The Castle That Confused the Mountains Perched high above the meeting point of two tumbling rivers in eastern Slovakia, the ruins of Spiš Castle (Slovak: Spišský hrad) command the surrounding landscape like a contemplative elder who has seen too much. Constructed in the 12th century atop an earlier Slavic hillfort, the castle evolved over four…
Category: Castle stories
Behind every battlement lies a bruise. Castle Stories is a surreal chronicle of real historical castles — from forgotten forts to flamboyant follies — that have endured centuries of siege, betrayal, and now, busloads of selfie-stick tourists. Each story begins with serious, richly researched history, then crumbles delightfully into absurdity, revealing the tragicomic fate of these once-proud structures in the age of digital tourism.
These are tales of mayonnaise-cleanings, baguette-duels in great halls, and the last defense of the architectural spirit: a mysterious T-shirt.
Read them for the history. Stay for the madness.
Fortress at the Edge of the Owl Woods
Castle at the Edge of the Owl Forest Atop a stony precipice in southwestern Poland, where the Sudetes sink into themselves like half-remembered dreams and the spruce trees collect mist as monks collect silence, sits Grodno Castle — also known historically as Zamek Grodno. First recorded in 1315 as Kynsburg, this stronghold broods over the…
The Castle That Almost Devoured the Moon
The Castle That Tried to Swallow the Moon Perched high above the confluence of the Vltava and Otava rivers in the quiet hills of South Bohemia stands Zvíkov Castle, known as the “King of Czech Castles.” Dating back to the early 13th century, Zvíkov is an oft-overlooked architectural gem—less fantastical than Neuschwanstein, but rich with…
Fortress of the Restless Sun: The Sorrows of Himeji
Castle of the Uneasy Sun: The Lamentations of Himeji It rises in strained alabaster silence, this keep of many winged eaves, Himeji Castle — 白鷺城, the White Heron Castle — perched like a bird whose soul has forgotten to migrate. Nestled in Hyōgo Prefecture, southwestern Honshu, it is Japan’s most pristine feudal fortress, a plumage…
The Fortress Whose Stones Held Breath
The Castle Whose Walls Held Breath Perched along the edge of the Koeru uplands in central Estonia lies the oft-overlooked yet profoundly storied Viljandi Castle. Constructed in the early 13th century by the Order of Brothers of the Sword, Viljandi was no idyllic fairytale fortress, but an engine of conquest designed to cement the Germanic…