10 FAIRY TALE CASTLES YOU NEED TO VISIT IN EUROPE
10. Swallow's Nest, Ukraine
Perched on a cliff above the Black Sea, the Swallows Nest medieval castle was built in the early twentieth century and is a popular tourist attraction just outside the town of Gaspra, having become the symbol of Crimea's southern coastline.
Built by a German nobleman and used as a sanatorium for high-ranking military officers in Soviet times, it is now a high end Italian restaurant with some of the best views in the area - for all those wanting to dine in a fairy tale setting.
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The picturesque, magnificent, defiant and mysterious Predjama Castle has been perched up in the middle of a vertical 123-metre high cliff for more than 700 years. This renaissance castle was built into the surrounding stone making it the Guinness Book of Records largest cave castle in the world. Could you imagine this castle as the evil hideout of a fairy tale villain?(source)
8. Windsor Castle, England
Windsor Castle is the oldest and largest occupied castle in the world and the Official Residence of Her Majesty The Queen. Its rich history spans almost 1000 years, with more than five hundred people currently living and working in Windsor Castle. Every fairy tale needs a castle for the Queen!
Panorama of Pena National Palace above Sintra town, Portugal. UNESCO World Heritage Site and one of the Seven Wonders of Portugal
The palace stands on the top of a hill above the town of Sintra, and on a clear day it can be easily seen from Lisbon and much of its surrounding area. It is a national monument and constitutes one of the major expressions of 19th-century Romanticism in the world. The palace was built in such a way as to be visible from any point in the park, which consists of a forest and luxuriant gardens with over five hundred different species of trees originating from the four corners of the earth.(source)
6. Bojnice Castle, Slovakia
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Bojnice Castle is located in Bojnice, Slovakia and is one of the most romantic castles in Europe. The castle dates back to the 12th century and hosts one of the most popular museums in Slovakia. The castle also hosts many festivals and even allows couples to get married at their (if any of you were looking for your dream fairy tale wedding location).(source)
5. Schloss Drachenburg, Germany
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Schloss Drachenburg aka Dragon Castle is a private villa in palace style constructed in the late 19th century. It was completed in only two years on the Drachenfels hill in Königswinter, a German town on the Rhine. We feel like this castle resembles the one from Beauty and Beast, what do you think?
4. Hohenwerfen Castle, Austria
The mighty castle of Hohenwerfen has towered over the 155 metre high craggy rock pillar above the Salzachtal valley for more than 900 years. The castle holds some of the best preserved late medieval defenses and rooms in all of Europe.
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Roughly the size of seven football fields, Prague Castle is the largest ancient castle in the world. Built and renovated during 13 centuries, the complex includes churches, gardens, alleyways and royal residences that would take days to see it all!(source)
2. Bran Castle, Transylvania
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Commonly known as “Dracula’s Castle” in honour of Bram Stoker's Dracula, fans of the novel enjoy exploring rooms dedicated to Transylvania’s most famous count. Bran castle was once a medieval fortress, then a royal residence and is now a national monument, opening its doors to over 500,000 visitors each year. (source)
1. Neuschwanstein Castle, Germany
Neuschwanstein Castle's construction began back in1869. King Ludwig II of Bavaria commissioned the building to resemble earlier German palaces. However, the result combines elements of Romanesque, Gothic, and Byzantine architecture. The king, who lived in the castle for only six months, died in 1886, but construction of the palace went on until 1892 and the Castle is still not totally completed.
The Sleeping Beauty Castle at Disneyland was even modeled after the Neuschwanstein Castle, how fairy tale can you get?
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What fairy tale castle would you add to the list?
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