Get ready to live out those childhood fairytale fantasies.
Castel del Monte, Italy
Castel del Monte (Italian for “Castle of the Mountain”; Barese: Castìdde du Monte) is a 13th-century citadel and castle situated on a hill in Andria in the Apulia region of southeast Italy.
The castle is built in the shape of an octagon, with a diagonal size of 56 meters. The octagonal plan represents the intermediate figure between the square (the symbol of the earth) and the circle, representing the infinite sky.
The structure has two storeys, each with eight interconnected chambers. From the towers you get on the roof terrace, paved with stone slabs arranged in a herringbone pattern. The panorama view from these terraces was a great strategic advantage during the Middle Ages, as you could see enemies approaching from miles away. Back in those days, all of the rooms were decorated with precious polychrome marble, mosaics, paintings, and tapestries, but unfortunately, Castel del Monte has been robbed of its treasures by looters and vandals. Most of the doors are still nicely decorated with colored marble, but nothing remains of the decor that gladdened the eyes of Frederick II.
Lichtenstein Castle
The Castle of Coca, Spain
The castle was constructed in the 15th century and has been considered to be one of the best examples of Spanish Mudejar brickwork which incorporates Moorish Muslim design and construction with Gothic architecture. It’s made up of two square baileys separated by a passageway.
Both show polygonal towers at the corners. Due to its great splendor, it was used more as a palace than as a fortress.
Falak-ol-Aflak or Shapur Khast Castle
Falak-ol-Aflak is a castle situated on the top of a large hill with the same name within the city of Khorramabad, the regional capital of Lorestan province, Iran. This gigantic structure was built during the Sassanid era (224–651).
Falak-ol-Aflak castle is amongst the most important structures built during the Sassanid era. It has been known by a number of names since it was built over 1800 years ago. Under the Pahlavi dynasty, after being used as a prison until 1968, it was transformed into a museum complex.
Powis Castle, Welshpool, Powys, Wales
Burg Hochosterwitz, Carinthia, Austria
Hochosterwitz is an outstanding example of a medieval fortress and stronghold. What makes the castle appear so strong is the obviously well-suited position of the whole complex. The winding access is blocked by 14 fortified gates and opens up at the armoury yard in front of the main castle. The 14 gates are the landmark of the castle. Only their extremely clever and technically correct construction made the castle impregnable as the enemy had to conquer gate by gate but was attacked from all sides at the same time.
Krzyżtopór Castle, Poland
The castle of Krzyżtopór in Ujazd had a defensive character. Its construction that took 13 years was supervised by Italian architect Lawrence Senes, who also designed the project.
Neuschwanstein Castle, Germany
Ooidonk Castle, Belgium
Predjama Castle, Slovenia
A Fairytale Castle Embraced by Rock
The impregnable medieval marvel has been perched in the middle of a 123-meter-high cliff for more than 800 years. Behind the largest cave castle in the world, there is a network of secret tunnels, from where the knight Erazem of Predjama would set out on his plundering expeditions. The Cave under Predjama Castle is the home of a colony of bats.
