle). The town which grew around it was also named Marienburg. In 1466 both castle and town became part of Royal Prussia, a province of Poland. It served as one of the several Polish royal residences, interrupted by several years of Swedish occupation, and fulfilling this function until Prussia claimed the castle as a result of the First Partition of Poland in 1772. Heavily damaged after World War II, the castle was renovated under the auspices of modern-day Poland in the second half of the 20th century and most recently in 2016. Nowadays, the castle hosts exhibitions and serves as a museum.

The castle is a classic example of a medieval fortress and, on its completion in 1406, was the world's largest brick castle. UNESCO designated the "Castle of the Teutonic Order in Malbork" and the Malbork Castle Museum a World Heritage Site in December 1997. It is one of two World Heritage Sites in the region with origins in the Teutonic Order. The other is the "Medieval Town of Toruń", founded in 1231 as the site of the castle Thorn.

Wikipedia.org

Property No #847

Date of Inscription on the List of UNESCO WHS: 1997

Thank you !

Sent on: January 16, 2017

Received on: January 18, 2017

#1195 Estonia - Russia - Ukraine - Belarus - Indonesia

The beautiful Neo-Gothic Vasalemma manor that has preserved in full has been built from 1890 to 1893 from local dolomite, the so-called Vasalemma marble. Since 1919, the gorgeous characteristically English manor house with its octahedral ziggurat, truncated gables and high arched windows has housed a basic school.

Interesting to know: The manor has also been used as an English manor for film shots.

visitestonia.com

Thank you all !

Sent on: October 12, 2016

Received on: January 4, 2017

#1153 Estonia - USA - Vietnam - China

Sangaste Castle is one of the 21 Southern Estonian places worth discovering that are marked with a yellow National Geographic window; if you are interested in culture and history, it is definitely worth a visit.

Sangaste castle and park were fashioned after the famous Windsor castle in England. The magnificent halls, architecture and history of the castle make this a good place for a big wedding, get-togethers or spending the night in a genuine castle. The castle restaurant serves local food and real rye vodka made from Sangaste rye.

Visitestonia.com

Thank you !

Sent from Estonia to USA: June 25, 2016

From USA to Vietnam: ?

From Vietnam to China: July 23, 2016

From China to Estonia: August 27, 2016

Received from China: September 12, 2016

#945 Haapsalu, Estonia

Haapsalu (German and Swedish: Hapsal; Finnish: Haapasalo; Russian: Хаапсалу, Гапсаль) is a seaside resort town located on the west coast of Estonia. It is the administrative centre of Lääne County, and on 1 January 2012 it had a population of 11,587.

wikipedia.org

Haapsalu Castle (also Haapsalu Episcopal Castle, Estonian: Haapsalu piiskopilinnus) is a castle with cathedral in Haapsalu, Estonia, founded in the thirteenth century as the seat of the Bishopric of Ösel-Wiek. According to legend, during full moons in August, an image of a maiden, The White Lady, appears on the inner wall of the chapel.

On full moon nights in August an image of a maiden, The White Lady, is said to appear on the inner wall of the chapel.

During the reign of Ösel-Wiek Bishop, every canon was supposed to lead a chaste and virtuous life according to the rules of the monastery. Access of women to the Episcopal Castle was forbidden by threat of death. A legend tells that a canon fell in love with an Estonian girl and brought secretly the maiden into the castle. She hid by dressing as a choirboy and remained a secret for a long time, but when the bishop visited Haapsalu again, the young singer caught his attention and he ordered an investigation of the singer's gender.

Upon finding the girl, the bishop summoned his council and it decided that the girl should be immured in the wall of the chapel and the canon was to be put in prison where he was starved to death. The builders left a cavity into the wall and the poor girl with a piece of bread and a mug of water was walled in. For some time her cries for help were heard. Yet her soul could not find the peace and, as a result, she appears on the Baptistery’s window to grieve for her beloved man already for centuries, and also to prove the immortality of love.

wikipedia.org

Aitäh, Katrina !

Sent on: August 10, 2015

Received on: August 11, 2015

#908 Ajka, Hungary

Buda Castle (Hungarian: Budavári Palota, German: Burgpalast, Turkish: Budin Kalesi or Kızılhisar) is the historical castle and palace complex of the Hungarian kings in Budapest, and was first completed in 1265. In the past, it has been called Royal Palace (Hungarian: Királyi-palota) and Royal Castle (Hungarian: Királyi Vár, German: Königliche Burg).

Buda Castle was built on the southern tip of Castle Hill, bounded on the north by what is known as the Castle District (Várnegyed), which is famous for its Medieval, Baroque, and 19th-century houses, churches, and public buildings. It is linked to Clark Ádám Square and the Széchenyi Chain Bridge by the Castle Hill Funicular.

