Corina Clemence asked:


Loire Valley castles are full of amazing stories. At Chateau Chenonceau you can hear ‘The future king was 12 and he took a mistress aged 32.’ The image of the castles of this area may be all towers, topiary, tapestries and faded furniture but for 200 years, these great palaces were host to world-class debauchery and countless murders.

In Chateau Blois, Henri III invited a rival to his ornate bed chamber then hid behind a curtain as twenty hired men jumped the wretch.

The chateau guide can show you the exact spot in Chateau Blois where 23 knife stabs were planted in the unfortunate Duke de Guise the head of the Catholic League, by 8 men armed with daggers and 12 with swords. You can even watch a black and white 12 minute silent movie re-enacting the murder at Chateau Blois.

Today tourists at Chateau Blois can see the 237 secret cabinets, which opened by stepping on a hidden lever, where Catherine de Medici kept her personal papers, jewels and a collection of poisons. Catherine and her son Henri III ordered the St. Bartholomew’s Day Massacre, which began in Paris and spread throughout France, resulting in the death of some seventy thousand Protestants.

In Chinon, aristocratic ladies bunged unplanned babies down an eighty ft shaft, also the castle toilet. And it was from his balcony at Chateau Amboise that Louis XII hung Protestant dissidents.

Chateau Chenonceau has one of the most colourful pasts. Here not only did Henri II take a mistress 20 years his senior when he was 12, but Henri III also used the formal gardens for ************ parties with his chums, ‘the Sweeties’.

Today because of cheap airfares to many exotic locations and perhaps because the curators of these celebrated castles typically ignore the colourful elements in their history these castles are chasing the tourist dollar. Now castles across the Loire Valley area are hosting additional attractions: an international annual garden festival at Chaumont, horse show at Chambord, a Tintin exhibition at Cheverny, actors in period costume and son et lumiere shows at many.

Most key castles are in the one hundred-mile stretch from Saumur to Orleans. The region around Blois is a perfect base for visiting Chambord, Cheverney, Blois, Clos Luce, Amboise, Azay-le-Rideau, Villandry, Chaumont, and our favourite Chateau Chenonceau which attracts over one million visitors each year, the most out of all of the Loire Valley castles.

It is easy to overdose on castles, so do not try and make any records by doing them all in one or two days. Two in a day is enough allowing you plenty of time for relaxing and enjoying wine-tasting at a handful of vineyards sprinkled along the banks of the Loire River.



JACQUES

pat123phillips asked:


Friends and fellow onliners I need your help in finding an answer to this question. I’m not cheating on a test I’m writing a story and research just isn’t my thing. So if some of you smart, kind people would help me by answering this question I would be forever grateful.

JASON

CreativitySpot asked:


Peles Castle from Sinaia (Romania), is nested at the foot of the Bucegi Mountains, in the Prahova Valley and is one of the most beautiful castles in all Europe and in the world.

Short history of Peles Castle

The magnificent Peles Castles, with its fairytale turrets and pointed towers rising above acres of green meadows sprinkled with haystacks, was built as a summer residence by Romania’s longest serving monarch, King Carol I, who died and was buried here in 1914, just months after the castle’s completion.

The building of the Peles Castle began in 1873 under the direct order of the Viennese architect Wilhem Doderer and was continued in 1876 by his assistant, Johann Schultz de Lemberg. During 1877-1879 because of the war they abandoned work. The castle was inaugurated on October 7, 1883. The location for the Peles Castle was chosen by the prince Carol I de Hohenzollern, who was to become a king and it draws its name from the neighboring brooks which passes through the courtyard.

Peles Castle was the first castle in Europe to have central heating and electricity. During Ceausescu’s era, its 160 rooms, each furnished to reflect a different European country, were used as a private retreat for leading communists and statesmen from around the globe as US president Richard Nixon and Gerald Ford, Libyan leader Moamar Gaddafi and PLO leader Yasser Arafat.

Peles Castle´s architecture and design

Inaugurated in 1883, Peles Castle is not only a pleasant place during the summer day; it has been conceived to be also a national monument, meant to keep the trophies of the Plevna victory, which explains the castle´s majestic style.

Peles Castle was built in wood, stone, bricks and marble and comprises more than 160 rooms. The representative style used is German Renaissance, but one can easily discover elements belonging to the Italian Renaissance, Gothic, German Baroque and French Rococo style.

Peles Castle is surrounded by seven terraces decorated with statues (sculptured by the Italian, Romanelli), stone-made-wells, ornamental vases and Carara marble. The architects used an abundance of wooden decoration, both for the exterior and for the interior of the castle, which confers a very special quality to the building.

