1449 GERMANY (Lower Saxony) - Wolfenbüttel Castle

Located on the Oker river, about 13km south of Brunswick, on the trade route from the Rhine to the Elbe, Wolfenbüttel was first mentioned in 1118 (as Wulferisbutle), became the residence of the dukes of Brunswick in 1432, and over the following three centuries it grew to be a centre of the arts. The castle located in the town was destroyed several times, so its appearance changed in time, now  being a real bric-a-brac of different styles. It is not only the second largest of its kind, but it also houses the only ducal apartments in  Lower Saxony dating back to the High Baroque. The still existing magnificent façade and the prestigious apartments built between 1690 and 1740 are a proof of the riches of the ducal court. It had earlier several towers, of which foundations are still partly present today. The highest (Hausmannsturm) was built in 1613 by the royal architect Paul Francke in Renaissance style, and is still standing today.  

In the 16th century, it grew to its current size, but the Dukes still thought that they needed a bigger castle. Therefore, Salzdahlum Castle was built - a kind of Versailles made of wood. Salzdahlum rotted away and the dukes moved back to Wolfenbuettel. In the early 18th century, it took its current shape with Baroque features and the turret. However, the Ducal family still wanted a more representative castle and a new castle was built in Braunschweig. In 1866, the castle became the Anna-Vorwerk-School for girls. Today part of the building is used as a high school, and part as a museum. Upon entering the palace, visitors will note the carved initials of the royal patron, Duke August Wilhelm, alongside his family motto: "Parta tueri - preserve what you have gained". A phrase that should be displayed all over the world, so that we have it permanently in sight.

About the stamps
The first stamp, depicting a tagetes, belong to the set Blumen, about which I wrote here.

The second stamp was issued on September 1, 2014 to commemorate a great literary work by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry - The Little Prince, and depicts the first edition of the book cover illustration. It was first published in 1943, and is both the most-read and most-translated book in the French language, being voted the best book of the 20th century in France. Translated into more than 250 languages and dialects, selling nearly two million copies annually with sales totaling over 140 million copies worldwide, it has become one of the top best-selling books ever published. Here you can see a great blog that contains all issues stamp dedicated to Antoine de Saint-Exupéry.

References
Wolfenbüttel Things to Do - Virtual Tourist

Sender: Anna / Annalein (postcrossing) DE-3864373
Sent from Wolfenbüttel (Lower Saxony / Germany), on 20.01.2015
Photo: Henning Kramer