Coca

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Shortened history of the castle:

The castle was built Built in 1453 by Don Alonso de Fonseca and formed, along with Cuellar, Arevalo and Olmedo, a strategical square of much importance to Spain. Coca Castle is one of the most important and beautiful castles in Spain.

The castle is built of brick and stone with a protective 560 meter-long moat surrounding it.

In 1505, after Alonso's death, his brother Antonio de Fonseca greatly increased the defensive elements of the castle.

In 1521, the castle was besieged but the attackers miserably failed to take it. In 1808, The French under Napoleon were able to successfully besiege it and took the castle for the first time in its long history.

In more recent years, the castle has been used as a school.

Opening times and additionnal information:

Aigle

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The Castle of Aigle (eagle in french) was built in the late twelfth century by the family of Saillon. At the beginning, the castle consisted essentially of a square tower.

The castle served to stop troops from Italy via the Great St. Bernard, the armies then went north to Savoy. The new occupants will then give it its present appearance by rebuilding in 1489, they destroy a round tower and replace it with a square tower.

Surrounded by vineyards, the castle houses the cellars of confederate but also a prison, a role he held until 1972.In 1804, the town of Eagle acquires and converts it into an administrative building and health. He served as a hospital until 1832 but also the court.

The Museum of Vine and Wine was established in 1971 by the Brotherhood of Guillon in order to save the local winemaking heritage. A total of 17 rooms enhold thousands of items related to viticulture and wine making, for example a press of 1706, but also stills, bottles, corks, wine tasters, glasses and decanters.

Opening time and additionnal information:

The castle is opened from the 21st of March until the 31st of October, from Tuesday to Sunday and from 11am to 6pm (open on Easter Monday and Pentecôte)

Entrance price:
Adults - 11 CHF
Students - 9 CHF
Children (6-16): 5 CHF
Family - 18 CHF
Groups (from 10 visitors) - 7 CHF

Guided visit + Appetizer (3 wine tastings + 1 souvenir wine glass to take away) - 23 CHF per person + 80 CHF for the guide.

Email : info@chateauaigle.ch

Caernarfon

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Caernarfon is the most famous of Wales's castles. It's construction begun in 1283 and it was constructed not only as a military stronghold but also as a seat of government and royal palace.

The castle's majestuosity is no architectural accident: it was designed to echo the walls of Constantinople and the imperial power of Rome. And after all these years Caernarfon's immense strength remains unchanged.

Standing at the mouth of the Seiont river, the fortress dominates the walled town founded by Edward I. Caernarfon's symbolic status was emphasized when Edward made sure that his son, the first English Prince of Wales, was born here in 1284.

In 1969, the castle gained worldwide fame as the setting for the Investiture of Prince Charles as Prince of Wales.

Opening times and additionnal information:

Opening Hours: (last admission half an hour before closing)
1st April to 30th June - 09.30 to 17.00 (daily)
1st July to 31st August - 09.30 to 18.00 (daily)
1st September to 31st October - 09.30 to 17.00 (daily)
1st November to 28th February - 10.00 to 16.00 (Monday to Saturday) and 11.00 to 16.00 (Sunday)
1st March to 31st March - 09.30 to 17.00 (daily)

Closed: 24th, 25th, 26th December and 1st January

Admission Charge:
Adults £4.95
Reduced rate £4.60.
Family Ticket: £14.50 - admits 2 adults and up to 3 children under 16 years.

Last WE of May : Military life exposition and Escafeld Medieval Society

Altamira (Elche)

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Shortened history of the castle:

The first human settlements in the municipality of Elche date back to the Neolithic period, but Iberian communities really set foot in the fourth century BC.

In 203 BC, Gaius Flaminius, commanding the Roman army, conquered the Iberian settlement.

With the Muslim invasion, the settlement was included within the territory of Teodomiro, enjoying some autonomy in exchange for allegiance to the Islamic power.

Altamira Palace The castle was built in the late fifteenth century by the noble Castilian Cardenas Gutierrez, first lord of the city, having returned to the Crown with the Catholic Kings, making their usual redidencia. However, it is likely to be built on an earlier work of the twelfth or thirteenth century, which form part of the defenses of the walled town Almohad.