Peles Castle´s courtyard in Bramantes style with a fountain in the middle, in the most accurate Renaissance style, pleasantly surprises the visitor. The courtyard has a merry decoration, made out of plants and flowers; all round, the building’s facades are animated by elegant drawings. The interior of the castle is a true wonder, due to the beauty and richness of the sculpted wood and the stained glass windows. As you get in the vestibule, you are on the Honor Staircase, in front of the most important rulers of old Romania: Holy Stephen the Great, and Michael the Brave.

Peles Castle’s interiors are an opulent display of elegant design and historical artifact. Its 160 rooms are adorned with the finest examples of European art, Murano crystal chandeliers, German stained-glass windows, walls covered with Cordoba leather, Meissen and Sevres porcelains, ebony and ivory sculptures.

Peles Castle most outstanding rooms are the Big Armory Room, the small Armory Room, the Florentine Room, the Reception Room (where paintings and wooden sculptures depicting 16 castles of the Hohenzollerns are exhibited), the Moresque Room, The French Room, the Turkish Room, the Council Room, the Concert Room as well as the Imperial Suite.

Other exquisite attractions at Peles Castle are the statues, the ceramics, the gold and silver plates, the Meissen and Sevres porcelain, as well as the extensive weapon collections are worth mentioning. It is also important to know that Peles Castle shelters one of the most important and most valuable painting collections in Europe, almost 2.000 pieces.

Rembrandt reproductions line the walls of the king’s office at Peles Castle while rows of books in the library conceals a secret passage leading to the 2nd floor of the castle. There is a gallery of mirrors and the dining room has a leather clad ceiling. Scenes from age old Romanian fairytales adorn the stained glass windows in the poetry room.

In the Florence hall, Michelangelo’s reproductions hang below a ceiling carved from glide linden wood. The Venetian room is equally impressive.

Several other buildings, annexed to Peles Castle, were built simultaneously: The Guard’s Chambers, The Economat Building, The Foisor Hunting House with 42 rooms designed in Swiss style, The Royal Stables, and the Electrical Power Plant. The Sipot Villa was constructed later. This would serve as the work site of architect Karel Liman. Liman would later supervise the building of Pelisor (1889-1903, the future residence of King Ferdinand and Queen Mary of Romania). as well as of the King’s Ferdinand Vila in the Royal Sheepfold Meadow

Almost adjacent to Peles Castle is Pelisor (”Little Peles”). King Ferdinand, who succeeded Carol I, intended to use Peles Castle as a summer residence. Supposedly he found Peles too big and overwhelming, so he commissioned the smaller, art-nouveau style, Pelisor Castle. Pelisor’s 70 rooms feature a unique collection of turn-of-the century Viennese furniture and Tiffany and Lalique glassware.

Peles Castle opening hours:

June through September

Open: Tuesday through Sunday, from 10:00 AM to 4:00 PM.

Closed: Monday

October through May

Open: Wednesday through Sunday, from 10:00 AM to 4:00 PM.

Closed: Monday and Tuesday

Please note that Peles Castle is closed during the whole month of November.

Access to Sinaia: road and rail.

Nearby attractions: the city of Brasov, Bran Castle or Dragula´s Castle, Rasnov Fortress, the ski resorts in Predeal and Poiana Brasov, Bucharest, Sighisoara, Sibiu.



BROOKS

Elmolemz asked:


I am writing a book and I need to know all this stuff so if you could please help me that would be SO great. Thank you

KENNITH

Ethan C asked:


tell me sites to self construct a castle . iam in 9th.

THEODORE

i Am An ATomiC BoMb asked:


what was inside of them that made it work together?? Examples… Kitchen, blacksmith, Ect.

JEAN

Shaun Parker asked:


Always put your money into bricks and mortar mgrandparents used to say to me. With the population exploding with immigrants and new properties springing up in the smallest of building plots with ever increasing prices, it’s not so easy to get a foothold on the property market.

To find an investment property is equally as difficult as just finding the standard two up, two down to live in. With a shortage of available properties, many people are looking into alternative properties to invest in.

House boats, lighthouses and ex local authority buildings are quite common purchases when looking for somewhere different to live. But how about considering a castle? Forget Count Dracula. Castles are not the cold, austere places that fiction portrays them to be. They have been home to families since the beginning of their existence and most have been updated along the way to provide modern facilities.

Castles of various different sizes, prices and states of repair are available in the UK, Scotland and are in abundance in Europe. Not just a place to live but also a way of earning a living, many have been converted to hotels with conference facilities.

