Old castles keep secrets. Majestic, dignified, gloomy and lush, they attract to themselves, promising to show something special. The most ancient castles amaze with their scale and skillful decoration.
Man is an infinitely curious creature, which is why thousands and thousands of tourists visit castles around the world every year. They are attracted not only by the desire to look at the life of past years. Everyone is trying to see through what the walls of buildings remember. Whose fates were decided in them, what deeds were done?
Old castles. General characteristics and functions
If we consider these buildings outside of eras, we can distinguish the following features that distinguish old castles:
Locks as a means of protection
The prototypes of these buildings appeared in Iran, later moved to Ancient Rome, after which they advanced to Byzantium, where they became very popular due to the fact that they were used as forts.
However, castles flourished during the Middle Ages, they were used as dwellings of feudal lords and were primarily defensive in nature. It was then that they came to our usual form. The castles were geographically located on steep hills and hills in order to complicate the possible assault as much as possible. These measures were not connected with the pervasive mania of persecution of the powerful of the world at that time. We must not forget that the Middle Ages passed "under the auspices" of feudal fragmentation and unrest, the protection of life in such conditions was paramount.
Castles as a sign of status
Time passed, customs changed, the Middle Ages with its theological dictates and the need to live, looking back, was replaced by the Renaissance, which elevated anthropocentrism to a cult. Castles naturally turned into simple dwellings for people. The buildings became lighter, more elegant, more beautiful, each one created something of his own, competing with his neighbor to the best of his ability and ability.
Castles as the focus of secrets
Walking through the winding corridors of castles, it is difficult to get rid of the feeling that you are being watched. They keep too many secrets and understatements. Deposed monarchs, corrupt servants, unfortunate love stories - all this excites the imagination and gives goosebumps. Consider some of the secrets of ancient castles?
Tower
Mentioned ancient castles with their secrets and ghosts - what comes to mind first? Of course, Tower. This is a London building.
served as a prison for those that from now on had only one way - to the scaffold. Anne Boleyn, the second wife of Henry the Eighth, did not escape this fate. The church did not allow him to divorce, and a new love required decisive action. The monarch, who became the prototype of Bluebeard, found a way out - he accused his wife of incest and sentenced to death. Eyewitnesses said that the queen was infinitely calm and majestic, ascending to the chopping block, no tantrums and tears. In turn, her husband also "mercied" - he provided a skilled French executioner and after Anna's death, he did not put his head on public display, but buried it, placing it under his right hand. Since then, not only in the Tower, but also on the territory of London itself, a blurry image of a woman in a luxurious dress, holding her head with her right hand, periodically began to be noticed.
Mayerling Castle
When you look at this photo, the old castle seems so serene that it's hard to believe in its dark and tragic history for Austria. It was there that the heir to the throne, Rudolf, the only son of Sisi and Franz Joseph, died under mysterious circumstances. Rudolph, according to contemporaries, suffered from depression and temporary clouding of reason, from which he was "treated" with shock doses of alcohol. One frosty January day in 1899, he entered Meyerling Castle with his mistress Maria Vecheroy, never to return. They were found dead some time later - the girl was shot dead, and Rudolph was poisoned. There are many versions of what happened: some say that the crown prince persuaded Mary to leave with him and shoot herself after he took the poison, others that the heir himself killed her and then committed suicide, others insist that both were killed by opponents crown to destabilize the situation in Austria.
Olesko Castle
When the old ones are mentioned, this building is first of all remembered.
Its history is rich in events - what is worth at least the fact that in the 17th century his father served at the court, at the same time a tragedy occurred, which is still being talked about. The owner of the Olesko castle had a beautiful daughter, whose hand was stubbornly but unsuccessfully sought by young Adam. The mission to get the blessing of his beloved father was initially doomed to failure, since he wanted to see only a representative of the royal family in his sons-in-law. Unable to withstand another refusal, Adam committed suicide in front of everyone. Due to the fact that he became a suicide, they buried him without a Christian rite - according to one version, they buried him near the walls of the castle, according to another, they simply threw the body into the swamp. The owner's daughter could not survive the loss and also took her own life. The daredevils who decide to spend the night in the Olesko Castle claim that two restless souls still roam the building, breaking the silence with groans.
woodstock castle
The most famous ancient castles in the world include Woodstock.
Speaking of distinctive features, we can mention the fact that the echo in it is surprisingly clearly heard 17 times in a row. However, this is not what excites the imagination of people. In the XII century, he witnessed a love triangle, two corners of which were represented by the most influential spouses of that time, and the third corner was a brilliant beauty. We are talking about Henry II Plantagenet, Eleanor of Aquitaine and Rosamund Clifford. According to legend, Henry hid his mistress Rosamund in the tower of Woodstock Castle. The path went through a labyrinth that was impossible to blindly overcome. And this measure was justified, for the monarch knew perfectly well that his crowned wife was not only smart, but also extremely vengeful. Against all odds, Eleanor followed her husband and discovered the beauty. Her decision was inexorable - Rosamund had to die. The choice was given to her death by dagger or poison. Heinrich's beloved chose the latter and met death in terrible agony - indeed, it is difficult to expect a quick, merciful death from an angry woman. Plantagenet, having learned about the tragedy, went mad with grief and imprisoned his treacherous wife forever. He kept the memory of Rosamund until the end of his days and presumably died on the same day as her, but 13 years later. The spirit of the girl still roams the castle, waiting for her king.
Have you ever been to medieval castles? They say that almost any fortress that has survived to this day has long been a haven for real ghosts. Of course, rational thinking tells us that we should not be afraid of these tales - but what about the facts that prove the real existence of paranormal activity?
