In the Lazio region of central Italy, Genzano di Roma is a town and comune that is part of the Metropolitan City of Rome. It is one of the Castelli Romani, located in the Alban Hills 29 kilometers from Rome. There is ongoing debate over the etymology of the name name Genzano. In one account, the settlement sits atop a hill overlooking Lake Nemi that was previously dedicated to the goddess Cynthia, whose cult was linked to Diana Nemorensis. Other account attributes its genesis to the Gentiani lineage. Rich Roman residents who wanted to take advantage of the pure air, pure water, and milder summer temperatures of the area, settled there as early as the Roman Republican era. The vicinity is home to numerous historic Roman villa remnants. The walls of the Villa of the Antonini, the birthplace of Roman Emperor Antoninus Pius,138–161 AD, are the most remarkable. This is where the Herculean Sarcophagus of Genzano was discovered and is now housed at the British Museum. The location of a tower belonging to the Genoese Gandolfi family, lords of Castel Gandolfo, dates back to the twelfth century. It was given to the Cistercian monks of St. Anastasius of Aquae Salviae in Rome by Pope Lucius III in 1183. Around a massive castle they constructed in 1235, the town subsequently expanded. The Popes gave it to Giordano Orsini in 1378. Genzano was alternately held by the Colonna and the Cistercians until 1563, when the Massimi received the castle in exchange for 150,000 scudos, and Giuliano Cesarini later purchased it. As there are two towns in Italy named Genzano, it was decided in 1873 to rename the town as Genzano di Roma in order to prevent misunderstanding with the postal service. It was the epicenter of multiple peasant uprisings in the 19th and early 20th centuries. During World War II, Allied bombing severely damaged it, destroying ninety percent of its buildings. It was selected, along with the City of Rome, as one of the shooting locations for Fast and Furious 10 in 2022 #History#Architecture
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In Arundel, West Sussex, England, there is a medieval castle that has been renovated and restored. In the eleventh century, Roger de Montgomery founded it. Charles Howard, 11th Duke of Norfolk, repaired the castle in the 18th and 19th centuries after it was devastated during the English Civil War. The Earls of Arundel and the Dukes of Norfolk have called the castle their home since the eleventh century. The building is categorized as Grade I. It was once a motte-and-bailey castle. The King gave Roger de Montgomery the estate as part of a much bigger bundle of hundreds of manors, and he was proclaimed the first Earl of Arundel. Roger, the cousin of William the Conqueror, had remained in Normandy to maintain order while William was away in England. He received large territories in the Welsh Marches, throughout the nation, and a fifth of Sussex as compensation for his allegiance. Around 1067, he started construction on Arundel Castle. Robert of Bellême, the owner of the castle, rebelled, and between 1101 and 1102, the army of Henry I besieged the fortress. The castle gave itself over to the king at the end of the siege. The fortress was under siege in 1643, during the First English Civil War. After eighteen days, the 800 royalists within submitted. Later, in 1653, Parliament mandated that the castle be slighted. Nonetheless, it is thought that weather likely caused greater damage. Over the ensuing decades, the Howard family kept ownership of the castle, but it was not their preferred home. Instead, the several Dukes of Norfolk dedicated their time and resources on enhancing other ducal properties, such as Norfolk House in London. It was at this time that Francis Hiorne was commissioned by the Duke to build the folly that still exists on the hill above Swanbourne Lake. Queen Victoria spent three days at Arundel Castle in 1846 with her husband, Prince Albert. The castle was internally remodeled by Henry Howard, 13th Duke of Norfolk, just in time for her visit. The furniture design was created by the architectural firm Morant. During this period, a suite of six rooms was constructed on the second floor of the southeast range. Following the 1846 royal visit, the 15th Duke started rebuilding the castle once more, and he did so from 1875 until 1905. By early 2020, the large gardens had undergone substantial restoration thanks to the work of head gardener Martin Duncan and his team. Duncan, a landscape designer and horticulturist, has been employed at the Castle since 2009. He was awarded the Kew Guild Medal in 2018. A wild water garden encircling the ponds is the result of the most recent efforts of the gardeners and volunteers
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The Radziwiłł family residence is in Nesvizh Castle, also known as Nyasvizh Castle, in Nyasvizh, Belarus. At 183 meters above sea level, it is located. Constructed during the 16th and 17th centuries and occupied by the Radziwiłł family until 1939, the castle and the adjacent Corpus Christi Church played a significant role in shaping the architectural styles of Central Europe and Russia. The church, the castle, and the immediate vicinity were added to the UNESCO World Heritage List in 2005. After the Kiszka family vanished in 1533, the estate was given to Mikołaj Radziwiłł and his brother Jan Radziwiłł, bringing the Radziwiłł magnate family ownership to the estate. The Lithuanian Metrica was transferred there in 1551 because the Radziwiłłs were among the most prominent and affluent clans in the Grand Duchy of Lithuania and the Crown of the Kingdom of Poland. The estate became an ordynacja in 1586. Following the Union of Lublin, the castle rose to prominence as one of the most significant homes in the central region of Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth. Mikołaj Krzysztof Radziwiłł, the Voivode of Trakai–Vilnius, the Marshal of Lithuania, and the castellan of Šiauliai began building an impressive three-story castle in 1582. The former defenses were completely transformed into a renaissance-baroque residence, despite the fact that the works were founded on a prior medieval castle framework. By 1604, construction was finished, and a few galleries were added fifty years later. Four octagonal towers protected the vertices of the château. The castle-defenses were breached and destroyed by troops of Charles XII in 1706, during the Great Northern War. A few decades later, the Radziwiłłs asked some architects from Germany and Italy to expand and extensively rebuild the castle. The two-story gatehouse tower was topped with a helm, and the 16th-century castle gates were also rebuilt. Around this period, the three distinct structures that surrounded the central courtyard were combined into one building. The Radziwiłł family was driven from the castle when Russian forces took control of it in the midst of the 1792 Polish–Russian War. The palace was abandoned over time, both by the Russian army and then by its original owners. Nonetheless, the Radziwiłł family restored it, and Prince Antoni Wilhelm Radziwiłł and his French wife Marie de Castellane remodeled the castle-interiors between 1881 and 1886. They also created an English-style landscape park. The park is one of the largest of its kind in Europe, spanning more than one square kilometer. The complex of castles is regarded as the most exquisite in Belarus. It was added to the UNESCO World Heritage List in 2005. From 2004 to 2012, the castle complex underwent major restoration.
#History#Architecture#Castles
The Indian state of Rajasthan contains the city of Jaisalmer, home of the Jaisalmer Fort. Almost one-fourth of the inhabitants of the ancient city still live in the fort, making it one of the very few still living forts in the world, along with Carcassonne, France. The fort was home to the city of Jaisalmer for the majority of its 860-year existence. In order to cope with the expanding population of Jaisalmer, the earliest dwellings outside the fort walls are reported to have emerged in the seventeenth century. The second-oldest fort in Rajasthan, Jaisalmer Fort was constructed in 1156 AD by the Rawal (Ruler) Jaisal, from whom it gets its name. It was situated at the intersection of several vital trade routes, including the historic Silk Road. The huge walls of yellow sandstone that make up the fort are a tawny lion color during the day that fades to honey-gold as the sun sets, giving the fort a natural appearance amid the golden desert. Because of this, it is sometimes referred to as the Golden Fort, Sonar Quila, or Swarn Durg. Trikutgarh is another name for the fort, which is situated atop Trikuta Hill in the middle of the vast, sandy Thar Desert. Today, it is situated near the southern boundary of the city that bears its name. Because of its prominent hilltop location, the extensive defense-towers can be seen for kilometers in all directions. The fort is situated atop a hill that rises to a height of 250 feet above the surrounding farmland, measuring 1,500 feet long by 750 feet broad. In addition, the fort features four gates or reinforced entrances from the townside, one of which was formerly cannon-guarded. According to legend, the fort was constructed in 1156 CE by the Bhati Rajput Rawal Jaisal. According to the legend, it replaced an older structure at Lodhruva, which dissatisfied Jaisal. As a result, Jaisal erected the city of Jaisalmer, which served as the new capital.
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Located in the historic Roman town of Pompeii, southern Italy, the Temple of Apollo, also called the Sanctuary of Apollo, is a temple devoted to the Greek and Roman God Apollo that was constructed in 120 BCE. The sanctuary was a public venue devoted to Greco-Roman religion and culture that was inspired by Roman immigrants. It is the most significant religious structure in the town and is situated in the forum, overlooking the northern side of the town. It was one of the two oldest temples constructed in Pompeii; the other was the Hercules and Minerva Temple, which stood close to the venue. Adopted from Greece, the cult of Apollo was popular throughout Campania and has been documented at Pompeii since the sixth century BCE, based on discoveries near the temple. The sanctuary was rebuilt in the second century BC, and additional work was done to fix the harm caused by the 62 earthquake, which caused much of the temple to fall apart, as well as any repairs that had not been finished at the time of the eventual eruption. These renovations are what gave the sanctuary its current form. The temple was encircled on all four sides by a broad row of Nocera tuff columns, which were initially grooved and had Ionic capitals. These columns were progressively being supplanted with stucco columns and Corinthian capitals that were painted in shades of yellow, red, and dark blue. The temple was situated in the middle of a holy enclosure. The temple itself was a peripteros with 48 Ionic columns, rising on a lofty podium and approached via a commanding flight of stairs that combined elements of Italic and Greek architecture. The cella is positioned unusually far back in relation to the peristyle. A white marble altar with a travertine base and a Latin inscription listing the names of the quattuorviri who dedicated it is still visible in front of the steps. An Ionic column on the side of the steps held a sundial and an inscription on a plaque provided by two magistrates who are also known to have given a seat and another plaque at the Triangular Forum.
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Situated close to the remnants of Hadrians Wall in the city of Carlisle, Carlisle Castle is a stone keep medieval castle. The castle, which dates back over 930 years and was first constructed in 1092 under William II and reconstructed in stone under Henry I in 1122, has played host to numerous significant events in British history. A significant role was played by this castle in the English-Scottish wars. It has served as the epicenter of numerous invasions and conflicts. In 1745–1746, during the Jacobite Rising, Carlisle was the final English castle to be besieged. On August 7, 1996, the castle was placed on the Scheduled Ancient Monument list. The original construction of Carlisle Castle took place under William II, the son of William the Conqueror, who ruled England. Cumberland was still seen as a region of Scotland at the time. On the location of the ancient Roman fort of Luguvalium, which dendrochronology dates to 72 AD, William II ordered the erection of a Norman-style Motte and Bailey castle at Carlisle. Castle work started in 1092. Henry I of England gave the order to build a stone fortress with towers on the location in 1122. As a result, the city walls and keep were built. The current keep is from approximately 1122–1135. There are just 104 known examples of tower keep castles, the most of which are located near the Welsh border. In the process of expulsion of the Scotts from Cumberland, numerous attempts were made to reclaim the territory. As a result, during the following 700 years, Carlisle and its castle would pass through various hands numerous times. Carlisle Castle served as the crucial stronghold of the Western March, a buffer region designed to guard the western section of the Anglo-Scottish border, from the middle of the 13th century until the Union of the Crowns of England and Scotland in 1603. The castle was considerably neglected after 1746, though some small repairs, like the restoration of the drawbridge in 1783, were made. In the nineteenth century, several portions of the castle were then destroyed and used as raw materials to build what is essentially what visitors see today. In August 1996, Carlisle Castle was placed on the register by Historic England. Using photogrammetric tools to document discoveries, Historic England conducted the first formal research into the medieval graffiti and carvings spread across the castle site in 2016.
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Located in Piazza Bocca della Verità, the ancient Forum Boarium in Rome, Italy, is the Temple of Hercules Victor, also known as Hercules Olivarius. It is a Roman temple. It is a tholos, a circular temple with a colonnade encircling it and a Greek Peripteral style. Due to its layout, it was mistaken for a Vesta temple until Camille de Tournon, Prefect of Rome of Napoleon, made the precise identification. There is a folktale that says that neither dogs nor flies will be allowed into the Temple of Hercules, even though the Forum Boarium served as livestock market of Rome in antiquity. The temple is the oldest largely intact marble structure still standing in Rome and is the sole one composed of Greek marble. Built in the latter part of the 2nd century BC, either by Marcus Octavius Herrenus or L. Mummius Achaicus—the conqueror of the Achaeans and the annihilator of Corinth—the temple has a diameter of 14.8 meters and is made up of a circular cella surrounded by a concentric ring of twenty Corinthian columns. Nineteen of the twenty initial columns and the original travertine of the cella and marble block wall still stand; the tile roof that is currently in place was put in later. Ten columns in the temple were substituted with Luna marble in the first century AD, following some type of calamity. The marble was a close but not perfect reproduction of the predecessor. The temple was transformed into Santo Stefano alle Carozze, a church, around 1132. The temple was further transformed into a Christian church and dedicated to Santo Stefano by Innocent II in 1140. The church was re-dedicated to Santa Maria del Sole in the seventeenth century. The neighboring surface was reduced and the temple was renovated once more between 1809 and 1810. 1935 saw the temple being officially designated as an ancient monument, and in 1996 it underwent restoration.
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Discovered on Pagans Hill at Chew Stoke in the English county of Somerset, the Pagans Hill Roman Temple was a Romano-British type structure. Presumably dedicated to the god Mercury, the temple was originally constructed in the late third century and headed east. Second temple was constructed after the previous structure collapsed, but it too collapsed and fell into ruin. An interior screen was added in the last reconstruction, which took place after roughly 367 CE. The most current dateable coin was of Arcadius, 383–408, and was discovered at the location. The fifth century saw the fall of the last structure. The temple is located on what is appropriately called Pagans Hill, however the name of the road has no connection to the temple and is a more recent addition. This double-octagonal temple structure had an outside wall that formed an ambulatory, or enclosed passageway, and an interior wall that constituted the cella, or sanctuary. Each wall was roughly three feet thick. Two elements that Rahtz identified as buttresses were located alongside each wall; however, given their tiny size, it is more probable that they were pilasters. Together with the octagonal temple and sacred spring, the location created a sizable pilgrimage centre complete with lodgings for guests and residence of a priest. A peculiar sculpture of a dog wearing a collar was discovered in the well, which was located about 15 meters to the west of the temple footings, among other artifacts. A bucket and an unusual glass jar from the 7th century that were discovered in the well provide proof that the area was still in use after the Roman era. When the temple was first discovered in 1830, it was believed to have served as a beacon for indicating between nearby hill forts. #History#Architecture
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The Będzin Castle is located in the southern Polish city of Będzin. The wooden stronghold, which was built in the eleventh century, predates the forteenthth-century stone castle. It served as a crucial defense for the Polish Kingdom and, subsequently, for the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth. The origins of Będzin village date back to the ninth century. The wooden fort in the area, which dates back to the eleventh century according to documents, was destroyed in 1241 during the Tatar invasion and then again reconstructed. The timber fortification was replaced by a stone castle during the reign of Casimir III the Great. As early as 1348, the stone castle was in use. Not long afterward, in 1358, the burgeoning trading settlement of Bytom was granted city powers under the Magdeburg Law. The castle was intended to serve as a military outpost on the southwest frontier of the Kingdom of Poland and later the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth. It was the furthest westward stronghold, designed to fend off any assault from Bohemian or Silesian areas toward Lesser Poland. The castle was visited in 1364 by the Holy Roman Emperor Charles IV. Maximilian III, the Archduke of Austria, was imprisoned here in 1588 following his loss in the 1587–1588 War of the Polish Succession. The late 16th century saw the fortress fall into decay. The further devastation was caused by the fire in 1616 and the damage sustained during The Deluge in 1657. Although the stronghold was regularly restored, its significance diminished as frontiers of Poland and its ties with its neighbors changed. Following the division of Poland, Prussian rule over Będzin resulted in the Hohenzollern dynasty gaining ownership of the castle. The adjacent areas were given to the Duchy of Warsaw in 1807 and the Congress of Poland in 1815. When a stone fragment squashed a bystander in 1825, the nearly collapsing castle was directed to be demolished. However, the castle was designated as a monument before any work was done on it. Count Edward Raczyński purchased the castle in the 1830s, had it largely renovated, and briefly placed a Protestant chapel therein. However, after Raczyński passed away in 1845, hopes to construct an academy or hospital there were shelved, and the castle once more fell into neglect. It was not until the Peoples Republic of Poland, from 1952 to 1956, that the castle was reconstructed and turned into a museum. #History#Architecture#Castles
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In the Angus region of Scotland, Glamis Castle is located next to the community of the same name. The Earl of Strathmore and Kinghorne resides there, and it is a public residence. The Lyon family has resided at Glamis Castle since the fourteenth century, however the current structure primarily originates from the seventeenth century. The late Queen Elizabeth, The Queen Mother, grew up in Glamis Castle. On August 21, 1930, Princess Margaret, her second daughter, was born there. The grounds of the castle are listed on the Inventory of Gardens and Designed Landscapes of Scotland, a national listing of noteworthy gardens, and are safeguarded as a category A listed building. There are prehistoric remnants in the area around Glamis Castle. For instance, the Eassie Stone, a well-known Pictish stone with exquisite carvings, was discovered in a creekbed at the nearby village of Eassie. Malcolm II was assassinated in 1034 at the Royal Hunting Lodge in Glamis. The Macbeth character in the play by William Shakespeare stays at Glamis Castle, despite the fact that the real King Macbeth had no relation to the castle. A castle was erected at Glamis by 1372, as the husband of the daughter of the king, Sir John Lyon, Thane of Glamis, received the property from Robert II in that same year. Early in the fifteenth century, the castle was rebuilt as an L-plan tower house. Sir Patrick Lyon, grandson of Sir John, was given the title Lord Glamis in 1445. During the conflict between James V and the Douglases, John Lyon, 6th Lord Glamis, married Janet Douglas, daughter of the Master of Angus. Janet faced treason charges in December 1528 for transporting followers of Angus to Edinburgh. After that, she was accused of poisoning her late husband, Lord Glamis, who had passed away on September 17, 1528. She was eventually charged with witchcraft, and on July 17, 1537, at Edinburgh, she was executed by burning at the stake. After that, James V captured Glamis and made his home there for a while. Glamis was given back to John Lyon, 7th Lord Glamis, in 1543. Patrick Lyon, the ninth Lord Glamis, was made Earl of Kinghorne in 1606. He started the major development of the castle. Glamis was garrisoned by soldiers during the Commonwealth of England, Scotland, and Ireland. Upon his return to the castle in 1670, Patrick Lyon, 3rd Earl of Strathmore and Kinghorne, discovered it was unusable. Up to 1689, repairs were made, and a sizable Baroque garden was created. The early 19th century saw the reconstruction of the south-west wing following a fire. The Dining Room is one of several interiors that also comes from the 18th and 19th centuries. The back of ten-pound notes printed by the Royal Bank of Scotland has included an image of the castle since 1987 #History#Architecture#Castles
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Situated in the village of Carisbrooke on the Isle of Wight in England, Carisbrooke Castle is a historic motte and bailey castle. In the months leading up to his trial, Charles I was held captive at the castle. There may have been pre-Roman habitation on the site of Carisbrooke Castle. There may have been a building there in late Roman times based on the remains of a wall. Wihtgar, the cousin of King Cynric of Wessex, is said to have died in AD 544 and was buried there according to the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle. By the late 7th century, the fort might have been occupied by the Jutes. The location was home to an Anglo-Saxon stronghold in the eighth century. In order to protect the hill against Viking incursions, a wall was constructed around it circa AD 1000. Family of Richard de Redvers owned the castle from 1100 until his descendants enhanced it with stone walls, towers, and a keep during the course of the following two centuries. Edward I purchased the castle in 1293 from the last Redvers inhabitant, Countess Isabella de Fortibus. From that point on, wardens, acting as delegates of the monarch, were given control over it. During rule of Richard II in 1377, the French attempted an unsuccessful raid on the fortress. The story goes that Peter de Heyno, a local hero, shot the French commander and saved it. In 1467, Anthony Woodville, the future Earl Rivers was granted the castle and the Lordship. During era of Henry I, the keep was erected to the castle, and during reign of Elizabeth I, Sir George Carey, who had been appointed Governor of the Isle of Wight in 1583, fortified it further when the Spanish Armada was anticipated. Later, Carey hired Federigo Giambelli, an Italian engineer, to strengthen the defenses even more. Beginning in 1597, Giambelli built a contemporary trace Italienne fortress that encircled the old castle and bailey entirely. It consisted of a squat rampart and ditch, periodically reinforced by strong bastions. Before his execution in 1649, Charles I spent fourteen months in prison here. Princess Beatrice, the daughter of Queen Victoria, lived there as the Governor of the Isle of Wight from 1896 until 1944. English Heritage is presently in charge of it [Information and Image Credit : Carisbrooke_Castle, Wikipedia] [Wikipedia-Link : https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carisbrooke_Castle ] [Image : The interior of Carisbrooke Castle; Wikipedia-Image-Author : Geni] [Image Availed Under Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 International License; (Please Relate to Individual Image URLs for More Usage Property and Sharing, Remixing or Attributing the Work)] [License-Link : https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/deed.en ] [Original Wikipedia-Image-Source-Link : https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Carisbrooke_castle_buildings_2023.JPG ] #History#Architecture#Castles
The castle ruin known as Pontefract Castle is located in the English West Yorkshire town of Pontefract. It is believed that King Richard II passed away there. It saw several well-known sieges during the English Civil War in the seventeenth century. Built in around 1070, Ilbert de Lacy built the castle atop a rock above All Saints Church, to the east of the town, on property that William the Conqueror had given him in exchange for his assistance during the Norman Conquest. Nonetheless, there is proof that the location was occupied in the past. The castle was originally made of wood, but over time, stone was added. Ilberts Castle was mentioned in the Domesday Survey of 1086, most likely referring to Pontefract Castle. In the 12th century, Robert de Lacy was not present to assist King Henry I when he was fighting his brother for control of the castle. For the Honour of Pontefract, Roger de Lacy gave King Richard I 3,000 marks, but the King kept the fortress. In 1199, the year John came to the throne, his successor King John awarded de Lacy the castle. Eldest son of John, Roger, succeeded him after his death in 1213. Nevertheless, Castle Donington and Pontefract Castle were seized by the King. Up until the early 14th century, the de Lacy family resided in the fortress. During the tenure of the de Lacys, the beautiful multilobate donjon was constructed. The estates of the House of Lancaster inherited the castle by marriage in 1311. Six days following his defeat at the Battle of Boroughbridge, Thomas, Earl of Lancaster, 1278–1322, was executed outside the castle walls as a result of a sentence imposed on him in the great hall by King Edward II. Because of this, the earl was martyred and his tomb at Pontefract Priory was turned into a shrine. The third son of King Edward III, John of Gaunt, received it after Henry, Duke of Lancaster. He turned the castle into his own home and lavished enormous sums of money on renovations. On June 25, 1483 in Pontefract Castle, brother of Elizabeth Woodville i.e. Anthony Woodville, 2nd Earl Rivers and her son Sir Richard Grey were murdered by Richard III. Thomas Darcy, 1st Baron Darcy de Darcy, the custodian of the castle, gave the castle to the organizers of the Pilgrimage of Grace, a northern English Catholic uprising against King Henry VIII, in 1536. Because the monarch considered purported surrender of Lord Darcy to be treasonous, he was put to death. The fortress was occupied by King Henry VIII of England, who arrived on August 23, 1541, as part of his summer royal tour of the North. King James visited Pontefract Castle on April 19, 1603, while traveling south to London, and spent the night at the Bear Inn in Doncaster. The castle was part of English jointure property of his wife Anne of Denmark. At the outset of the English Civil War, Pontefract Castle was under the control of Royalists. December 1644 saw the start of the first of three sieges, which lasted until March 1644, when Marmaduke Langdale, 1st Baron Langdale of Holme, came with Royalist reinforcements and the Parliamentarian army withdrew. Artillery and mining activities during the siege caused damage, which led to the collapse of the Piper Tower. Oliver Cromwell led the last siege of Pontefract Castle in November 1648. Charles I was put to death in January. The defenders at Pontefract reached an agreement, and on March 24, 1649, Colonel Morrice turned over the castle to Major General John Lambert. On March 27, Parliament issued an order directing that Pontefract Castle be completely destroyed, leveled to the ground, and its belongings sold off. Tearing down the castle slowly after the main organized activity of slighting may have added to its ruinous state. Nonetheless, visitors can still tour the 11th-century cellars of the castle, which were used for keeping military hardware during the Civil War [Information and Image Credit : Pontefract_Castle, Wikipedia] [Wikipedia-Link : https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pontefract_Castle ] [Image : Early 17th-century painting in the Pontefract Castle Museum by Alexander Keirincx] [The Work (Image) is a faithful photographic reproduction of a two-dimensional, public domain work of art. The author died in 1652, so this work is in the public domain in its country of origin and other countries and areas where the copyright term is the life of author plus 100 years or fewer. This work is in the public domain in the United States because it was published (or registered with the U.S. Copyright Office) before January 1, 1929. (Please Relate to Individual Image URLs for More Usage Property and Sharing, Remixing or Attributing the Work)] [Original Wikipedia-Image-Source-Link : https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Pontefract_Castle.jpg ] #History#Architecture#Castles
