Roberto asked:


Do they have electricity, modern plumbing, water fountains and restrooms today for the convenience of visitors?

DALE

3 Responses to “About the cathedrals and castles of Europe that were originally built during the Middle Ages?”

1. ownpool on November 4th, 2009 4:33 pm

   Most of those which are open to tourists have acceptable restrooms with indoor plumbing, often located in a nearby building. Most of those which a tourist will visit will have electricity, but they probably will not have elevators. There are very few water fountains anywhere in Europe. Water fountains are peculiar to the US and perhaps a few other countries.

2. Cabal on November 7th, 2009 7:11 pm

   The restored castles and the churches and cathedrals all have electricity, you will not find restrooms or water fountains in cathedrals. Those are still churches, a place to pray, not Disneyland. They have plumbing (they have much thinner walls than castles and are easier of access, smack in the middle of cities) but for the staff and the priests.
   Castles opened to the public will have modern toilets and probably shops and cafes outside. The work needed to install modern plumbing in thousand years old buildings with 3 feet thick walls would be mind staggering.
   As said above, water fountains are a rarity in Europe.

3. Louise C on November 8th, 2009 1:01 pm

   Those which are open to the public mostly have those conveniences, but not always inside the main building. For instance, Dover Castle has several different lots of toilets, but not inside the main keep. And Canterbury Cathedral has toilets, but they are in outside buildings, not inside the Cathedral itself.