Many Themes RR - Group 1597 (Alias)

Living in Estonia, Onnela sent cards from Brazil, Hong Kong and Netherlands. 

Fotos: Cândido Mariano

Liberdade is considered to be São Paulo's Japanese district, although nowadays more Chinese and Koreans inhabit this area, with many of the ethnic Japanese having moved to more upscale areas. However, the area is still visited a lot by Japanese-Brazilians and those who are fond of Japanese culture. Due to its cheap housing and high-quality cheap restaurants, the area is a very popular choice of place to live for students and temporary workers. - in: wikitravel

Photography by Chung Yin

The Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre is one of the two major convention and exhibition venues in Hong Kong, along with AsiaWorld-Expo. It is located in Wan Chai North, Hong Kong Island. Built along the Victoria Harbour, it is linked by covered walkways to nearby hotels and commercial buildings. - in: wikipedia

© Uitgeverij van der Meulen

These images are not identified on the card but this is probably Kinderdijk. 

Many Themes RR - Group 1597 (Kuba_pn)

Agnieszka lives in Australia and sent card from Poland, New Zealand and Singapore. 

Foto: K. Jablonski

Grunwaldzki Bridge is a suspension bridge over the River Oder in Wrocław, Poland, built over the years 1908-1910. Initially the bridge was called the Imperial Bridge (Kaiserbrücke), then the Bridge of Freedom (Freiheitsbrücke). Architectural designer of the bridge was a city councilor, Richard Plüddemann. The bridge opened on 10 October 1910 in the presence of Emperor Wilhelm II.

It is one of the longest bridges of its kind in Poland being 112.5 meters long, 18 meters wide and weighing 2.3 thousand tons. It was constructed of Silesian granite.

The bridge was damaged during World War II but by September 1947 it had been repaired and was opened again. Across the bridge currently go the national road 98 and tram lines. - in: wikipedia

Tiki Postcard * Pictorial Publications Limited

Blenheim is situated in the Marlborough region of New Zealand on the north east corner of the South Island, due west of Wellington city. Blenheim's attractions include its wine industry, the Marlborough Sounds, gourmet foods and adventure activities. - in: http://www.cityofblenheim.co.nz/

Featured on the left is the War Memorial Clock Tower and Fountain  in Seymour Square. The colourful gardens of the same square are seen on top right. At bottom right the Pollard Park incorporates the tranquil setting of the Waterlea Gardens. 

 

Marina Bay Sands is an integrated resort fronting Marina Bay in Singapore. Developed by Las Vegas Sands (LVS), it is the world's most expensive building, at US$ 4.7 billion, including the cost of the prime land.

The iconic design has transformed Singapore's skyline and tourism landscape since it opened on 27 April 2010. The property has an hotel, convention and exhibition facilities, theatres, entertainment venues, retailers and restaurants. - in: wikipedia

Many Themes RR * Group 1597 (Val-Natalia)

Many Themes RR is a big RR, which as its name indicates, has many groups and I've already joined a few. In group 1597 we were supposed to send cards from other countries. Natalia lives in Russia and she sent cards from China and Montenegro.  

This is the chinese card but i've no idea what building is this. 

Foto: Dragan Bosnic

Petrovac is a coastal town in Montenegro, within Budva Municipality.

Petrovac is located on the coast between Budva and Bar, where the old mountain road from Podgorica reaches the coast. It has a 600 metre long sandy beach and it is a popular tourist destination. 

Between the two world wars, Petrovac was famous as a popular destination for wealthy tourists from (the former) Yugoslavia. Petrovac is today a popular summer beach resort, its visitors coming predominantly from Montenegro and Serbia. - in: wikipedia

CA-465924

Wow, this postcard is so beautiful! Canada is on my must visit list because of landscapes like this one of Peyto Lake. 

© Published & Distributed by The Postcard Factory

CA-465924, sent by Carlie.

Peyto Lake is a glacier-fed lake located in Banff National Park in the Canadian Rockies. The lake itself is easily accessed from the Icefields Parkway. It was named for Bill Peyto, an early trail guide and trapper in the Banff area.

During the summer, significant amounts of glacial rock flour flow into the lake, and these suspended rock particles give the lake a bright, turquoise colour. Because of its bright colour, photos of the lake often appear in illustrated books, and area around the lake is a popular sightseeing spot for tourists in the park. The lake is best seen from Bow Summit, the highest point on the Icefields Parkway. - in: wikipedia

US-2978273

When I 1st saw this card I thought that building was a church!! No, no, that's not a church and not church related. This is one of the many horse farms in Kentucky, the Horse Country. I really like the autumn colors. 