In Tattershall, Lincolnshire, England, there is a castle called Tattershall Castle. Robert de Tattershall constructed a stone castle or a fortified manor house in 1231, which is where Tattershall Castle got its start. Between 1430 and 1450, Ralph Cromwell, 3rd Baron Cromwell, the Treasurer of England, completely renovated and expanded this using bricks. In England, brick castles are less prevalent than stone, earth, and timber structures; when brick was used for construction, it was frequently done so for aesthetic or fashion reasons. The Flemish weavers started the habit of employing bricks. Although there was an abundance of stone in the area, Cromwell decided to utilize brick. Constructed with over 700,000 bricks, the castle has been hailed as the best example of English medieval brickwork. The moat and the 130-foot Great Tower of the fortress made by Lord Cromwell are still intact. The three state rooms of the castle are believed to have originally been exquisitely furnished, with massive Gothic fireplaces that adorned the apartments with tapestries and chimney pieces. The castle was allegedly an early example of a residential country home disguising itself as a fortress. After Oliver Cromwell died in 1456, his niece Joan Bouchier initially inherited the castle. However, following the death of her husband, the Crown seized the property, and it was owned by the royal family from King Edward IV to King Henry VIII. After recovering Tattershall Castle in 1560, Sir Henry Sidney sold it to Lord Clinton, who would go on to become the Earl of Lincoln. The Earls of Lincoln owned Tattershall Castle until 1693. After passing to the Fortesques, it was neglected. In 1910, it was listed for sale. The enormous medieval fireplaces, its finest treasures, remained intact. They had been torn apart and packed for shipping when an American purchased them. At the last minute, Lord Curzon of Kedleston intervened to purchase the castle, and he was adamant about recovering the fireplaces back. They were located in London and brought back following a nationwide search. From 1911 and 1914, he worked on the renovation of castles. After he passed away in 1925, one of the three most significant mid-15th-century brick castles still standing in the United Kingdom was given to the National Trust. Lord Curzon advocated for historic protection legislation in Britain as a result of the Tattershall tragedy, and the Ancient Monuments Consolidation and Amendment Act 1913 was the result [Information and Image Credit : Tattershall_Castle,_Lincolnshire, Wikipedia] [Wikipedia-Link : https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tattershall_Castle,_Lincolnshire ] [Image : Great Tower of Tattershall Castle with its three different entrances; Wikipedia-Image-Author : Brian from UK] [Image Availed Under Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 2.0 Generic License; (Please Relate to Individual Image URLs for More Usage Property and Sharing, Remixing or Attributing the Work)] [License-Link : https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0/deed.en ] [Original Wikipedia-Image-Source-Link : https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Tattershall_Castle,_2006.jpg ] #History#Architecture#Castles
The Greek word for cavalry is hippeis. Following political reforms by Solon, the hippeus ranked second among the four social classes in ancient Athens. It was made up of guys whose yearly income was at least 300 medimnoi or comparable. As to the Timocratic Constitution, the mean annual income of the populace was below 200 medimnoi. This allowed the men who earned 300 medimnoi to buy and keep a war horse while they worked for the government. The Roman equites and the medieval knights were its equivalents. The hippeus served as the regal guard of honor in Sparta. There were three hundred young Spartans under thirty in it. Following the Greco-Persian War in the fifth century BC, the Athenian cavalry was established. Its initial strength was 300 soldiers, but after Golden Age of Athens, it grew to 1,200 soldiers. This comprised 1,000 Athenians and 200 mounted bowmen. In periods of peace, the hippeus kept drilling. They participated in processions at open-air festivities as well. The levy was overseen by two hipparchi who commanded them. Five phylarchi, each in charge of a phyla, were subordinate to each hipparch. The two top courses produced both sets of officers. The boule, or council, had the responsibility of ensuring that the cavalry was in excellent working order and screening incoming recruits for eligibility and equipment. The decision of the popular assembly set the number of riders to be deployed. Upon enlisting, each horseman was granted equipment funds and a subsidy for maintaining a groom and two horses; this eventually developed into an annual grant from the state totaling forty talents; nonetheless, regular compensation was only provided in the field [Information and Image Credit : Hippeis; Wikipedia] [Wikipedia-Link : https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hippeis ] [Image : A black-figured Laconian cup by Rider Painter with a hippeus figure on it; Wikipedia-Image-Author : Jastrow (2006)] [The copyright holder of the work (Image), released the work into the public domain. This applies worldwide. In some countries this may not be legally possible; if so: The copyright holder grant anyone the right to use this work for any purpose, without any conditions, unless such conditions are required by law; (Please Relate to Individual Image URLs for More Usage Property and Sharing, Remixing or Attributing the Work)] [Original Wikipedia-Image-Source-Link : https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Rider_BM_B1.jpg ] #History#Art
Situated in Granada, Andalusia, Spain, the Alhambra is a complex of palaces and fortifications. Muhammad I Ibn al-Ahmar, the first Nasrid emir and the founder of the Emirate of Granada, started construction on the complex in 1238. It was constructed on the Sabika hill, an offshoot of the Sierra Nevada that had previously hosted forts and palace of Samuel ibn Naghrillah from the eleventh century. The location was repeatedly altered by later Nasrid monarchs. The greatest building projects, which contributed significantly to the defining characteristics of royal palaces, were carried out in the fourteenth century under Yusuf I and Muhammad V. The Alhambra was a stand-alone city apart from the rest of Granada during the Nasrid dynasty. It was a royal city and fortification with at least six great palaces, the most of which overlooked the Albaicín sector from their location along the northern perimeter. The Mexuar, Comares Palace, Palace of the Lions, and Partal Palace are the most well-known and well-preserved, and they serve as the primary draw for tourists today. Both contemporary excavations and historical records provide information on the other palaces. Afterwards, the palaces underwent some modifications and the location became the Royal Court of Ferdinand and Isabella. Charles V ordered a new palace in the Renaissance style in 1526 to be built in stark contrast to the Nasrid palaces, but it was abandoned in the early 17th century. Following defeat of Napoleon I, when his forces demolished portions of the site, the Alhambra was found after being abandoned for years and its structures occupied by squatters. Initially, British intellectuals led the rediscovery efforts, followed by other American and Northern European Romantic explorers. Washington Irving was the most significant of them all; his Tales of the Alhambra, published in 1832, made the location famous around the world. Known for its remarkable instances of Spanish Renaissance architecture, it is also one of the most well-known monuments of Islamic architecture and one of the best-preserved palaces of the old Islamic world. It is one of the most famous monuments of Islamic architecture and one of the best-preserved palaces of the historic Islamic world, in addition to containing notable examples of Spanish Renaissance architecture. [Information and Image Credit : Alhambra, Wikipedia] [Wikipedia-Link : https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alhambra ] [Image : Dawn on Charles V palace in Alhambra, Granada, Spain; Wikipedia-Image-Author : Jebulon] [The Image (file) is made available under the Creative Commons CC0 1.0 Universal Public Domain Dedication. The person who associated a work with this deed has dedicated the work to the public domain by waiving all of their rights to the work worldwide under copyright law, including all related and neighboring rights, to the extent allowed by law. One can copy, modify, distribute and perform the work, even for commercial purposes, all without asking permission (Please Relate to Individual Image URLs for More Usage Property and Sharing, Remixing or Attributing the Work)] [License-Link : https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/deed.en ] [Original Wikipedia-Image-Source-Link : https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Dawn_Charles_V_Palace_Alhambra_Granada_Andalusia_Spain.jpg ] #History#Architecture#Castles
The Oxus Civilization, also known as the Bactria–Margiana Archaeological Complex, is the contemporary archaeological classification for a specific Middle Bronze Age civilization located in southern Central Asia. Although some date the urban phase of the civilization, known as the Integration Era, to between 2400 and 1950 BC, others place the era between 2250 and 1700 BC. The majority of the urban sites of BMAC are actually found in Margiana, contemporary Turkmenistan, on the Murghab river delta, and in the Kopet Dagh mountain range, despite the civilization being known as the Oxus civilization and appearing to be centered on the upper Amu Darya or Oxus River in Bactria. A few later sites from between 1950–1450 BC can be found in northern Bactria, which is now southern Uzbekistan; however, the majority of these sites are tombs associated with the Sapalli civilization, which is related to the BMAC. In what is now northern Afghanistan, in southern Bactria, there is a solitary BMAC site called Dashli. Even though they are modern with the primary BMAC sites in Margiana, the sites located farther east in southwestern Tajikistan are merely cemeteries with no connected urban development. At Jeitun, there is archeological proof of Neolithic settlement in the well-watered northern foothills of Kopet Dag. Mud brick homes were initially inhabited in this area between around 7200 and 4600 BC, during the Early Food-Producing Era, commonly referred to as the Jeitun Neolithic. The people living there were farmers from southwest Asia, who raised wheat and barley together with herds of goats and sheep. The crops that are usually associated with irrigation in dry environments—like hexaploid bread wheat, which became prominent during the Chalcolithic period—were grown by farmers at the late Neolithic site of Chagylly Depe more and more. The Regionalization Era commences in Anau IA, following a pre-Chalcolithic phase in the Kopet Dag piedmont region between 4600 and 4000 BC. The Chalcolithic period then unfolds in Namazga I–III, Ilgynly Depe, and Altyn Depe between 4000 and 2800 BC. The Namazga III phase, in Altyn Depe in the Kopet Dag region, spanned approximately 3200–2800 BC and demonstrated a late Chalcolithic society at the start of the Late Regionalization Era. The Kopet Dag oases in the Altyn-Depe site established a proto-urban community during the Early Bronze Age, which occurred between 2800 and 2400 BC, toward the conclusion of the Late Regionalization Era. The Kopet Dag piedmont, Margiana, and southern Bactria were the three primary areas where urban development peaked during the Middle Bronze Age, sometimes referred to as the Integration Era. Some cemetery ruins have also recently been discovered in southwest Tajikistan. The Kopet Dag piedmont, Margiana, and southern Bactria were the three primary areas where urban development peaked during the Middle Bronze Age, sometimes referred to as the Integration Era. Some cemetery ruins have also recently been discovered in southwest Tajikistan. The sedentary people that lived in the BMAC farmed wheat and barley under irrigation. The complex displays many of the characteristics of civilization, including colossal architecture, bronze tools, ceramics, and jewelry made of semiprecious stones. The complex bears similarities to the proto-urban towns of Mohenjo-daro in the Indus Valley, Harappa and Mundigak in western Afghanistan located in the Helmand basin, and Shahr-e Sukhteh in eastern Iran. The earliest evidence of wheeled transport in Central Asia is represented by models of two-wheeled carts discovered at Altyn-Depe in approximately 3000 BC, however model wheels may have originated from contexts that date somewhat older. Based on the kind of harness, carts were originally drawn by bulls or oxen. But inside the BMAC, camels were domesticated. At Altyn-Depe, a model of a camel-drawn cart from approximately 2200 BC was discovered. The Bronze Age agrarian civilization is reflected in the fertility goddesses known as Bactrian Princesses, crafted from limestone, chlorite, and clay. Additionally, the vast collection of metal objects indicates a highly developed metalworking technique. The members of BMAC culture were expert metalworkers, dealing with copper, silver, gold, and bronze among other metals [Information and Image Credit : Bactria–Margiana_Archaeological_Complex] [Wikipedia-Link : https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bactria%E2%80%93Margiana_Archaeological_Complex ] [Image : As stated in the Encyclopedia of Indo-European Culture, the extent of the BMAC; Wikipedia-Image-Author : Dbachmann at English Wikipedia] [Image Availed Under Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported License; (Please Relate to Individual Image URLs for More Usage Property and Sharing, Remixing or Attributing the Work)] [License-Link : https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/deed.en ] [Original Wikipedia-Image-Source-Link : https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:BMAC.png ] #History#Art
Located in the English county of East Sussex, Lewes Castle is a medieval stronghold. Once known as Bray Castle, it stands sentinel over the gap in the South Downs created by the River Ouse, in which the towns of Cliffe and Lewes are situated. Built from native limestone and flint stones, it is situated on an artificial hill north of the main street of Lewes. The only other castle in England with a motte and bailey layout is Lincoln Castle. The castle, however, is unique in that it has two mottes. Following the Norman Conquest of England in 1066, the first motte, known as Brack Mount, was finished, and the second motte, known as the Keep, was finished in the late 11th century. William de Warenne, 1st Earl of Surrey, built both mottes. At the beginning of the 12th century, brick shell keeps took the place of the wooden palisades that had hitherto topped the mottes. There was a stone wall with towers in the Bailey area as well. At the Battle of Lewes in 1264, soldiers withdrew from the fortress to fight Simon de Montfort. One of the shell keeps had towers erected to it in the thirteenth century, and a barbican gate was added in the fourteenth. Following his untimely death in 1347, John, the 7th Earl of Warennes, was laid to rest in Lewes Priory. His nephew Richard FitzAlan, 10th Earl of Arundel, inherited his title. The Sussex Archaeological Society began renting the castle in 1850. Charles Thomas-Stanford later purchased the castle and gave it to the organization in 1922 [Information and Image Credit : Lewes_Castle, Wikipedia] [Wikipedia-Link : https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lewes_Castle ] [Image : Two towers of Lewes Castle in East Sussex, seen from the west; Wikipedia-Image-Author : Antiquary] [Image Availed Under Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 International License; (Please Relate to Individual Image URLs for More Usage Property and Sharing, Remixing or Attributing the Work)] [License-Link : https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/deed.en ] [Original Wikipedia-Image-Source-Link : https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Lewes_Castle_towers.JPG ] #History#Architecture#Castles
In the central Iranian province of Fars, the town of Izadkhast is home to the Izad Khast Castle. Constructed during the Sassanid dynasty rule, 224 and 651 AD, the castle served as a walled city fortification along the old Silk Road that passed across central Iran. After Arg-e Bam, it is the second-largest adobe structure in the world. Perched on a high bedrock with a commanding view of the Izadkhast valley lies the castle. Many little passageways and alleys that wind through centuries-old tiny cottages and structures may be found inside the castle walls. On August 9, 2007, the castle and the Izadkhast complex around it were nominated in the Cultural category for inclusion on the UNESCO World Heritage Tentative List. Situated between Shiraz and Isfahan on the historic Silk Road lies the Izad-khast fortress. The location is surrounded by a desert and is in the middle of nowhere. But in the midst of this nowhere, a high single bedrock overlooking a valley provided the perfect setting for the construction of a fortified desert metropolis. Built around the bedrock, the fortification walls of the castle are tall, nearly perpendicular, and span six to fifteen meters on three sides. Because of the natural topography of the site and additional fortifications, the castle was one of the hardest places for foes and criminals to access in antiquity. The location and construction style of the castle exhibit distinctive features. Materially speaking, nonetheless, it is similar to the Citadel of Bam, Rayen, and other neighboring locations in the provinces of Yazd and Kerman [Information and Image Credit : Izad-Khast_Castle, Wikipedia] [Wikipedia-Link : https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Izad-Khast_Castle ] [Image : View of Izadkhast Castle in August 2018.; Wikipedia-Image-Author : Hadi Karimi] [Image Availed Under Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 International License; (Please Relate to Individual Image URLs for More Usage Property and Sharing, Remixing or Attributing the Work)] [License-Link : https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/deed.en ] [Original Wikipedia-Image-Source-Link : https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Izadkhast_Castle_by_Hadi_Karimi.jpg ] #History#Architecture#Castles
The first and most significant temple of Rome devoted to the Magna Mater, also known as the Great Mother, or Cybele as the Greeks called her, was called the Temple of Cybele or the Temple of Magna Mater. It was constructed to hold a specific image or form of the goddess, a meteoric stone that was briefly placed in the Palatine temple of goddess of Victory and brought to Rome in 204 BC at the request of an oracle from Greek Asia Minor. On April 11, 191 BC, the proscenium of the new temple hosted inaugural Megalesia celebration of Magna Mater. Situated on the elevated western flank of the Palatine, the temple had a commanding view of the Circus Maximus valley and faced the Ceres-temple situated atop the Aventine mountains. The flattened space, or proscenium, below, where the festival sports and plays in honour of the Goddess were staged, was reached by a long flight of steps rising higher. From the proscenium as well as the inside of the temple, one could see the goddess-altar. After the first temple burned down in 111 BC, a Metellus—possibly Gaius Caecilius Metellus Caprarius—restored it. In the early Imperial Empire, it burnt twice more, but Augustus rebuilt it each time, the second reconstruction being arguably the more opulent of the two. A figure of Cybele enthroned with lion attendants and a turreted crown sits atop the steps. This is in line with a massive, broken statue of the goddess that was discovered inside the temple grounds. Up to the late 4th century, the temple was still in operation [Information and Image Credit : Temple_of_Cybele_(Palatine), Wikipedia] [Wikipedia-Link : https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Temple_of_Cybele_(Palatine) ] [Image : Magna Mater Temple on a relief currently displayed at Villa Medici of Rome; Wikipedia-Image-Author : Sailko] [Image Availed Under Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported License; (Please Relate to Individual Image URLs for More Usage Property and Sharing, Remixing or Attributing the Work)] [License-Link : https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/deed.en ] [Original Wikipedia-Image-Source-Link : https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Controfacciata_di_villa_medici,_rilievi_romani_13_victimarii_conducono_un_bue_e_al_Tempio_della_Magna_Mater_sul_Palatino_(ara_gentis_Iuliae)_2.jpg ] #History#Art#Architecture
Rome, Italy is home to the ancient Roman temple known as the Temple of Portunus. It was constructed next to the Forum Boarium, the ancient Roman cattle market connected to Hercules, which was next to the Pons Aemilius, the oldest stone bridge over the Tiber River and oldest river port of Rome. Given that there were multiple other temples in the vicinity in addition to Portunus, the exact dedication is still unknown, but it was most likely made in honor of the gateway deity. It is still more often known by this name despite being mistakenly labeled as the Renaissance Temple of Fortuna Virilis. Of all the Roman temples, this one is among the best preserved. It is the primary temple in the city devoted to Portunus, the deity of keys, doors, animals, and therefore granaries. The temple was transformed into a Christian church honoring Santa Maria Egyziaca throughout the Middle Ages. Up until the early 20th century, it was still a church. However, at that time, it was deconsecrated, all later alterations removed, and its classical aspect was restored as an archeological monument. As part of its repair, nearby buildings from the Renaissance and Middle Ages were demolished. Located in the historic Forum Boarium by the Tiber, the Ionic Temple had a commanding view of the Tiberine harbor during antiquity, where Portunus kept watch over cattle barges arriving in the city from Ostia. The temple was renovated between 120 and 80 BC, having been constructed in the third or fourth century BC. Its rectangular structure, which is still intact, is made up of a tetrastyle portico and cella, erected on a high podium that is accessed by stairs. Its pronaos portico, which has two columns deep and four Ionic columns across, is reminiscent of the Maison Carrée in Nîmes. The columns of the portico are free-standing, while the four columns at the back and the other five on the long sides are half-columns that are positioned against the walls of the cella [Information and Image Credit : Temple_of_Portunus, Wikipedia] [Wikipedia-Link : https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Temple_of_Portunus ] [Image : Temple of Portunus in the Forum Boarium; Wikipedia-Image-Author : WikiRomaWiki] [Image Availed Under Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 International License; (Please Relate to Individual Image URLs for More Usage Property and Sharing, Remixing or Attributing the Work)] [License-Link : https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/deed.en ] [Original Wikipedia-Image-Source-Link : https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Temple_of_Portunus.jpg ] #History#Art#Architecture
Located in Trieste, northeastern Italy, between Barcola and Grignano, lies the 19th-century Miramare Castle. Based on a design by Carl Junker, it was constructed for the Austrian Archduke Ferdinand Maximilian and his wife, Charlotte of Belgium, who would later become Emperor Maximilian I of Mexico and Empress Carlota of Mexico, between 1856 and 1860. The archduke created a vast 22-hectare seaside and cliff park as part of the castle-grounds. The archduke thoroughly redesigned the landscaping with a variety of tropical tree and plant types. Ferdinand Maximilian, 1832–1867, of the House of Habsburg–Lorraine, the younger brother of Franz Joseph, Emperor of Austria, gave the order to build Miramare Castle and its grounds. When Maximilian arrived in Trieste in 1850, accompanied by his brother Charles, he was eighteen years old. He then promptly embarked on a brief voyage to the Near East. His goal to sail and see the world was validated by this voyage. He was made an officer in 1852, and the Imperial Navy appointed him Commander in Chief in 1854. He made the decision to go to Trieste, where he had a house erected with a view of the sea and a park fitting of his status and name. Tradition has it that the archduke picked that barren rocky spur of limestone origin as the location for his house after taking refuge in the small harbor of Grignano during a sudden storm in the Gulf. The entire complex was dubbed Miramar when it was initially acquired at the start of March 1856, presumably in remembrance of the residence of Prince Ferdinand of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha-Koháry in Pena, Portugal [Information and Image Credit : Miramare_Castle, Wikipedia] [Wikipedia-Link : https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Miramare_Castle ] [Image : Miramare Castle; Wikipedia-Image-Author : Michał Bulsa] [Image Availed Under Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 International License; (Please Relate to Individual Image URLs for More Usage Property and Sharing, Remixing or Attributing the Work)] [License-Link : https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/deed.en ] [Original Wikipedia-Image-Source-Link : https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Castello_di_Miramare_(Trieste)_(7).jpg ] #History#Architecture#Castles
Situated in the Beqaa Valley in Lebanon, the Temple of Bacchus is a part of the Baalbek archeological site. The temple complex was added to the UNESCO World Heritage List in 1984 and is regarded as an exceptional archaeological and artistic example of Imperial Roman architecture. One of the most magnificent and well-preserved Roman temple remains is this monument to Bacchus. Although its exact age is unclear, its exquisite decoration may be traced back to the second century CE. The Roman Emperor Antoninus Pius, who ruled from AD 138 to AD 161, most likely ordered the temple. The site was unknown until the Greeks conquered it in the fourth century, by which time the temple had probably closed because of the persecution of pagans in the late Roman Empire. Not until 1898–1903 did a German mission start excavating two of the larger temples and rebuilding the area. The Lebanese government ordered the preservation of the site and renovations in 1920 following the proclamation of the State of Greater Lebanon. Protection of the site was discontinued after the Lebanese civil war broke out in the mid-1970s and Al-Biqā turned into a stronghold for Syrian and Palestinian forces. The Baalbek ruins were added to the UNESCO World Heritage List in 1984. After the war ended in the 1990s, the place started to be preserved. Measuring 66 meters in length, 35 meters in width, and 31 meters in height, the temple is marginally smaller than the Temple of Jupiter. The temple is situated on a podium that runs east-west. A colonnade of forty-two unfluted Corinthian columns with Ionic bases, nineteen of which remain intact, adorns the periphery wall. Inside, two levels of niches on either side are flanked by Corinthian pilasters that adorn the cella. Even upto the sixteenth century, the gateway itself remained intact. Numerous archaeological excavations and studies on The Temple of Bacchus and the complete temple complex have been conducted by the Orient Department of the German Archaeological Institute. Research and evaluation of the site are ongoing. Examples include recording sculptures and reliefs, studying the fauna found in the ruins through the lens of archaeozoology, and examining urban growth and its connection to Baalbek [Information and Image Credit : Temple_of_Bacchus, Wikipedia] [Wikipedia-Link : https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Temple_of_Bacchus ] [Image : Temple of Bacchus; Wikipedia-Image-Author : Jan Hilgers] [Image Availed Under Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported License; (Please Relate to Individual Image URLs for More Usage Property and Sharing, Remixing or Attributing the Work)] [License-Link : https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/deed.en ] [Original Wikipedia-Image-Source-Link : https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Baalbek_Baccustempel.jpg ] #History#Art#Architecture
Located in the French department of Eure, the town of Gisors is home to the Château de Gisors. During the eleventh and twelfth centuries, the castle served as a vital stronghold for the Normandy dukes. Its goal was to keep the King of France from invading the Anglo-Norman Vexin area. Robert of Bellême was given the order by King William II of England to construct the first castle at Gisors. The octagonal stone keep atop the motte was constructed by Henry I of England as part of his mission to fortify Normandy against the ambitions of the French monarchy. Henry I also erected the royal castle at Gisors. It witnessed the building of about twenty-five castles. During the imprisonment of King Richard I of England in Germany in 1193, the castle, which was commanded by Gilbert de Vascoeuil, was taken over by King Philip II of France. Following demise of Richard in 1199, Philip went on to conquer a significant portion of the remaining Normandy, which resulted in decline of Gisors in significance as a frontier castle. The connection of the castle to the Templars is another well-known fact, under the administration of the French king from 1158 to 1160. It was the last jail of the Grand Master of the Order Jacques de Molay until 1314. The first construction, which dates to around 1095, was a motte encompassed by a large courtyard or bailey. The motte was enhanced with an octagonal stone keep by Henry I, Duke of Normandy, of England. Important reinforcement work carried out after 1161 saw this keep elevated and expanded, the wooden palisade of the motte turned to stone, creating a chemise, and the outside wall of the bailey finished in stone with flanking towers. One of the best surviving specimens of a shell keep is said to be the octagonal keep. The bailey is thought to have held 1,000 men, but in 1438 there were only 90 English soldiers in the garrison. This had dropped to 43 by 1448. The French Ministry of Culture has designated the Château de Gisors as a historical monument since 1862 [Information and Image Credit : Château_de_Gisors, Wikipedia] [Wikipedia-Link : https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ch%C3%A2teau_de_Gisors ] [Image : The original octagonal keep and chemise of Gisors; Wikipedia-Image-Author : Nitot] [Image Availed Under Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported License; (Please Relate to Individual Image URLs for More Usage Property and Sharing, Remixing or Attributing the Work)] [License-Link : https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/deed.en ] [Wikipedia-Image-Source-Link : https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Chateau-de-Gisors.jpg ] #History#Architecture#Castles
Located in the southern French city of Nîmes, the Maison carrée is one of the best-preserved Roman temples still standing in the former Roman Empire. It is a caesareum, a medium-sized Augustan provincial temple of the Imperial religion. The Maison carrée was re-dedicated to Gaius and Lucius Caesar, the adoptive grandsons and heirs of Augustus who both passed away at a young age, in the years 4-7 AD. In the Middle Ages, the inscription honoring Gaius and Lucius was erased from the temple. Nonetheless, in 1758, a scholar from the area named Jean-François Séguier managed to piece together the inscription by counting the holes on the front frieze and architrave, which were used to hold the bronze letters that were attached with protruding tines. Victor Grangent helped the temple gradually regain its former splendor during the 19th century. Despite using the Corinthian order, the Maison carrée resembles a Roman temple in the Tuscan style as described by the contemporary Roman architect Vitruvius. The neoclassical Église de la Madeleine in Paris, the St. Marcellinus Church in Rogalin, Poland, and the Virginia State Capitol of United States—designed by Thomas Jefferson, who had a stucco replica of the Maison carrée made while serving as minister of France in 1785—were all influenced by the Maison carrée. The Maison carrée of Nîmes was added to the UNESCO World Heritage List in September 2023 [Information and Image Credit : Maison_carrée, Wikipedia] [Wikipedia-Link : https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maison_carr%C3%A9e ] [Image : Front view of the Temple; Wikipedia-Image-Author : Fabhuard] [Image Availed Under Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 International License; (Please Relate to Individual Image URLs for More Usage Property and Sharing, Remixing or Attributing the Work)] [License-Link : https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/deed.en ] [Wikipedia-Image-Source-Link : https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Maison_carr%C3%A9e_(3).jpg ] #History#Art#Architecture
