CastleXPlorer

The Château de Chambord is a magnificent renaissance castle located at Chambord, Loir-et-Cher in France and is often regarded the most beautiful castle in the Loire Valley. The Château de Chambord was originally built as a hunting lodge for King François I, while its construction lasted from 1519 to 1547. The original design of the Castle of Chambord is attributed to different architects. Some believe the original design was made by Domenico da Cortona, while others claim that the original castle was designed by French architect Philibert Delorme.

The Egeskov Castle is an outstanding 16th century castle located in the south of the island of Funen, Denmark. The castle was built in 1554 by Frands Brockenhuus although its history dates back to the 14th century.

Egeskov Castle, Denmark

Mir Castle Complex, Belarus

The Augustusburg Castle is a 18th century castle located in Brühl, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. The Castle was built between 1725 and 1768 on orders of Clemens August of Bavaria, Archbishop-Elector of Cologne on the ruins of the water fortress which was blasted in 1689.

Augustusburg Castle, Germany

The Castle Solitude is an 18th century castle located in the city of Stuttgart, Germany. The castle was built by Duke Karl Eugen of Württemberg between 1764 and 1769 and is instead as a castle often regarded as a rococo palace. The construction of the Castle Solitude was due political and financial problems of the Duchy of Württemberg.

The Craigievar Castle is a pinkish harled castle located south of Aford, Aberdeenshire in Scotland. The castle was built in 1626 by William Forbes, brother of the Bishop of Aberdeen and ancestor to the Forbes-Sempill family which owned the Craigievar Castle over the next centuries until 1963. The Craigievar Castle was built in a seven-storey L-plan with exceptionally crafted plasterwork ceilings and is generally considered to have one of the finest ceilings in Scotland.

The Devín Castle is a medieval castle located on a cliff at the confluence of the Danube and Morava in Devín, part of Bratislava in Slovakia. The castle was probably built by the Slavic people in the 8th century, however the claims that Devín was the centre of Samo's Empire cannot be proved. The Devín Castle was first mentioned in written sources in 864 while the oldest remains of the current castle date from the 13th century when was built a stone castle to protect the western frontier of the Hungarian Kingdom.

The Gripsholm Castle is a 16th century castle located by the lake Mälaren near the town of Mariefred about 60 kilometres from Stockholm, Sweden. The castle was built by King Gustav I of Sweden in 1537 on a site of an earlier fortress which was demolished. Until 1713 the castle served as the royal residence and was afterwards for a brief period used as a prison.

Gripsholm Castle, Sweden

The Kronborg Castle is a 16th century castle located near the town of Elsinore (Danish Helsingør) at the sound between Denmark and Sweden. The castle was built in 1585 by King Frederic II of Denmark who rebuilt the fortress built on that site in 1420's by Danish King Eric of Pomerania. In 1629 was the outstanding Renaissance castle severely damaged by a fire but in 1639 King Christian IV restored its exterior in its original appearance although its interior never fully recovered in its former beauty.

The Mikhailovsky (St Michael's) Castle is a 18th century castle located in the historic centre of Saint Petersburg, Russia. The castle was built between 1797 and 1801 on orders of Tsar Paul I of Russia and son of Catherine the Great by architects Vincezo Brenna and Vasili Bazhenov. Paul I ordered the construction of the Mikhailovsky Castle because he did not feel safe in the Winter Palace and was constantly afraid of intrigues and assassination plots. Despite that Paul I was not safe even in the new castle.

The Miramare Castle is a 19th century castle located on the Gulf of Trieste near Trieste in northeastern Italy. The castle was built for Austrian Archduke Maximilian and his wife Charlotte of Belgium between 1856 and 1860 according to the design of Carl Junker, while was the extensive park on the seashore designed by the Archduke himself. In 1864 a delegation from Mexico offered the Mexican crown to the Archduke in the castle.

The Neuschwanstein Castle is a 19th century castle located near Hohenschwagau and Füssen in southwest Bavaria, Germany. The castle was built between 1869 and 1886 by Ludwig II, King of Bavaria who died before its completion. The design of the magnificent castle in the late Romanesque style of the early 13th century was made by Christian Jank, while Eduard Riedel and later Georg Dollmann and Leo von Klenze carried out the construction.

The Niasviž Castle is a residential castle of the Radziwill family located in Niasviž, Belarus. The construction of the castle began in 1582 by Mikolaj Krzysztof Radziwill, the Marshal of Lithuania, voivode of Trakai and Vilnius and castellan of Šiauliai on the site of an medieval castle which was entirely ruined. The construction of the Niasviž Castle was completed by 1604 but half a century later were added several galleries. During the Great Northern War was the castle sacked by the army of Charles XII of Sweden but the Niasviž Castle was few decades later renovated and enlarged.

Alamut castle in Iran

Krak Des Chevaliers is a medieval castle located on top of a 650-meter-high hill at Qal'at al-Hisn 65 kilometres of the city of Homs in Syria, close to the border of Lebanon. The castle was built by the Hospitaller Order of Saint John of Jerusalem from 1142 to 1271 on the site of an earlier Muslim stronghold.

Krak Des Chevaliers, Syria. Syrian medieval castle.

The Alcázar of Segovia or Segovia Castle is a medieval castle-palace located in the old city of Segovia, central Spain, on the Eresma River. The Alcázar of Segovia was originally built as a fortress but it was later used also as a royal palace, state prison, Royal Artillery College and military academy. On of the most distinctive Spanish castle-palaces was first mentioned in 1120 as the Alcázar (an Arabic word for a fortress or palace) but the archaeological evidence prove its earlier existence.

The Bellver Castle is a circular form medieval castle located on a hill looking over Palma de Mallorca on the Island of Majorca, Balearic Islands. The construction of the Bellver Castle was ordered by King James II of Mallorca in the beginning of 14th century both as military fortress and a unique Gothic style palace among the Spanish castles.

Bellver Castle

The Château de Langeais is one of the finest examples of late medieval architecture and one of the oldest castles in the Loire Valley in west-central France. The Château de Langeais was originally built as a fortress in 10th century by Foulques Nerra of Anjou. In the 11th century was the Château de Langeais along with the rest of Touraine captured by the Platagenets and later held by their descendants who became the Kings of England.

The Château de Pierrefonds or Castle of Pierrefonds is a fortified medieval castle located near the city of Compiegne north of Paris, France. The Castle of Pierrefonds was built in the 12th century as part of the county of Valois but in 1392 was the county turned into a Duchy and the castle was given to Louis D'Orléans, brother of King Charles VI. At the end of 14th and beginning of the 15th century was the castle rebuilt by architect Jean le Noir.

Loarre Castle, Spain