Europe RR - Group 103 * Churches

It has been nice to take part in this RR. I'll join more groups after the my holidays. 

For group 103, I've got churches from Sweden and Italy, sent by Gerald and Olimpia. 

Foto: Ingvar Dagahs

Varberg Church is situated at the marketplace in Varberg, Halland County, Sweden. The church was completed in 1772, as a replacement of an elder church from 1687 that was destroyed in a fire on 18 May 1767.

The interior of the church is neoclassical. Mostly of it is from the 19th century. - in: wikipedia

Edizione Rossi

The Basilica of Sant'Andrea is a Roman Catholic co-cathedral and minor basilica in Mantua, Lombardy (Italy). It is one of the major works of 15th-century Renaissance architecture in Northern Italy. Commissioned by Ludovico III Gonzaga, the church was begun in 1472 according to designs by Leon Battista Alberti on a site occupied by a Benedictine monastery, of which the bell tower (1414) remains. The building, however, was only finished 328 years later. Though later changes and expansions altered Alberti's design, the church is still considered to be one of Alberti's most complete works. It looms over the Piazza Mantegna. - in: wikipedia

US-5336430

Central Park is one of the must visit places when in NY. At 62nd street in Central Park you'll find a beautiful schist bridge offering one of the best views of the New York City skyline, known as the Gapstow Bridge. 

www.christopherarndtpostcards.com

US-5336430, sent by Beky.

Situated at the northeast end of the Pond, this bridge was initially built in 1874 and designed by Jacob Wrey Mould. Mould's design would prove itself unable to stand against the elements, however, and his lovely but delicate wooden bridge with cast iron railings was soon replaced due to wear.

The stone replacement that stands in Central Park today was constructed in 1896, based off of the design by Howard & Caudwell. Covered with leaves and foliage in summer while being dusted with snow in winter, the Gapstow Bridge offers a moment of tranquil beauty in any season. - in: https://www.centralpark.com/things-to-do/attractions/gapstow-bridge/

Klyuchevskaya Sopka volcano - Russia

Three officials from Russia with the same volcano. Klyuchevskaya Sopka is part of the natural Volcanoes of Kamchatka UNESCO World Heritage Site.

RU-6525243, sent by Anton.

Klyuchevskaya Sopka is a stratovolcano, the highest mountain on the Kamchatka Peninsula of Russia and the highest active volcano of Eurasia.

RU-3639949, sent by Katya.

Its steep, symmetrical cone towers about 100 kilometres (60 mi) from the Bering Sea. 

Klyuchevskaya's first recorded eruption occurred in 1697, and it has been almost continuously active ever since, as have many of its neighboring volcanoes.

RU-5524128, sent by Svyatoslav.

Klyuchevskaya Sopka is considered sacred by some indigenous peoples, being viewed by them as the location at which the world was created. Other volcanoes in the region are seen with similar spiritual significance, but Klyuchevskaya Sopka is the most sacred of these. - in: wikipedia

Bran Castle - Romania

When we get several postcards from the same place or monument, it is likely to be the most famous place or monument in the country. Bran Castle is surely one of the biggest tourist attractions in Romania. I already had 3 postcards from there and a few days ago I received a 4th one, sent by Ara. The other postcards were sent by Oana in 2011 and by Paula and Tjitske in 2015.

 © Age Gallery Card Collection 2014

Surrounded by an aura of mystery and legend and perched high atop a 200-foot-high rock, Bran Castle owes its fame to its imposing towers and turrets as well as to the myth created around Bram Stocker's Dracula.  

© Age Gallery Card Collection 2014

Built on the site of a Teutonic Knights stronghold dating from 1212, the castle was first documented in an act issued by Louis I of Hungary on November 19, 1377, giving the Saxons of Kronstadt (Brasov) the privilege to build the Citadel.

Foto & Design by Arol Trade Srl

Although Stoker never visited Transylvania, the Irish author relied on research and his vivid imagination to create the dark and intimidating stomping ground of Count Dracula, leading to persistent myths that it was once the home of Vlad Tepes, ruler of Walachia. While the association with Dracula is sketchy at best, the castle continues to hold a strong attraction for all fans of the Count.

From 1920 to 1957 Bran served as royal residence, a gift of the people of Brasov to Queen Marie of Romania. The castle is now a museum open to tourists, displaying art and furniture collected by Queen Marie.

Narrow winding stairways lead through some 60 timbered rooms, many connected by underground passages, which house collections of furniture, weapons and armor dating from the 14th to the 19th centuries. The castle overlooks the picturesque village of Bran, which offers an open-air Ethnographic Museum consisting of old local-style village houses complete with furniture, household objects and costumes. - in: http://romaniatourism.com/castles-fortresses.html#bran

Lednice-Valtice Cultural Landscape - Czech Republic

Lednice and Valtice were on the list of places I'd like to visit in Czech Republic but time wasn't enough to visit everything. 

Lednice-Valtice Cultural Landscape was added to the WHS list 22 years ago!!