Medieval Europe was not the most pleasant place to live. Here reigned the cult of the lord, capable of sending peasants to death for the slightest offense. The times of the witch hunt left the widest clearing in the female population of half the continent, and the bones of the so-called sorceresses are still found embedded in the walls of medieval castles. Here are a dozen of these fortresses, which even the locals try to avoid.
Germany
It is believed that a whole horde of ghosts has been living here for five centuries. Around the beginning of the 16th century, the owner of the castle hired a couple of farmers to deal with his unfaithful wife. Soon after, both the man himself and his sons died in their own beds. Since then, the castle has been considered cursed.
Lip Castle
Ireland
In the 12th century, the castle was built by the influential O'Bannon clan. The family nest of eminent Irish people very soon turned into a scarecrow for the whole district: fratricidal feasts, constant executions and even sacrifices took place here. The local chapel was nicknamed the "Bloody Chapel" after a jealous husband stabbed his wife and lover in it, then brought his children there and forced them to pray over the rotting bodies of adulterers for seven days. Are there ghosts here? Still would!
Zvikov
Czech
It is one of the most important and significant Gothic castles of medieval Bohemia. According to rumors, the local Zvikovsky devil lives in the castle, who does not like people very much. Jokes aside, but strange, unpleasant things actually happen here. Animals refuse to enter some rooms of the castle, curtains in the main hall sometimes spontaneously light up, and those who sleep in main tower, die within a year. At least that's what the locals say.
Moosham
Austria
Built at the end of the 12th century, Moosham Castle has become a silent witness to the death of thousands of young girls. The times of the witch hunt turned Moosham into a real stronghold of the Inquisition, blood flowed like a river for the glory of the papacy and Christian virtues. Much later, in the 19th century, the remains of dead deer and livestock began to be found near the castle, which gave rise to a new wave of rumors. To this day, it is believed that a clan of ancient werewolves lives in the basements of Moosham, hunting at night.
Bran Castle
Romania
One of the most feared castles in the world, Bran Castle was the residence of Vlad III - the cruel Romanian ruler, better known as Vlad Dracula or Vlad the Impaler. It was this man who inspired Bram Stoker's famous gothic novel "Dracula": you can imagine how gloomy the atmosphere is in the family nest of the world's main vampire. A little more creepy? Easily. In one of the main halls of Bran, there is a golden casket where the heart of Queen Mary is hidden. Naturally, it is still beating - if you believe the rumors.
Chateau de Brissac
France
Built back in the 11th century, Brissac Castle is considered the home of all the ghosts and ghosts of the west-central part of France. According to legend, one of the original owners of the castle caught his wife with another man and killed them both. Today, the new owners arrange receptions here for high society from among those who want to tickle their nerves.
Fraser Castle
Scotland
Located in eastern Scotland, Fraser Castle is famous for the horror story of a princess killed in her sleep by demons. They say that the body of the unfortunate woman was dragged down the stone steps of the tower, and the servants could not wash off the blood after that. The owners allegedly had to sheathe the steps with wooden panels, but on a full moon, blood again appears through them.
Horst
Belgium
The dilapidated castle Horst is inhabited to this day. True, not people live here, but real ghosts. At least that's what the locals say. They also say that the ghost of the former owner of the castle returns every full moon on a wagon drawn by six pitch black horses.
Predjama Castle
Slovenia
The famous pirate knight Erazem once lived here, who raided the coast and passing ships. The castle is riddled with hundreds of underground passages, caves and shelters, which even certified "demon hunters" do not dare to explore.
Dragsholm
Denmark
One of the most scary places Denmark. The famous White Lady lives here - the ghost of a young girl who fell in love with a local commoner. The father walled up his own daughter in the room where she ended her days. It sounds like an ordinary legend, but there is a place for truth. At the beginning of this century, shocked builders working on the restoration of part of the walls discovered a secret room where a skeleton in a white wedding dress sat at the table.
You write about the baron in the castle - if you please, at least roughly imagine how the castle was heated, how it was ventilated, how it was lit ...
From an interview with G. L. Oldie
At the word "castle" in our imagination there is an image of a majestic fortress - the calling card of the fantasy genre. There is hardly any other architectural structure that would attract so much attention from historians, experts in military affairs, tourists, writers and fans of “fabulous” fantasy.
We play computer, board and role-playing games where we have to explore, build or capture impregnable castles. But do we know what these fortifications really are? What kind interesting stories connected with them? What are the stone walls hiding behind them - witnesses of entire eras, grandiose battles, knightly nobility and vile betrayal?
Surprisingly, it is a fact - the fortified dwellings of feudal lords in different parts of the world (Japan, Asia, Europe) were built according to very similar principles and had many common design features. But in this article, we will primarily focus on medieval European feudal fortresses, since it was they that served as the basis for creating a mass artistic image of the “medieval castle” as a whole.
The birth of a fortress
The Middle Ages in Europe was a turbulent time. The feudal lords, for any reason, arranged small wars among themselves - or rather, not even wars, but, in modern terms, armed “showdowns”. If a neighbor had money, they had to be taken away. Lots of land and peasants? It's just indecent, because God ordered to share. And if knightly honor is hurt, then here it was simply impossible to do without a small victorious war.
Under such circumstances, the large aristocratic landowners had no choice but to fortify their homes with the expectation that one day neighbors might come to visit them, whom you don’t feed with bread - let someone slaughter.
Initially, these fortifications were made of wood and did not resemble the castles known to us in any way - except that a moat was dug in front of the entrance and a wooden palisade was erected around the house.