In the early sixteenth century the castle suffered frequent Berber raids and the Muslims were expelled in large numbers, finally, in 1609.

During the War of Succession Elche was declared in favor of the Archduke Charles, being sacked by the troops of Philip V.

Opening times and additionnal information:

Summer Opening Times:
Tuesday to Saturday - 10.00 to 13.30 / 16.30 to 20.00 hours
Sunday - 10.30 to 13.30 hours

Winter Opening Times:
Tuesday to Saturday - 10.00 to 13.30 / 16.30 to 20.00 hours
Sunday - 10.30 to 13.30 hours

Anjony

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Shortened history of the castle:

The Anjony castle is composed of a high square building surrounded by four large towers topped with battlements. This fortress dominates the valley of the Doire.

Bernard Johanini obtained in 1351 some rural land in the fief of Tournemire and was knighted in 1360. Having fought alongside Joan of Arc, Charles VII allowed his son to build the medieval dungeon to defend the surrounding country in 1439 despite the refusal of Lord Tournemire. This building is the starting point of a long lasting conflict between the two families (The Tournemire had fought on the side of the Plantagenets...).

During more than two centuries, the families will undertake actions to disable the other in order to regain land and power.

In 1623, a duel between representatives of the two families in front of the castle led to the deaths of three members of each family and in 1643, a marriage occured between Michael II of Anjony and heiress of Tournemire Gabrielle Pesteils, signing the end of the rivalry between the two families.

In the eighteenth century Claude Anjony, not at ease with the discomfort of the dungeon, decides to build another building, backed up to the castle, in Louis XV style backed it (This building was made out of stones coming from the Tournemire's castle, destroyed a few decades earlier).

Opening times and additionnal information:

Guided tours :(length of visit - 1 hour)
- Winter (from the February Holidays to November 15) : from 2pm to 6.30pm (every day)
- Summer (July 1st to August 31st) : Morning at 11am and 11.30am and from 2pm to 6.30pm.

The visit is not free and reservation is mandatory.

Spesbourg

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Shortened history of the castle:

The castle was built in 1246 on the promontory granitic Rothmannsberg at 451m above sea level, overlooking the valley Spesbourg Andlau.

In 1383, the lords Andlau Spesbourg are announced as the new owners of the castle. But these lords transform the defensive medieval Spesourg castle into a palace and as a result, in 1431, Stephen of Bavaria invests Spesbourg who was without defenders. Anyway, a few months later, the castle was retaken by the Andlau head of 2000 men.

During the sixteenth century, the castle is attacked and burned by citizens of Barr because the Andlau lords had bribed one of their fellow citizens.

Certainly rebuilt, it is destroyed again and this time finally abandoned during the Thirty Years War.

After the revolution the castle was dismantled and its stones recovered by nearby residents.

In 1967 it is classified a historical monument.

Opening times and additionnal information:

The castle is open to public, free access.

E-mail : arc-spesbourg@neuf.fr

Paphos

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Shortened history of the castle:

Paphos castle was originally a Byzantine fort built to protect the harbour.

It was rebuilt by the Lusignans in the 13th century, dismantled by the Venetians in 1570 during the Ottoman invasion and rebuilt by the Ottomans after they captured the island in the 16th century.

During its long history, the Paphos Castle was used, as well as for protection, as prison cells, and even as a storage area for salt when the island was a British colony. In 1935 it was declared ancient monument.

The castle as it survives today is relatively well preserved and has a rectangular shape. Its outer dimensions are 33m length and 17m width. The castle has two storeys and is 21 m high.

Many cultural events take place in the square just in front of the castle, while in September the Paphos Aphrodite Festival which presents a different opera every year staged here by world famous artists with the castle building usually acting as part of the scenery.

Opening times and additionnal information:

Open Daily:
08am - 5pm (November-March)
08am - 6pm (April, May, September, October)
08am - 7.30pm (June-August)

Entrance: €1.71 (CY £1.00)

Fort-la-Latte

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Shortened history of the castle:

The existing building has been built during the 13th and 14th centuries on the ruins of a fort built in 937 to defend the entrance of the bay by the invading Normans.

