Europe has thousands of castles.Here are the ones most fit for Rapunzel, Prince Charming, and King Arthur.
Vajdahunyad Castle: Hungary
Built in 1896 for the Millennial celebrations, this large complex houses 21 exact replicas of the most magnificent and historic buildings of Hungary.
Schloss Drachenburg ("Dragon Castle"): Germany
Schloss Drachenburg is a private Villa in Palace style constructed in the late 19th century. In only two years 1882 till 1884, it was completed on the Drachenfels hill in Königswinter, a German town at the Rhine River near the city of Bonn.
Swallow’s Nest: Ukraine
The Swallow's Nest is a castle built by a German nobleman and used as a sanatorium for high-ranking military officers in Soviet times. Perched precariously on a mountain promontory, it is now a moderately priced Italian restaurant. But the food takes second place to the mysterious atmosphere and exotic setting that would make James Bond feel right at home.
Neuschwanstein Castle: Germany
Neuschwanstein is known all over the world as a symbol of idealized romantic architecture and for the tragic story of its owner. After losing sovereignty in his own kingdom, Ludwig II withdrew into his own world of myths, legend and fairytales.
Lichtenstein Castle: Germany
Lichtenstein Castle is situated on a cliff located near Honau on the Swabian Alb, Baden-Württemberg, Germany. Historically, there has been a castle on the site since around 1200!
Pele's Castle: Romania
The magnificent Peles Castles, with its fairytale turrets and pointed towers rising above acres of green meadows sprinkled with haystacks, was built as a summer residence by Romania's longest serving monarch, King Carol I, who died and was buried here in 1914, just months after the castle’s completion.
Peles Castle was the first castle in Europe to have central heating and electricity. During Ceausescu's era, its 160 rooms, each furnished to reflect a different European country, were used as a private retreat for leading communists and statesmen from around the globe as US president Richard Nixon and Gerald Ford, Libyan leader Moamar Gaddafi and PLO leader Yasser Arafat
Malbork Castle: Poland
Deciding to make Malbork (then called Marienburg) their capital in 1309, theTeutonic Knights kicked off a rush of property development, expanding an original convent that stood on this site into an enormous fortification with towers, deep moats, strong walls, an armoury and a palace for the Grand Masters.
All that didn’t prevent capture, first by Poles and then by Prussians, and the castle was virtually razed during WWII. Now restored, it houses an extensive museum – but it’s the monumental building that wows.
Malbork claims to be the largest castle in all of Europe
All that didn’t prevent capture, first by Poles and then by Prussians, and the castle was virtually razed during WWII. Now restored, it houses an extensive museum – but it’s the monumental building that wows.
Malbork claims to be the largest castle in all of Europe
Prague Castle is a castle in Prague where the Kings of Bohemia, Holy Roman Emperors and presidents of Czechoslovakia and the Czech Republic have had their offices. The Bohemian Crown Jewels are kept within a hidden room inside it. Roughly the size of seven football fields, Prague Castle is the largest ancient castle in the world!
Alcázar De Segovia: Spain
Rising out on a rocky crag above the confluence of the rivers Eresma and Clamores in Segovia, the Alcázar is one of Spain’s most famous castles. The Alcázar was originally built as an Arab fort but has served as a royal palace, a state prison, a Royal Artillery College and a military academy since then. During the Middle Ages it was one of the favorite residences of the monarchs of the Kingdom of Castile and a key fortress in the defense of the kingdom. It was during this period a majority of the current building was constructed.
It may not be a castle per se, but the abbey and historic fortifications at Mont St. Michel are definitely of the fairytale variety.
The bay around Mont St-Michel is famed for having Europe's highest tidal variations. The Mont is only completely surrounded by the sea every month or two, but the difference between high and low tide is remarkably deep. At low tide the Mont is surrounded by sandy beach, but at high tide just a few hours later, the whole bay can be submerged.
The bay around Mont St-Michel is famed for having Europe's highest tidal variations. The Mont is only completely surrounded by the sea every month or two, but the difference between high and low tide is remarkably deep. At low tide the Mont is surrounded by sandy beach, but at high tide just a few hours later, the whole bay can be submerged.
Considered one of the most charming castles in Bohemia, the original Hluboká Castle was built in the 1200's, and rebuilt over the years. In the 19th century, Johann Adolf II von Schwarzenberg, has it rebuilt in the style of England's Windsor Castle. It was owned by his family until 1931, when his heir fled the Nazi occupiers. Occupied by the Gestapo during World War II, today it's a Czech Historical Site and open to visitors. Its towers, balconies, and baroque detailing definitely add to the Cinderella-vibe!
Terrific story - incredible imagery!
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