Nestled among the green hills of Baden-Württemberg and crowning the old medieval city Heidelberg, Heidelberg medieval castle, is an one of the most wonderful romantic sights in Germany. The first mention of the castle dates back to 1225. The ruins of the castle are one of the most important structures of the Renaissance tonorth of the Alps. Long years heidelberg castle wasthe seat of the countsPalatine, who were accountable only to the emperor.
2. Castle Hohensalzburg (Austria)
One of the largest medieval castles in Europe, located on Mount Festung, at an altitude of 120 meters, which is next to Salzburg. During its existence, Hohensalzburg Castle was repeatedly rebuilt and strengthened, gradually turning into a powerful, impregnable fortress. In the 19th century, the castle was used as a warehouse, military barracks and prison. The first mention of the castle dates back to the 10th century.
3. Bran Castle (Romania)
Located almost in the center of Romania, this medieval castle gained its worldwide fame thanks to Hollywood, it is believed that Count Dracula lived in this castle. Lock is a national monument and main attractionRomania. The first mention of the castle dates back to the 13th century.
4. Segovia Castle (Spain)
This majestic stone fortress is located near the city of Segovia in Spain and is one of the most famous castles in the Iberian Peninsula. It was its special shape that inspired Walt Disney to recreate Cinderella's castle in his cartoon. Alcazar (castle) was originally built as a fortress, but served in as a royal palace, prison, royal artillery school and military academy. Currently used as museum and places of storage of military archives of Spain. The first mention of the castle dates back to 1120, it was built during the reign of the Berber dynasty.
5. Dunstanborough Castle (England)
The castle was built by the countThomas Lancasterbetween 1313 and 1322 at a time when relations between King Edward II and his vassal, Baron Thomas of Lancaster, became openly hostile. In 1362 Dunstanborough took over John of Ghent , fourth son of the king Edward III who significantly rebuilt the castle. During Wars of the Scarlet and White Roses the stronghold of Lancaster came under fire, as a result of which the castle was destroyed.
6. Cardiff Castle (Wales)
Situated in the heart of Cardiff city, this medieval castle is one of the most defining monuments of the Welsh capital. The castle was built by William the Conqueror in the 11th century on the site of a former 3rd century Roman fort.
This medieval castle dominates the skylineEdinburgh, capital of Scotland. The historical origins of the formidable Edinburgh Castle on the Rock are shrouded in mystery as it is mentioned in 6th century epics, appearing in chronicles before finally coming to the fore in Scottish history when Edinburgh established itself as the seat of monarchical power in the 12th century.
One of the most visited sites in southern Ireland, it is also one of the most intact examples of medieval fortifications in the world. Blarney Castle is the third fortress built on this site. The first building was wooden and dates back to the 10th century. Around 1210, a stone fortress was built instead. Subsequently, it was destroyed and in 1446 Dermot McCarthy, the ruler of Munster, built a third castle on this site, which has survived to this day.
The medieval castle of Castel Nuovo was built the first king of Naples, Charles I of Anjou, Castel Nuovois one of the most famous sights of the city.With its thick walls, majestic towers and impressive triumphal arch make it the quintessential medieval castle.
10. Conwy Castle (England)
The castle is a magnificent example of 13th century architecture and was built by order of King Edward I of England. Surrounded by a stone wall with eight round towers. Until our time, only the walls of the castle have survived, but they also look very impressive. Many huge fireplaces were used to heat the castle.
Led to a boom in castle building, but the process of building a fortress from scratch is far from easy.
Bodiam Castle in East Sussex, founded 1385
1) Carefully choose a place to build
It is extremely important to build your castle on a hill and in a strategically important point.Castles were usually built on natural elevations, and were usually equipped with a link to the external environment, such as a ford, bridge or passage.
Historians have rarely been able to find evidence of contemporaries regarding the choice of a site for the construction of the castle, but they still exist. On September 30, 1223, 15-year-old King Henry III arrived in Montgomery with his army. The king, who had successfully led a military campaign against the Welsh prince Llywelyn ap Iorwerth, was going to build a new castle in this area to ensure security on the border of his possessions. The English carpenters had been given the task of preparing the timber a month earlier, but the king's advisers had only just now determined the site for the construction of the castle. 
