GERMANY - Sanssouci Castle in Potsdam

 Thanks to Carmelo for the card.

Sanssou"ci was the summer palace of Frederick the Great, King of Prussia, in Potsdam, near Berlin. It is often counted among the German rivals of Versailles. While Sanssouci is in the more intimate Rococo style and is far smaller than its French Baroque counterpart, it too is notable for the numerous temples and follies in the park. The palace was designed/built by Georg Wenzeslaus von Knobelsdorff between 1745 and 1747 to fulfill King Frederick's need for a private residence where he could relax away from the pomp and ceremony of the Berlin court. The palace's name emphasises this; it is a French phrase (sans souci), which translates as "without concerns", meaning "without worries" or "carefree", symbolising that the palace was a place for relaxation rather than a seat of power."

GERMANY - Neuschwanstein Castle

Thanks to Patrick

"Neuschwanstein Castle, Southern Bavarian: Schloss Neischwanstoa) is a 19th-century Romanesque Revival palace on a rugged hill above the village of Hohenschwangau near Füssen in southwest Bavaria, Germany. The palace was commissioned by Ludwig II of Bavaria as a retreat and in honour of Richard Wagner. Ludwig paid for the palace out of his personal fortune and by means of extensive borrowing, rather than Bavarian public funds. 

The castle was intended as a home for the king, until he died in 1886. It was open to the public shortly after his death."

GERMANY - Sanssouci Castle/Flower Island Mainau

Thanks to Regina for the cards.

Flower Island Mainau

"Mainau is an island in Lake Constance (also called "Flower Island Mainau"). The island is owned by the Swedish born noble family Bernadotte. It is maintained as a garden island and one of the main tourist attractions of Lake Constance (Bodensee). A special highlight is a greenhouse with tropical climate and thousands of butterflies. Depending on the season, 700 to 1000 colorful butterflies fly free between the visitors through the tropical landscape. The butterfly house is the the largest of its kind in Germany (area of about 1000 square meters)."

Sanssouci castle, view over basin and terrace

"Sanssouci was the summer palace of Frederick the Great, King of Prussia, in Potsdam, near Berlin. It is often counted among the German rivals of Versailles. While Sanssouci is in the more intimate Rococo style and is far smaller than its French Baroque counterpart, it too is notable for the numerous temples and follies in the park. The palace was designed/built by Georg Wenzeslaus von Knobelsdorff between 1745 and 1747 to fulfill King Frederick's need for a private residence where he could relax away from the pomp and ceremony of the Berlin court. The palace's name emphasises this; it is a French phrase (sans souci), which translates as "without concerns", meaning "without worries" or "carefree", symbolising that the palace was a place for relaxation rather than a seat of power."

PORTUGAL - Palacio da Pena, Sintra

Thank you Alice for the card and coin.

"The Pena Palace (Portuguese: Palácio da Pena) is a Romanticist castle in São Pedro de Penaferrim, in the municipality of Sintra, on the Portuguese Riviera. The castle stands on the top of a hill in the Sintra Mountains above the town of Sintra, and on a clear day it can be easily seen from Lisbon and much of its metropolitan area. It is a national monument and constitutes one of the major expressions of 19th-century Romanticism in the world. The palace is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and one of the Seven Wonders of Portugal. It is also used for state occasions by the President of the Portuguese Republic and other government officials."

ENGLAND - York

York, York Minster form the city walls. Thanks to Emily for the card. Interesting history!

'York is a historic walled city in North Yorkshire, England. At the confluence of the Rivers Ouse and Foss, it is the historic county town of the historic county of Yorkshire. York Minster and a variety of cultural and sporting activities make it a popular tourist destination.

York has, since Roman times, been defended by walls of one form or another. To this day, substantial portions of the walls remain, and York has more miles of intact wall than any other city in England. They are known variously as York City Walls, the Bar Walls and the Roman walls (though this last is a misnomer as very little of the extant stonework is of Roman origin, and the course of the wall has been substantially altered since Roman times). The walls are generally 13 feet  high and 6 feet wide."

