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Castles
Hi, all! Perhaps my greatest loss in the Reddit exit is the r/castles community. Being an avid traveler, it was a place I regularly just took the top of the week and put into a to-visit list. Realizing Lemmy needs the content, I've taken it upon myself to start that. To differentiate this place a little, I plan to provide a little better content. While I'm not holding any other posters to this level, rather than just post an image, whenever I post I aim to specify the following things: - Castle name in native language (English name) - location [include country and region, if not city/town] - Best website (official or otherwise) - Some sort of map link - Visitation details: open/closed to public, cost?, closed but technically reachable, tours?, etc. - History: Whatever can be briefly copy-pasted I won't hold users to the above but will simply encourage the culture. More than just images are going to be welcome. Have a documentary involving castles? Have a movie set in a castle or uses a castle in the set? Have an experience visiting a specific castle? Post it. The only real rule is that content must refer to a real-life structure, so please no fantasy/fictional castles! Reasonable exceptions include media showcasing period life and technology that somehow relates to castles. I plan to post once a day, rotating over the major areas of Europe during the week and then also mix non-European content weekly. Let's get to sharing!
The first castle of Montepò was erected around 1000, but the structure was mostly redone during the Renaissance. Later additions were removed in the 19th century in order to restore the Renaissance look. It is now a high class winery. OC by me, CC0
The castle goes back to the 12th century when it protected a bridge over the river Loire. It modified to fit the tastes of the late Renaissance in the 15th and 16th century, though some parts of the original 12th century building [are still visible.](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/be/Chateau_de_Sully_DSC_0125.JPG) The castle is part of the UNESCO world heritage site of the Loire valley.
> In November 2023, I stumbled upon an article about a virtually unknown ancient site that captured my imagination - a place that seemed to defy explanation with what appeared to be a floating door on a flat-topped mountain. This enigmatic site, located in Hejin City, Shanxi Province, China, sparked a viral sensation with its blend of natural and man-made mysteries. Despite its sudden fame, the fortress vanished from the limelight as quickly as it appeared, leaving many questions unanswered. > Determined to uncover the secrets of this ancient fortress, I embarked on a meticulous quest to learn more about this elusive site. My initial research led me to various names like ‘Longmen Fortress’ and ‘Wiezhaung Village Castle,’ with some even dubbing it a ‘Nephilim Hideout.’ However, none seemed officially recognized, prompting me to name it the Hejin City Fortress.
The Altenburg ("old castle") goes back to the early 12th century. It suffered heavy damages in the peasant uprisings of the 16th century and was further damaged by a landslide in the 18th century. A charity took over the ruin in the early 19th century and restored the castle.
[An aerial view of the castle](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/0/02/Chateau_de_Farcheville.jpg/1920px-Chateau_de_Farcheville.jpg) The likely origin of the castle was in the 13th century, though its precise date of construction is unknown. It was renovated in the 17th century, though another renovation in 1901 aimed to restore its medieval appearance. It serves as a hotel today. It is sometimes referred to as one of the most beautiful moated castles in France.
The castle was originally build in the 12th century in order to protect a bridge over the river Loue. After it got damaged during wars in the 17th century, the buildings were rebuilt and modified in the 18th century, though the medieval layout remained mostly intact.
[Photo by Doume Piazzolli on Flickr.](https://flickr.com/photos/154911056@N07/46185772251/) The castle goes back to the 11th century, but today's buildings are mostly from the 15-17th century. Fun fact: The castle was the ancestral seat of the Estaing family, but the family lost it in the early 19th century. The former French president Valéry Giscard d'Estaing bought the castle back in 2005.
This keep are the last remains of a 11th century castle in the small town of Auneau-Bleury-Saint-Symphorien. It stands adjacent to (but is not connected to) residential quarters from 16th century.
Most of the building dates from the 14th and 15th century, with some renovations from the 19th century. The mill was operating until the early 20th century.
The photo is by [Serge Imbert on Flickr](https://www.flickr.com/photos/148075109@N08/44004333592) The church was built in the 14th century. [French Wikipedia article with a few more details about the church](https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/%C3%89glise_Saint-Barth%C3%A9lemy_du_Fossat)
Taken from [@Archaeo-Histories](https://ohai.social/@archaeohistories/112524787536037958): > Hrad Bouzov Castle, a medieval fortress situated in the Olomouc Region of the Czech Republic, approximately 35km northwest of Olomouc. > The castle dates back to the early 14th Century CE, and was originally built by the noble Búz family, who were prominent in the region. The castle features a dominant central tower, surrounded by a complex of defensive walls, turrets and bastions. It includes richly decorated interiors, such as grand halls, a chapel and knight’s rooms.
