Neuschwanstein

From: Germany
Category: collection
Date: August 2020

Neuschwanstein Castle is a 19th-century historicist palace on a rugged hill above the village of Hohenschwangau near Füssen in southwest Bavaria, Germany. The palace was commissioned by King Ludwig II of Bavaria as a retreat and in honour of Richard Wagner. Ludwig chose to pay for the palace out of his personal fortune and by means of extensive borrowing, rather than Bavarian public funds. Construction began in 1869, but was never fully completed.

Moszna

Received from: Poland
Category: from family
Date: September 2017

The Moszna Castle is a historic castle and residence located in a small village of Moszna, in southwestern Poland. The castle is one of the best known monuments of the Upper Silesian region and has been often featured in the list of most beautiful castles in the world. The history of this building begins in the 17th century, although much older cellars were found in the gardens during excavations carried out at the beginning of the 20th century. Some of the those could have been remnants of a presumed Templar stronghold. After World War II, further excavations discovered a medieval palisade.

Örebro

From: Sweden
Category: collection
Date: March 2017

Giżycko

Received from: Poland
Category: from family
Date: July 2017

Boyen Fortress (German: Feste Boyen, Polish: Twierdza Boyen) is a former Prussian fortress located in the western part of Giżycko, in Warmian-Masurian Voivodeship, northeastern Poland. It is situated on a narrow isthmus between two large lakes of the Masurian Lake District, Kisajno and Niegocin.

Křivoklát

Received from: Czech Republic
Category: Postcrossing - official card
Date: November 2016
Distance: 1106 km
Time of travelling: 4 days

Křivoklát Castle is located in the Central Bohemia Region of the Czech Republic. Křivoklát was founded in the 12th century, belonging to the kings of Bohemia. During the reign of Přemysl Otakar II a large, monumental royal castle was built, later rebuilt by king Václav IV and later enlarged by king Vladislav of Jagellon. The castle was damaged by fire several times. It was turned into a harsh prison and the building slowly deteriorated. During the 19th century, the family of Fürstenberg became the owners of the castle and had it reconstructed after a fire in 1826. Today the castle serves as a museum, tourist destination and place for theatrical exhibitions. Collections of hunting weapons, Gothic paintings and books are stored there.

Będzin

Received from: Poland
Category: Klub Polki na Obczyźnie
Date: September 2016

Będzin is a city in Zagłębie Dąbrowskie, southern Poland. It lies in the Silesian Highlands, on the Czarna Przemsza river (a tributary of the Vistula). Even though part of Silesian Voivodeship, Będzin belongs to historic Lesser Poland, and it is one of the oldest towns of this province. Będzin is regarded as the capital of Zagłębie Dąbrowskie.

Aggstein

Received from: Austria
Category: Klub Polki na Obczyźnie
Date: December 2015

Aggstein Castle (German: Burgruine Aggstein, lit. "castle ruins of Aggstein") is a ruined castle on the right bank of the Danube in Wachau, Austria. The castle dates back to the 12th century. Aggstein Castle is situated at an altitude of 480 m.

Braunschweig

Received from: Germany
Category: Postcrossing - official card
Date:  November 2015
Distance: 914 km
Time of travelling: 5 days

Braunschweig is a city of 250,556 people, located in the state of Lower Saxony, Germany. It is located north of the Harz mountains at the farthest navigable point of the Oker river, which connects to the North Sea via the rivers Aller and Weser. A powerful and influential centre of commerce in medieval Germany, Braunschweig was a member of the Hanseatic League from the 13th until the 17th century, and the capital of the state of Brunswick until its disestablishment in 1946. Today, Braunschweig is the second largest city in Lower Saxony and a major centre of scientific research and development.

Książ Castle

Received from: UK
Category: Klub Polki na Obczyźnie
Date: October 2015

Książ

Received from:UK
Category: Klub Polki na Obczyźnie
Date: October 2015

Książ (German: Schloss Fürstenstein) is a castle in Wałbrzych in Lower Silesian Voivodeship, Poland. It was built in 1288-1292 under Bolko I the Strict. It lies within a protected area called Książ Landscape Park and is one of the city's main tourist attractions.

Bran

From: Romania
Category: collection
Date: July 2015

Bran Castle, 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 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, voivode of Wallachia, the putative inspiration for Dracula. As discovered by the Dutch author Hans Corneel de Roos, the location Bram Stoker actually had in mind for Castle Dracula while writing his novel was an empty mountain top, Mount Izvorul Călimanului, 2,033 metres  high, located in the Transylvanian Călimani Alps near the former border with Moldavia.