LONDON - Windsor Castle

Thanks to Sandra for the card.

CZECH REPUBLIC - Hrad Litice/Litice Castle

Thanks to Ivana for the card.

"Litice Castle (German: Lititz, English: Lititz ) is a castle 7 kilometres  west of Žamberk in the Ústí nad Orlicí District, in the Pardubice Region of the Czech Republic.

The steep slopes of the foothills of the Orlické hory (Eagle Mountains) gave the advantage of a strategic position to the gothic castles being founded there at the close of the 13th century. The high headland around which flowed the Divoká Orlice River was the site chosen just before the year 1300 by the Drslavic family to build up a castle which they named after their original family settlement in the Plzeň area."

NETHERLANDS - Wijchen Castle

"The Kasteel van Wijchen is a castle in the center of Wijchen , in the Dutch province of Gelderland . The castle is partly used as a town hall and as a museum.

At the end of the 14th century the first version of the castle was built: the first mention dates back to 1392. Until the 17th century it was mainly a defensive work with a different appearance than the current castle. The castle was first owned by the Lords of Galen . Jacob van Galen sold the castle in 1535 to one of the Heren van Bronckhorst."

AUSTRIA - Lamberg Castle in Steyr

Thank you to Eva for the enclosed greetings card and coins. :)

Lamberg Castle is located in the town of Steyr in Upper Austria, in the hills above the river mouth of the river Enns Steyr. The town was founded in the 10th century in the written sources is mentioned as the property of the Counts of Otokar.

GERMANY - Benrath Palace

Thanks to Duke for the card.

"Schloss Benrath (Benrath Palace) is a Baroque-style maison de plaisance (pleasure palace) in Benrath, which is now a borough of Düsseldorf. It was erected for the Elector Palatine Charles Theodor and his wife, Countess Palatine Elisabeth Auguste of Sulzbach, by his garden and building director Nicolas de Pigage. Construction began in 1755 and was completed in 1770. The ensemble at Benrath has been proposed for designation as a UNESCO World Heritage Site."

NETHERLANDS - Kasteel Weldam

Thanks to Jolanda for the card.

"Weldam is a castle and haszate on an estate located in the neighborhood Kerspel Goor in the Dutch town of Hof van Twente . It is located south of the town of Goor in the province of Overijssel."

CZECH REPUBLIC - Castle /Chateau Lednice

Thanks to Kamila for the card.

"Lednice (Czech pronunciation: [ˈlɛdɲɪtsɛ]; German: Eisgrub) is a village in South Moravia in the Czech Republic. In 1996 it was inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List (together with the twin manor of Valtice) as "an exceptional example of the designed landscape that evolved in the Enlightenment and afterwards under the care of a single family." It contains a palace and the largest park in the country, which covers 200 km2 (77 sq mi).

Since Lednice/Eisgrub first passed into the hands of the House of Liechtenstein in the mid-13th century, its fortunes had been tied inseparably to those of that noble family. The palace of Lednice began its life as a Renaissance villa; in the 17th century it became a summer residence of the ruling Princes of Liechtenstein. The estate house – designed and furbished by baroque architects Johann Bernhard Fischer von Erlach, Domenico Martinelli, and Anton Johan Ospel – proclaimed rural luxury on the grandest scale. In 1846–58 it was extensively rebuilt in a Neo-Gothic style under the supervision of Georg Wingelmüller.

The surrounding park is laid out in an English garden style and contains a range of Romantic follies by Joseph Hardtmuth, including the artificial ruins of a medieval castle on the bank of the Thaya/Dyje River (1801) and a solitary sixty-metre minaret, reputedly the tallest outside the Muslim world at the time of its construction (1797–1804)."

GERMANY - Castle Wilhelmsthal (Calden)

Thanks to Ludmila for the card.

