2010 July, Patrycja Prucia from POLAND (Będzin Castle)

~ Będzin, Poland ~

Thanks for Patrycja Prucia
Sent: 1st JULY 2010

Received: JULY 2010

The Będzin Castle is a castle in Będzin in southern Poland. The stone castle dates to 14th century, and is predated by a wooden fortification that was erected in 11th century. It was an important fortification in the Kingdom of Poland and later, the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth.

HISTORY

The village of Będzin originated in the 9th century. The local wooden fort, that the records show existed as early as the 11th century was destroyed during the Tatar invasion in 1241, and subsequently rebuilt.

During the reign of Casimir III the Great the castle received an upgrade from wooden fortress to a stone one, and the stone fort was operational as early as in 1348. The growing trading village of Bytom was given Magdeburg Law city rights shortly afterwards, in 1358.

The castle was meant to be a military outpost on the southwestern border of the Kingdom of Poland (later, the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth). It was the most westward fortification, and was meant to hold off any invasion coming from Bohemian or Silesian lands. In 1364 the castle was visited by Charles IV, Holy Roman Emperor. In 1588, Maximilian III, Archduke of Austria, was held prisoner in here, after his defeat in the War of the Polish Succession (1587–1588).

The castle fell into disrepair in the late 16th century. The fire of 1616 and damage during The Deluge in 1657 resulted in the further destruction. The fortress was periodically repaired, but due to shifts in the layout of the borders and relations between Poland and its neighbours, it lost much of its importance. After the partitions of Poland, Będzin fell into Prussian control and the castle became property of the Hohenzollern family. In 1807, the nearby lands were transferred to the Duchy of Warsaw, and in 1815, to the Congress Poland. In 1825 the castle was virtually falling apart, and when a piece of the stone crushed a passerby, demolition of the castle was ordered, but before it was started, the castle was declared a monument. In 1830s the castle was bought by Count Edward Raczyński and partially rebuilt, with a Protestant church temporarily housed inside, but after Raczyński's death in 1845 plans to open an academy or a hospital there were abandoned, and the castle once again fell into disrepair.

The castle was not rebuilt again until the times of People's Republic of Poland, when in 1952–1956, a museum was opened there.

LT-113425 LITHUANIA from Egle

~ Vilnius, Lithuania ~ (LT-113425)

This card was made a day for me... 

Thanks for Egle (Postcrossing ID: Spygyls)
http://www.postcrossing.com/user/Spyglys

Sent: 11th Feb. 2010

Received: Feb. 2010

HISTORY of TRAKAI Island Castle
When the Peninsular castle was being built, fortified and expanded - at the second half of the 14th century - the Island Castle was begun to be build on one larger island of Galve Lake. At the first stage of building works the Island Castle was of an in-between type – either fenced or conventional – it was of U form and had duke palace and ante palace. It is thoughts that Island Castle was begun by Kestutis and finished in the early 15th century by his son Vytautas. It was meant to be a fortress and it was never conquered by any raiders.

At the second stage of building works the layout of the castle was a little changed: between the two castle blocks a 9,2 x 9,6 m large and 6 floors height donjon was constructed (33 meters), and at the edge of the island a defensive wall with counterforts was built. The architecture style of the Castle is Gothic but separate elements were of Romanesque style. All the rooms were arced, window slots were decorated with trimmed bricked. On the second floor of the right block there was a representative chamber; windows were decorated with stained-glass. About the architecture of the Island and Peninsular Castles there was for the first time mentioned by a Fleming traveller Giliber de Launa, indicating that “the second Castle is in the middle of the lake in a distance of a cannon shoot form the first Castle. It is completely new and is built from brick according the French example.” At the last stage of the building works a fossa was pitched, separating duke castle from the ante-castle, it is hedged with a defensive wall with towers, there were casemates built. In the southern and triangular casemates there were kitchens, on the lower floors of the western casemates there were stockrooms, and on the second floor of casemates servants lived. In the southwest tower if the Castle there was a prison. The ante-castle gained a form of irregular trapezium, in the Eve of the Battle of Grunwald the Castle was expanded and renewed; the angle towers were readjusted for the flank defence and had 15 cannons. After the Battle of Grunwald (in 1410), having defeated the Teutonic Order the Island Castle became the residence of the Grand Duke. In the beginning of the 15th century Trakai was a flowering town, frequently visited by merchants, honoured guests, foreign messengers, who were welcomed in the representative chamber of the Island Castle. In 1413 in the Island Castle there was welcomed the Emperor Zigmantas’s messenger Benedict Macra, who was assigned an arbiter in the argument with the Order on the border with Samogitia. The Polish King Jogaila (Vytautas’s cousin) came with a visit for 13 times.

