Castles!- Large Photos

[DonaCatalina]

We are back in France to start off the week. Thanks to Cardinal Richilieu, we may run out of French Castles before the others. During the height of his influence he ordered many French Castles demolished. Château d' Azay-le-Rideau was built from 1515 to 1527, one of the earliest French Renaissance châteaux. Built on an island in the Indre River, its foundations rise straight out of the water.

[captmarga]

Azay, one of the fairytale beauties of France.  Maybe next year, not this year for sure.  Sigh.

Marga

[Lady Renee Buchanan]

I went to Azay le Rideau when I was a student living in Paris a long, long time ago.  It was one of my favorites.  Thanks for the memories!

[DonaCatalina]

Let's Finish out the month in France, shall we? Château de Peyrepertuse
is a ruined fortress and one of the so-called Cathar castles located high in the French Pyrénées in the commune of Duilhac-sous-Peyrepertuse, in the Aude département, and has been associated with the Counts of Narbonne and Barcelona. It stands at 800m high.
The name of Peyrepetuse derived from the ancient language called Occitan and means Pierced Rock. The castle was built on a strategic location along the french/Spanish border by The kings of Aragon (lower) in the 11th Century and by Louis lX (higher) later on. The two castles are linked together by a huge staircase. However the castle lost importance as a strategic castle when the border of the two countries was moved in 1659. Because of this the castle was abannoned and unlike many other castles in the region was never subjected to siege, instead it was handed over to the french government in 1740.

[DonaCatalina]

Let's hop across the water and visit Castle Trim in County Meath. This castle is the remains of the largest Norman castle in Europe, and Ireland's largest castle. It was built primarily by Hugh de Lacy and his son Walter. The central three-story building, called a keep, donjon or great tower, is unique in its design, being of cruciform shape, with twenty corners. It was built in at least three stages, initially by Hugh de Lacy (c.1174) and then in 1196 and 1206 by Walter de Lacy. The keep was built on the site of a large ring work fortification that was burnt down in 1172 and rebuilt in 1173.

[DonaCatalina]

In a very different setting we find the ruins of Castle Brandenburg. The castle of Brandenburg, which had been a fortress of the Slavic tribe Stodoranie, was conquered in 929 by King Henry the Fowler. The town remained German only until 983, when a Slavic rebellion was successful. During the next 170 years the area was ruled by Slavic princes of the Hevelles tribe. The last of them, Pribislav, died in 1150. Afterwards Albert I settled here and became the first margrave of Brandenburg.
Map coordinates 50° 59' 38.40" N 10° 10' 23.88" E

[DonaCatalina]

Castello di Malaspina di Fosdinovo, with its 12th century walls still intact, crowns a hill 550 meters high. The castle still dominates a great part of the Thyrrenian coastline. During the Middle Age its position was ideal to maintain control of the Apennines outlet to the sea and the Lunigiana region, with its roads and mountain pass linking the Thyrrenian coast to northern Italy.

[DonaCatalina]

How about a little more mountain scenery for Saturday? Burg Altdahn is a castle ruin in the Palatinate Forest near Dahn in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. Spread along a chain of five red sandstone cliffs, the three Dahn castles -Altdahn, Grafendahn and Tanstein- are among the largest and, despite the extent of their destruction, most impressive castle sites in the province. Their recorded history began in 1127. Heinrich von der Tanne appears as the Imperial ministerialis in 1189, and already by 1236 Friedrich von der Dahn had a similar function in the diocese of Speyer.

[DonaCatalina]

Caldicot Castle and country park is a major tourist attraction in Wales. Caldicot Castle, apart from having a history dating back to Saxon times, forms the picturesque centrepiece of a beautiful country park. The keep is thought to have been built by Humphrey de Bohun soon after 1220. It was at one time a possession of Thomas of Woodstock, a son of King Edward III of England. With the death of Edward III the throne passed to his grandson, the nine year old Richard II. As the new King's uncle, Thomas played an important role advising him. He was created Constable of England. He rarely visited Caldicot, his main estates being at Pleshey in Essex, close to the seat of power. In 1381, however, Essex was convulsed by the Peasants' Revolt. This may be why Thomas decided to spend part of that year in Caldicot. During his stay he gave orders for major new work to be done on the castle. A new gatehouse and drawbridge were constructed. At the rear of the castle a dovecote was replaced by a new tower with private chambers, now known as the Woodstock tower. At the foot of the Woodstock tower two carved stones were to be placed, one marked 'Thomas' the other 'Alianore'.

[DonaCatalina]

Good morning. Yes its Monday and we're in France, atChâteau de Fougères to be exact.
Fougères, a small fortified castle, was constructed during the second half of the 15th century and in the beginning of the 16th by three generations of a family of notables from Blois. The imposing machicolated entrance curtain wall, the fortified postern, the fat tower and the keep, all constructed toward 1475, contrast with the picturesque charm of the small internal courtyard, two sides of which are surrounding by dwellings. The two doors with accolades above them are surmounted by well-made, carved, Gothic pediments. A sizable section of the town walls survive stretching from the château in the lower town up the hill to surround the upper town.

[DonaCatalina]

Castillo de Peñas Negras sits high on a rocky hill just east of the town of Mora in the province of Toledo. King Alfonso VII ordered the construction of this castle in the twelfth century. It sits on the ruins of an earlier Arabic castle of which nothing remains.

[DonaCatalina]

Dunstaffnage Castle is a partially ruined castle in Argyll and Bute, western Scotland. It lies 3 miles (4.8 km) N.N.E. of Oban, situated on a platform of conglomerate rock on a promontory at the south-west of the entrance to Loch Etive, and is surrounded on three sides by the sea.

The castle dates back to the 13th century, making it one of Scotland's oldest stone castles.
It was built by the MacDougall lords of Lorn, and has been held since the 15th century by the Clan Campbell. To this day there is a hereditary Captain of Dunstaffnage, although they no longer reside at the castle. Dunstaffnage is maintained by Historic Scotland, and is open to the public, although the 16th century gatehouse is retained as the private property of the Captain.

[Jack Daw at Work]

EXCELLENT pics of Dunstaffnage.  Also, Flora MacDonald, the Highland lady that relunctantly helped Prince Charlie Edward Stuart escape the Government troops in 1746, was imprisoned in the subject castle for a time.

[Lady Amy of York]

I agree, wonderful  pictures.   This  is  one  of  my favorite  threads  on  the  Forums.
  Thanks  for  continuing  to share  these  wonderful pictures  and   info  with  us DonaCatalina.

[DonaCatalina]

Let's do something a little different. Why don't we venture into Poland for a look at Castle Kornik? The moated castle (Polish: Zamek w Kórniku) was constructed in the 14th century. The current neogothic design is the work of Tytus Dzia?y?ski. Remodeling and renovation work on the castle was also done by his son Jan Kanty Dzia?y?ski. After Jan's death, his brother-in-law Count W?adys?aw Zamoyski received the castle in Jan's will. Shortly before his death in 1924, the childless count willed the castle, along with an extensive art collection and the Kórnik Arboretum to the Polish state. The castle currently houses a museum and the Kórnik Library.