© Souvenir Factory, Inc. 

US-2978273, sent by Shel.

Maybe nothing defines the culture of Kentucky better than the state's obsession with horses. One visit to Kentucky's Horse Country, and the thoroughbred affection is apparent in everything from the fields of grazing horses and racetracks to Kentucky horse farms & tours. Central Kentucky is home to more than 450 working thoroughbred horse farms.  These farms cover miles of beautiful rolling hills of the heart of our Bluegrass Region.

 It is also the undisputed international centre of Thoroughbred horse breeding. Horses live better here than most aristocracy, in cupola-topped barns and handsome stables with hand-forged gates, stained-glass windows and impeccable housekeeping.

Atlantic Forest in Paraná - Brazil

If you like to travel by train, in the Brazilian state of Paraná you can take one of the most  exciting train tours in the world across the Serra do Mar, one of the best-preserved Brazilian Atlantic Rainforest areas. 

Along the 110 kilometres of rail, the train traverses 14 tunnels, 30 bridges, and several mountains and viaducts.  Another unforgettable sight is a 70-metre waterfall called Véu da Noiva, which means ‘bride’s veil.’ - in: http://www.thetravelword.com/2011/04/07/one-of-the-worlds-most-important-coastal-ecosystems-parana-brazil/

On the right side of this card sent by Luzia, there's and arrow pointing to one of this railway tunnels and on the left side there's a picture of the Véu da Noiva waterfall. 

Fotos: Carlos Renato Fernandes; Denis (?) Ferreira Netto

The Atlantic Forests (Southeast) contain the best and largest remaining examples of Atlantic forest in the southeast region of Brazil. The 25 protected areas that make up the site display the biological richness and evolutionary history of the few remaining areas of Atlantic forest of southeast Brazil. The area is also exceptionally diverse with high numbers of rare and endemic species. With its “mountains to the sea” attitudinal gradient, its estuary, wild rivers, karst and numerous waterfalls, the site also has exceptional scenic values. - in: http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/893/

Mundaí Beach - Brazil

David's requested my help to surprise his wife family with some cards because his mother-in-law was portuguese and from my region. Of course I helped him but he also surprised me with his cards, especially this one from my last missing UNESCO site from Brazil. Mundaí Beach, in Porto Seguro, Bahía State, is one of the many beaches along the Discovery Coast. 

Litoarte

Considered the starting point of the Brazilian history and culture, the Discovery Coast was declared World Natural Heritage by UNESCO, in 1999. Surrounded by several natural attractions – such as beaches, bays, inlets, cliffs, coral reefs, mangroves and navigable rivers – the region has favorable conditions for adventure tourism and ecotourism.

For more than 500 years this region has been visited by various explorers seeking for the most unusual products. Nowadays, the explorers are better known as"tourists", that look for high doses of adrenaline and lots of history, in a scenery composed by sun, sea and tranquility. - in: http://bahia.com.br/en/destinos/discovery-coast/

Minas Gerais Cities - Brazil

Brazil is more than sun & beaches, I'm more interrested in it's history and architecture. I've been saving money to cross the Atlantic and Minas Gerais state and it's colonial towns are one of my options. 

These cards from Tiradentes and Ouro Preto were sent by David. 

Foto: Sérgio Ricardo de Freitas

Tiradentes is one of the smallest yet best preserved colonial towns in the brazilian State of Minas Gerais. It has been acclaimed as an unspoiled example of colonial architecture.  It has a population of about 6000 and boasts some fine examples of 300-year old buildings, like the impressive gold-filled St. António Church, built in 1710. 

Foto: Sérgio Ricardo de Freitas

Ouro Preto was the stronghold of the Inconfidentes, early fighters for Brazil’s independence from colonial rule. This treasure house of Baroque architecture has remained amazingly intact over the centuries and was classified as UNESCO WHS in 1980.

The Church of Nossa Senhora da Conceiçao (Immaculate Conception) was built between 1727 - 1746. 

Ahu Tongariki - Easter Island

My penpal Telma knows how much I like postcards and on her last letter she enclosed this card from Easter Island, showing 2 of the 15 moai in the Ahy Tongariki stone platform. 