In the 16th century after having lost the military and residential functions the role of the Castle went down and the Grand Dukes visited it more and more seldom. The Metrics that was kept in the Castle was moved to Vilnius in 1511. The Island Castle becomes a prison for noble criminals.

After desolating invasion of the Tsarist Russia in 1655 – 1661 Trakai town was plundered and burned, the Island Castle was destroyed and was not rebuilt; the town never revived and became a province.

In the 19th century Romanticism ideas lead to show interest in Lithuanian past, especially Trakai Castles. Artists painted the ruins of the Island Castle, the remained fragments of the frescoes, the engineers – architects prepared the restoration projects for the castle. Engineer B.Malevskis prepared a project for fragmentary and conservational works in the ante-castle west-east tower. Although the works accomplished were not large, in the history of castle preservation they were very important. In 1929 – 1941 the restoration works were supervised by a Polish architect J.Borovskis. In that period the sole of the stonework was consolidated, the corner counterforts were restored/renewed, the remains of the ruin were removed form the fa?ade, the donjon was fortified, the representative chamber was began to be reconstructed.

After the World War II the conservational, restoration and reconstructional works were continued by Lithuanian restaurateurs. In 1953 the reconstructional works of the Castle started. In 1962, following the project of architect B.Kruminis the central palace were rebuilt, and in 1987, following the architect St.Mikulionis the anti-castle was rebuilt. The corner towers of the anti-castle were also rebuilt and the western casemates transformed the whole volume/size of the dimensional composition of the Castle. The symbol of Lithuanian and of town Trakai – the Island Castle – regained its previous outlook as it was in the 15th century. After the re-establishment of Lithuanian Independence Trakai Island Castle again welcomes honoured Lithuanian guests; it also is a place where important contracts are signed.

In 1962 the Island Castle was conveyed to Trakai History Museum. Many expositions were installed since then, many exhibitions are now open to the visitors, and numerous exciting concerts, festivals and holiday events take place in the Island Castle in the present days.

1st Phase

2nd Phase

3rd Phase 

Trakai Island Castle in Ruins (1877)

PL-170080 POLAND from Beata

~ Krakow, Poland ~ (PL-170080)

Castle Building...

Thanks for Beata

Sent: Feb. 2011

Received: Feb. 2011

PL-91035 POLAND from Kasia

~ Poland (PL-91035) ~

Nice castling downtown in this place, but I have no idea to search this tourist information, hope the sender could providec me some introduction of Pozdrowienia z Olsztyna...

Thanks for Kasia
Sent: 17th May 2010

Received: May 2010

(Finally I got it the info here)

The history of the Castle in Olsztyn:

The castle was built between 1346–1353 and by then it had one wing on the north-east side of the rectangular courtyard. Access to the castle, lead from the drawbridge of the river Lyna, surrounded by a belt of defensive walls and a moat. The south-west wing of the castle was built in the 15th century, tower situated in the west corner of the courtyard , from the middle of 14th century, was rebuilt in the early 16th century and had a round shape on a square base and was 40 meters high. At the same time the castle walls were raised to a height of 12 meters and a second belt of the lower walls was built. The castle walls were partly combined with city walls, which made a castle looks like it had been a powerful bastion defending the access to the city. The castle was owned by Warmia Chapter, which until 1454 together with the bishop of Warmia, was under military protection of the Teutonic Knights. The castle played a huge role in the Polish-Teutonic wars by then. After the Battle of Grunwald in 1410 , the Poles took it after a few days siege. In the Thirteen Years War (1454–1466) it was jumping from hands to hands. The Knights threatened the castle and the town even in 1521, but the defense was very effective. They confined of the one, failed assault. Not many people know that with the history of the castle and the city of Olsztyn is connected with Nicholas Copernicus. He prepared defense of Olsztyn against the invasion of Teutonic. In the sixteenth century, there were two bishops of Warmia that has stayed there: Jan Dantyszek - "the first sarmatian poet, endowed with imperial laurel wreath for" Latin Songs "(1538, 1541) and Marcin Kromer, who formed with equal ease in Latin and Polish scientific and literary works (1580). Kromer consecrated the chapel of St. Anna, which was built in the south-west wing of the castle. In the course of time both wings of the castle lost military importance, which for residential purposes has become very convenient. In 1779 Ignacy Krasicki stopped here as well. After the annexation of Warmia in 1772, the castle became the property of the state board of estates. In 1845 the bridge over the moat was replaced by a dam connecting the castle with the city even better than before, therefore was dried. In 1901-1911 the general renovation of the castle was performed, however, several sections of the building were violated at the same time which they changed the original look of the castle e.g. putting on window frames in a cloister. The tower that was crowned in 1921 and again in 1926 in the halls of the castle, became a museum. The whole castle is a museum until today. In 1945 it became a residence of the Masurian Museum, which today is called the Museum of Warmia and Mazury. In addition to all that and the exhibition activities in Olsztyn, there are also popular events held within the frameworks of the Olsztyn Artistic Summer and so called “evenings of the castle” and “Sundays in the Museum”.

2010-04-07 ROMANIA from Emil Levitchi

~ BUCHAREST, ROMANIA ~

Big size Castle card feels like go into Harry Potter world... I love it...

Cancellation on 7th April 2010

Thanks for EMIL LEVITCHI!!

Bran Castle (German: Törzburg; Hungarian: Törcsvár), situated near Bran and in the immediate vicinity of Braşov, is a national monument and landmark in Romania. The fortress is situated on the border between Transylvania and Wallachia, on DN73. Commonly known as "Dracula's Castle" (although it is one among several locations linked to the Dracula legend, including Poenari Castle and Hunyad Castle), it is marketed as the home of the titular character in Bram Stoker's Dracula. There is, however, no evidence that Stoker knew anything about this castle, which has only tangential associations with Vlad III, voivod of Wallachia, the putative inspiration for Dracula.

The castle is now a museum open to tourists, displaying art and furniture collected by Queen Marie. Tourists can see the interior individually or by a guided tour. At the bottom of the hill is a small open air museum park exhibiting traditional Romanian peasant structures (cottages, barns, etc.) from across the country.

History

In 1212, Teutonic Knights built the wooden castle of Dietrichstein as a fortified position in the Burzenland at the entrance to a mountain valley through which traders had travelled for more than a millennium, although it was destroyed in 1242 by the Mongols. The first documented mentioning of Bran Castle is the act issued by Louis I of Hungary on November 19, 1377, giving the Saxons of Kronstadt (Braşov) the privilege to build the stone citadel on their own expense and labor force; the settlement of Bran began to develop nearby. The castle was first used in 1378 in defence against the Ottoman Empire, and later became a customs post on the mountain pass between Transylvania and Wallachia. The castle briefly belonged to Mircea the Elder of Wallachia. Vlad III besieged Bran on at least one occasion, taking the castle briefly in 1459 during a punitive incursion into the Burzenland.