The lordly courts of Hasterknaup and Elmendorv are the ancestors of castles.
However, progress did not stand still - with the development of military affairs, the feudal lords had to modernize their fortifications so that they could withstand a massive assault using stone cannonballs and rams.
The European castle has its roots in the era of antiquity. The earliest structures of this kind copied the Roman military camps (tents surrounded by a palisade). It is generally accepted that the tradition of building gigantic (by the standards of that time) stone structures began with the Normans, and classical castles appeared in the 12th century.
The besieged castle of Mortan (withstood the siege for 6 months).
Very simple requirements were imposed on the castle - it must be inaccessible to the enemy, provide observation of the area (including the nearest villages belonging to the owner of the castle), have its own water source (in case of a siege) and perform representative functions - that is, show the power, wealth of the feudal lord.
Beaumarie Castle, owned by Edward I.
Welcome
We are on our way to the castle, which stands on a ledge of a mountain slope, on the edge of a fertile valley. The road goes through a small settlement - one of those that usually grew up near the fortress wall. Common people live here - mostly artisans, and warriors guarding the outer perimeter of protection (in particular, guarding our road). This is the so-called "castle people".
Scheme of castle structures. Note - two gate towers, the largest stands separately.
The road is laid in such a way that the aliens always face the castle with their right side, not covered by a shield. Directly in front of the fortress wall there is a bare plateau, lying under a significant slope (the castle itself stands on a hill - natural or bulk). The vegetation here is low, so that there is no shelter for the attackers.
The first barrier is a deep ditch, and in front of it is a rampart of excavated earth. The moat can be transverse (separates the castle wall from the plateau), or sickle-shaped, curved forward. If the landscape allows, the moat encircles the entire castle in a circle.
Sometimes dividing ditches were dug inside the castle, making it difficult for the enemy to move through its territory.
The shape of the bottom of the ditches could be V-shaped and U-shaped (the latter is the most common). If the soil under the castle is rocky, then ditches were either not made at all, or they were cut down to a shallow depth, which only hindered the advancement of infantry (it is almost impossible to dig under the castle wall in the rock - therefore, the depth of the moat was not decisive).
The crest of an earthen rampart lying directly in front of the moat (which makes it seem even deeper) often carried a palisade - a fence of wooden stakes dug into the ground, pointed and tightly fitted to each other.
A bridge over the moat leads to the outer wall of the castle. Depending on the size of the moat and bridge, the latter supports one or more supports (huge logs). The outer part of the bridge is fixed, but its last segment (right next to the wall) is movable.
Scheme of the entrance to the castle: 2 - gallery on the wall, 3 - drawbridge, 4 - lattice.
Counterweights on the gate lift.
Castle gate.
This drawbridge is designed so that in a vertical position it closes the gate. The bridge is powered by mechanisms hidden in the building above them. From the bridge to the lifting machines, ropes or chains go into the wall holes. To facilitate the work of people servicing the bridge mechanism, the ropes were sometimes equipped with heavy counterweights that took part of the weight of this structure onto themselves.
Of particular interest is the bridge, which worked on the principle of a swing (it is called “overturning” or “swinging”). One half of it was inside - lying on the ground under the gate, and the other stretched across the moat. When the inner part rose, closing the entrance to the castle, the outer part (to which the attackers sometimes managed to run) fell down into the moat, where the so-called “wolf pit” was arranged (sharp stakes dug into the ground), invisible from the side, until the bridge is down.
To enter the castle with the gates closed, there was a side gate next to them, to which a separate lifting ladder was usually laid.
Gates - the most vulnerable part of the castle, were usually made not directly in its wall, but were arranged in the so-called "gate towers". Most often, the gates were double-leaf, and the wings were knocked together from two layers of boards. To protect against arson, they were upholstered with iron on the outside. At the same time, in one of the wings there was a small narrow door, which could be entered only by bending over. In addition to locks and iron bolts, the gate was closed by a transverse beam lying in the wall channel and sliding into the opposite wall. The transverse beam could also be wound into hook-shaped slots on the walls. Its main purpose was to protect the gate from their landing attackers.
Behind the gate was usually a drop-down portcullis. Most often it was wooden, with iron-bound lower ends. But there were also iron gratings made of steel tetrahedral rods. The lattice could descend from a gap in the vault of the gate portal, or be behind them (on the inside of the gate tower), descending along the grooves in the walls.
The grate hung on ropes or chains, which, in case of danger, could be cut off so that it quickly fell down, blocking the way for the invaders.
Inside the gate tower there were rooms for guards. They kept watch on the upper platform of the tower, asked the guests for the purpose of their visit, opened the gates, and, if necessary, could hit all those who passed under them with a bow. For this purpose, there were vertical loopholes in the vault of the gate portal, as well as “tar noses” - holes for pouring hot resin on the attackers.
Resin noses.
All on the wall!
The most important defensive element of the castle was the outer wall - high, thick, sometimes on an inclined plinth. Worked stones or bricks made up its outer surface. Inside, it consisted of rubble stone and slaked lime. The walls were placed on a deep foundation, under which it was very difficult to dig.
Often double walls were built in castles - a high outer and a small inner one. An empty space appeared between them, which received the German name “zwinger”. The attackers, overcoming the outer wall, could not take with them additional assault devices (bulky ladders, poles and other things that cannot be moved inside the fortress). Once in the zwinger in front of another wall, they became an easy target (there were small loopholes for archers in the walls of the zwinger).
Zwinger at Laneck Castle.
