Caerlaverock Castle, South-west Scotland.
Caerlaverock Castle in Scotland is surrounded by a moat
The Alcázar of Segovia in Spain overlooking the city.
Bodiam Castle in England surrounded by a water-filledmoat.
The Norman "White Tower", the keep of the Tower of London, exemplifies all uses of a castle including city defence, a residence, and a place of refuge in times of crisis.
Windsor Castle in England was founded as a fortification during the Norman Conquest and today is one of the principal official residences of Queen Elizabeth II.
The wooden palisades surmounting mottes were often later replaced with stone, as in this example at Château de Gisors in France.
The 14th-century keep of Château de Vincennes near Paris towers above the castle's curtain wall. The wall exhibits features common to castle architecture: a gatehouse, corner towers, and machicolations.
Portchester Castle was built within a Roman fort. Despite adaptation as a medieval castle, it is the best preserved Roman fort north of the Alps
Built in 1138, Castle Rising in England is an example of an elaborate donjon
The gatehouse to the inner ward of Beeston Castle, England, was built in the 1220s and has an entrance between two half-round towers.
Krak des Chevaliers is a concentric castle built with both rectangular and rounded towers. It is one of the best-preserved Crusader castles
The design of Edward I's Harlech Castle(built in the 1280s) in Wales was influenced by his experience of the Crusades.
The angled bastion, as used in Copertino Castle in Italy, was developed around 1500. First used in Italy, it allowed the evolution of artillery forts that eventually took over the military role of castles.
Fortaleza Ozama in the Dominican Republic was the first castle built in the Americas.
Neuschwanstein is a 19th-century neo-romantic castle built by Ludwig II of Bavaria.
The Castle of the Teutonic Order in Malbork, Poland, is a classic example of medieval fortresses and built in the typical style of northern German Brick Gothic. On its completion in 1406 it was the largest brick castle in the world
There has been a castle on this site since 1172 when the Norman Knight, Richard de Clare, called Strongbow, built a wooden tower on this rocky height overlooking the River Nore. The first stone castle was built here twenty years later by Strongbow's son-in-law William Marshall, Earl of Pembroke. Three of this castle's original four towers survive today.
Ethie Castle- Escócia
The castle of Edward I at Caernarvon succeeded first a Roman fort
The Castle of Bouillon
his castle-fortress is the oldest and most interesting remains of feudalism in Belgium with the first fortifications from the 8th century. It was built on three rocky outcrops and is character-ized by a labyrinth of corridors and huge vaulted halls. The castle became first famous due to Godefroid, the leader of the first Crusade (1096). Educational falconry exhibition all year round.
|The Feudal Castle of La Roche|
Perched on the Deister rocky spur, this site has over time housed a Neolithic residence, a Roman, the house of the Kings of the Franks. Overhanging the city and the Ourthe, nestled in the middle of nature, it truly makes La Roche "The pearl of the Ardennes". Despite all the changes endured by the castle the actual ruins with their towers, arrow slits and oubliettes, have retained the feel of feudal times.
Originally built in 1354, the castle was the residence of several families. The Castle was demolished after the French Revolution and was completely rebuilt in 1969. The halls of the castle house an impressive collection of armor and tapestries, making it one of the most important medieval castles in Belgium.
Built beginning in 1658, the Castle de Modave is an extraordinary residence, whose design incorporates mediaeval-style towers, as well as features that were completely new at the time. Inside the castle, where about twenty richly decorated and furnished rooms are open to the public, one may admire remarkable ceilings, beautiful sculptures, paintings, Brussels tapestries and furniture dating from the 18th century.
This fine example of Renaissance style dates back to the 16th century and houses splendid collections of furniture, silver, lace, china, tapestries, paintings and sculptures. The bridge crossing the moat takes you into the gardens with paths, arbors, fountains, waterfalls and nymphs.
Still marked with medieval austerity, this historical monument keeps alive the memory of the big families who lived here: the Lalaings, the Croÿs, the van der Burchs. Whilst the ground floor (dungeon, gothic chapel, ancient kitchen, arms room) evokes the Middle Ages, the first floor calls to mind the 17th century. The very varied collections make the fortress an interest-ing museum.
On the outskirts of Mons, The Castle of Havré consists of a large courtyard, four angle towers of which the dongeon is covered with an onion-shaped dome and a gothic chapel. The entire castle is surrounded by a moat. The estate is home to a rose garden that was developed in 2000. You will find about 15,000 rosebushes, divided over 210 different varieties, planted in original com-positions, a garden in which old and new roses rival for your attention.
The current castle in Louis XVI style is located in a magnificent park, char-acterized by its themed gardens and water features. With its flower garden, its Seven Stars Baroque gar-dens, a curiosity of the estate, and its dahlia garden, Enghien Park takes visitors back through 400 years of history.
The castle of Chimay, one of the twelve noble houses of Hainaut, was built in 1607 and hosts a beautiful theater built in 1863. Every year, the Prince and Princess of Chimay host an International Baroque Singing Competition and a Baroque Music Festival.
Built in 1752, it is the only castle in Belgium that has preserved the original decoration and furniture of that period. The romantic gardens with mysterious rocks and other formations reflect the 18th century. Behind the castle are grounds that stretch over 42 acres.
Highland castles such as Château de Montségur in France have become the popular idea of where castles should be found because they are photogenic, where in reality castles were built in a variety of places due to a range of considerations
The landscape around Leeds Castle in England has been managed since the 13th century. The castle overlooks artificial lakes and ponds and is within a medieval deer park
Bran (Dracula's) Castle, Romania. October 20th, 2009