From 1920 the castle became a royal residence within the Kingdom of Romania. It was the principal home of Queen Marie, and is decorated largely with artifacts from her time, including traditional furniture and tapestries that she collected to highlight Romanian crafts and skills. The castle was inherited by her daughter, Princess Ileana, and was later seized by the communist regime after the expulsion of the royal family in 1948.

In 2005, the Romanian government passed a special law allowing restitution claims on properties such as Bran, which was seized by the Communist government of Romania in 1948. In 2006, the Romanian government awarded ownership to Archduke Dominic of Austria-Tuscany, known professionally as Dominic von Habsburg, an architect in New York State and the son and heir of Princess Ileana.

In 2007, Archduke Dominic put the castle up for sale for a price of £40 million ($78 million). On July 2, 2007, Michael Gardner, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Baytree Capital, the New York investment firm which has been retained to create a plan for the castle and to sell it, predicted it would sell for more than $135 million, but added that Archduke Dominic will only sell it to a buyer "who will treat the property and its history with appropriate respect."

In September 2007 an investigation committee of the Romanian Parliament stated that the retrocession of the castle to Archduke Dominic was illegal, as it broke the Romanian law on property and succession. However, in October 2007 the Constitutional Court of Romania rejected the parliament's petition on the matter. In addition, an investigation commission of the Romanian government issued a decision in December 2007 reaffirming the validity and legality of the restitution procedures used and confirming that the restitution was made in full compliance with the law.

On January 26, 2009, it was revealed that the family had decided not to sell the castle, but instead turn it into a museum dedicated to the history of the surrounding area and the history and memory of Queen Marie and her family. There is acknowledgment in the castle of the tangential association with Vlad III upon whom the fictional character, Dracula is loosely based.

 

NO-551015 NEDEDRLAND from Andy & Aroesjka

~ The Nederland ~ (NO-551015)
                                                                               Received February 2011
Thanks for Andy & Aroesjka!!!

ES-103313 ESPANA / SPAIN from Rosa Isabel Torres Enriquez

~ Espana ~ (ES-103313)
                                                                               Received February 2011
Thanks for Rosa Isabel Torres Enriquez!!!

Wonderful castle!!! another UNESCO here again...

History

Santiago de Compostela Cathedral (Galician: Catedral de Santiago de Compostela) is a Roman Catholic cathedral of the archdiocese of Santiago de Compostela in Galicia, Spain. The cathedral is the reputed burial-place of Saint James the Greater, one of the apostles of Jesus Christ. It is the destination of the Way of St. James, a major historical pilgrimage route since the Middle Ages.

According to legend, the apostle Saint James the Greater brought Christianity to the Celts in the Iberian Peninsula. In 44 AD he was beheaded in Jerusalem. His remains were later brought back to Galicia, Spain. Following Roman persecutions of Spanish Christians, his tomb was abandoned in the 3rd century. Still according to legend, this tomb was rediscovered in 814 AD by the hermit Pelayo, after witnessing strange lights in the night sky. Bishop Theodomirus of Iria recognized this as a miracle and informed king Alfonso II of Asturias and Galicia (791-842). The king ordered the construction of a chapel on the site. Legend has it that the king became the first pilgrim to this shrine. This was followed by a first church in 829 AD and again in 899 AD by a pre-Romanesque church, at the order of king Alfonso III of León, causing the gradual development of a major place of pilgrimage. In 997 this early church was reduced to ashes by Al-Mansur Ibn Abi Aamir (938-1002), army commander of the caliph of Córdoba, Spain. The gates and the bells, carried by Christian captives to Córdoba, were added to the Aljama Mosque. When Córdoba was taken by king Ferdinand III of Castile in 1236, these same gates and bells were then transported by Muslim captives to Toledo, to be inserted in the Cathedral of Saint Mary of Toledo.