On top of the wall was a gallery for defense soldiers. From the outside of the castle, they were protected by a solid parapet, half the height of a man, on which stone battlements were regularly arranged. Behind them it was possible to stand at full height and, for example, load a crossbow. The shape of the teeth was extremely diverse - rectangular, rounded, in the form of a dovetail, decoratively decorated. In some castles, the galleries were covered (wooden canopy) to protect the warriors from bad weather.
In addition to the battlements, behind which it was convenient to hide, the walls of the castle were equipped with loopholes. The attackers were firing through them. Due to the peculiarities of the use of throwing weapons (freedom of movement and a certain shooting position), the loopholes for archers were long and narrow, and for crossbowmen - short, with expansion on the sides.
A special type of loophole - ball. It was a freely rotating wooden ball fixed in the wall with a slot for firing.
Pedestrian gallery on the wall.
Balconies (the so-called “mashikuli”) were arranged in the walls very rarely - for example, in the case when the wall was too narrow for the free passage of several soldiers, and, as a rule, performed only decorative functions.
At the corners of the castle, small towers were built on the walls, most often flanking (that is, protruding outward), which allowed the defenders to fire along the walls in two directions. In the late Middle Ages, they began to adapt to storage. The inner sides of such towers (facing the courtyard of the castle) were usually left open so that the enemy who broke into the wall could not gain a foothold inside them.
Flanking corner tower.
The castle from the inside
The internal structure of the castles was diverse. In addition to the mentioned zwingers, behind the main gate there could be a small rectangular courtyard with loopholes in the walls - a kind of “trap” for the attackers. Sometimes castles consisted of several "sections" separated by internal walls. But an indispensable attribute of the castle was a large courtyard (outbuildings, a well, premises for servants) and a central tower, also known as a donjon.
Donjon at the Château de Vincennes.
The life of all the inhabitants of the castle directly depended on the presence and location of the well. Problems often arose with him - after all, as mentioned above, castles were built on hills. Solid rocky soil also did not make it easier to supply the fortress with water. There are known cases of laying castle wells to a depth of more than 100 meters (for example, the Kuffhäuser castle in Thuringia or the Königstein fortress in Saxony had wells more than 140 meters deep). Digging a well took from one to five years. In some cases, this consumed as much money as all the interior buildings of the castle were worth.
Due to the fact that water had to be obtained with difficulty from deep wells, personal hygiene and sanitation issues faded into the background. Instead of washing themselves, people preferred to take care of animals - first of all, expensive horses. There is nothing surprising in the fact that the townspeople and villagers wrinkled their noses in the presence of the inhabitants of the castles.
The location of the water source depended primarily on natural causes. But if there was a choice, then the well was dug not in the square, but in a fortified room in order to provide it with water in case of shelter during the siege. If, due to the peculiarities of the occurrence of groundwater, a well was dug behind the castle wall, then a stone tower was built above it (if possible, with wooden passages to the castle).
When there was no way to dig a well, a cistern was built in the castle to collect rainwater from the roofs. Such water needed to be purified - it was filtered through gravel.
The combat garrison of castles in peacetime was minimal. So in 1425, two co-owners of the Reichelsberg castle in the Lower Franconian Aub entered into an agreement that each of them exposes one armed servant, and two gatekeepers and two guards are paid jointly.
The castle also had a number of buildings that ensured the autonomous life of its inhabitants in conditions of complete isolation (blockade): a bakery, a steam bath, a kitchen, etc.
Kitchen at Marksburg Castle.
The tower was the tallest structure in the entire castle. It provided the opportunity to observe the surroundings and served as a last refuge. When the enemies broke through all the lines of defense, the population of the castle took refuge in the donjon and withstood a long siege.
The exceptional thickness of the walls of this tower made its destruction almost impossible (in any case, it would take a huge amount of time). The entrance to the tower was very narrow. It was located in the courtyard at a significant (6-12 meters) height. The wooden staircase leading inside could easily be destroyed and thus block the way for the attackers.
Donjon entrance.
Inside the tower there was sometimes a very high shaft going from top to bottom. It served as either a prison or a warehouse. The entrance to it was possible only through a hole in the vault of the upper floor - “Angstloch” (in German - a frightening hole). Depending on the purpose of the mine, the winch lowered prisoners or provisions there.
If there were no prison facilities in the castle, then the prisoners were placed in large wooden boxes made of thick boards, too small to stand up to their full height. These boxes could be installed in any room of the castle.
Of course, they were taken prisoner, first of all, for a ransom or for using a prisoner in a political game. Therefore, VIP-persons were provided according to the highest class - guarded chambers in the tower were allocated for their maintenance. This is how Friedrich the Handsome spent his time in the Trausnitz castle on Pfaimd and Richard the Lionheart in Trifels.
Chamber in Marksburg Castle.
Abenberg castle tower (12th century) in section.
At the base of the tower there was a cellar, which could also be used as a dungeon, and a kitchen with a pantry. The main hall (dining room, common room) occupied an entire floor and was heated by a huge fireplace (it spread heat only a few meters, so that iron baskets with coals were placed further along the hall). Above were the chambers of the feudal lord's family, heated by small stoves.
At the very top of the tower there was an open (rarely covered, but if necessary, the roof could be dropped) platform where a catapult or other throwing weapon could be installed to fire at the enemy. The standard (banner) of the owner of the castle was also hoisted there.
Sometimes the donjon did not serve as living quarters. It could well be used only for military and economic purposes (observation posts on the tower, dungeon, provisions storage). In such cases, the feudal lord's family lived in the "palace" - the living quarters of the castle, standing apart from the tower. The palaces were built of stone and had several floors in height.
