Some of the world's finest castles and palaces have seen more than their fair share of turbulent history, from warfare to domestic and political dramas. Many of them also hide fascinating secrets within – and sometimes underneath – their towers, walls and turrets. We've uncovered the surprising and often strange stories harboured by incredible castles and palaces around the world, including a royal zoo, the world's largest dolls' house and a daring escape helped by a wheel of cheese...
The Tower of London was not always just a fortress and prison. From the 1200s until 1835 the castle was home to an array of exotic animals never before seen in the UK including lions, elephants and polar bears, all gifted to the royal family. In 2010, artist Kendra Haste created these mesh lions (pictured) to commemorate the Tower’s former menagerie.
Nestled in the Loire Valley in central France and occupying around 13,500 acres, Château de Chambord is the largest walled and enclosed park in Europe and has the same area as central Paris. Construction of the castle, in the heart of forested grounds, began in 1519 and its current walls – 20 miles (32km) long – were completed in 1645. Inside are formal gardens, horse stables and a nature reserve roamed by deer.
In 1507 John Damian de Falcuis, an alchemist from the court of King James IV, attempted to fly from the walls of Stirling Castle in Scotland towards France using a pair of makeshift wings. Damian sadly didn’t even make it off the grounds, ending up in a dunghill just below the castle with a broken leg – and earning himself the nickname 'The Birdman of Stirling Castle'.
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This Northern Irish castle in the town of Carrickfergus was notoriously difficult to escape from, but one prisoner was creative enough to pull it off. In 1604 Conn O’Neill, Lord of Clandeboye, was jailed in Carrickfergus Castle for rioting. He hatched a plan to escape by bribing two Scots to smuggle ropes inside hollowed-out cheese. The plan worked and O’Neill successfully escaped from the castle’s dungeon, giving his accomplices a portion of his estates as a reward.
With hundreds of thousands of visitors typically stepping through the doors of Blenheim Palace each year, the grand building requires a rigorous deep clean to keep things looking just-so. Every January, each room is stripped of all its furniture and artefacts and deep-cleaned from floor to ceiling by a team of experts. The specific items on the cleaning list include a whopping 10,000 books, 38 pieces of armour, 18 clocks and 200 pieces of porcelain.
Tens of thousands of people were killed and much of Hiroshima was obliterated when the US dropped an atomic bomb there and on a second Japanese city, Nagasaki, in August 1945, towards the end of the Second World War. Hiroshima's 16th-century castle was among the structures destroyed, although miraculously three trees within the castle survived. Since then, the castle has been rebuilt and the trees (including this weeping willow, pictured) have become symbols of the city’s strength and resilience after a horrific event.
Alnwick Castle is filled with surprises, including a very unusual garden. The castle’s Poison Garden was opened in 2005 by the Duke and Duchess of Northumberland, as a twist on the tradition of apothecary gardens. Safely secured behind black iron gates, the small but deadly garden is home to around 100 toxic, intoxicating and narcotic plants including deadly nightshade, opium poppies and magic mushrooms. You can only enter on a guided tour and visitors are strictly prohibited from tasting, touching or even smelling the plants, some of which are kept in cages.
The UK is filled with incredible fortresses, many with their own turbulent histories of attacks, wars and riots. But it's Edinburgh Castle in Scotland that holds the title of being the most besieged place in Britain and one of the most attacked in the world. In 1639 it was captured by Covenanter forces – who sought religious union with England – within just half an hour, while an attempt by Jacobite forces in 1715 was less successful because their ladder was too short to scale the ramparts.
This impressive castle in Sinaia, Romania was commissioned by the country's King Carol I in 1873 as a summer retreat, and no expense was spared. Peleș Castle was the first European castle to have electricity, which was completed in 1884 and its central heating was installed in 1897. The German Neo-Renaissance castle, now a museum, is also opulently decorated with frescoes and stained-glass windows.
In 1617, Roman Catholic officials in Bohemia (now Czechia) closed down two Protestant chapels being built by residents of Broumov and Hrob, violating laws protecting religious liberty. A trial was held at Prague Castle and, when two Catholic regents and their secretary were found guilty, they were thrown out of the castle windows. Miraculously they walked away uninjured, though the event – known as the Defenestration of Prague – sparked a Bohemian revolt against Habsburg emperor Ferdinand II, an opening phase of the Thirty Years’ War.
Located in northern Poland, Malbork Castle is often hailed as one of the most impressive medieval fortresses in Europe. Sprawling across 52 acres, the castle is the largest brick castle in the world. It was built as the headquarters of the Knights of the Teutonic Order, who founded the town of Malbork in the 13th century, and comprises of the High Castle, Middle Castle and Outer Bailey with multiple dry moats and towers in between.
As the oldest permanently inhabited castle in the world, Windsor Castle has collected plenty of treasures, heirlooms and artwork since it was founded by William the Conqueror in the 11th century. The castle’s impressive collection includes an incredible 379 clocks in all shapes and sizes, reflecting different fashions over time as well as the tastes of former royal residents.
One of Japan’s most famous landmarks, Osaka Castle soars above its namesake city. The castle, often hailed for its beauty, is surrounded by gardens planted with more than 4,000 cherry blossom trees. Spring is the time to see the flowers: branches with candy-floss pink blossom frame the striking temple, while the grounds are carpeted with soft petals.
Perched high in the Alpine foothills of Germany, Neuschwanstein Castle's dreamy towers and turrets make it one of the most picturesque fortresses in the world. Completed in the late 19th century, the enormous castle was originally planned to have 200 rooms – despite being built as a private retreat for King Ludwig II to live there alone. He died in 1886, just weeks after moving in, with some suspecting suicide and others assassination. The castle opened to the public just a couple of months later.