© HISPAPEL LTDA

Ahu Tongariki is the largest Moai site of Easter Island. It has 15 moai lined up and includes the largest moai ever erected on the island. The biggest moai on this card has a pulao (red hairknot) on its head. Originally the others also had them though now they are just lying on the ground closer to the entrance.

The fifteen Moai (with their pukao) were toppled in the 17th century (as were all other Moai on the island) during a tribal war.

The platform was totally destroyed in 1960 when a massive tsunami, triggered by an earthquake in Chile, swept across this corner of the island, dragging the platform blocks and the statues 90m inland – a remarkable distance, given that the statues weigh up to 30 tonnes each. In October 1992 an agreement was signed between the Government of Chile and the Moai Restoration Committee of Japan to restore the Moai of Ahu Tongariki to their original standing positions. Work was finally completed in 1996 after help from Chilean archaeologists, Japanese archaeologists as well as that of a group of people of Easter Island.

Bwindi Impenetrable National Park - Uganda

This is my very first card from Uganda. It must be quite an experience to see these mountain gorillas. 

Bwindi Impenetrable National Park, in southwestern Uganda on the edge of the Rift Valley, was classified as a National Park in 1991 and declared a UNESCO Natural World Heritage Site in 1994. 

Photo: Petr Hejtmánek

This national park mist-covered hillsides are blanketed by one of Uganda's oldest and most biologically diverse rainforests, which dates back over 25,000 years and contains almost 400 species of plants. More famously, this “impenetrable forest” also protects an estimated 320 mountain gorillas – roughly half of the world’s population, including several habituated groups, which can be tracked.

This biologically diverse region also provides shelter to a further 120 mammals, including several primate species such as baboons and chimpanzees, as well as elephants and antelopes. There are around 350 species of birds hosted in this forest, including 23 Albertine Rift endemics. - in: http://www.ugandawildlife.org/explore-our-parks/parks-by-name-a-z/bwindi-impenetrable-national-park

Tanzania UNESCO WHS

With these african cards sent by Emerich, I've now more than 800 UNESCO sites. That's an impressive number, isn't it? These 3 are all from Tanzania and from the country's most famous attractions, Mount Kilimanjaro, Ngorongoro Conservation Area and Serengeti National Park. These sites were classified as World Heritage Sites in 1987, 1979 and 1981.

Photo by Petr Hejmánek

At 5,895 m, Kilimanjaro is the highest point in Africa. This volcanic massif stands in splendid isolation above the surrounding plains, with its snowy peak looming over the savannah. The mountain is encircled by mountain forest. Numerous mammals, many of them endangered species, live in the park. - in: http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/403

Photo: Petr Hejtmánek

The Ngorongoro Conservation Area spans vast expanses of highland plains, savanna, savanna woodlands and forests. Established in 1959 as a multiple land use area, with wildlife coexisting with semi-nomadic Maasai pastoralists practicing traditional livestock grazing, it includes the spectacular Ngorongoro Crater, the world’s largest caldera. The property has global importance for biodiversity conservation due to the presence of globally threatened species, the density of wildlife inhabiting the area, and the annual migration of wildebeest, zebra, gazelles and other animals into the northern plains. Extensive archaeological research has also yielded a long sequence of evidence of human evolution and human-environment dynamics, including early hominid footprints dating back 3.6 million years. - in: http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/39

Photo: Petr Hejtmánek

In the vast plains of Serengeti National Park, comprising 1.5 million hectares of savannah, the annual migration of two million wildebeests plus hundreds of thousands of gazelles and zebras - followed by their predators in their annual migration in search of pasture and water – is one of the most impressive nature spectacles in the world. The biological diversity of the park is very high with at least four globally threatened or endangered animal species: black rhinoceros, elephant, wild dog, and cheetah. - in: http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/156

Lake Malawi - Malawi

A few weeks ago when I received an envelope sent by Emerich, I've got 5 special cards, very special I must say. 5 UNESCO cards from 3 african countries. We all know how hard it can be to get UNESCO from certain african countries. This one from Malawi is my 1st from this country. Malawi only has 2 WHS, Lake Malawi National Park was classified in 1984. 

Photo by Petr Hejtmánek

Nkhata Bay is the capital of the Nkhata Bay District in Malawi. It is on the shore of Lake Malawi, east of Mzuzu, and is one of the main ports on Lake Malawi. 