Privately owned castles often hold functions and weddings and these can be made a speciality for a very comfortable income.

But to start with let’s take a look at the purchase of a castle as an investment property.

There are many companies around who, for a reasonable fee, will assist you in finding your dream property, particularly in Europe where castles are in abundance.

Since the fall of the Berlin wall, many areas and opportunities have opened up for people wishing to own beautiful old properties set in some of the most outstanding landscapes in the world and stuffed with history.

Companies in Germany will assist with your purchase of a castle and its renovations from your first inkling of interest through to completion of any repairs and even management of turning it into the business that will pay for the building itself.

Once you express an interest in buying a castle, they will establish what size of property you are looking for, your budget and what type of business you would like it to evolve into. They will then compose a list of possible properties. Parts of the package they provide are available separately but if you are a novice at this then it is wise to use an expert.

They will take you on a viewing trip around the castles, are able to consult on purchase, condition and renovation including all costings. They will research the costs in conjunction with the purchase such as notary and attorney costs, official permits and licensing costs.

The right help is also available to assist with grant applications in the case of renovations that need to come in line with standards set by Denkmalshutz (Departments of Historic Preservation). You can request that they develop and draw up architectural plans and that they oversee all works on your castle. Particularly helpful if you cannot be in the country all the time.

A castle is, no doubt, a major purchase but as it can be your truly impressive home as well as your business it is certainly worth considering as an investment property.

For the smaller budget with the same big ideas, a converted church is also a sound investment property. Unusual properties hold their value better than the average property. Many churches in and around the UK have already been converted but there are usually around a thousand or more churches on the UK property market at any one given time, in various states of repair and conversion.

It is important to look into any covenants that may come with the purchase of a dis-used church. It doesn’t happen very often but in the past some Methodist churches were sold on the strict provision that no alcohol would ever be consumed on the premises!

On a much smaller scale than a castle, the purchase of a church will still provide you with the history of an old building. With details such as large stained glass windows, gothic arches, high vaulted ceilings, elaborate stonework and bell towers you still get the authentic feel as well as the accompanying grandeur but without the price tag of a castle.

If you’re looking for a worthwhile investment property, you could do worse than opt for a castle or church.



BARTON

Geoff Cummings asked:


Fortifications in Ireland were often built for protection against attacks from other Irish clans. Sometimes the chieftain of the area built a castle to keep him safe from attack from his own local people who might rise up in revolt. Castles were generally austere places to live, unlike some of the ones in England which were built as royal residences. Irish castles were often dark inside, with few windows. While it is true most were owned by the heads of clans, kings or titled English gentry, they were no more than fortified dwellings, for protection against raids and invaders.

Round towers were commonly found built with monasteries protecting treasures, ancient writings. Vikings had been well known for invading Ireland and attack monasteries, attempting to destroy anything in their way.

Over the past 2,000 years a number of castles were built in Ireland. Sadly, many are now in ruins, though still open for the public to see. Some, though, have been restored, and a lot of time, effort, and money has been put into preserving Ireland`s heritage.

Kilkenny Castle (Irish: Caisleán Chill Chainnigh) is a castle in Kilkenny, Ireland, which I took a tour around a few years ago.

The east wall and the northeast tower of the Castle were damaged in 1650 during the siege of Kilkenny by Oliver Cromwell during the Cromwellian conquest of Ireland. They were later torn down.

Many of you will have heard of Kilkenny Cats, which portrays the idea of people with opposing views fighting to the last. No one now knows the real origin of the saying `fighting like Kilkenny cats` but here`s a poem written about them.

There once were two cats of Kilkenny

Each thought there was one cat too many

So they fought and they hit

And they scratched and they bit

‘Til (excepting their nails

And the tips of their tails)

Instead of two cats there weren’t any!

On a recent visit to Trim in Neath, Ireland, we visited Trim Castle, where the film Braveheart, starring Mel Gibson was made in 1994. Many of the `extras` for the film were local Irish residents.

The castle is the largest Anglo-Norman castle in Ireland, constructed by Hugh de Lacy and his son Walter over a 30 year period. Known as a `defensive` castle it was built not so much to protect the local inhabitants - more to keep them under control.

The Keep is a massive 3 stories high, and was begun around 1176 on the site of an earlier wooden fortress. The grounds are accessible to all, but the Keep is only by guided tour for safety reasons.

Ireland truly has much to offer the visitor who is interested in its past.





EDDY

Kelly<3 asked:


History homework. Help, PLEASE!

MARTIN

Avner Eliyahu R asked:


Tower, please? I am working on a movie, and I am looking for pictures of these places, which are possible to download on a computer.

CLIFTON