Prague Astronomical Clock, Czech Republic

Czech_Republic-17, originally uploaded by Abhishek's Received Postcards.

The Prague Astronomical Clock or Prague Orloj is a medieval astronomical clock located in Prague, the capital of the Czech Republic. The Orloj is mounted on the southern wall of Old Town City Hall in the Old Town Square and is a popular tourist attraction.
The Orloj is composed of three main components: the astronomical dial, representing the position of the Sun and Moon in the sky and displaying various astronomical details; "The Walk of the Apostles", a clockwork hourly show of figures of the Apostles and other moving sculptures; and a calendar dial with medallions representing the months.

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Castle Schloss, Czech Republic

Czech_Republic-16, originally uploaded by Abhishek's Received Postcards.

The moravian town of Valtice in the Czech Republic contains one of the most impressive Baroque residences of Central Europe. It was designed as the seat of the ruling princes of Liechtenstein by Johann Bernhard Fischer von Erlach in the early 18th century. Construction was supervised by Domenico Martinelli, who was employed as an on-site architect. The palace is surrounded by an English park with the Temple of Diana (1812) and other neoclassical structures. Together with the neighbouring manor of Lednice, to which it is connected by a 7 km-long lime-tree avenue, Valtice forms the World Heritage Site Lednice–Valtice Cultural Landscape.

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Castle, Lednice, Czech Republic

Czech_Republic-15, originally uploaded by Abhishek's Received Postcards.

Lednice is a south-moravian village in the Czech Republic. In 1996 it was inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List (together with the twin manor of Valtice/Feldsberg) as "an exceptional example of the designed landscape that evolved in the Enlightenment and afterwards under the care of a single family." It contains a palace and the largest park in the country, which covers 200 km².

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CZ-22692, Charles Bridge, Prague, Czech Republic

Czech_Republic-14, originally uploaded by Abhishek's Received Postcards.

Charles Bridge is a famous historical bridge that crosses the Vltava river in Prague, Czech Republic. Its construction started in 1357 under the auspices of King Charles IV, and finished in the beginning of 15th century. As the only means of crossing the river Vltava (Moldau), the Charles Bridge used to be the most important connection between the Old Town, Prague Castle and adjacent areas until 1841. Also this 'solid-land' connection made Prague important as a trade route between east and west Europe. The bridge was originally called the Stone Bridge (Kamenný most) or the Prague Bridge (Pražský most) but has been the "Charles Bridge" since 1870.

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The Pilgrimage Church of St John of Nepomuk at Zelená Hora, Czech Republic

Czech_Republic-13, originally uploaded by Abhishek's Received Postcards.

The Pilgrimage Church of St John of Nepomuk at Zelená Hora (Gruneberg) in Žďár nad Sázavou, near the border between Bohemia and Moravia, is the final masterpiece of Jan Santini Aichel, a maverick Czech architect who combined the Borrominiesque Baroque with references to Gothic elements in both construction and decoration.

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Kromeríž Palace, Czech Republic

Czech_Republic-12, originally uploaded by Abhishek's Received Postcards.

The Kromeríž Palace in Kromeríž, Czech Republic, used to be the principal residence of the bishops and archbishops of Olomouc.
The first residence on the site was founded by bishop Stanislas Thurzo in 1497. The building was in a Late Gothic style, with a modicum of Renaissance detail. During the Thirty Years' War, the castle was sacked by the Swedish army (1643).
It was not until 1664 that a bishop from the powerful Liechtenstein family charged architect Filiberto Lucchese with renovating the palace in a Baroque style. The chief monument of Lucchese's work in Kromeríž is the Pleasure Garden in front of the castle. Upon Lucchese's death in 1666, Giovanni Pietro Tencalla completed his work on the formal garden and had the palace rebuilt in a style reminiscent of the Turinese school to which he belonged.

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Telc, Czech Republic

Czech_Republic-11, originally uploaded by Abhishek's Received Postcards.

Telc is a town in southern Moravia, near Jihlava, in the Czech Republic.
It contains a castle and a long urban plaza with well-conserved Renaissance houses; since 1992 all of this has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The builder of the castle was Zachariáš of Hradec, after whom the plaza was named; his name is also related to that of the city of Jindrichuv Hradec. Telc was founded in the mid-14th century; the Roman-style tower for the Holy Spirit proves that there was already a settlement there. The city walls and the Church of the Ascension of Mary are Gothic in style.

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Aerial view of Lednice-Valtice, Czech Republic

Czech_Republic-10, originally uploaded by Abhishek's Received Postcards.

The Lednice-Valtice Cultural Landscape is a cultural-natural complex of 283,09 km² in the Czech Republic, South Moravian Region, close to Breclav and Mikulov, next to another site registered by UNESCO - Pálava Landscape Protected Area.

The two localities, Valtice Castle and Lednice Castle are connected by so called Bezruc Avenue. There are also one more village - Hlohovec. Between Lednice, Valtice and Hlohovec the Lednice Ponds are situated (Mlýnský, Prostrední, Hlohovecký and Nesyt Ponds). A substantial part of the complex is covered with the Pine wood and partially with a riparian forest adjacent to the River Dyje.