Lake Malawi, also known as Lake Nyasa in Tanzania and Lago Niassa in Mozambique, is an African Great Lake and the southernmost lake in the East African Rift system, located between Malawi, Mozambique and Tanzania. It is the ninth largest lake in the world and the third largest and second deepest lake in Africa. It is home to more species of fish than any other lake, including about 1000 species of cichlids. - in: wikipedia

AU-378077

A different tradition now with this Sidney's New year's Eve card, with the St. mary's cathedral in the foreground. 

Damien Madden

AU-378077, sent by Russel.

Sydney New Year's Eve is an annual multi-tiered event held every New Year's Eve over Sydney Harbour, centring on the Harbour Bridge in Sydney, Australia. Its main features are two pyrotechnic displays, the "9pm Family Fireworks" and the "Midnight Fireworks", both of which are televised nationally with the latter also televised around the world. 

Each year the event takes on a new theme and is regularly viewed by more than one million people at the harbour and one billion worldwide for the televised Midnight Fireworks. - in: wikipedia

IN-114805

Last year Aniruddha in-laws traveled to Indonesia and Thailand and brought him some cards as a gift. There's no better gift to postcrossers than cards!! Aniruddha decided to send me an indonesian card showing a beautiful girl during the Mapeed procession at the annual Bali Arts Festival Opening Parade. 

IN-114805, sent by Aniruddha.
Mapeed features women and children carrying towering fruit and flower offerings on their heads.

Mapeed costumes are carefully colour coordinated, and female participants normally wear a yellow wrap-around kamben covered by a white outer piece of cloth; the kebaya is often also white, symbolizing purity. Children of mums who are in the mapeed are dressed up and lead the procession, with the shortest at the front through to the tallest at the back. Married women do their hair is a style called sanggul, with the unmarried women a half-sanggul.

Meticulously timed and coordinated, the procession may consist of either a single or a double file, sometimes stretching up to 100 metres or more in length. Mapeed is normally organised by the village with its people informed by way of a formal letter many weeks before the mapeed is staged. Much has to be coordinated – not only the large number of people, the colour coordination of their outfits and hair-dos, but the road also must be either closed or partially cordoned off.

Mapeed is accompanied by a marching orchestra of gongs, drums and cymbals called baleganjur which is thunderous and powerful, and can be heard for kilometres in the distance. The procession is always carefully guarded by traditional security guards in chequered sarong called Pecalang. 

Since the 1970s, mapeed has become an important element in the beauty and creative richness of the annual Bali Arts Festival Opening Parade. Held around the middle of June, participants from each regency present their regional version of mapeed. - in: http://www.baliadvertiser.biz/articles/kulturekid/2011/mapeed.html

MY-216822

A card from Malaysia showing the beautiful Khoo Kongsi, one of Georgetown’s most interesting attractions. A kongsi (clan house) is a building in which Chinese families of the same surname gather to worship their ancestors. Representing a family’s social and spiritual commitments between extended relations, ancestors and the outside community, the kongsi also acts as an important means of solidarity. These days the primary functions of kongsis are supportive roles: they help with the educations of members’ children, settle disputes and advance loans. - in: http://www.penang.ws/penang-attractions/khoo-khongsi.htm

MY-216822, sent by Khoo.

The Khoo Kongsi is a large Chinese clanhouse with elaborate and highly ornamented architecture, a mark of the dominant presence of the Chinese in Penang, Malaysia. The famous Khoo Kongsi is the grandest clan temple in the country. The clan temple has retained its authentic historic setting, which includes an association building, a traditional theatre and the late 19th century rowhouses for clan members, all clustered around a granite-paved square. It is located in Cannon Square in the heart of the oldest part of the city of George Town, in the midst of narrow, winding lanes and quaint-looking pre-War houses exuding a palpable old world charm. - in: wikipedia

CN-1418249

This is the Zhi Sheng Lin, a gate to the Cemetery of Confucius, in Shandong, 1 km (0.62miles) north of Qufu. 

Since 1994, the Cemetery of Confucius has been part of the UNESCO World Heritage Site "Temple and Cemetery of Confucius and the Kong Family Mansion in Qufu". 

CN-1418249, sent by Zhulihua.
The cemetery contains Confucius' tomb and the remains of more than 100,000 of his descendants. It has the longest line of descendants in the world. Record has it that this cemetery has already lasted 2340 years. Beside the tombs stand steles inscribed with handwritings of the notable people of the times, and vibrant stone sculptures. The Cemetery is renowned for its natural botanical areas, largely owing to more than 1,000 mature trees. It is said that after Confucius's death, disciples planted rare trees from all over China. Some of the trees are so rare that their proper names are yet unknown. - in: http://www.travelchinaguide.com/attraction/shandong/qufu/masnion.htm

Bursa - Turkey

This was a surprise card from Óscar. 