Construction of the present cathedral began in 1075 under the reign of Alfonso VI of Castile (1040–1109) and the patronage of bishop Diego Peláez. It was built according to the same plan as the monastic brick church of Saint Sernin in Toulouse, probably the greatest Romanesque edifice in France. It was built mostly in granite. Construction was halted several times and, according to the Liber Sancti Iacobi, the last stone was laid in 1122. But by then, the construction of the cathedral was certainly not finished. The cathedral was consecrated in 1128 in the presence of king Alfonso IX of Leon.

According to the Codex Calixtinus the architects were "Bernard the elder, a wonderful master", his assistant Robertus Galperinus and, later possibly, "Esteban, master of the cathedral works". In the last stage "Bernard, the younger" was finishing the building, while Galperinus was in charge of the coordination. He also constructed a monumental fountain in front of the north portal in 1122.

The church became an episcopal see in 1075 and, due to its growing importance as a place of pilgrimage, it was soon raised to an archiepiscopal see by pope Urban II in 1100. A university was added in 1495.

The cathedral has been embellished and expanded between the 16th and the 18th century.

EE-70152 ESTONIA from Ellaa

~ Kuressaare, Estonia ~ (EE-70152)

@The most popular stamp in the world attached -- Shang Hai Expo 2010 ^^

Received April 2010

Thanks for Ellaa!!

For the town in Germany, see Ahrensburg. For the village in Tarvastu Parish, Viljandi County, see Kuressaare, Viljandi County.

Kuressaare (Finnish: Kuressaari, German: Arensburg) is a town and a municipality on Saaremaa island in Estonia. It is the capital of Saare County. The current population is about 14,926 (1. January 2010).

Its historic name Arensburg (from Middle High German a(a)r: eagle, raptor) renders the Latin denotation arx aquilae for the town's castle. The fortress and the eagle, tetramorph symbol of Saint John the Evangelist, are also the depicted on Kuressaare's coat of arms.

The name was replaced by Kuressaare (probably from Estonian kurg: crane) in 1918 after Estonia had declared its independence from Bolshevist Russia. Under Soviet rule the town from 1952 to 1988 was called Kingissepa after the Bolshevik Kuressaare-native Viktor Kingissepp killed in 1922 (not to be confused with the Russian town Kingisepp, formerly Jamburg).

DE-593707 GERMANY from Ingo Frahm

~ Hamburg, Germany ~

WWF cancellation on 20100513

Thanks for Ingo Frahm!!

http://picasaweb.google.de/argotm

There have been three main periods in the construction of this historic castle. The oldest part of the castle dates to 1270 and consisted of the gatehouse and a walled bailey. In the early 1500s the Bullen family bought the castle and added a Tudor dwelling within the walls and so it became the childhood home of its most famous inhabitant, Anne Boleyn. It later passed into the ownership of Henry’s fourth wife, Anne of Cleves. From 1557 onwards the Castle was owned by a number of families including the Waldegraves, the Humfreys and the Meade Waldos. Finally, in 1903, William Waldorf Astor invested time, money and imagination in restoring the Castle, building the ’Tudor Village’ and creating the gardens and lake.

Since 1983, the castle has been owned by Broadland Properties Limited and open to the public. The castle has a homely atmosphere and houses historic 16th century Tudor portraits, furniture and tapestries. Other artefacts include two magnificent Books of Hours (prayer books), both signed and inscribed by Anne Boleyn. Costumed figures of Henry VIII and his six wives in the Long Gallery adds to the atmosphere and is popular with the children. The Council Chamber in the thirteenth century gatehouse contains collections of historic swords, armour, instruments of execution, torture and discipline.

Official Website: http://www.hevercastle.co.uk/ 

London, Great Britain - Westminster Bridge & Clock Tower

• PostCard: London, Great Britain
  Printer:  Stengel & Co.
• Status: From London, Great Britain to Paris, France
• Cancellation: 4th Februry 1903 (Both Countries)

*** Discovery: Bought from Uncle Tou on 23rd May 2010 in Kuantan

WESTMINSTER BRIDGE

Westminster Bridge is a road and foot traffic bridge over the River Thames between Westminster, Middlesex bank, and Lambeth, Surrey bank in what is now Greater London, England.. Opened in 1862.