The castle is formerly known as the castle of Roche-Goyon (named for the family to which it belonged), and will take the current name, which is the village that led there, in 1592.

Partially destroyed during the wars of the League, after a long siege in 1597, Vauban strengthened it in the 17th century. It will be equipped with a canon-ball oven and its walls will be further strengthened. From 1690 to 1715, the King of France will take over the cost of restorations and adjustments.

It became property of the state in 1892 because its defensive qualities were weakened and no longer of any use.

Opening times and additionnal information:

April 1st to September 30th: from 10:30 A.M. to 6:30 P.M.
From July 7 to August 27 opening non-stop from 10:30 A.M. to 7 P.M.
From October to the end of March, the castle is open the afternoons during weekends and school Holidays from 1:30 P.M. to 5:30 P.M.

The castle is closed for Christmas and January 1st.

Full fare: 5 €
Students, unemployed (card): 4 €
Under 12 years: 3 €
Under 5 years: free entrance

E-mail : Flalatte@aol.com

Pernstejn

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Shortened history of the castle:

Hidden in the forests of the eastern edge of the Bohemia-Moravia highlands, Pernstejn Castle is one of the most important and most beautiful castles in Czech Republic.

From the middle of the 13th century it was the seat of the lords of Pernstejn who for centuries played an important role in the political affairs of the Czech kingdom.

Its present appearance results from the late Gothic transformations the castle underwent between 1450 and 1550. It came to be known as the "marble" castle because of the marble- like local stone used to frame the doors and windows. The same material was used for the late Gothic church of nearby Doubravník which contains the family vault.

The castle has preserved some of its alveolar vaulting. At the end of the 16th century the family was obliged to sell both the castle and attendant estate, which marked the end of its days of glory.

Opening times and additionnal information:

April : 9am - 3pm
May, June & September : 9am - 'pm
July & August : 9am - 5pm
October : 9am - 3pm

Fees:
Adult: 40 KCZ
Children: 5 KCZ
Students: 20 KCZ

Guimaraes

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Shortened history of the castle:

Guimaraes castle is probably the best known and mythical in Portugal as it represents the birth of the nation. In fact it was here that Afonso Henriques was born and that's also where he planned the wars for the independence of the Portugal province during the 12th century, becoming the first Portuguese king.

The origins of the Guimaraes castle can be traced back to 968, when the Countess of Galicia, D. Mumadona Dias, ordered the construction of a fortification to defend the populations and the existing monastery against the raids of the Norman / Vikings hordes from the coast and the Moors (Arabs) from the south. During the 11th century, Guimaraes had its defensive structure extensively enhanced when Count Henrique assumed the government of the province from King Alfonso VI of Leon.

In 1129, Afonso Henriques proclaimed the independence of Portugal and several battles followed with Spain until the 14th century due to the pretensions of Spain to dominate the Portuguese kingdom.

With the advent of the artillery, Guimaraes castle became outdated and was abandoned for several centuries. It was used as a prison in the 16th, 17th and 18th century. In a total state of ruin, it was recovered during the 1930’s to become the symbol of nationality.

Opening times and additionnal information:

Tuesday to Sunday : 9.30am to 12 and 2pm to 5.30pm
Free entrance

Dieppe

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Shortened history of the castle:

The castle was founded in 1188, and was already destroyed in 1195. The site was restored in the 14th century. The castle was later in large part reconstructed in 1433 by Charles des Marets. The castle is composed of a quadrangular enclosure with round flanking towers and a lower court adjacent.

Several architectural styles are represented, and flint and sandstone are used in the buildings. A brick bastion and various other buildings have been added to the original enclosure.

The town walls were built around 1360. The walls were extended between 1435 and 1442. Although the town was largely destroyed by an Anglo-Dutch naval bombardment in 1694, the castle survived.

Until 1923, the castle housed the Ruffin barracks. It was bought by the town in 1903 and today houses the the Dieppe museum with its collection of ivories (crucifixes, rosaries, statuettes, etc), maritime exhibits and the papers and belongings of Camille Saint-Saëns.

The castle offers a splendid panoramic view over the town and the coast.