Montgomery Castle, when it began to be built in 1223, was located on a hill
After a careful survey of the area, they chose a point on the very edge of the ledge above the valley of the River Severn. According to the chronicler Roger of Wendover, this position "looked unassailable to anyone". He also noted that the castle was created "for the security of the region from the frequent attacks of the Welsh."
Advice: identify places where the topography rises above traffic routes: these are natural places for castles. Keep in mind that the design of the castle is determined by the place of construction. For example, a castle on a ledge of exposed rocks will have a dry moat.
2) Develop a workable plan
You will need a master mason who can draw plans. An engineer knowledgeable in weapons will also come in handy.Experienced soldiers may have their own ideas about the design of the castle, in terms of the shape of its buildings and their location. But it is unlikely that they will have the knowledge of the level of specialists in design and construction.
To implement the idea, a master bricklayer was required - an experienced builder, whose hallmark was the ability to draw a plan. With a grasp of practical geometry, he used simple tools such as straightedge, square, and compasses to create architectural plans. Master masons submitted a drawing with a building plan for approval, and during construction supervised its construction.
When Edward II ordered the construction of a tower at Knarsborough, he personally approved the plans and demanded construction reports.
When Edward II in 1307 began building a huge residential tower at Naresborough Castle in Yorkshire for his favorite Pierce Gaveston, he not only personally approved the plans created by the London master mason Hugh of Teachmarsh - probably made in the form of a drawing - but also demanded regular reports on the construction . From the middle of the 16th century a new group professionals called engineers increasingly began to take on a role in planning and building fortifications. They had technical knowledge of the use and power of cannons, both for defense and for attacking castles.
Advice: Plan slits to provide a wide angle of attack. Shape them according to the weapon you are using: longbow archers need large slopes, crossbowmen need smaller ones.
3) Hire a large group of experienced workers
You will need thousands of people. And not all of them will come of their own free will.It took a lot of effort to build the castle. We do not have documentary evidence of the construction of the first castles in England since 1066, but from the scale of many castles of that period it becomes clear why some chronicles claim that the English were under the yoke of building castles for their Norman conquerors. But from the later time of the Middle Ages, some estimates with detailed information have come down to us.
During the invasion of Wales in 1277, King Edward I began building a castle in Flint, northeast Wales. It was erected quickly, thanks to the rich resources of the crown. A month after the start of work, in August, 2300 people were involved in the construction, including 1270 diggers, 320 lumberjacks, 330 carpenters, 200 masons, 12 blacksmiths and 10 charcoal burners. All of them were driven from the surrounding lands under an armed escort who watched so that they did not desert from the construction.
From time to time, foreign specialists could be involved in the construction. For example, millions of bricks for the rebuilding of Tattershall Castle in Lincolnshire in the 1440s were supplied by a certain Baldwin "Docheman", or Dutchman, that is, "Dutchman" - obviously a foreigner.
Advice: Depending on the size of the workforce and the distance they had to travel, it may be necessary to provide accommodation for them at the construction site.
4) Ensure the safety of the construction site
An unfinished castle in enemy territory is very vulnerable to attacks.To build a castle in enemy territory, you need to protect the construction site from attacks. For example, you can enclose the construction site with wooden fortifications or a low stone wall. Such medieval defense systems sometimes remained after the construction of the building as an additional wall - as, for example, in the castle of Beaumaris, the construction of which was started in 1295.
Beaumaris (Wall. Biwmares) is a city on the island of Anglesey, Wales.
Also important is secure communication with the outside world for the delivery of building materials and provisions. In 1277, Edward I dug a canal to the river Kluid directly from the sea and to the location of his new castle in Rydlane. The outer wall, built to protect the construction site, extended to the piers on the banks of the river.
Rudlan Castle
Security problems can also arise with a radical restructuring of an existing castle. When Henry II rebuilt Dover Castle in the 1180s, all work was carefully planned so that the fortifications provided protection for the duration of the renovation. According to surviving decrees, work on the inner wall of the castle began only when the tower was already sufficiently repaired so that guards could be on duty in it.