  

History

For over 600 years, the nearest bridge to London Bridge was at Kingston. Proposals for a bridge at Westminster had been made as early as 1664. These were opposed by the Corporation of London and the watermen. Despite further opposition in 1722 and after a new timber bridge was built at Putney in 1729, the scheme received parliamentary approval in 1736. Financed by private capital, lotteries and grants, Westminster Bridge, designed by the Swiss architect Charles Labelye, was built between 1739-1750.

CLOCK TOWER

A Clock Tower was built at Westminster in 1288, with the fine-money of Ralph Hengham, Chief Justice of the King's Bench.

The face of the Great Clock of Westminster. The hour hand is 2.7 metres (9 ft) long and the minute hand is 4.3 metres (14 ft) long.

Big Ben is the nickname for the great bell of the clock at the north end of the Palace of Westminster in London, and is often extended to refer to the clock or the clock tower as well. Big Ben is the largest four-faced chiming clock and the third-tallest free-standing clock tower in the world. It celebrated its 150th annivesary in May 2009 (the clock itself first ticking on 31 May 1859),during which celebratory events took place.

Photo Reference:

Belgium - Unused PostCard

 

I love this card so much which designed with black and white. I bought it from Bangkok, Thailand flea market in 2009 . Looks like new, but not sure whether it is old card or not...

Jasmine Chin - Malaysia

1st ~ Kuala Lumpur Railway Station ~

 Sent 01-10-2009, Cancellation on 02-10-2009

2nd ~ A Famosa Castle built in 1511 by the Portuguese, damaged during the Dutch invasion ~

 Sent 16-09-2009, Cancellation on 17-09-2009

Thanks for Jasmine Chin (Johor Bahru), sent to Bangkok Thailand

Kuala Lumpur Railway Station (Malay: Stesen Keretapi Kuala Lumpur) is a train station located in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Completed in 1910 to replace an older station on the same site, the station was Kuala Lumpur's railway hub in the city for the Federated Malays States Railway and Malayan Railway (Malay: Keretapi Tanah Melayu), before Kuala Lumpur Sentral assumed much of its role in 2001. The station is notable for it architecture, adopting a mixture of Eastern and Western designs.
The station is located along a road named Jalan Sultan Hishamuddin, previously known as Victory Avenue, which in turn was part of Damansara Road. The station is located closely to the similarly designed Railway Administration Building, as well as the National Mosque and Dayabumi Complex. The Pasar Seni LRT station is located 400 metres away, across the Klang River.

Sent from Malacca to Negeri Sembilan

~ A Famosa Castle built in 1511 by the Portuguese, damaged during the Dutch invasion ~

  Sent 06-03-2010, Cancellation on 08-03-2010, Received 11-03-2010

http://711collection.blogspot.com/

A Famosa (Malay: Kota A Famosa), or "The Famous" in Portuguese, is a fortress located in Malacca, Malaysia. It is among the oldest surviving European architectural remains in Asia. The Porta de Santiago, a small gate house, is the only remaining part of the fortress still standing.

The name is often mispronounced as /ei/ Famosa, even among Malaysians (as though the Portuguese definite article "a" were the letter "A" in the English alphabet). A more accurate pronunciation would be /ɑ/ Famosa (approximating 'ah').

In 1511, a Portuguese fleet arrived under the command of Afonso de Albuquerque. His forces attacked and successfully defeated the armies of the Malacca Sultanate. Moving quickly to consolidate his gains, Albuquerque had the fortress built around a natural hill near the sea.Albuquerque believed that Malacca  would become an important port linking Portugal to the spice trade from China. At this time other Portuguese  were establishing outposts in such places as Macau, China and Goa, India in order to create a string of friendly ports for ships heading to China and returning home to Portugal.