Wikipedia.org 

Property No #400

It's in the List of UNESCO WHS as a part of Budapest, including the Banks of the Danube, the Buda Castle Quarter and Andrássy Avenue.

Date of Inscription on the List of UNESCO WHS: 1987 

Date of Issue: May 8, 2015 | Europa 2015 'Old Toys'

Thank you, Betty !

Sent on: June 9, 2015

Received on: June 12, 2015

#874 Brest, Belarus

 The Mirsky Castle Complex (Belarusian: Мірскі замак, Polish: Zamek w Mirze) is a UNESCO World Heritage site in Belarus. It is located in the town of Mir, in the Karelichy District of the Hrodna voblast, at 53°27′4.46″N 26°28′22.80″E, 29 km to the north-west from another World Heritage site, Nesvizh Castle. Mir Castle Complex is situated at an elevation of 164 meters.

From 1921 to 1939 the castle was located in Poland.

Wikipedia.org 

Property No #625

Date of Inscription on the List of UNESCO WHS: 2000

Thank you, Albina !

Sent on: April 28, 2015
Received on: May 4, 2015

#873 Schaan, Liechtenstein

 Vaduz Castle (German Schloß Vaduz) is the palace and official residence of the Prince of Liechtenstein. The castle gave its name to the town of Vaduz, the capital of Liechtenstein, which it overlooks from an adjacent hilltop.

wikipedia.org 

Date of Issue: June 2, 2014 - Sepac 2014 'Flowers'

Thank you, Rosmarie !

Sent on: April 29, 2015

Received on: May 4, 2015

#822 Vilnius, Lithuania

Trakai is a historic city and lake resort in Lithuania. It lies 28 kilometres (17 miles) west of Vilnius, the capital of Lithuania. Because of its proximity to Vilnius, Trakai is a popular tourist destination. Trakai is the administrative centre of Trakai district municipality. The town covers 497.1 square kilometres (191.9 square miles) of area and, according to 2007 estimates, is inhabited by 5,357 people. A notable feature of Trakai is that the town was built and preserved by people of different nationalities. Historically, communities of Karaims, Tatars, Lithuanians, Russians, Jews and Poles lived here.

Wikipedia.org

Trakai Island Castle (Lithuanian: Trakų salos pilis) is an island castle located in Trakai, Lithuania on an island in Lake Galvė. The castle is sometimes referred to as "Little Marienburg". The construction of the stone castle was begun in the 14th century by Kęstutis, and around 1409 major works were completed by his son Vytautas the Great, who died in this castle in 1430. Trakai was one of the main centres of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania and the castle held great strategic importance.

Wikipedia.org 

Date of Issue: January 17, 2015 - The Red Book of Lithuania: Mammals

 

Thank you, Ilona !

 

Sent on: February 24, 2015

Received on: February 26, 2015

#802 Lithuania

 Gediminas' Tower (Lithuanian: Gedimino pilies bokštas) is the remaining part of the Upper Castle in Vilnius, Lithuania.

The first fortifications were built of wood by Duke of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, Gediminas. Later the first brick castle was completed in 1409 by Grand Duke Vytautas. Third floor tower was rebuilt in 1930, by Polish architect Jan Borowski. Some remnants of the old castle have been restored, guided by archeological research.

It is possible to climb to the top of the hill on foot or by taking a funicular. The tower houses an exposition of archeologic findings from the hill and the surrounding areas. It is also an excellent vantage point, from where the panorama of Vilnius' Old Town can be admired.

Gediminas' Tower is an important state and historic symbol of the city of Vilnius and of Lithuania itself. It is depicted on the national currency, the litas, and is mentioned in numerous Lithuanian patriotic poems and folk songs. The Flag of Lithuania was re-hoisted atop the tower on October 7, 1988, during the independence movement that was finalized by the Act of the Re-Establishment of the State of Lithuania on March 11, 1990. A reconstruction of the Royal Palace of Lithuania was completed in 2009, and is located near the base of the hill upon which Gediminas' Tower stands.

There is a museum in the Gediminas Tower. In the museum there are models of Vilnius castles from the 14th to the 17th centuries, armament, and iconographic material of the Old Vilnius.

Wikipedia.org 

Thank you, Ilona !

Sent on: February 11, 2015

Received on: February 13, 2015

#782 Koblenz, Germany

The Marksburg is a castle above the town of Braubach in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. It is one of the principal sites of the UNESCO World Heritage Rhine Gorge. The fortress was used for protection rather than as a residence for royal families. It has a striking example of a bergfried designed as a butter-churn tower.

The castle was built to protect the town of Braubach and to reinforce the customs facilities. It was built around 1117 and explicitly first mentioned in 1231. In 1283 Count Eberhard of Katzenelnbogen bought it and throughout the 14th and 15th century the high noble Counts rebuilt the castle constantly. In 1479 the territories of the Counts of Katzenelnbogen (male line extinct) went to the Count of Hessen.

