Famous Castles: Malbork Castle, Poland

Malbork Castle in Poland is considered to be the largest castle in the world (as measured by land area) and is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Layout of the Castle:

A flying overview of the castle:

UNESCO World Heritage Documentary on the Castle:

Another good documentary on the castle:

 
 
The Castles of Poland website provides some...

 History of Malbork Castle

Our exploration of Malbork Castle begins at the... 

 

Castle Gate and Portcullis   




We can also take a stroll in the moat...

 Outside the Castle Walls

The city of Malbork in northern Poland treasures its history. Each year for over a decade it has staged a re-enactment of a famed 1410 siege for its majestic red brick Malbork Castle. After the legendary victory of a Polish-Lithuanian army over the German Teutonic Knights at Grunwald earlier that year, troops of the Polish king Wladyslaw Jagiello tried but failed to seize the castle, then the European headquarters of the powerful Teutonic Order:

Famous Castles: Spiš Castle, Slovakia

Spiš Castle dates from the 12th century and is considered to be the largest castle complex in central Europe .  It is one of several magnificent castles in Slovakia:

 

Here is a time lapse reconstruction from the amazing Digital Reconstructions Website to show how the castle would have looked in its 12th century heyday:

 

 

Some stunning drone footage of the castle from on high and in the misty morning:

   

  History and Architecture of the Castle

We begin our exploration by walking up the steep...

 Road to the Main Keep

 

For some spectacular views you can...

Walk the Ramparts 

  

Or take in the view from the...

 Top of the Keep

  

Famous Castles: Alnwick Castle, Scotland

Alnwick Castle is on the east coast of Scotland and was first built following the Norman conquest.  The castle guards a road crossing the Aln River.
 

History and Virtual Tour of the Castle 

Some stunning aerial views of the castle:

The castle in a painting by J. M. W. Turner:

 

The layout of the castle and how it has been changed over the centuries:

The official visitor's map of the castle as it is today:

We explore the castle starting at the...

Greenwell Gate

If you turn around at the Greenwell Gate and walk the other way, you will come to the magnificent 
Alnwick Garden and can stroll all through it:

Or alternately you can start your garden stroll at the...

Main Gate to the Alnwick Garden

Famous Castles: Citadel of Qaitbay, Alexandria

The majestic Citadel of Quaitbay in Alexandria was said to have been built on the foundations of the legendary Lighthouse (or Pharos) of Alexandria, one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World.  The Lighthouse was finally destroyed by a series of earthquakes:

MEGAPROJECTS Documentary on the Lighthouse of Alexandria

An excellent video overview of the citadel:

Cleopatra Tours History Page on the Citadel

We begin our exploration of the citadel by going through the entry gate and ascending to the ...

Outer Ramparts

Famous Castles: Chittorgarh Fort, India

The magnificent Chittorgarh Fort is considered to be the largest castle in India.

A stunning video overview of the castle:

Some history of the castle:

There is also a legendary princess Rani Padmini (also known as Padmavati) who appears in Indian literature as a Helen of Troy figure, renowned for her beauty who became Queen of Chittorgarh. You can read her exciting story in an English translation, free to download at the Internet Archive:

Padmavati - An Epic Poem by Malik Muammad Jais

(English Translation by Shirreff A. G.)

 

A map of the immense castle layout:

We begin our exploration at this magnificent entrance through which we can see the Samadhisvar Temple:

East Sati Gate

Famous Castles: Mehrangarh Fort, India

Mehrangarh Fort is in northern India overlooking the city of Jodhpur.   For some reason when the British Colonial Government in India began cataloguing castles, they decided to call them all forts:  Forts in India.  The suffix -garh is actually the Hindi word for castle.  This usage of the term fort may give one the impression that India has no great stone castles dating back to medieval times, whereas it has many fine examples:  Castles of India

A spectacular aerial view:

Some history:

The Official Mehrangarh Website features some history as well as a wealth of other information:

 
And we begin our exploration at...

 The Main Gate

Famous Castles: Craigdarroch Castle, Victoria, British Columbia

Craigdarroch Castle is located in the city of Victoria, British Columbia, Canada:

The story of Craigdarroch Castle. 

Produced by The Craigdarroch Castle Historical Museum Society.

The castle consistently makes the lists of...

 The Most Haunted Places in Canada

Fly over of the Castle

Is It Haunted ??? | Canada's Best Castle | The Most historic Castle In Victoria

We start our exploration of the castle in...

The Front Hall

Haunting Christmas Flash Mob!
 

Augmented Reality Tour of the Castle

Part 1

Part 2

Part 3

Part 4

Part 5