SWEDEN POSTCARDS COLLECTION

DROTTNINGHOLM PALACE

Stockholm, SWEDEN

Stockholm's major tourist attractions

Thanks to Merja Deb of Sweden
Received: Aug. 06, 2016

     The Drottningholm Palace is the private residence of the Swedish royal family since 1981. It is located in Drottningholm. Built on the island Lovön, it is one of Sweden's Royal Palaces. It was originally built in the late 16th century. It served as a regular summer residence of the Swedish royal court for most of the 18th century.

     The palace is a UNESCO World heritage Site, mainly because of the Drottningholm Palace Theatre and the Chinese Pavilion.  Since then, the Palace has also been guarded by the Swedish Military in the same fashion as Stockholm Palace.  The palace is a popular tourist attraction.

     The name Drottningholm (literally meaning "Queen's islet") came from the original renaissance building designed by Willem Boy, a stone palace built by John lll of Sweden in 1580 for his queen, Catherine Jagellon.  This palace was preceded by a royal mansion called Torvesund

Official Name: Royal Domain of Drottningholm.......Type: Cultural.......Criteria:  iv

Designated: 1991 (15^th session)…….Reference no.:  559

SWEDEN POSTCARDS COLLECTION

STORTORGET

Stockholm, SWEDEN

Stockholm's major tourist attractions

Oldest Square in Stockholm

Thanks to Merja Deb of Sweden

Received: Aug. 06, 2016

     Stortorget (Swedish. The Big Square) is a small public and most charming square in Gamla Stan, the old town in central Stockholm, Sweden.  It is the oldest square in Stockholm, the historical centre on which the medieval urban conglomeration gradually came into being.

   Ever since the thirteenth century, this square has formed the heart of Gamla Stan. It is bordered by beautiful patrician houses, surrounded by coffee shops and restaurant and the entrance to the Nobel museum. Today the square mostly attracts tourists, many of whom take a break at one of the inviting cafés that border the square.

SWEDEN POSTCARDS COLLECTION

STOCKHOLM CITY HALL

Stockholm, SWEDEN

Stockholm's major tourist attractions

Thanks to Merja Deb of Sweden

Received: July 01, 2016

     Stockholm City Hall is the building of the Municipal Council for the City of Stockholm in Sweden, one of Sweden’s most famous buildings, and one of the capital's most visited tourist attractions. It stands on the eastern tip of Kungsholmen island, next to Riddarfärden’s northern shore and facing the islands of Riddarholmen and Södermalm. It houses offices and conference rooms as well as ceremonial halls and unique art pieces, and the luxury restaurant Stadshuskällaren.  Design and construct by Architect Ragnar Östberg in 1911 and completed in1923.  It is the venue of the Nobel Prize banquet held on 10th of December each year.

LITHUANIA POSTCARDS COLLECTION

THE ENSEMBLE OF ST. ANNE’S CHURCH AND THE BERNARDINE MONASTERY

Vilnius,  LITHUANIA

St. Anne's Church, along with the neighbouring Bernardine Church, comprises the most famous gothic ensemble in Lithuania.

St. Anne's Church is one of the city’s most famous landmarks.  It is one of the most beautiful and probably the most famous buildings in Vilnius. This is a late Gothic masterpiece, distinguished by its unique architecture and composition.

St. Anne’s has a history that starts with the alleged construction in the 14th century of a wooden house of worship on this spot in honour of Ona, wife of Vytautas the Great. The first historical records of a church here date from 1394, but the current Gothic masterpiece is believed to have been built between 1495 and 1500 to a design by the Bohemian architect Benedikt Rejt (1453-1534), who is most famous for designing parts of Prague Castle.

Bernardine Church and Monastery are some of the largest and most magnificent gothic sacral buildings in Vilnius, although in the 17^th and 18^th centuries they acquired the Renaissance and Baroque features. They are opposite to St. Anne's Church: they have different style, and are much larger and more spacious.

GREECE POSTCARDS COLLECTION

ACROPOLIS

Athens, GREECE

UNESCO Site

World Famous Landmark

The Acropolis of Athens is an ancient citadel located on a high rocky outcrop above the city of Athens and contains the remains of several ancient buildings of great architectural and historic significance, the most famous being the Parthenon.

The word acropolis comes from the Greek words (akron, "edge, extremity") and (polis, "city") The significance of the Acropolis of Athens is such that it is commonly known as "The Acropolis" without qualification.

There is evidence that the hill was inhabited as far back as the fourth millennium BC, it was Pericles (c. 495 – 429 BC) in the fifth century BC who coordinated the construction of the site's most important buildings including the Parthenon, the Propylaia, the Erechtheion and the Temple of Athena Nike.

UNESCO World Heritage Site

LOCATION: Greece   TYPE: Cultural  CRITERIA: i, ii, iii, iv, vi  REFERENCE: 404  INSCRIPTION: 1987 (11^th Session)

Thanks to Mia Ayala – Kim of Philippines

Received: Nov. 14, 2015

GREECE POSTCARDS COLLECTION

ACROPOLIS

Athens, GREECE

UNESCO Site

World Famous Landmark

The Acropolis of Athens is an ancient citadel located on a high rocky outcrop above the city of Athens and contains the remains of several ancient buildings of great architectural and historic significance, the most famous being the Parthenon.

The word acropolis comes from the Greek words (akron, "edge, extremity") and (polis, "city") The significance of the Acropolis of Athens is such that it is commonly known as "The Acropolis" without qualification.

There is evidence that the hill was inhabited as far back as the fourth millennium BC, it was Pericles (c. 495 – 429 BC) in the fifth century BC who coordinated the construction of the site's most important buildings including the Parthenon, the Propylaia, the Erechtheion and the Temple of Athena Nike.

UNESCO World Heritage Site

LOCATION: Greece   TYPE: Cultural  CRITERIA: i, ii, iii, iv, vi  REFERENCE: 404  INSCRIPTION: 1987 (11^th Session)

Thanks to Mia Ayala – Kim of Philippines

Received: Nov. 14, 2015

PORTUGAL POSTCARD COLLECTION

SOFIA

Bulgaria

Capital and Largest City of Bulgaria

Tourist attractions

Famous landmark: Top left:  City Center, Top Right:  University of Sofia,
Bottom Left:  Church Sveti Sedmochislenitsi, Bottom Right:  St. Nedelya Church

Sofia - is the 14th largest city in the European Union.

Sofia holds Bulgaria's largest museum collections, which attract tourists and students for practical studies.

Sofia is one of the most visited tourist destinations in Bulgaria alongside coastal and mountain resorts.

Sofia is Europe's most affordable capital to visit.