Del Monte

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Shortened history of the castle:

The castle Del Monte (in Italian: Castle of the Mount) is a 13th century castle situated in southeastern Italy. It was first built by the Holy Roman Emperor Frederick II some time between 1240 and 1250; it has been despoiled of its interior marbles and furnishings in subsequent centuries. What is surprising about this castle is that it neither a moat nor a drawbridge and might in fact never have been intended as a defensive fortress.

In the 14th century, it was turned into a prison, and later used as a refuge during the Plague. It originally had marble walls and columns, but all were stripped by vandals.

The fortress is an octagonal prism with an octagonal bastion at each corner. Each floor has 8 rooms and an eight-sided courtyard occupies its centre.[1] The octagon is thought to be an intermediate symbol between a square (representing the earth) and a circle (representing the sky).

After having been abandoned for a considerable length of time, the castle was purchased in 1876 for the sum of 25,000 lire by the Italian government, which began the process of restoration in 1928.

The castle was considered as a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 1996, who described it as "a unique masterpiece of medieval military architecture".

The castle appears on one of the sides of the Italian 1 Euro cent coin.

Löwenburg

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Shortened history of the castle:

The Löwenburg Castle (which means the Lion's Castle) is located in the mountain park in Kassel (Hessen, Germany).

This artificial castle was designed by Christoph Heinrich Jussow 1793-1800, centuries after the construction of real castles in Germany. This castle is the imitation of a medieval castle and was deliberately built as an artificial ruin.

It houses an armory of weapons and armor of the 16th and 17 Century.

The first owner was Wilhelm IX and the castle served as a residence for himself and his mistress, Caroline of Schlotheim, later Countess Hessenstein. In 1821 he was buried in a crypt beneath the chapel.

From 1940 to 1945 the Royal Air Force flew several raids on the defense industry for the war economy of National Socialism important city of Kassel. The dungeon of the castle was largely destroyed and large parts of the site were severely damaged. The reconstruction was done in the postwar years, quite useful and was characterized by functionality rather than by detail. The work is still not complete. The keep was not built again, but this is intended for the coming years.

In 1922, Georg Jacoby filmed part of his movie "So the Men are" in the castle. In this movie, Marlene Dietrich had her first small role.

Carrickfergus

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Shortened history of the castle:

Carrickfergus Castle was built somewhere between 1177 and 1195 by the Anglo Norman lord John de Courcy. It was then only a 3 storey square keep within a small enclosure, now called the Inner Ward, at the end of a rock jutting out into the sea, guarding the entrance to Belfast Lough. From here De Courcy ruled as a petty king over Ulster.

In 1210, after John De Courcy had died, Carrickfergus Castle was captured by King John. In 1216, after King John's reign, the second building phase to improve the castle started. The keep was raised to its present height and a second set of walls, now called the Middle Ward, was built. Only foundations of these walls remain at present.

A third phase of building took place between 1226 and 1242 when the castle and the region were under the rule of another Anglo Norman lord, Hugh de Lacy. The walls were extended to encircle the whole of the rock the castle stood on. This area is now called the Outer Ward. The entrance to the Outer Ward was guarded by a strong gate house formed by 2 large circular towers.

In the early 1600's Carrickfergus Castle was updated for artillery. However, by 1689 the castle had fallen into disrepair and was easily captured by General Schomberg in 1690.

In 1797 the castle became a prison and in the early 1800's, under the threat of a possible French invasion, its defences were considerably strenghtened with 22 cannons.

Until 1928 Carrickfergus Castle was used as a magazine and armory and during WW II it served as an air raid shelter.

Opening times and additionnal information:

Opening times:
From Easter until the end of September: 10am to 6pm (daily)
From October to Easter: 10am to 4pm (daily)

Fees:
Adult - £3.00
Child/Student - £1.50
Child under 4 - Free
Family Rate - £8.00 (2 Adults & 2 Children)

Pfalzgrafenstein

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Shortened history of the castle:

Burg Pfalzgrafenstein is a toll castle on the Falkenau island, otherwise known as Pfalz Island in the Rhine river near Kaub, Germany. Known as "the Pfalz", this former stronghold is famous for its picturesque and unique setting.

Its keep, a pentagonal tower with its point upstream, was erected in 1326 by King Ludwig the Bavarian. Around the tower, a defensive hexagonal wall was built between 1338 to 1340. Later additions were made in 1607 and 1755, consisting of corner turrets, the gun bastion pointing upstream, and the characteristic baroque tower cap.

