Castles

1311 readers
1 users here now

A place to share cool castles!

Post images or any other content relating to castles, châteaux, palaces, towers, keeps, fortresses, and follies. The following content is encouraged but not required:

More than just images are welcome. 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.

founded 1 year ago
MODERATORS
1
4
submitted 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) by [email protected] to c/[email protected]
 
 

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!

2
 
 

Another local castle.

Built in 1635-38 as a renaissance castle in Kristian IV-style by Malte Juul, expanded and modernized in the 1780's by "Bygge-Hans" (Hans the builder, Hans Ramel). Bygge-Hans also had Höge Väg (High Road) built, a 1.3km long even road through the undulating landscape. Höge Väg took 50 years to build and every day the laborers on the estate had to carry one stone for the road. This led to them having said Vore inte herreman galen, så hade ej fattigman bröd, If the master weren't mad, the poor man wouldn't have bread (my translation).

The park is open for visits April to October but the castle itself is private property, currently owned by the Palmsteirna family.

Wiki: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maltesholm_Castle

Website: https://www.maltesholm.se (only in Swedish?)

3
 
 

A manor house in Scania (southern Sweden), mostly famous for being the Castle featured in the Christmas calendar production "Mysteriet på Greveholm" (The mystery at Greveholm).

Wiki: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hjular%C3%B6d_Castle

4
5
25
submitted 2 weeks ago* (last edited 2 weeks ago) by [email protected] to c/[email protected]
 
 

Full size picture here

Build in the 11 century, it was heavily modified in the 14th and 15th century, but has remained largely unchanged since then.

6
 
 

The original castle was build in the 12th century, but was destroyed in the late 15th century. It was rebuild as a residence, first for a capitular, later for the local aristocratic family, Bontemps.

7
 
 

Picture by Riccardo Locatelli

The castle of Fenis was mostly built from the 12-14th century. Because it lost its strategic importance early on, it remained largely unchanged since the 14th century, though some renovations were done in the 19th century to undo damages to the structure.

8
 
 

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

9
 
 

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.

The castle is part of the UNESCO world heritage site of the Loire valley.

10
 
 

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.

11
 
 

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.

12
 
 

An aerial view of the castle

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.

13
49
submitted 2 months ago* (last edited 2 months ago) by [email protected] to c/[email protected]
 
 

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.

14
69
submitted 2 months ago* (last edited 2 months ago) by [email protected] to c/[email protected]
 
 

Photo by Doume Piazzolli on Flickr.

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.

15
37
submitted 2 months ago* (last edited 2 months ago) by [email protected] to c/[email protected]
 
 

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.

16
 
 

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.

17
 
 

The photo is by Serge Imbert on Flickr

The church was built in the 14th century.
French Wikipedia article with a few more details about the church

18
 
 

Taken from @Archaeo-Histories:

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.

19
20
79
submitted 7 months ago* (last edited 7 months ago) by [email protected] to c/[email protected]
 
 

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 of the town during the 14th century

Cherven’s wiki

21
 
 
22
 
 

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.

23
 
 

Drone camera footage by The Kilted Photographer: Original video here

Wikipedia article about the monument

24
 
 

Made famous by the Harry Potter films. It is the seat of the 12th Duke of Northumberland, built following the 1066 Norman conquest.

25
41
submitted 9 months ago* (last edited 9 months ago) by [email protected] to c/[email protected]
 
 

Visited this in primary school (90s).

view more: next ›