I have always been charmed by the fascinating beauty of castles,
especially those still existing only in ruins, with magnificent stones
and countless secrets inside. You can almost smell the mystery and see
the ghosts of the castle residents in their ancient dresses, knights on
horses, and rich traders. You can see noble dukes in the old castles of
England, Ireland, and Scotland and feel their souls in the ancient
walls. I didn’t have a chance to visit all of the world’s most beautiful
castles yet but when working on the photos for this post I felt almost
like I was there and seeing them with my own eyes. Thanks to all
photographers who took these beautiful photos — all of the photos are
linked to photographers’ profiles on Flickr. Enjoy the article and share
it with your friends!
Dunguaire Castle in Ireland
Dunguaire Castle was built in 1520 by the Hynes clan. Being almost
500 years old the castles still looks fabulous and you can see the
terrific defensive walls almost like they were in the 16th century. In
summer the castle is open to tourists, and it is the most photographed
castle in Ireland.
Alhambra Palace in Granada, Spain
The Alhambra is a palace and fortress built in the mid 14th century.
It is an amazing example of beautiful Islamic architecture and one of
the most beautiful palaces I’ve ever seen. Do take a minute and look at
the photos of Alhambra’s interior and you’ll be overwhelmed by its rich
beauty.
Biltmore Estate in North Carolina
The beautiful Biltmore estate is not that old at all. It was built at
the end of the 19th century and is the largest privately owned home in
the USA at the moment. The estate was opened to the public in March of
1930 (the family it belonged to needed money), but still the members of
the Vanderbilt family lived there till 1956, when it was permanently
opened to the public as a house museum. It’s a truly beautiful place I
must say, and it’s definitely worth a visit.
Johnstown Castle in Ireland
Johnstown Castle turned out to be a big surprise for me. Built
somewhere in the early 1800s it’s situated in a large beautiful garden
and is used now as a conference center and offices for an agricultural
institute! There seem to be no tours of the castle but still this is a
great place to visit if you plan on staying nearby.
Boldt Castle in the Thousand Islands, New York
There is a beautiful love story behind the Boldt Castle on Heart
Island. George Boldt was spending a lot of summers with this wife Louise
in a cottage on Heart Island when in 1900 he decided to build a huge
mansion for them. The building began, but was stopped in 1904 after the
death of Boldt’s wife. Silence covered the island for over 70 years. In
1977 the Thousand Islands Bridge Authority acquired Heart Island for
one dollar (!) with the agreement that all the revenue from tourism
would be spent on the castle restoration.
Prague Castle in the Hradcany
Prague Castle is one of the biggest castles in the world and its
history dates back to the 9th century (!) when the first walled building
of the castle, the Church of Our Lady, was built. It’s been a place of
residence of the Kings of Bohemia, Holy Roman Emperors, and presidents
of Czechoslovakia and the Czech Republic. It’s a great place to visit,
and if you come to be in the Czech Republic reserve a day for this
beautiful piece of architecture.
Windsor Castle in England
The gorgeous Windsor Castle fills an area of 484,000 square feet and
is the largest inhabited castle in the world. Together with Buckingham
Palace in London and Holyrood Palace in Edinburgh, it is one of the
principal official residences of the British monarch. Queen Elizabeth II
spends many weekends of the year at the castle, using it for both state
and private entertaining. I wish I had a castle for my private
entertaining!
Edinburgh Castle in Scotland
Edinburgh Castle is the first in my list of castles to visit. This
castle fortress stands on the volcanic Castle Rock and human habitation
of the site is dated back as far as the 9th century BC. It has been a
royal residence since the reign of David I in the 12th century, up to
Union of the Crowns in 1603. From the later 17th century, the castle
became a military base with a large garrison. Its importance as a
historic monument was recognized in the 19th century, and various
restoration programs have been carried out since.
Blarney Castle in Ireland
Blarney Castle is a medieval stronghold in Blarney built by the
McCarthy clan sometime around 1446. Now it’s partially ruined but some
rooms are accessible for tourists. At the top of the castle lies the
legendary Stone of Eloquence and tourists may hang upside-down over a
sheer drop to kiss the stone, which is said to give the gift of
eloquence.
Chateau Gaillard in France
Château-Gaillard is a medieval castle located not far from Paris. The
construction of the fortress began in 1196 by Richard the Lionheart and
this huge massive building was completed in an unusually short time — 2
years. The castle consists of three enclosures separated by dry moats,
with a keep in the inner enclosure. Significantly ruined, the
Château-Gaillard is still very impressive and is open to the public all
year round.
Frankenstein Castle in Germany
What a “romantic” name this castle has. The castle was built around
1250 by Lord Konrad who gave it the name Frankenstein (he then used this
name for himself as well). In the 17th century it was used as a refuge
and a hospital. Then it fell into ruins in the 18th century. The two
towers we can see today are a historically inaccurate restoration of the
mid-19th century. In 1970, a restaurant was built within the castle. In
1976, American soldiers founded an annual Halloween festival at the
castle which became one of the biggest Halloween festivals in Europe.
source : http://www.dirjournal.com/info/some-of-the-worlds-most-beautiful-castles/
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