The castle functioned as a toll-collecting station that was not to be ignored, as it worked in concert with Burg Gutenfels and the fortified town of Kaub on the right side of the river. A chain across the river forced ships to submit, and uncooperative traders could be kept in the dungeon until a ransom was delivered, or simply drowned.

Unlike the vast majority of Rhine castles, "the Pfalz" was never conquered or destroyed, withstanding not only wars, but also the natural onslaughts of ice and floods by the river. Its quarters held about thirty soldiers.

The island of the castle was used for the Rhine crossing by 60,000 Prussian troops under Blücher in the winter of 1814 in his pursuit of Napoleon, which symbolized the end of Napoleon's presence on the german soil.

The castle was acquired by Prussia in 1866, and toll collections ceased ayear later. In 1946, the castle became property of the State of Rheinland–Pfalz.


Opening times and additionnal information:

January & February : Saturdays and Sundays, from 10am to 5pm
March : everyday (except Mondays) from 10 am to 5pm
April - October : everyday (except Mondays) from 10 am to 6pm
November : Saturdays and Sundays, from 10am to 5pm
December : closed

It is accessible to the public via a ferry service from nearby Kaub as long as river conditions permit.

Victor Hugo said about the castle that is was "A ship of stone, eternally afloat upon the Rhine, and eternally lying at anchor before the town of Pfalzgrafen"

Chinon

Shortened history of the castle:

At the intersection of three provinces: Anjou, Poitou and Touraine, the rocky outcrop on which stands the royal fortress of Chinon is a strategic site occupied since ancient roman times.

A castle was built there in the tenth century at the latest but it was Henry II Plantagenet, Count of Anjou and King of England since 1154, who will give the fort its present shape.

In 1205, after a long siege, the King of France Philip Augustus takes the fortress and builds the dungeon.

In 1308, the site is the scene of an important event in the history of the Temple Order: The Grand Master Jacques de Molay and some dignitaries of the order are imprisoned before being tried and burned in Paris.

During the Hundred Years War, the court of Charles VII moved to the castle of Chinon in 1427. In March 1429, he received Joan of Arc who came to him to ensure her legitimacy and convinced her to be crowned at Reims.

The decline begins in the seventeenth century fortress with Cardinal Richelieu, who becomes owner of the castle. In 1808, the monument was kindly given to the public administration.

Opening times and additionnal information:

Open all year except december 25 and JAnuary 1st.
From January to end of March : 9.30am to 5pm
From April to end of September : 9am to 7pm
From October to End of December : 9.30am to 5pm

Fees:
Adults - 7 €
Reduced rate - 4.50 €

Visits in english with reservation (from April to September)

Email: forteressechinon@cg37.fr

Loarre

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Shortened history of the castle:

Castillo de Loarre is a breathtaking castle. The castle has withstood time on a rocky prominence in the southern foothills of the Pyrénées.

The origins of Loarre can be traced back to ancient Rome, before the birth of Christ. Historians believe Loarre was the site of Calagurris Fibulariensis whose people offered Julius Caesar their aid by sending men to fight in the battle of Lérida in August 49 BC.

By 1016 Loarre is being used as a border fortress by the King of Aragon, Sancho el Mayor III. The oldest remaining part of the castle was built by him between 1015-1023, as a defense against the Muslim power. The castle was used as a royal residence for about 100 years. Loarre’s location gave it a mark of strategic importance, as it was one of several castles in a line of defense that covered the region of Huesca.

From approximately 1062 to 1070, Loarre was under Muslim rule. King Sancho Ramírez retook and expanded the castle in 1070-1071. King Sancho Ramírez continued to use the castle till around 1094, after which Loarre lost its importance as a royal residence, and became a seat for royal governors. In 1906 it had become a national monument.

Opening times and additional information:

Winter (1st of November until 28th of February):
from 11am to 1.30pm and from 3pm to 5.30pm

Summer (16th of June until the 15th of September):
from 10am to 2pm and from 4pm to 8pm

Mid-seasons from the 1st of March until the 15th of June and from the 16th of September to the 31st of October):
from 10 am to 2pm and from 4 pm to 7pm

Castle closed on December 25 and 1st of January.

Fees:
Adults: 2 Eur (3,50 Eur with guide)
Students/Youngs: 3 Euros (with guide)
Under 12: FREE

Email : loarreturactiv@hotmail.com

Loarre Castle recently was filmed in the motion picture The Kingdom of Heaven.