Located near the banks of the Vltava River, at about 20 km North of Prague, Veltrusy mansion (Zámek Veltrusy) is a baroque chateau initially built in 1716 by architect František Maxmilián Kaňka for Václav Antonín Chotek, count of Chotkov and Vojnín, then governor of Bohemia, and extended in 1764 by architect Giovanni Battista Alliprandi on orders of count Rudolf Chotek of Chotkov and Vojnín. Further extensions and the annexes of the mansion were constructed in 1804.
Until 1945 the castle was owned continuously by Chotek from Chotkov and Vojnín, the last owners being Charles and Livia. For collaboration with Nazi Germany, the castle and the park were seized, and the owners emigrated to West Germany. Both died and left behind no descendants. The mansion form an oval nucleus, with the radially adjacent wings lower, arranged in the shape of the letter X. It grounds boast a 300 hectare park along the Vltava River, with numerous paths leading among ancient trees to pavilions, a bridge or two and various monuments.
About the stamp
The stamp, issued on April 4, 2012, is dedicated to Johann Gregor Mendel (1822-1884), a German-speaking Silesian scientist and Augustinian friar who gained posthumous fame as the founder of the new science of genetics.
This is a post for Postcard Friendship Friday #149, hosted on Beth's blog The Best Hearts are Crunchy. Click on the button below to visit all the other participants.
References
Veltrusy Mansion - Wikipedia
sender: Chemiczka (postcrossing)
sent from Velké Přílepy (Czech Republic), on 06.07.2012
What a beautiful place!
ReplyDeleteHow lovely. Wow--just fills my eyes. SO beautiful. Makes me feel nostalgic for a place I've never been... thank you.
ReplyDelete