DE-3228119

The last time i've received a german card was exactly 2 months ago. Thats somehow unusual because german cards used to arrive almost every week. 

Finally, last thursday arrived this beautiful card with St. Emmeram Palace in Regensburg. 

© Lichtbilder Thomas Ferber * Regensburg

DE-3228119, sent by Sonja.

St. Emmeram Palace is the royal residence for the Thurn and Taxis dynast, which lived here for almost two hundred years after they moved from Frankfurt to Regensburg in 1748. In 1816, the palace was converted into a magnificent residence that is regarded as one of the most important examples of historicism in Germany.

As compensation for losing the Bavarian mail monopoly, the princes were given the former Abbey of St. Emmeram in 1812. From 1816, this was converted into a magnificent residence that is now considered one of Germany's finest example of historicist architecture – a revival of styles from the past. - in: http://www.germany.travel/en/towns-cities-culture/palaces-parks-gardens/st-emmeram-palace.html

Church of S. Maria degli Angeli, Lugano - Switzerland

Another swiss card sent by Óscar, this time a church, S. Maria degli Angeli in Lugano. He says that the outside is a bit plain but once you enter, it takes your breath away, due to an huge Renaissance fresco covering the whole wall of the nave. The "Passion and and Crucifixion of Christ" is Switzerland's most famous fresco and it was created by Bernardino Luini in the 16th century. 

© photoglob Zürich

The church, located on Piazza Bernardino Luini, was built in 1499 and was originally part of a Franciscan monastery, which was dissolved and torn down in 1848. 

Mercier & Neu-Thierstein Castles - Switzerland

Óscar keeps helping me with my castle collection. He already sent me a few swiss castle cards and these two are his last contribuitions. 

Edition Perrochet

 The Château Mercier occupies a superb position on Pradegg hill, above Sierre. It was built between 1906 and 1908 by the Mercier de Molin family, a well-known family of tanners from Lausanne.

A real architectural jewel of the Sierre region, ownership of the Château was transferred to the cantonal authorities in 1970, with a view to mixed use for cultural purposes and hospitality. - in: http://www.sierretourisme.ch/tourism/chateau-mercier-1046.html

Foto: Roland Gerth © photoglob.com

Neu-Thierstein Castle is a ruined castle on a small rocky outcrop above the municipality of Büsserach in the canton of Solothurn. 

The castle was founded in 1100 and a new building was built around 1294/95. The castle was apparently built by the Saugern-Pfeffingen family. As heirs of the Saugern-Pfeffingen family, in the late 12th Century, the count of Thierstein took over the castle. 

By 1400 it was known as Thierstein Castle. The castle was occupied by the Canton of Solothurn in 1445, 1467 and 1499. After the extinction of the counts of Thierstein in 1522, Solothurn acquired the castle and made it the administrative center of the secular bailiwick of Thierstein. In 1798 the castle was sold for demolition. However, in the 19th Century, the destruction of the castle are stopped by private individuals who wanted to repair the ruins. - in: wikipedia

Ribeauvillé - France

Ribeauvillé is a town in the Haut-Rhin department in Alsace in north-eastern France, located around 16 km (10 miles) north of Colmar and 75 km (47 miles) south of Strasbourg.

Photo: © Ivan Anger

Ribeauvillé is in part surrounded by ancient walls, and has many picturesque medieval houses, and two old churches, of St. Gregory and St. Augustine, both fine Gothic buildings, which can be seen on the card. 

Farol Island - Portugal

I've already said here that mail has been really slowly and this card is a perfect example of that slowness. Tiago send it in the beginning of April and I got it just a few days ago. It was an almost 2 months travel from southern Portugal to my city!! 

© al-garbdistri

Farol Island, also known as Culatra Island, is a small fishermen village filled with colourful small houses in the Algarve. 

The Cabo de Santa Maria Lighthouse was built in in 1996 as a reconstruction of an 1851 lighthouse.

Filé lace - Brazil

Luzia went on holidays recentely to the Alogas state, in the northeast Brazil. One of the most famous local handicrafts products is the filé lace. 

Assistel Turismo Distribuidora

This a kind of lace which is produced by very humble and simple artisans, the “rendeiras” – lace makers, who provide for their families through this work. 

The lace is made of beautiful and well-structured webs, basically made of meshes and knots. By the way, this type of lace is really similar to the fishing nets and it is also known as the “rede de nó” – web of knots. The “filé” lace can be colored or made in single tones, especially white and beige. They are found in the format of dish towels, placemats and tablecloths. - in: http://www.sayhellotobrazil.com/the-lace-makers-and-the-file-from-alagoas/

Guzara Castle - Ethiopia

May wasn't exactly a nice month when it comes to received cards but last friday was a nice day because i've got Emerich's envelope with 17 cards from different places. This is the 1st one, showing the Guzara Castle in Ethiopia. 

 

© Jiri Horák, 2011

The imposing, ruined castle of Guzara was built on a once strategic hill, 5 kilometres south of the small town of Emfraz, in the district of Gondar-Zuriya, not far from the north-eastern shores of Lake Tana.

Measuring 18 m by 12 m, it stands in the centre of what was once a royal walled compound of some significance. Its construction is frequently attributed to King Sarsa Dengel, around 1570.

Most probably, the present building  was built over a former defensive royal structure during the reign of either Susneyos or his son Fasiladas, in the first half of the 17th century. - in: http://iscte.pt/~mjsr/html/expo_jesuits/architecture/guzara_and_dabsan_.htm