[The French Wikipedia article about the castle](https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ch%C3%A2teau_de_Jouillat)
The fortress was built in the place of a Byzantine fortress from the sixth century. It served as an important centre during the Second Bulgarian empire, second only to the capital of Turnovo. It minted coins and in 1235 it became the seat of the Bishopric of Cherven. The fortress was burned by the invading ottomans in 1388, with most people fleeing to what is today Ruse. There is also a [3D reconstruction ](https://youtu.be/PE1AFcaW3iY) of the town during the 14th century [Cherven’s wiki](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cherven_(fortress))
Wiki: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Broadway_Tower%2C_Worcestershire Strictly a "[folly](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Folly)" but you may like it.
Description: The ruins of a castle on a steep cliff, against the backdrop of a cloudy sky and lush green forests. Up against the cliffside are a few stone houses, overlooking a river and a stony beach on the opposite shore.
Drone camera footage by The Kilted Photographer: [Original video here](https://twitter.com/TheKiltedPhoto/status/1733574976337260825) [Wikipedia article about the monument](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wallace_Monument)
Made famous by the Harry Potter films. It is the seat of the 12th Duke of Northumberland, built following the 1066 Norman conquest. * [Wiki](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alnwick_Castle)
Visited this in primary school (90s). * [Wiki](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beeston_Castle) * [English Heriatge](https://www.english-heritage.org.uk/visit/places/beeston-castle-and-woodland-park/) 
[Wikipedia article about the fortress](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Soncino%27s_Castle)
[Homepage](https://bran-castle.com/) | [Geo-Location](https://www.openstreetmap.org/?mlat=45.515&mlon=25.367222&zoom=15#map=15/45.5150/25.3672) The castle is open for visits (entry fee 70 Lei which is about 15€) Commonly known outside Transylvania as Dracula's Castle, it is marketed as the home of the title character in Bram Stoker's Dracula. There is *no evidence* that Stoker knew anything about this castle, which has only tangential associations with Vlad the Impaler, voivode of Wallachia, who shares his name with Dracula. Stoker's description of Dracula's crumbling fictional castle also bears no resemblance to Bran Castle. The castle is now a museum dedicated to displaying art and furniture collected by Queen Marie. Tourists can see the interior on their own or by a guided tour. At the bottom of the hill is a small open-air museum exhibiting traditional Romanian peasant structures (cottages, barns, water-driven machinery, etc.) from the Bran region.
The construction of the castle began in the 10th century at the place of the Ancient Roman castell Bononia. The building of Baba Vida is tied to a legend, according to which a Danubian Bulgarian king who ruled at Vidin had three daughters: Vida, Kula and Gamza. Prior to his death, he divided his realm among the three. Vida, the eldest, was given Vidin and the lands north to the Carpathians, Kula was awarded Zaječar and the Timok Valley, and Gamza was to rule the lands west up to the Morava. Although Gamza and Kula married to drunkard and warlike nobles, Vida remained unmarried and built the castle in her city. The name of the castle means "Granny Vida". Due to wars and castles being torn down as to prevent rebellions or just for the materials during ottoman times Baba Vida remains the only fully intact castle in Bulgaria. [Baba Vida’s wiki](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Baba_Vida) [And Vidin’s](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vidin)
[Photo by Aki Mykkänen](https://flickr.com/photos/mygii/42678551311/) [Wikipedia article about the castle](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Olavinlinna)
It served as the primary stronghold in the capital of the Second Bulgarian empire. It’s situated on the Yantra river, on a hill of the same name, across it is the other main hill in the medieval city - Trapezitsa. It was conquered on 17 July 1393 by the ottomans after a three month siege, during which the tsar was at Nikopol, leaving the Bulgarian patriarch to defend the city. On 22 September 1908, at the foot of Tsarevets, in the Holy Forty martyrs church, tsar Ferdinand declares Bulgaria’s independence from the Ottoman Empire. [Here’s a great guide for Tsarevets](https://www.andrey-andreev.com/en/tsarevets/)
[Schwerin Castle](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Schwerin_Castle) also known as Schwerin Palace is a schloss located in the city of Schwerin, the capital of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern state, Germany. It is situated on an island in the city's main lake, Lake Schwerin. Major parts of the current castle were built between 1845 and 1857. Like Alcázar of Segovia, Schwerin Castle was one of the many real palaces who inspired Disney's Cinderella Castle.   
