TOP-7 designs of ancient castles before they were turned into ruins

2024 Author: Seth Attwood | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-16 15:55

There are so many abandoned structures on our planet, which at one time were pleasing to the eye and were a real decoration of this or that area. But time, wars and fires spare nothing on their way, and now, instead of the former luxury of pompous castles, only ruins remain.

To fix the unfortunate reality, Budget Direct worked closely with professionals to create digital reconstructions, thanks to which anyone can go on a journey through non-existent palaces without getting up from their chair.

Considering the difficult situation in the world and the impossibility of traveling in reality, it is worth paying attention to the virtual reconstructions courtesy of Budget Direct, which, together with a group of historians, designers and architects, created unique digital models of dilapidated ancient castles in Europe.

At the moment, their collection contains 7 of the most famous castles, but the management promises not to stop there and create new virtual tourist routes, including more interesting historical sites.

1. Samobor Castle on top of Tepec Hill in Samobor (Croatia)

History reference:Samobor Castle was built by supporters of the king of Bohemia (at that time the land of the Czech Republic and part of Germany) Ottokar II back in 1260-1264. The construction was completed precisely during the period when Ottokar II fought with Istvan V (Hungarian king) for the controversial Duchy of Styria. Since the forces were unequal, the army of the king of Bohemia was defeated and part of the captured lands went to Prince Okich and the new castle as well. Although a castle (in the understanding of modern man) it can be called conditionally, because in those days such objects were erected in the form of an impregnable fortress.

For several centuries of its existence, it was rebuilt many times, "overgrown" with new objects, eminent owners were replaced one after another, considering it to be their ancestral nest. The castle has always belonged to the nobility until the period when it was bought by the municipality of the city of Samobor, in which it is located. But the management of the authorities, starting from 1902, turned out to be fatal for the historical site. Only impressive ruins have survived to this day, which were taken as a basis by the authors of the digital reconstruction project. Although in the city planning committee there is a project for the real restoration of the castle-fortress, but for now we can enjoy its virtual appearance.

2. Castle-fortress Chateau Gaillard in Les Andelys (France)

The unique Château Gaillard castle was erected in the valley of the Seine on a hill 90 m high during the reign of the legendary King Richard the Lionheart (1196-1198). Despite the fact that the castle-fortress was erected to protect the Norman lands from the encroachments of the French king Philip II, literally 6 years later this territory was captured. Several times the fortress was in the hands of the British, then it was conquered by the French, but at the end of the Hundred Years War, power was entrenched in France.

For many years, the castle served as a place of exile for some monarchs, while for others it was a place of refuge. Over time, the citadel, battered by several sieges and eternal wars, lost its strategic importance and ceased to be the residence of the nobility. In 1599, King Henry IV of France, the founder of the famous Bourbon dynasty, ordered its destruction. Only in 1862 the ruins remaining after the dismantling were recognized as a historical monument and since then are protected by law.

3. Dunnottar Castle in Stonehaven (Scotland)

The medieval Dunnottar Castle is located on the east coast of Scotland near Stonehaven, Scotland. The first information about this impregnable fortress dates back to 681, although the appearance, which specialists have restored now, acquired only in 1100. Such longevity and centuries-old demand for the citadel is explained by the fact that the fortification is located on a high and impregnable cliff.

Given the inaccessibility and strategically important location, King William I of England turned the fortress into the administrative center of the state, which attracted special attention to the castle. This played a fatal role for Dunnottar, for many he turned into a tidbit due to the location of the royal treasury in him.

4. Olsztyn Castle in Olsztyn (Poland)

Olsztyn Castle, located in the Silesian Voivodeship, is a monument of medieval fortification architecture in Poland. The first mention of this citadel dates back to 1306, although the exact date of its creation is not known.

Several times the castle passed from one conqueror prince to another, until in 1656 during the Swedish invasion it was completely destroyed.

5. Menlo Castle in Galway (Ireland)

Menlo Castle is the ancestral home of the warring Cadell clan, located in the village of Menlo, near the city of Galway and the Corrib River. Its construction took several decades and, as a result, by the 16th century. it turned into a powerful fortress-city, which is surrounded by 14 ramparts with loopholes and massive gates. For many years it was considered one of the most prosperous cities in County Galway, actively engaged in extensive trade, not only within the state, but also with other countries.

Such prosperity aroused the envy of the less fortunate clans, so the castle was subjected to more than one attack and even siege, but the people living in it and the fortification itself were not seriously damaged. Despite the fact that wars and destruction have spared the castle, eerie legends, romantic stories and mysterious deaths haunted its inhabitants for several centuries in a row. As it became known to the authors of Novate. Ru, even when the impregnable fortress turned into picturesque ruins (after a grandiose fire in 1910), rock did not leave the descendants of the Blake clan.

6. Fortress Spissky Grad in Spisske Podhradie (Slovakia)

Spissky Castle is the largest and most majestic castle-fortress in Slovakia. Several levels of the defensive structure form a powerful fortress, towering on the top of a 200-meter mountain, the crown of which was the Upper Castle, built in the 13th century. Forty-meter walls repelled more than one attack and withstood several months of sieges. For several centuries, each ruler of this impregnable city tried with all his might to strengthen the fortification of the fortress and acquire his own palace.

Over time, the fortress turned from a citadel into a trading town, which at the beginning of the 18th century. was abandoned, and after a severe fire in 1780 turned into ruins.

7. Poenari Castle in Wallachia (Romania)

Poenari Castle (Cetatea Poenari), towering over the canyon of the Arges River on one of the rocks near the Fagarash mountain range, in Romania, has evoked animal horror and fear for more than one century. The ruins of a Romanian medieval fortress that have survived to this day are associated with the name of the famous Count Dracula. For this reason alone, millions of tourists flock to this citadel to touch the secrets of the castle isolated from the whole world and to tickle their nerves.

The impregnable fortress was built in the XIII century, but when and by whom it was built is still unknown. But everyone knows that in the XV century. famous all over the world (thanks to terrible legends) Vlad III Tepes radically altered it and thoroughly strengthened it. Since then, Poenari Castle has become one of the main residences of the sinister count. At the moment, these ruins are listed in many guidebooks as "Real Dracula Castle", which means "The real castle of Dracula", as it were, as opposed to Bran Castle.