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[diamount]

Obidos Castle, Portugal

 

[Serrato]

And since it was only mentionned one time with a simple angle,

Carcasonne, one of the only remaining Fortified Medieval City in the world. It's one of my top destination to go visit in France.

Also, one of the biggest castle in the world, Le Palais des Papes.

 

[JackAubrey]

Not quite the most beautiful but ones I've visited in recent years:

Sherborne Castle, Dorset (which isn't very castle)

Castle Sirens by Grumpyrocker, on Flickr

Corfe Castle, Dorset (scenes from Disney's Bedknobs and Broomsticks were shot here and in the town below)

Corfe Castle 03 by Grumpyrocker, on Flickr

And another proper fighting castle, Beaumaris Castle in Wales

Beaumaris Castle by Grumpyrocker, on Flickr

 

[Serrato]

God I love castle.

When i'll come to Europe... I'll want to see them all. Never have the time for this!

 

[Sialeeds]

Holy fuck, this is awesome.

I need to visit this place someday.

I spent my last summer holidays in this town, it was wonderful. The castle is really spectacular, it makes you feel so small.

 

[TheLastCandle]

I saw Edinburgh Castle on my honeymoon. The way it dominates the skyline is just impossibly epic and gorgeous.

 

[DrM]

Well, our local castle need some promoting

 

[Marion Cobretti]

I was going to post the castle in Salzburg, but that should just looks like a joke compared to some of the stuff in this thread.

 

[Geido]

Not enough Dutch castles in here!

Kasteel de Haar:

Het Muiderslot:

Slot Loevenstein (built to withstand floods):

 

[t-ramp]

I was going to post the castle in Salzburg, but that should just looks like a joke compared to some of the stuff in this thread.

This one?

I think it looks awesome.

Edit: Somebody had already posted it too.

 

[Wind's Howling]

I had the luxury of dining in that Praque castle a few years ago. Best dining experience ever.

 

[leadbelly]

Neuschwanstein is definitely beautiful. But it was built during the 1800s with the express purpose of it looking like a fairytale castle. In a way, it's no more "real" than the Disney castle, just 100 years older.

Also, as a tourist you can't see the castle from that angle which is a bit of a shame. It's built on a hill, and you are always too close to the castle to get a good look at it. And from the bottom of the hill, you only see the towers.

Yeah. This is what I was going to say. It is a 19th century novelty castle, it doesn't really count.

 

[Solid SOAP]

How does one go about entering one of these incredible buildings?

 

[t-ramp]

How does one go about entering one of these incredible buildings?

I would think a lot of them do tours.

 

[BertramCooper]

How does one go about entering one of these incredible buildings?

Marry a princess.

 

[raindoc]

not a contestant for the most beautiful building, but still quite a sight:

Riegersburg, Styria, Austria

 

[Timbuktu]

How much $ do castles go for these days anyways?

In the UK they're protected from American pop singers.

Well... The Astley castle did win the Stirling Prize this year. If you can find a small one in enough of a ruin and have the patience and resources, seems like it is possible to make a castle into a livable home.

http://ribastirlingprize.architecture.com/riba-stirling-shortlist-2013-astley-castle-warwickshire/

[imghttp://ribastirlingprize.architecture.com/wp-content/gallery/astley/main2013-astley01.jpg][/img]

 

[xbhaskarx]

Versailles is a palace not a castle... same goes for a few others. I also see a few tombs listed.

 

[WorldStar]

 

[Übermatik]

REPRESENT.

I like Tattershall because it kinda looks like the castles in Age of Empires.

 

[Mt Heart Attack]

Versailles is a palace not a castle... same goes for a few others. I also see a few tombs listed.

French people tend to confuse the two though, I guess the same word (chateau) applies for both? Maybe the people who posted Versailles were French.

Anyway, what's up with all the fancy castles here?

Here's a real one: sturdy, compact and straight to the point

 

[Anastasia]

Neuschwanstein <3

I wish I could live in one of these castles, and just get away from everything.

 

[AMUSIX]

Chiming in on Neuschwanstein....

going there was severly underwhelming. I don't understand why it's considered one of the most beautiful castles in the world. Everything about it just screams fake and unfunctional. And once you're inside, it's practically barren (because it was never finished). It has a good profile, but I think its beauty really comes from its location rather than its construction. There are no rooms that are really awe inspiring, even considering their proposed finishes. There's no grand chapel, there's no hall of mirrors, there's no imposing armory...there's not even much in the way of stained glass (some, which is nice, but, again, nothing to match what other, more genuine castles offer).

