Caroline's RR - Castles

Carolines has a postcards group in FB and she hosts a few RR's. I've recently joined a castles group and i've received this cards. All of them arrived quite fast. The cards are from Portugal, Spain, Liechtenstein and Lithuania.

Ana sent a card from Sintra with the Moors Castle, which is located on a high hill overlooking the town, being one of its most important tourist attractions. It is part of the Cultural Landscape of Sintra, recognised as a World Heritage Site. "Originally, the Castle of Sintra was built by the Moors, possibly between the 9th and 10th centuries.

In 1147, after the conquest of Lisbon by King Afonso Henriques, the Moorish garrison of the castle surrendered to the Christians without resistance. Afonso Henriques promoted the development of the region by granting a foral (letter of feudal rights) to the inhabitants of Sintra and its castle in 1154.

The decline of the castle began in the 15th century, when most of the population settled downhill, in today's old quarter of Sintra. In the 16th century, the castle lost all military relevance and was abandoned by its last inhabitants, the Sintra Jews.

In 1830, after a long period of ruin, King Ferdinand II started a profound renovation of the castle in the romantic spirit of the time." - in: wikipedia

This castle in Benalmádena, the Colomares castle, is probably one of the most recent castles built in the all world. It was "built by Esteban Martin and local bricklayers from nearby Mijas, between 1987 and 1994. This castle pays homage to Christopher Colombus and the discovery of America. This castle offers the visitor different architectural styles: Byzantine, Roman, Gothic and Mudejar. In the interior is what is believed to be the smallest church in the world, dedicated to St Elizabeth of hungary, and which features in the Guinness Book of Records." - in: http://benalmadena.costasur.com/sites/castillo-de-colomares/en/index.html The card was sent by Belem.

I already had this card, it was one of the many cards i've bought last year in Liechtenstein. But that card is unwritten, of course is more interresting to have a written and stamped from Liechtenstein, my 1st from there, than an unwritten one. It was sent by Caroline.

Vaduz Castle is not a castle that we can visit because the Liechtenstein's Royal Family lives there.

Rita sent me this card with the Trakai castle, major tourist attraction.

"Trakai Island Castle is located in Trakai on an island of Lake Galvé. The construction of the stone castle was begun in the 14th century by Kestutis, 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 centers of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania and the castle held great strategic importance." - in: wikipedia