Opening times and additional information:

The castle is everyday:
From October 1st to May 31st (except Tuesdays): 10am to noon and 2pm to 5pm
From June 1st to the 30th of September : 10am to noon and 2pm to 6pm

The castle is closed the 1st of January, the 1st of May, the 11th of November and for Christmas.

Carew

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Shortened history of the castle:

The castle stands on a limestone bluff overlooking the Carew inlet. The site must have been recognised as strategically useful from the earliest times because multiple defensive walls of an Iron Age fort were discovered in the 90s.

The Norman castle has its origins in a stone keep built by Gerald de Windsor around the year 1100.

Gerald's son William took the name "de Carew", and in the middle of the 12th century created an enclosure with stone walls incorporating the original keep, and a "Great Hall" inside it. The current high-walled structure with a complex of rooms and halls around the circumference was created by Nicholas de Carew around 1270, concurrent with (and influenced by) the construction of the Edwardian castles in North Wales.

But Nicholas de Carew fell on hard times in the post-Black Death period and mortgaged the castle. It then fell into more or less honest hands.

In 1558 the castle was acquired by Pembrokeshire plutocrat John Perrott, who made the final substantial extension, building the long range of rooms in domestic architecture attached to the outside of the north walls.

Perrott subsequently fell out of favour and died imprisoned in the Tower of London in 1592. The castle was finally re-purchased by the de Carew family in 1607.

In the Civil War, the castle was re-fortified by Royalists although south Pembrokeshire was strongly Parliamentarian. After the Royalist's defeat, the south wall was pulled down to render the castle indefensible. At the Restoration the castle was again returned to the de Carews.

Opening times and additionnal information:

Castle & Mill open daily 10 am - 5 pm (29th Mar - 31st Oct)
Castle only open daily 11 am - 3 pm (1st Nov - 31st Mar)

ENTRY CHARGE (from 29th March 2010 - 31st Oct 2010)
Adult Castle & Mill : £ 4.50
Family (up to 2 adult & 3 children) Castle & Mill : £ 12.00
Free entry to visitors arriving by public transport or bicycle (upon request).

Tours of the castle are provided free of charge at 2.30 pm daily except during winter opening hours.

Edinburgh

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Shortened history of the castle:

Edinburgh Castle is a castle-fortress which dominates the skyline of the city of Edinburgh, Scotland, from its position atop the volcanic Castle Rock. Human habitation of the site is dated back as far as the 9th century BC, although the nature of this early settlement is unclear.

There has been a royal castle here since at least the reign of David I in the 12th century, and the site continued to be a royal residence until the Union of the Crowns in 1603.

As one of the most important fortresses in the Kingdom of Scotland, Edinburgh Castle has been involved in many historical conflicts, from the Wars of Scottish Independence in the 14th century, up to the Jacobite Rising of 1745. From the later 17th century, the castle became a military base, with a large garrison.

Few of the present buildings pre-date the Lang Siege of the 16th century, when the medieval fortifications were largely destroyed by artillery bombardment. The notable exception is St Margaret's Chapel, the oldest surviving building in Edinburgh, which dates from the early 12th century.

The castle also houses today the Scottish National War Memorial, and National War Museum of Scotland.

Opening hours and additionnal information:

Summer times (1 Apr - 30 Sep) : 9:30am - 6pm
Winter times (1 Oct - 31 Mar) : 9:30am - 5pm

Closed the 25th and 26th of December. On the 1st of January, the castle is only open from 11am to 5pm (last entry at 4:15pm).

Fees :

Adult - £13.00
Child - £7.00
Concession - £10.40
Child under 5 - FREE

Entry to Edinburgh Castle will be FREE on the 27th & 28th November for the St Andrews Day weekend. Entry will also be FREE on St Andrews Day (30th November).

Bran

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Shortened history of the castle:

Deep in the Carpathian Mountains, in the heart of rural Romania is Transylvania, where perched atop a rocky peak, there has been a fortress of some kind for nearly 1,000 years and the fortress that stands here today is now known as Dracula's Castle even though the actual Castle Dracula is in ruin on a secluded site near the Arges River.

Bran Castle was originally a stronghold built by the Knights of the Teutonic Order in 1212. At that time it was called Dietrichstein. By the late 1200's the castle had been overtaken by the Saxons who had used the castle to protect Brasov, an important trade center.