Henry VIII built Pendennis Castle, an artillery fort, in the vicinity of Falmouth, Cornwall, England, between 1540 and 1542. As a component of the Kings Device initiative, it safeguarded the Carrick Roads waterway at the mouth of the River Fal from French and Holy Roman Empire invasions. The earlier castle was surrounded by a ring of substantial stone ramparts and bastions by the end of the century to fend off the growing Spanish threat. The original, circular keep and gun platform was retained. Pendennis was held by the Royalists during the English Civil War and was only captured by Parliament in 1646 following an extended siege. After Charles II was reinstated in 1660, he restored the fortress, which had withstood the interregnum. Defenses of Pendennis were updated and modernized in the 1730s and 1790s because to persistent fears of a potential French invasion; the castle could have up to 48 guns during the Napoleonic Wars. In order to bolster these defenses, new, fast-firing guns were added in the 1880s and 1890s. An electrically driven minefield was also erected across the River Fal, controlled from Pendennis and St Mawes. After being rearmed during World War I but seeing no action, the castle was rearmed again during World War II and saw battle against German Luftwaffe aircraft. By 1956, however, the castle had become obsolete and was dismantled. The Ministry of Works took over management of the site, demolishing several of the more contemporary military structures and making it accessible to the public. English Heritage is in charge of running the castle as a tourist destination in the twenty-first century. Pendennis is regarded by the heritage organization Historic England as one of the best specimens of a post-medieval defensive promontory fort in the nation [Information and Image Credit : Pendennis_Castle, Wikipedia] [Wikipedia-Link : https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pendennis_Castle ] [Image : 16th-century gun platform and keep; Wikipedia-Image-Author : Willhsmit] [The copyright holder of this work, have released this work into the public domain. This applies worldwide (Please Relate to Individual Image URLs for More Usage Property and Sharing, Remixing or Attributing the Work)] [Wikipedia-Image-Source-Link : https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Pendennis_Castle.jpg ] #History#Art#Architecture#Castles
The Heliodorus pillar is a stone column located in Besnagar, Madhya Pradesh, in central India. It was constructed in 113 BCE. Heliodorus dubbed the pillar the Garuda-standard, after the god Garuda. The pillar bears the common name Heliodorus, who served as an ambassador from Taxila to the Indian emperor Bhagabhadra on behalf of the Indo-Greek king Antialcidas. The pillar bore a dedication to venerable Vāsudeva, the Deva deva, or referred to as the God of Gods and the Supreme Deity, written in Brahmi script. The pillar also exalts Bhagabhadra the Savior, the ruler of India. The column is a Stambha, signifying the union of earth, space, and heaven. It is believed to represent the cosmic axis and convey the cosmic entirety of the Deity. Alexander Cunningham made the discovery of the pillar in 1877. The pillar has been identified as a component of an ancient Vāsudeva temple site by two significant archaeological investigations conducted in the 20th century. Apart from sacred texts like the Bhagavad Gita, the Hathibada Ghosundi Inscriptions and the epigraphical inscriptions on the Heliodorus pillar have some of the earliest known writings of early Vaishnavism and Vāsudeva-Krishna devotion, and are regarded as the first archeological proof of its continued existence. One of the oldest surviving accounts of a foreign conversion to Vaishnavism, according to some, is the pillar [Information and Image Credit : Heliodorus_pillar, Wikipedia] [Wikipedia-Link : https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Heliodorus_pillar ] [Image : Heliodorus pillar in Vidisha, India; Wikipedia-Image-Author : Dilipkumarftii1977] [Image is availed under Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 International License; (Please Relate to Individual Image URLs for More Usage Property and Sharing, Remixing or Attributing the Work)] [License-Link : https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/deed.en ] [Wikipedia-Image-Source-Link : https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Heliodorus_pillar_(cropped).jpg ] #History#Art#Architecture
In the English county of Northumberland, there lies a medieval fortress known as Warkworth Castle, which is now in ruins. Situated less than a mile from the northeast coast of England, the village and castle are situated around a loop of the River Coquet. The castle may have been erected by King Henry II of England when he seized control of the northern counties, however Prince Henry of Scotland, Earl of Northumbria, is generally credited with building it around the middle of the 12th century. The first record of Warkworth Castle dates back to 1157–1164, when Roger fitz Richard received a charter from Henry II. When the Scots invaded in 1173, the timber castle was left undefended and was thought to be weak. Robert, son of Roger, inherited the castle and made improvements. King John loved Robert so much that in 1213 he invited him to stay at Warkworth Castle. With periods of guardianship when heirs were too young to manage their holdings, the castle stayed in the family. In 1292, John de Clavering, a Roger Fitz Richard descendant, claimed the Crown as his own after King Edward I spent the night there. Edward II made investments in castles at the start of the Anglo-Scottish Wars, one of which being Warkworth, where he provided funds for the reinforcement of the garrison in 1319. The Scots unsuccessfully assaulted the castle twice in 1327. After John de Clavering passed away in 1332 and his widow in 1345, the 2nd Baron Percy of Alnwick assumed ownership of Warkworth Castle after Edward III had promised him estate of Clavering. Added in the late 14th century by Henry Percy, 1st Earl of Northumberland, the impressive keep watches over the settlement of Warkworth. The fourth earl started constructing a collegiate church inside the castle and remodeled the bailey-buildings, but after his passing, he stopped working on the project. The English Civil War caused damage to the castle, despite support of the 10th Earl of Northumberland for Parliament. That Percy earl passed away in 1670. Hugh Smithson, who wed the indirect Percy heiress, acquired the castle in the middle of the eighteenth century. Taking the surname Percy, he established the lineage of the Dukes of Northumberland, who subsequently inherited the castle. The dukes renovated Warkworth Castle in the late 1800s, and Anthony Salvin was hired to rebuild the keep. In 1922, the Office of Works took administration of the castle from the 8th Duke of Northumberland. The building is a Scheduled Ancient Monument and Grade I listed structure that has been in the care of English Heritage since 1984 [Information and Image Credit : Warkworth_Castle, Wikipedia] [Wikipedia-Link : https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Warkworth_Castle ] [Image : The Enclosure and Keep of the Castle; Wikipedia-Image-Author : Draco2008 from UK] [Image is availed under Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Generic License; (Please Relate to Individual Image URLs for More Usage Property and Sharing, Remixing or Attributing the Work)] [License-Link : https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/deed.en ] [Wikipedia-Image-Source-Link : https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Warkworth_Castle_interior,_2007.jpg ] #Castles#History
Knappogue Castle is a tower house in the parish of Quin, County Clare, Ireland. It was constructed in 1467 and extended in the middle of the 19th century. Now that the structure has been renovated, guided tours are available. Seán Mac Conmara, the son of Síoda Mac Conmara, constructed the original castle in 1467, and it is a fine example of a late medieval tower house. The fortress was converted into a headquarter of the MacNamara or Mac Conmara sect in 1571. Donnchadh Mac Conmara led the Irish Rebellion in 1641, and MacNamara had control of Knappogue during the 1640s Irish Confederate Wars. The castle was occupied by Arthur Smith between 1659 and 1661. Knappogue was given back to its MacNamara proprietors in 1660, following the restoration of the crown. The Scott family of Cahircon eventually purchased the castle in 1800 after Francis MacNamara, the High Sheriff of Clare in 1789, gave it to them. The Scott family then undertook extensive renovation and expansion projects. Baron Dunboyne, Theobold Fitzwalter Butler, purchased the castle in 1855. The Dunboyne family used it as their family seat. They carried out the restoration work of the Scotts, adding a drawing room, a long room, and a west wing with the doorway and clock tower. The East Clare Flying Column provided security for the Clare County Council meetings, which took place at Knappogue Castle during the War of Independence. The Quinn family acquired the castle in 1927 when the Irish Land Commission bought the Knappogue demesne. Then, in 1966, Mark Edwin Andrews, a former Assistant Secretary of the United States Navy, bought the castle and surrounding acreage in Houston, Texas. The castle thereafter reverted to much of its original 15th-century state, incorporating and preserving later modifications that documented the ongoing habitation of the castle. The castle was bought by Shannon Development in 1996. The castle now hosts guided tours and serves as a location for medieval feasts and weddings [Information and Image Credit : Knappogue_Castle, Wikipedia] [Wikipedia-Link : https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Knappogue_Castle ] [Image : Knappogue Castle; Wikipedia-Image-Author : https://www.flickr.com/people/sitomon/ ] [Image is availed under Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 2.0 Generic License; (Please Relate to Individual Image URLs for More Usage Property and Sharing, Remixing or Attributing the Work)] [License-Link : https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0/deed.en ] [Wikipedia-Image-Source-Link : https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Knappogue_Castle.jpg ] #Castles#History
The medieval castle and palace complex of the Hungarian kings is located in Budapest and is known as Buda Castle. Although the huge Baroque palace that now occupies most of the site was built between 1749 and 1769, the original construction was completed in 1265. The building complex used to be known as the Royal Castle or the Royal Palace. The Budapest Historical Museum and the Hungarian National Gallery are currently located within the castle. Buda Castle is located on the southernmost point of Castle Hill and is encircled by the popular tourist destination of Várnegyed, which is well-known for its churches, monuments, homes, and structures from the Middle Ages, Baroque, and Neoclassical periods. The Castle Hill Funicular connects the hill to Clark Ádám Square and the Széchenyi Chain Bridge. In 1987, the castle was officially designated as a part of the Budapest World Heritage Site. During the Kádár era, the original Royal Palace was reconstructed in a simplified Stalinist Baroque design after being destroyed during World War II. King Béla IV of Hungary constructed the first royal home atop Castle Hill between 1247 and 1265. It is unclear if it was located close to the Kammerhof on the northern elevation or at the southernmost point of the hill. Younger brother of King Louis I of Hungary, Stephen, Duke of Slavonia, constructed the earliest portion of the current palace in the fourteenth century. The foundation of the castle keep are all that are left. Gothic residence of King Louis I was set around a small courtyard next to the fortress. King Sigismund upgraded the defenses of the palace and greatly expanded it. As the Holy Roman Emperor, Sigismund required an opulent palace to symbolize his importance among the rulers of Europe. During his lengthy rule, he made Buda Castle his principal residence, and it grew to be arguably the biggest Gothic palace of the late Middle Ages. A significant hub for the artistic development of the International Gothic style was Buda. Large-scale construction activity peaked during the reign of King Matthias Corvinus. The king completed construction on the Gothic palace in the first several decades of his reign. That is probably when the Royal Chapel and the Lower Church that still stand were constructed. Italian humanists, artists, and craftsmen came to Buda with the marriage of Matthias and Beatrice of Naples in 1476. The capital of Hungary developed into the first Renaissance hub north of the Alps. The palace was reconstructed by the king in the early Renaissance style. The humanists in the court of of Matthias Corvinus typically associated him with Hercules; panels illustrations of the exploits of the Greek hero adorned the bronze gates, and a massive bronze statue of the hero greeted visitors in the forecourt of the palace complex, the site of jousts. The palace was restored during reign of King John Zápolya. Italian military engineers constructed the Great Rondella on the southernmost point of Castle Hill. One of the primary remnants of the former palace is the circular bastion [Information and Image Credit : Buda_Castle, Wikipedia] [Wikipedia-Link : https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Buda_Castle ] [Image : Buda Castle; Wikipedia-Image-Author : Marc Ryckaert (MJJR)] [Image is availed under Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported License; (Please Relate to Individual Image URLs for More Usage Property and Sharing, Remixing or Attributing the Work)] [License-Link : https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/deed.en ] [Wikipedia-Image-Source-Link : https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Budapest_Castle_R02.jpg ] #Castles#History
Located 16 km northeast of Melton Mowbray and 10 km west of Grantham, Leicestershire, England, Belvoir Castle is a beautiful residence and faux historic castle. On this location, a castle was first constructed soon after the Norman Conquest in 1066, and it has subsequently undergone at least three reconstructions. The last structure is an early 19th-century imitation castle that is listed on grade I. David Manners, the 11th Duke of Rutland, inherited it in 1508 through a straight male line. It is his residence. The Manners family was originally buried in the parish church of St. Mary the Virgin in Bottesford, but since 1825, their historic remains have been transported to the ducal mausoleum that was constructed near to the castle in that same year. Although it is accessible to the public, the Duke of Rutland still owns it privately. The castle is located in the most northern point of Leicestershire County, overlooking the Vale of Belvoir on the Nottinghamshire border to the northwest. It is surrounded by Lincolnshire County to the east and Nottinghamshire County to the west. The settlements of Bottesford, Woolsthorpe, Knipton, Harston, Harlaxton, Croxton Kerrial, and Redmile encircle it. Originally, a Norman fortress dominated both the nearby wapentake of Winnibriggs in Lincolnshire and the high ground inside the wapentake of Framland. Until Robert de Ros received Belvoir as a grant in 1257, it was a royal manor. The Norman fortress was noted to be in ruins by 1464. Thomas Manners, 1st Earl of Rutland, began building a massive Tudor manor house in 1528. 1555 saw its completion. It was one of the more prominent strongholds of the supporters of the king during the English Civil War, and King Charles stayed the night here when traveling into Lincolnshire. Because the family backed the Royalists, Parliamentarians destroyed the Tudor structure in 1649. Many artistic creations can be found within the publicly accessible castle. The opulent state rooms—the most well-known of which are the Elizabeth Saloon, the Regents Gallery, and the State Dining Room, which is decorated in a Romanesque style—are the highlights of the tour [Information and Image Credit : Belvoir_Castle, Wikipedia] [Wikipedia-Link : https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Belvoir_Castle ] [Image : Belvoir Castle; Wikipedia-Image Author : Jerry Gunner from Lincoln, UK] [Image is availed under Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Generic License; (Please Relate to Individual Image URLs for More Usage Property and Sharing, Remixing or Attributing the Work)] [License-Link : https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/deed.en ] [Wikipedia-Image-Source-Link : https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Belvoir_Castle.jpg ] #Castles#History
São Pedro de Penaferrim, in the municipality of Sintra, on the Portuguese Riviera, is home to the Romanticist Pena Palace. Perched on a peak in the Sintra Mountains, overlooking the town of Sintra, the castle is plainly visible from Lisbon and a large portion of the metropolitan area on a clear day. It is a national monument and one of the most significant examples of Romanticism from the 19th century worldwide. The palace is one of Seven Wonders of Portugal and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The President of the Portuguese Republic and other government authorities also utilize it for formal events. The history of the castle began in the Middle Ages with the construction of a chapel devoted to Our Lady of Pena on the hill overlooking Sintra. Tradition has it that building started following a vision of the Virgin Mary. In order to fulfill a commitment, King John II traveled to the location in 1493 with his wife, Queen Leonor. King Manuel I, who succeeded him, had a great affection for this sanctuary as well. He gave the Order of Saint Jerome the order to build a monastery there. For centuries Pena was a modest, sedate retreat for monks, with room for no more than eighteen. Lightning struck the monastery in the 18th century, causing significant damage. But it was the Great Lisbon Earthquake of 1755, which happened not long after, that severely damaged the monastery and left it in ruins. Even though the remains were abandoned for many years, young Prince Ferdinand was nonetheless in awe of them. As King Consort Ferdinand II, he made the decision in 1838 to purchase the old monastery, the surrounding territories, the Castle of the Moors, and a few other local estates. The Portuguese royal family would use the remnants of the monastery as a vacation house, thus King Ferdinand set out to build a palace on their site. Wilhelm Ludwig von Eschwege, a mining engineer and lieutenant general, was tasked with overseeing the reconstruction of the Romantic style. Being a well-traveled amateur architect from Germany, Eschwege probably knew a number of castles along the Rhine. Although it was nearly finished in 1847, the construction was completed between 1842 and 1854. There was significant intervention on questions of decoration and symbolism by King Ferdinand and Queen Maria II. The Portuguese State bought the palace in 1889, and following the Republican Revolution of 1910, it was designated as a national monument and turned into a museum. Before going into exile, Queen Amélia, the last monarch of Portugal, spent her final night at the palace [Information and Image Credit : Pena_Palace, Wikipedia] [Wikipedia-Link : https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pena_Palace ] [Image : Palácio da Pena; Wikipedia-Image Author : www.GlynLowe.com from Hamburg, Germany] [Image is availed under Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Generic License; (Please Relate to Individual Image URLs for More Usage Property and Sharing, Remixing or Attributing the Work)] [License-Link : https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/deed.en ] [Wikipedia-Image-Source-Link : https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Pena_National_Palace_-_Sintra_-_Pal%C3%A1cio_Nacional_da_Pena_(15842491914)_(cropped).jpg ] #Castles#History
The official residence and office of the president of the Czech Republic is Prague Castle, a collection of castles located in Prague, Czech Republic. Constructed in the ninth century, the castle has long been the official residence of Bohemian monarchs, Holy Roman emperors, and Czechoslovak presidents. As a result, the president, his advisers, and his staff are frequently referred to as the Prague Castle, the Castle, or the Hrad. It has a secret room that holds the Bohemian Crown Jewels. Prague Castle, which spans about 70,000 square meters, is the biggest old castle in the world, according to the Guinness Book of Records. With more than 1.8 million tourists a year, the castle is one of most popular tourist destinations of Prague. Bohemian King Ottokar II strengthened defences and reconstructed the royal palace for housing and representation. During rule of Charles IV in the fourteenth century, the fortifications of the castle were reinforced and the royal residence was reconstructed in the Gothic style. The rotunda and basilica of St. Vitus were replaced by the beginnings of a massive Gothic church, which was finished nearly six centuries later. The castle was abandoned during the Hussite Wars and the decades that followed. Vladislaus II Jagiellon, King of Poland, started restoring the fortress in 1485. The Royal Palace was expanded to include the imposing Vladislav Hall. On the north side of the castle, more defence towers were constructed. Large portions of the castle were destroyed in a massive fire in 1541. A few new Renaissance-style buildings were erected during the Habsburg dynasty. For his wife Anne, Ferdinand I constructed the Belvedere as a summer holiday residence. Prague Castle served as primary residence of Rudolph II. He built the Spanish Hall, the centre piece of the northern wing of the palace, which housed his priceless art holdings. The Bohemian Revolt began at the castle during the Third Defenestration of Prague in 1618. The fortress suffered damage and decay during the ensuing battles. During the decisive Battle of Prague at the time of Thirty Years War in 1648, many pieces of collection from Rudolph II were pillaged by Swedes. In the latter part of the 18th century, Empress Maria Theresa completed the final significant reconstruction of the castle. Prague Castle was the palace of the previous emperor Ferdinand I, who abdicated in 1848 and was succeeded to the throne by his nephew Franz Joseph [Information and Image Credit : Prague_Castle, Wikipedia]
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Three stone circles surround the Neolithic henge monument known as Avebury, which is located in Wiltshire, southwest England around the village of Avebury. The largest megalithic stone circle in the world can be found at this, one of the most well-known prehistoric sites in Britain. For modern pagans, it is a site of religious significance in addition to being a popular tourist destination. The Neolithic, or New Stone Age, monument was built over several hundred years during the third millennium BC. It consists of a massive henge with two smaller stone circles inside the center of the monument and a larger outer stone circle. Although archaeologists are unsure of its initial use, they assume it was probably part of a ritual or ceremony. The Avebury monument is a portion of a broader prehistoric landscape that also includes West Kennet Long Barrow, Windmill Hill and Silbury Hill, three neighboring older monuments. Although there was minor evidence of human habitation throughout the Roman era, the site had essentially been abandoned by the Iron Age. A hamlet was first constructed around the monument in the Early Middle Ages, and it later extended inside of it. Many of the standing stones surrounding the henge were destroyed by the locals in the Late Medieval and Early Modern eras, for both utilitarian and religious purposes. In the 17th century, Avebury piqued the curiosity of antiquarians John Aubrey and William Stukeley, who documented a large portion of the site before to its demolition. The twentieth century saw the start of archaeological research, which was mostly overseen by Alexander Keiller, who directed a project that involved reconstructing a large portion of the monument. The National Trust is the owner and manager of Avebury. It has been included as a World Heritage Site and a Scheduled Ancient Monument. The latter designation recognizes it as a component of the larger prehistoric Wiltshire landscape known as Stonehenge, Avebury, and Associated Sites [Information and Image Credit : Avebury, Wikipedia] [Wikipedia-Link : https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Avebury ] [Image: The stone avenue; Wikipedia-Image Author : Dickbauch] [Image Availed Under Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported License; (Please Relate to Individual Image URLs for More Usage Property and Sharing, Remixing or Attributing the Work)] [License-Link : https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/deed.en ] [Wikipedia-Image-Source-Link : https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:ASC_Allee_1_db.jpg ] #History#Architecture
Constructed by The 3rd Viscount Palmerston between 1784 and 1765, Classiebawn Castle is a rural estate situated on a 4,000-hectare estate on the Mullaghmore Peninsula, close to Cliffoney hamlet in County Sligo, Republic of Ireland. Architect James Rawson Carroll of Dublin created the Baronial design for it. It is made of yellow-brown sandstone that was transported by sea from County Donegal. It consists of a group of gabled buildings with a central tower capped by a turret with a conical roof. Master of the Rolls of Ireland, Sir John Temple, was given the land where Classiebawn currently sits. The 3rd Viscount Palmerston, a statesman who held the positions of British Prime Minister and British Foreign Secretary, inherited the property. The harbor at Mullaghmore and the present Classiebawn Castle were both ordered to be built by this Lord Palmerston. The Rt. Hon. William Cowper-Temple, his stepson and heir, finished the home in 1874 after he passed away in 1865. When the latter went away in 1888 without bearing children, his nephew, The Hon. Evelyn Ashley, the second surviving son of The 7th Earl of Shaftesbury, inherited the estate. Every year, Evelyn Ashley would spend a few months there. Wilfrid Ashley, his only son, succeeded him after his death in 1907. Along with his daughters Edwina, who would go on to become Countess Mountbatten, and Mary, who served as the second wife of 4th Baron Delamere from 1944 until 1955, he also enjoyed his summers at the castle. The home was cleared in 1916 and stood unoccupied until 1950. After Edwina Mountbatten inherited it in July 1939, she and her husband, Admiral of the Fleet Louis Mountbatten, made a number of modifications, including the installation of a mains water supply and electricity. The last Viceroy of India, Mountbatten, spent his summers there after his wife passed away in February 1960. He died there in August 1979 when his boat was blown off of the shore of Mullaghmore. The estate of Hugh Tunney, a businessman from Trillick in County Tyrone, currently owns the castle and its environs. He leased the property for many years before purchasing it in 1991 [Information and Image Credit : Classiebawn_Castle, Wikipedia] [Wikipedia-Link : https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Classiebawn_Castle ] [Image : Classiebawn_Castle; Wikipedia-Image Author : Kent Wang] [Image is availed under Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 2.0 Generic License; (Please Relate to Individual Image URLs for More Usage Property and Sharing, Remixing or Attributing the Work)] [License-Link : https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0/deed.en ] [Wikipedia-Image-Source-Link : https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Classiebawn_Castle,_Mullaghmore.jpg ] #Castles#History
Situated close to the Irish Sea on a rocky knoll, Harlech Castle, a Grade I listed medieval castle, is located in Harlech, Gwynedd, Wales. Edward I had it constructed between 1282 and 1289, during his invasion of Wales, at the comparatively low sum of £8,190. The fortress took part in numerous battles over the ensuing centuries, withstanding siege of Madog ap Llywelyn in 1294–1295 before falling to Prince Owain Glyndŵr in 1404. After that it served as home and military base of Glyndŵr for the duration of the rebellion, until English forces retook it in 1409. The ballad Men of Harlech commemorates the siege of Harlech, which was held by the Lancastrians for seven years during the Wars of the Roses in the fifteenth century, until Yorkist armies forced its submission in 1468. The fortress was defended by supporters of Charles I after the English Civil War broke out in 1642. They maintained it until 1647, when it was the final stronghold to fall to the forces of the Parliament. The historic environment service of Welsh Government, Cadw, is in charge of overseeing the abandoned castle in the twenty-first century as a tourist destination. UNESCO has designated Harlech Castle as a World Heritage Site, citing it as one of best examples of Europe late 13th- and early 14th-century military architecture. Concentric in shape and constructed of local stone, the stronghold has a colossal gatehouse that was presumably originally used to house the castle constable and other high-ranking guests. A large flight of steps and a water-gate descend from the castle to the previous beach, where the sea once came considerably closer to Harlech than it does now. This feature allowed the castle to be resupplied by sea during sieges. The architecture of Harlech shares many similarities with that of the County of Savoy around the same period, which is consistent with other castles of Edward in the north of Wales. This similarity is likely due to the Savoy origins of the principal architect, James of Saint George. Although there is no proof that a native Welsh stronghold ever stood where Harlech Castle is located in North Wales, the legend of the Welsh princess Branwen is linked to the location in local folklore [Information and Image Credit : Harlech_Castle, Wikipedia] [Wikipedia-Link : https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harlech_Castle ] [Image : Harlech Castle; Wikipedia-Image Author : Cadw] [Image is availed under Open Government Licence version 1.0; (Please Relate to Individual Image URLs for More Usage Property and Sharing, Remixing or Attributing the Work)] [License-Link : https://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence/version/1/open-government-licence.htm ] [Wikipedia-Image-Source-Link : https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Harlech_Castle_-_Cadw_photograph.jpg ] #Castles#History
