Schloss Augustusburg at Brühl, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany

Set in an idyllic garden landscape, Augustusburg Castle (the sumptuous residence of the prince-archbishops of Cologne) and the Falkenlust hunting lodge (a small rural folly) are among the earliest examples of Rococo architecture in 18th-century Germany.

Augustusburg and Falkenlust present the first important creations of the Rococo style in Germany. For more than a century, they served as models for most of the princely courts.

These structures were built at the beginning of the 18th century by the Archbishop-Elector of Cologne, Clemens August of Bavaria of the Wittelsbach family.  The main block Augustusburg Castle is a U-shaped building with three main storeys and two levels of attics.

The Augustusburg and Falkenlust building complex has been listed as a UNESCO cultural World Heritage Site since 1984.

This surprise postcard came from Karl Topf who sent me this as a “thank you” card (24 March 2014). A very kind gesture indeed!  Thank you Karl.