Castles - From Breathtaking To Hauntingly Beautiful.

Matsumoto Castle - Japan

This might not be what comes to mind when you think about castles but this is a castle none the less. Matsumoto Castle is Japan's oldest castles. Also known as Crow Castle because its black walls and roofs looked like spreading wings.Said to have been completed some time in the late 16th century around 1593-1594. Listed as a National Treasure of Japan. For the next 280 years the castle was ruled by the 23 lords of Matsumoto representing six different daimyo families. In 1872, following the Meiji Restoration it was sold at auction and was going to be destroyed. When people heard of its pending demolition, Ichikawa Ryōzō, of Matsumoto along with its residents began a campaign to save it from being destroyed. Their efforts paid off. Following a 5.4 magnitude earth quake on June 30, 2011 the castles suffered about ten cracks in the wall of the main tower. There is a plan underway to restore it.

Mount St. Michel - France

Located on a small island in north western France in the Gulf of Saint-Malo, Le Mont-Saint-Michel. The islet, celebrated for its Benedictine abbey, it also has small houses and shops on its lowest level. Above these stand the monastic buildings, many of which date from the 13th century and are considered outstanding examples of Gothic architecture. The entire islet is crowned by the abbey church, about 73 m (about 240 ft) above sea level. The first chapel on this site was founded in 708 by Aubert, Bishop of Avranches , after the Archangel Michael has appeared to him in a dream. The Archangel Michel appeared here in the year 708. The Abbey takes the name of Mont saint Michel. The oratory, consecrated in 709 was served by a community of canons. In the 19th century it was used as a prison. In 1856 it obtained major damage due to fire. They didn't begin restoration until almost 20 years later. Mont Saint Michel was built as a medieval castle. It has two large towers to defend the entrance to the castle.

Blair Castle, Scotland

Construction is said to have started in 1269 by John I Comyn, Lord of Badenoch, who died in 1275 only 6 years after starting construction, and was a northern neighbour of David I Strathbogie, Earl of Atholl who was away on a crusade. When he returned he complained the interloper to King Alexander III, won back his land and incorporated the tower that had been built into his own castle. Today the castles is used to host many events such as tours, weddings Highland Balls, and many other events. Blair Castle is the seat of the Dukes of Atholl and home to the Atholl Highlanders, Britain's only private army. With some thirty treasure-filled rooms to see, extensive parklands - including Diana's Grove and the restored Hercules Garden - woodland and riverside walks, restaurant and gift shop. Many people take their families there to enjoy the day.

Hatley Castle, Canada

Hatley Castle was built by the lieutenant governor of British Columbia James Dunsmuir in 1908. From 1941 until 1943 the Castle served as dormitory and mess hall for cadets and staff officers at Royal Roads Military College. The forty room mansion was constructed in the Scottish baronial style by architect Samuel Maclure. The mansion and property passed into the hands government in 1940 and was used as a naval college until 1994 when it was converted into the Royal Roads University. It has also been the host to many movies and television programs such as;

Arrow

Queen Family Mansion

The Queen mansion first seen in episode #101, the pilot.

Smallville

Lex Luthor Mansion

MacGyver

From episode #502 "The Legend of the Holy Rose, Part 2".

X-Men: The Last Stand

Xavier's School

Generation X

Xavier's School

Poltergeist: The Legacy

and my personal favorite - Witches of East End - just to name a few.

Château de Chambord, Centre, France (Chambord Castle, Loire Valley)

Chambord (shahn-bor) began as a simple hunting lodge for bored Blois counts and became a monument to the royal sport and duty of hunting. Starting in 1518, Francois I created this "weekend retreat," using 1,800 workmen over 15 years. The chateau, six times the size of most, has 440 rooms pf which only 80 are open to the public, and a fireplace for every day of the year. It consists of a keep in the shape of a Greek cross, with four towers and two wings surrounded by stables. It has four floors with long stair cases due to it's high ceilings. Chambord was a winter palace (which helps explain the number of fireplaces)The royal Chateau de Chambord one of the most recognizable chateau in the world because of its very distinctive French Renaissance architecture which blends traditional French medieval forms with classical Renaissance structures. After François' death due to a heart attack in 1547 the chateau was not used for almost a century. It was also never completed. The chateau is now open to the public, receiving 700,000 visitors in 2007.

