Castles have always drawn attention with their grandeur and mystery. Yet some of them are surrounded by legends that make your heart beat faster — whispers of ghosts, strange noises, and inexplicable phenomena. Denmark’s Dragsholm, Britain’s Bodelwyddan, and, of course, Romania’s Bran — they have become iconic symbols of horror and mysticism, attracting tourists and…
In the early 1900s, coffee and precious jewel merchant Carvalho Monteiro enlisted the help of Italian architect Luigi Manini to construct a mystical estate in Sintra, Portugal which featured ornate imagery that reflected Monteiro’s reverence for all things metaphysical. Quinta da Regaleira is a sprawling, dreamy, moss-covered maze of stone grottos, peridot-colored ponds, and lavish…
The interior of Sloup Castle is fairly rustic, but the towering exterior is without a doubt one of the most striking castles in all of Europe. Located in the Czech Republic, Sloup Castle—which means “column” in Czech—is carved directly into a rugged slab of sandstone that stands over 100 feet tall. The placid reflection of…
Imagine waking up here, gazing out of the window from one of your many towers and surveying the surrounding forest in the morning sunshine. Life in a fairytale castle surely that’s everyone’s dream. This castle has been inhabited by the same family for over 800 years. Welcome to Eltz Castle in Germany. This castle even…
Near the end of the Gilded Age, the proprietor of the upscale Waldorf Astoria hotel began to build a lavish European-inspired castle on Heart Island in Alexandria Bay, New York. Boldt Castle—which was dotted with hearts—was designed to be a loving tribute to George C. Boldt’s wife Louise. When Louise died unexpectedly in 1904, George…
New York-based physician Esteban Martin Martin always had great enthusiasm for the life and travels of explorer Christopher Columbus. Though Christopher Columbus was Italian, Spanish monarchs King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella funded Columbus’s expeditions to the New World. Esteban Martin Martin was convinced that not enough people appreciated Spain’s contributions to the legacy of Christopher…
In the 12th century, a Welsh cleric known as Geoffrey of Monmouth mentioned a courageous king named Arthur in his semi-historical, semi-mythical book The History of the Kings of Britain. Historians have never been able to verify if King Arthur ever actually existed. The vast collections of stories about King Arthur are most likely folklore….
In 1220, Alexander II of Scotland gave some marshy land to Sir John De Maccuswell so that Clan Maccuswell—whose family name ultimately evolved into Maxwell—could build a castle. Maxwell’s first attempt to build a castle resulted in a structure that sank into the soggy land on which it was built. Maxwell found a slightly more…
