Prince Eric's Castle

Postcard US-4002447 to the United Kingdom shows Prince Eric's Castle from a 1989 Disney movie the Little Mermaid based on a Danish fairy tale. It tells the story of a beautiful mermaid princess who is dissatisfied with underwater life and dreams of becoming human. The film's success marked the beginning of the era known as the Disney Renaissance.

The card is part of the Art of Disney: the Renaissance and Beyond (1989-2014). The castle may have been inspired by Chillon Castle, a medieval fortress on the shores of Lake Geneva in Switzerland. Attraction Under the Sea: Journey of the Little Mermaid opened on June 3, 2011 at Disney California Adventure Park in Anaheim, California, and on December 6, 2012 in New Fantasyland at Magic Kingdom, Walt Disney World in Orlando, Florida.

Bodrum, Turkey

Postcard TR-220335 from Turkey shows multiple views of Bodrum, a port city with 36,317 residents as of 1012 in Muğla Province, Turkey. Located on the southern coast of Bodrum Peninsula, the city was known as Halicarnassus of Caria in ancient times and was famous for the Mausoleum of Mausolus, a tomb built between 353 and 350 B.C.E. for Mausolus, a governor in the Persian Empire.

Bodrum Castle, built by the Knights of St John of Rhodes in the 15th century who had used the stones from the tomb to reinforce the castle walls where sections of polished marble from the tomb are still visible today. As seen on the card, the castle overlooks the harbor and the marina, with the Museum of Underwater Archeology on its ground.

Orlík nad Vltavou

Postcard CZ-600263 from Czech shows Orlík nad Vltavou, a village in the South Bohemian Region of the Czech Republic. According to Wikipedia, the village was formerly called Staré Sedlo, named after the castle. In Czech, "nad Vltavou" means "upon the river Vltava" and both the castle and the village are located on the left river bank, on the shores of the Orlik reservoir as a result of the construction of Orlík Dam. The Orlík Castle, standing right next to the water, is surrounded by a huge park and a game preserve. It belongs to the House of Schwarzenberg, a Bohemian and Franconian aristocratic family, but it is open to the public on most summer days.

Burg Giebichenstein und die Giebichensteinbrücke

Postcard DE-3903996 from Germany shows Giebichenstein Castle and the Giebichensteinbrücke bridge in Halle (Saale), an economic and educational center in eastern Germany, located in the southern Saxony-Anhalt state.

Giebichenstein Castle, seen on the right on the postcard, was a royal residence of Otto I, Holy Roman Emperor in the 9th century. It is used by the Kunsthochschule Halle (Academy of Arts) of the Burg Giebichenstein Art School.

The Giebichensteinbrücke bridge, also known as Kröllwitzer bridge, is one of three Saale River crossings in Halle, located in the north part of the city below Giebichenstein Castle. The Giebichensteinbrücke bridge in its current form was built between 1926 and 1928 as a replacement for a steel bridge with large truss arch from 1892. The bridge's main arch was blown up during the final days of World War II on April 14, 1945. It was re-built in 1949 and renovated from 1993 to 1995.

On February 13, 1990, an agreement was announced on a two-stage plan to reunite Germany.

Kamianets-Podilskyi Castle

Kamianets-Podilskyi Castle is a former Ruthenian-Lithuanian castle and a later three-part Polish fortress located in the historic city of Kamianets-Podilskyi, Ukraine. Historical records dated the Kamianets-Podilskyi Castle to the early 14th century, initially built to protect the bridge connecting the city with the mainland.

The castle is the most recognized landmark of the city and one of the Seven Wonders of Ukraine which consists of seven historical and cultural monuments chosen in a public contest in July, 2007. There were prior contests for the Seven Natural Wonders of Ukraine, the Seven Wonderful Routes of Ukraine, and the Seven Wonderful Castles of Ukraine. Dniester Canyon, one of Seven Natural Wonders, was featured in this blog.

The postcard was a thank-you card for US-2452513. It was first mailed from Ukraine in mid-December, 2013. It appeared that the postcard made into the U.S. since the bottom of the card had one of those USPS barcodes. However, for some reason, it was returned to the sender in Ukraine. The sender mailed it a second time in an envelop on February 11, 2014 and I received it yesterday on April 5, 2014. The irony is that my first card sent out as US-2452513 was among the mass loss in early October, 2013. The card reached Ukraine on December 16, 2013 was a replacement card.

Óbidos, Portugal

Vila de Óbidos

Postcard PT-311465 from Portugal shows Óbidos, a vila with a population of 3100 people. As the municipal seat of the municipality of Óbidos, it is located in the Estremadura Province, Portugal. The vila is located on a hilltop, encircled by a fortified wall, part of a well-preserved example of Medieval architecture. The vila established its charter in 1195, during the reign of Sancho I. The distinctive streets, squares, walls and its castle are now a popular tourist destination.

Červená Lhota State Castle in Czech Republic

zámku Červená Lhota

I received a postcard CZ-297722 from Czech Republic today. It shows the Renaissance styled Cervena Lhota State Castle that is surrounded by the Deštná Creek with its castle lake. The castle is located on a rock that forms a dam to the creek. It has a square courtyard closed by four wings. An entrance tower locks access road leading through a stone bridge.

Červená Lhota means "Red Village", and the name was changed from the original Nová Lhota ("New Village") in the early 17th century when it obtained a new red brick roof.  The facade of the castle got the same color later. It's a popular tourist destination and filming spot for several movies and television series.