Historic Castles Around the World
Are you guys fascinated about historical sites? Have you been looking for fairy-tale dreams? Or wanted to discover the royalty of kings and Queens? The world has unlimited jaw-dropping castles with different interior architecture and style from the ancient time. The castles are so gorgeous in their own way that itself tells a whole history to everyone. Some of them have just read the fairy tale stories in books and imagine the nobility of kings and queens but you guys can plan to visit the immersed beauty of historical period and an eye witness of the architectural masterpiece of castles. The most striking sections of all these amazing castles are fine sculptures, magnificent cloister that reflects the panoramic view. So, just hold yourself to get a brief idea about mind-blowing castles and then start planning your incredible journey.
1. Mont Saint Michel, France
Mont Saint Michel (Image Credit – europosters.eu)
Mont Saint Michel is built high on a peak which is an island in Normandy. It is basically 1 km off from the west coast and one of the greatest achievements in architecture. The island just draws the attention of every individual which is unforgettable for anyone. The location and imagination of castles are really awe-inspiring and the story of the mount is really incredible. During the French Revolution, only seven monks were living there and after that, it became a prison under Napoleon I. After that inthe year 1874, it considered as a historic monument and restored for public visit. At night, the outer view of this castle looks so magical that no one can stop taking ultimate pictures. With its beautiful architecture, lush greenery will gonna relax your mind and makes the ultimate day out for whole family.
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2. Windsor Castle, England
Windsor Castle (Image Credit – reddit.com)
Windsor castle is the oldest and largest castle in the world. This castle is founded by William the Conqueror in the 11th century. English royal residence occupies 13 acres space which is near to the south bank of River Thames. It is the home of the British kings and queens for over 1000 years. The Queen (Elizabeth II) likes to spend most of her weekends in this beautiful castle and also used regularly for ceremonial occasions. Don’t miss the chance to visit an amazing castle and may be you get chance to meet the Queen of England. Here more than 500 people live and work in Windsor. The queen Victoria statue looks magnificent where you can capture pictures with thousands of tourists in the foreground. In spite of this, its regal galleries, illustrious art of treasures will blow your mind. So, it is must place to visit to experience like a royalty at least for a day.
3. Neuschwanstein Castle, Germany
Neuschwanstein Castle (Image Credit – youtube.com)
Neuschwanstein Castle looks like a fairy-tale castle which was intended to built for an introverted and reclusive king. It was built in the 19th century and located in the Alps in Bavaria with a magnificent landscape. After the death of King Ludwig II in 1886, the castle was opened for the public visit to view his private refuge. This is one of the most popular castle in the world that every year more than 1.3 million people visit annually to see the rugged cliff with a scenic mountain landscape. This castle has a very beautiful garden and many rooms with beautifully designed interior and halls for Operas too. With its picturesque spirals, shining white walls, you wouldn’t stop yourself to embrace the beauty and it’s easy to believe that Cinderella lives within its splendid walls. There are many German castles too which is famous and magnificently architectural creations to visit.
4. Prague Castle, Czech Republic
Prague Castle (Image Credit – theculturetrip.com)
Prague castle is a complex and largest ancient castle in the Europe from the 9th century and constructed by Prince Borivoj. This castle is the largest coherent complex structure in the world which added in the Guinness Book of the World records. It consists of large scale architectural styles, which is the Romanesque-style buildings. Anyone can wander museums, gardens, palaces and can admire the beauty of place which has been the residence of kings, emperors for thousands of years. Now, it is the official home of the President of the Czech Republic. This castle covers an area of 7 hectares and made several Gothic structures which looks so incredible and panoramic view of Prague castle which is one of the most spectacular in the world. The visitors to the castle hill would love to watch the changing of the guard – which is a special flag ceremony which happens every day in the afternoon. Don’t forget your camera to capture the beauty of Prague castle garden.
