The medieval castles They attract everyone's attention. Whether you are history lovers or because the child in all of us adores these massive stone and wood constructions, the truth is that castles have not lost and will not lose their charm.
Today only a small part of the number that once populated the world survives, so at the risk of leaving some out of the list, which ones are the 4 most beautiful medieval castles in the world?
Alcazar of Segovia, Spain
Our first castle on the list of the 4 most beautiful medieval castles in the world It is in Segovia, SpainIt is possible that some type of fortification already existed on that site during the Roman occupation, but it is Around 1120, the record of a defensive palisade appears of the city. A few years later it was already named as Segovia Castle and Alcazar, alluding to a type of fortress and royal residence.
It has been the palace and fortress of the Kings of Castile, centuries before the appearance of the Palace of Tordesillas or the Alcázar of Seville, and the elegant and ancient Tower of Homage used to house the treasure of the Crown of Castile, a fund that financed nothing more and nothing less than Columbus's first voyage and the discovery of America.
Its history, although it begins in Roman times, really began after the Reconquista. It was the residence of Alfonso VIII, collapsed, was rebuilt, restored and expanded on numerous occasions but Its current appearance is due to Philip II.
Alfonso X the Wise convened the first meetings in the building in 1256, but the custom continued until the reign of the Catholic Monarchs. The truth is that it was a castle that, although it initially had a strictly military function, soon became much more: treasure vault, royal archive, royal armory, prison, and each of these features gave it a more unique look.
Castle It has two zones, an interior that has noble rooms (open to the public), and an outer one with a moat, drawbridge, keep and courtyard. All on uneven terrain to which it has been adapting.
With this century-old history behind it, today the Alcázar of Segovia It is one of the most beautiful medieval castles in the world.
Practical information about the Alcázar of Segovia
- Hours: In summer it is open from April 1 to October 31 from 10 am to 8 pm. In winter it is open from November 1 to March 31, from 10 am to 6 pm. Check on the website which days in 2025 it will be closed and allow about 45 minutes for the visit.
- Price: The palace + museum + tower ticket costs 10 euros. The palace + museum ticket costs 7 euros. There are reduced prices. The audio guides in 12 languages cost 3 euros, and the guided tour in Spanish also costs 50 euros.
Edinburgh Castle, Scotland
In the list of The 4 most beautiful medieval castles in the world There is Edinburgh Castle, one of the oldest in Europe and like many of his brothers he has fulfilled the functions of rroyal residence, military prison, fortress and more.
It is built on high ground, at the famous Castle's Rock (extinct volcano), 130 metres high with cliffs to the south, west and north, about 80 metres high, so people built a fortress here as early as the Iron Age.
But the truth is that the castle does not appear in the annals of Scottish history until the story that tells how King Gododdin and his warriors celebrated in the fortress before the battle with the Angles. That battle was lost and the territory of present-day Edinburgh and its surroundings passed into the hands of the Kingdom of Northumbria, which was eventually absorbed by England in the 10th century.
Edinburgh Castle It was a royal residence also, home to kings and queens for centuries. In fact, the oldest building inside the castle is the Queen Margaret Chapel, canonized after her death in 1093. To this day it is used in weddings and baptisms.
King James IV built the Great Hall in 1511, for his banquets and official events, but he never enjoyed it because he died at the hands of the army of his brother-in-law, Henry VIII himself, in 1513.
You will see that on the lintel of the door of the Royal Palace there are some carved initials, MAH, which mean for Mary, Queen of Scots and her second husband, Henre Stewart, Lord DarnleyHis son, James IV, at just 13 months old became King of Scotland and unified the crowns of Scotland and England in 1603.
You will also see the Scottish Crown Jewels, known as the Honours of Scotland, the oldest in Britain: gold, silver and precious stones were created in Scotland and Italy under the reigns of James IV and James V. The day Mary, Queen of Scots, assumed the throne, she did so with that crown, that sword and that royal sceptre.
After Royal Residence It was a military prison, but after the union with England the castle was rarely visited. Then, the defenses were rebuilt, new batteries and new barracks were installed, with more personnel.