Advice: building materials for the construction of the castle are large and voluminous. If possible, it's best to transport them by water, even if that means building a dock or canal.
5) Prepare the landscape
When building a castle, you may have to move an impressive amount of land, which is not cheap.It is often forgotten that the fortifications of the castle were built not only through architectural techniques, but also through landscape design. Enormous resources were allocated for the movement of land. The scale of land works of the Normans can be recognized as outstanding. For example, according to some estimates, the embankment erected in 1100 around Pleshy Castle in Essex required 24,000 man-days.
Some aspects of landscaping required serious skills, especially the creation of water ditches. When Edward I rebuilt the Tower of London in the 1270s, he hired a foreign specialist, Walter of Flanders, to create a huge tidal moat. Digging the ditch under his direction cost £4,000, a staggering amount, almost a quarter of the cost of the entire project.
18th century engraving with a plan Tower of London 1597 shows how much land had to be moved to build ditches and ramparts.
With the rise of cannons in the art of siege, the earth began to play an even more important role as an absorber of cannon shots. Interestingly, experience in moving large amounts of land has led some of the fortification engineers to find work as garden designers.
Advice: Reduce time and cost by digging out masonry for castle walls from the moats around it.
6) Lay the Foundation
Carry out the mason's plan carefully.Using ropes of the required length and pegs, it was possible to mark the foundation of the building on the ground in full size. After the foundation ditches were dug, work began on the masonry. To save money, the responsibility for construction was assigned to the senior mason instead of the master mason. Masonry in the Middle Ages was usually measured in rods, one English rod = 5.03 m. At Warkworth in Northumberland, one of the complex towers stands on a lattice of rods, possibly for the purpose of calculating construction costs.
Warkworth Castle
Often the construction of medieval castles was accompanied by detailed documentation. In 1441-42 the tower of Tutbury Castle in Staffordshire was demolished and a plan for its successor was drawn up on the ground. But the Prince of Stafford, for some reason, was not pleased. The king's master stonemason, Robert of Westerley, was sent to Tutbury, where he held a conference with two senior masons to design a new tower at the new site. Westerley then left, and over the next eight years a small group of workers, including four junior masons, built the new tower.
Senior masons could be called in to confirm the quality of work, as was the case at Cooling Castle in Kent, when the king's stonemason Henry Javel assessed work carried out from 1381 to 1384. He criticized the deviations from the original plan and rounded the estimate down.
Advice: Don't let the master mason fool you. Make him make a plan so that it is easy to make an estimate for it.
7) Fortify your castle
Finish building with elaborate fortifications and specialized timber structures.Until the 12th century, the fortifications of most castles consisted of earth and logs. And although stone buildings were subsequently given preference, wood remained a very important material in medieval wars and fortifications.
Stone castles prepared for attacks by adding special battle galleries along the walls, as well as shutters that could be used to close the gaps between battlements to protect the defenders of the castle. All this was made of wood. Heavy weapons used to defend the castle, catapults and heavy crossbows, springalds, were also built of wood. Artillery was usually designed by a highly paid professional carpenter, sometimes with the title of engineer, from the Latin "ingeniator".
Storming of the castle, drawing of the 15th century
Such experts were not cheap, but could eventually be worth their weight in gold. This, for example, happened in 1266, when Kenilworth Castle in Warwickshire resisted Henry III for almost six months with catapults and water defenses.
There are records of camp castles made entirely of wood - they could be transported with you and erected as needed. One such was built for the French invasion of England in 1386, but the Calais garrison captured it along with the ship. It was described as consisting of a wall of logs 20 feet high and 3,000 paces long. There was a 30-foot tower every 12 paces, capable of housing up to 10 soldiers, and the castle also had an unspecified defense for archers.
Advice: Oak wood becomes stronger over the years, and it is easiest to work with it when it is green. The top branches of trees are easy to transport and shape.
