Castles

Photo by Lupone

The tower was built in the middle of the 16th century, the precise date of the construction is unknown. It probably replaced a medieval fortification at the same place. Lots of these watchtowers were constructed along the Italian coastline in order to protect against (often Saracen) pirates. This particular tower also served as a border post between Tuscany and the Papal States.

Picture by N. Bresset for Haute-Loire Tourisme

The original castle of La Rochelambert was built in the 11th century on the side of a basalt column. Its purpose was to protect the pilgrims on their way to Santiago de Compostela (Spain). It was destroyed during France's war of religions in the 16th century, but rebuilt later in the same century in a Renaissance style. It has remained largely unchanged since then.

The famous French writer George Sand included the castle in her novel "Jean de la Roche".

Photo by Lieven Smits

The photo shows only the smallest, central part of the castle. Actually, it is huge. The outer walls of the entire fortified area is 1,1 kilometers (0.7 miles) long. Photos like this and this attempt to do it justice.

Because of the strategic position above the Loire valley, the location has been fortified since the times of the Roman empire, though it was likely a wooden structure and none of it survived the times. A castle getss mentioned in the 5th and 8th century, but it was entirely destroyed and had to be rebuild in the 11th century. The castle's keep dates from that era, though it was expanded several times, it remains largely intact and is one of the oldest of its kind in France.

The castle was disputed in the Hundred Years War, lost by John Lackland, it was regained by Richard Lionheart, then lost to the French kings yet again. The French kings turned into a royal castle and fortified it further. The castle is famous for an encounter between the future French king Charles VII. and Joan of Arc when she informed him of the liberation of the city of Orléans.

Like many medieval castles who lost their strategic importance, it became a prison in the late 15th century, thus it became a focal point of the people's rage during the French Revolution which destroyed most of the castle. While some parts of the castle (particularly the royal quarters, not visible in the photo above, on the opposite end of the fortifications) were restored in the 19th century, the keep remains a ruin.

Photo by L. Barbe for La Provence Verte. The website features more photos.

The precise origins of the "castrum" are unknown. It first gets mentioned in 1040. It was destroyed in 1150, but rebuilt and occupied until the 15th century. At that date, the village the castle was supposed to protect, Rougiers, was relocated (something that happened a lot in Provence due to karstification) and the castle was abandoned and ultimately fell into ruins.

The location is of particular archeological interest: Rougiers is one of the biggest excavations of an early medieval settlement in France.

cross-posted from: https://alien.top/post/997902

Photo by Daniel Villafruela

This wider angle shot shows the location of the castle above the river Loire and the village of the same name at the bottom of the castle.

The first testimony of a stone-built castle in this location dates back to the 11th century, though earlier fortifications in this spot are likely. The castle was of relatively low strategic importance and thus mostly served as a residence for various local noble families. It was sold in the 17th century and the new owners lamented its "pitiful state". They renovated it, but left most of the medieval buildings intact. Though it changed hands several times afterwards and its original furniture was sold, it remains one of the most well-preserved medieval castle in the upper Loire valley.

Photo by Manfred Heyde.
The river hides behind the trees. This photo shows a view from below.

A castle was first mentioned in 9th century. It ownership was disputed for a long time and it was destroyed no less than five times during 1214 and 1606, but quickly rebuilt each time. The remaining buildings date to the 17th century, but modifications were made up until the 20th century. The castle made headlines in the 1980s as the residency of Ghaith Pharaon, a saudi-arabien business man who was involved in various scandals. He (at the same time) had business connections with the Bush family and Al-Qaeda. He fled to Lebanon in the early 2000s after the US attempted to get him extradited.

The castle was originally built in the 14th century. It was abandoned in the 16th century, but - due to its strategic position - it was refortified later and in use up until the 19th century. Sold to a passionate historian in 1931, he attempted to maintain and restore it as faithfully as possible.

Due to its somewhat believable pseudo-medieval looks and its perfect condition, Fort-La-Latte was and still is a favorite location for shooting movies and TV shows. The most famous one is 1958's "The Vikings" with Kurt Douglas and Tony Curtis wherein it served as the location for the movie's final fight scene.