"Schloss Wilhelmsthal is a castle near the city of Kassel near Calden in the district of Kassel in the north of Hesse ( Germany ). The complex was built between 1743 and 1761 and is one of the most important Rococo castles north of the Main . The castle has a large park with water features . The castle building can be visited as part of daily guided tours."

POLAND - Wowel Castle

Thanks to Edyta for the card.

"The Wawel Castle is a castle residency located in central Kraków, Poland. Built at the behest of King Casimir III the Great,[2] it consists of a number of structures situated around the Italian-styled main courtyard. The castle, being one of the largest in Poland, represents nearly all European architectural styles of medieval, renaissance and baroque periods. The Wawel Royal Castle and the Wawel Hill constitute the most historically and culturally significant site in the country. In 1978 it was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site as part of the Historic Centre of Kraków. 

For centuries the residence of the kings of Poland and the symbol of Polish statehood, the Castle is now one of the country’s premier art museums."

POLAND - Niedzica Castle

Thanks to Susan for the card.

"Niedzica Castle also known as Dunajec Castle, is located in the southernmost part of Poland in Niedzica (Nowy Targ County in Lesser Poland). It was erected between the years 1320 and 1326 by Kokos of Brezovica on the site of an ancient stronghold surrounded by earthen walls in the Pieniny mountains. The Niedzica Castle stands at an altitude of 566 m, on a hill 300 metres upstream from the Dunajec River mouth, measured from the center of the dam on Lake Czorsztyn. The outline of Niedzica Castle can best be viewed from the ruins of Czorsztyn Castle on the other side of the lake. It is known as one of the most picturesque castles in the country and adorns the covers of many books."

HUNGARY - Budapest

From Sava, thanks so much for the card.

TAIWAN - The Fort San Domingo

Thanks to Anna for the card.

"The Fort San Domingo was originally a wooden fort built by the Spanish in 1629 at Tamsui District, New Taipei, Taiwan. It was originally built in 1628 by the Spanish, who were the governor of northern Taiwan during the era, and was named as "Fort San Domingo". However, the architecture was then destroyed by the Spanish after losing the war to the Dutch in 1642. After the war, in 1644, The Dutch had managed to rebuild the castle in the original site, and had renamed the castle as "Fort Antonio". Since the Dutch were called "Red Haired People" by the Han immigrants during the time, the fort was then nicknamed as "Fort Red Hair".(Chinese: 紅毛城; Pe̍h-ōe-jī: Âng-mn̂g-siâⁿ; literally: "ang mo fort")"

FINLAND - Olavinlinna castle

Thanks to Jiris for the card.

Olavinlinna castle in Savonlinna is world’s most northern medieval stone fortress still standing. Savonlinna hosts every summer the famous Savonlinna Opera Festival which takes place in this medieval castle of Olavinlinna.

"Olavinlinna (Swedish: Olofsborg; literally Olaf's Castle) is a 15th-century three-tower castle located in Savonlinna, Finland. It is the northernmost medieval stone fortress still standing. The castle is built on an island in the Kyrönsalmi strait that connects the lakes Haukivesi and Pihlajavesi.

The fortress was founded by Erik Axelsson Tott in 1475 under the name Sankt Olofsborg in an effort to profit from the political turmoil following Ivan III's conquest of the Novgorod Republic. It was sited in Savonia so as to lay claim to the Russian side of the border established by the Treaty of Nöteborg."

CZECH REPUBLIC - Zainele Blatna

Thanks to Monika for the card.

Blatná  is a small town in the South Bohemian Region of the Czech Republic, with a water castle in the center of an artificial lake and a landscape garden around it. It lies in a pleasant rolling countryside with a mosaic of fields, meadows and hundreds of ponds and nearly no industry.

BELARUS - Radzivil Palace

Radzivil Palace in Niasviz is included in UNESCO World Heritage List. It has recetly been restored adn is now a true Belarus's Mecca for tourist. 

Thanks to Nadya for the card and all the surprise gift. Love the magnet and small notebook!.