8) Provide water and sanitation
Don't forget the amenities. You will appreciate them in case of a siege.The most important aspect for the castle was efficient access to water. These could be wells that supply water to certain buildings, such as a kitchen or a stable. Without a detailed acquaintance with the medieval well shafts, it is difficult to do justice to them. For example, in Beeston Castle in Cheshire there is a well 100 m deep, the upper 60 m of which are lined with hewn stone.
There is some evidence of elaborate plumbing that brought water to the apartments. The tower of Dover Castle has a system of lead pipes that delivers water throughout the rooms. She was fed from a well with a winch, and possibly from a rainwater harvesting system.
Efficient disposal of human waste was another challenge for lock designers. The latrines were assembled in one place in the buildings so that their shafts were emptied in one place. They were located in short corridors that trap unpleasant odors, and were often equipped with wooden seats and removable covers.
Thought Room at Chipchase Castle
Today it is widely believed that latrines used to be called "cloakrooms". In fact, the lexicon for toilets was extensive and colorful. They were called gongs or gangs (from the Anglo-Saxon word for "a place to go"), nooks and jakes (the French version of "john").
Advice: Ask a master mason to plan comfortable and private latrines outside the bedroom, following the example of Henry II and Dover Castle.
9) Decorate as needed
The castle not only had to be well-guarded - its inhabitants, having a high status, demanded a certain chic.During the war, the castle must be defended - but it also serves luxury home. The noble gentlemen of the Middle Ages expected their dwelling to be both comfortable and richly furnished. In the Middle Ages, these citizens traveled with servants, things and furniture from one residence to another. But home interiors often had fixed decorative features, such as stained-glass windows.
The tastes of Henry III in the setting are recorded very carefully, with interesting and attractive details. In 1235-36, for example, he ordered that his hall at Winchester Castle be decorated with images of a map of the world and a wheel of fortune. Since then, these decorations have not survived, but the well-known round table of King Arthur, possibly created between 1250 and 1280, remains in the interior.
Winchester Castle with King Arthur's Round Table hanging on the wall
The large area of the castles played an important role in the luxurious life. Parks were created for hunting, a jealously guarded privilege of aristocrats; gardens were also in demand. The extant description of the construction of the castle of Kirby Maxloe in Leicestershire says that its owner, Lord Hastings, began laying out gardens at the very beginning of the construction of the castle in 1480.
In the Middle Ages, rooms with beautiful views. One of the 13th-century groups of rooms at the castles of Leeds in Kent, Corfe in Dorset and Chepstow in Monmouthshire were called gloriettes (from the French gloriette, a diminutive of glory) for their splendor.
Advice: The interior of the castle should be luxurious enough to attract visitors and friends. Entertainment can win battles without having to expose itself to the dangers of combat.
Medieval castles were actually not just big fortresses with massive stone walls. These were ingeniously designed fortifications that used many ingenious and creative ways to protect the inhabitants of the castle from attack by enemies. Literally everything - from the outer walls to the shape and location of the stairs - was very carefully planned to provide maximum protection to the inhabitants of the castle. In this review about the little-known secrets hidden in the construction of medieval castles.
Almost every castle was surrounded by a moat filled with water. It is generally accepted that this was an obstacle to the storming troops, however, in fact, this was not the main function of the moat.
Vischering Castle in Germany. The castle consists of an outer defensive courtyard, protective locks, a drawbridge thrown over a moat, the main building and a chapel.
One of the biggest problems for the inhabitants of a medieval castle or fortress was that the invading army could dig tunnels under the fortifications. Not only could the enemy get inside the castle underground, but the tunnels could also lead to the collapse of the castle walls. The ditch prevented this, since the tunnel dug under the ditch inevitably flooded with water and collapsed.
Nesvizh Castle. Belarus.
This was a very effective deterrent against tunneling. Often the moat was laid not around the outer wall of the castle, but between the outer and inner walls.
Concentric circles of defense
It was an extremely effective method of defense for the inhabitants of a medieval castle, and looked like a series of obstacles surrounding the castle.
Hochosterwitz Castle. Austria.