Bursa is a large city in Turkey, located in northwestern Anatolia, within the Marmara Region. 

Bursa was the first capital of the Ottoman State between 1335 and 1413. The city was referred to as Hüdavendigar (meaning "God's gift") during the Ottoman period, while a more recent nickname is Yeşil Bursa (meaning "Green Bursa") in reference to the parks and gardens located across its urban fabric, as well as to the vast and richly varied forests of the surrounding region.

Bursa and the village of Cumalıkızık were classified as UNESCO WHS last July. 

Ptt

Emir Sultan Mosque was first built in the 14th century, rebuilt in 1804 upon the orders of the Ottoman Sultan Selim III, and re-built again in 1868, along slightly varying plans each time.

The present-day mosque, bearing his epithet Emir Sultan, and situated in Bursa quarter of the same name (although written contiguously, as “Emirsultan”), was built after the collapse of the original 14th century monument in the 1766 earthquake. Although the materials and the location were maintained, the style was adjusted to reflect the baroque design that came into fashion in the Ottoman Empire during the 19th century. Following 1855 Bursa earthquake, the mosque and the mausoleum of Emir Sultan was rebuilt again in 1868 (1285 A.H) by Sultan Abdülaziz. - in: wikipedia

RU-2896102, RU-3003845 & RU-2896097

With these three russian offcials, I finish today's updates. 

 www.moscowcards.ru

RU-2896102, sent by Christina. 

As Russia's proud and historic capital city, most tourists are already familiar with many of the most famous landmarks within Moscow, some of them are pictured on this card, such as the Kremlin Walls and Towers, Tsar Bell and Tsar Cannon, Revolution Square, St. Basil's Cathedral, Cathedral of Christ the Saviour, Ivan the Great Bell Tower, the Seven Sisters and others. 

RU-3003845, sent by Gennadiy.

The Catherine Palace is named after Catherine I, the wife of Peter the Great, who ruled Russia for two years after her husband's death. Originally a modest two-storey building commissioned by Peter for Catherine in 1717, the Catherine Palace owes its awesome grandeur to their daughter, Empress Elizabeth, who chose Tsarskoe Selo as her chief summer residence. Starting in 1743, the building was reconstructed by four different architects, before Bartholomeo Rastrelli, Chief Architect of the Imperial Court, was instructed to completely redesign the building on a scale to rival Versailles.  The resultant palace, completed in 1756, is nearly 1km in circumference, with elaborately decorated blue-and-white facades featuring gilded atlantes, caryatids and pilasters designed by German sculptor Johann Franz Dunker, who also worked with Rastrelli on the palace's original interiors. In Elizabeth's reign it took over 100kg of gold to decorate the palace exteriors, an excess that was deplored by Catherine the Great when she discovered the state and private funds that had been lavished on the building. - in: http://www.saint-petersburg.com/pushkin/catherine-palace.asp

RU-2896097, sent by Irina.

“Castle of Love and Deceit”, a restaurant built in medieval style in 1950, in Kislovodsk, a spa city in Stavropol Krai, Russia, in the North Caucasus region of Russia. 

BY-1352192

For a UNESCO card collector, getting a card from a new site is always a great moment and its even better when the card is totally unexpected. That's what happened with this one of one of a Struve Geodetic Arc triangulation point in Belarus. This was the last site I was still missing from Belarus and it made super happy to get it. 

© Yuri Podverbny

BY-1352192, sent by Pavel.

Tupishki control point, which opened in the Oshmyany District at the end of 2007, is one of 265 points on the famous Struve Arc, created in the 19th century, determining the parameters of the Earth, its shape and size. Of the 31 points in Belarus, five are included in the UNESCO World Heritage List, including Oshmyany Tupishki. - in: http://en.ngo.by/press/minsk-times/f3383632f6ba.html

Swallow's Nest - Ukraine

The Swallow's Nest Castle is one of the most popular visitor attractions in Crimea, having become the symbol of Crimea's southern coastline. 

 UA-1119830, sent by Ivan & Olga.

The Swallow's Nest is a decorative castle located at Gaspra, a small spa town between Yalta and Alupka, on the Crimean Peninsula.