In 1370 the fortress was used against invading Turks. It remained an important feudal fortress through out the middle ages, its role was the defence against invasion.

Vlad III was nicknamed Dracula is an important historical character of Romania. But usually few is know about him, or at least few true facts are revealed... Dracula has been for a long time called the impaler and most of the information known about him comes from pamphlets published in Germany and Russia, and the Romanian verbal tradition, after his death. The German pamphlets painted Dracula as "a inhuman butchering monster, who sadistically terrorized the innocent." The Russian pamphlets viewed Dracula "as a cruel but just Prince, whose actions were solely directed towards the greater good of his people." Legends told by the Romanian peasantry remembered Dracula as "a just Prince who defended his people from foreigners, whether they were Turkish invaders or German merchants." And he is also remembered as "a hero of the common man against the oppression of the noblemen." His fierce obsession with honesty is a central part of the verbal tradition. Despite the more positive interpretation, the Romanian verbal tradition also remembers him as a exceptionally cruel and often capricious ruler. There are several events that are common to all three regardless of nation of origin. They are:

The Golden Cup: Known throughout for his fierce insistence of honesty. Few thiefs practiced their trade in his domain, They knew the punishment if they got caught. Dracula became so confident in the effectiveness of his law he kept a golden cup on display in the central square of Trigoviste, where is remained never touched throughout his reign.

The Two Monks: There are several versions but they all boil down to this: Two Monks visit Dracula at his palace in Tirgoviste. Curious of the churchmen's reaction, Dracula shows them rows of impaled corpse in the courtyard. When asked their opnions, one monk responded , "You are appointed by God to punish evildoers." The other monk had the moral courage to condemn his cruelty. One version says Dracula rewarded the sycophantic monk and impaled the honest monk, and in the other version, Dracula rewards the honest monk for his integrity and courage and impaled the sycophant for his dishonesty.

The Polish Nobleman: Benedict de Boithor, a Polish nobleman visited Dracula in 1458. At dinner a golden spear was set directly infront of the nobleman. When asked why he thought the spear had been set up, Benedict answered, he thought some noble had offended the prince. Dracula responded that he had and that the spear was set up for him. Benedict replied if he had done anything to deserve death that Dracula should do as he thought best. Benedict then added in that case Dracula would not be responsible for his death because he had displeased the Prince. Greatly pleased with his answer, Dracula showered the man with gifts while declaring that had he answered in other way he would have been immediately impaled.

The Foreign Ambassadors: When granted an audience with the Prince the envoys refused to remove their hats as was the custom when in the presence of the Prince of Wallachia. Angered by this sign of disrespect Dracula had the Ambassadors' hats nailed to their heads so they might never remove them.

The castle has four towers, the Powder House Tower is the oldest, it is part of the original castle built in 1212. In the 15th century during restoration of the castle the Observation Tower and the Eastern Tower were added. The Eastern Tower was built with murder holes that were used by the soldiers to drop hot water and pitch on the castles attackers. In 1622 the Gate Tower was added and the castle's south wall was strengthened to 11 feet of thickness to withstand cannon fire.

In 1921, Queen Maria of Romania, brought the royal court architect to Bran Castle for extensive renovations which transformed this "fortress" into a Royal Residence.

Opening times and additionnal information:

Visiting hours :
Monday: 12pm to 7pm
Tuesday - Sunday: 9am to 7pm

e-mail: info@brancastlemuseum.ro

Puymartin

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Shortened history of the castle:

The castle was first built in the thirteenth century and it has undergone many conquests and assaults, as indeed most of the castles of Perigord during the Hundred Years War. In 1357 only stodd a ruin that no one could use.

Rebuilt in the fifteenth century after the Hundred Years War by Radulphe Saint-Clar, this time, it is the religious wars that damaged it.

The last important restoration took place in the nineteenth century by the Marquis of Marc Roffignac Carbonnier Marzac dramatically changed the look of the castle and gave the beautiful appearance we see today.

