Linderhof Palace - Germany

Ludwig II of Bavaria architectural and artistic legacy includes many of Bavaria's most important tourist attractions. Ironically, the very castles which were said to be causing the king’s financial ruin have today become extremely profitable tourist attractions for the Bavarian state. 

Linderhof Palace was the only one Ludwig lived to see completed and the one in which he stayed more than anywhere else.

The 1st of these card was sent by Irene, who contacted me via the official PC site and the other three are officials. 

 © Fotoverlag HUBER

 Linderhof Palace occupies the original site of the Königshäuschen hunting lodge which belonged to Ludwig's father, King Maximilian II. In 1874, Ludwig had the Königshäuschen pulled down and moved to its current location. A vestibule and staircase were added to the royal villa, followed by a hall of mirrors and two tapestry chambers. 

 © Fotoverlag HUBER

DE-4694029, sent by Uschi.

Like all other state rooms in the palace, it is decorated in the style of the second rococo era. The original wooden exterior was clad with solid stone, which enabled the building to take on the representative character of French palaces and become the focal point of the estate. 

Copyright Foto Studio Verlag Kienberger

DE-7366631, sent by Sandra.

Linderhof Palace Park is a stunning example of historicist-era landscape gardening. Immediately outside the palace are baroque partitions such as garden and water parterres as well as terraces and cascades arranged in the Italianate Renaissance style. 

 © Fotoverlag HUBER

DE-7448360, sent by Veronica. 

Every year on 24 August fires are lit on the hills surrounding nearby Oberammergau to celebrate the birthday of Bavaria's favourite king. - in: http://www.germany.travel/en/leisure-and-recreation/palaces-parks-gardens/linderhof-palace.html

Castillitos Battery - Spain

Murcia is perhaps the Spanish regions from where I have fewer postcards. Vanesa went there on holidays and sent me this card. 

Despite the name and the appearance, this structure is not a castle, it is a battery.

Castillitos Battery, locally known as Batería del Castillitos, lies on the ridge of a cape above the sea, west of the city of Cartagena in the province of Murcia in Spain. 

WW I had resulted in huge technological advances, which rendered the defenses of Cartagena obsolete. Cartagena then already was the headquarters and main military port of the Spanish Navy. So in 1926 a Defense Plan called for the construction of a new defense system, compromising the building of tens of new fortifications around Cartagena, giving it full protection against attacks from sea and air. 

Fotografia: Miguel A. Gomez

Cabo Tiñoso, a cape some 25 kilometers from Cartagena, was amongst the sites chosen to be used. On the ridge of this cape were built 3 batteries; Atalayón, Castillitos and Jorel. Castillitos Battery was built between 1933 and 1936. It was an anti shipping battery armed with two massive Vickers 381 mm 45 caliber anti shipping guns. They had a reach of about 35 kilometers. 

The battery was deliberately built into the top of the ridge to render it invisible from the sea. For the buildings of this battery the builders used a style of eclectic modernism, decorating them with crenellations and towers like a medieval castle.

At the beginning of the Spanish Civil War in 1936 Castillitos Battery was almost operational, only lacking its fire-control system. In 1937 it fired one shot against a Nationalist squadron, and the knowledge of the havoc the guns could wreak was enough of a deterrent to ensure that they were not required to take part in further combat. With the passing of time the guns became obsolete and the battery was decomissioned in 1994. It was subsequently dismantled and abandoned. The two Vickers guns remained. In 2010/2011 it was somewhat restored. It is still owned by the Ministry of Defense. - in: http://www.castles.nl/castillitos-battery

Medina Azahara - Spain

Located about 6 kms west of Córdoba, the Caliphate City of Medina Azahara is the newest spanish UNESCO site. 

A few weeks ago Tiago traveled to Andalucia and he visited some of the region's sites, this was one of them. 

© FISA - ESCUDO DE ORO, S. A.

The Caliphate City of Medina Azahara is an archaeological site of a newly-founded city built in the mid-10th century CE by the western Umayyad dynasty as the seat of the Caliphate of Cordoba. The city was destroyed shortly afterwards, and from that time remained hidden until its rediscovery in the early 20th century CE.

The site is a complete urban complex including infrastructure, buildings, decoration and objects of daily use, and provides in-depth knowledge about the material culture of the Islamic civilization of Al-Andalus at the zenith of its splendour but which has now disappeared. In addition, the landscape features which influenced the city’s location are conserved.