As a rule, such obstacles were (in proportion to the distance from the castle) a scorched and dug field, an outer wall, a moat, an inner wall, a donjon tower. The attacking army had to overcome each of these obstacles in turn. And it took a lot of time and effort.
main gate
The main gate of the castle was often the most dangerous place the entire structure, since, if necessary, they could turn into a deadly trap.
Eltz Castle in Germany.
They often led to a small courtyard, at the other end of which there was also another gate, equipped with an iron descending grate. If the attackers broke through the first gate and found themselves in the yard, then the grate fell, after which the aggressors found themselves in a trap.
Svirzh castle in the village of Svirzh, Lviv region. Main gate.
At the same time, there were small holes in the walls of the courtyard through which the defenders could shoot from bows and crossbows at the enemy soldiers who were trapped.
Hidden secrets of stairs
Stairwells in medieval castles have actually been very carefully thought out. First, they were almost always helical, very narrow and built clockwise.
Spiral staircase in Mir Castle. Belarus.
This meant that it was very difficult for attacking opponents who climbed up the stairs (and one at a time, because the stairs were narrow), because they had a sword in their right hand. And since there was always a wall on the right hand, they had no opportunity to swing. The defenders, on the other hand, had the wall of the spiral staircase on their left hand, so they had more opportunities to swing.
Staircase with reverse twist and uneven steps in the Wallenstein castle in Germany.
Another original feature of the stairs was that they had uneven steps: some were very high and others were low. The defenders of the castle, being familiar with the local stairs, could quickly climb up and down them, and the attackers often stumbled and fell, exposing themselves to a blow.
secret passages
Many castles had secret passages that served various purposes. Some of them were made so that the inhabitants of the castle could flee in case of defeat, and also so that during the siege the defenders would not be cut off from food supplies.
Koretsky castle in Ukraine.
Secret passages also led to secret chambers where people could hide, food was stored and (which was quite common) an additional well was dug for water.
Predjama Castle in Slovenia.
Therefore, the medieval castle was much more than just a large glamorous palace with massive stone walls around it. It was a structure designed down to the smallest detail to protect the inhabitants. And each castle was full of its own little secrets.
The main principle of castle defense was to maximize the vulnerability of the attacking enemy while minimizing the negative consequences for the defenders. A well-built castle could effectively defend even a small army and hold it for a very long time. A strong defense allowed the defenders of a castle to hold out against an assault or siege until reinforcements arrived, or until the attacking troops were forced to retreat due to food shortages, disease, or casualties.
Fortress
A fortress is a small castle, often part of a large castle complex. This is a heavily fortified building that often served as the residence of the owner of the castle. If the enemy took the outer walls of the castle, the defenders could retreat to the fortress and continue to defend themselves. Many castles grew from fortresses, which were the initial fortified points. Over time, the castles expanded and the old outer walls of the castles became the outer defenses of the fortress.
Walls
Stone walls protected the castle from arson, arrows and other projectiles. Enemies could not climb smooth walls without special equipment such as ladders or siege scaffolding. The defenders on the walls could shoot down or drop heavy objects on the attackers. The attackers, who were in the open and fired upwards, were at a very disadvantageous position compared to the defenders, who were protected and fired down. If possible, they tried to strengthen the defensive power of stone walls by building walls on hills and cliffs. The gates and doors in the castle walls were few and heavily fortified.
towers
In the corners and often at regular intervals along the walls stood towers. The towers extended beyond the vertical plane of the castle walls, allowing the defenders from the towers to fire at the outer surface of the castle walls. From the corner towers, the defenders could fire on two wall surfaces. Gates were often defended by towers on both sides. Some castles started out as simple towers and grew into false complexes of walls, an inner keep, and additional towers.
Loopholes
The walls and towers were adapted to provide maximum protection to the defenders. The platform behind the upper part of the wall allowed the defenders to stand and fight. Slotholes were cut into the upper part of the walls so that the defenders could shoot or fight while under partial cover. The slits may have had wooden shutters for even more protection. In the upper part of the walls, battlements were often built with thin slots, due to which the archers could shoot with little or no risk. During the assault, closed wooden platforms expanded from the tops of the walls and towers. From them, the defenders could shoot straight down at the attackers, or throw stones and boiling liquids at them, while remaining protected. These wooden buildings were upholstered with skins to prevent the wood from burning. Stone versions of these scaffolds were called hinged loopholes and were sometimes built over gates.