Hikone

Received from: Japan
Category: from a friend
Date: September 2015

Hikone Castle is an Japanese Edo-period castle in the city of Hikone, in Shiga Prefecture. It is considered the most significant historical building in Shiga. Hikone is one of only 12 Japanese castles with the original keep, and one of only four castles listed as a national treasure.

Rasnov

Received from: Romania
Category: private
Date: August 2015

It is possible this name Râșnov is derived from Slavic "žrŭnovy", meaning (village or valley) "of the mill". In the 14th century, German documents used the name Rasnov, but the modern German name, Rosenau, is based on a popular etymology, being influenced by the German word "Rose". In Râșnov a citadel was built around the year 1215 by the Teutonic Knights and it was mentioned for the first time in 1331. The citadel was conquered only once in its history, around the year 1600 by Gabriel Báthory. In 1856, the Roman fort of Cumidava was discovered near the town. In 2002, the Râșnov Citadel and surroundings were used during the shooting of several scenes from the American film Cold Mountain.

Romania

Received from: Romania
Category: from a friend
Date: May 2014

Landsberg Castle

Received from: Germany
Category: Postcrossing - official card
Date: April 2014
Distance: 758 km
Time of travelling: 5 days

Ratingen is a town in the district of Mettmann, in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany, in the northwestern part of Berg - about 12 km northeast of Düsseldorf. It is twinned with Cramlington, England, with Gagarin, Russia and Vermillion, South Dakota in the United States.

Kreva

Received from: Belarus
Category: Postcrossing - official card
Date: July 2013
Distance: 474 km
Time of travelling: 43 days

Kreva Castle is the ruins of a major fortified residence of the Grand Duke of Lithuania Gediminas and Algirdas in Kreva village, Belarus. Algirdas's brother Kęstutis was imprisoned and murdered in the Kreva Castle in 1382. The Union of Krewo (Act of Krewo), the first step towards the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth, was signed in the castle three years later. The castle was sacked by the Crimean Tatars in the early 16th century and stood unoccupied for a long time. By the 19th century, much of the walls had crumbled away. The World War I dealt a final blow to the decaying structure, since the castle stood on the front line between Russian and German armed forces. In 19th and 20th centuries, the ruins were partially conserved, particularly by Poland in 1929. However, the monument crumbles further.

Frýdštejn

Received from: Czech Republic
Category: Postcrossing - official card
Date: June 2013
Distance: 424 km
Time of travelling: 7 days

The ruins of Frýdštejn Castle can be found in the Liberec Region, Czech Republic, near the town Turnov. It is one of three castles in Jablonec nad Nisou District. A typical rock castle, it lies on the upper end of a long sandstone rock ridge, next to the village of Frýdštejn (former Zásada). The castle dominates the nearby Jizera river valley and the old trade route from Turnov to the north.

Alupka

Received from: Ukraine
Category: Postcrossing - official card
Date: July 2013
Distance: 944 km
The Vorontsov Palace or the Alupka Palace is an historic palace situated at the foot of the Crimean Mountains near the town of Alupka in Crimea, southern Ukraine. The Vorontsov Palace is one of the oldest and largest residential palaces in all of Crimea, and is one of the most popular tourist attractions on Crimea's southern coast.

Turku

Received from: Finland
Category: Postcrossing - official card
Date: May 2013
Distance: 951 km
Time of travelling: 10 days

Turku Castle is a medieval building in the city of Turku in Finland. Together with Turku Cathedral, the castle is one of the oldest buildings still in use in Finland. Turku Castle is the largest surviving medieval building in Finland. It was founded in the late 13th century and stands on the banks of the Aura River.

Helfštýn

Received from: Czech Republic
Category: Postcrossing - official card
Date: April 2013
Distance: 387 km
Time of travelling: 6 days

Helfštýn is a castle 15 km east of Přerov, in the Olomouc region in Central Moravia, Czech Republic. The history of Helfštýn is closely related to the development of the nearby town of Lipník nad Bečvou, which has a number of valuable architectural monuments, among them the classical château and one of the oldest late-gothic synagogues in the Czech Republic. The ruins of the castle are perched on a high wooden knoll above the narrowest part of the Moravian Gate and above the left bank of the river Bečva. The complex is 187 meters long and up to 152 meters wide. It is one of the largest castles in terms of area in the Czech Republic.