It was built between 1911 and 1912, on top of the 40-metre (130 ft) high Aurora Cliff, in a Neo-Gothic design by the Russian architect Leonid Sherwood for the Baltic German oil millionaire Baron von Steingel. - in: wikipedia

FR-416784

The ID of this card is french but the card is from Romania. It was sent from there when Daniela was visiting her family in August. 

The card shows the Saint Michael's Church and Matthias Corvinus statue in Cluj-Napoca, the second most populous city in Romania. 

Foto: Stefan Socaciu

FR-416784, sent by Daniela.

Saint Michael's Church, in Unirii Square, was built at the end of the 14th century in the Gothic style of that period. It was only in the 19th century that the Neo-Gothic tower of the church was erected; it remains the tallest church tower in Romania to this day.

In front of the church is the equestrian statue of Matthias Corvinus, erected in honour of the locally born king of Hungary. - in: wikipedia

Bratislava Castle - Slovakia

Bratislava, Slovakia's capital city is only 130 kms from Brno, that's about 1 hour and 45 minutes by bus. Beeing this close, we didn't miss the opportunity to visit another country. Someone told us not to go, that the city wasn't that interresting but we wanted to go any way and I really liked it. 

This card was also sent by me. I only have a few cards from Slovakia and only by second from Bratislava. 

Bratislava castle is a historic dominant of Bratislava. It towers over the river Danube, on a castle rock in the height of 85 metres. Bratislava castle stands in the place of an old Slavic hill-fort from the 9th century and its first written record, under the name Pressalauspruch falls back to the year 907. From the times of Great Moravian empire, the bases of threenaved basilica were maintained in its grounds. Today’s architecture of Bratislava castle has a regular quadrangular ground-plan and carries characteristics of Renaissance and early Baroque. Even the empress Marie Therese had taken care of one of the most important building reforms. Bratislava castle burnt down in 1811. His reconstruction started in the middle of 20th century and it was accessed for public in 1968.  in: http://www.visitslovakia.com/bratislava-castle/

Telč Castle - Czech Republic

One more card from czech Republic mas this one is a bit special, it was sent by me in Telč. I've been to Czech Republic last month and visited a lot of places, one of my favorites was Telč. I've many cards from Czech Republic and I wanted to send myself something I still didn't have, a Telč castle card was my option. The card was also sent by my travel buddy Joana and Slavka, a girl that we met during our flight from Lisbon to Prague. A few days later we met her in Brno and invited her to visit Telč and Třebíč with us.

© Vydavatelství Ivan Rillich

The Telč Chateau ranks among the gems of Moravian Renaissance architecture. 

The Gothic castle was built in the second half of the 14th century. At the end of the 15th century the castle fortifications were strengthened and a new gate-tower built. In the middle of the 16th century the medieval castle no longer satisfied Renaissance nobleman Zachariáš of Hradec, who had the castle altered in the Renaissance style.

The Chateau was never sold but it was always passed on from one family to another.

Bor & Kunětice Mountain Castles

These buildings look like castles and are castles. Bor castle is located in the Pilsen Region of Czech Republic and the Kunětice Mountain Castle in the Pardubice Region. 

 © Vydal Petr Prásil

The early-Gothic water castle attained its present form through a Neo-Gothic renovation in the 19th century. Remaining from the original castle buildings are the dwelling part and a round tower from the 13th century. - in: http://www.turisturaj.cz/en/cil/P024 

 

© Vydavatelství Ivan Rillich

The castle played an important role during the Hussite Wars of the early 15th century, during which it was a fortress of Diviš Bořek of Miletinek (Diviš Bořek z Miletínka). In 1491 it was bought by Vilém of Pernštejn (Vilém z Pernštejna), who ordered the castle rebuilt in the late Gothic style, with two towers and a moat. The construction was continued by Vilém's sons in the early Renaissance style. During the Thirty Years' War, in the early 17th century, the castle was besieged several times; at the end of the war Swedish troops burned it to the ground.

The castle remained a ruin until the early 20th century, when the Pardubice Museum Society was formed. The group purchased the site in 1919 and began reconstruction in 1923, according to the plans of architect Dušan Jurkovič. The rebuilding was completed in 1996.

Today the castle is open to the public as a museum. On display are surviving murals, including a 1523 work depicting Samson and Delilah, the oldest known Renaissance mural in Bohemia. The castle also hosts occasional music or theatrical performances. The mountain and castle form a popular weekend destination for people living nearby. - in: wikipedia