It should be noted that the living conditions in the castles were far from the most pleasant. Only the largest carpets had a large knight's hall for celebrations. It was very cold in the donjons and carpets. Fireplace heating helped out, but the walls were still covered with thick tapestries and carpets - not for decoration, but to keep warm.
The windows let in very little sunlight (the fortification character of the castle architecture affected), not all of them were glazed. Toilets were arranged in the form of a bay window in the wall. They were unheated, so visiting the outhouse in winter left people with simply unique sensations.
Castle toilet.
Concluding our “tour” around the castle, one cannot fail to mention that it always had a room for worship (temple, chapel). Among the indispensable inhabitants of the castle was a chaplain or priest, who, in addition to his main duties, played the role of a clerk and teacher. In the most modest fortresses, the role of the temple was performed by a wall niche, where a small altar stood.
Large temples had two floors. The common people prayed below, and the gentlemen gathered in the warm (sometimes glazed) choir on the second tier. The decoration of such premises was rather modest - an altar, benches and wall paintings. Sometimes the temple played the role of a tomb for the family living in the castle. Less commonly, it was used as a shelter (along with a donjon).
O underground passages many tales are told in castles. There were moves, of course. But only very few of them led from the castle somewhere into the neighboring forest and could be used as an escape route. As a rule, there were no long moves at all. Most often there were short tunnels between individual buildings, or from the donjon to the complex of caves under the castle (additional shelter, warehouse or treasury).
War on earth and underground
Contrary to popular misconceptions, the average strength of the military garrison of an ordinary castle during active hostilities rarely exceeded 30 people. This was quite enough for defense, since the inhabitants of the fortress were in relative safety behind its walls and did not suffer such losses as the attackers.
To take the castle, it was necessary to isolate it - that is, to block all the ways of supplying food. That is why the attacking armies were much larger than the defending ones - about 150 people (this is true for the war of mediocre feudal lords).
The issue of provisions was the most painful. A person can live without water for several days, without food - for about a month (in this case, one should take into account his low combat capability during a hunger strike). Therefore, the owners of the castle, preparing for the siege, often went to extreme measures - they drove out of it all commoners who could not benefit the defense. As mentioned above, the garrison of the castles was small - it was impossible to feed the whole army under the siege.
The inhabitants of the castle infrequently launched counterattacks. This simply did not make sense - there were fewer of them than the attackers, and behind the walls they felt much calmer. Food outings are a special case. The latter were carried out, as a rule, at night, in small groups that walked along poorly guarded paths to the nearest villages.
The attackers had no less problems. The siege of castles sometimes dragged on for years (for example, the German Turant defended itself from 1245 to 1248), so the question of supplying the rear of an army of several hundred people was particularly acute.
In the case of the siege of Turant, the chroniclers claim that during all this time the soldiers of the attacking army drank 300 fouders of wine (a fuder is a huge barrel). This is about 2.8 million liters. Either the scribe made a mistake, or the constant number of besiegers was over 1,000.
The most preferred season for taking the castle by starvation was summer - it rains less than in spring or autumn (in winter, the inhabitants of the castle could get water by melting the snow), the harvest has not yet ripened, and the old stocks have already run out.
The attackers tried to deprive the castle of a source of water (for example, they built dams on the river). In the most extreme cases, "biological weapons" were used - corpses were thrown into the water, which could provoke outbreaks of epidemics throughout the district. Those inhabitants of the castle who were taken prisoner were mutilated by the attackers and released. Those returned back, and became unwitting freeloaders. They might not have been accepted in the castle, but if they were the wives or children of the besieged, then the voice of the heart outweighed considerations of tactical expediency.
No less brutally treated the inhabitants of the surrounding villages, who tried to deliver supplies to the castle. In 1161, during the siege of Milan, Frederick Barbarossa ordered the hands of 25 citizens of Piacenza, who were trying to supply the enemy with provisions, to be cut off.
The besiegers set up a permanent camp near the castle. It also had some simple fortifications (palisades, earth ramparts) in case of a sudden sortie by the defenders of the fortress. For protracted sieges, a so-called “counter-castle” was erected next to the castle. Usually it was located higher than the besieged one, which made it possible to conduct effective observation of the besieged from its walls and, if the distance allowed, to fire at them from throwing guns.
View of the castle Eltz from the counter-castle Trutz-Eltz.
The war against castles had its own specifics. After all, any more or less high stone fortification was a serious obstacle for conventional armies. Direct infantry attacks on the fortress could well have been successful, which, however, came at the cost of heavy casualties.
That is why a whole range of military measures was necessary for the successful capture of the castle (it was already mentioned above about the siege and starvation). Undermining was one of the most time-consuming, but at the same time extremely successful ways to overcome the protection of the castle.
Undermining was done with two goals - to provide troops with direct access to the courtyard of the castle, or to destroy a section of its wall.
So, during the siege of Altwindstein Castle in Northern Alsace in 1332, a sapper brigade of 80 (!) People took advantage of the distracting maneuvers of their troops (periodic short attacks on the castle) and for 10 weeks made a long passage in solid rock to the southeastern part of the fortress .
If the castle wall was not too large and had an unreliable foundation, then a tunnel broke through under its foundation, the walls of which were reinforced with wooden struts. Next, the spacers were set on fire - just under the wall. The tunnel collapsed, the base of the foundation sagged, and the wall above this place crumbled into pieces.
Storming of the castle (miniature of the 14th century).
