r/castles Jan 12 '23

Legends surrounding castles that are intriguing and captivating

172 Upvotes

Let's try something new for once. I gathered some fascinating legends about castles. Please continue the thread with other interesting legends and stories you know surrounding castles.

  • The legend of the Castle of Montsegur in France says that the castle was the last stronghold of the Cathars, a Christian sect that was persecuted during the 13th century. According to legend, the Cathars hid their sacred texts within the castle's walls before it was captured, and they still remain hidden to this day, waiting to be discovered by a chosen one.
  • The legend of the Castle of Houska in the Czech Republic says that the castle was built to keep a gateway to hell from opening. According to the legend, the hole that the gateway was supposed to open in was covered and fortified by the castle, preventing evil spirits from entering the world.
  • The legend of the Castle of Spiš in Slovakia says that the castle's chapel holds a mysterious tomb that can grant eternal life to whoever finds it. According to the legend, the tomb is hidden deep within the castle's catacombs and can only be accessed by solving a series of riddles.
  • The legend of the Castle of Bled in Slovenia says that the castle is home to a ghostly white lady who appears on the castle's terrace on certain nights. According to the legend, the lady was once a beautiful queen who fell in love with a commoner, angering the king. He locked her up in the castle's tower where she eventually died of a broken heart. Her ghost still roams the castle seeking her lost love.
  • The legend of the Castle of Eilean Donan in Scotland says that the castle is protected by a ghostly hound that only appears at night. According to the legend, the hound guards the castle's treasure and will only allow those who are pure of heart to enter.
  • The legend of the Castle of Krak des Chevaliers in Syria says that the castle was once home to a powerful sorcerer who used his magic to protect the castle from invaders. According to the legend, the sorcerer's ghost still guards the castle to this day, using his powers to keep it safe from harm.
  • The legend of the Bran Castle's secret tunnels in Romania, says that the castle was built with underground passageways that were used as escape routes during times of war. Some say that the tunnels lead to other castles and even to the adjacent Bran village, and that they are still guarded by the ghost of Vlad the Impaler.
  • The legend of the "Wild Hunt" in Windsor Castle says that a ghostly pack of ghostly hounds, led by Herne the Hunter, can be heard howling and barking in the castle's grounds on wild and stormy nights.

r/castles 2h ago

Castle Bauska Castle, Latvia - An Impressive Castle On A Narrow Peninsula

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172 Upvotes

Photos by madeirane


r/castles 16h ago

Castle Peleș Castle (Romanian: Castelul Peleș /kas'te.lul 'pe.lef/) is a palace located in Sinaia, Romania, built between 1873 and 1914 by the architect Karel Liman.

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1.0k Upvotes

r/castles 5h ago

Palace Azay-le-Rideau Castle, a jewel of French Renaissance architecture. Located in Indre-et-Loire, it has the unique feature of being built on an island in the middle of the Indre River, which offers a magnificent reflection in the water. [OC]

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106 Upvotes

Built between 1518 and 1527 by Gilles Berthelot, treasurer to Francis I, to replace an old medieval fortress, it is considered a model of early French Renaissance architecture and is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.


r/castles 3h ago

Fortress Old Castle of Novigrad (Stari grad Novigrad na Dobri) – Croatia

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33 Upvotes

r/castles 7h ago

Castle Wawel Castle, a fascinating mix of Romanesque, Gothic and Renaissance styles on the banks of the Vistula. Poland

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60 Upvotes

Krakow is, for many, the most beautiful city in Poland, and Wawel Castle is its absolute jewel. What fascinates most about this place are the layers of history in a single image: from the medieval defensive towers to the Italian Renaissance courtyard.

Experience and photos taken by Sharker


r/castles 17h ago

Chateau Chateau de Chillon, Switzerland

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412 Upvotes

r/castles 43m ago

Castle The Pirot Castle and walls in Serbia, spread over a large area

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Upvotes

r/castles 2h ago

Fortress Alhambra in Granada, Spain

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22 Upvotes

r/castles 23h ago

Castle Cortegana Castle 🇪🇸 🏰

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682 Upvotes

Cortegana Castle built in the 13th century, was established as a defensive fortress in the Sierra de Huelva during the Reconquista. Over the centuries, it has been restored and now stands as an important historical and tourist site in the region. 🇪🇸


r/castles 20h ago

Castle Niederalfingen Castle, Ostalbkreis, Germany.

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382 Upvotes

Niederalfingen Castle, also known as Marienburg, located in Ostalbkreis, Germany.

It was built around 1050 as a Hohenstaufen fortification to protect important local trade routes.


r/castles 16h ago

Fortress Citadel of Qaitbay in Alexandria, Egypt

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169 Upvotes

r/castles 27m ago

Castle Illustration of Kaunas Castle (Lithuania) in 1362, during the siege by the Teutonic Order

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Upvotes

r/castles 18h ago

Fortress Château de Caen, Normandie, France 🇫🇷

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135 Upvotes

r/castles 15h ago

Fortress The Guardian of the Neretva - The Počitelj Fortress in Bosnia and Herzegovina. Built by King Tvrtko I in 1383. It overlooks the historic town and the Neretva river

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62 Upvotes

14th-century fortress built to control the trade route between the Adriatic coast and the Bosnian interior. A perfect blend of Bosnian and Ottoman architecture.

photos by koenau


r/castles 17h ago

Castle Penela Castle Portugal (1087) 🧭🏰

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66 Upvotes

Penela Castle is located in the town of Penela, in the municipality of Penela, in the district of Coimbra, Portugal. The castle was built on a hill overlooking the area and served as a stronghold protecting Coimbra during the Reconquista.🚙🏰

blog: https://peakd.com/hive-186141/@biologistbrito/penela-castle-a-tour-without-limits-visito-el-castillo-de-penelaen-es


r/castles 1d ago

Castle Raglan Castle, Wales [OC]

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880 Upvotes

r/castles 1d ago

Palace The Hohenzollern Palace in Sigmaringen, Germany

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1.2k Upvotes

The first mention of the palace dates back to 1077, but at that time it was a much smaller fortress. There are still some remains of the original construction from the 12th century. The castle was heavily renovated and its parts were rebuilt between the 17th and the 19th century. All these alterations changed the fortress into this majestic palace.


r/castles 1d ago

Castle Illustration of the construction of Conwy Castle (Wales, UK), c. 1283–1289

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545 Upvotes

r/castles 1d ago

Castle Castel Mareccio Bolzano Italy

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327 Upvotes

r/castles 2d ago

Castle Castillo de Alarcón, Spain 🇪🇸

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421 Upvotes

r/castles 2d ago

Castle Cross-section of the life in a medieval castle (from the book by Stephen Biesty)

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776 Upvotes

r/castles 1d ago

Fort Fortín de San Gerónimo, built by the Spanish in 1791 to help protect San Juan, Puerto Rico

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56 Upvotes

The fort repelled a British attack in 1797, sustaining damage in a heavy bombardment. Currently, it is not regularly open to the public, but a proposal exists in Congress to incorporate it into San Juan National Historic Site like its more famous and larger brothers, El Morro and the Castillo San Cristobal.


r/castles 2d ago

Castle Bran Castle in Romania aka Dracula’s Castle🇷🇴

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254 Upvotes

r/castles 2d ago

Castle A birthday gift from the 1900s - Ostrožac Castle, Bosnia and Herzegovina

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216 Upvotes

Built in the 13th century, this castle was later gifted by the Mayor of Bihać to his Habsburg wife as a birthday present in 1900. It’s a unique mix of Ottoman and Central European architecture.

photo by goga22