Castles

The photo is by Serge Imbert on Flickr

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

Taken from @Archaeo-Histories:

Hrad Bouzov Castle, a medieval fortress situated in the Olomouc Region of the Czech Republic, approximately 35km northwest of Olomouc.

The castle dates back to the early 14th Century CE, and was originally built by the noble Búz family, who were prominent in the region. The castle features a dominant central tower, surrounded by a complex of defensive walls, turrets and bastions. It includes richly decorated interiors, such as grand halls, a chapel and knight’s rooms.

The French Wikipedia article about the castle

The fortress was built in the place of a Byzantine fortress from the sixth century. It served as an important centre during the Second Bulgarian empire, second only to the capital of Turnovo. It minted coins and in 1235 it became the seat of the Bishopric of Cherven.

The fortress was burned by the invading ottomans in 1388, with most people fleeing to what is today Ruse.

There is also a 3D reconstruction of the town during the 14th century

Cherven’s wiki

Wiki: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Broadway_Tower%2C_Worcestershire

Strictly a "folly" but you may like it.

Description: The ruins of a castle on a steep cliff, against the backdrop of a cloudy sky and lush green forests. Up against the cliffside are a few stone houses, overlooking a river and a stony beach on the opposite shore.

Drone camera footage by The Kilted Photographer: Original video here

Wikipedia article about the monument

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

• Wiki

Visited this in primary school (90s).

• Wiki
• English Heriatge

Wikipedia article about the fortress

Homepage | Geo-Location

The castle is open for visits (entry fee 70 Lei which is about 15€)

Commonly known outside Transylvania as Dracula's Castle, it is marketed as the home of the title character in Bram Stoker's Dracula. There is no evidence that Stoker knew anything about this castle, which has only tangential associations with Vlad the Impaler, voivode of Wallachia, who shares his name with Dracula. Stoker's description of Dracula's crumbling fictional castle also bears no resemblance to Bran Castle.

The castle is now a museum dedicated to displaying art and furniture collected by Queen Marie. Tourists can see the interior on their own or by a guided tour. At the bottom of the hill is a small open-air museum exhibiting traditional Romanian peasant structures (cottages, barns, water-driven machinery, etc.) from the Bran region.

The construction of the castle began in the 10th century at the place of the Ancient Roman castell Bononia. The building of Baba Vida is tied to a legend, according to which a Danubian Bulgarian king who ruled at Vidin had three daughters: Vida, Kula and Gamza. Prior to his death, he divided his realm among the three. Vida, the eldest, was given Vidin and the lands north to the Carpathians, Kula was awarded Zaječar and the Timok Valley, and Gamza was to rule the lands west up to the Morava. Although Gamza and Kula married to drunkard and warlike nobles, Vida remained unmarried and built the castle in her city. The name of the castle means "Granny Vida".

Due to wars and castles being torn down as to prevent rebellions or just for the materials during ottoman times Baba Vida remains the only fully intact castle in Bulgaria.

Baba Vida’s wiki

And Vidin’s

Photo by Aki Mykkänen

Wikipedia article about the castle

It served as the primary stronghold in the capital of the Second Bulgarian empire. It’s situated on the Yantra river, on a hill of the same name, across it is the other main hill in the medieval city - Trapezitsa.

It was conquered on 17 July 1393 by the ottomans after a three month siege, during which the tsar was at Nikopol, leaving the Bulgarian patriarch to defend the city.

On 22 September 1908, at the foot of Tsarevets, in the Holy Forty martyrs church, tsar Ferdinand declares Bulgaria’s independence from the Ottoman Empire.

Here’s a great guide for Tsarevets

Schwerin Castle also known as Schwerin Palace is a schloss located in the city of Schwerin, the capital of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern state, Germany. It is situated on an island in the city's main lake, Lake Schwerin. Major parts of the current castle were built between 1845 and 1857. Like Alcázar of Segovia, Schwerin Castle was one of the many real palaces who inspired Disney's Cinderella Castle.

Source

Castel del Monte is a 13th-century citadel and castle situated on a hill in Andria in the Apulia region of southeast Italy. It was built during the 1240s by King Frederick II, who had inherited the lands from his mother Constance of Sicily.

https://www.falaise-suissenormande.com/en/sites-et-musees/chateau-guillaume-le-conquerant/

https://www.openstreetmap.org/way/45487091 Street view: https://goo.gl/maps/n5Ze749WFP9ZHVNj6

This castle is open every day during varying times based on season for a ticket fee.

On the death of Richard II, Duke of Normandy, in August 1026 his son (also called Richard) succeeded to the duchy. The inheritance however was disputed by Richard III's younger brother, Robert. Not content with his inheritance of the town of Exmes and its surrounding area, Robert rebelled and took up arms against his brother, and he captured the castle of Falaise. Richard then besieged the castle and forced Robert to submit to him. However, when Richard died from unknown causes in 1027, Robert became Duke of Normandy. Robert fathered an illegitimate son by a woman named Herleva, who was from the town of Falaise and the daughter of a chamberlain. The child, William, was born in about 1028. The castle (12th–13th century), which overlooks the town from a high crag, was formerly the seat of the Dukes of Normandy. The construction was started on the site of an earlier castle in 1123 by Henry I of England, with the "large keep" (grand donjon). Later was added the "small keep" (petit donjon).

The tower built in the first quarter of the 12th century contained a hall, chapel, and a room for the lord, but no small rooms for a complicated household arrangement; in this way, it was similar to towers at Corfe, Norwich, and Portchester, all in England.

Prince Arthur as a prisoner of Hubert de Burgh in Falaise Castle, by William Frederick Yeames.

Arthur I, Duke of Brittany, was King John of England's teenage nephew, and a rival claimant to the throne of England. With the support of King Philip II of France, Arthur embarked on a campaign in Normandy against John in 1202, and Poitou revolted in support of Arthur. The Duke of Brittany besieged his grandmother, Eleanor of Aquitaine, in the Château de Mirebeau. John marched on Mirebeau, taking Arthur by surprise and capturing him on 1 August. From there Arthur was conveyed to Falaise where he was imprisoned in the castle's keep. According to contemporaneous chronicler Ralph of Coggeshall, John ordered two of his servants to mutilate the duke. Hugh de Burgh was in charge of guarding Arthur and refused to let him be mutilated, but to demoralise Arthur's supporters was to announce his death. The circumstances of Arthur's death are unclear, though he probably died in 1203.

In about 1207, after having conquered Normandy, Philip II Augustus ordered the building of a new cylindrical keep. It was later named the Talbot Tower (Tour Talbot) after the English commander responsible for its repair during the Hundred Years' War. It is a tall round tower, a similar design to the towers built at Gisors and the medieval Louvre.

Possession of the castle changed hands several times during the Hundred Years' War. The castle was deserted during the 17th century.

Since 1840, Château de Falaise has been recognised as a monument historique by the French Ministry of Culture. A programme of restoration was carried out between 1870 and 1874.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Greenan_Castle

Greenan Castle is a 16th-century ruined tower house, southwest of Ayr in South Ayrshire, Scotland. Situated at the top of a sea cliff, it was originally a promontory fort converted into a motte-and-bailey in the 12th century. In the 15th century a tower house was built by the Lords of the Isles.

Photo and write-up by https://mastodon.scot/@McNige here: https://mastodon.scot/@McNige/110926238926867959