vaduz

 

After last week's discovery of a double land-locked country with Uzbekistan,  I looked up my cards for Liechtenstein, the only other land-locked country (bordered by Austria and Switzerland).  Vaduz is the capital with its most prominent landmark being the castle which sits high on a steep hill.  It is the home of the Princely Family of Liechtenstein and as such, is not open to the public.

rays of sunshine

Musik - und Bergstadt Sonderhausen 

In the centre is the castle where the Musik school can be found

received from a music teacher in Germany

castle

A medieval castle in Bohemia. It was built in the 13th C to protect the crossroads of an important merchant route. The 50 metre high cylindrical tower dominates and is known as Indica. Opened to the public in 1801, it is the oldest castle museum in Central Europe. This was chosen as the 2017 Europa theme of castles

 

For Sunday Stamps - towers, castles, or fortresses

emblems

     Francis I (salamander)                          Louis XII (porcupine)

          Claude de France (goose)              Anne de Bretagne (ermine)

first

The Wawel Castle in Krakow is honoured to be the first designated Unesco World Heritage Site.

The oldest parts date back to 970AD and the structures within the courtyard contain examples
of nearly every architectural style from Medieval, Renaissance, and Baroque periods.

add ons

A medieval castle with a museum and inn.

The oldest parts built in the late 13th C with a rebuild and extension in the 15th C and an 'attic' added in the 17th C and the final renovations completed in the 21st C.  It really does look like one of those buildings which was added on to several times until the original is dwarfed.

Holland's largest castle

Once the home of the  van Zuylen van Nijevelt Van de Haar family the Kasteel de Haar in Utrecht was fully restored and rebuilt from 1892-1912, funded by the de Rothschild family after Etienne Van Zuylen van Nijevelt married Helen de Rothschild. In all, there are 200 rooms and 30 washrooms.  The family passed on ownership to the Foundation Kasteel de Haar in 2000 but retained the right to spend one month a year - September - at their former home. That could be a different washroom for each day of the stay.

white egret castle

Himeji Castle

Originally built as a fort in 1333, it was dismantled and built as a castle in 1346 and has since been remodelled several times over the centuries. The nickname 'white egret' comes from the white exterior and its resemblance to a bird taking flight.

Sunday Stamps II - 56

1966, Spain F.N.M.T. (Fábrica Nacional de Moneda y Timbre - the Royal Mint)
one of a series from Castles of Spain
1 peseta

The Alcázar de Segovia started of as an Arab fort and has served as a royal palace, a state prison, an artillery college, and a military college. It is now a museum. Throughout the Middle Ages it was a favourite residence of the Castilian monarchs. Phillip II was married here and rumour has it Walt Disney used it as his inspiration for Cinderella's castle.

for castles or palaces

Caernarvon

unsent

Courtyard

unsent, 1978
Courtyard of Vaduz Castle.

Although the castle is not open to tourists, glimpses inside are provided by a few postcards. This stamp is part of the "Residence Set" issued in 1978 to commemorate the 40th  anniversary of the Reign of Prince Franz Josef II.

Sunday Stamps

Conway Castle

circa 1910?
sent to Brighton, England. illegible, no stamp
Conway Castle by Elmer Keene

Vaduz Castle

commemorating the 40th anniversary of  the reign of Prince Franz Josef II of Liechtenstein.

Vaduz Castle has been the home of the Princely Family of Liechtenstein since 1938 (with Franz Josef being the first ruling prince to live full time in the principality) though they acquired it in 1712 when they purchased the countship of Vaduz. Franz Josef would become the longest ruling sovereign in Europe (51 years) at the time of his death in 1989.

Sunday Stamps