The Potala Palace: Tibet's greatest monumental structure
Perched upon Marpo Ri hill, 130 meters above the Lhasa valley, the
Potala Palace
rises a further 170 meters and is the greatest monumental structure in
all of Tibet. In 637 Emperor Songtsen Gampo decided to build this palace
on a hill, and the structure stood until the seventeenth century, when
it was incorporated into the foundations of the greater buildings still
standing today. Construction of the present palace began in 1645 during
the reign of the fifth Dalai Lama and by 1648 the Potrang Karpo, or
White Palace, was completed. The Potrang Marpo, or Red Palace, was added
between 1690 and 1694; its construction required the labors of more
than 7000 workers and 1500 artists and craftsman. The Potala Palace was
only slightly damaged during the Tibetan uprising against the invading
Chinese in 1959. Unlike most other Tibetan religious structures, it was
not sacked by the Red Guards during the 1960s and 1970s. As a result,
all the chapels and their artifacts are very well preserved.
(Photo by MC)
Mont Saint-Michel: a Medieval Castle on a Small Island
Mont St Michel France
is situated on a quasi-island on the Normandy coast, near Brittany,
which at high tide is almost entirely separated from the mainland. Only a
narrow causeway, constructed in the 1880s preserves a link to the
coast. Beware: the tide comes in quickly - many tourists have drowned
attempting to cross the sandy bay. Unlike other castles in France, which
began as defensive structures or pleasure palaces, Mont St Michel had
its beginnings as a monastery. Today, the Castle attracts over four
million visitors a year, far more than most castles in France and has
been featured in numerous movies, cartoons, and even videogames.
(Photo by citiesXL and lct)
Predjamski Castle: Integrated in a Cave
Every castle in the world is unique in some way, no two are the same,
but this one --even though it's rather small and humble compared to
some-- is probably the only one in the world who is integrated in a
cave, precisely the second largest cave system in Slovenia. Its name,
Predjamski Grad, literally means "Castle in Front of the Cave."
The castle wasn't built in one go; first written records exist from 13th
century, though the first part (left wing) was probably built in the
first half of 12th century. Middle part was added in renaissance, and
the right wing was build around 1570. Some things were added and changed
later, but since 1990 renovation work is in progress, restoring it to
the original 16th century look.
(Photo by visitareslovenia)
Neuschwanstein Castle: the Classic Fairytale's Castle
The most famous of three royal palaces built for Louis II of Bavaria,
sometimes referred to as Mad King Ludwig, the Neuschwanstein it’s a
royal palace in the Bavarian Alps of Germany. egun in 1869 and left
unfinished at Louis's death in 1886, the castle is the embodiment of
19th century romanticism. In a fantastical imitation of a medieval
castle, Neuschwanstein is set with towers and spires and is
spectacularly sited on a high point over the Pullat River gorge.
The construction of the castle was carried out according to a well
thought-out plan. The castle was equipped with all kinds of technical
conveniences which were very modern, if not to say revolutionary at that
time. Running water on all floors. There were toilets equipped with
automatic flushing on every floor. A warm air heating system for the
entire building. American tourists are already familiar with
Neuschwanstein; the sleeping beauty Castle in DisneyLand, was modeled on
it.
(Photo by grotsasha)
Matsumoto Castle: Japan's most fascinating castle
Matsumoto Castle, locally known as
Matsumotojo,
is one of the most complete and beautiful among Japan's original
castles. It is also a good example of a so called "hirajiro", a castle
built on the plain rather than on a hill or mountain. Matsumotojo's
castle tower and smaller, second turret were built from 1592 to 1614 and
were both well defended, as peace was not yet fully secured at the
time. In 1635, when no more military threats existed, a third, barely
defended turret for moon viewing was added to the castle.
(Photo by lpq)
Hunyad Castle: were Dracula was held prisoner
Now located in Hunedoara, Romania, the
Hunyad Castle
was part of Principality of Transylvania, and it’s believed to be the
place where Vlad III of Wallachia (commonly known as Dracula) was held
prisoner for 7 years after he was deposed in 1462. The castle is a relic
of the Hunyadi dynasty. It was built in Gothic style, but has Baroque
and Renaissance architectural elements. It is a large and imposing
building with tall and diversely colored roofs, towers and myriad
windows and balconies adorned with stone carvings.
(Photo by ctc)
Malbork Castle: World's Largest Brick Gothic Castle
The
Castle in Malbork
was built in Prussia by the Teutonic Order as an Ordensburg. The Order
named it Marienburg, literally "Mary's Castle". The town which grew
around it was also named Marienburg, but since 1945 it is again, after
173 years, part of Poland and known as Malbork.
The castle is a classic example of a medieval fortress, and is the
world’s largest brick gothic castle. UNESCO listed the castle and its
museum as World Heritage Sites in December 1997.
(Photo by ordensland)
Palacio da Pena: Oldest Palace inspired by European Romanticism
The oldest palace inspired by European Romanticism, the
Pena National Palace
in Portugal stands on the top of a hill above the town of Sintra, and
on a clear day it can be easily seen from Lisbon. First built in the
15th century as a palace, it was later reconstructed and donated to the
church as a monastery. An earthquake in 1755 ruined most of it, until
Prince Fernando acquired it in 1838 rebuilt it. The style of the palace
is an eclectic combination of the original and subsequent styles, plus
Romantic, Bavarian, and Moorish architecture, plus an English garden.
(Photo by cm-sintra and Matt & Isabel)
Löwenburg Castle: The Disneyland of the 18th century
Within the Wilhelmshöhe Hill Park which sits on one end of the city of
Kassel, there stands what appears to be a medieval castle. However, the
Löwenburg
or "Lion's Castle" was ordered to be built by the Landgrave Wilhelm IX
from Hessen Kassel (1743 -1821), the Walt Disney of his era, over a
period of eight years between 1793 and 1801 as a romantic ruin. It was
carefully designed by his royal court building inspector Heinrich
Christoph Jussow who had gone to England specifically to study romantic
English ruins and draw up a plan for the Landgrave's garden folly.
Today scholars regard Löwenburg Castle ruins as one of the most
significant buildings of its genre, in addition to being one of the
first major neo-Gothic buildings in Germany.
(Photo by Ben)
Prague Castle: World's Largest Ancient Castle
One of the biggest castles in the world, and according to Guinness Book of Records, the biggest ancient castle,
Prague Castle
is about 570 meters in length and an average of 130 meters wide. The
Czech Crown Jewels are kept here, and it was the place where the Czech
kings, Holy Roman Emperors and presidents of Czechoslovakia and the
Czech Republic have had their offices.
(Photo by liberato)
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