English Wikipedia article here.

Cropped from this ridiculously high-resolution image by Moahim

The first remnants of a fortification in this spot go back to the times of the Romans. The fortress was besieged in the 8th century by Charlemagne and handed to the counts of Bigorre, a local feudal family, which ruled over the fortress and the surrounding land until the 14th century. During the Hundreds Year War, it was briefly in English possession. French troops besieged it in order to regain control over it.

The oldest existing structures go back to the 11th and 12th century, though the fortress was constantly refortified over the centuries, with the dungeon dating back to the 14th century. Modifications were made up until the 19th century. Since the 17th century it served as a prison, until it became a museum in 1921.

Today Lourdes is best known as a famous site for pilgrimage.

The first documents tell of an abbey had occupying the site of the castle in the 11th century. The castle first gets mentioned in the 13th century. Originally the castle had three wings, 4 towers and a double wall surrounding it. Renovations in the 16th century transformed the wing above the river Loire into a "grand corps de logis" ("grand" living quarters) which overlooked a newly constructed bridge over the river. The bridge disappeared in a flood in the same century and most parts of the castle did not fare much better. The wing with the "grand corps de logis" is the only one which survived until today.

Original photo by Daniel Jolivet

The origins of the castle are unknown. The oldest surviving records are from the 15th century when it was purchased by a local feudal family. The surviving buildings also date to the 15th century. The original fortifications (the walls and a moat) did not survive.

Photo by Père Igor

The first castle at Grignols was made of wood and was possibly first constructed in the 5th or 6th century. It was replaced by a new castle in the 10th century which was expanded over time. The oldest remaining parts date back to the 13th century. The castle was heavily damaged several times, particularly during France's religious civil war in the 16th century and fell into ruin after the French Revolution. In the early 20th century locals purchased the remains and restored some of the remaining buildings.

Photo by François Bassaget

Located at the banks of the river Cance, the spot has been a place for a fort since Roman times in order to protect the local roads. A castle was first mentioned in the 11th century. The current buildings were (most likely) erected in the 15th or 16th century, but the exact dates are unknown.

Source of the photo: Benjamin Smith

The castle was built in the 12th century and it was one of the castles in English possession during the War of Hundred Years. Right across the river, the equally remarkable castle of Castlenaud was in French possession.

After the War of Hundred Years the castle lost its strategic relevancy (like most medieval castles in the Dordogne region) and later modifications were made mostly in order to make it more comfortable for its inhabitants.

Due to its prominent position and authentic look, it was featured in numerous films, the most famous being "Jeanne d'Arc" (Dir: Luc Besson, 1999) and "The last Duel" (Dir: Ridley Scott, 2020).

I recommend browsing the Wikimedia Commons collection of photos for my beautiful impressions.

Another local castle.

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

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

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

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

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

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

cross-posted from: https://lemmy.world/post/21138412

Wikipedia article here

Full size picture here

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

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

Picture by Riccardo Locatelli

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

The first castle of Montepò was erected around 1000, but the structure was mostly redone during the Renaissance. Later additions were removed in the 19th century in order to restore the Renaissance look. It is now a high class winery.

OC by me, CC0

The castle goes back to the 12th century when it protected a bridge over the river Loire. It modified to fit the tastes of the late Renaissance in the 15th and 16th century, though some parts of the original 12th century building are still visible.

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

In November 2023, I stumbled upon an article about a virtually unknown ancient site that captured my imagination - a place that seemed to defy explanation with what appeared to be a floating door on a flat-topped mountain. This enigmatic site, located in Hejin City, Shanxi Province, China, sparked a viral sensation with its blend of natural and man-made mysteries. Despite its sudden fame, the fortress vanished from the limelight as quickly as it appeared, leaving many questions unanswered.

Determined to uncover the secrets of this ancient fortress, I embarked on a meticulous quest to learn more about this elusive site. My initial research led me to various names like ‘Longmen Fortress’ and ‘Wiezhaung Village Castle,’ with some even dubbing it a ‘Nephilim Hideout.’ However, none seemed officially recognized, prompting me to name it the Hejin City Fortress.