Ditches and drawbridges
To enhance the advantage of the walls, ditches were often dug at their base, completely surrounding the castle. Where possible, these ditches were filled with water. Such ditches greatly hampered the direct assault on the walls. Armored soldiers could drown if they fell into shallow water. Moats with water also made it very difficult to dig walls, as water could wash away the digging tunnel and flood the diggers. Often the attackers had to drain the water ditches in order to continue the assault. Often the ditch was also partly filled in to provide ladders or siege scaffolding. Drawbridges over ditches or water ditches allowed the inhabitants of the castle to enter and leave the castle as needed. In case of danger, the drawbridge was raised, thus disconnecting the castle from the outside world. Bridges were raised by a mechanism inside the castle, well protected from the enemy.
Retractable Grille
A lowered grate made of thick metal rods tightly blocked the gates of the castle in case of danger. The gates of the castle were usually inside a special tower, which was well fortified. Bypassing the gate (secret underground passage) could also be in this tower. This tunnel was usually blocked by several powerful bars. The mechanism that lifted the bars was on top of the tower and was heavily protected. The lowered gratings could be a combination of iron rods and thick logs. Defenders and attackers could shoot at each other and stab through the bars.
barbican
Powerful castles had external and internal gates. Between them was an open space called the Barbican. It was surrounded by walls and became a trap for the enemy, who managed to destroy the outer gate. Once in the Barbican, the enemy became very vulnerable and could either retreat through the outer gates or storm the inner ones. The defenders at this time generously poured tar or boiling oil on the attackers, threw stones and spears at them.
Defenders
In peacetime, very few soldiers were needed to protect the castle. At night, the bridges were raised, and the lowered bars were lowered, thus blocking the castle. In the event of a threat or assault, a much larger army was involved in the defense of the castle. Well-aimed archers or crossbowmen could prevent the enemy from storming the castle or preparing for an assault by shelling. The losses of the attackers reduced their strength and morale. Large losses from shelling could force the attackers to retreat. If the attackers could still get close to hand-to-hand combat, a large army was needed to repel the attack. It also required many people to throw stones from the walls and pour hot liquids on the attackers. A considerable number of workers were required to repair the walls damaged by the storm and to extinguish fires caused by fire arrows. Aggressive defenders occasionally sally out of the castle and attack the besieging army. These lightning-fast raids allowed the defenders to burn down the besiegers' ladders and forests, lowering their morale. In case of danger, local peasants took to defending the walls. Lacking sufficient skill with a sword, spear, or bow, they could do many other important jobs.
Which castle inspired Pyotr Tchaikovsky to create " swan lake"? Where was Indiana Jones filmed? How do ancient European castles function today? Lovers of mystical landscapes, romantic trips and mysterious legends! Our material - especially for you!
Eltz (German: Burg Eltz) is a castle located in Rhineland-Palatinate (commune Wierschem) in the Elzbach river valley. Together with the palace, Bürresheim is considered the only building in western Germany that has never been destroyed and captured. The castle was not damaged even during the wars of the 17th and 18th centuries. and events of the French Revolution.
The castle has been perfectly preserved to this day. It is surrounded by a river on three sides and rises on a rock 70 meters high. This makes it consistently popular with tourists and photographers.
Official site
Bled Castle, Slovenia (XI century)
One of the oldest castles in Slovenia (Sloven. Blejski grad) is located on top of a 130-meter cliff near the lake of the same name near the city of Bled. The oldest part of the castle is the Romanesque tower, which was used both for housing and for defense, and for monitoring the surroundings surrounding the castle.
During the Second World War, the headquarters of the German troops was located here. In 1947, a fire broke out in the castle, due to which some of the buildings were damaged. A few years later, the castle was restored and it resumed its activities as a historical museum. The museum's collection includes clothing, weapons and household items.
