Friday, November 30, 2012

SLOVENIA POSTCARDS COLLECTION

SLOVENIA 
Ljubljana: City View Ljubljana (Lə-yoob—Lə-YAnah), is the capital and largest city of Slovenia.

NORWAY POSTCARDS COLLECTION

NORWAY

Rocky Coastline of Lindesnes(Left) and Midnight sun at Nordkapp-North Cape(right)

Lindesnes is a municipality in the county of Vest-Agder, southernmost region in Norway. 2,518 kilometres from the North Cape. (Nordkapp).Standing lies on top is a Lindesnes oldest lighthouse, for over 350 years. Indeed, in 1656 Norway´s first ever lighthouse lantern was lit here. The lighthouse you see today was completed in 1916. At the time it housed three families, who lived permanently within its walls. The old coal fire lantern from 1822 has been preserved and the lighthouse station is now a listed site.

Nordkapp (or North Cape in English) is a municipality in Finnmark county, Norway, claims to be the northernmost point in Europe

LATVIA POSTCARDS COLLECTION

Forest and Forestry
LATVIA

ESTONIA: Tallinn - City View

ESTONIA

Tallinn: City View
 
Tallinn is the capital and largest city of Estonia. It occupies an area of 159.2 km2 (61.5 sq mi) with a population of 418,107.[1] It is situated on the northern coast of the country, on the shore of the Gulf of Finland, 80 km (50 mi) south of Helsinki, east of Stockholm and west of Saint Petersburg.
Tallinn is the oldest capital city in Northern Europe.

Tuesday, November 27, 2012

AUSTRIA: Schonbrunn Palace Gloriette

AUSTRIA
The Gloriette in the Schönbrunn Palace Garden, Vienna, Austria

The largest and probably most well-known gloriette is in the Schonbrunn Palace Garden in Vienna. Built in 1775 as the last building constructed in the garden according to the plans of Austrian imperial architect Johann Ferdinand Hetzendorf von Hohenberg as a "temple of renown" to serve as both a focal point and a lookout point for the garden, it was used as a dining hall and festival hall as well as a breakfast room for emperor Franz Joseph I. The dining hall, which was used up until the end of the monarchy, today has a café in it, and on the roof an observation platform overlooks Vienna. The Gloriette's decorative sculptures were made by the famous Salzburg sculptor Johann Baptist von Hagenauer. The Gloriette was destroyed in the Second World War, but had already been restored by 1947, and was restored again in 1995.
The Gloriette is dedicated as a Monument to Just War, that which leads to peace. With the succession to the throne of Maria Theresa.
A gloriette (from the 12th century French for "little glory") is a building in a garden erected on a site that is elevated with respect to the surroundings. The structural execution and shape can vary greatly, often in the form of a pavilion or tempietto, more or less open on the sides.

LATVIA POSTCARDS COLLECTION

Hotel De Rome 
LATVIA

Hotel de Rome. Since 2011, it is called FG Royal Hotel, a first five star luxury hotel in Riga. It is located in the city, very heart of Riga’s Old Town, near most tourist attractions, 200 meters from the famous Freedom Monument in Latvia. 
In 1926 Latvian man called Jurgenson (the owner of «Ch. Jürgenson – Otto Schwarz» empire) purchased the building on Kalku street and opened the famous «Café de l’Opera».
During the World War II the building was destroyed, and in 1987 the famous architect Vecumnieks made the project, which was finished and opened in 1992. It was called Hotel De Rome, in memory of the most luxurious hotel of the city, owned by  «Ch. Jürgenson – Otto Schwarz» empire.

Situated in the heart of Riga, FG Royal Hotel is steps from Laima Clock, Freedom Monument, and Great Guild Hall. Also nearby are Powder Tower and Small Guild Hall.