[Source](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Category:Schloss_Braunfels?uselang=de#/media/File:Schloss_Braunfels_im_Morgennebel.jpg)
[Castel del Monte](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Castel_del_Monte,_Apulia) is a 13th-century citadel and castle situated on a hill in Andria in the Apulia region of southeast Italy. It was built during the 1240s by King Frederick II, who had inherited the lands from his mother Constance of Sicily.   
https://www.falaise-suissenormande.com/en/sites-et-musees/chateau-guillaume-le-conquerant/ https://www.openstreetmap.org/way/45487091 Street view: https://goo.gl/maps/n5Ze749WFP9ZHVNj6 This castle is open every day during varying times based on season for a ticket fee. On the death of Richard II, Duke of Normandy, in August 1026 his son (also called Richard) succeeded to the duchy. The inheritance however was disputed by Richard III's younger brother, Robert. Not content with his inheritance of the town of Exmes and its surrounding area, Robert rebelled and took up arms against his brother, and he captured the castle of Falaise. Richard then besieged the castle and forced Robert to submit to him. However, when Richard died from unknown causes in 1027, Robert became Duke of Normandy. Robert fathered an illegitimate son by a woman named Herleva, who was from the town of Falaise and the daughter of a chamberlain. The child, William, was born in about 1028. The castle (12th–13th century), which overlooks the town from a high crag, was formerly the seat of the Dukes of Normandy. The construction was started on the site of an earlier castle in 1123 by Henry I of England, with the "large keep" (grand donjon). Later was added the "small keep" (petit donjon). The tower built in the first quarter of the 12th century contained a hall, chapel, and a room for the lord, but no small rooms for a complicated household arrangement; in this way, it was similar to towers at Corfe, Norwich, and Portchester, all in England. Prince Arthur as a prisoner of Hubert de Burgh in Falaise Castle, by William Frederick Yeames. Arthur I, Duke of Brittany, was King John of England's teenage nephew, and a rival claimant to the throne of England. With the support of King Philip II of France, Arthur embarked on a campaign in Normandy against John in 1202, and Poitou revolted in support of Arthur. The Duke of Brittany besieged his grandmother, Eleanor of Aquitaine, in the Château de Mirebeau. John marched on Mirebeau, taking Arthur by surprise and capturing him on 1 August. From there Arthur was conveyed to Falaise where he was imprisoned in the castle's keep. According to contemporaneous chronicler Ralph of Coggeshall, John ordered two of his servants to mutilate the duke. Hugh de Burgh was in charge of guarding Arthur and refused to let him be mutilated, but to demoralise Arthur's supporters was to announce his death. The circumstances of Arthur's death are unclear, though he probably died in 1203. In about 1207, after having conquered Normandy, Philip II Augustus ordered the building of a new cylindrical keep. It was later named the Talbot Tower (Tour Talbot) after the English commander responsible for its repair during the Hundred Years' War. It is a tall round tower, a similar design to the towers built at Gisors and the medieval Louvre. Possession of the castle changed hands several times during the Hundred Years' War. The castle was deserted during the 17th century. Since 1840, Château de Falaise has been recognised as a monument historique by the French Ministry of Culture. A programme of restoration was carried out between 1870 and 1874.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Greenan_Castle Greenan Castle is a 16th-century ruined tower house, southwest of Ayr in South Ayrshire, Scotland. Situated at the top of a sea cliff, it was originally a promontory fort converted into a motte-and-bailey in the 12th century. In the 15th century a tower house was built by the Lords of the Isles. Photo and write-up by https://mastodon.scot/@McNige here: https://mastodon.scot/@McNige/110926238926867959
https://www.foundinitaly.com/blogs/travel/isola-di-loreto-a-real-life-fairytale-island This island is private property. There is a spectacular little island in the Iseo Lake, in the province of Brescia. The structures on it are built in a neo-Gothic style— meaning the main property is pretty much a fairy tale castle. The island has its own small harbour, two magnificent towers and a park of conifers that introduce the sweet scent of pine into the air. In the XIX century, the island became a property of Duchess Felicita Bevilacqua La Masa, the nit was purchased by Vincenzo Richeri, a Royal Navy Captain. In 1910, Richeri built a neo-Gothic castle on the island, and around it he created a garden full of conifers, a marina, and two light towers. The latter illuminate a cove with a path leading straight up to the villa. This abode features a rectangular layout, with two floors. Thanks to its turret, battlements, and light stone walls, the villa appears quite spectacular and evocative. It actually stands on a rock overlooking the lake.
