Los Mendoza

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Shortened history of the castle:

The Castle of Los Mendoza (or Manzanares Castle) combines the strong aspect of a large fortress of the low Middle Ages and the elegance of a Renaissance residence.

Manzanares Castle lies 50 kilometers from Madrid on the southern slope of the Guadarrama mountain range. The castle is an impressive example of XV century Castilian military architecture, and one of the last of its kind in Spain. In fact, after initially being user as a fortress, it became a residential Palace of one of the noblest families in Castilla since the Middle Ages: the Mendozas. However, Manzanares Castle is also closely tied in with Madrid's recent history, because the process leading to the autonomy of Comunidad de Madrid (1981) was started there, as was the project for the Statute of Autonomy, which would be approved in Congress and the Senate in 1983.

The Mendozas used this Palace-Castle as a stately home for less than a century. In 1565, feuds between the inheritors resulted in its disuse and a slow process of deterioration until the architect, Vicente Lamperez Romera, took responsibility for the first restoration works in 1914. The castle was declared as s Historical Art Monument in 1931.

The Castle Los Mendoza is also a movie star! If you've ever seen the classic movie El Cid with Charlton Heston and Sophia Loren, then this castle - completed with towers, battlements and surrounded by an impressive medieval wall - is sure to have left a lasting impression.

Kamerlengo

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Shortened history of the castle:

The Fortress of Kamerlengo is located in the city of Trogir, and was built between 1420 and 1437 by the Venetians.

The word kamerlengo (Italian: camerlengo) refers to the title of a Venetian administrative official (a chamberlain).

It was named after kamerlengo (camerarius), the public servant in charge of financial and economic affairs in the state of Venetia.

The fortress is today beautifully preserved and its battlements and top became accessible a decade ago from where the view of the city is beautiful.

Opening times and additionnal information:

Open from mid-June to mid-September : 9am - 8pm

Price of tickets:
adults: 10kn
children, students & groups (from 10 people): 5kn

Arques

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Shortened history of the castle:

The castle was mentioned for the first time in 1011, but the original lords of Arques were dispossessed in the 12th century in favour of the powerful family of Terme
In 1217, Simon de Montfort, chief of the Crusaders against the Albigensians, apparently took and burned the castle and the village. Then, in 1231, he gave the lands of Arques to his lieutenant, Pierre de Voisins. In 1265, this new lord of Arques made a terrible impression by condemning a 60-year-old woman, accused of witchcraft, to be burned alive in the village.

At the end of the 13th century, his son, Gilles de Voisins, rebuilt the town as a bastide (planned town) and started the construction of the present castle. His own son, Gilles II, finished the construction in 1316.

The castle was sold as national property during the French Revolution and sustained some damage. It was listed as an Historical Monument in 1887.

Opening times and addtionnal information:

Closed in January, february and December

March, October, November : 10:00am-1:00pm and 2:00pm-5:00pm
April to June, September : 10:00am-1:00pm and 2:00pm-6:00pm
July and August : 10:00am-7:00pm

Fees
Adult: 5 €
Child: 2 €
Reduced: 4 €

Group Prices (10 people minimum)
- simple visit: 3.50 €
- guided tour (on reservation only): 5.50 € / person

Email: site.arques@wanadoo.fr

Bourtzi

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Shortened history of the castle:

The castle of Bourtzi is located in the middle of the harbour of Nafplio. The Venetians completed its fortification and installed canons in 1473 to protect the city from pirates and invaders from the sea.

It is at this time that a strong chain pulley was attached from the harbour to the castle where food and supplies where transferred. Remnants of the chain holdings are still visible.

The Greeks regained it from the Turks on June 18, 1822, from where they assisted in the siege of Nafplio. Until 1865 it served as a fortress. It was then transformed into residence of the executioners of convicts from the castle of Palamidi.

From 1930 to 1970, it served as a hotel. Since then, it is mainly a tourist attraction hosting occasionally parts of the Summer Music Festival.

Opening times and additionnal information:

The castle is said to be open on spring and summer days.

Small taxi-boats will carry you over for a visit to the Bourtzi leaving and returning frequently from the harbour front.