In the Napoleonic period the castle was used as a prison. In 1815 it belonged to the Duchy of Nassau. After the Austro-Prussian War of 1866 the Duchy of Nassau became a territory of Prussia.

Finally, it was sold in 1900 for a symbolic price of 1,000 Goldmark to the German Castle Association, which had been founded a year earlier as a private initiative to preserve castles in Germany. The Marksburg is the head office of this organisation since 1931.

In March 1945, the castle was damaged heavily by American artillery fired from the other side of the Rhine.

In the 1990s the castle was copied in the German culture village Ueno on the Japanese island Miyako-jima.

Wikipedia.org

It's in the list of UNESCO WHS as a part of Upper Middle Rhine Valley.

Property No #1066

Date of Inscription on the List of UNESCO WHS: 2002

Thank you, Hannah !

Sent on: January 16, 2015

Received on: January 21, 2015

#712 Vilnius, Lithuania

1. Freedom Monument in Kaunas (1928).

2. The Historical Presidential Palace (Lithuanian: Istorinė Prezidentūra) is a Neo-baroque building in the Old Town of Kaunas, Lithuania that served as the Presidential Palace during the interwar years. Today, the palace is a branch of the M. K. Čiurlionis National Art Museum.

Wikipedia.org

3. Kaunas Castle is located in Kaunas, Lithuania. Archeological evidence suggests that it was originally built during the mid-14th century, in the Gothic style. Its site is strategic – a rise on the banks of the Nemunas River near its confluence with the Neris River. At the beginning of the 21st century, about one-third of the castle was still standing.

Wikipedia.org

Thank you, Ilona !

Sent on: August 23, 2014

Received on: August 26, 2014

#701 Karlsruhe, Germany

Karlsruhe Palace (German: Karlsruher Schloss) was erected in 1715 by Margrave Charles III William of Baden-Durlach, after a dispute with the citizens of his previous capital, Durlach. The city of Karlsruhe has since grown around it.

Wikipedia.org

Date of Issue: January 2, 2014

Thank you, Susanne !

Sent on: July 25, 2014

Received on: July 28, 2014

#689 Haapsalu, Estonia

Haapsalu Castle (also Haapsalu Episcopal Castle, Estonian: Haapsalu piiskopilinnus) is a castle with cathedral in Haapsalu, Estonia, founded in the thirteenth century as the seat of the Bishopric of Ösel-Wiek. According to legend, during full moons in August, an image of a maiden, The White Lady, appears on the inner wall of the chapel.

In 1228, the Archbishop of Riga, Albert of Riga formed a new diocese consisting of Läänemaa, Saaremaa and Hiiumaa and designated Gottfried, an abbot of Dünamünde Cistercian monastery, as the bishop. The bishopric was created as a state of the Holy Roman Empire on 1 October 1228, by Henry, King of the Romans. Papal legate Wilhelm of Modena fixed these borders permanently in 1234. The first residence of the Bishopric of Ösel-Wiek was located in Lihula Castle, where with the help of the Livonian Brothers of the Sword, a stronghold was built of stone. In an attempt to avoid conflicts with the influential Order, the Bishop transferred the diocese's residence to Perona, where it was burned by Lithuanians ten years later. A new center for the diocese was chosen in Haapsalu, where an Episcopal stronghold and cathedral were started. Building of the castle went on for three centuries.

On full moon nights in August an image of a maiden, The White Lady, is said to appear on the inner wall of the chapel.

During the reign of Ösel-Wiek Bishop, every canon was supposed to lead a chaste and virtuous life according to the rules of the monastery. Access of women to the Episcopal Castle was forbidden by threat of death. A legend tells that a canon fell in love with an Estonian girl and brought secretly the maiden into the castle. She hid by dressing as a choirboy and remained a secret for a long time, but when the bishop visited Haapsalu again, the young singer caught his attention and he ordered an investigation of the singer's gender.

Upon finding the girl, the bishop summoned his council and it decided that the girl should be immured in the wall of the chapel and the canon was to be put in prison where he was starved to death. The builders left a cavity into the wall and the poor girl with a piece of bread and a mug of water was walled in. For some time her cries for help were heard. Yet her soul could not find the peace and, as a result, she appears on the Baptistery’s window to grieve for her beloved man already for centuries, and also to prove the immortality of love.

The White Lady Days music festival is held at the time of the August full moon.

Wikipedia.org

Aitäh, Kätlin !

Sent on: July 17, 2014

Received on: July 18, 2014

#673 Vilnius, Lithuania

More about Trakai, see received postcards #602, #601 and #492.

90th Anniversary of the First Lithuania Song Festival - Date of Issue: June 28, 2014

Thank you, Ilona !

Sent on: June 30, 2014

Received on: July 3, 2014