In the sixteenth century, Teresa of Saint-Clar, surprised by her husband John of St. Clar in the arms of her lover, was imprisoned for fifteen years in a narrow room. Teresa received her food through a small hatch in the ceiling breakthrough, still visible. Jean de Saint-Clar went even further in his madness because when his wife died in that room, he refused to bury her correctly in a cemetery but he did in the walls of the castle, saying that a woman of her sort did not deserve a tomb. It goes without saying that the lover had been executed by being hanged from a tree that Therese could see from her only window. The fact is that since that time, it was reported that a beautiful young woman dressed in white, soft and evanescent, appeared to the inhabitants of Puymartin the night: the White Lady.

Opening times and additional information:

From April to June and September : 10am to 12am and 2pm to 6pm
July : 10am to 12am and 2pm to 6.30pm
August : 10am to 6.30pm
October to 11th of November : 2pm to 5.30pm and morning on reservation

Fees:
Adults - 7 Euros
Groups (from 20 to 40 adults) - 5 Euros
Students - 5 Euros
Under 6 - FREE
6 to 12 years old - 3,50 Euros
13 to 18 years old - 5 Euros

Baba Vida

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Shortened history of the castle:

Baba Vida is a medieval fortress in Vidin in northwestern Bulgaria. It consists of two fundamental walls and four towers and is said to be the only entirely preserved medieval castle in the country.

The construction of the fortress began in the 10th century on the site of an Ancient Roman watchtower. 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. After his death, his possessions were split between his three daughters Vida, Kula and Gamza. The two younger sisters - Kula and Gamza - married hastily to thoughtless husbands, who wasted their father's heritage. The oldest one - Vida remained alone for the rest of her life. She ordered the construction of a castle, in which she was living till the end of her life, defending successfully her serfs, feudals and land. The grateful local people gave to the castle the name "Baba Vida", meaning "Granny Vida".

Baba Vida served as Vidin's main defensive installation during the course of the Middle Ages and acted as the most important fortress of northwestern Bulgaria. The Baba Vida stronghold stood an eight-month-long siege by Byzantine forces led by Basil II, but was destroyed and once again erected during the rule of Ivan Stratsimir, as whose capital it served.

In 1388, the Ottomans invaded Sratsimir's lands and forced him to become their vassal. In 1396, he joined an anti-Ottoman crusade led by the King of Hungary, Sigismund, placing his resources at the crusaders' disposal. The crusade ended in the disastrous Battle of Nicopolis at Nikopol, Bulgaria, with the Ottomans capturing most of Sratsimir's domains shortly thereafter, in 1397.

The fortress played a significant role during the Ottoman rule of Bulgaria, serving as a weapon warehouse and a prison, as it has been no longer used for defensive purposes since the end of the 18th century.

Opening times and additional information:

Summer working time:
working days - 9am to 5.30pm
weekends, holidays - 8.30am to 5.30pm

Winter working time:
working days - 10am to 5pm
weekends, holidays - 9am to 5pm

Hunedoara

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Shortened history of the castle:

Hunedoara Castle is an old 14th century Gothic castle located in Western Romania. The castle was built on ancient Roman fortifications, and is strategically located on a rocky mountain just near the Zlasti River.The entrance to the castle is over a suspended bridge that crosses the Zlasti River.

The history of Hunedoara Castle starts in 1320 when it was built by the Anjou family. Then in 1409, the castle was given to a Voicu nobleman and his family, the Corvins. Matei Corvin, became King of Transylvania and Hungary in 1458 and his brother, Iancu Corvin de Hunedoara, fought against the invading Ottoman Empire and Vlad Dracula as his ally.

However, the Turks, with their outstanding armies, attacked fiercefully Walachia and Vlad was forced to flee to the Transylvanian Alps. From there he asked King Matei Corvin for help to fight the invading Turks. But instead the King imprisoned him in Hunedoara Castle in 1462.

It took 7 years for the court to believe that Vlad was indeed an honest ally and he was finaly released in 1469, and the huge Transylvanian army was given to him. Vlad defeated the Turks in 3 months.

The legend of Vlad Dracula lives on in Hunedoara as during his imprisonment there, he was known to behead mice and impale them. In addition, he loved and protected the bats that lived in the castle. He would even talk to them. The guards were always horrified when he asked for fresh blood during dinner time.

Opening times and aditionnal information: