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

Varnsdorf - Czech Republic

This building looks a bit like a castle but actually it is an observation tower and a restaurant in Varnsdorf. 

Varnsdorf is a town also in the Ústí nad Labem Region. 

Foto: Miroslav Dobes * Design Ateliér Stejkal

The dominant feature of the town is Hrádek, which soars on a clinkstone border hill and is 467 metres tall. It was built by members of the Mountain Society for Northernmost Bohemia in 1904. Major personalities, craftsmen and inhabitants of the town and of the surrounding areas contributed with their gifts to the construction of a 29-metre tall watchtower and a restaurant on Hrádek. Prince Liechtenstein donated 50 thousand Crowns, which represented almost half of the costs.

 The watchtower was opened after major reconstruction in 2003. After many years it again provides a circular view of Varnsdorf and of the German town of Seifhennersdorf with the Lusatian Mountains in the background, of the Zittauer Basin, and of the Elbe Sandstones in the west; and when the weather is clear, it is also possible to see the Jizera Mountains and the Giant Mountains. 

Hrádek has been declared a cultural heritage site and has again become a tourist destination. Moreover, it was the winner of the national competition for the Facade of the Year in 2006. In its interior you can find a permanent exposition of maps, photographs and other exhibits relating to Hrádek and its surroundings. - in: http://www.kr-ustecky.cz/en/vismo/dokumenty2.asp?id_org=450021&id=1146

Pilgrimage sites in northern Czech Republic

Jiřetín pod Jedlovou and Rumburk are two town in the Ústi nad Labem Region, in the north of Czech Republic.
One of the most significant features of Jiřetín pod Jedlovou is Křížová hora, the Cross Mountain, which became a place of pilgrimage in the 18th century.
Rumburk is famous because of its beautiful historical inner city with many historical sights, including the Loreto Chapel.

Foto-Design © Ateliér Stejskal Jiretin

Křížová hora became a place of pilgrimage due to the legend about a revelation of our savior to seven brothers. Thanks to this legend A Way of the Cross was built up to the mountain.  The local vicar, Gottfried Liessner, was the one who got credit for building The Way of the Cross and the chapel. He was blessed on 17th September 1764.  The Way of the Cross with 11 walled chapels all with relief scenes of the saints leads to the chapel. The 12th and the 13th stops are the chapel of the Cross and the 14th one is the chapel of God's Grave. In 1969 the whole area was proclaimed a cultural monument.

A legend tells about seven brothers who saw The Messiah on the Cross. He urged them to return. Only the youngest one returned even though his legs were not healthy. He had the wooden cross built on the edge of the mountain. He prayed there for a long time and he recovered. The place became well known and since that time lots of sick people came to the cross believing that they too might recover. - in: http://www.ceskosaske-svycarsko.cz/tourist-attractions/krizova-hora.html

Foto-Design © Ateliér Stejskal Jiretin

The construction of the Loreto started in 1704. The beautiful embossed stuccos were completed in 1709. The donor of the building was Anthony Florian of Liechtenstein. It is presumed that the church was designed by byl Johann Lukas von Hildebrandt, author of significant Baroque structures in Austria. The building was inspired by the Italian „Holy Hut“, but locally extracted sandstone was used to make the ten Sibyls and ten prophets instead of marble, which is used in the case of the Italian Loreto. In addition to the reliefs and sculptures, the exterior of the Loreto also includes Corinthian semi-columns with richly decorated capitals. Inside the Loreto is a copy of “Miraculous Black Madonna” of cedar wood decorated with gold and diamonds. - in: http://turistika.ceskesvycarsko.cz/en/locations/rumburk-loreto-0

Manětín - Czech Republic

After a trip my cards collection gets considerable bigger because of the cards I buy and this recent trip to Czech Republic was no exception. I bought dozens of cards and when I got home I had some more cards waiting for me. This is 1st of the czech cards Emerich sent me. 

Foto: Ivan Rillich

Manětín is a town in the Plzeň Region of the Czech Republic. 

All visitors of Manětín are surprised by the number and quality of the Baroque sculptures and devotional pillars, dating back to the end of the 17th and 18th centuries. The late Baroque burgher houses on the square and along the main street complete the coloring of the once important town, nearly forgotten, however, today. - in: http://www.zamky-hrady.cz/1/manetin-e.htm

Haczów - Poland

I've traded again with Emerich, this time 15 cards and this one is from Haczów, a village in south-eastern Poland. In the village is located the  Assumption of Mary and St. Michael's Archangel church, one of the six with Wooden Churches of Southern Little Poland, on the UNESCO list of World Heritage Sites since 2003. 

Photo: Dariusz Krakowiak

This temple is the largest wooden Gothic church in Europe and also the oldest wooden church built by using the horizontal log technique in Poland. It is located on the trail of wooden architecture in southern Poland and on the UNESCO World Heritage list.

The church was built in the late 14th century and later extended and renovated. As a place of religious worship it was used till 1948 but then began to fall into disrepair. In the 1960’s and 1970’s the church furnishings (altars, benches, paintings and other ornaments) were taken to the Museum in Sanok and the court in Kroscienko Wyzne. Before being entered on the UNESCO list the church underwent major renovation. Firstly, the wooden ceiling was replaced and new wood shingle put on the roof.

Inside, the wall paintings from the end of the 15th century survived, which were supplemented by more recent paintings from the 18th and 19th centuries. Gothic art is represented by sculptures, including the Pieta from about 1400. - in: http://www.poland.travel/en/unesco-world-heritage-sites/the-assumption-church-in-haczow