Later, with the advent of gunpowder weapons, bombs were planted in tunnels under the walls of castles. To neutralize the tunnel, the besieged sometimes dug counterdigs. Enemy sappers were poured with boiling water, launched into the tunnel of bees, poured feces there (and in ancient time Carthaginians launched live crocodiles into Roman mines).
Curious devices were used to detect tunnels. For example, large copper bowls with balls inside were placed throughout the castle. If the ball in any bowl began to tremble, this was a sure sign that a mine was being dug nearby.
But the main argument in the attack on the castle were siege machines - catapults and battering rams. The first ones were not much different from those catapults that were used by the Romans. These devices were equipped with a counterweight, giving the throwing arm the greatest force. With proper dexterity of the “gun crew”, catapults were quite accurate weapons. They threw large, smoothly hewn stones, and the combat range (on average, several hundred meters) was regulated by the weight of the shells.
A type of catapult is a trebuchet.
Sometimes barrels filled with combustible materials were loaded into catapults. To deliver a couple of pleasant minutes to the defenders of the castle, catapults threw the severed heads of captives to them (especially powerful machines could throw even whole corpses over the wall).
Assault the castle with a mobile tower.
In addition to the usual ram, pendulum ones were also used. They were mounted on high mobile frames with a canopy and were a log suspended on a chain. The besiegers hid inside the tower and swung the chain, forcing the log to hit the wall.
In response, the besieged lowered a rope from the wall, at the end of which steel hooks were fixed. With this rope, they caught a ram and tried to lift it up, depriving it of mobility. Sometimes a gaping soldier could get caught on such hooks.
Having overcome the shaft, breaking the palisades and filling up the moat, the attackers either stormed the castle with the help of ladders, or used high wooden towers, the upper platform of which was on the same level with the wall (or even higher than it). These gigantic structures were doused with water to prevent arson by the defenders and rolled up to the castle along the flooring of the boards. A heavy platform was thrown over the wall. The assault group climbed up the internal stairs, went out onto the platform and with a fight invaded the gallery of the fortress wall. Usually this meant that in a couple of minutes the castle would be taken.
Silent glanders
Sapa (from the French sape, literally - a hoe, saper - to dig) - a method of extracting a moat, trench or tunnel to approach its fortifications, used in the 16-19 centuries. Flip-flop (quiet, secretive) and flying glanders are known. The work of the crossover glanders was carried out from the bottom of the original ditch without the workers coming to the surface, and the flying glanders were carried out from the surface of the earth under the cover of a pre-prepared protective mound of barrels and bags of earth. In the second half of the 17th century, specialists - sappers - appeared in the armies of a number of countries to perform such work.
The expression to act "on the sly" means: sneak, slowly, imperceptibly go, penetrate somewhere.
Fights on the stairs of the castle
It was possible to get from one floor of the tower to another only through a narrow and steep spiral staircase. The ascent along it was carried out only one after another - it was so narrow. At the same time, the warrior who went first could only rely on his own ability to fight, because the steepness of the turn of the turn was chosen in such a way that it was impossible to use a spear or a long sword from behind the leader. Therefore, the fights on the stairs were reduced to single combat between the defenders of the castle and one of the attackers. It was the defenders, because they could easily replace each other, since a special extended area was located behind their backs.
In all castles, the stairs are twisted clockwise. There is only one castle with a reverse twist - the fortress of the Wallenstein counts. When studying the history of this family, it turned out that most of the men in it were left-handed. Thanks to this, historians realized that such a design of stairs greatly facilitates the work of the defenders. The strongest blow with the sword can be delivered towards your left shoulder, and the shield in your left hand covers the body best from this direction. All these advantages are available only to the defender. The attacker, on the other hand, can only strike to the right side, but his striking arm will be pressed against the wall. If he puts forward a shield, he will almost lose the ability to use weapons.
samurai castles
Himeji Castle.
We know the least about exotic castles - for example, Japanese ones.
Initially, the samurai and their overlords lived on their estates, where, apart from the watchtower “yagura” and a small moat around the dwelling, there were no other defensive structures. In case of a protracted war, fortifications were erected on hard-to-reach areas of the mountains, where it was possible to defend against superior enemy forces.
Stone castles began to be built at the end of the 16th century, taking into account European achievements in fortification. An indispensable attribute of a Japanese castle is wide and deep artificial ditches with steep slopes that surrounded it from all sides. Usually they were filled with water, but sometimes this function was performed by a natural water barrier - a river, a lake, a swamp.
Inside the castle was a complex system protective structures, which consisted of several rows of walls with courtyards and gates, underground corridors and labyrinths. All these structures were located around the central square of the honmaru, on which the feudal lord's palace and the high central tenshukaku tower were erected. The latter consisted of several rectangular tiers gradually decreasing upwards with protruding tiled roofs and gables.
Japanese castles, as a rule, were small - about 200 meters long and 500 wide. But among them there were also real giants. Thus, Odawara Castle occupied an area of 170 hectares, and the total length of its fortress walls reached 5 kilometers, which is twice the length of the walls of the Moscow Kremlin.
The charm of antiquity
Castles are being built to this day. Those of them that were in state ownership are often returned to the descendants of ancient families. Castles are a symbol of the influence of their owners. They are an example of an ideal compositional solution that combines unity (defense considerations did not allow picturesque distribution of buildings across the territory), multi-level buildings (main and secondary) and the ultimate functionality of all components. Elements of the castle's architecture have already become archetypes - for example, a castle tower with battlements: its image sits in the subconscious of any more or less educated person.
Saumur French castle (14th century miniature).
