Best Castles in Europe
 

I have been to eruope several times now, and have yet to tour a really good midevil castle. Next year I will be taking my younger brother and I know this is somthing that he will want to do. Does anyone know where in the best are in Europe? I know this is a broad question, but we are pretty open as to where we go next year so far.

Perhaps if you describe your vision of the perfect castle, somebody could suggest something.

In the meantime, my suggestion would be Hockosterwitz, in south-central Austria.

Burg Eltz - - the real thing, virtually untouched in 7 centuries. The only surviving intact castle of its era n all of Germany.

And I also like Chateau de Haut Koeningsbourg. German, but in Alsace, and thus, now in France. But built less than 125 years ago to "look" medieval.

Prague Castle and the Castle at Cesky krumlov get my thumbs up as well, but they are quite a mixture of architecture, era and function.

Best wishes,

Rex

I can think of heaps in Scotland. Edinburgh, Stirling, Doune, Crathes, Craigievar, Fyvie

And even the ruins are great- Kildrummy, Tolquon, Dunottar.

We have a thing here in the North East called the Castle Trail. You could have a look at it online if you lie

Why does he have to lie about it?

Cahir Castle and Ross Castle are both excellent fortified castles in Ireland, without the common renovations to bring them up to manor house standards. Great fun to explore.

To answer the eailier quiestion my perfect castle would not be a palace or a chateu, but on old castle with a keep, walls, battlements, mabye a dungeon. where is Castle at Cesky krumlov? mentioned earlier?

Thanks for the response!!

Another enthusiastic vote for Burg Eltz.

www.burg-eltz.de

Hi

Denmark has some lovely castles. The Frederiksborg Slot is particularly nice

See http://wictor.dk/wictor/frederiksborg/frbslotgb.html

Looks like Hochosterwitz has a Web site now:

http://www.burg-hochosterwitz.or.at/burg_e.html

One big plus is that it's off the beaten path. Most of the visitors seem to be Austrian.

Many of the best "technical" medieval castles are in Wales, built by Edward I to subdue the Welsh.

Caerphilly, about 30 minutes north of Cardiff by rail is one of the most impressive I've seen.

Beamaris, on the Isle of Anglesey, is sometimes referred to as a perfect example of the "concentric" type of castle.

Conwy Castle is very impressive, as is the walled town adjacent to it.

There are many, many others, varying from complete military masterpieces like Caernarvon to simple tower keeps like Dolwyddellan. You can find info on many of them at www.castlewales.com

Look no further than Wales. Here you will find the best examples of 12th to 14th century castles in the whole of Europe. The best built by Edward II (longshanks) who used the expertise of the best European architects. You can find castles with elements of these designs all over Europe, but only in Edwards welsh castles do you find the full monty.
Some examples are Beaumaris, Harlech, Conway and the one experts say is the pinnacle of European castle building, Caernarfon.

If you want a castle and not have to go tramping in the weeds to see it then go to Prague.

In the UK Channel 4 have just finished an excellent series on British castles. You might find the following link useful:
http://www.channel4.com/history/micr...tle/index.html

Here's another vote for Burg Eltz on the middle Rhine and Prague Castle.

That area of the Rhine valley has around 25 castles in a 50-60 kilometer stretch.

Can we also count Heidelburg Castle? The view from the river and the castle itself are certainly worth the stop, if in the area.

I will nominate two in Poland. The first one is located south from Gdansk is Malbork (Marienburg) ? the biggest fortress of Teutonic Knights. Marlborg is the biggest medieval castle in Europe. It was built as a seat of the Great Master of the Teutonic Order. (North Poland), I believe in 14 century.
The second one is the Royal Castle in Krakow(Cracow), Poland. There are some great aerial shots of it here:
http://www.wawel.krakow.pl/emenu.htm

Another for Burg Eltz on (actually a bit off of) the Mosel.

A "really good medieval castle" is, as has already been observed, in the eye of the beholder. Does "really good" mean well preserved, or well restored? Does "really good" mean a castle that was used for defensive purposes, or one that was more for show (such as Neuschwanstein)?

From the tone of your question, I would have to assume you want to visit one or more well-preserved or restored castles that are at least representative of the design and function of defensive type structures.

For my money, I would pick three, two of which have already been mentioned. My vote on mainland Europe is for Hochosterwitz, Burg Eltz, or the castle of Cochem. All three are classical hilltop structures clearly designed as defensive strongholds to be dominant over the surrounding area. As I recall, Hochosterwitz is the only castle whose defenses were never breached.

At the same time, if you want to see a lot of castles in a rather small area, go to Wales. You can't beat it for castles per square mile. Good luck.

Doune - Scotland
Harlech - Wales
Caernarfon -Wales

Fredriksberg - Denmark, although this may be a little more on the "palace, chateau" style. I think it's one of the most impressive edifices in Europe.

Chillon and Gruyere, Switzerland
Eltz, Germany