Designers have recreated the destroyed castles of Europe

London Creative Agency Designers NeoMam Studios 13 of the most beautiful castles in Europe were restored according to old drawings. Let's go on a journey through time and see what these majestic structures were like.

1. Samobor Castle, Croatia

A source: Budgetdirect

The ruins of this castle are located on the top of the Tepech hill near the city of the same name Samobor. It was built between 1260 and 1264 by order of the Czech king Otakar II, who fought against the Hungarian king Istvan V.

However, the Hungarians, in alliance with the Croats, quickly recaptured the castle from the Czechs. It was abandoned only at the end of the 18th century, and it gradually fell into decay.

2. Chateau Gaillard, France

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The castle is known as one of the first examples of concentric fortification - that is, it is surrounded by as many as three rings of walls. All of this is designed so that if the enemy breaks through one line of defense, the defenders of the fortress can retreat to another and continue to shower the enemy with arrows.

Chateau Gaillard was built by the famed Richard the Lionheart between 1196 and 1198 to defend against Philip II Augustus. Its towers saw many battles before being destroyed by Henry IV in the 16th century.

3. Dunnottar Castle, Scotland

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The main thing in the castle is not the walls and towers, but its location. Dunnottar is a promontory surrounded on three sides by rocks and the sea. You could get inside either through the main entrance hidden in a crevasse, or along a narrow, steep path leading to a secret door in the caves. The fortress was taken from the British in 1297 by the famous William Wallace, who may be familiar to you from the movie "Braveheart".

Later, the castle was besieged by Oliver Cromwell, who wanted to get to the documents and the jewels of King Charles II. And a couple of enterprising residents of the castle hid the royal regalia under their clothes and, pretending to be pregnant, walked past the generous besiegers. So when the castle was finally captured, its storerooms were empty.

4. Dunstanborough Castle, England

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This magnificent fortress was built by the most powerful baron of King Edward II, Earl Thomas of Lancaster, to show his majesty that he is not a bastard, he may well be headstrong and even raise rebellions against crowns.

However, the count could not enjoy the luxury of the castle to his heart's content, because the king ordered him to be beheaded. And during the War of the Scarlet and White Rose, the castle was turned into ruins.

5. Goodrich Castle, England

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Goodrich was founded in 1102 by the semi-legendary Godric Mappeston, from whom it got its name. It stood unscathed until 1646, when, during the civil war, Cromwell's army shot down its walls with a huge cannon called the Roaring Mag.

Like any self-respecting castle, Goodrich has his own ghosts. Colonel Birch's niece, Alice Birch, fell in love with the handsome royalist, Charles Clifford, fled with him and drowned in the river. Since then, the two of them roam the castle ruins at night.

6. Dunluce Castle, Northern Ireland

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The castle was built around 1500, and in 1639 it was abandoned. A tragic story is also connected with him: somehow the second Count Antrim was sitting at the table and waiting for his meal to be brought, and suddenly the castle's kitchen and annexes to it collapsed into the sea from the cliff. The same in Game of Thrones will not see. Two years later, the fortress and town nearby were destroyed by the Scots.

7. Bothwell Castle, Scotland

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The fortress, built in the XIII century, constantly passed to the British, then to the Scots, who fought for independence. The most famous part of the castle is its keep, a cylindrical tower that served as a citadel, a kind of last stronghold in case of an enemy breakthrough. It was destroyed in a series of sieges.

It is said that the ghost of Bonnie Jean, a noble woman who tried to escape from the castle with her lover, but drowned while crossing the Clyde River, haunts the castle on Halloween Eve. This is the second such case - apparently, real ladies do not swim very well.

8. Menlo Castle, Ireland

A source: Budgetdirect

Menlo, surrounded by greenery, has belonged to the Blake noble family since 1569. It was destroyed by fire in 1910. Coachman James Kirwan avoided the fire by walking down ivy from his window. He wanted to save the young daughter of the owner of the castle, Eleanor Blake, but she died in the fire along with her maid. Since then, the castle has been abandoned and practically hid under green ivy.

The castle never participated in sieges: it was built as a dwelling, not a fortress. Before the fire, a large collection of paintings, tapestries, silverware and other valuables was kept there, but the flames did not spare anything.

9. Olsztyn Castle, Poland

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Olsztyn is located on a high hill among limestone cliffs, with a beautiful view of the Zina River. The castle was built around 1306. It was fortified by Casimir the Great between 1349-1359 to defend against the Czechs. In the 16th century, Olsztyn was rebuilt in the Renaissance style and received a reinforced garrison.

And although the attacks of the Habsburgs and then the Swedes caused significant damage to the castle, its tall Gothic tower still towers over the area and attracts tourists.

10. Poenari Castle, Romania

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Once this castle, built at the beginning of the XIII century, belonged to the ruler of Wallachia, to Vlad III the Tepes himself - he is the Impaler, he is Dracula. However, in reality, it seems, he did not drink blood, but successfully fought with the Turks and put things in order in the country. And then all the rulers dabbled in stakes, nothing special.

To enter Dracula's castle, you will have to overcome 1,480 steps and climb the rock, which serves as the foundation of the fortress. There are no vampires nearby, but local bears pose some danger to tourists.

11. Curlaverock Castle, Scotland

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This is the only triangular castle in Great Britain: three towers, three walls. It was built in the 1280s. Then, in the XIV century, the commander of the castle, Sir Robert Bruce, decided to demolish Kerlaverrok, so that, what good, it did not fall to the enemies. The castle was rebuilt some time later... and again demolished by the Earl of Sussex after a siege in 1570.

After the third and last reconstruction, the castle survived another siege and was dismantled again. For the fourth time, they decided not to restore it: apparently, the Scots realized that the place was not good. In a dilapidated state, Kerlaverok has survived to this day.

12. Spissky Castle, Slovakia

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One of the largest castle complexes in the world, founded somewhere in the XI-XII centuries. For centuries it passed from hand to hand between states and aristocrats, until in 1638 it was occupied by the Hungarian noble family Chak. But the owners left the City, lightning struck the castle, it burned down, only ruins remained.

13. Kidwellley Castle, Wales

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Kidwellly was first built of wood by the Normans when they came to southwest Wales around 1106. Then, in the 1300s, it was rebuilt stone by the order of Edward I.

The castle survived a five-month siege and attack by Owain Glyndwr, ruler of the Welsh kingdom of Gwynedd. It is now one of the most popular tourist destinations in Wales. By the way, Kidwellly appeared in the movie "Monty Python and the Holy Grail".