Bonaguil

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Shortened history of the castle:

Located in the Lot-et-Garonne department of south-west France, Bonaguil was the last of the great fortified castles to be constructed in France. It is built in an impressive location on a high rocky spur between two rivers. Hence the name of the castle, which comes from the French 'bonne aiguille' (good needle).

The original 13th century castle was a much simpler castle than the one we now see. Bonaguil was on the side of the English during the Hundred Years War, which led to the original castle being plundered and damaged.

At the end of the 15th century, the damaged castle was transformed by Béranger de Roquefeuil into a highly defensive one. He was quite a character and said, "I will raise a castle that my villains subjects will not be able to capture, nor the English if they are audacious enough to come back, and even the king of France’s most powerful soldiers." His castle took over forty years to construct and comprised of 13 towers and 1167 feet of defensive perimeter, all adapted for use of gun powered weaponry. When it was complete, it was said an entire army would have been necessary to capture the castle.

The castle contained all the innovations to deal with an artillery attack, the new force at that time - the main effort being to prevent enemy artillery approaching too closely to the castle, while also permitting retaliatory artillery fire from the castle itself. This effort involved extensive building of a further perimeter of defensive walls, the construction of tall towers, and the creation of a deep moat, crossed by a drawbridge, on the land-facing side of the castle.

However, at around the same time, other castles further north in France were starting to be converted from fortresses to more comfortable residences, and as it turned out de Roqeufeuil was too late - he expected an attack that never arrived and the fortifications were unnecessary.

Despite occasional efforts to improve the comfort in Bonaguil, the castle was only fully occupied in the 18th century when fortunes started to arrive in order to the castle into more comfortable living accommodation.

Following the French Revolution the castle became a national property, and suffered from the immediate impact of the revolution, as did many castles in France - much of the carpentry and roofing was destroyed, and the towers damaged and reduced in height. From 1862 however it has been a classified National Monument and has undergone maintenance and restoration.

Opening times and additional information:

- February and Mars : from 11am to 1pm and from 2.30pm to 5.30pm
- April and May : from 10.30am to 1pm and from 2.30pm to 5.30pm
- June, July and August : from 10am to 6pm non-stop.
- September : from 10.30am to 1pm and from 2.30pm to 5pm
- October : from 11am to 1pm and from 2.30pm to 5pm
- November, December and January during the school holidays.

Adults : 7,00 €
Children (6 to 12) : 4,00 €
Groups (20 visitors minimum) 6,00 €

If you are planning a visit to the castle, there is an impressive night-time firework display (embrasement) held towards the end of July each year with stunning lighting and sound effects giving an extra dimension to a visit to Bonaguil.

Caen

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Shortened history of the castle:

The castle was built circa 1060 by William the Conqueror, who successfully conquered England in 1066. His son Henry I then built the Saint Georges church and the keep (1123).

At Christmas 1182 a royal court celebration for Christmas in the aula of Caen Castle brought together Henry II and his son, Richard the Lionheart, receiving more than a thousand knights.

Caen Castle, along with all of Normandy, was handed over to the French Crown in 1204. Philip II reinforced the fortifications. The castle saw several engagements during the Hundred Years' War (1346, 1417, 1450).

The keep was pulled down in 1793 during the French Revolution, by order of the National Convention.

The castle, which was used as a barracks during World War II, was bombed in 1944 and seriously damaged.

Today, the castle serves as a museum that houses
- the Musée des Beaux-Arts de Caen (Museum of Fine Arts of Caen)
- the Musée de Normandie (Museum of Normandy)
- a garden showing plants cultivated in the middle-ages.

Opening times and additionnal information:

July and August: tuesday to sunday, from 9.30am to 6.30pm (guided visits everyday at 2.30pm and 4.30pm)
Rest of the year: from 10am to 5pm

Fees:
Adults : 5 Euros
Students : 3,50 Euros
Children (less than 10 years old) : FREE

The top of the ramparts offers a splendid view of Caen. Some parts of the curtain walls were built during the 12th century, most of them date from the 15th century.