And finally, we love castles because they are simply romantic. Knightly tournaments, ceremonial receptions, vile conspiracies, secret passages, ghosts, treasures - in relation to castles, all this ceases to be a legend and turns into history. Here, the expression “walls remember” fits perfectly: it seems that every stone of the castle breathes and hides a secret. I would like to believe that medieval castles will continue to retain an aura of mystery - because without it they will sooner or later turn into an old pile of stones.
This fairy-tale castle is the historical possession of the Prussian kings and German emperors. It was built during the Middle Ages, in the 11th century, then was completely destroyed in 1423 and rebuilt in 1461. The castle is located on the top of the Hohenzollern mountain, about 50 kilometers south of Stuttgart, the capital of Baden-Württemberg.
Castle Howard, England
Although this building looks like a castle, Howard is actually just a luxurious house - the private residence of the Howard family, who have lived there for over 300 years. This house is located in North Yorkshire and is one of the largest residences in the UK. Its construction began at the end of the 17th century and lasted about 15 years. The castle is surrounded by fabulous gardens, as well as endless spacious meadows.
Alcazar in Segovia, Spain
Segovia Castle, located in central Spain, was originally (in the 12th century) used as a fortress. Externally, the Alcazar resembles the bow of a ship - a unique feature that distinguishes it from other castles. It served as the inspiration for many castles in Walt Disney films.
Himeji Castle, Japan
Himeji Castle, also known as White Heron Castle, is a magnificent white complex of 83 wooden buildings. One of the castle's most extraordinary defenses is the spiral labyrinth, with many dead ends, leading to the main watchtower. The gates and courtyard of the castle are built in such a way that people entering there get lost. The castle was built in the 14th century and is located in the city of Kansai, Japan.
Prague Castle, Czech Republic
Prague Castle is one of the largest and oldest castles in the world, and is also a symbol of the capital of the Czech Republic. The castle is 570 meters long and 130 meters wide. Every architectural style of the last millennium is represented in this building, from Gothic and Romanesque to Baroque. The construction of the very first buildings of the complex dates back to the beginning of the 9th century.
Peles Castle, Romania
located in picturesque place on the Carpathian mountains in Romania, Peles Castle is a truly fabulous building. Construction began in 1873. Workers from different countries. Queen Elizabeth of Romania said: “The Italians were masons, the Romanians built terraces, the gypsies worked as laborers. Albanians and Greeks laid stones, Germans and Hungarians were carpenters. The Turks burned bricks. Designed by Poles, stone carvers were Czechs. The French drew, and the British measured…” Presumably, workers speaking 14 languages took part in the construction.
Chambord Castle, France
It is known that Chambord was used only as a hunting lodge. The view of this castle is quite impressive. Interestingly, the location of this castle was chosen by King Francis I, as he wanted to be closer to his beloved lady, Claude Roen, whose palace was next door. The huge castle has 440 rooms, 365 fireplaces and 84 staircases. This is the largest castle in the Loire Valley in France.
Neuschwanstein Castle, Germany
The castle, whose reconstruction began in 1896, was designed by Christian Janck, commissioned by the Bavarian king Ludwig II, who was declared insane before the castle was completed. This explains a lot. The architecture, location and size of Neuschwanstein are impressive. Situated on a jagged hill in the southwest of Bavaria, today the castle is one of the most visited places by tourists.
Corfe Castle, England
Despite the fact that the ruins are all that remains of Corfe Castle, its fortifications still make a deep impression. The castle, located in the county of Dorset on the Isle of Purbeck, was built in the 9th century. However, there is a possibility that Korfe could have been built much earlier, and could also serve as a defensive structure in the fight against the Romans. The part of the building that can be seen today was reconstructed in the 11th century. Two centuries later, the fortress began to be used as a repository of royal jewels, as well as a prison.
Matsumoto Castle. Japan
The wonderful Matsumoto Castle is located in the city of Matsumoto near Tokyo. The castle was built in 1504 and is the National Treasure of Japan. The castle was inhabited until the middle of the 19th century. In 1868, during the reign of Emperor Meiji, the building was restored. However, due to the failure of the new government of Japan, it was decided to demolish the castle and sell the wood and iron from which it was built. In those days, this fate befell many castles. Matsumoto was saved by the locals by ransoming him.
Eltz Castle, Germany
Eltz is another of Germany's outstanding castles. This stunning medieval building in southwestern Germany is still owned by the same family, who have been living here for over 800 years. Currently, the castle is owned by Count Karl von Eltz, a representative of the 33rd generation of the family.
Eilean Donan Castle, Scotland
Built in the 13th century during the Viking Age, today Eilean Donan Castle is one of Scotland's most famous landmarks. The castle was probably named after Bishop Donan, who came to Scotland in the 6th century. The castle is located on an island surrounded by the stunning scenery of the Scottish Highlands. The fortress was rebuilt at least 4 times. For about 200 years, the castle lay in ruins (from the 18th to the 20th centuries). In 1932 it was restored and since then it has been open to visitors from all over the world.
The castle is a real greeting from the past and an opportunity to plunge into a fairy tale. What castles are the most famous?
The most famous castles
We offer you the top 10 most famous castles in the world:
Located in Southwestern Bavaria (Germany) near the town of Füssen. It is, in fact, a figment of the imagination of the monarch Ludwig II, who decided in 1869 to lower the rock plateau and create a unique piece of architecture. By the way, the name of the castle is translated as "New Swan Stone".
The construction lasted for 17 years, it took a fabulous amount (about 6 million gold marks), but under Ludwig it was never completed, although, of course, to this day it is the one that its monarch invented. The throne room is incredibly beautiful, which is more like a museum with many works of art. The Grotto also attracts attention - a room located on the third floor and designed in the form of a fabulous cave with a waterfall.