Located in the town of Tamworth, Staffordshire, England, Tamworth fortress is a Norman fortress with Grade I status that commands a view of the mouth of the River Anker into the Tame. However, prior to boundary adjustments in 1889, the majority of the town belonged to Staffordshire, while the castle was located on the border of Warwickshire. During the Anglo-Saxon era, the location was the home of the Mercian kings; however, it was abandoned during the Viking incursions. One of best-preserved motte-and-bailey castles of England, the structure was reinforced by the Normans and then expanded. Offa, the king of the Mercian kingdom, established a palace in Tamworth when it became his principal home. From this palace, he issued many charters known as sedens in palatio regali in Tamoworthige, the first of which was issued in 781. Almost nothing remained of its previous splendor after the Viking invasion in 874. Subsequently, in 913, Æthelflaed, the Mercian Lady, rebuilt Tamworth and strengthened it with an earthen burh. However, when the location was once more raided by the Danes in 943, this did little to protect it. Status of Tamworth as a royal palace vanishes during the ensuing decades, despite the fact that a mint there produced coins for successive Anglo-Saxon monarchs and, eventually, for William the Conqueror, the new Norman king. The land was later given to Robert Despenser, stewardof William, who constructed a timber castle in the style of a Norman motte and bailey in the 1080s. This was the ancestor of the current edifice, taking up the southwest corner of the former burh (burg). Robert died childless, leaving his nieces, one of whom married Robert Marmion, to inherit the castle. From approximately 1100 to 1294, the Marmion family, who were heir apparent to the Dukes of Normandy and thereafter the new English Kings, occupied the castle for six generations. The castle started to be remodeled in stone during their tenure, though there was a point when it looked like it might be completely destroyed. Over the ages, the castle saw several expansions, particularly during the Jacobean era, when the family of the Ferrers and their intermarried relatives began to dominate the inside. The shell keep has a gate tower from the 12th century and later residential space with a H layout that connects a three-story Jacobean south range from the 17th century and a 13th-century north range with oak timbers from the Great Hall from the 15th century. The diagonally placed masonry in the shape of a herringbone from the foot of the causeway to the gate tower is a noteworthy exterior feature that has survived from earlier periods
[Information and Image Credit : Tamworth_Castle, Wikipedia]
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In the French département of Ariège, the town of Foix is dominated by the Château de Foix. Known as a center of the Cathars, it is a popular tourist destination. The French Ministry of Culture has recognized it as a monument historique since 1840. Constructed upon an ancient 7th-century defensive system, the castle dates back to 987. It was referenced in will of Roger I, Count of Carcassonne in 1002, when he left the fortress to his youngest child, Bernard. The family in charge of the area was essentially established here, giving them the ability to guard the lower land from this strategic location while maintaining control over access to the upper Ariège valley and protection from enemy attack. The castle played a significant part in the history of medieval warfare and was made the capital of the County of Foix in 1034. The castle hosted Counts with brilliant personalities for the next two centuries, who served as the backbone of the Occitan resistance in the crusade against the Albigensians. The region developed as a favored haven for oppressed Cathars. Due to betrayal during the conflict between two Foix family branches, the frequently besieged citadel only once fell, in 1486. From the 15th century onwards, the castle served as the seat of the governor of Foix territory and kept the region safe, especially during the Wars of Religion. It was the only fortress in the area spared from the orders of destruction of Richelieu, 1632–1638. The stronghold functioned as a garrison up until the Revolution. The collections of the Ariège départemental museum have been kept at the castle since 1930. The history of Ariège is presented in sections on prehistory, Gallo-Roman, and mediaeval archaeology. In order to reproduce life of Foix during the reign of the Count, the museum is currently rearrangement displays to focus on the history of the castle site
[Information and Image Credit : Château_de_Foix, Wikipedia]
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In County Clare, Ireland, there is a castle called Dromoland Castle that is close to Newmarket-on-Fergus. Under the leadership of head chef Jean Baptiste Molinari, it is run as a five-star luxury hotel with a golf course and a Michelin star restaurant, the Earl of Thomond, which was granted in 1995. Before US citizen Bernard P. McDonough purchased Dromoland Castle in 1962, it belonged to the Baron Inchiquin family. Since then, a five-star hotel has been built out of it. Historic Hotels Worldwide counts the Dromoland Castle Hotel among its members. On Friday, June 26, 2004, US President George W. Bush stayed overnight at Dromoland Castle to attend the EU-US Summit hosted at the venue [Information and Image Credit : Dromoland_Castle, Wikipedia] [Wikipedia-Link : https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dromoland_Castle ] [Image : Entrance to Dromoland Castle; Wikipedia-Image Author : Srleffler at English Wikipedia] [The Work (Image) has been released into the public domain by its author, Srleffler at English Wikipedia. This applies worldwide. In some countries this may not be legally possible; if so: Srleffler grants anyone the right to use this work for any purpose, without any conditions, unless such conditions are required by law] [Wikipedia-Image-Source-Link : https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Dromoland_Castle.jpg ] #Castles#History
Located in the Polish town of Malbork, the 13th-century Castle of the Teutonic Order, also referred to as Malbork Castle, is a complex of castles. It is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and the largest castle in the world in terms of land area. It was first built as an Ordensburg stronghold and given the name Marienburg by the Teutonic Order, a German Catholic monastic order of crusaders. Bohemian mercenaries sold the fortress to King Casimir IV of Poland in 1457 during the Thirteen Years War, refusing to pay indemnities. After a few years of Swedish rule, it continued to serve as one of several Polish royal residences and the headquarters of Polish offices and institutions until the First Partition of Poland in 1772. After that, the castle was ruled by the Germans for more than 170 years, ending in 1945, though mostly neglected as military technology advancements reduced the castle to a historical landmark. Although there is disagreement on the exact time frame for building, most historians agree that it took place between the 132 years between 1274 and 1406. The castle was the largest brick castle in the world when it was completed in 1406, and it is a prime example of a medieval fortification. In December 1997, the Malbork Castle Museum and the Castle of the Teutonic Order were inducted as World Heritage Sites by UNESCO [Information and Image Credit : Malbork_Castle, Wikipedia] [Wikipedia-Link : https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Malbork_Castle ] [Image : View of Malbork Castle from the Nogat; Wikipedia-Image Author : Gregy] [Image Availed Under Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Poland License; (Please Relate to Individual Image URLs for More Usage Property and Sharing, Remixing or Attributing the Work)] [License-Link : https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/pl/deed.en ] [Wikipedia-Image-Source-Link : https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Zesp%C3%B3%C5%82_Zamku_Krzy%C5%BCackiego_MALBORK_01.jpg ] #Castles#History
The commune of Orschwiller in the Bas-Rhin département of Alsace, France, is home to the medieval castle known as Château du Haut-Koenigsbourg, or occasionally just Haut-Koenigsbourg. Situated in a strategically important location on a rocky spur overlooking the Upper Rhine Plain, in the Vosges mountains to the west of Sélestat, it was utilized by several nations from the Middle Ages until the Thirty Years War, when it was abandoned. Under orders of Wilhelm II, it was renovated between 1900 and 1908. It is now a popular tourist destination, drawing in over 500,000 tourists annually. The Frankish ruler Charlemagne first named the Buntsandstein cliff as Stofenberk in a deed dated to 774. It was then in ownership of the French Basilica of St. Denis and the location of a monastery, having been recertified in 854. When the original castle was constructed is unknown. But in 1147, the monks protested to King Louis VII of France against the illegal construction of a Burg Staufen by the Hohenstaufen Duke Frederick II of Swabia. In 1138, younger brother Conrad III of Frederick was crowned King of the Romans. Frederick Barbarossa, son of Frederick, succeeded him in 1152, and by 1192, the castle was known as Kinzburg. Frederick III, the Habsburg emperor, gave the Counts of Thierstein the castle ruins in fief in 1479, and they rebuilt it with a defense system appropriate for the new cannon available at the time. Following the death of the last Thierstein in 1517, the castle was transferred to the property of Maximilian I, the Habsburg emperor at the time. The Protestant Swedish armies besieged the Imperial stronghold in 1633, during the Thirty Years War, in which Catholic forces faced Protestant forces. The Swedish soldiers burnt and pillaged the castle after a 52-day siege. It was abandoned for several hundred years, during which time the ruins were overtaken by the woodland. The castle served as an inspiration to many romantic poets and artists throughout this period. The commune of Sélestat acquired the ruins three years after they were included on the monument historique of the Second French Empire list in 1862. The area became part of the German Imperial Territory of Alsace-Lorraine following the Franco-Prussian War of 1870–1871, and the people of that region gave Wilhelm II, the German emperor, what was left of the castle in 1899. Wilhelm wanted to build a castle that extolled the virtues of medieval Alsace. The period of work was 1900–1908. The renovated Hohkönigsburg was opened in front of the Emperor on May 13, 1908. A historic cortege entered the castle in an intricate re-enactment ceremony, all while it poured with rain [Information and Image Credit : Château_du_Haut-Koenigsbourg, Wikipedia] [Wikipedia-Link : https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ch%C3%A2teau_du_Haut-Koenigsbourg ] [Image : A view of the Black Forest and the Alsatian plain from the castle Wikipedia-Image Author : Drew de F Fawkes] [Image Availed Under Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Generic License; (Please Relate to Individual Image URLs for More Usage Property and Sharing, Remixing or Attributing the Work)] [License-Link : https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/deed.en ] [Wikipedia-Image-Source-Link : https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Ch%C3%A2teau_du_Haut-K%C5%93nigsbourg,_Alsace.jpg ] #Castles#History
Located in the French department of Eure, in Normandy, the medieval castle ruin known as Château Gaillard overlooks the Seine River above the commune of Les Andelys. It is around 40 kilometers from Rouen and 95 kilometers northwest of Paris. Under the patronage of Richard the Lionheart, the concurrent monarch of England and the feudal Duke of Normandy, construction got underway in 1196. Although building the castle was an expensive endeavor, the majority of the work was completed in an exceptionally short amount of time. It only took two years, during which the village of Petit Andely was built. The intricate and sophisticated architecture of Château Gaillard incorporates early concentric fortification ideas; it was also among the first castles in Europe to employ machicolations. With a keep in the inner enclosure, the castle is divided into three enclosures by dry moats. After an extended siege, Philip II, the King of France, took possession of Château Gaillard in 1204. David II of Scotland, who was banished, lived in the fortress around the middle of the fourteenth century. Throughout the Hundred Years War, the castle was owned by various different people. However, in 1449, the French monarch finally took Château Gaillard from the English king, and it stayed in French hands ever since. Château Gaillard was in ruins when Henry IV of France ordered its demolition in 1599 because it was thought to pose a threat to the safety of the local populace. The French Ministry of Culture lists the castle ruins as a monument historique. The outer baileys are open year-round, while the inner bailey is accessible to the public from March through November
[Information and Image Credit : Château_Gaillard, Wikipedia] [Wikipedia-Link : https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ch%C3%A2teau_Gaillard ] [Image : Inner bailey of Château Gaillard; Wikipedia-Image Author : Sylvain Verlaine] [Image Availed Under Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported License; (Please Relate to Individual Image URLs for More Usage Property and Sharing, Remixing or Attributing the Work)] [License-Link : https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/deed.en ] [Wikipedia-Image-Source-Link : https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Ch%C3%A2teau_Gaillard_(Les_Andelys),_vu_du_ciel.JPG ] #Castles#History
Castlerigg Stone Circle is located in the Lake District National Park in North West England, on a notable hill to the east of Keswick. It is one of about 1,300 stone circles found in the British Isles and Brittany. They were built as a part of a megalithic tradition that dates back to the Late Neolithic and Early Bronze Ages, roughly 3,200 BC to 2500 BC. Numerous archaeologists have praised Castlerigg and the surrounding countryside for its beauty and romanticism. Some of the tallest peaks in Cumbria, including Helvellyn, Skiddaw, Grasmoor, and Blencathra, can be seen from within the circle formed by this plateau, which is the elevated center of a natural amphitheater formed by the surrounding fells. The boulders were probably once a component of the glacial till deposit that Castle Rigg is situated on. A flattened circle holds the stones in place. The tallest stone is around 2.3 meters high, while the largest stone is estimated to weigh about 16 tons. Its northern margin has a 3.3 m wide opening that could have been an entrance. Like other stone circles in Britain, Castlerigg is said to contain an infinite number of stones; any attempt to count them will yield a new number each time. But perhaps this custom is not that far from the reality. Many smaller stones have appeared close to some of the larger stones as a result of soil erosion surrounding the stones brought on by the high volume of visitors to the monument. These small stones would have previously been hidden, as they were probably packing stones during the construction of the circle, supporting the larger stones. It is unknown what the initial intentions were when Castlerigg was built, what purposes it served afterwards, and whether these have evolved over time. According to current theory, Castlerigg was involved in the Neolithic Langdale axe trade on the surrounding Langdale fells; it is possible that the circle served as a hub for the exchange or trading of these axes. Stone axes that were deposited ritualistically have been discovered all throughout Britain, indicating that their applications were far more extensive than their useful lives. It might not have been feasible to trade or exchange stone axes without first taking part in a ceremonial or ritual [Information and Image Credit : Castlerigg_stone_circle, Wikipedia] [Wikipedia-Link : https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Castlerigg_stone_circle ] [Image : Castlerigg Stone Circle; Wikipedia-Image Author : NickW] [Image Availed Under Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported; (Please Relate to Individual Image URLs for More Usage Property and Sharing, Remixing or Attributing the Work)] [License-Link : https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/deed.en ] [Wikipedia-Image-Source-Link : https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Castlerigg_Stone_Circle.JPG ] #History#Architecture
Situated on the southeast border of the Sperrin Mountains, 8.5 miles northwest of Cookstown in County Tyrone, Northern Ireland, lies the complex of early Bronze Age megalithic monuments, stone circles, and cairns known as Beaghmore. The name, which represents the fact that the region was a woodland before being removed by Neolithic farmers, is thought to have come from Irish a Bheitheach Mhór, which means Big Place of Birch Trees. Carbon dating has been used to date hearths and flint tool deposits found at this site between 2900 and 2600 BC. There are multiple stone rows that cross the collapsed walls of Neolithic field constructions. There are twelve cairns, ten stone rows, and seven low stone circles of varying sizes, six of which are paired. The circles, which have a diameter of ten to twenty meters, are connected to past burial cairns, and stone row alignments point in their direction. The deformed rings and small size of the stones—few above 0.5 meters tall—indicate that they may be connected to the kerbs that encircle some megalithic tombs. The high and low arrangement of the stone rows, with short rows of tall stones running beside much longer rows of little stones, is a common feature. From the rings, the stone rows extend in an approximately northeastern direction. It is believed that the stones may have been raised in reaction to declining soil fertility and the intrusion of peat. Excavation has revealed that the site overlooks a Neolithic agriculture site. [Information and Image Credit : Beaghmore, Wikipedia] [Wikipedia-Link : https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beaghmore ] [Image : A stone circle at Beaghmore; Wikipedia-Image Author : Wax0nightmare] [Image Availed Under Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 International License; (Please Relate to Individual Image URLs for More Usage Property and Sharing, Remixing or Attributing the Work)] [License-Link : https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/deed.en ] [Wikipedia-Image-Source-Link : https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:A_stone_circle_at_Beaghmore..jpg ] #History#Architecture
Situated some 50 km southwest of Paris in the Île-de-France area of northern France, the town of Rambouillet in the Yvelines department is home to the Château de Rambouillet. From 1896 until 2009, it served as the summer house of the presidents of French Republic. The Centre des monuments nationaux currently oversees its upkeep. Originally built as a fortified estate in 1368, the château still has its pentagonal bastioned footprint even after losing its eastern wing during reign of Napoleon. On March 31, 1547, King Francis I passed away there—possibly in the grand medieval tower that bears his name. King Louis XVI acquired the château in 1783 as a private property, extending his hunting grounds, from his cousin, the duc de Penthièvre. The estate of Rambouillet was turned into a bien national, or national property, during the French Revolution. The contents of the chateau were removed, and the adjacent park and gardens were neglected. Rambouillet was listed on the liste civile of Napoleon I during his rule. Rambouillet was once more listed on the royal liste civile during the Bourbon Restoration. Following the overthrow of Napoleon III in 1870 and the ensuing establishment of the French Third Republic, the duc de la Trémoille leased the domain of Rambouillet from 1870 until 1883. [Information and Image Credit : Château_de_Rambouillet, Wikipedia] [Wikipedia-Link : https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ch%C3%A2teau_de_Rambouillet ] [Image : View of the château from its formal French garden ; Wikipedia-Image Author : Trougnouf (Benoit Brummer)] [Image Availed Under Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 International License; (Please Relate to Individual Image URLs for More Usage Property and Sharing, Remixing or Attributing the Work)] [License-Link : https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/deed.en ] [Wikipedia-Image-Source-Link : https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Ch%C3%A2teau_de_Rambouillet_(DSC_7006).jpg ] #Castles#History
In County Meath, Ireland, close to Oldcastle, lies a historically significant location known as Loughcrew or Lough Crew. Perched atop a range of hills, it is home to a collection of prehistoric tombs dating back to the fourth millennium BC, some of which are embellished with unique megalithic art. Slieve na Calliagh, the combination of the hills and tombs, is the highest point in Meath. It is a designated National Monument and one of the four principal passage tomb cemeteries of Ireland. The Loughcrew Estate, which gives the area its name, is also located there. At Loughcrew, there exist the remnants of around twenty ancient tombs. It is among the four primary passage tomb cemeteries in Ireland, with Carrowmore, Carrowkeel, and Brú na Bóinne. Four hilltops—Carnbane East, Carnbane West, Carrickbrack, and Patrickstown Hill—are home to the megalithic monuments. Together, these hills and the tombs are referred to as Slieve na Calliagh, which translates to Mountain of the Cailleach, the mythological hag of Ireland. According to legend, the monuments were made when a gigantic hag lost her load of big stones from her apron when she was walking across the area. Although a thorough dating procedure has not been carried out there, the approximate age of the monuments is 3300 BC. The monuments are made up of cruciform chambers that were formerly all covered in mounds. There are petroglyphs in a distinctive style that include circles, some encircled by radiating lines, and lozenge and leaf patterns. The native green gritstone, which was sufficiently pliable to be carved, is typically used for the orthostats and structural stones of the monuments. According to Irish legend, damaging or disrespecting such tombs is unlucky and may result in a curse. Nonetheless, security patrols have been implemented and a few of the Loughcrew tombs have been the target of graffiti vandalism. [Information and Image Credit : Loughcrew, Wikipedia] [Wikipedia-Link : https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Loughcrew ] [Image : Cairn S and Cairn T; Wikipedia-Image Author : Rob Hurson] [Image Availed Under Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 International License; (Please Relate to Individual Image URLs for More Usage Property and Sharing, Remixing or Attributing the Work)] [License-Link : https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/deed.en ] [Wikipedia-Image-Source-Link : https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Cairns_S(%3F)_and_T,_Loughcrew.jpg ] #History#Architecture
Of the several prehistoric hill forts in County Galway, Aran Islands of Ireland, Dún Aonghasa is the most well-known. Situated near the brink of a 100-meter-tall cliff, it is Inis Mór. Dún Aonghasa is a well-known tourist destination and a significant archaeological site. According to excavations at the site, the first enclosure was formed in 1100 BC when massive upright stones were stacked on top of rubble. The triple wall fortifications were most likely built along the western side of the fort circa 500 BC. Its name, Fort of Aonghas, may allude to the mythical ruler Aonghus mac Úmhór or to the pre-Christian god of the same name mentioned in Irish mythology. For this reason, it has historically been connected to the Fir Bolg. The fort was constructed on a steep cliff around 100 meters above sea level and is made up of four concentric walls made of dry stone. Sea levels were far lower when it was built, and according to a recent Radio Telefis Eireann broadcast, it was previously situated 1000 meters above sea level. At certain places, the remaining stonework is four meters broad. Its original shape was either round or D-shaped, but the fort and cliff have subsequently collapsed into the sea, exposing sections of their structure. A defensive system of stone slabs, called a cheval de frise, is located outside the third ring of walls. It is still mainly intact and is positioned in an upright position in the ground. There is also a massive rectangular stone slab in these ruins; its purpose is uncertain. The outermost wall of Dún Aonghasa is impressively huge among prehistoric ruins, enclosing an area of about 6 hectares
[Information and Image Credit : Dún_Aonghasa, Wikipedia]
[Wikipedia-Link : https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/D%C3%BAn_Aonghasa ]
[Image : Cheval de Frise on the West Side of Dún Aonghasa; Wikipedia-Image Author : Tuoermin]
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In County Cavan of Ireland, Castle Saunderson is a castle close to Belturbet. Now in ruins, it served as the ancestral home of Saunderson family. The Finn River enters a tiny channel of Upper Lough Erne on the northeastern side of the Castle Saunderson Demesne. The little hamlet of Wattlebridge, located in the south-southeast of County Fermanagh, is approximately 0.5 miles west of the castle. Situated on the castle grounds, the Castle Saunderson International Scouting Centre is a Scouting Ireland institution that opened its doors in 2012. The center offers 34 acres of campground space in addition to interior accommodations. For the most of the year, it is accessible to both non-Scouts and Scouts alike. Together with the Cairo International Scout Center in Egypt and other locations, it serves as a World Scouting Center for the Boy Scouts. During the Plantation of Ulster, the Saunderson family acquired the original castle. The current castle was built in 1840 and was destroyed in fire in 1990 [Information and Image Credit : Castle_Saunderson, Wikipedia] [Wikipedia-Link : https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Castle_Saunderson ] [Image : Castle Saunderson ; Wikipedia-Image Author : C.A. Saunderson] [Image Availed Under Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported License; (Please Relate to Individual Image URLs for More Usage Property and Sharing, Remixing or Attributing the Work)] [License-Link : https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/deed.en ] [Wikipedia-Image-Source-Link : https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Castle_saunderson.jpg ] #Castles#History
William the Conqueror built Lincoln Castle, a significant medieval fortress, in Lincoln, England, in the late eleventh century on the site of an earlier Roman garrison. The castle features two mottes, which makes it unique. There are just two such castles in the nation; the other is located in Lewes of East Sussex. One of the better-preserved castles in England, Lincoln Castle was used as a jail and court to the present day. The Crown Courts are still housed there. The most of the week, it is accessible to the general public. From there, one may stroll around the walls and take in views of the surrounding countryside, the city, the cathedral, and the castle complex. One of the four remaining examples of the 1215 Magna Carta is on display at the castle. Lincolnshire County Council currently owns the castle, which is classified as a scheduled monument. Following his victory over Harold Godwinson and the English at the Battle of Hastings on October 14, 1066, William the Conqueror encountered opposition to his reign in the northern regions of England. William had a very precarious job for several years. He built several significant castles in the North and Midlands of England, notably those at Cambridge, Huntingdon, Lincoln, Nottingham, Warwick, and York, in an effort to project his power northward and subdue the Danelaw people. William arrived in Lincoln to discover a Viking trading and commercial hub with 6,000–8,000 residents. An excellent strategic location for building a new castle was provided by the remnants of the ancient Roman walled fortification of Lindum Colonia, which overlooked the surrounding countryside to the south and west. In 1068, construction on the new fortification was finished. It is likely that a wooden stronghold was initially built, but a much stronger stone keep eventually took its place. Lincoln Castle is unique in that it has two mottes; the only other extant example of this type of design is located at Lewes. Part of the Roman wall was preserved as a curtain wall and part of it as a revetment holding the mottes in place to the south, where it is perched on the brink of a steep slope. The Roman wall was buried behind an earth rampart and extended upward to build the Norman castle wall in the west, where the land is more level
[Information and Image Credit : Lincoln_Castle, Wikipedia]
[Wikipedia -Link : https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lincoln_Castle ] [Image : Eastward view of Lincoln Cathedral overlooking Lincoln Castle. At the upper right, the Westgate Water Tower is not a component of the castle. Wikipedia-Image-Author: Karen Roe]
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#Castles#History
Situated in the Santa Maria da Feira area of Aveiro, the Castle of Santa Maria da Feira is a Portuguese castle. Having played a key role in the Reconquista and the independence of County of Portugal, the Castle of Santa Maria da Feira, a symbol of Portuguese medieval military architecture, is among the sites that most accurately illustrate the variety of defenses employed throughout the Middle Ages. Since 1910, it has been recognized as a national monument. According to local legend, an indigenous temple honoring the local deity Bandeve-Lugo Toiraeco formerly stood where the Castle of Feira now stands. The temple was eventually converted into a Marian shrine. While Roman occupation from the early empire is confirmed by tombstones and other remnants found in the defensive region, the connection to other temples is not confirmed. There was a Roman route Olissipo-Bracara Augusta near this location, which connected Braga and Lisbon, respectively. Alfonso III of León established the administrative and military territory known as Terra de Santa Maria in the middle of the ninth century, and he built its defenses in the nearby military castle at Civitas Sanctae Mariae. The stronghold served as a forward station against the southern Arab incursions during the Christian Reconquista for many years. Following successive invasions, the governors Mem Guterres and Mem Lucídio, devised a massive plan to rebuild the castle and develop the Terra de Santa Maria property. In recognition only the judges, magistrates, and councilmen of Lisbon were granted the title of Honra de Infanções, an honor which was eventually bestowed upon the populace by the Leonese kings. The Chronica Gothorum, which dates the construction of the inferior part of the keep, makes the first mention of a built structure in this location dating back to the eleventh century. One of largest fairs of Portugal was held in Feira starting in 1117, and this event eventually gave the town its name. The fair was set up beneath the shadow of the castle
[Information and Image Credit : Castle_of_Santa_Maria_da_Feira, Wikipedia]
[Wikipedia-Link : https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Castle_of_Santa_Maria_da_Feira ]
[Image : Constructed upon the ancient Roman fortress, the castle with its formidable walls]
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#Castles#History