Between the 17th and 20th centuries, the ruling dukes of Liechtenstein transformed their domains in southern Moravia into a striking landscape. It married Baroque architecture (mainly the work of Johann Bernhard Fischer von Erlach) and the classical and neo-Gothic style of the castles of Lednice and Valtice with countryside fashioned according to English romantic principles of landscape architecture. At 200 km2 , it is one of the largest artificial landscapes in Europe. - in: http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/763

© 2014, fotografie Ladislav Renner

Valtice is one of the most impressive Baroque residences of Central Europe. It was designed as the seat of the ruling princes of Liechtenstein by Johann Bernhard Fischer von Erlach in the early 18th century. 

Among the features worthy of mention are the main façade and its central tower, the military trophies, the portico adorned with statues and the wonderful main courtyard. The restored interior lacks its original fittings, however a fine chapel decorated with trompe l'oeil frescoes remains. - in: http://travel.michelin.com/web/destination/Czech_republic/tourist_site-Valtice_Palace-Zamek

CZ-470657, sent by Stephanie. 

The Lednice palace is located in the extensive natural area on the bank of the river Dyje (Thaya), near Mikulov city in the eastern part of Czech Republic called Moravia.

The chateau began as a Renaissance villa of around 1570, and then was progressively changed and reconstructed to take account of Baroque, classical and neo-Gothic fashions. It was the 1850 Gothic Revival reconstruction that brought it into harmony with the prevailing romanticism of this part of the landscape. 

Taking the landscape as a whole, it is the mingling and interplay of Baroque and Romantic elements that gives it a special character: architecture and landscape are intimately associated with one another. - in: http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/763

CZ-1395206

A new czech castle to my collection. 

Castle Vimperk is one of the many castles within the Šumava region. Also this castle was meant to protect the golden trading route between Bohemia and Bavaria. 

The castle overlooks the river Volyňka and the city of Vimperk.

© foto: Miroslava Dubovská

CZ-1395206, sent by Marie.

Castle Vimperk is kept in a remarkable good state. After several fires in the 17th century there was much renovation activity until another fire brook out in 1857. The beautiful Renaissance palace was luckily unharmed and is still present in its original state. After the big fire large parts of the castle have again been reconstructed.

Nowadays the municipal museum is located in the castle. One of the buildings of the castle is used as the headquarter of the Šumava National Park administration. - in: http://www.sumava.com/rec_beznswrdhd_detls.php?l=en&bez=kasteel_vimperk

Heidelberg - Germany

I want to visit a lot of places in Germany!! Heidelberg is definitely one of them. Deutschland ist schön...
Four of these cards are officials and one, the 4th one, was sent by Déa.

© Schöning GmbH & Co. KG

DE-4909965, sent by Renate.

A former residence of the Electorate of the Palatinate, Heidelberg is the location of Heidelberg University, the oldest in Germany, well known far beyond Germany's borders. Heidelberg is a popular tourist destination due to its romantic and picturesque cityscape, including Heidelberg Castle and the baroque style Old Town.

It is no secret that Heidelberg is a jewel among German travel destinations.

Fotos: Walter Nitschke

DE-2374066, sent by Gaby.

 During WWII, the city was almost completely spared allied bombings which destroyed many of Germany's larger inner cities. As a result, Heidelberg has retained its baroque charm of narrow streets, picturesque houses and of course the world-famous Schloss (castle ruins). After World War II, the US Army built large barracks at the southern end of the city. Heidelberg's 147,000 inhabitants thus include not only 28,000 students at the university but also nearly 30,000 US citizens, almost all of them soldiers and their families. With hundreds of thousands of tourists flocking to the city annually, Heidelberg is truly a culturally diverse and international destination, despite its small size. - in: wikitravel 

 Kunstverlag Gärtner-Schäfer

DE-6364334, sent by Melanie

Heidelberg Castle can be reached by the Bergbahn, a mountain railway running from the Kornmarkt, or via a 15-minute walk from the old town. Built of red Neckar sandstone on the terraced hillside some 195 meters above Heidelberg, this 16th-century castle is one of the best examples of German Renaissance architecture. 

 After its destruction by the French, who devastated the Palatinate in the 17th century, it has remained the largest and most picturesque such ruin in Germany. The castle is home to many excellent festivals, most held in its evocative courtyard, as well as theatrical performances, concerts, and firework displays. One of the most popular is the Heidelberg Castle Festival from June to August, which boasts an eclectic mix of theater, choral music, chamber orchestras, jazz, folk, and opera.

DE-7221823, sent by Sina.

Also known as the Old Bridge, Heidelberg's spectacular Karl Theodor Bridge has been immortalized in numerous poems and paintings, testament to the romanticism that surrounds the structure. Spanning the Neckar and joining the two sides of historic Heidelberg, the famous bridge with its lovely sculptures is named after the man responsible for designing and building its nine red sandstone arches in 1788 as a replacement for the numerous wooden bridges that came before. 

  Foto: Bildearchiv Edmund v. König

DE-2817942, sent by Verana.

The bridge is well worth strolling along for its views of Heidelberg and its sister bridge, the twin-towered Brückentor. - in: http://www.planetware.com/tourist-attractions-/heidelberg-d-bw-hei.htm