The fortress once consisted of long ramparts and four major towers. One was a four-story keep, while the others held an ammunition storage room, the residence of the captain, and an officers' quarters. Most of the village clustered in town houses inside the fortress walls. As Malacca's population expanded it outgrew the original fort and extensions were added around 1586. The fort changed hands in 1641 when the Dutch successfully drove the Postuguese out of Malacca. The Dutch renovated the gate in 1670, which explains the logo "ANNO 1670" inscribed on the gate's arch. Above the arch is a bas-relief logo of the Dutch East India Company.

The fortress changed hands again in the early 19th century when the Dutch handed it over to the British to prevent it from falling into the hands of Napoleon's expansionist France. The English were wary of maintaining the fortification and ordered its destruction in 1806. The fort was almost totally demolished but for the timely intervention of Sir Stamford Raffles, the founder of Singapore, who happened to visit Malacca in 1810. Because of his passion for history, this small gate was spared from destruction.

Johan - Belgium

~ Antwerpen, Belgium ~

Sent 17-09-2009

Thanks for Johan Ockerman!!

http://johanpostcards.blogspot.com/

Antwerp is a city and municipality in Belgium and the capital of the Antwerp province in Flanders, one of Belgium's three regions. Antwerp's total population is 472,071 (as of 1 January 2008) and its total area is 204.51 km² (78.96 sq mi), giving a population density of 2,308 inhabitants per km². The metropolitan area, including the outer commuter zone, covers an area of 1,449 km² (559 sq mi) with a total of 1,190,769 inhabitants as of 1 January 2008. The nickname of inhabitants of Antwerp is Sinjoren, after the Spanish word señor, which means 'mister' or 'gent'.
Antwerp has long been an important city in the nations of the Benelux both economically and culturally, especially before the Spanish Fury of the Dutch Revolt. It is located on the right bank of the river Scheldt, which is linked to the North Sea by the estuary Westerschelde.

FR-70843 - France

 *Non-Cancellation Stamp*

~ Le Chateau Medieval Et Renaissance Châteaubriant ~ (FR-70843)

Sent 12-11-2009

Thanks for Alvie!!

Châteaubriant (Breton: Kastell-Briant) is a commune in the Loire-Atlantique department and the Pays de la loire region in western France. It is part of the historic duchy of Brittany and the country of Mée.
The inhabitants of Châteaubriant are called Castelbriantais and Castelbriantaises.

Châteaubriant lies 49 km (30 mi) north of Ancenis, 68 km (42 mi) south of Rennes, 69 km (43 mi) north of Nantes, and 85 km (53 mi) west of Angers.
The neighboring communes are Rouge, Saint-Aubin-Des-Château, Louisfert, Erbray, and Soudan.

The river Chere flows westward through the commune and crosses the town.

History

Châteaubriant's history began in the 11th century when Brient (an envoy of the Count of Rennes) constructed a castle on a motte bordering the Chère and Rollard rivers. He later founded the Priory Saint-Sauveur-de-Béré. The fortress was a part of eastern Brittany's defensive line, known as the Marches of Brittany, along with the other fortified townships of Vitré and Fougères (both in Ille-et-Vilaine) and Ancenis and Clisson (both in Loire-Atlantique), which formed the first line of defense against the French Kingdom. Later in the 12th century a town developed around the western flank of the castle and was called Châteaubriant. As the castle was in a very strategic location, the town was subjected to numerous battles and invasions during the Middle Ages. One of the largest sieges is surely the one commissioned by Louis IX in 1235. Insecurity led the lords to raise ramparts and strengthen the fortifications around the town, which encircled it from the thirteenth century to the 15th century.