The medieval Castle of Almourol is located in Centre Region of Portugal, 4 kilometers from Vila Nova da Barquinha, the municipal capital, atop the islet of Almourol in the middle of the Tagus River. The castle served as a bastion during the Portuguese Reconquista and was a part of the defensive line under the administration of the Knights Templar. The base of the castle is thought to have been a rudimentary Lusitanian castro that the Romans eventually overran in the first century BCE. It is unclear when the current fortress was built, although it was later altered by other invaders, such as the Visigoths, Alans, and Arabs. Numerous artifacts from the Roman era, such as coins, millennium marks, and Roman foundations, were uncovered during excavations conducted in the interior and external enclosures. In the area of the castle, medieval artifacts, including two marble columns and medallions, were also found. One of the most famous examples of the medieval military architecture during Reconquista is the fortress of Almourol, which also serves as a prime illustration of the influence of the Templars in Portugal. It was known as Almorolan before it was taken over in 1129 by armies loyal to the Portuguese nobility. Gualdim Pais, the leader of the Portuguese branch, then took control of it and renovated the building. An inscription over the main gate states that the building was rebuilt beginning in 1171 and renovated throughout the reigns that followed. The castle lost its strategic location and was left to decay. It was reimagined in the 19th century by idealistic romanticists, which ultimately prompted interventions in the 1940s and 1950s and the conversion of the castle into the Official Residence of the Portuguese Republic
[Information and Image Credit : Castle_of_Almourol, Wikipedia]
[Wikipedia-Link : https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Castle_of_Almourol ]
[Image: A view of the castle from the small gully that divides the Tagus River islet of Almourol ; Wikipedia Image-Author : Daniel Feliciano] [Image Availed Under Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 2.5 Generic License; (Please Relate to Individual Image URLs for More Usage Property and Sharing, Remixing or Attributing the Work)] [License-Link : https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.5/deed.en ]
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The Wartburg is a mediaeval castle that was first constructed. In the German state of Thuringia, where it is perched 410 meters southwest of Eisenach and provides a view over the town below. St. Elisabeth of Hungary lived there, Martin Luther translated the New Testament into German there, while the Wartburg festival took place there in 1817, and it was rumored to have been the location of the fictitious Sängerkrieg. Ludwig II found great inspiration in it when he made the decision to construct Neuschwanstein Castle. After Weimar, Wartburg is the most popular tourist destination in Thuringia. The majority of the interior of the castle was built in the 19th century, despite the fact that it still has many historical structures from the 12th through the 15th centuries. Due to its historical and religious importance as well as its classic medieval architecture, Wartburg Castle was added to the UNESCO World Heritage List in 1999. The German word for watchtower, Warte, is most likely whence the castle got its name. Louis the Springer, a Thuringian count of Schauenburg and a cousin of the Counts of Rieneck in Franconia, laid the foundation of the castles in or about 1067. The Wartburg protected the farthest reaches of his ancestral lands, together with its bigger sister castle Neuenburg in the modern town of Freyburg. Louis the Springer would swear that the castle was built on his land because it is reported that he had clay from his lands brought to the top of the hill, which was not quite within his lands. The Palas, the largest building of the Wartburg, was first constructed between 1157 and 1170 in the late Romanesque style. Located north of the Alps, it is regarded as the best-preserved non-ecclesial Romanesque structure. The Palas has chambers with ancient architecture that have been restored as closely as possible to the original Romanesque style, such as the Speisesaal and the Rittersaal. Nonetheless, a large number of the rooms primarily capture the style of the 19th and 20th centuries as well as the popular perception of the Middle Ages at the period [Information Credit : Wartburg, Wikipedia] [Wikipedia-Link : https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wartburg ] [Image Credit : List_of_castles_in_Germany, Wikipedia] [Wikipedia-Link : https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_castles_in_Germany ] [Image Availed Under Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported license; (Please Relate to Individual Image URL for More Usage Property)] [License-Link : https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/deed.en ] [Wikipedia-Source-Image URL : https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Wartburg2004.JPG ] #History#Architecture#Castles
Located near Lassay-les-Châteaux in the department of Mayenne, the Château de Lassay is a 15th-century castle. A castrum was first recorded in Lassay in the twelfth century. Charles de Vendôme owned the castle at the start of the 15th century, but French forces destroyed it because he sided with the English during the Hundred Years War. Charles VII of France gave his son Jean II permission to create a castle in 1458. Jean II was the son of Charles de Vendôme. The new castle was finished in a single year. In 1497–1498, the barbican was constructed. Since then, the various proprietors of the castle have managed to keep most of the original 15th-century building intact. Since 1862, the castle has been recognized as a historic monument. From April through September, it is accessible to tourists
[Information and Image Credit : Château_de_Lassay, Wikipedia]
[Wikipedia-Link : https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ch%C3%A2teau_de_Lassay ]
[Image : Castle View from the town; Wikipedia-Image Author : Romain Bréget]
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#History#Architecture#Castles
Built between 1888 and 1892 on a contract from Baron Gustavius Eugenius Leo Maria Gislainus de Vrière, Zellaer Castle is located north of the center of Bonheiden. Mechelen-based architect Heugenbaarts drew out the blueprints. White sandstone from the destroyed Vilvoorde forts was utilized to construct the structure. It had to be transported by horse and cart for the farmers who relied on Zellaer. It is said by tradition to be a scaled-down replica of a castle on the Loire. No proof of this has yet to emerge. There are multiple broad moats in the park including a ring moat encircling the neo-Gothic castle. The structure currently houses a contemplation center. This location was the location of an existing castle at the time of building. It is possible that canon Arnold van Zellaer was the initial owner and that Wouter Berthout, the lord of Mechelen, was the client. The notification of the October 20, 1836, public sale still has a description of this original structure. Very old foundations were unearthed when this old castle was being dismantled. These resemble a medieval castle because they were constructed atop wooden piles that were driven into the ground; they may even be from the thirteenth century
[Information and Image Credit : Kasteel_van_Zellaer, Wikipedia]
[Wikipedia-Link : https://nl.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kasteel_van_Zellaer ]
[Image : The facade of the castle in 2019; Wikipedia-Image Author : Paul Hermans]
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#History#Architecture#Castles
The Swiss canton of Vaud contains the castle known as Lucens Castle, which is located in the Lucens municipality. It is a nationally significant Swiss heritage site. Because of its advantageous location, the castle was able to maintain control over the Broye Valley, a crucial transit route. The Bishop of Lausanne lived there from the Middle Ages until 1536, when it was used as a means of governing his estate in the Broye Valley. The fortress was periodically destroyed and rebuilt in the 12th century. In 1476, the Swiss Confederation demolished it. Bern took control of the valley and the surrounding area in 1536. At the same time, it became the capital of a bailiwick based in Bern. The Moudon vogt took their residence at the castle in 1542. Between 1579 and 1586, it was expanded, and it functioned as a fortification and arsenal on the Fribourg frontier. After the Bernese were driven out, the Canton of Léman was established in 1798. Soon after, Canton acquired ownership of the castle and sold it to private buyers in 1801. It was transformed into a Swiss Reformed institute for girls in 1925. It is currently privately owned and served as the headquarters of Conan Doyle Foundation from 1965 until 1970
[Information and Image Credit : Lucens_Castle, Wikipedia]
[Wikipedia-Link : https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lucens_Castle ]
[Image : Lucens Castle; Image was provided to Wikimedia Commons by Roland Zumbühl of Picswiss]
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#History#Architecture#Castles
Situated in the Italian town of Gradara, Marche, lies the ancient fortress known as the Gradara Castle. It is the towering structure, shielded by two walls, the outermost of which stretches for over 800 meters. The nighttime vista of the fortress and the medieval settlement underneath it is quite spectacular. One of the most popular tourist destinations in the area, the castle hosts musical and artistic museum activities. Due to its strategic location, Gradara has always been a hub for trade and people. In the Middle Ages, the stronghold served as a major battleground for conflicts between papal forces and the volatile Marche and Romagna families. Gradara is a remarkable urban and architectural mix, perched at 142 meters above sea level with the Republic of San Marino, Rimini, and Carpegna in the background. According to legend, the castle played host to the well-known and tragic tale of Paolo and Francesca, who were assassinated by Gianciotto, husband of Francesca, while they were in arms of each other. Dante immortalized this love tale in his Divine Comedy. The Gradara Castle was constructed sometime in the eleventh and fifteenth centuries. Its past is deeply entwined with the notorious conflicts between the Montefeltro and Malatesta dynasties. Only after the Sforza family took ownership of the castle did this protracted dispute come to an end. But Dante stepped in with his Divine Comedy, using the castle as the setting for the story of Paolo and Francesca and turning it into a symbol of love forever [Information and Image Credit : Gradara_Castle, Wikipedia] [Wikipedia-Link : https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gradara_Castle ] [Image : Gradara Castle ; Wikipedia-Image-Author : Enrico90p] [The copyright holder of the work (Image), release the work into the public domain. This applies worldwide; In some countries this may not be legally possible; if so: the copyright holder grants anyone the right to use this work for any purpose, without any conditions, unless such conditions are required by law. ] [Wikipedia-Source-Image-Link : https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Gradara.jpg ] #History#Architecture#Castles
Perched on the highest of seven hills of Bamberg in southern Germany, the Altenburg castle commands a commanding view of the town below. It was established as early as 1109 and is situated in the Bavarian area of Upper Franconia. Although it is most likely that the Altenburg was constructed on the site of an earlier palisade castle, it was first mentioned in 1109. The castle was purchased by the Bamberg Fürstbischöfe, sovereign bishops of the city, in 1251. It served as the bishop-home from 1305 to 1553. The fortress was destroyed by fire in 1553 as part of the Second Margrave War, which was led by Albert Alcibiades, Margrave of Brandenburg-Kulmbach. Following then, the castle was utilized as a jail for a while. Adalbert Friedrich Marcus, a physician from Bamberg, purchased the dilapidated castle in 1801, rebuilding it from the ground up. During the years 1808 to 1813, the writer E. T. A. Hoffmann, who was acquainted with Marcus, often spent extended periods of time in one of the wall towers due to his strong attraction to the castle. Public tours of the castle are available nowadays. The Restaurant Altenburg is another eatery within the castle. In addition, the restaurant oversees the operation of the so-called Knights Hall, which is primarily utilized for celebrations and weddings
[Information and Image Credit : Altenburg_(Bamberg), Wikipedia]
[Wikipedia-link : https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Altenburg_(Bamberg) ]
[Image : Altenburg Castle, seen from the South]
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#History#Architecture#Castles
In Lower Engadin, Graubünden, next to erstwhile municipality of Tarasp, sits the castle known as Tarasp Castle. It is a nationally significant Swiss heritage site. Most likely constructed in the eleventh century, Tarasp Castle may have been constructed as early as the tenth. The term Wild Earth, Terra Aspera, may allude to the recently discovered areas in the Inn River Valley. By 1089, when Ulrich von Tarasp was named in a papal mandate addressed to the Bishop of Chur, they had taken on the name of the fortress. As part of their plan to establish a barony in the hitherto deserted high alpine valley, the family established Scuol Monastery at the same time as Marienberg Abbey. At this point, the castle was made up of a chapel with a bell tower that doubled as a guard tower, and a ring wall. A ring wall, a portion of the chapel, and its bell tower served as the initial defenses of the site. West of the chapel, a massive palas with walls two meters thick was constructed in the thirteenth century, and it eventually became the heart of castle. It is likely that the residential wings date back to the 13th century as well. The castle was attacked multiple times and burnt twice throughout the 16th and 17th century. Throughout those years, numerous reconstructions and renovations were made to the dwelling wings in particular. The lower floors received wood decorations, new windows pierced through the rock walls, and vaulted ceilings. The chapel has been incorporated within the castle-ring-wall. Only remnants of the 12th-century paintings that adorned the apse still survive. In the seventeenth century, the interior was refurbished. The freestanding bell tower was most likely constructed as a watchtower and church tower combined. It has a five-story height with an ornate Baroque onion dome on top. To defend the castle from attacks, the two half towers and the zwinger, or outer courtyard, were most likely constructed in the sixteenth century. The castle underwent renovations in 1714–1715 and Iin1732. The outer walls are coated with white plaster and adorned with late fifteenth-century coats of arms. Although they have since faded, these paintings were still visible in 1900. A handful, though, have recently undergone restoration efforts [Information and Image Credit : Tarasp_Castle, Wikipedia] [Wikipedia-Link : https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tarasp_Castle ] [Image : Tarasp village and castle; Wikipedia-Image-Author : Roland Zumbühl] [Image Availed Under Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported license; (Please Relate to Individual Image URL for More Usage Property)] [License-Link : https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/deed.en ] [Wikipedia-Image-Source-Link: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Tarasp-03.jpg ] #History#Architecture#Castles
The largest fortified building in Trentino-Alto Adige is Castel Beseno. Situated inside the borders of the municipality of Besenello of Trento province Italy, it serves as one of the locations for the museum complex of Provincial Museum of the Castello del Buonconsiglio. Large rooms, strong doors, bastions, courtyards, imposing walls, dungeons and cisterns, and a plethora of frescoes may all be found within. Views of the entire Vallagarina and the Rio Cavallo below are available. The castle hosts cultural and tourism events during the summer. From the center of Besenello, it is accessible. From the summit of the hill, one has always had access to the valley that leads to Folgaria and control over the entire Vallagarina below. The first known details about this fortification date back to the 12th century, when the Da Besenos, a family of their vassals, lived there as a fief of the counts of Appiano. After a fire in the 1500s, it was reconstructed and refurbished, transforming its appearance from a medieval castle to a home while keeping its status as a well-armed defensive stronghold. The turbulence did not end so soon: in fact, at the end of the eighteenth century, it was once again the target of a bloody siege by troops of Napoleon, who were ultimately defeated after days of siege by a column of Austrian troops arriving in defense of Castel Beseno. Despite the massive deployment, they were unable to prevail. Subsequently, the castle experienced a lengthy period of decline due to the more tranquil political environment, which diminished the necessity of this defensive edifice. Eventually, the castle was abandoned during the nineteenth century. The elliptical construction, which was reconstructed in the latter half of the 20th century, spans the full summit of the limestone hill and is 250 meters long and roughly 50 meters wide [Information and Image Credit : Castel_Beseno, Wikipedia] [Wikipedia-Link : https://it.wikipedia.org/wiki/Castel_Beseno ] [Image : The south-eastern side of Castel Beseno seen from the panoramic point near the hamlet of Serrada in the municipality of Folgaria; Wikipedia-Image-Author : Matteo Ianeselli ] [Image Availed Under Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported license; (Please Relate to Individual Image URL for More Usage Property)] [License-Link : https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/deed.it ] [Wikipedia-Image-Source-Link: https://it.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Calliano-Castel_Beseno_from_Folgaria-southeast.jpg ] #History#Architecture#Castles
Architecturally similar to the Scottish tower house, Doe Castle, also known as Caisleán na dTuath, was the ancient stronghold of Clan tSuibhne and was located close to Creeslough in County Donegal of Ireland. One of the better fortalices in the northwest of Ireland, it was constructed in the early 15th century. With a moat carved out of the rock on the landward side, the castle is situated on a small peninsula that is encircled by water on three sides. The building is mostly made up of tall exterior walls encircling a four-story tower-house, or keep, inside a bawn. The Quinn family most likely constructed Doe Castle around 1420, although the gallowglass MacSweeney family had acquired ownership of it by the 1440s. For nearly 200 years, the castle was held by a Clan Sweeney branch, but King James VI and I took control of it when the MacSweeneys rebelled against him. During the Plantation of Ulster on March 7, 1613, the king gave Sir John Davies, the Attorney-General for Ireland, the castle and other estates. Sir John sold the castle to Captain John Sandford, an English settler from Shropshire, on December 31, 1614. During the Wars of the Three Kingdoms, Owen Roe ONeill led the Ulster Army of the Irish Confederate armies, returning there in 1642. Throughout the English and Irish struggle for dominance of Ireland in the 17th century, the castle was owned by different people on multiple occasions. It is known that the castle was occupied by Sir Charles Coote, the Governor of Londonderry, in 1650. In the end, Sir George Vaughan Hart purchased the castle, and his family lived there until 1843. After being taken over by the Land Commission in 1932, the castle was designated a national monument in 1934 and purchased by the Office of Public Works. In the 1990s, the tower house of the castle received extensive repair
[Information and Image Credit : Doe_Castle, Wikipedia]
[Wikipedia-Link : https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Doe_Castle ]
[Image : Doe Castle from the front, featuring Towerhouse and Bawn Walls; Wikipedia-Image-Author : Seamus mcmonagle]
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[Wikipedia-Image-Source-Link : https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Doe_Castle,_Donegal.jpg ]
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Located in Alcántara, Extremadura, Spain, the Alcántara Bridge is a Roman bridge. The Roman emperor Trajan issued an order in 98 AD to construct the stone arch bridge across the Tagus River between 104 and 106 AD. Over the years, fighting has caused more damage to the Alcántara Bridge than environmental factors. One of the tiniest arches was demolished in 1214, but it was reconstructed using stone from the original quarries centuries later, in 1543. Charles III rebuilt the second arch on the northwest side in 1762 after it had been destroyed in 1760, but it was demolished once more in 1809. Although some bridge repairs were performed temporarily in 1819, the bridge was severely damaged once more in 1836. 1860 saw the reconstruction of the bridge using mortared brickwork. And in 1969, the main pillars were fully restored after the José María de Oriol Dam was finished, allowing the Tagus riverbed to be drained. The province of Lusitania was an old Roman province where the bridge was built. Known as opus pontis, or bridge labor, the expenses of constructing and maintaining bridges fell under the purview of several local towns in ancient Rome. Their shared expenses demonstrate that Roman bridges belonged to the area as a whole, not just to a particular town. The cost of constructing the Alcántara Bridge in Portugal was borne by twelve local communities. The inscription on the arches over the center pier was updated with their names
[Information and Image Credit : Alcántara_Bridge, Wikipedia]
[Wikipedia-Link : https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alc%C3%A1ntara_Bridge ]
[Image : Alcántara_Bridge; Wikipedia-Image-Author : Alonso de Mendoza]
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The Niedzica Castle, also called Dunajec Castle, is situated near Niedzica, in the southernmost region of Poland. It was built by Kokos of Brezovica between 1320 and 1326 on the site of an old stronghold encircled by clay walls in the Pieniny highlands. Measuring from the center of the dam on Lake Czorsztyn, the Niedzica Castle is located 300 meters upstream from the mouth of the Dunajec River, at an elevation of 566 meters. The best place to see the silhouette of Niedzica Castle is from the Czorsztyn Castle ruins across the lake. Numerous books have this castle on their covers because it is regarded as one of the most gorgeous in the nation. Since the fourteenth century, the castle has played a significant role in Polish-Hungarian ties. It was the location of a 1412 agreement requiring the return of funds granted to Sigismund, the king of Hungary, by the Polish monarch. The 16 Spiš towns that Sigismund had handed the Polish monarch as collateral were returned once the loan was repaid. The castle served as a border station with Hungary for many years. At Niedzica an agreement was made to turn the area into a protectorate of Poland during the Turkish invasion five centuries prior. With family rights dating back to 1325, Kokos, a Hungarian from Brezovica, built the castle. It was acquired by the noble Zápolya family in 1470. But in 1528, John Zápolya, who was vying for the Hungarian throne, gave up the entire county, including the castle, and William Drugeth acquired it in exchange for his backing. It was acquired by Hieronim Łaski and his son Olbracht sixty years later. Ján Horváth purchased the castle from Plaveč around the end of the 16th century. The castle had numerous renovations from its succeeding owners in the fifteenth, sixteenth, eighteenth, and early nineteenth centuries. The last Hungarian occupants left in 1943, when the Salamon family decided to leave because to the approaching German front in World War II. Two years before the Red Army marched in, the last countess departed with her kids. Under the direction of the Polish Ministry of Culture, the final reconstruction of the castle was finished in 1963. Since then, it has operated as a history museum
[Information and Image Credit : Niedzica_Castle, Wikipedia]
[Wikipedia-Link : https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Niedzica_Castle ]
[Image : Niedzica Castle at Lake Czorsztyn ; Wikipedia-Image-Author : Zygmunt Put Zetpe0202]
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#Castles#History#Architecture
In the Canton of Aargau, Switzerland, there is a castle called Lenzburg Castle that is situated above the historic town of Lenzburg. It is amongst the most significant and ancient of the castles of Switzerland. Slightly more than 250 meters in circumference, the nearly round castle hill rises roughly 100 meters above the surrounding plain. The Lenzburg Counts constructed the castle in the eleventh century as their seat, and those are the oldest portions of the structure. The castle, along with its historical museum and the castle hill containing Neolithic burial mounds, are recognized as nationally significant heritage monuments. Prehistoric people had already settled on the noticeable hill. For instance, in the parking lot in 1959, a Neolithic cemetery was discovered. Small finds from the Roman and Alemannic periods have also been made. A tale claims that two knights, Wolfram and Guntram, vanquished a dragon that was formerly housed in a cave on a mountainside. The two Counts of Lenzburg were made grateful by the people, who also granted them permission to erect a castle atop the hill. A document from 1036 mentions an Ulrich, Count of Aargau. He oversaw the abbeys of Schänis and Beromünster and served as the Vogt of the Emperor in Zürich. In 1077, grandson of Ulrich, also Ulrich, assumed the role of emperor in the Investiture Controversy and imprisoned two Papal legates for half a year, marking the first official mention of the castle-existence. With strong ties to the emperor, the Counts of Lenzburg were at that time some of the most significant feudal lords on the Swiss Plateau. But in 1173, the line ended. Ulrich IV, the last Count of Lenzburg, bequeathed his personal heir, Emperor Friedrich I Barbarossa, because the two had served together on the Second Crusade. The emperor visited Lenzburg Castle and oversaw the distribution of the estate personally, granting the Count Palatine Otto of Burgundy, his son, the majority of the territory. But death of Otto in 1200 meant that the Hohenstaufen family had to leave the Aargau. By marriage, the Counts of Kyburg acquired Lenzburg Castle in approximately 1230 through two nearby noble houses, Andechs-Merania and Châlon. The town of Lenzburg was thereafter established as a fortified market settlement at the western foot of the castle hill [Information Credit : Lenzburg_Castle, Wikipedia] [Wikipedia-Link : https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lenzburg_Castle ] [Image : The Lenzburg Castle on Top of a Hill ; Image-Credit : Lukas Feldmann, Pexels; (Please Relate to Individual Image URL for More Usage Property)] [Image Source-Link : https://www.pexels.com/photo/the-lenzburg-castle-on-top-of-a-hill-5653452/ ] #Castles#History#Architecture
The High Middle Ages saw the construction of Bürresheim Castle in the Eifel, which was later transformed into a notable residential complex during the Baroque era. Because of its current level of preservation, it is regarded as a remarkable testament to Rhenish aristocracy and residential life. It was once the capital of a tiny imperial lordship. Constructed as a fortress in the twelfth century, Bürresheim Castle was initially recorded in 1157 alongside its proprietors. The complex took on its current form only in the fifteenth century, however it still seems like a closed whole. There used to be two totally separate, unconnected, and differing sized complexes with only the 12th-century Romanesque keep in common. Two neck ditches and curtain walls previously protected Bürresheim Castle. Only a small portion of the curtain walls are still visible because the latter have already filled in. The oldest structure in the palace complex is the nearly square keep. It is now reachable via a 17th-century baroque staircase that was formerly only accessible through a lofty entryway. The apartment of gatekeeper was located on the fifth story and was most likely added upon in the fifteenth century. From the complex building, there is an ideal view of the transition from the castle to the palace. Situated on a rocky spur near the mouth of the Nitzbach and Nette, northwest of Mayen, the castle is owned by the local community of Sankt Johann in Rhineland-Palatinate. Bürresheim Castle, together with Eltz Castle and Lissingen Castle, is one of the few aristocratic homes in the Eifel that has escaped destruction and conquest. It has withstood the conflicts of the 17th and 18th centuries as well as the social unrest brought on by the French Revolution. Being situated on the boundary between the two ecclesiastical electorates of Cologne and Trier had a significant influence on its history
[Information and Image Credit : Schloss_Bürresheim, Wikipedia]
[Wikipedia-Link : https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Schloss_B%C3%BCrresheim ]
[Image : Bürresheim Castle, Aerial view (2014); Wikipedia-Image-Author : skyscraper] [Image Availed Under Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 International License; (Please Relate to Individual Image URL for More Usage Property)] [License-Link : https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/deed.de ]
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In the Spanish province of Jaén, the town of Baños de la Encina is home to the old Burgalimar Castle. The castle was built around 967 AD, according to a marble inscription plaque near the entrance. Currently on display at National Archaeological Museum of Madrid is the marble plaque. To protect the Guadalquivir River valley and the routes leading to and from Córdoba, the capital of the country, the castle was constructed as a military outpost and garrison. The castle is made out of a sizable walled enclosure that is roughly 50 meters wide and 100 meters long, with an uneven shape. One entrance gate is located in the north, and the other is located in the south or southeast. The southern entrance, which holds greater significance, is a straight passageway with horseshoe-shaped arches situated between two towers. Above the walkway were chambers with floor openings through which missiles could be launched at would-be assailants. Today, the foundations of additional buildings and the remnants of a cistern are located inside the castle. It was constructed in the tenth century while Córdoba was ruled by the Umayyad Caliphate. In the 12th and 13th centuries, the castle was controlled by different groups over various periods. Castile finally took control of the fortress in 1225 when it annexed the surrounding area. Subsequently, in 1466, the Castilians erected a keep tower known as the Torre del Homenaje, or Tower of Homage. In 1931, it received the designation of National Monument of Spain
[Information and Image Credit : Burgalimar_Castle, Wikipedia]
[Wikipedia-Link : https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Burgalimar_Castle ]
[Image : From a distance, Burgalimar Castle;]
Wikipedia-Image-Author : Castillo_de_Burgalimar_K34.jpg: Kordas ]