5. Bran Castle, Romania
Bran castle , Transylvania, Romania, Europe (Also known as the Dracula’s Castle)
Bran Castle is a national monument which is situated in Romania and also known as Dracula Castle. The discovery and story behind the magnificent Bran Castle was magnificent and mysterious. This castle perches dramatically on a hill in Transylvania which looks like a crown of trees in Romania’s mountains. The legends of Transylvania creates the fictional story of Dracula which made both Bram Stoker’s Dracula and Bran Castle famous but Bram Stoker has never been to this castle not even Romania either. The Vlad Dracula was Romanian ruler which was well known for being very brutal and liked to torture people in different ways. There are many historical manuscripts about him. The history of Romania together a mixture of myth and some infamous characters throughout Romanian history. The castle is dedicated to displaying art and culture collected by Queen Marie. Tourists can actually visit the hilltop home of the world’s most famous vampire castle.
6. Edinburgh Castle, Scotland
Edinburgh Castle (Image Credit – flickr.com)
Edinburgh Castle has played a pivotal role in Scottish history and one of the most famous icon there. This castle has been part of the Old and New Towns of Edinburgh’s World Heritage site. The King Malcolm Canmore and Queen Margaret made their first home in 11th Century which is famous for complex building history. The height of the castle is 443 feet which is above sea level and can witness the city of Edinburgh from a volcanic crag which is also called Castle rock. Just outside the castle, there is a large open area where internationally military music festival called the Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo and other summer concerts happened there. Six days a week at exactly 1:00 PM an event takes place which is the firing of a loud cannon on castle grounds with greater frequency. I must say there is no trip of Scotland is complete without visiting this adorable Edinburgh Castle. This is also famous to shoot International films.
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7. Kilkenny Castle, Ireland
Kilkenny Castle (Image Credit – weddingpages.ie)
Kilkenny Castle is a castle in Kilkenny which is in Ireland and built in 1195. It is perched on high ground overlooking the River Nore, which is a dramatic entrance to Kilkenny city. In the basement of the castle, there are regular exhibitions of Irish and International contemporary art. The main principal is to provide the defense to Kilkenny which was built as a square shaped castle with large circular corner towers. The interior of the castle weaves a number of different architectural styles. The most impressive part of the castle is Picture gallery on the first floor which is undoubtedly that time to embrace the beauty of pictures. The ornamental lake, beautiful garden with extensive woodland paths creates the beautiful frame to capture the ultimate beauty of the garden. Basically, castle park is a pleasant place to sit for sometime and for children there are a good playground where they can feel energetic and can day off break from their monotonous schedule. Most of the castle part has been restored in recent years to imagine for globetrotters how the castle have looked in ancient time.
8. Hohensalzburg Castle, Austria
Hohensalzburg Castle, Austria (Image Credit 5-five-5.blogspot.com)
Hohensalzburg is an real eye-catcher perched on the top of Festungsberg, which is a small hill in Austria city of Salzburg. This fortress was built in the 11th century. You guys plan to visit with your adolescents because this castle offers school classes to experience the history. Instead of learning dates, children can find interesting audio guides to learn architectural history in detail. Inside this castle you gonna discover a variety of things to see- including a beautiful museum that can be visited anytime throughout the year. Most of the visitors found it is very interesting to visit and reach out of the Alps of Austria which is just beyond from everything. The main purpose to build this castle was to protect the city but it had a role in increasing the papal power. So, don’t miss a chance to explore every corner of the art and eye witness the magnificent view of the mansion. There are two ways to reach this adorable castle- either walk through hill by foot which needs a lot of efforts or physical strength and other way is to take a ride of funicular railway and enjoy the breathtaking view over the city of Salzburg.
