GERMANY ~ Spandau Citadel - Berlin ~

... Nice aerial view of one of the most important and best preserved Renaissance military fortress in Europe... it give visitors an impression of how people tried to protect themselves from enemies in the 16th century... once passed the small bridge over the moat, the view opens up to numerous historic buildings... the oldest parts of the fortresss complex date from the Middle Ages... since the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989 the citadel became a museum and event location, hosting a wide range of cultural events in its historic setting... outside the concert season, more than 10,000 bats spend the winter here... Thanks a lot Dustin!【ツ】

On a tiny island where the Havel and Spree rivers meet, this citadel was built on the site of a medieval castle, and developed over three and a half decades from 1559 to 1594. The fortress was created for the protection of Spandau, which has since become part of Berlin.

In the 1930s the citadel was used as a military research centre, where German forces tested the effects of nerve gas. By the end of World War II, it had become a Nazi fortification. Post-war, the British briefly took control, and used the castle as a state prison for Prussian inmates. 

 

Stamp:

The 100th Anniversary of the Birth of Otfried Preußler

(Issued 05-10-2023)