Practical information about Edinburgh Palace
- Hours: It is generally open from 9:30 am to 6, 5 or 4 pm depending on the season. The full visit lasts two hours. The castle is usually closed between 13 and 15 January.
- Price: Tickets are available for adults, seniors, children and families. The price per adult online is £665, while it costs £19 if you buy it on site. Audio guides are available at the palace and online. The price is £50. Don't miss the cannon firing every day at 22pm, except Sundays, Good Friday and Christmas Day.
Castle and citadel of Carcassonne, France
We can't make any list of The most beautiful medieval castles in the world without this real treasure appearing: Carcassonne. The history of the settlement in the place It dates back to 800 BC, with Carsac, about 2 kilometers from the current city. Some time later it was conquered by the Romans, under whose guidance it prospered.
In the first centuries after Christ the Germanic invasions put the Romans in check, and it was then that The first walls of Carcassonne were built: 1200 metres long and in the XNUMXth century, a new kingdom was born, Aquitaine.History progressed hand in hand with the Trencavels, viscounts of the county of Carcassone, after the end of the Carolingian Empire.
In this brief history of the city and its castle we cannot fail to mention the Catharism, a Christian movement that emerged on the continent in the 12th century, who rejected the Roman Church and who He intended to better follow the precepts of Christ. In southern France, Carcassone was one of the churches that followed this line.
Of course, opposing the Pope was not a good idea so In 1209 Pope Innocent III launched a crusade against the Cathars, for heretics, with the support of King Louis VIII. Carcassonne was besieged and fell after two weeks of siege and 17 years later it passed into royal hands.
Carcassonne took its present form in the 13th century.The old Trencavel palace became the count's castle and a second 1600-metre-long wall was built. Modernization was carried out by Philip the Bold and Philip the Handsome, so the citadel and its castle became a military, political and administrative centre.
Then you would enter period of decline which would only emerge in 1840, when they began The restoration work was completed in 1911 and that make that today the Castle and Citadel of Carcassonne, with its ancient gates, the castle with the moat, the walls and barbicans and the towers, are visited by 4 million people a year.
Practical information about the castle and citadel of Carcasonne
- Hours: From April 1st to September 30th it opens from 10 am to 6 pm. From October 1st to March 31st it opens from 9:30 am to 5 pm. It closes on January 1st and Christmas.
- Pricing: Individual entry costs 13 euros.
Himeji Castle, Japan
And although one thinks of Europe when talking about castles, the truth is that castles were also built in other parts of the world in the Middle Ages. Japan, for example, and here we have a castle to add to our list of most beautiful medieval castles in the world.
This XNUMXth-century It is the most beautiful medieval castle in all of Japan. and the best preserved of all. It is World Heritage or with a National Treasure which has managed to survive wars, earthquakes and fires in its century-old life.
It is known as «White Heron» and is located in Himeji City, Hyogo Prefecture. Its history begins around the year 1333 when Akamatsu Norimura built a hilltop fort that would later be dismantled and rebuilt as Himeyama Castle in 1344, and two centuries later remodeled again to become the Himeji Castle we see today.
A true figure in Japanese history took care of this remodeling, the great unifier Toyotomi Hideyoshi, in 1581. He is responsible for the three-storey tower. Later it underwent other major transformations that enlarged it even further until it formed an enormous complex.
For seven centuries, Himeji Castle stood unshaken, even through the bombings of World War II and the great earthquake of 1995. Today, a World Heritage Site since 1993, it is the most visited medieval castle in Japan and together with Matsumoto Castle and Kumamoto Castle, are the three castles that originals are preserved (the rest are reconstructions).
Himeji Castle stands on a hill just over 45 meters high, it has 83 buildings including towers, turrets, warehouses, doors and corridors, the highest walls are 26 meters high and also includes a typical Japanese garden created in 1992 to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the city. The entire complex occupies 233 hectares.
Practical information about Himeji Castle
- Hours: Open from 9am to 5pm, but from June to August it closes at 6pm. No entry is allowed from one hour before closing time. Closed on December 29 and 30.
- Entrada: The entrance fee is 1000 yen (about 9 euros), and 1050 yen if it includes a visit to the Kokoen Garden.