Monaco and the Côte d'Azur

A new - for me - map of the Côte d'Azur showing the position of Monaco.  I bought it ready stamped with old stamps, and probably over-priced, but I liked it.  It seems slightly odd that they have shown the casino towering above the Prince's Palace.

Schloss Schönbrunn

Schloss Schönbrunn, at least at first glance, reminds me of the Palace of Versailles, and like Versailles it is on the UNESCO World Heritage List.  It is one of the main tourist attractions in Vienna, the capital of Austria.

A former imperial summer residence, it has 1441 rooms and 45 of those are open to the public.

A funny coincidence, the card was sent to me through Postcrossing by someone called Eva and when I was 14 I stayed with a girl named Eva in Vienna on an exchange arranged by my school.

Stockholm palaces

The Swedish royal family has three palaces:  the Royal Palace in Stockholm which is their official residence and workplace, the Drottningholm Palace which is their permanent residence, and Solliden, a summer residence.

The two pictured on the card are the Royal Palace, above, and the Drottningholm Palace, below.  The Drottningholm Palace is also on the UNESCO World Heritage List because it is a fine example of an 18th century palace along the lines of Versailles.

the card is a type of multi-view, something I hadn't realised at first glance, thinking the buildings were facing each other across a river.  I don't know if there is a technical term for this type of image, where one fades into the other with no lines in between.  I've been misled by them in the past.

Mir for all seasons

I love postcards which show the seasons but I hadn't anticipated two views of the same castle, Mir in Belarus, one in winter and one in summer.  I imagine the top card is an older one and that the tree seen there has been felled, but I may be wrong.  it may be something to do with the camera angle that has cut it out of the second picture.

The castle dates from the end of the 15th century although, as usual, it has had many later additions, extensions and reconstructions.  It was badly damaged during the Napoleonic Wars but later restored.  During WWII it became a prison camp.  The present restoration started about 30 years ago.  It is a very distinctive castle, built of red brick with white plaster decoration.  It has four towers, all different, and a central tower gate. A UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Urbino

The card, as you can see, has suffered some wear and tear, but nothing like the amount of wear and tear that this building, the Palazzo Ducale or the Ducal Palace, has survived during its 600 year history.  Instead of dukes, it now houses the Galleria Nazionale delle Marche.  Marche is one of the 20 regions of Italy and borders the Adriatic Sea on the eastern side of the country. 

The Palace is part of the historic centre of Urbino which is much as it was in the 16th century.  During its years of distinction, it attracted many renowned scholars and artists from all over Italy and Europe.  From that time on, though, it became somewhat isolated with the result that it still looks very much as it did at its height.  It is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Mir Castle

Here we have another red brick building but completely unlike anything in Albi.  Mir Castle is one of two World heritage Sites in Belarus, the other being Nesvizh Castle. 

It was built in the early 16th century in place of a 15th century wooden farmstead.  There is a three storey palace along the eastern and northern sides of the castle.

The Chinese Palace in Oranienbaum

Another feast for the eyes, of a sumptuous interior.  I love looking at this style, the lavish and ornate decoration and rich colours, but I'd never want to live with it.  While it's a feast for the eyes, I couldn't imagine it being restful or relaxing, so I'm rather surprised to see the full size billiard table (English-made, I believe) sitting in the midst of all this splendour.  Admittedly it's a finely carved billiard table to suit the surroundings, but it still seems out of place.

The Chinese Palace is in a group of palaces and parks called Oranienbaum, not far from St Petersburg.  It is included on the UNESCO WHS list along with the city centre of St Petersburg.