9. Miramare Castle, Italy
Miramare Castle, Italy (Image Credit – castlesworld.com)
Miramare Castle is the hidden gem of Mediterranean which set on the Gulf of Trieste, north-eastern Italy and it’s about 10 km from the city itself. This castle build in the 19th century and overlooks the sea and is surrounded by a beautiful park which has full of rare and precious botanic species. Tourists fell in love with this fortress because of the view of the small bay and everyone dreams to build a home near there. It was build for Maximilian and his wife Charlotte of Belgium where they were able to live and enjoy but their happiness was cut short when they left for Mexico. The story and history of the fortress was really amazing. The beauty of the castle and park together made every globetrotter with fell in love and imagine the romantic love story of a young imperial couple which still fascinates everyone’s mind and made it has one of the most visited castle in Europe. The interior of the castle is a splendid example of an aristocratic residence and retails all its original interior furnishings. The charming panoramic view with its rich history, architecture, nature and surrounded by 54 acres of lush greenery is just outstanding. Don’t forget to take your camera.
10. Fasilides Castle, Ethiopia
Fasilides Castle, Ethiopia (Image Credit – famouswonders.com)
Fasilides castle is the stunning and old one in Ethiopia which was built in the 17th century. It is also known as Fasil Ghebbi which is the representation of Ethiopia great history. Ethiopian emperor Fasilides Alam Sagad was one of the remarkable rulers in Abyssinia (ancient name of Ethiopia). The different style of architecture can be seen inside the castle. Mixture of Portuguese, Nubian and Arabian design can be seen which reflects the diverse culture of an ancient kingdom of Ethiopia. The whole structure was made from stone and intention was to protect the throne from the danger of invasions be the Galla peoples of the South. There are many other castles and old churches around the place where every tourist can be amazed to see the enormous structure of fortress and remain standing till the 21st century. The locals sell souvenir items related to ancient time which reminds their history. So, don’t forget to purchase and gift to your close one.
11. Hearst Castle, United States
Hearst Castle, United States (Image Credit – gettyimages.com)
Hearst Castle is a National Historic Castle located on the Central Pacific coastline of California. William Randolph Hearst build this fabulous estate in 1919. The workers took 28 years to complete this lavish Hearst’s estate which includes 165 rooms on 165 acres. It is perched high on hill, lush green gardens, sparkling pools and fountains which underlines everyone’s attention. Apart from that, individuals can visit the world’s largest private zoo, where zebras has been grazing on hillsides of neighboring Hearst Ranch. This castle has a considerable collection of art and antiques which is open for public. Inside the castle, the ceiling reminds the Spanish art and concrete arches were elaborately decorated where every globetrotter would like to spend their precious time in this magnificent medieval castle because it is unique in its architecture. Surrounded by stunning scenery with breathtaking sight will make your day which will realize you to worth to spend a day in this royal mansion.
12. Himeji Castle, Japan
Himeji Castle, Japan (Image Credit – archdaily.com)
Himeji Castle is the iconic and largest castle in Japan. It is also known as White Heron Castle due to its brilliant white exterior and appearance of a bird taking flight. Himeji is located at southern western part of Hyogo and completed in the year 1609. It is widely considered as a spectacular fortress because of its imposing size and beauty of its well preserved from ancient time. In 1993, this castle was the first in Japan and to be registered as a UNESCO cultural world heritage and national treasure both. This complex mansion maintains its beauty where tourists can also tour the 80 buildings on the over 400 years old castle. It is very popular in blooming season which usually falls in every April and cherry blossom spot is highly popular. During this Golden week, the number of tourists were high. The interior of the castle is elegant and its wooden walls are completely covered with white plaster. The unique artifacts offers an unprecedented view of Japan history.
To recapitulate, according to a history and travel lover, there is no other building in the world than to visit a glorious castle. This is the best way to know about ancient period as well as children will also get to know so many interesting facts about history and culture which they have been just read in books only. Well, I tried to cover famous castles but I would love to hear your views and travelling experience which reminds your amazing journey. All the beautiful pictures of the castles will inspire you to visit and plan your next trip in this winter season to any of your favorite place with your friends and family. Not to worry about high fares, just try Farenexus– it’s a travel meta search engine in Canada where you can compare and book the cheap tickets. With this, you can save your precious money and can enjoy the best trip ever.
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