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The Valère Basilica, commonly known as Valère castle, is a fortified religious structure in the Swiss canton of Valais that is located in Sion. Perched atop a hill, it looks out toward the Château de Tourbillon, which sits atop the other hill. It is a nationally significant Swiss heritage site. Perched 615 meters above sea level on the Valère hill, the castle of Valère commands a commanding presence over the Swiss canton of Sion town of Valais. Because Valère Hill is home to numerous protected species, the site has been listed in the Federal Inventory of Sites and Monuments of National Importance since 1977. The fortified settlement and its walls surround the castle, with the church situated at the summit of the hill. The castle can only be accessed from the northeast due to the highly irregular relief of the Valère hill. Early in the fourth century, the Diocese was established in Octodurum, which is now known as Martigny. One of the oldest still in use in the world is the pipe organ on the west side of the Valère Basilica, which is thought to have been constructed in 1435. The likelihood is that Guillaume de Rarogne, who became the bishop of Sion, brought it to the church. Its pipes are set up in a way that somewhat resembles a church : the smaller pipes form a triangle, while the larger pipes form two towers. The organ has not evolved much since it was altered to play Baroque music in the 1700s. It was refurbished in 1954, concurrently with the restoration of the Rysum organ, another well-known early model
[Information and Image Credit : Valère_Basilica, Wikipedia]
[Wikipedia-Link : https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Val%C3%A8re_Basilica ]
[Image : The Valère and Tourbillon castles as seen from Sion; Wikipedia-Image-Author : Christian David]
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#Castles#History#Architecture
In Markt Falkenberg of Bavaria is where one can find the Falkenberg Castle. The tiny passageways where Waldnaab towers rises above and the earliest remnants of the walls of the Höhenburg exists, which was populated until 2009, are thought to have been built in the eleventh century. In 1154, the castle was first mentioned in passing under the name Pilegrin de Valkenberch. This defensive structure has had numerous owners since it was built. The Falkenbergs were there at first, followed by the Leuchtenbergers in 1280. The Waldsassen Monastery acquired ownership of the fortress in 1300. After 1486, the abbot Udalrich II Birker decided to retire there. It belonged to the Electoral Palatinate circa 1571. Königsmarck, a Swedish general, shelled and conquered the fortress shortly before the Thirty Years War came to a close. In 1803, the castle was secularized and became the property of the Bavarian Kingdom. Three-quarters of the keep were destroyed in 1809, and the stones were used to construct the vicarage. The castle was designated as a monument decades later. The castle complex was purchased by the Falkenberg market in December 2008. Eight separate hotel rooms with views over Falkenberg have been established on the upper floor following extensive renovation. The castle opened for public visitation and events in early 2016 following formal inauguration in November of 2015 by Prime Minister Seehofer. The Falkenberg granite is the type of granite on which the rock of the castle is built upon. It was there that woolsack weathering, a geological term, was first used. The castle hosts lectures, musical performances, and festivals for the Forum Falkenberg, the cultural hub of the market town of Falkenberg. The castle has eight double rooms and is also utilized as a hotel. The Burg Event and Conference Center, which is mostly utilized for conferences and events, was constructed adjacent to the castle [Information and Image Credit : Burg_Falkenberg, Wikipedia] [Wikipedia-Link : https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Burg_Falkenberg ] [Image : Falkenberg Castle ; Wikipedia-Image-Author : Walter J. Pilsak, Waldsassen] [Image Availed Under Creative Commons License Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 not ported; (Please Relate to Individual Image URL for More Usage Property)] [License-Link : https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/deed.de ] [Wikipedia-Image-Source-Link : https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Datei:Falkenberg-Burg-2.jpg ] #Castles#History#Architecture
At the entrance to the South Campus of Maynooth University, there is a destroyed castle known as Maynooth Castle, located in Maynooth, County Kildare, Ireland. Built in the early 13th century, it served as the principal abode of the Kildare Fitzmaurice and Fitzgerald. In 1176, Strongbow gave Maurice Fitzgerald, Lord of Llanstephan, the land that is now Kildare. Around 1203, the original keep was built. Gerald Fitzmaurice, 1st Lord of Offaly, constructed the castle at the confluence of two streams, which became the residence of the Fitzmaurice and Fitzgerald families. Sir John Fitzgerald extended it in the fifteenth century after that. The ancestors of Gerald Fitzmaurice went on to become the Earls of Leinster and Kildare. Lords Deputy of Ireland. In March 1535, an English force under the command of William Skeffington assaulted the enormous castle, destroying most of the medieval construction with their powerful, contemporary siege guns. Following a ten-day siege, the castle collapsed, and the garrison was ruthlessly executed in front of the castle gate. Shortly after, Silken Thomas was taken prisoner and sent, together with his five uncles, to the Tower of London. On February 3, 1537, they were put to death at Tyburn for treason. Following the marriage of his daughter to George FitzGerald, 16th Earl of Kildare, Richard Boyle, 1st Earl of Cork, renovated the Castle between 1630 and 1635. However, a large portion of this structure was destroyed in the 1640s during the Eleven Years War. Only the Solar Tower and the gatehouse are still standing. The Fitzgeralds permanently departed Maynooth Castle and established their family seat first at Kilkea Castle and then at Carton House. In order to turn the castle into a Heritage Site, the Office of Public Works recommenced restoration work on it in February 2000. The partially collapsed structure is still open to visitors today, albeit entry is restricted [Information and Image Credit : Maynooth_Castle, Wikipedia] [Wikipedia-Link : https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maynooth_Castlen ] [Image : Maynooth Castle in 2016; Wikipedia-Image-Author : William Murphy] [Image Availed Under Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 2.0 Generic license; (Please Relate to Individual Image URL for More Usage Property)] [License-Link : https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0/deed.en ] [Wikipedia-Image-Source-Link : https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Maynooth_castle.jpg ] #Castles#History#Architecture
The Reifenstein Castle is located in the northern Italian region of South Tyrol in Freienfeld, close to Sterzing. It is situated in the Eisack Valley next to a dried-up marsh. The 12th century is when the castle is first mentioned, and the 14th century saw modifications. It belongs to the counts of Thurn und Taxis. It is well-known for its ornate Green Hall, which features wood-carved chapel doors and Gothic paintings, as well as its collection of armor and stubes. A medieval sleeping bunk and an actual kitchen and bathroom may also be found in the castle. William P. Carr, who purchased the castle just before World War II, was one of its owners. His surname was Reifenstein at the time, but he had changed it to Carr before the war
[Information and Image Credit : Reifenstein_Castle, Wikipedia]
[Wikipedia-Link : https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reifenstein_Castle ]
[Image : Reifenstein Castle, Wikipedia-Image-Author ::-
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Located in city of Segovia, Castile and León, Spain, the Alcazar of Segovia is a medieval castle. It is one of the most well-known medieval castles in the world and one of the most popular tourist destinations in Spain. It has been there since at least the 12th century. In addition to housing twenty-two monarchs and other prominent historical figures, it has served as the backdrop for important historical events. Above the meeting point of the rivers Eresma and Clamores, the fortress is perched atop a rocky crag at the western extremity of Old City of Segovia, which was designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1985. Since being designated as a National Archive by a Royal Decree in 1998, it is currently in use as a museum and a military archives building. It has also served as a military academy, a state jail, and a Royal Artillery College on occasion. The Alcazar was a royal residence and a stronghold for the Castilian kings. Its architecture is a remarkable example of Power Architecture and reflects the majesty of the building; its formidable walls, its deep moat, its towers, which include the Homage and Juan IIs, and its advantageous location all denote strength and authority. In addition, the extravagance and elegance of the interior, featuring elaborately furnished chambers and coffered ceilings, were intended to surprise and overwhelm guests, so enhancing the power of the Kings of Castile. In a similar vein, the history of Alcazar has been greatly influenced by the stories and traditions surrounding it. Even though it has a harsh, defensive look, Alcazar of Segovia has also been a center of everyday living. Its halls have seen the upbringing of numerous princes, nobility, and infants, whose presence has softened the exterior of the palace and made it feel like home to many. Its history started in the 12th or early 13th century, when the Alcazar, or Major Palace, served as the residence for the Castile royal family. The treasure of the Crown of Castile, which provided the money for the first expedition of Christopher Columbus, was kept in the Homage tower. Apart from that, the royal armory kept in the Alcazar was the model for the one currently on display in the Royal Armory of Madrid. Important occasions in Spanish history have taken place at the Alcazar, including the numerous Cortes of Castile and the signing of the Concord of Segovia, which established the foundation for the creation of the Spanish nation. Additionally, before the demise of the explorer, King Ferdinand the Catholic and Christopher Columbus had their final meeting there. The first military flight for military purposes took place in the 18th century, as the headquarters of the Royal College of Artillery, thus initiating military aviation
[Information and Image Credit : Alcázar_of_Segovia, Wikipedia]
[Wikipedia-Link : https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alc%C3%A1zar_of_Segovia ]
[Image : Alcazar of Segovia; Wikipedia-Image-Author : Ángel Sanz de Andrés] [Image Availed Under Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 International license; (Please Relate to Individual Image URL for More Usage Property)]
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[Wikipedia-Image-Source-Link : https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Panor%C3%A1mica_Oto%C3%B1o_Alc%C3%A1zar_de_Segovia.jpg ]
#Castles#History#Architecture
Situated in the French département of Dordogne, the commune of Beynac-et-Cazenac is home to the castle known as Château de Beynac. Among the most well-known and well-preserved in the area is the castle. Perched on a limestone cliff, this austere edifice from the Middle Ages dominates both the village and the north bank of the Dordogne. To seal off the valley, the lords of Beynac, one of the four baronies of Périgord, erected the fortress in the twelfth century. Since the sheer rock face would deter any attack from that direction, the defenses were erected on the plateau and included twin barbicans, double crenellated walls, and double moats, one of which was a naturally occurring ravine that had been widened. The largest and oldest portion of the castle is a massive square-shaped Romanesque keep with few windows and vertical walls that is kept together by watch towers attached to it. It also has a narrow spiral stairway that ends on a terrace with crenellations. A similar-era home that was expanded and remodeled in the 16th and 17th centuries is linked to one side. A partially 14th-century home with a courtyard and a square-plan stairway leading to the 17th-century apartments is located on the other side. The 17th-century painted ceiling and woodwork are still intact in the flats. The Salle des État features a modest oratory completely painted in murals from the fifteenth century, as well as a Renaissance-style fireplace. French forces occupied the Beynac citadel during the Hundred Years War. The border separating France and England was the Dordogne. The English controlled the Château de Castelnaud, which was located nearby on the other side of the river. The Dordogne area saw several power struggles, conflicts, and even skirmishes between the supporters of the English and French forces. But since the forces required to capture these castles were so expensive—only the wealthiest nobles and kings could afford to build and maintain them—the castles fell more frequently via deceit and intrigue than through open attack. Lucien Grosso purchased the castle in 1962 and has since repaired it. Sumptuous tapestries depicting hunting and other scenes from the lives of the lords of the era are on display for visitors to the castle. The French Ministry of Culture has designated the Château de Beynac as a monument historique since 1944
[Information and Image Credit : Château_de_Beynac, Wikipedia]
[Wikipedia-Link : https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ch%C3%A2teau_de_Beynac ]
[Image : Beynac-et-Cazenac view from Jardins de Marqueyssac ; Wikipedia-Image-Author : Ladislaus Hoffner]
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#Castles#History#Architecture
Situated in the north of the historical province of Beaujolais, in southwest Burgundy, is the French town of La Clayette, home to the Château de La Clayette, a castle dating back to the 14th and 19th centuries. It is a historical monument that is listed. The castle was first constructed as a fortress due to its advantageous defensive position, which was encircled by a moat full of water. It is not accessible to the public at this time and is private property. The castle was first mentioned in 1307 as a fortified home. The fortified home was transformed into a castle by Philibert de Lespinasse in 1380, amid the Hundred Years War. Louis de Chantemerle owned the castle by 1420. While traveling to Lyon in 1524, Francis I of France stopped over at the castle for one night. Paul of the House of Damas, one of the oldest aristocratic families in France, owned the castle by 1632. The castle was inherited by the Dyo family in 1703 following the passing of Jean-Léonard de Damas. The castle was purchased by Bernard de Noblet in 1722, and his descendants are the current owners. It was enlarged in the 19th century to its present dimensions
[Information and Image Credit : Château_de_La_Clayette, Wikipedia]
[Wikipedia-Link : https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ch%C3%A2teau_de_La_Clayette ]
[Image : The Château as seen from the lake ; Wikipedia-Image-Author : Jackydarne]
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#Castles#History#Architecture
The vast Taufers Castle complex is located in the Italian municipality of Sand in Taufers in South Tyrol. Situated around 957 meters above sea level on a naturally occurring mountain peak, the castle commands a commanding view over the Ahrntal entry and the Tauferer Valley to the south. It is situated above Sand in Taufers. The Ahr crosses the small area that designates the boundary between the two valleys below the castle rock, or Klapf. Shortly after 1091, the Taufers were established as a ruling family; Hugo von Taufers and Taufers Castle were first referenced in 1136, along with the Noble Freemen of Taufers in 1224. The Romanesque phase, carried out by the Lords of Taufers, and the Gothic phase, carried out by the Lords of Fieger and the bishops of Brixen, are the two construction stages that define the history of the castle. In 1456, the latter bought the Taufers castle, court, and office from Duke Sigmund of Austria-Tyrol. The keep, a residential tower, the palace, another structure perched on the edge of a cliff above the Ahr, and the surrounding wall made up the original castle. Only during the 15th century, and up until about 1621, did the Dukes of Austria, the Lords of Fieger and the Barons of Wolkenstein-Rodenegg, expand the buildings along the surrounding wall. They constructed an extensive gate complex with defensive towers and intricate drawbridge structures, which is only visible in detail today, along with offices and living quarters for judges and nurses. An improved view of the previous circumstances can be obtained from the 2012 renovation of the outer access bridge over a recently excavated ditch. Significant restorations, including the rebuilding of collapsed walls and the rehabilitation of many rooms, were carried out under Ludwig Lobmeyr in the first ten years of the 1900s following decades of deterioration. The final decade of the 20th century saw the South Tyrolean Castle Institute, who have owned Taufers Castle since 1977, carry out the essential building work, including major facade conservation and interior repair. The castle appeared closed as a result. The inner courtyard, keep, ice cellar, castle garden, and other areas of the castle are open for visitors to explore without a guide, whereas the showrooms that are worth viewing require a guide
[Information and Image Credit : Burg_Taufers, Wikipedia]
[Wikipedia-Link : https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Burg_Taufers ]
[Image : View of Taufers Castle from the east, showing the once-collapsed keep;
Wikipedia-Image-Author : Klaus Foehl]
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#Castles#History#Architecture
Located in the Aude department in the Occitania region, the French city of Carcassonne is home to the ancient citadel known as the Cité de Carcassonne. It is located in the southeast of the city core, atop a hill on the right bank of Aude River. Eugène Viollet-le-Duc, an architect and thinker, renovated the citadel towards the end of the 19th century. Because of its remarkable witness to the design and layout of a medieval fortress town, it was inscribed on the UNESCO list of World Heritage Sites in 1997. Founded in the Gallo-Roman era, the fame of the citadel comes from its double enclosing walls, spanning three kilometers, punctuated by fifty-two turrets. With a roughly 2,500-year history, the town has had periods of Roman, Visigothic, and Crusader occupation. It was a Gaulish village in the beginning, and the Romans opted to fortify it as a town in the third century CE. The settlement is referred to as a castellum in 333 CE, when the Roman defenses were in place. Between 34 and 40 towers, placed 18 to 30 meters apart along the curtain wall, supported the ancient walls. Each tower was roughly 14 meters tall and had a semicircular floor plan. The village had around forty primary entrances. The basic structure of the Gallo-Roman walls was preserved even after they were renovated in the fifth and sixth centuries when the Visigoths occupied the town. With his many building projects, Bernard Aton IV Trencavel, vicomte of Albi, Nîmes, and Béziers, ushered in a prosperous era for the city. In Languedoc, a new sect known as Catharism emerged during this time. Bernard Aton V began rebuilding the Gallo-Roman defenses and building a mansion for himself in 1130. For the first time, a whole fortification encircled the Cité of Carcassonne. Three or four thousand people lived in the city at this period, including those who lived in the two communities located beneath the walls of the Cité, the bourg Saint-Vincent to the north and the bourg Saint-Michel to the south of the Narbon gate. Outside the Roman walls, a second line of defenses was erected after 1226. In 1247, the town was at last annexed by the French Crown. It offered the Crown of Aragon and France a solid French frontier. The new outer walls were strengthened and extended to the south during this time, while the inner Roman walls were mostly destroyed and rebuilt. Following the Treaty of the Pyrenees in 1659, the region of Roussillon was incorporated into France, and the military importance of the town diminished. After the fortifications were abandoned, the town developed into one of major economic hubs of France, specializing in the production of woolen textiles. The French government determined in 1849 that the defenses of the city ought to be destroyed. The locals were vehemently against this choice. Later, the government changed its mind, and restoration efforts got underway in 1853. Eugène Viollet-le-Duc, an architect, was tasked with restoring the castle. Following his passing in 1879, his student Paul Boeswillwald carried on with the restoration work, which was eventually taken over by architect Nodet
[Information and Image Credit : Cité_de_Carcassonne, Wikipedia]
[Wikipedia-Link : https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cit%C3%A9_de_Carcassonne ]
[Image : Constructed in the fourteenth century, the Pont-Vieux overlooks the Cité and has been recognized as a historical monument since 1926; Wikipedia-Image Author : Txllxt TxllxT]
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The Rocca Castle Calascio is a rocca, or mountaintop stronghold, located in the Italian province of Abruzzo. Situated approximately 1,460 meters above sea level, the castle is the tallest fortification in the Apennines. Constructed using stone and masonry solely for military objectives, the stronghold overlooks the Plain of Navelli from one of the highest locations in the historic Barony of Carapelle. It was never meant to serve as a house for nobility. With just one watchtower, the construction of the fortress got underway in the tenth century. The thirteenth century saw the addition of a walled courtyard surrounded by a higher inner tower and four cylindrical towers at each corner. The lower half of the fortress was constructed using notably larger stones than its upper half. This feature is thought to have been designed to prevent invaders from accessing the base. There was never a combat test for the fortification. However, an earthquake estimated to have been between a 7 and an 8 on the Richter Scale severely devastated it in November of 1461. The fortress was not rebuilt, although the village below it, called Calascio, did. Beside the elevated plain of Campo Imperatore, in the Gran Sasso e Monti della Laga National Park, is the Castle of Rocca Calascio. The seventeenth-century, octagonal Santa Maria della Pietà church is located next to the fortification at a little lower elevation
[Information and Image Credit : Castle_of_Rocca_Calascio ; Wikipedia]
[Wikipedia-Link : https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Castle_of_Rocca_Calascio ]
[Image : The difference between the larger stones of the lower part of the Castle of Rocca Calascio and the smaller stones of upper structure is clearly visible; ; Wikipedia-Image-Author : Renano]
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#Castles#History#Architecture
In Ghent, in the Belgian province of East Flanders, there is a medieval fortress called the Gravensteen. The present castle was built in 1180 and served as the home of Counts of Flanders until 1353. After that, it served as a court, a jail, a mint, and even a cotton factory. After being renovated between 1893 and 1903, it is currently a museum and a significant city monument. The Gravensteen has its roots in the reign of Arnulf I i.e. between 890–965. Approximately 1000 AD, the location, which was sandwiched between two branches of the Lys River, was originally defended, first with wood and then with stone. This was quickly rebuilt as a motte-and-bailey fortress, which burned down in 1176 or later. On the location of the previous fortification, Philip of Alsace ,1143–1191, erected the present castle in 1180. Perhaps it was influenced by the crusader strongholds Philip saw during the Second Crusade. In addition to serving as a fortification, the Gravensteen was designed to terrify the Ghent burghers who frequently questioned the authority of the count. It consists of several smaller buildings, a home, and a big central donjon. A 24 little échauguette-lined, oval-shaped, reinforced enceinte encircles these. Its sizable moat is likewise supplied with water from the Lys. The Counts of Flanders lived in the Gravensteen from 1180 until 1353. The castle fell into disrepair once the counts of Flanders stopped calling it home. Up to the eighteenth century, it served as a courtroom and a prison. It served as the location of mint of Ghent from 1353 until 1491. Later, private structures were built on top of or near the medieval ruins. An industrialist who bought the Gravensteen during the Industrial Revolution turned it into a cotton mill. It was even supposed to be demolished. Over time, the City of Ghent acquired portions of the castle and, under the direction of architect Joseph de Waele, undertook a significant renovation in a romanticizing Gothic style between 1893 and 1907. De Waele intended to restore the castle to its projected 12th-century appearance, using inspiration from the methods used by French architect Eugène Viollet-le-Duc. Up to the eighteenth century, it served as a courtroom and a prison. It served as the location of mint of Ghent from 1353 until 1491. Later, private structures were built on top of or near the medieval ruins. An industrialist who bought the Gravensteen during the Industrial Revolution turned it into a cotton mill. It was even supposed to be demolished. Over time, the City of Ghent acquired portions of the castle and, under the direction of architect Joseph de Waele, undertook a significant renovation in a romanticizing Gothic style between 1893 and 1907. De Waele intended to restore the castle to its projected 12th-century appearance, using inspiration from the methods used by French architect Eugène Viollet-le-Duc. It is believed that many of the characteristics added during this time, such the windows and flat roofs of the eastern outbuilding, are not historically correct. The Gravensteen served as the focal point of the 1913 Ghent World Fair, which drastically altered the downtown of the city. It is still accessible to public
[Information and Image Credit : Gravensteen, Wikipedia]
[Wikipedia-Link : https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gravensteen ]
[Image : The Gravensteen, seen from the south-east; Wikipedia-Image-Author : Marc Ryckaert (MJJR)]
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#Castles#History#Architecture
Personifications of liberty have often been used, primarily depicting it as an essentially feminine classical goddess. Marianne, the national symbol of the French Republic and its ideals of Liberté, Égalité and Fraternité, the woman Liberty seen on US coins for more than a century, are just a few examples. These are descended from numerous innovations from the Renaissance forward, as well as from depictions of the Roman goddess Libertas on old Roman coinage. The Dutch Maiden was one of the first to reintroduce the liberty cap on a liberty pole, which is now seen in many different kinds of images, albeit without the Phrygian cap style that later became common. One of the most well-known pieces of art is the 1886 Statue of Liberty, also known as Liberty Enlightening the World, which was given as a gift from France to the United States. During the Second Punic War, father of Tiberius Gracchus built a temple dedicated to the ancient Roman goddess Libertas atop Aventine Hill of Rome. In a very symbolic act, Publius Clodius Pulcher erected a shrine dedicated to her on the site of the destroyed home of Marcus Tullius Cicero in 58 BC. When she is portrayed as a standing person on the back of coins, she typically holds out but never dons a pileus, the soft cap that represented releasing former slaves from slavery. In addition, she is carrying a rod, which was a component of the manumission ritual. Because antiquarians misinterpreted its shape in the 18th century, the pileus evolved into the Phrygian cap akin to the one English-speaking Liberty figures carried atop a pole. This cap later became known as the Cap of Liberty and was worn by Marianne and other 19th-century personifications. Libertas had been a key concept in the Roman Republic and was uneasily appropriated by the empire; it was understood as a privilege accorded to some people by Roman law rather than as an inherent right. Her pileus attribute first appeared between two daggers bearing the words EID MAR on the Ides of March coin of the assassins of Julius Caesar, who were the defenders of the Roman republic
[Information and Image Credit : Liberty_(personification) ; Wikipedia]
[Wikipedia-Link : https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Liberty_(personification) ]
[Image : La liberté, Nanine Vallain, 1794; Wikipedia-Image-Author : Tylwyth Eldar]
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#History
The mother goddess of Anatolia, Cybele, may have had an early Neolithic ancestor in Çatalhöyük. She was likely the national divinity of Phrygia and is the only goddess known to exist there. There is no extant tale or literature that describes the original nature or characteristics of the Phrygian cult of Cybele. She might have developed from a kind of statuary from Anatolia called Çatalhöyük, which dates to the sixth millennium BC and is thought by some to be a mother goddess. It depicts a corpulent, fertile female figure surrounded by big cats. The cult features of the Phrygian mother-goddess, seen in 8th-century BC Phrygian art, include attendant lions, a prey-bird and a little vase for her offerings or libations. Around the sixth century BC, Greek colonists in Asia Minor took up and modified her Phrygian cult, which they then brought to mainland Greece and the farther-flung western Greek colonies. Cybele had a mixed response when she arrived in Greece. She began to adopt characteristics of the harvest-mother goddess Demeter, the Earth-goddess Gaia, and her potential Minoan counterpart Rhea. Her most famous Greek ceremonies and processions portray her as an inherently alien, exotic mystery-goddess who arrives in a lion-drawn chariot to the accompaniment of wild music, wine, and an agitated, ecstatic following. However, some city-states, most notably Athens, invoked her as a protector. She held a eunuch mendicant priesthood, which was unique in Greek religion. Rituals to a divine Phrygian castrate shepherd-consort Attis, who was most likely a Greek fabrication, were part of many of her Greek religions. In Greece, Cybele came to be connected to mountains, city walls, lush surroundings, and untamed animals, particularly lions. Cybele earned the title Magna Mater or Great Mother, in Rome. Once the Sibylline oracle in 205 BC urged her conscription as a crucial religious ally in the second war of Rome against Carthage between 218 and 201 BC, the Roman state adopted and developed a specific form of her cult. Roman mythographers reinterpreted her as a Trojan goddess, and thus an ancestral goddess of the Roman people through the Trojan prince Aeneas. Romanized versions of the cults of Cybele spread throughout empire as Rome eventually consolidated dominance over the Mediterranean region. Greek and Roman writers argued and argued over the morality and significance of her cults and priesthoods, topics that are still contentious in contemporary scholarship
[Information and Image Credit : Cybele, Wikipedia]
[Wikipedia-Link : https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cybele ]
[Image : Cybele in a chariot driven by Nike and drawn by lions toward a votive sacrifice (right); above are heavenly symbols including a solar deity, Plaque from Ai Khanoum, Bactria (Afghanistan), 2nd century BC; Gilded silver; Wikipedia-Image-Author : World Imaging assumed (based on copyright claims)]