In the Middle Ages, with no flushing toilets or underground plumbing, people would often dispose of their refuse and waste on the streets – and even at Newcastle Castle. Such large amounts of human waste were illegally dumped here by city residents that, by the 1550s, the 12th-century castle’s outer walls began to collapse under its weight.
Buckingham Palace has a whopping 775 rooms – the majority of which the public will never get to see and many of them with rather unexpected uses. For all royal correspondence, the Queen’s London residence has its very own Post Office operated by Royal Mail. There's also an indoor swimming pool, a doctor's surgery for household staff and the Queen's private apartments, accessed via a secret doorway in the White Drawing Room. There's also an ATM in the basement.
Famous as the setting for Shakespeare's Hamlet, Kronborg Castle in Helsingør, Denmark honours the playwright with an annual Shakespeare Festival. It takes place on a stage built across the moat with the fortress itself as the backdrop and celebrates Shakespeare’s writing through live music, theatrical performances and readings.
Mont-Saint-Michel looks like it's jumped from the pages of a fairy tale, so it makes perfect sense that this landmark in Normandy, France would be a source of inspiration for Disney. The castle in the 2010 animated film Tangled was modelled after the structure on the stunning tidal island, though the real thing is actually a former monastery.
There are plenty of hidden treasures and stories within Edinburgh Castle’s historic walls, though perhaps most fascinating of all is the fact the Scottish fortress has a graveyard dedicated to dogs. The small green space is thought to have been the site of a medieval tower but, since the 1840s, has been the resting place for regimental canine mascots and pets belonging to high-ranking soldiers. Home to more than 20 headstones, including that marking the grave of Fido, the first dog buried here, the cemetery is closed to the public.
Chillon Castle, jutting over Lake Geneva, Switzerland, is believed to date back to at least the 12th century and has functioned as a princely residence, fortress, prison, depot and hospital. But, uniquely among Europe's medieval castles, it has never been destroyed or even damaged by siege warfare. Despite its strategic location controlling an important trading route, and even though it has been captured several times through the centuries, the castle has remained remarkably intact. That includes its vaulted dungeons, immortalised in Lord Byron's poetry.
With his huge eyes and bizarre expression, Leo the lion may just be one of the most comical taxidermy attempts in history. During the 18th century, lions were among the exotic animals sought after by the royal houses of Europe and were often given as gifts. It's believed Leo was such a gift, though it's not known when the live lion first came here to Sweden's Gripsholm Castle – or when he was stuffed. Today, Leo is one of the castle's star attractions.
On the outside, Château de Brézé in the Loire Valley resembles many of France's grand structures – yet hidden below its stone fortifications is an underground fortress unlike anywhere else. Built under the dry-moated castle in the 15th century, the incredible network of caves and tunnels is home to stables, silkworm farms, wine presses and even a bakery. Remarkably well-preserved, much of the underground labyrinth remains undiscovered and just a small fraction is currently open to the public.
From the outside, France's Palace of Versailles looks nothing short of luxurious. However, living conditions weren't always salubrious – despite King Louis VI's reported obsession with perfume. In 1682, he decided to move his court and servants into the gilded palace permanently. This meant thousands of people living in the palace and its surrounding lodgings all at once. Rooms were extremely crowded and modern plumbing had yet to be invented, so the smell of human waste and sewage apparently wafted through the building and gardens.
Famous for starring in period drama Downton Abbey, Highclere Castle has become one of the most recognisable buildings in the UK. With its grand Jacobean façade and opulent interiors, it’s easy to see why Andrew Lloyd Webber wanted to buy the property in 2010 to house his art collection. The Phantom of the Opera composer also wished to preserve the castle in light of an application from the owners, the Earl and Countess of Carnarvon, to build 15 houses on the site. Webber’s offer was turned down and the housing plans were scrapped due to the success of Downton Abbey.
The Queen’s weekend residence has plenty of treasures inside its walls, including the incredible Queen Mary’s Dolls’ House. Built between 1921-24 for Queen Mary, the consort of George V, the dolls' house was designed by architect Sir Edwin Lutyens. Known as the largest dolls' house in the world, the masterpiece includes details from more than 1,500 of the finest artists, craftsmen and manufacturers of the early 20th century. It even has electricity, running water and a fully stocked wine cellar.
Dating back to at least the 12th century, Alcázar de Segovia is best known for its unusual design that resembles the bow of a ship. The medieval fortress, located in the walled city of Segovia, Spain, has had multiple uses throughout its life including as a royal court, a place to store artefacts from the royal treasury and even a state prison during the reigns of Philip IV and Charles II in the 17th century.
Some believe that the spooky castle setting of Bram Stoker’s Dracula – possibly the most famous horror story ever written – was inspired by Bran Castle in Romania. Despite this link, and the fortress earning the nickname 'Dracula’s Castle', Gothic fans may be surprised to discover that the author never visited the castle or even stepped foot in Romania at all. Stoker depicted Dracula’s imaginary home based on a description of Bran Castle.
One of the most recognisable buildings in Germany, Eltz Castle was built in the 12th century and, though it has been added to throughout the years, original Romanesque details can still be seen. The incredible fortress has been in the possession of the Eltz family through its entire existence of more than 850 years, passed down through 33 generations. The castle featured on the 500 DM banknote from 1961-95 and on a postage stamp in the late 1970s.
During the First World War, Harry Gordon Selfridge – the founder of London's iconic Selfridges department store – rented Highcliffe Castle in the sleepy Dorset town of Christchurch. Away from wartorn London, he and his wife, Rosalie Amelia, refurbished the beautiful property with modern kitchens, hot water and re-furnished bathrooms. They even strived to buy the property from the owners but their offer was denied. Although both American-born, the couple are buried at nearby St Mark's Church.
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