Set in a picturesque spot overlooking the town of Cochem and the River Moselle, the castle of the same name is surrounded by green hills with lush forests and vineyards around it. The castle has stood on the same hilltop since 1130, but the original fortification was destroyed by the plundering troops of Louis IV in 1688. Restored and rebuilt in a beautiful Gothic Revival style, the current castle is now a popular tourist attraction in German Rhineland.
De Haar Castle is the largest castle in the Netherlands, located just outside the city of Utrecht and a half-hour drive from Amsterdam. De Haar has everything you want from a castle, namely towers, ditches, gates, and suspended bridges. The castle is also home to many works of art. Near the castle, you can find a romantic chapel, as well as wonderful parks and gardens. Undoubtedly, Haar Castle is one of the most luxurious castles in Europe.
Located in the heart of the German Alps, on a peak, the castle, with its imposing silhouette, seems taken out of a fairytale. Located between the precipices, near a picturesque town, protected by a ditch, Neuschwanstein Castle seems untouched by time. This is a perennial testimony to the imagination of Ludovic II.
The main building is decorated with purple tiles that have a Moorish geometric pattern and is decorated with rich stone sculptures and gilded domes. What attracts attention is the Triton, a gigantic creature, half man-half fish, which holds behind the entire weight of a meticulously carved balcony, an allegory that represents the connection between sea and land. This sculpture is located above the entrance to the Court of the Arcades, where the castle is divided into two distinct wings: the Old Palace, with its red facade and the New Palace, with its yellow-ocher facade.
Once you see the palace, you have the feeling that you are in a fairy tale or children’s storybooks or that you are watching the generic Walt Disney cartoons. All these comparisons get in your head instantly the moment you look at it. So colorful and perched on top of the mountain, with its large gates, towers and ramparts, domes and walkways everything appears like fantasy and you feel like the dwarf in the story, visiting the castle of the princes.
By far the most beautiful castle in Spain, the Alcázar in Segovia is located on a rocky peak, which gives it a special charm. Built in the form of a ship, as a fortress, for the surveillance and defense of the region, the building later became a royal palace, then a prison and military academy. Today, it is a castle detached from that story, much appreciated by tourists, both for its special architecture and for the art objects it houses. It is said that this construction was one of the sources of inspiration for the design of Disney’s Cinderella Castle.
Chenonceau Castle is located 34 kilometers from the most important city in the area, Tours. Together with the castle of Chambord, it is the most visited in the Loire Valley. This castle is known as the castle of the six ladies, because many illustrious women were its masters.
The castle has a splendid appearance from the outside and through its two main gardens, that of Diana de Poitiers and another of Catherine de Medicis. Its floral decoration is made every spring and summer from plants obtained from its own nursery. Here we find an interesting flower and vegetable garden. On the castle grounds, there are also restaurants where you can dine and taste local wines.
One of the most famous buildings in Ghent is Gravensteen Castle. It is located right in the heart of the city, which is less common in Europe. It seems that over time the castle was, in turn, a factory, a court, and a prison. In the late 1800s, the city of Ghent bought and renovated the castle and fortunately restored it to its original condition.