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Lismore Castle is a castle in the County Waterford of Republic of Ireland, situated in the town of Lismore. It was owned by the Desmond Earls until 1753, when it was passed down to the Cavendish family. The Duke of Devonshire now resides there in Ireland. The sixth Duke of Devonshire had it substantially rebuilt in the Gothic style in the middle of the 1800s. The location of the castle was originally occupied by Lismore Abbey, an important monastery and place of learning founded in the early 7th century. The castle was built in 1185 by Prince John of England, the Lord of Ireland, to secure the river crossing. When King Henry II of England came here in 1171, it was still an episcopal center. It was also the episcopal seat of the local bishop for a short while after 1185, when King John of England, his son, was tasked with erecting a castellum. It belonged to the Desmond earls, whose estates were divided up during the plantations when Gerald FitzGerald, the 14th earl of Desmond, was killed in 1583. Sir Walter Raleigh leased Lismore in 1589 and later bought it. Raleigh sold the land to Richard Boyle, another infamous colonial explorer who would go on to become the 1st Earl of Cork in 1620, while he was imprisoned for high treason in 1602. With just twenty-seven pounds when he arrived in the Kingdom of Ireland from the Kingdom of England in 1588, Boyle went on to build an incredible wealth. After acquiring Lismore, he turned it into his principal house and built an opulent mansion with striking gabled ranges on either side of the courtyard. In addition, he constructed the Riding Gate, a gatehouse with a castellated exterior wall. The main chambers featured velvet and silk embroidery, tapestry hangings, and plaster ceilings adorned with fretwork. The fourteenth of the fifteen children of the Earl, Robert Boyle, The Father of Modern Chemistry, was born here in 1626. Eventually, The 3rd Earl of Burlington and 4th Earl of Cork,1694–1753, commonly referred to as the Earl of Burlington in architectural histories, inherited the castle. He was a significant influence on Georgian architecture. After Lady Charlotte Boyle, the heiress and daughter of the 3rd and 4th Earls of Burlington and Cork, married the Marquess of Hartington in 1753, the castle was eventually acquired by the Cavendish family. The 4th Duke of Devonshire, who became the Prime Minister of the Kingdom of Great Britain in 1755, was born out of this marriage. Improvements at Lismore were carried out by their son, the 5th Duke, who designed the bridge over the River Blackwater in 1775. Thomas Ivory, an architect from Cork, was the architect for the original structure. The current appearance of the castle is a result of the work of the 6th Duke, also referred to as the Bachelor Duke. As soon as he succeeded his father in 1811, he set about converting the castle into a chic quasi-feudal ultra-regal stronghold. From 1812 to 1822, he hired architect William Atkinson to rebuild the castle in the Gothic style using cut stone that was transported from Derbyshire. The favorite home of the Bachelor Duke has always been Lismore, but as he got older, his affection for the area turned into a passion. Public access is available to the gardens situated within the castle. While much of the informal design of the lower garden dates back to the 19th century, the upper garden is a walled garden from the 17th century. The abandoned west range was transformed into Lismore Castle Arts, a modern art gallery, in 2005. The remaining interior space can be rented by parties of up to twenty-three people, but is not accessible to the general public
[Information and Image Credit : Lismore_Castle, Wikipedia]
[Wikipedia-Link : https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lismore_Castle ]
[Image : Lismore Castle, 2006 ; Wikipedia-Image-Author : Raúl Corral]
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#Castles#History#Architecture
In Cornwall, England, the UK, Restormel Castle is located close to Lostwithiel on the River Fowey. It is one of four principal Norman castles of Cornwall, along with Launceston, Tintagel, and Trematon. The castle is distinguished by its flawlessly round architecture. Situated in the parish of Bodardle manor of Lanlivery, Restormel was a part of the Norman magnate Robert, fief of Count of Mortain. Baldwin Fitz Turstin, the local sheriff, most likely constructed Restormel fortress as a motte and bailey fortress in 1100 following the Norman conquest of England. For almost two centuries, lineage of Baldwin kept the manor as tenants and vassals of the Earls of Cornwall. Despite being the opulent home of Earl of Cornwall until the 16th century, the castle was all but destroyed. During the English Civil War, it was briefly reoccupied and the site of fighting, but it was later abandoned. Now that English Heritage is in charge of it, it is accessible to everyone. Restormel Castle, which is perched on a high point with a view of the River Fowey, is a remarkably intact example of a circular shell keep, a unique kind of fortification constructed for a brief time in the late 12th and early 13th centuries. There are just 71 instances known to exist in Wales and England, with Restormel Castle being the best preserved. These castles were constructed by transforming a wooden motte-and-bailey fortification, with a stone wall erected in place of the palisade outside and a plethora of domestic stone structures erected inside the bailey. To serve as a defense, these were grouped together inside the wall. In a dramatic example of the 13th-century pattern, the buildings are bent to fit into the shell keep. The wall is up to 2.4 meters thick and has a diameter of 38 meters. With a wall walk 25 feet above the ground, it still stands tall, and the battlemented parapet is largely intact. Slate, which looks to have been quarried from the scarp face northeast of the castle, was used to build both the wall and the interior structures. The solar, guest quarters, kitchen, hall, and ante-chapel were among the household structures housed inside the wall. The castle structures were supplied with pressurized water from a naturally occurring spring. The entrance to the inner castle is guarded by a square gate tower, which is mostly destroyed. It is possible that this was the first portion of the old castle to be built entirely of stone. The chapel is located on the other side; it is believed to have been added in the thirteenth century and is housed inside a square tower that protrudes from the wall. It seems to have been altered during the English Civil War to become a gun emplacement. There was formerly an external bailey wall that was made of wood and had earthwork defenses. It has since been destroyed and is no longer visible. Additionally, there are historical allusions to a dungeon that has since disappeared. The castle gives the impression that it is perched atop a motte; its enormous walls were, remarkably for the time, buried deeply into the original motte. An outside ringwork that is later filled in to give the impression that it is heaped up against the castle wall enhances the effect. This might have happened in a later era of the existence of the castle to create a garden walk surrounding the ruin
[Information and Image Credit : Restormel_Castle, Wikipedia]
[Wikipedia-Link : https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Restormel_Castle ]
[Image : Restormel Castle, seen from the west ; Wikipedia-Image-Author : Zaian at English Wikipedia]
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[Wikipedia-Image-Source-Link : https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:RestormelCastle.JPG ]
#Castles#History#Architecture
In the northern Italian province of Parma, close to Langhirano, sits the 15th-century Torrechiara Castle. It is strategically located south of the city of Parma, atop a terraced hill with a view of the Parma River and the valley below. Pier Maria II de Rossi, the fourth count of San Secondo, ordered the construction of the fortress, which was completed between 1448 and 1460. The fortification demonstrates the impact of the strongholds of the Sforza family, especially Visconti-Sforza Castle. In addition to serving as an aristocratic home for the mistress of de Rossi, Bianca Pellegrini d Arluno, the castle was constructed as a defensive fortress. Bianca passed away in Torrechiara circa 1480. In 1482, Pier Maria retired to Torrechiara, where he passed away a few months later. Both of them were interred in the northeast tower of the castle, at the Oratory of San Nicomede. Over the ages, the castle saw numerous ownership changes before being designated as a national monument in 1911. The Italian State bought it the next year and let the public use it without any furnishings. The castle was mostly rebuilt between 1448 and 1460, although it dates back to the Middle Ages. It comprises four rectangular towers united by two lines of merloned walls. Many rooms in the interior are furnished with fantastical, grotesque, or realistic characteristics. The paintings in the lunettes depict Bianca Pellegrini running through Rossi and her estates in quest of her beloved; Benedetto Bembo is credited with creating the fresco cycle. The room opens up onto a broad loggiato. On December 23, 2008, a moderate earthquake with a magnitude of roughly 5.2 rocked the area, seriously damaging the castle, especially the battlement and the outside walls of San Nicomede Tower. When structural renovations were finished in 2009, some of the rooms were off-limits to the general public. On the ground floor, where the early 19th-century reconstruction of the collapsing roof slab had occurred, the San Nicomede Oratory was refurbished. The old Sala della Sera was reconstructed and repaired on the main floor of the castle, and it was positioned at the end of the row containing the Aurora, Meriggio, and Vespro chambers. 2014 saw the castle reopen in July
[Information and Image Credit : Torrechiara_Castle, Wikipedia]
[Wikipedia-Link : https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Torrechiara_Castle ]
[Image : Castello di Torrechiara, Wikipedia-Image Author : Mdntb]
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#Castles#History#Architecture
The Sarzanello fortress is a military stronghold that overlooks the Val di Magra from above. It is located in the province of La Spezia and is situated on route alla Fortezza on the Sarzanello hill, close to Sarzana. Because to its characteristics and location, it is one of the city symbols of Sarzana. The Regional Museums Directorate took over as the managing body of the Ministry for Cultural Heritage and Activities in December 2019 after it was formerly known as the Museum Center of Liguria. The stronghold is made up of two different types of structures. 1. The primary component of the fortification is the first, actual castle, which features a triangle layout with three bastions at the summit. The actual structure of the castle is housed in this manufacturing part. The second is a massive ravelin, nearly the size of the fortress, shaped like a triangle with a defended embankment. Set against the first and joined by a flying bridge to create a rhombus-like structure with the first element consisting of two triangles. The stone bridge that spans the deep and expansive defensive moat provides access to the stronghold. Beginning in the fourth century, gradual and irreversible decline of Luni fforced its citizens to flee to the nearby hills in search of safety. As a result, new villages such as Nicola, Ortonovo, Castelnuovo Magra, and Ameglia grew, if not completely originated, on the surrounding hills, and the Sarzanello hill itself was eventually inhabited by exiles who gathered around the most significant home of the Bishop. The oldest reference to a military system dates back to 963, when the Bishop of Luni was granted ownership of six castras, including Sarzano, in a diploma issued by Emperor Otto I. The castle grew in significance over time as the political and military landscape shifted; by the end of the tenth century, it was home to one of the bishopric houses of the valley. The castrum is frequently cited as the curtis of Emperor Frederick I in the years 1076, 1078, and 1080, as well as the curtis of Henry VI in 1191 [Information and Image Credit : Fortezza_di_Sarzanello, Wikipedia] [Wikipedia-Link : https://it.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fortezza_di_Sarzanello ] [Image : Sarzanello Fortress Castles of the Val di Magra ; Wikipedia-Image Author : Chabe01] [Image Availed Under Creative Commons Attribuzione-Condividi allo stesso modo 4.0 Internazionale License ; (Please Relate to Individual Image URLs for More Usage Property)] [License-Link : https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/deed.it ] [Wikipedia-Image-Source-Link : https://it.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Forteresse_Castracani_-_Sarzana_(IT42)_-_2022-08-28_-_10.jpg ] #Castles#History#Architecture
Savonlinna, Finland is home to Olavinlinna, a three-tower fortress from the fifteenth century. Situated in the Kyrönsalmi strait, which links the lakes Haukivesi and Pihlajavesi, the building is situated on an island. It is the last surviving example of a medieval stone fortress in the north. First held in the summer of 1912, the Savonlinna Opera Festival takes place on a magnificent stage provided by the castle. Under the name Sankt Olofsborg, Erik Axelsson Tott established the castle in 1475, hoping to capitalize on the political unrest that followed the conquest of the Novgorod Republic by Ivan III. It was the first Swedish castle to be equipped with a series of round, thickset towers resistant to cannon fire. After the completion of the three-towered keep in 1485, work on the outer curtain walls with their two towers began right once. 1495 saw their completion. With the keep on the western side of the island and the outer bailey and curtain walls on the eastern side, the castle resembles a truncated rhomboid. St. Eriks Tower, one of the towers of the Keep, had a weak base and eventually collapsed. The Thick Tower, one of the towers of Bailoey, blew apart in the eighteenth century. On its place, a bastion has been constructed. The castle was rebuilt with bastions into a late eighteenth-century fort reminiscent of Vaubanesque architecture. In the 19th century, the castle suffered numerous destructive fires that destroyed most of its original furnishings and décor. The castle is home to a number of modest exhibitions. The Castle Museum features relics related to or found within the castle, while the Orthodox Museum features religious artifacts and icons from both Finland and Russia
[Information and Image Credit : Olavinlinna, Wikipedia]
[Wikipedia-Link : https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Olavinlinna ]
[Image: The castle has three towers remaining – Olavinlinna; Wikipedia-Image-Author : Miraceti]
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#Castles#History
Situated on a hill three kilometers west of center of Palma, on the Spanish island of Majorca, lies Bellver Castle, a Gothic-style castle. It is one of the few circular fortresses in Europe, having been constructed in the fourteenth century for King James II of Majorca. Originally housing the Majorcan kings, it was then utilized for a considerable amount of time as a military prison from the 18th until the mid-20th century. Today, under civilian administration, it is one of the top tourist destinations of the island and home to the history museum of the city. The upper complex of the Herodion, a round hilltop palace on the West Bank dating from 15 BCE with a great central tower and three smaller towers atop, appears to have served as the model for the layout of the castle, which consists of a circular floor with round towers attached to it. They are connected, and the main one is connected to the complex via a tall bridge that spans the surrounding moat. Architect Pere Salvà, who also contributed to the building of the Royal Palace of La Almudaina, constructed the majority of the fortification between 1300 and 1311 for King James II of Majorca and Aragon with the help of other skilled masons. The building was constructed using rock from the hill on which the castle is located, which has finally caused fissures to show. After the construction of the castle and the installation of cannon, the battlements atop the balconies and on the barbican vanished, quickly followed by those in each tower; loopholes were constructed in their place. When the Kings of Mallorca were not present in mainland Europe, the castle was initially their home. In the 17th century, viceroys hardly rarely utilized the castle as a residence. Only once in its history has the castle fallen into enemy hands, following an attack in 1521 amid the Majorcan Second Revolt of the Brotherhoods. Originally built to house the royal court of James of Mallorca, the building-design blends defensive features with palace requirements. The most remarkable aspect of the structure is its circular form, which is exclusive to Mallorca. Its three smaller towers, the donjon, and the inner yard are all shaped in the same way. The donjon of the castle is surrounded by a moat. The focal point ought to be the circle of inner yard. There is a well in the center of it, indicating that a cistern is underneath. The palace is designed as a two-story edifice that encircles the center courtyard. A gallery of gothic semicircular arches faces this yard, providing access to all of its dependencies
[Information and Image Credit : Bellver_Castle, Wikipedia]
[Wikipedia-Link : https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bellver_Castle ]
[Image : Bellver_Castle, Palma de Mallorca, Spain; Wikipedia-Image-Author : Poniol60]
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#Castles#History#Architecture
Sixth-largest castle site of Slovak history consists of the ruins of Spiš Castle to the east of the country. In the Spiš region, the castle is located above the villages of Žehra and Spišské Podhradie. In 1993, it was added to the UNESCO list of World Heritage Sites. The castle area is 39,000 square meters in size. The division of Slovak National Museum namely Spiš Museum at Levoča is in charge of overseeing it. On the site of an earlier castle, Spiš Castle was constructed in the twelfth century. It served as the political, administrative, commercial, and cultural hub of the Szepes County of Hungarian Kingdom. The dynasties that owned it before 1464 were the kings of Hungary, up to King Matthias Corvinus. Following it the Zápolya family ruled up to 1528, the Thurzó family between1531–1635, the Csáky family between1638–1945, and, from 1945 onward, the state of Czechoslovakia, and finally Slovakia. Originally a fortified Romanesque stone castle, by the second half of the thirteenth century a two-story Romanesque palace and a three-nave Romanesque-Gothic basilica had been built. The area of the castle was doubled by the construction of a second extramural settlement in the fourteenth century. In the fifteenth century, the castle underwent a complete reconstruction that included raising the walls and building a third extramural settlement. Approximately in 1470, a late Gothic chapel was added. The upper castle was transformed by the Zápolya clan into a cozy family home reminiscent of late Renaissance homes from the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries through late Gothic architectural elements. The Csáky family, the last occupants of the Spiš Castle, left it in the early eighteenth century because they felt it was too uncomfortable to live in. They relocated to the recently constructed village palaces in Hodkovce, close to Žehra and Spišský Hrhov. A fire in 1780 completely destroyed the castle. There are a few theories, but the cause of the fire is unknown. One is that the Csáky family intentionally set it on fire in order to lower taxes because, at the time, buildings with roofs were subject to additional levies. Another theory is that the fire was caused by a lightning strike. A third theory holds that while some soldiers were producing moonshine inside the castle, they unintentionally lit the fire. Regardless, the castle was abandoned following the fire and started to deteriorate. In the latter half of the 20th century, considerable archaeological research was done at the castle, and it was partially rebuilt. The restored areas contain artifacts like torture devices that were once used in the castle, as well as exhibits from the Spiš Museum, which is in charge of overseeing the castle
[Information and Image Credit : Spiš_Castle, Wikipedia]
[Wikipedia-Link : https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spi%C5%A1_Castle ]
[Image : Aerial photograph of the castle; Wikipedia-Image-Author : Civertan ]
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#Castles#History#Architecture
Situated in the town of Srebrna Góra Lower Silesian Voivodeship, Poland, Fort Srebrna Góra, also known as Srebrnogórska Fortress, is a former military fort that is now a monument and museum. It was built between 1765 and 1777, while the area was a part of the Prussian Kingdom. As of May 1, 2004, the fort has been officially recognized as one of the national historic monuments of Poland. The Polish National Heritage Board is responsible for maintaining its listing. It has been recognized as a unique illustration of a mountain stronghold from the 18th century in Europe. Because of its firm bedrock base, the fort has been referred to as Gibraltar of Prussia or Gibraltar of Silesia. Frederick II, King of Prussia, gave the order in 1764–1777 to build the fortress at Srebrna Góra. With assistance from many Prussian military engineers, Ludwig Wilhelm Regeler, a Prussian architect, designed it. In the years that followed, some minor additions were made, but no significant changes were made; work on an adjacent flanked fort was started, but it was soon abandoned. The complex consists of multiple bastions, six forts, and related structures. The central Donżon Fort, located atop the Warowna Góra hill, serves as the primary fort of the complex. Perched atop the Sudety Mountains, the complex marks the natural boundary between the Silesian Lowlands and the Kłodzko Valley. Three hills are covered by the fort: Wielki Chochoł, Warowna Góra, and Ostróg. With enough supplies to last a year under siege, the fort could house a garrison of 4,000 troops. There were 264 artillery pieces defending it. The castle was built to protect a road that led from Prussian territory to Bohemian territory in the south, assisting in the defense against any potential Austrian attacks. It was stated that the construction cost 4.5 million Prussian thalers. During the siege, the attackers never managed to take control of the castle. The fortress was the scene of an actual fight only once, on June 28, 1807, when Napoleonic forces successfully besieged it during the War of the Fourth Coalition. It was deemed obsolete by 1860, and the garrison was lowered. In 1867, it was abandoned as a functioning military fortress
[Information and Image Credit : Fort_Srebrna_Góra, Wikipedia]
[Wikipedia-Link : https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fort_Srebrna_G%C3%B3ra ]
[Image : Aerial view of the fort; Wikipedia-Image-Author : Tomekziel ]
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#Castles#History#Architecture
The castle known as Kriebstein Castle is located in the German state of Saxony, close to the town of Waldheim. The Dresden Main State Archive holds the original document pertaining to Kriebstein Castle, which was first mentioned on October 4, 1384. Above the River Zschopau and its sheer craggs, the castle stands. Situated at the tip of a hill spur, encircled by the Zschopau, which flows around the point in a broad bow, the castle is categorized as a spur castle within the topographical grouping of hill castles. A man-made ditch, known as the Halsgraben, divides the rising terrain behind the castle from the rock upon which it is perched. The Kriebstein is a typological hybrid of an oval-shaped ringwork castle, or Ringburg, and a tower castle, or Turmburg. Standing tall on the tallest cliff, the colossal keep dominates the entire scene. The tower, including its weather vane, is 45 meters tall with sides that measure 22 by 12 meters. The castle has a distinct and thus distinctive profile because to its late medieval oriel turrets and flèche. The tower-shaped gatehouse, the kitchen, the curtain wall with its household wing, and other structures, such as the chapel wing, are arranged around the keep. The double-bay, cross-ribbed vaulted Gothic hall and the back of the castle are located on the east side of the chapel wing. Located right above the steep slopes of Zschopau River, this building complex features a continuous upper floor that dates back to the 17th century. Directly connected to the central keep of the castle is the Late Gothic kitchen structure. The entire area is encircled by a residential wing that served as the great hall, the well house, and the northern defensive wall that connected to the gatehouse. Today, it serves as a concert and event space; weddings are held in the castle [Information and Image Credit : Kriebstein_Castle, Wikipedia] [Wikipedia-Link : https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kriebstein_Castle ] [Image : Kriebstein Castle; Wikipedia-Image-Author-Source : Burg Kriebstein (Sachsen) , Uploaded by X-Weinzar] [Image Availed Under Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Generic License ; (Please Relate to Individual Image URLs for More Usage Property)] [License-Link : https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/deed.en ] [Wikipedia-Image-Source-Link : https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Burg_Kriebstein.jpg ] #Castles#History#Architecture
In Southeast Anatolia region of Turkey is the Neolithic archaeological site known as Göbekli Tepe. During the Pre-Pottery Neolithic Period, from approximately 9500 to at least 8000 BCE, the village was occupied. It is well-known for its enormous circular constructions that house enormous stone pillars, the earliest megaliths ever discovered. Numerous human elements, garments, and sculptural reliefs of untamed animals adorn these pillars, offering scholars unique perspectives into prehistoric religion and the distinctive iconography of the era. The fifteen-meter, twenty-acre tell is heavily covered in Neolithic stone-cut cisterns, quarries, and other minor constructions from the Neolithic era, along with occasional signs of later activity. With the emergence of the first permanent human settlements of the world during the Neolithic period in Southwest Asia, the location saw its initial use. Prehistorians connect the Neolithic Revolution to the emergence of agriculture, however they cannot agree on whether farming led to settlements or the other way around. This dispute has focused largely on Göbekli Tepe, a massive complex erected atop a rocky mountainside that has revealed no conclusive evidence of agricultural agriculture to far. Based on new discoveries of home structures and features, water supply installations, and Neolithic implements linked to domestic use, current excavators interpret Göbekli Tepe as a town. The original excavator, Klaus Schmidt, had described the site as a sanctuary inhabited by few or no permanent people and used by groups of nomadic hunter-gatherers from a wide area. Although Schmidt had described the megalithic enclosures as the first intentionally and ritually backfilled temples of the world, their exact purpose remains unknown. Recent stratigraphic research, however, showed that they had been filled in by slope slide incidents and occasionally repaired and altered afterward
[Information and Image Credit : Göbekli_Tepe, Wikipedia]
[Wikipedia-Link : https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/G%C3%B6bekli_Tepe ]
[Image : Enclosure C of Göbekli_Tepe;
Wikipedia-Image-Author: :
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#History#Archaeology
The Gothic-Renaissance Corvin Castle is located in Hunedoara, Romania, and is often referred to as Hunyadi Castle or Hunedoara Castle. One of the Seven Wonders of Romania, this castle is among the biggest in all of Europe. John Hunyadi, the Voivode of Transylvania, ordered the construction of Corvin Castle in 1446 with the intention of transforming the previous keep constructed by Charles I of Hungary. Sigismund of Luxembourg, king of Hungary and Croatia, first bequeathed the castle to father of John Hunyadi, Voicu, as a gift in 1409. John Hunyadi was chosen by the Diet to serve as the regent governor in 1446. The Knights Hall, the Diet Hall, and the circular stairway are the three main rooms of the castle. The halls are shaped like rectangles and have marble decorations. Feasts were held in the Knights Hall, while ceremonies and formal receptions took place in the Diet Hall. Following death of John Hunyadi in 1456, construction on the fortress ceased. New commissions were taken on to build the Matia Wing of the castle beginning in 1458. When construction on the castle was finally completed in 1480, it was acknowledged as one of the largest and most remarkable structures in all of Eastern Europe. The castle did not undergo any renovations in the 16th century, but in the 17th century, both military and decorative expansions were constructed. The grand new palace faced the town and was designed with aesthetics in mind. It was a two-story structure with residential quarters and a spacious living room. The White Tower and the Artillery Tower are two new structures built for military use. The outside yard was also created for administration and storage purposes. The present castle is the product of an imaginative restoration effort that was started following a catastrophic fire and several decades of complete disregard
[Information and Image Credit : Corvin_Castle, Wikipedia]
[Wikipedia-Link : https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Corvin_Castle ]
[Image : Hunedoara in Romania ;
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#Castle#History
Located in the Anamur ilçe district of Mersin Province, Bozdogan village of Turkey is home to the historic Mamure Castle. East of Anamur, on the Mediterranean coast, sits the fortress. On the ruins of a Roman fortress from the fourth century, the Cilicia kings of Armenian Kingdom erected the castle. It was restored throughout the Byzantine era and the Crusades, with the intention of deterring pirates. Alaattin Keykubat I of the Seljuk Turks used parts of the earlier fortifications to construct a new castle after capturing the remains of the castle in 1221. Later, the Karamanid dynasty, an Anatolian Turkmen principality, ruled over it. An inscription by İbrahim II of Karaman in 1450 states that the stronghold was taken during reign of Mahmut (1300–1311), while the exact date is unknown. After Mahmut made renovations, the castle was called Mamure, which means prosperous. The Ottoman Empire annexed the castle in 1469. Following successive repairs in the fifteenth, sixteenth, and eighteenth centuries, a portion of the castle was converted to a caravansarai. The castle spans 23,500 square meters and is encircled by a moat. Wide ramparts link its 39 towers and bastions. There are three primary courtyards in the castle: one each in the west, east, and south. A modest complex comprising a single-minaret mosque and a derelict Turkish bath may be found in the western courtyard. There are lighthouse remnants in the courtyard to the south. This fortress seems to be the same as the one William Henry Bartlett painted in 1836, Kalendria on the coast of Cilicia. The picture and a corresponding lyrical illustration by Letitia Elizabeth Landon can be found via the external links provided below. But Kalenderis, or what is now Aydıncık, another town around 60 km east of Mamure, is the referenced town in the name Kalendria