The Rock of Cashel, Cashel, County Tipperary, Ireland

Also known as Cashel of the Kings and St. Patrick's Rock, this castle is probably more along the lines of what you imagine when you think of castles. It looks like Count Dracula could be living in it. It is no where near as big as the rest of the castles posted here. But holds its own kind of beauty. Legend associates the Rock of Cashel with St. Patrick, but the name comes from Caiseal, meaning "stone fort," and the hill was originally the residence of the kings of Munster. Excavations have revealed some evidence of burials and church buildings going back as far as the 9th century. According to local mythology, the Rock of Cashel originated in the Devil's Bit, a mountain 20 miles (30 km) north of Cashel when St. Patrick banished Satan from a cave, resulting in the Rock's landing in Cashel. The Rock of Cashel was the traditional seat of the kings of Munster for several hundred years prior to the Norman invasion. In 1101, the King of Munster, Muirchertach Ua Briain, donated his fortress on the Rock to the Church.

Neuschwanstein Castle surrounded by fog near Füssen, Germany

Be it Winter, Spring, Summer or Fall....Natures backdrop to this castle is almost too beautiful to be real! Neuschwanstein Castle (German: Schloss Neuschwanstein, pronounced [nɔʏˈʃvaːnʃtaɪn], English: "New Swanstone Castle") is a nineteenth-century Romanesque Revival palace on a rugged hill above the village of Hohenschwangau near Füssen in southwest Bavaria, Germany. The palace was commissioned by Ludwig II of Bavaria as a retreat and as homage to Richard Wagner commissioned by Ludwig II of Bavaria who paid for it with his own money and loans. This castle appeared in several movies and was the inspiration for Disneyland's Sleeping Beauty Castle. Looks are deceiving as the castle is much larger than it appears in the picture. King Ludwig II said. "I intend to rebuild the old castle ruins of Hohenschwangau by the Pollat Gorge in the genuine style of the old German Knightly fortresses." And he did just that! Might I suggest you read up on King Ludwig II...

Windsor Castle, England

If asked to name a castle in England..Windsor Castle would probably be the popular answer. The original castle was built in the 11th century after the Norman invasion of England by William the Conqueror. Since the time of Henry I, it has been used by all monarchs, and is the longest-occupied palace in Europe. The decor of this castle consists of Royal Reds and Blues, Gold and Green and is absolutely stunning. Inside the castle walls is the 15th-century St George's Chapel, considered by the historian John Martin Robinson to be "one of the supreme achievements of English Perpendicular Gothic" design. Originally designed to protect Norman dominance around the outskirts of London and oversee a strategically important part of the River Thames, Windsor Castle was built as a motte-and-bailey, with three wards surrounding a central mound. Gradually replaced with stone fortifications, the castle withstood a prolonged siege during the First Barons' War at the start of the 13th century. Henry III built a luxurious royal palace within the castle during the middle of the century, and Edward III went further, rebuilding the palace to make an even grander set of buildings in what would become "the most expensive secular building project of the entire Middle Ages in England". Edward's core design lasted through the Tudor period, during which Henry VIII and Elizabeth I made increasing use of the castle as a royal court and centre for diplomatic entertainment. Originally built in the 11th century before it became inhabited with royalty the early Norman kings preferred to your Windsor was not initially used as a royal residence; the early Norman kings preferred to use the former palace of Edward the Confessor in the village of Old Windsor. The first king to use Windsor Castle as a residence was Henry I. Windsor Castle is an official residence of The Queen and the largest occupied castle in the world. The Queen uses the Castle both as a private home, where she usually spends the weekend, and as a Royal residence at which she undertakes certain formal duties. A Royal home and fortress for over 900 years, the Castle remains a working palace today. Windsor Castle is the oldest and largest occupied castle in the world.