https://www.alcazardesegovia.com/ https://www.openstreetmap.org/relation/6708094 Street view: https://goo.gl/maps/NvH3Jcj7cFCA5rv47 Visitation info is on their website, but it’s only in Spanish. The Alcázar of Segovia, like many fortifications in Spain, started off as a Roman castrum, but apart from the foundations, little of the original structure remains. The alcázar was built by the Berber Almoravid dynasty. Almoravid art and architecture is scarcely talked about in scholarship in part because so little of the physical work has survived in Spain. Furthermore, the Almoravid dynasty was short-lived and therefore much of the art and architecture of that period was subsequently destroyed or converted by their successors. The first reference to this castle was in 1120, around 32 years after the city of Segovia was conquered by the Christians (during the Reconquista when King Alfonso VI reconquered lands to the south of the Duero river, down to Toledo and beyond). In 1258, during the reign of King Alfonso X of Castile (r. 1252–1284), an intense thunderstorm caused a fire that destroyed several rooms, leading to centuries-long reconstruction during the reigns of various kings. It is not known what the shape and form of the Alcázar was before the reign of King Alfonso VIII (1155–1214), however early documentation mentioned a wooden stockade fence. It can be concluded that prior to Alfonso VIII's reign, the Muslim era structure was no more than a wooden fort built over the old Roman foundations. Alfonso VIII and his wife, Eleanor of England (sister of Richard the Lionheart), made this alcázar their principal residence and much work was carried out to erect the beginnings of the stone fortification we see today. The Alcázar of Segovia was one of the favorite royal residences starting in the 13th century that in turn, led to secular patronage to the city of Segovia. It was during this period that most of the current building was constructed by the House of Trastámara. In 1258, parts of the Alcázar had to be rebuilt by King Alfonso X after a cave-in and the Hall of Kings was built to house Parliament soon after. However, the single largest contributor to the continuing construction of the Alcázar was King John II of Castile who built the "New Tower" (John II tower as it is known today). In 1474, the Alcázar played a major role in the rise of Queen Isabella I. On 12 December news of King Henry IV's death in Madrid reached Segovia and Isabella immediately took refuge within the walls of the Alcázar where she received the support of Andres Cabrera and Segovia's council. She was enthroned the next day as Queen of Castile and León. The next major renovation at the Alcázar was conducted by King Philip II after his marriage to Anna of Austria. He added the sharp slate spires to reflect the castles of central Europe. In 1587, architect Francisco de Morar completed the main garden and the School of Honor areas of the castle.
https://georgia.travel/cities-towns/akhaltsikhe https://www.openstreetmap.org/relation/9448437 Street view: https://goo.gl/maps/VTE56SYxSVQK7Y4C9 Akhaltsikhe (Rabati) Castle is a medieval fortress built in the 9th century under the name "Lomsia Castle" in the city of Akhaltsikhe in southern Georgia, recently globally reconstructed. One of the main attractions of the Samtskhe-Javakheti region along with Vardzia. The original name of the fortress in the 9th century was Lomsia, which can be translated from Georgian as "Lion". At the end of the 12th century, Lomsia acquired the new name Akhal-tsikhe, which literally translates as “New fortress”,the name "Rabati" which is sometimes used for this castle, mostly is used after restoration and it is a of Jewish/Arabic origin and means any fortified place. Rabati was usually called the trading quarter at the fortress, earlier mainly Jewish merchants and craftsmen lived in the Rabat quarter, however mainly after reconstruction the name stuck to the all fortress itself. On the official web site of municipality of Akhaltsikhe town and on the official Facebook page of the fortress the name is "Akhaltsikhe (Rabati) Castle" was used or just "Akhaltsikhe Castle." In most of all historical documents castle is mentioned as Akhaltsikhe castle.