[Information and Image Credit : Mamure_Castle, Wikipedia]
[Wikipedia-Link : https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mamure_Castle ]
[Image : Mamure Castle, Anamur, Mersin Province, Turkey ;
Wikipedia-Image-Author : Beñat Irasuegi]
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#Castles#History
Situated in the Aragon autonomous area of Spain, next to the town by the same name in Huesca Province, is the Romanesque Castle and Abbey known as the Castle of Loarre. It is among the oldest castles of Spain. Because of its important location on the frontier, the fortress was primarily constructed in the eleventh and thirteenth centuries. Following reconquest by Sancho el Mayor,1063-1094 A.D., of the surrounding regions the first of the two main building programs got underway around 1020. Following 1070, Loarre gained significance. King Sancho Ramírez established an Augustinian canon community in Loarre in 1073, and it was from Loarre that he prepared to conquer Huesca in 1094. But all of the possessions of Loarre were given to a brand-new royal monastery at Montearagon in 1097 by his successor, Peter I of Aragon and Navarre. Based on the available evidence, it appears that the second major construction program took place between 1073 and 1097, as many buildings clearly originate from this time frame. Nonetheless, it is also evident from a comparison with other monuments that the construction and ornamental program persisted into the twelfth century. Because the castle was perched on a rocky outcrop, its layout had to change. Unlike many other castles, Loarre was made up of a number of buildings enclosed by curtain walls. The interior layout at first featured a chapel hidden behind a number of curtain walls and two towers. Another chapel was constructed outside the castle walls in a Romanesque style towards the end of the eleventh century. The castle is eight towers and outermost walls date back to the 13th or 14th century. Numerous restorations have been carried out on the church and castle; the most significant one occurred in 1913, and others, especially in the 1970s, resulted in the reconstruction of numerous crumbling walls and towers
[Information and Image Credit : Castle_of_Loarre, Wikipedia]
[Wikipedia-Link : https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Castle_of_Loarre ]
[Image : Castillo de Loarre; Wikipedia-Image-Author : Samueloku]
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#Castles#History#Architecture
The 16th-century Lindisfarne Castle is situated on Holy Island, close to Berwick-upon-Tweed in Northumberland, England. Sir Edwin Lutyens made significant alterations to the castle in 1901. A causeway allows access to the island from the mainland during low tide. The region where the castle is situated was formerly a highly unstable boundary between England and Scotland; Viking raids were also common in this area. In 1537, Lindisfarne Priory was eventually closed down as a priory as part of the Dissolution of the Monasteries. Following the suppression of the priory, army of Henry VIII converted the remnants into a naval depot. Thomas Manners, 1st Earl of Rutland, was given an order by Henry VIII in 1542 to defend the location in case of a Scottish invasion. Ralph Cleisbye, the captain of the fort, possessed a falcon, two brass sakers, a wheel-mounted demi-culverin, and another fixed demi-culverin by December 1547. Making use of the advantageous strategic location of the island, a small fort was constructed in 1549 on Beblowe, the highest point of the island, which is about a kilometer east of the monastery structures and has a view of the harbor. When military engineer Sir Richard Lee examined the region in 1565, all he found was a turf rampart and a decaying platform. After that, Elizabeth I ordered renovations to be made to the fort in order to fortify it and provide gun platforms for the newest advancements in artillery technology. The cost of these 1570–1571 works was £1191. The previous structures served as a supply of building stone for the current project. The need for the fortress vanished when James I united the Scottish and English thrones upon coming to power in England. At this point, the little harbor of Lindisfarne was guarded by the castle, which was still under garrison from Berwick. The Jacobite rebels briefly took over the castle in the eighteenth century, but they were swiftly recaptured by Berwick soldiers who imprisoned them. The rebels managed to escape by digging a way out and hiding at nearby Bamburgh Castle for nine days before successfully making their getaway. Later on, the castle served as a coast guard watchtower and developed into a little tourist destination. The historic fort was sketched by Charles Rennie Mackintosh in 1901
[Information and Image Credit : Lindisfarne_Castle, Wikipedia]
[Wikipedia-Link : https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lindisfarne_Castle ]
[Image : Lindisfarne Castle, a 16th-century fortification made into a family home by Sir Edwin Lutyens in 1901; Wikipedia-Image-Author : matthew Hunt]
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[Wikipedia-Image-Source-Link : https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:LindisfarneCastleHolyIsland.jpg ]
#Castles#History#Architecture
The magnificent Frederiksborg Castle is located near Hillerød, Denmark. The biggest Renaissance mansion in Scandinavia, it was constructed as a royal palace for King Christian IV of Denmark-Norway in the early 17th century, taking the place of an earlier castle that Frederick II had acquired. Adjacent to the castle lake, Slotssøen, is a spacious formal garden designed in the Baroque style, spanning across three islets. Following a significant fire in 1859, the castle was reconstructed using historic blueprints and artwork. Its apartments were completely repaired and presented to the public as the Danish Museum of National History in 1882, thanks to the generosity of the general public and the brewer J. C. Jacobsen. The museum, which is open all year round, has biggest collection of portrait paintings in Denmark. It also gives guests the chance to see a number of the state rooms of the castles, such as the beautifully decorated and mostly spared from the fire Valdemar Room and Great Hall, as well as the Chapel and Audience Chamber. A fire engine was positioned in the castle year-round throughout the renovations. The Gøyes, a Danish aristocratic family, had long controlled the estate near Hillerød, which was once called as Hillerødsholm. Mogens Gøye, 1470–1544, Steward of the Realm, had played a key role in bringing the Danish Reformation in the 1520s and 1530s. In the northernmost of three nearby islets in the estate-lake, he resided in a half-timbered house. The land was called Hillerødsholm, which translates to islet of Hillerød. The couple became its owners after his daughter Birgitte married the courtier and naval hero Herluf Trolle in 1544. Trolle demolished the ancient structure and erected a bigger manor home in the 1540s. The first inland Danish castle was Frederiksborg Castle. Since the water had historically been the primary route of transportation, all previous castles had been located near ports or on the shore. Additionally, it was the first to be constructed entirely for leisure rather than defense. Because of its location in Hillerød, far improved roads—originally designated for the king—were developed [Information and Image Credit : Frederiksborg_Castle; Wikipedia]
[Wikipedia-Link : https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frederiksborg_Castle ]
[Image : Frederiksborg Castle, Denmark;
Wikipedia-Image-Author: :
Casper Moller, from London, United Kingdom]
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#Castles#History
Situated near the Irish village of Malahide, 14 km north of city center of Dublin, is Malahide Castle, some of which date back to the 12th century. The Malahide Demesne Regional Park is made up of the more over 260 acres of parks that are still present. Beginning in 1185, the estate was given to Richard Talbot, a knight who traveled to Ireland with Henry II in 1174, along with the lands and harbour of Malahide. The earliest sections of the castle date back to the 12th century. The Talbot family occupied it for 791 years, from 1185 until 1976, with the exception of the years 1649–1660, when Miles Corbet received it from Oliver Cromwell following the Cromwellian conquest of Ireland. Towers were added in 1765, during what is thought to have been a notable expansion of the structure during reign of Edward IV. The estate is also thought to have withstood tragedies like the Battle of the Boyne, in which the family of the owner lost fourteen members by the evening when they sat down for breakfast in the Great Hall, and the Penal Laws, despite the continued Roman Catholicism of the family until 1774. Airships from RNAS Anglesey in Wales used the grounds of the castle as a mooring-out base in 1918 during the First World War, when they performed anti-submarine operations in the Irish Sea. Prior to the end of the war, plans were in place to base airships here starting in 1919. Great-great-grandson of James Boswell, Lord Talbot de Malahide, sold the private papers of the famed author to American collector Ralph H. Isham in the 1920s after they were found in the castle. Since then, Yale University has acquired the documents, and it has released academic and popular versions of his letters and journals. It is also thought that Isham soon after discovered and bought a second cache. Eventually, the 7th Baron Talbot inherited Malahide Castle and its demesne, intending to give it to the state. Rose, his sister, who had lived there as a caretaker in the 1950s, inherited the castle upon his death in 1973. With regret, Rose gave the castle to the Irish State in 1975 in order to pay the unpaid inheritance taxes. Many of the items, most notably the furnishings that had been sold, had generated some debate. Partially some items were recouped from the buyers and were done by both public and private entities
[Infromation and Image Credit : Malahide_Castle, Wikipedia]
[Wikipedia-Link : https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Malahide_Castle ]
[Image : Malahide Castle; Wikipedia-Image-Author : William Murphy, from Dublin, Ireland]
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#History#Castles
The ruins of Čachtice Castle are located in Slovakia, adjacent to the Čachtice village. Because of the uncommon flora that grow on the hill where it is located, it has been designated as a national nature reserve. The Countess Elizabeth Báthory, who was accused of being a serial killer, lived at the castle before it was converted into a jail. As a guard on the route to Moravia, Kazimir of the Hont-Pázmány gens constructed Čachtice in the middle of the thirteenth century. It later belonged to Elizabeth Báthory, the Stibor family, and before that to Matthew Csák. When Elizabeth married Ferenc Nádasdy in 1575, the Nádasdy family gave her Čachtice, along with the surrounding estates and villages. Čachtice was formerly a Romanesque fortress with a fascinating dwelling tower built like a horseshoe. Later on, in the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries, its size was expanded, and it was transformed into a Gothic castle. 17th-century renovations throughout the Renaissance came next. In 1708, rebels of Francis II Rákóczi took control of the castle. In 1799, it suffered from negligence and was burned down. Before being converted into a tourist attraction in 2014, it was allowed to deteriorate
[Infromation and Image Credit : Čachtice_Castle, Wikipedia]
[Wikipedia-Link : https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/%C4%8Cachtice_Castle ]
[Image : Čachtice Castle; Wikipedia-Image-Author : Civertan]
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#History#Castles
Located on Iveragh Peninsula of Ireland, Loher Cashel (Native name: Cathair a Lóthair) is a stone ringfort and National Monument. 3.9 kilometers northwest of Derrynane, Loher Cashel is located on the western border of the Iveragh Peninsula, with a view of Ballinskelligs Bay. This spot might have been picked because of the view of Skellig Michael. The cashel was constructed as a fortified farmhouse in the ninth century AD. It was rebuilt not too long ago. This circular stone fort has an interior diameter of 20 meters and exterior walls that are more than 2 meters high and 3 meters thick. Stairs lead up to it. It is constructed of drystone, with rubble filling in the voids. There are two houses within, one larger round and the other smaller rectangular. Archaeology has revealed that wooden structures were there before these. There was a souterrain inside the round house. There is a stone-lined passage near the entrance, reminiscent to Staigue Stone Fort. A souterrain was found in the circular house during excavations, although it is currently inaccessible. They used as hiding places during raids and places to store supplies. around halfway between Waterville and Caherdaniel. There is an amazing view looking west over Ballinskelligs Bay in Loher on the N70. In the valley below, one can see the fort
[Information and Image Credit : Loher_Cashel, Wikipedia]
[Wikipedia-Link : https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Loher_Cashel ]
[Other Information Credit-Link : http://www.megalithicireland.com/Loher%20Stone%20Fort.html ]
[Image : Loher Cashel; Wikipedia-Image-Author : MollyCrilly]
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#History
Located at Downhill, County Derry, Downhill House was a mansion constructed in the late 1700s for Frederick, 4th Earl of Bristol and Lord Bishop of Derry. Before it was reconstructed in the 1870s, a large portion of the structure was destroyed by fire in 1851. After World War II, everything started to fall apart. Currently, Downhill House is a component of Mussenden Temple and Downhill Demesne, properties owned by the National Trust. After being appointed Bishop of Derry in 1768, the Rt Rev. Dr. Frederick Hervey, Lord Bishop of Derry of the Church of Ireland, ordered construction at Downhill Demesne close to the community of Castlerock, in the early 1770s. Architect Michael Shanahan constructed Downhill House, which boasts a view of Benone and Downhill Strand on the northern coast of Northern Ireland. However, it has been speculated that Charles Cameron or James Wyatt may have also contributed to the design in its early stages. It is estimated that the building of the House and the adjacent Mussenden Temple cost £80,000. The Lions Gate, the original main entrance to the demesne, was actually guarded by two snow leopards, or heraldic ounces, the supporters of the Hervey shield of arms. The Bishops Gate took its place as the entryway in 1784. The interior of the house was adorned with statues and frescoes, as well as paintings by a number of well-known artists. Cousin of Lord Bristol, The Rev. Henry Bruce, who had served as the steward of the manor during the absences of the Earl-Bishop, inherited the estate upon his death in 1803. Sister of Bruce was Frideswide Mussenden, for whom the Mussenden Temple was constructed; following her passing, the temple was turned into a memorial. While Downhill was reported to have avoided substantial damage during the 1839 Night of the Big Wind, a fire in 1851 destroyed the library and seriously damaged a large portion of the house. Bishop Lord Bristol had built two houses, one at Downhill and the other at Ballyscullion, where he maintained his extensive collection of artwork. Artists such as Correggio, Dürer, Murillo, Rubens, and Tintoretto lost their works in the fire, however most of the paintings were reportedly spared. Under the direction of John Lanyon, the son of architect Charles Lanyon, the home was restored from 1870 to 1874, keeping many of its original characteristics while adding to its floorplan and interior design and changing some of its original arrangement. The property served as a billet for RAF personnel and women during World War Two. The home was owned by the Bruce family until 1946; by 1950, it had been demolished and the surrounding land had been sold. The temple became a Trust property in the 1940s, and the house was purchased by The National Trust in 1980 [Information and Image Credit : Downhill_House, Wikipedia] [Wikipedia-Link : https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Downhill_House ] [Image : Downhill House ruins in 2006 ; Wikipedia-Image-Author : Jean Smith from Bluewater Bay, Florida] [Image Availed Under Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 2.0 Generic; (Please Relate to Individual Image URLs for More Usage Property)] [License-Link : https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0/deed.en ] [Wikipedia-Image-Source-Link : https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Downhill_House.jpg ] #History
Situated close to the Irish Sea on a rocky knoll, Harlech Castle, a Grade I listed medieval castle, is located in Harlech, Gwynedd, Wales. Edward I had it constructed between 1282 and 1289, during his invasion of Wales, at the comparatively low sum of £8,190. The fortress took part in numerous battles over the ensuing centuries, withstanding siege of Madog ap Llywelyn in 1294–1295 before falling to Prince Owain Glyndŵr in 1404. After that it served as home and military base of Glyndŵr for the duration of the rebellion, until English forces retook it in 1409. The ballad Men of Harlech commemorates the siege of Harlech, which was held by the Lancastrians for seven years during the Wars of the Roses in the fifteenth century, until Yorkist armies forced its submission in 1468. The fortress was defended by supporters of Charles I after the English Civil War broke out in 1642. They maintained it until 1647, when it was the final stronghold to fall to the forces of the Parliament. The historic environment service of Welsh Government, Cadw, is in charge of overseeing the abandoned castle in the twenty-first century as a tourist destination. UNESCO has designated Harlech Castle as a World Heritage Site, citing it as one of best examples of Europe late 13th- and early 14th-century military architecture. Concentric in shape and constructed of local stone, the stronghold has a colossal gatehouse that was presumably originally used to house the castle constable and other high-ranking guests. A large flight of steps and a water-gate descend from the castle to the previous beach, where the sea once came considerably closer to Harlech than it does now. This feature allowed the castle to be resupplied by sea during sieges. The architecture of Harlech shares many similarities with that of the County of Savoy around the same period, which is consistent with other castles of Edward in the north of Wales. This similarity is likely due to the Savoy origins of the principal architect, James of Saint George. Although there is no proof that a native Welsh stronghold ever stood where Harlech Castle is located in North Wales, the legend of the Welsh princess Branwen is linked to the location in local folklore
[Information and Image Credit : Harlech_Castle, Wikipedia]
[Wikipedia-Link : https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harlech_Castle ]
[Image : Harlech Castle; Wikipedia-Image Author : Cadw] [Image is availed under Open Government Licence version 1.0; (Please Relate to Individual Image URLs for More Usage Property)]
[License-Link :
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#Castles#History
Said to have occurred around 770 A.D., the Battle of Brávellir, also known as the Battle of Bråvalla, is a legendary battle between Sigurd Hring, king of Sweden and the Geats of Västergötland, and his uncle Harald Wartooth, king of Denmark and the Geats of Östergötland. The battle has been recounted in the sagas as occurring on the Brávellir. A number of sources, including the Norse sagas Hervarar saga ok Heiðreks, Bósa saga ok Herrauðs, and Sǫgubrot af nokkrum fornkonungum, relate the story of the battle; however, nationalistic Danish history Gesta Danorum by Saxo Grammaticus contains the most detailed account of it. Ivar Vidfamne, maternal grandfather of Harald, had left him Sweden, but he ruled Denmark and East Götaland, while Sigurd Hring, his subordinate king, ruled West Götaland and Sweden. Legend has it that Harald realized he was getting old and might not make it to Valhalla due to old age. As a result, he asked Sigurd if he would permit him to triumphantly depart from this life in a significant conflict. Odin is implicated as well. Saxo Grammaticus claims that both hosts gathered armies of 200,000 men after preparing for seven years. Along with 300 shieldmaidens under the leadership of Hed, Visna of the Slavs, and Hedborg, Harald was accompanied by the legendary heroes Ubbe of Friesland, Uvle Brede, Are the One-eyed, Dag the Fat, Duk the Slav, Hroi Whitebeard, and Hothbrodd the Indomitable. The legendary fighters Starkad, Egil the Bald, Norwegian Grette the Evil, Blig Bignose, Einar the Fatbellied, and Erling Snake were enlisted by Sigurd. Arwakki, Keklu-Karl, Krok the peasant, Gummi, and Gudfast from Gislamark, a Norwegian, were well-known Swedes who participated. Numerous Saxons, Angles, Frisians, Finns, Estonians, Curonians, Bjarmians, Livonians, Norwegians, Slavs, Irish, Rus and other people joined them, each choosing a side. To construct the three thousand longships needed to carry the Swedes, entire forests were felled. The Danes under Harald built so many ships they could walk across the Øresund on them. According to legend, the battle happened south of Kolmården, which divides the territory of Bråviken, East Götaland, from Svealand, or actual Sweden. The majority of historians believe that the battle happened close to Bråviken, but in the 17th century, a minority opinion seems to have placed it at Lake Åsnen in Småland. The Sǫgubrotsaga and Gesta Danorum contain essentially identical accounts. Initially, both armies engaged in combat together, but eventually, Ubbi became the center of attention. He defeated three Swedish princes of the royal dynasty and the champion Tryggvi after taking down Ragnvald the Wise Councilor. Sent forth by the humbled King Sigurd Hring, the champion Starkad wounded Ubbi but also suffered more serious wounds. Subsequently, Ubbi eliminated Agnar, grasping the sword with both hands, he cut a path through the Swedish opponent until he was struck by arrows fired by the Telemark archers. Then, much to the ire of Starkad, the shieldmaiden Veborg killed the champion Soti and inflicted more wounds on him. Thorkell, the champion, then killed her in response. Enraged, Starkad now led the Danish army into battle, slaying warriors all around him and chopping off the arm of Visna, a Shieldmaden, which held the Danish flag. Following that, Starkad ernt on to kill the Champions Brai, Grepi, Gamli, and Haki. Following his observation of these valiant deeds, Harald also killed a large number of warriors to his left and right while kneeling in his chariot and holding one sword in each hand. Bruni, the steward of Harald, ultimately decided that his liege had accumulated enough glory and now used a club to smash the skull of his king. After losing the battle and killing forty thousand warriors, Sigurd now went on to become the sovereign ruler of all of Sweden and Denmark. Depending on the prevailing ideology among Scandinavian historians during the last two centuries, there has been back and forth in the general agreement regarding the historicity of the battle. Older scholarship, according to Swedish archaeologist Birger Nerman in 1925, had regarded the narratives of the battle largely as historical and had treated them without question. But in the final decades of the 1800s, the hypercritical school rejected the battle as real and even mythologized the region in which it took place. The Swedish encyclopedia Nationalencyklopedin summarized the controversy in 1990 when it stated that it is impossible to confirm the historicity of the battle. Another theory links the fight to the events of 827, the year that Harald Klak was banished from Denmark [Information and Image Credit : Battle_of_Brávellir, Wikipedia] [Wikipedia-Link : https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Br%C3%A1vellir ] [Image : The Battle of Brávellir, painting by August Malmström] [The Work (Image) is a faithful photographic reproduction of a two-dimensional, public domain work of art. The work is in the public domain in its country of origin and other countries and areas where the copyright term is the life of author plus 100 years or fewer. The Work (Image) is also believed to be in public domain in the United States as well. (Please Relate to Individual Image URLs for More Usage Property)] [Wikipedia-Image-Source-Link : https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:August_Malmstr%C3%B6m-Br%C3%A5vallaslaget.JPG ] #History#Legend
A Late Gothic castle, the Albrechtsburg was built between 1471 and roughly 1495. It is situated in the German state of Saxony, in the heart of Meissen. It is next to the Meissen Cathedral, perched on a hill above the Elbe River. During the Siege of Gana in 929, King Henry I of Germany defeated the Glomacze tribe and established a castle on a rock above the Elbe river, where their village was located. This castle, named Misnia after a local creek, served as both the center of town and the home of the Margraves of Meissen starting in 965. The Margraves of Meissen went on to win the Electorate of Saxony in 1423. Frederick I was named Elector of Saxony in 1423. Ernst and Albrecht, his grandchildren, ruled over Thuringia and Saxony combined from 1464 to 1485. In 1471, they hired renowned builder Arnold von Westfalen to construct the first German palace on the site of the former margravial castle. Court of Wettin never really made Albrechtsburg Castle its center. The builders agreed on a split of their domain in 1485, while work was still ongoing. The united administration of the two brothers was disbanded, and the territory was split in half. Ernst, brother of Albrecht, gained the remaining Thuringian territories and the Duchy of Saxony with Wittenberg, to which the electorate was connected, while Albrecht received practically the Margraviate of Meissen with the freshly constructed castle and the eventual Thuringian district. Construction was suspended in the higher northern regions between 1495 and 1500 while internal finishing work was being completed. These lands were not finished until 1521 by Jakob Heilmann, the son of Duke Albrecht, Duke Georg, 1500–1539. The first floor of the northeastern structure features a loop ribbed vault in the style of the Prague-based architect Benedikt Ried, and the room above features a fireplace that dates from this era. During that period, the balustrades of the Great Staircase Tower required figural reliefs by sculptor Christoph Walther I, whose frames feature early Renaissance forms. In 1676, the castle was dubbed Albrechtsburg in honor of one of its founding lords. However, Georg the Bearded, son of Albrecht, was the one who initially moved inside Albrechtsburg Castle. The castle suffered severe damage during the Thirty Years War. It is been vacant ever since. Only in the early 1700s, after Augustus II the Strong established the Meissen porcelain factory at the castle in 1710, did Albrechtsburg Castle come back into the public eye. European porcelain was invented two years earlier by Johann Friedrich Böttger and Ehrenfried Walther von Tschirnhaus. Originally, Dresden was to be the factory, but Augustus the Strong decided on the abandoned castle because to its remote position because no other place would have had such a firm grasp on the formula for producing porcelain. The white gold became internationally known when the porcelain business moved into the erstwhile princely house on June 6, 1710. The castle was abandoned once more in the middle of the 1800s when the factory was relocated to a brand-new factory structure. The old manufacturing buildings were demolished and the castle is architecture was reconstructed between 1864 and 1870. Extensive paintings adorned the late Gothic walls, taking the place of the missing furnishings. Afterwards, the Frankfurt-based, well-known artist Alexander Linnemann was also involved in this process, helping to design the new doors, for example. The Albrechtsburg Castle was opened to the public at the close of the 1800s and continues to be a popular destination for both domestic and foreign tourists
[Information and Image Credit : Albrechtsburg, Wikipedia]
[Wikipedia-Link : https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Albrechtsburg ]
[Image : Albrechtsburg and Meissen Cathedral on the Elbe river; Wikipedia-Image-Author: Stephan Hoppe ]
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#Castles#History
In Arundel, West Sussex, England, there is a medieval castle that has been renovated and restored. In the eleventh century, Roger de Montgomery founded it. Charles Howard, 11th Duke of Norfolk, repaired the castle in the 18th and 19th centuries after it was devastated during the English Civil War. The Earls of Arundel and the Dukes of Norfolk have called the castle their home since the eleventh century. The building is categorized as Grade I. It was once a motte-and-bailey castle. The King gave Roger de Montgomery the estate as part of a much bigger bundle of hundreds of manors, and he was proclaimed the first Earl of Arundel. Roger, the cousin of William the Conqueror, had remained in Normandy to maintain order while William was away in England. He received large territories in the Welsh Marches, throughout the nation, and a fifth of Sussex as compensation for his allegiance. Around 1067, he started construction on Arundel Castle. Robert of Bellême, the owner of the castle, rebelled, and between 1101 and 1102, the army of Henry I besieged the fortress. The castle gave itself over to the king at the end of the siege. The fortress was under siege in 1643, during the First English Civil War. After eighteen days, the 800 royalists within submitted. Later, in 1653, Parliament mandated that the castle be slighted. Nonetheless, it is thought that weather likely caused greater damage. Over the ensuing decades, the Howard family kept ownership of the castle, but it was not their preferred home. Instead, the several Dukes of Norfolk dedicated their time and resources on enhancing other ducal properties, such as Norfolk House in London. It was at this time that Francis Hiorne was commissioned by the Duke to build the folly that still exists on the hill above Swanbourne Lake. Queen Victoria spent three days at Arundel Castle in 1846 with her husband, Prince Albert. The castle was internally remodeled by Henry Howard, 13th Duke of Norfolk, just in time for her visit. The furniture design was created by the architectural firm Morant. During this period, a suite of six rooms was constructed on the second floor of the southeast range. Following the 1846 royal visit, the 15th Duke started rebuilding the castle once more, and he did so from 1875 until 1905. By early 2020, the large gardens had undergone substantial restoration thanks to the work of head gardener Martin Duncan and his team. Duncan, a landscape designer and horticulturist, has been employed at the Castle since 2009. He was awarded the Kew Guild Medal in 2018. A wild water garden encircling the ponds is the result of the most recent efforts of the gardeners and volunteers
[Information and Image Credit : Arundel_Castle, Wikipedia]
[Wikipedia-Link : https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arundel_Castle ]
[Image : View of the Norman motte of Arundel Castle with the quadrangle in the foreground]
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#Castles#History
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