5. Penna Palace Portugal
What a modern and colorful view this castle has! It is located in São Pedro de Penaferrim, Portugal and it was first opened in 1854. Nowadays it belongs to UNESCO World Heritage and it is an amazing example of romantic, joyful and fairy tale like style. Different from other castles, this one wasn’t built because of the wars, but because of the monarchs who settled there.
At first, this beautiful castle was the official residence for the Portuguese kings, but after a while, it became a place where foreign visitors were welcomed by the President of Portugal.
Before being a castle, the building was actually just a small chapel dedicated to Our Lady of Pena, which is actually a Catholic name of the Blessed Virgin Mary. The chapel was built on top of the hill above Sinatra, in the Middle Ages. There are legends that said that the construction took place after Virgin Mary made an apparition.
King Manuel I liked the chapel so much, that he ordered the construction of a monastery on it and donated it to the Order of Saint Jerome. For hundreds of years, Pena was just a calm and soothing place for meditation and also the house of maximum of 18 monks.
After the monastery was damaged by lightning and almost destroyed by the Great Lisbon Earthquake of 1755, it became a ruin for many decades, until prince Ferdinand decided to change its course. In 1838, when he was King consort, he acquired the ruins of the old monastery and all the surrounding fields. He transformed the remains into a castle that would be the summer residence for the Portuguese royal family.
Nowadays, the Penna Palace is considered to be one of the “Seven wonders of Portugal”.
4. Edinburgh Castle – Scotland
Edinburgh Castle is situated on Castle Rock in Edinburgh, Scotland. Initially being a stronghold which was the residence of Scottish monarchs, nowadays, the Edinburgh Castle is mostly a museum. The building stands 443 feet above sea level and it seems like it looks at the city from a volcanic crag named Castle Rock.
It is believed that the castle was a royal residence from the 12th century, at least since the reign of David I, until 1633. By the 17th century, the castle became one of the spots used as a military barrack. The Edinburgh Castle is considered to be the symbol that represents the Scottish struggle for independence and it is also part of the Old and New Towns of Edinburgh’s World Heritage Site.
3. Corvin Castle – Romania
In the heart of Romania, in a region called Transylvania, a big castle that looks like the one from fairy tales sits proud. Its name is Corvin Castle and it’s the place where the legends with vampires are born.
The castle was build in a Gothic style in the mid-15th century and it was John Hunyadi’s, a military leader, work. He constructed the tall, impressive structure over the ruins of a keep that was built by Charles I.
There are legends that say that Vlad the Impaler has spent seven years in the dungeons of this castle and the time spent there resulted in his madness.
Don’t forget to bring some garlic with you and watch out for vampires if you decide to visit the Corvin Castle!