It is located in southern Italy in the city of Andria. The name translates literally as "castle on the mountain", and this building was built at the behest of the Emperor of the Roman Empire, Frederick II. And although this castle is considered one of the most famous, it does not have the characteristic features of castles.
There was no bridge, no rampart, no moat. In addition, there are no pantries, storages and stables. The purpose of this building is still unknown. Some historians considered the castle a hunting residence, while others argue that bold experiments were carried out here to transform metals.
Later, the castle was abandoned almost completely and was only occasionally used as a refuge for noble families, shepherds, or bandits. But in 1966 it was included in the UNESCO World Heritage List.
This unique castle is located near the small German town of Darmstadt, in Hesse. And this place is notable for the fact that a slightly eccentric alchemist and Dr. Joseph Conrad Dippel, who called himself von Frankenstein (yes, the same Frankenstein about which many films were made), once lived and worked here.
In the castle, he carried out his crazy experiments and made horrific experiments. So, during experiments with nitroglycerin, he destroyed one of the castle towers, and some accused the doctor of stealing corpses from the cemetery.
According to rumors, Joseph even tried to resurrect the dead (although this is probably not a rumor at all). One way or another, everyone was afraid of the doctor. By the way, the castle was originally built as a defensive structure. Today, only one tower remains intact, but the atmosphere is still ominous.
It was originally built as a sea fortress in 1524-1531. It was planned to defend the castle from attacks from the sea. The building was erected literally in haste, and that is why it looks very carelessly. But there was not a single attack, and later it was decided to use the castle not quite for its intended purpose.
Its location was ideal for keeping criminals, so in 1580 it was decided to organize a state prison here. Various politicians, Huguenots, leaders of the Paris Commune and the most dangerous criminals served their sentences in it.
But this castle became famous and popular thanks to Alexandre Dumas and his immortal work The Count of Monte Cristo. The hero of this novel, Edmond Dantes, known as the prisoner of the Iron Mask, was in the Chateau d'If.
Located in Italy on top of a limestone rock, from which it got its name. The village of the same name sprawled nearby. The first mention of this place dates back to 1078, but most likely the castle was built earlier.
This is a unique structure that was erected on an uneven surface, but at the same time it is incredibly durable and strong. A staircase leads to the lower level (there are two in total). Surely everyone has seen this place, since its main feature is a huge sculpture called "Heart of Jesus", which is a figure of Jesus with outstretched arms, 14 meters high. This is a copy of the originally erected statue, but quite successful.
It was built in the distant 21st century by order of William the Conqueror. Initially, this structure was a building made of wood and earth and was built for defense. Then it was decided to strengthen the castle with stone. This building has seen so many battles and battles, as no other fortress has ever seen.
And that is why its appearance is constantly changing. According to the legends, one of the towers of the castle contained prisoners captured during the Hundred Years War. And in one of the parts of the castle, namely in the house of Sir Fulk Greville, who died at the hands of his own servant, the ghost of the owner of the building roams, according to tourists. One way or another, but the history of this place is very gloomy.
Located in Portugal. It is located on a hilltop above the city of Sintra. This is just a stunningly beautiful building, which used to be the summer residence of the royal nobility. Initially, there was an abandoned monastery, but then a chic palace appeared, which later became not only the hallmark of Portugal, but also a real national cultural monument.
According to one of the legends, it was in this place that the appearance of the Virgin Mary took place, and that is why the temple was built here. But later the land was acquired by Prince Ferdinand. And even today, there is something to see in the castle, as its decoration excites the imagination and makes you go back in time.
is not only incredibly beautiful, but also unique in its own way. The construction consists of 83 buildings, and almost all of them, oddly enough, are built of wood. The construction of the castle began in the distant XIV century near the foot of Mount Hime. And he got the name for the smooth lines that look like the open wings of a heron.
Around the castle is a chic garden, which was previously a large labyrinth with many dead ends, designed to confuse enemies who decided to attack the inhabitants. The building passed from one samurai clan to another, and eventually became a local treasure. By the way, you may have seen the castle in one of the James Bond films, in which it was used as a secret ninja school.
Located in Romania, about 30 kilometers from the city of Brasov and 20 kilometers from Rasnov. If you believe the legends, then Vlad Dracula, known to this day, who was considered by many to be a vampire and a cruel killer, once lived in this castle. Like it or not - it is not clear, but the history of the castle is really interesting.
Initially, the building was used to protect the city. By the way, his rooms formed a labyrinth, and only "their" knew how to get out of here. There were many owners of the castle, they sometimes changed one after another.
But as for Vlad the Impaler Dracula, it is unclear whether he was here. Yes, a couple of times Dracula probably stayed at the castle. And others claim that he was imprisoned in local dungeons and subjected to severe torture. But still popular place It was thanks to Vlad.
No wonder it attracts millions of tourists. It is considered one of the most exquisite castles. This building is located in Ireland, and it was erected in 1228 on the site of an Anglo-Norman house. For a long time the owners of the castle were the Burgos family, but then a discord arose between the knight John de Burgh and Sir Richard Bingham.
The feud lasted for a long time, but then the parties came to an agreement, but Richard Bingham eventually became the owner. He fortified the castle and began to develop it. Then the owners began to replace each other, and in 1910 Noel Huggard turned the castle into a luxury hotel. By the way, it remains so to this day and is included in the list of the best hotels in Ireland.
Be sure to take a trip and see at least one famous castle with your own eyes. You definitely won't regret it!