The hidden character of the site over a long period has contributed to its preservation and it has not been rebuilt or altered in that time. - in: https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/1560

Europe RR - Group 144 * Happy Mix

A watermill from Germany and a church from Finland. 

Foto: Reiner Mohr

A few days ago I added mills to my postcard wishlist and I immediatly started to get them. Gerald sent me a watermill located in Barmstedt. Rantzau watermill dates from 1863 and is still used when there is enough water.

The grey stone church of St. John in Hauho, was built probably at the beginning of 16th century. The present sacristy made of bricks replaced the old medieval one 1783-1784. The bell tower was built in 1811. The church bells were moved over to the new church in 1885.

There are several medieval wooden statues in the church, for example St. Peter and St. Anna. - in: https://www.spottinghistory.com/view/16/the-church-of-st-john/

Card sent by Ritva.

Ingersoll's International Meeting - Canada

So many meetings around the world these days. By the end of last month, a few postcrossers met in Ingersoll, Canada and they had special guests, Paulo and Ana were there. Marie was also there and sent me this card. 

Postcard design by @GETDesigns ©

Thomas Ingersoll was an early settler in Upper Canada, later Ontario. Ingersoll, originally Oxford-on-the-Thames, was renamed in his honor. 

The present-day town hall replaced a brick building built in 1857, that the town demolished  in 1990. 

Woodland Caribou Provincial Park - Canada

Canada has added a new site to the UNESCO WHS list. Pimachiowin Aki is the first site in the country to be recognized for both its cultural and natural significance. 

Jason sent me this card of the Woodland Caribou Provincial Park that is part of this site. 

Pimachiowin Aki (‘The Land That Gives Life’) is a forest landscape crossed by rivers and studded with lakes, wetlands, and boreal forest. It forms part of the ancestral home of the Anishinaabeg, an indigenous people living from fishing, hunting and gathering. The area encompasses the traditional lands of four Anishinaabeg communities (Bloodvein River, Little Grand Rapids, Pauingassi and Poplar River). It is an exceptional example of the cultural tradition of Ji-ganawendamang Gidakiiminaan (‘keeping the land’), which consists of honouring the gifts of the Creator, respecting all forms of life and maintaining harmonious relations with others. A complex network of livelihood sites, habitation sites, travel routes and ceremonial sites, often linked by waterways, embodies this tradition. - in: https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/1415

Besides the lands of the four Anishinaabe First Nations, the area also includes Atikaki and South Atikaki Provincial Parks, Woodland Caribou Provincial Park and Eagle-Snowshoe Conservation Reserve.

Woodland Caribou Provincial Park is a provincial park in northwestern Ontario. It borders eastern Manitoba, and is made up of Canadian Shield and boreal forest. Woodland Caribou Provincial Park is a wilderness park of 450,000 hectares (1,100,000 acres). 

Access to the park is via float plane or canoe. The park is noted as a wilderness canoe destination, with over 2,000 kilometres (1,200 mi) of waterways that weave a pattern between large interconnected lakes and rivers, including the Bloodvein and Gammon Rivers. Portages connect many of the common canoe routes. The park has many archeological sites containing many Ojibway pictographs. - in: wikipedia

Lake Powell - USA

This card was in my favorites gallery and it was sent by Linda. Unfortunately the mail sorting machines (I think) left an ugly scratch right on the middle of the card. Lets pretend it is a waterfall. 

Photo © Chuck Lawsen

Lake Powell is a reservoir on the Colorado River, straddling the border between Utah and Arizona, United States. Most of Lake Powell, along with Rainbow Bridge National Monument, is located in Utah. It is a major vacation spot that around two million people visit every year. It is the second largest man-made reservoir by maximum water capacity in the United States behind Lake Mead, storing 24,322,069 acre feet (3.0000830×1010 m3) of water when full. However, due to high water withdrawals for human and agricultural consumption, and because of subsequent droughts in the area, Lake Powell is currently larger than Lake Mead in terms of volume of water currently held, depth and surface area.

Lake Powell was created by the flooding of Glen Canyon by the Glen Canyon Dam, which also led to the creation of Glen Canyon National Recreation Area, a popular summer destination. The reservoir is named for explorer John Wesley Powell, a one-armed American Civil War veteran who explored the river via three wooden boats in 1869. - in: wikipedia