Official site
(XIX century)
The romantic castle of King Ludwig II is located near the town of Füssen in southwestern Bavaria. The castle was the inspiration for the construction of the Sleeping Beauty Castle at Disneyland Paris. Neuschwanstein (German: Schloß Neuschwanstein) is also featured in the 1968 film Chitty Chitty Bang Bang as a castle in the fictional land of Vulgaria. The view of Neuschwanstein was fascinated by Pyotr Tchaikovsky. According to historians, it was here that he got the idea to create the ballet Swan Lake.
Neuschwanstein Castle is featured in the films Ludwig II: The Brilliance and Fall of the King (1955, dir. Helmut Keutner), Ludwig (1972, dir. Luchino Visconti), Ludwig II of Bavaria (2012, dir. Marie Noel and Peter Zehr).
The castle is currently a museum. To visit, you need to buy a ticket at the ticket center and go up to the castle by bus, as well as on foot or in a horse-drawn carriage. The only person who "lives" in the castle on this moment and is its guardian - watchman.
Official site
The castle in Livorno got its name from the fact that the local coast is known as Boccale (Pitcher) or Cala dei Pirati (Pirates' Bay). The center of the modern Castello del Boccale was an observation tower built by order of the Medici in 16th century, presumably on the ruins of an older structure from the period of the Pisan Republic. For its history appearance The castle has been changed many times. In recent years, a thorough restoration of the Castello del Boccale has been carried out, after which the castle was divided into several residential apartments.
The legendary castle (rum. Bran Castle) is located in the picturesque town of Bran, 30 km from Brasov, on the border of Muntenia and Transylvania. Initially, it was built at the end of the XIV century by forces and means local residents for exemption from paying taxes to the state treasury for several centuries. Due to its location on the top of a cliff and its trapezoidal shape, the castle served as a strategic defensive fortress.
The castle has 4 levels connected by stairs. During its history, the castle has changed several owners: it belonged to the ruler Mircea the Old, the inhabitants of Brasov and the Habsburg Empire ... According to legend, during his campaigns, the famous governor Vlad Tepes-Dracula spent the night in the castle, and its surroundings were the favorite hunting ground of the ruler Tepes.
Currently, the castle belongs to the descendant of the Romanian kings, the grandson of Queen Mary, Dominic of Habsburg (in 2006, according to the new law of Romania on the return of territories to the previous owners). After the transfer of the castle to the owner, all the furniture was taken to the museums of Bucharest. And Dominic Habsburg had to recreate the decoration of the castle, buying various antiques.
Official site
Alcazar Castle, Spain (IX century)
The fortress of the Spanish kings Alcazar (Spanish Alcázar) is located in the historical part of the city of Segovia on a rock. Over the years of its existence, the Alcazar was not only a royal palace, but also a prison, as well as an artillery academy. According to archaeologists, even in ancient Roman times, on the site of the Alcazar, there was military fortification. During the Middle Ages, the castle was the favorite residence of the kings of Castile. In 1953, the Alcazar was turned into a museum.
Currently, it remains one of the most visited tourist destinations in Spain. A museum has been opened in the palace, which exhibits furniture, interiors, a collection of weapons, portraits of the kings of Castile. 11 halls and the most tall tower- Tower of Juan II.
Chambord Castle, France (XVI century)
Chambord (fr. Château de Chambord) is one of the most recognizable castles in France, an architectural masterpiece of the Renaissance. The length of the facade is 156 m, the width is 117 m, the castle has 426 rooms, 77 staircases, 282 fireplaces and 800 sculpturally decorated capitals.
According to historical research, Leonardo da Vinci himself took part in the design. Since 1981, it has been included in the UNESCO World Heritage List. Since 2005, the castle has had the status of a state public and commercial enterprise. On the second floor of the castle there is now a branch of the Museum of Hunting and Nature.