The 16th century was marked by the actions of Jean de Laval, governor of Britanny from 1531 to 1542, who modified and built the three Renaissance wings of the castle for his wife Françoise de Foix. Jean de Laval went on to bequeath his barony to Anne de Montmorency.
After the Revolution, Brutus Hugo, and young Republican lieutenant, met a young Nantaise exile, Sophie Trébuchet. They had a son: Victor Hugo. The house of Sophie Trébuchet still exists and is located near the Maison de l'Ange which currently houses the Tourist Information Office.
In October 1941, 27 Communist hostages (imprisoned by the Republican government during the run-up to WWII and by the Vichy police in the fall of 1941) in the Châteaubriant Internment Camp were handed over to the Nazis and shot by a firing squad in revenge for the murder of the German lieutenant-colonel Karl Hotz on 20 October 1941 in Nantes. The youngest of the 27 hostages, Guy Moquet, was 17 years old. The place of execution, known as the Carrière des Fusillés is one of the principal memorials to the Nazi occupation in the region.

Milan - Czech Republic

 ~ Olomouc (UNESCO) ~

Sent 06-10-2009

Thanks for Milan!!

Olomouc (Czech pronunciation: [ˈolomou̯ts]; local Haná dialect Olomóc or Holomóc, German Olmütz, Polish Ołomuniec, Latin Eburum or Olomucium) is a city in Moravia, in the east of the Czech Republic. The city is located on the Morava river and is the ecclesiastical metropolis of Moravia.

Olomouc contains several large squares, the chief of which is adorned with Holy Trinity Column, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The column is 115 ft (35 m) high and was built in 1716–1754.

Emil Levitchi - Romania

 ~ Romania - Sinaia - The Peles Castle ~

Sent 28-12-2009

Thanks for Emil Levitchi!!

The 1st Post Card from Romania, I like this card so much, because it is rare to see a Castle in Malaysia. 

Located in Sinaia (44 km from Brasov), Peles Castle is considered by many one of the most beautiful castles in all Europe. It was the final resting place for several Romanian monarchs including King Carol I, who died here in 1914.

The building of the castle began in 1873 under the direct order of the Viennese architect Wilhem Doderer and was continued in 1876 by his assistant, Johann Schultz de Lemberg. During 1877-1879 because of the war they abandoned work. That's why the castle was inaugurated only on October 7, 1883. The location for the castle was chosen by the German prince Carol I de Hohenzollern, who was to become a king and it draws its name from the neighboring brooks which passes through the courtyard.

The only could see in Malaysia is the Kellies Castle located at Ipoh Perak which is damaged since war time. (info: http://www.journeymalaysia.com/MHIS_kellies.htm ) 

Johan - Belgium

 * Non-cancellation stamps *

1st ~ GAASBEEK (Lennik) ~

Sent 17-09-2009

2nd ~ Belgie Landmarks ~

Sent 08-10-2009

Thanks for Johan Ockerman!!

Gaasbeek Castle (Dutch: Kasteel Gaasbeek), today a national museum, is located in the municipality of Lennik in the province of Flemish Brabant, Belgium.

The fortified castle was erected around 1240 to defend the Duchy of Brabant against the Country of Flanders. The castle was destroyed however by Brussels city troops in revenge for the assassination of Everard 't Serclaes, which was commanded by the Lord of Gaasbeek.

At the beginning of the 16th century the Horne family constructed a brick castle on the ruins of the medieval fortress. In 1565 Lamoral, Count of Egmont, acquired the castle and its domain, including feudal rights in 17 surrounding villages. Accused of high treason by Philip II of Spain, the Count of Egmont was beheaded three years later.

In the following centuries the castle was inhabited by several noble families. It obtained its pseudo-medieval appearance as the result of a renovation during the years 1887-1898. The works were executed by the architect Charles Albert and ordered by the Marquis d'Arconati Visconti who owned the castle at that time. His widow Marie Peyrat (d. 1922) donated the castle to the Belgian state, including the art collection and the grounds.

Since 1980 the castle has been owned by the Flemish Community (Vlaamse Gemeenschap). The castle contains impressive art collections displayed in lavishly decorated historical rooms. A remarkable collection piece is the authentic testament of the famous painter Peter Paul Rubens The castle and its grounds (a park of 50 hectares or 124 acres) are open to the public.