So, yeah..I know it's one of the most photographed, but, again, I think that has to do with its location.

 

[Timbuktu]

French people tend to confuse the two though, I guess the same word (chateau) applies for both? Maybe the people who posted Versailles were French.

I remember that point being made in World War Z, the book. Castles were good in a zombie apocolyspe, but people flocked to Versailles thinking it was a castle and were slaughtered.

 

[sphagnum]

There's one in Manhattan of all places!

The Cloisters museum in upper Manhattan.

Well, kind of; it's really just an abbey built back in the 30s, but it's still a cool feature in a gorgeous location tucked away in northern Manhattan that few life-long residents even know exists let alone tourists.

Great collection inside too.

 

[Rootbeer]

Great thread. Castles never stop being interesting. Particularly if you are a dungeon master and need some inspiration ^__^

 

[SymbiantXenos]

Carlisle Castle.

Carlisle, Cumbria UK.

 

[Chinner]

America has the best castles. So much history to be had!

 

[indigo-cyclops]

Bran Castle (Dracula's Castle)

That's actually Hunyad Castle.

Bran Castle is another of Vlad III's.

 

[lupin23rd]

Dunluce Castle, Northern Ireland. It was abandoned in 1639 when part of the castle fell into the sea.

Hopefully that was where they put the dungeon.

 

[kharma45]

Hopefully that was where they put the dungeon.

The kitchens actually. According to the legend all the staff there died apart from one kitchen boy, as he was sitting in the corner of the kitchen which did not collapse.

 

[Natetan]

Himeji, Kanazawa, and Matsumoto castles are all pretty cool.

Forbidden city (&#32043;&#31105;&#22478is amazing too if we're calling that a castle since it is in its original language.

Mont San Michel is nice too.

 

[The_Hitcher89]

I've always wanted to own a ruined, but traversible, castle, and just sleep there in the summer. Is that weird?

 

[Zep]

I've always wanted to own a ruined, but traversible, castle, and just sleep there in the summer. Is that weird?

yup

 

[Konka]

The closest thing to a castle around here.

 

[kingofrod]

In Versailles, KY.
Not really, but it's the only castle I've ever seen (besides White Castle and THE Castle, central Kentucky's premier Murano bead supplier).

 

[Stinkles]

my man.

was just there.

 

[Myke Greywolf]

Óbidos castle town, Portugal

 

[Brianemone]

Erice in Sicily gets my vote. Up a silly hill overlooking the Mediterranean and plains of western Sicily. The castle its self isn't too fabulous looking these days but its my favourite place on the planet.

 

[Loxley]

It's a real bummer being a castle enthusiast while, at the same time, living the US One of these years I'm going to go to Europe and head out on a cross-country castle site-seeing bonanza.

I especially want to visit Germany and Scotland, absolutely gorgeous.

 

[Wilbur]

Mont St-Michel is the most beautiful castle I've ever seen. Couldn't even dream something that glorious.

Yep. I have to go there just to stare at it.

 

[DaciaJC]

Pele&#537; Castle, Romania. It's quite young and more of a palace than a genuine castle, but it's beautiful.

 

[Neffarias_Bredd]

All these castles look so beautiful from the outside and I always think about how cool it would be to live in one. The rooms are so big and empty though, cozy rooms are so much better

 

[MemoryHumanity]

This thread is great! Subbed.

 

[MrOogieBoogie]

All these castles look so beautiful from the outside and I always think about how cool it would be to live in one. The rooms are so big and empty though, cozy rooms are so much better

But you get views like this!

This is the Fortifications of Kotor in my home country, Montenegro:

 

[Konka]

I'd love to move there. Damn immigration rules.

 

[Rich!]

Mont. St. Michael is my choice.

It also has a kick ass theme tune: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2FMccwa-0vA

 

[Gallbaro]

All these castles look so beautiful from the outside and I always think about how cool it would be to live in one. The rooms are so big and empty though, cozy rooms are so much better

Hey, some castles are cheaper than NYC apartments.

 

[Rawket Lawnchair]

A couple more from Greece which I've seen in person.

Nafplio Castle:

And ancient Mycenae; not exactly a castle, it's more of a 3000 year old settlement-fortress, and the amount of history contained in those walls was absolutely breathtaking. This is the place where Agamemnon ruled, and it was also Troy's enemy city.

 

[GroteSmurf]

Visited this castle years ago with my parents Still love it. You can enter the cave around back...it's where they smuggled fresh food from when they were under siege. It's the Grad Predjama Castle in Slovenia.