Official site
Windsor Castle, UK (XI century)
Situated on a hill in the Thames Valley, Windsor Castle has been a symbol of the monarchy for more than 900 years. Over the centuries, the appearance of the castle has changed in accordance with the capabilities of the ruling monarchs. It acquired its modern look as a result of reconstruction after a fire in 1992. The castle occupies 52,609 square meters and combines the features of a fortress, a palace and a small town.
Today the palace is owned by the Occupied Royal Palaces Estate on behalf of the nation. royal palaces), consumer services are provided by the Royal Household department. Windsor Castle is the largest residential castle in the world (about 500 people live and work in it). Elizabeth II spends a month in the spring and a week in June at the castle to participate in traditional ceremonies associated with the Order of the Garter. About a million tourists visit the castle every year.
Official site
Corvin Castle, Romania (XIV century)
The family nest of the Hunyadi feudal house in the south of Transylvania, in the modern Romanian city of Hunedoara. Initially, the fortress had an oval shape, and the only defensive tower was located in the northern wing, while on the south side it was covered with a stone wall.
In 1441-1446, under the governor Yanosh Hunyadi, seven towers were built, and in 1446-1453. laid the chapel, built the main halls and the south wing with utility rooms. As a result, the appearance of the castle combines elements of late Gothic and early Renaissance.
In 1974 the castle was opened to visitors as a museum. Tourists are escorted to the castle along a gigantic bridge, they are shown a vast hall for knightly feasts and two towers, one of which bears the name of the monk John Capistran, and the second - the romantic name "Do not be afraid."
They also say that it was in this castle of Hunyadi that Dracula, who was dethroned from the throne, was kept for 7 years.
Official site
Liechtenstein Castle, Austria (XII century)
One of the most unusual castles in terms of architecture (German - Burg Liechtenstein) is located on the edge of the Vienna Woods. The castle was built in the 12th century but was destroyed twice by the Ottomans in 1529 and 1683. In 1884 the castle was restored. Another damage was done to the castle during the Second World War. Finally, in the 1950s, the castle was restored by the citizens. Since 2007, the castle, like more than 800 years ago, has been run by the relatives of its founders - the princely family of Liechtenstein.
The modern popularity of Liechtenstein Castle is associated with the summer spent here. theater festival Johann Nestroy. The castle is open to visitors.
Official site
Chillon Castle (fr. Château de Chillon) is located near Lake Geneva, 3 km from the city of Montreux, and is a complex of 25 elements from different eras of construction. Location and construction features allowed the owners of the castle to fully control the strategically important road that ran between the lake and mountains. For a certain period of time, the road to the St. Bernard Pass served as the only transport route from Northern Europe to Southern Europe. The depth of the lake provided security: an attack from this side was simply impossible. The stone wall of the castle facing the road is fortified with three towers. The opposite side of the castle is residential.
Like most castles, Chillon Castle also served as a prison. Louis the Pious kept Abbot Vala of Corvey imprisoned here. In the middle of the XIV century, during the plague, Jews were kept and tortured in the castle, who were accused of poisoning water sources.
Chillon Castle is the scene of George Byron's poem The Prisoner of Chillon. The historical basis for the poem was the imprisonment in the castle on the orders of Charles III of Savoy Francois Bonivard in 1530-1536. The image of the castle was romanticized in their works by Jean-Jacques Rousseau, Percy Shelley, Victor Hugo and Alexandre Dumas.
Official site
Hohenzollern Castle, Germany (XIII century)
Hohenzollern Castle (German: Burg Hohenzollern) is located in Baden-Württemberg, 50 km south of Stuttgart, on top of the Hohenzollern mountain at an altitude of 855 meters. During the years of its existence, the castle was destroyed several times.
Some of the most famous relics kept in the museum are the crown of the Prussian kings and the uniform that belonged to Frederick the Great. From 1952 to 1991, the remains of Frederick I and Frederick the Great rested in the castle museum. After the reunification of East and West Germany in 1991, the ashes of the Prussian kings were returned to Potsdam.
At present, the castle belongs to 2/3 of the Brandenburg-Prussian Hohenzollern line and 1/3 of the Swabian-Catholic line. Every year it is visited by about 300 thousand tourists.
Official site
Walsen Castle, Belgium (XI century)
