101 Amazing Facts about Castles by Jack Goldstein

Author:Jack Goldstein
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: castle, history, medieval, crusade, king, medeval, siege, weapon, war, moat, battlement, rampart, chateau, drawbridge, portcullis, wolfenstein, palace, fort, dover, windsor, corfe, camelot, krak, trivia, education, royalty, fun, facts, quiz, middle ages
ISBN: 9781783338061
Publisher: Andrews UK Limited 2014
Published: 2014-06-18T00:00:00+00:00

Krak des Chevaliers

Interesting Castles

The oldest still-inhabited castle today is England’s Windsor Castle, in which Queen Elizabeth II lives from time to time. It is around 900 years old, although it has gone through a number of construction upgrades in the time since. Its location was in fact chosen by William the Conqueror - it was within a day’s march from London!

One of the most famous castles today is Alnwick Castle in Northumberland. Although you might not know the name, you will probably recognise it - it was used as Hogwarts in the Harry Potter films!

OK, so it isn’t a ‘real’ castle, but this fact is so interesting it had to stay in the book! Cinderella’s castle in Disneyland uses a very clever optical illusion - the higher up the castle, the smaller the ‘bricks’ (actually plaster) become, and the thinner the towers. This is a technique called ‘forced perspective’ and makes the castle look a lot taller than it actually is!

Dover castle is very much worth visiting. Described as the ‘Key to England’ because of its historical defensive significance, it is exceptionally well preserved and features one of the last rectangular keeps ever built.

The Castle of the Teutonic Order in Malbork, Poland is an incredible example of a brick-built castle - it is in fact the largest brick building in the whole of Europe. It was built in the thirteenth century by Germany’s Teutonic Knights and is today one of Poland’s national historic monuments.

The Tower of London is another castle that has become a huge tourist attraction - and rightly so. The White Tower was built in 1077 by William the Conqueror, and the complex is home to the Crown Jewels.

Château Gaillard is a medieval castle found in Normandy, France. Although it is now in ruins, it was once the most important castle in all of Europe, changing hands many times during the hundred years war between England and France. Said to have been designed by King Richard the Lionheart himself, it was one of the earliest to feature concentric walls, and also to have flanking towers. You can still visit the castle today, and even take a guided tour of the keep.

Krak des Chevaliers is a Crusader castle that is found in Syria. Built in the mid 12 th century by the Knights Hospitaller, it housed an incredible 2,000 troops and acted as a centre of administration. It was one of the most important strategic bases during the crusades, and its defensive capabilities were improved over many years - one example was the addition of concentric walls in the 13 th century. It was finally captured by the Sultan of Egypt in 1271.

Bodiam Castle in East Sussex is considered to be one of the most beautiful castles in the world. Its most recognisable feature is the huge moat in which it is situated, and interestingly has no central keep - the chambers that would normally have been housed there are built in various locations both around the walls and inner courtyards.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.