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Ceský Krumlov, Czech Republic

Czech_Republic-9, originally uploaded by Abhishek's Received Postcards.

Ceský Krumlov is a small city in the South Bohemian Region of the Czech Republic, best known for the fine architecture and art of the historic old town and Ceský Krumlov Castle. Old Ceský Krumlov is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and was given this status along with the historic Prague castle district.

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Litomyšl Castle, Czech Republic

Czech_Republic-8, originally uploaded by Abhishek's Received Postcards.

The dominant feature of Litomyšl is the monumental Renaissance castle dating from the years 1568–1581. The buildings of the castle precincts are not only exceptional for their architectural refinement, but have also inscribed themselves in history as the birthplace of the Czech composer, Bedrich Smetana. On the elongated square, which is one of the largest in the Czech Republic, stands a town hall of Gothic origin and a series of Renaissance and baroque houses, many with arcades and vaulted groundfloor rooms.
The cultural traditions of the town go much beyond regional and national frontiers. The exquisite interiors of the castle, especially the baroque castle theatre, the amphitheatre in the castle park and Smetanas’ house, all offer varied programmes of concerts and theatrical performances and thus enrich the life of the town throughout the year.

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Jewish Quarter, the old Jewish cemetery and the Basilica of St Procopius in Trebíc, Czech Republic

Czech_Republic-7, originally uploaded by Abhishek's Received Postcards.

The ensemble of the Jewish Quarter, the old Jewish cemetery and the Basilica of St Procopius in Trebíc are reminders of the co-existence of Jewish and Christian cultures from the Middle Ages to the 20th century. The Jewish Quarter bears outstanding testimony to the different aspects of the life of this community. St Procopius Basilica, built as part of the Benedictine monastery in the early 13th century, is a remarkable example of the influence of Western European architectural heritage in this region.

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Holašovice, Czech Republic

Czech_Republic-5, originally uploaded by Abhishek's Received Postcards.

Holašovice is a small historic village located in the south of the Czech Republic, 15 kilometres west of Ceské Budejovice. Village belongs to the municipality Jankov. To the south lies the protected landscape area of Blanský Forest. The village was deserted after the Second World War, allowing its medieval plan and vernacular buildings in the South Bohemian Folk or Rural Baroque style to remain intact. It was restored and repopulated from 1990

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St. Barbara Church, Czech Republic

Czech_Republic-6, originally uploaded by Abhishek's Received Postcards.

St. Barbara's Church, often incorrectly St. Barbara's Cathedral in Kutná Hora (Bohemia) is one of the most famous Gothic churches in central Europe. St Barbara is the patron saint of miners (among others), which was highly appropriate for a town whose wealth was based entirely upon its silver mines.

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The Prague Castle and the Charles Bridge

Prague Castle is a castle in Prague where the Czech kings, Holy Roman Emperors and presidents of Czechoslovakia and the Czech Republic have had their offices. The Czech Crown Jewels are kept here. Prague Castle is one of the biggest castles in the world at about 570 meters in length and an average of about 130 meters wide.

Charles Bridge is a famous historical bridge that crosses the Vltava river in Prague, Czech Republic. Its construction started in 1357 under the auspices of King Charles IV, and finished in the beginning of 15th century. As the only means of crossing the river Vltava (Moldau), the Charles Bridge used to be the most important connection between the Old Town, Prague Castle and adjacent areas until 1841. Also this 'solid-land' connection made Prague important as a trade route between east and west Europe. The bridge was originally called the Stone Bridge (Kamenný most) or the Prague Bridge (Pražský most) but has been the "Charles Bridge" since 1870.

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Villa Tugendhat, Czech Republic

Czech_Republic-3, originally uploaded by Abhishek's Postcard World.

The Villa Tugendhat is considered a masterpiece of the German architect Ludwig Mies van der Rohe. Built in 1930 in Brno, in today's Czech Republic, for Fritz Tugendhat and his wife Greta, the villa soon became an icon of modern architecture. A modern minimalist home a humble father of the modern minimalist fabs.

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Holy Trinity Column in Olomouc, Czech Republic

The Holy Trinity Column in Olomouc is a magnificent Baroque monument in the Czech Republic, built in 1716–1754 in honour of God. The main purpose was a spectacular celebration of Catholic Church and faith, partly caused by feeling of gratitude for ending a plague, which struck Moravia (now in the Czech Republic) between 1714 and 1716. The column was also understood to be an expression of local patriotism, since all artists and master craftsmen working on this monument were Olomouc citizens, and almost all depicted saints were connected with the city of Olomouc in some way.

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Kromeriz City, Czech Republic

Sent bt LittleBig (Czech Republic)



Kromeriz is about 300 kms east of Prague. This card show the main sights: Medieval arcades in the main square, a statue of an angel banishing the devil, St Maurice Church, the Mill Gate leading up to the castle and a couple in traditional costume.

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