Edward had embarked on a brutal campaign to conquer north Wales after 1282, and castles were key to his plans to stamp his dominance on the landscape. Our third castle takes us back to the British Isles and the medieval king Edward I. Today you can still visit the remnants of this medieval castle underground and see the relics of life there hundreds of years ago. But excavations discovered that the dungeon, base of the keep and a number of walls had survived. The new palace was eventually transformed into the museum that is world-famous today.

But it wasn’t until Henri IV that the final medieval elements were destroyed in the late 1500s. Francis I went further, demolishing the keep in favour of a Renaissance style palace, where he housed treasures including the Mona Lisa. The Château du Louvre served as a fortress for many years, until Charles V decided to turn it into a royal residence in 1360. The Gross Tour, as it was called, was even mentioned in the oath of allegiance to the king until the Revolution – long after it had been demolished. The 30-metre-high keep was cylindrical, to make it harder for invaders to approach, and so large that it quickly became an icon in its own right. There were ten defensive towers and a dry moat lined with counterscarps, stone edges that made it more difficult to scale. The builders deployed the latest architectural innovations to defend the structure against potential attackers. He decided to build walls enclosing the city, including a castle on the bank of the River Seine.

Philip was about to set off for the Third Crusade in 1190, but was concerned about the risk of invasions in his absence, particularly from the English soldiers based in Normandy. But what isn’t as well known is the museum was preceded by the Château du Louvre – a castle built by King Philip II and adapted over the centuries as royal needs changed. The Louvre in Paris is world-renowned as an art museum and a modern architectural marvel in its own right. William the Conqueror left a lasting legacy on the London skyline, although it’s worth noting that with encroaching skyscrapers in the City the United Nations has warned that this World Heritage site might once again be under threat. The defences of the castle only failed once, during the Peasants’ Revolt of 1381, when the gates were actually left open. This all adds to the appeal of the castle as a prime tourist attraction for visitors to London.ĭespite many centuries passing – and the bombing of London during two world wars – the original White Tower still stands today. Over time, the Tower was used as a royal residence, Royal Mint and a jail for the highest profile prisoners, including Anne Boleyn and Thomas Cromwell.

The Tower has since been expanded by many kings and queens, including the addition (and removal) of a moat and the famous riverside entrance, Traitors’ Gate. This was finally completed two decades later in 1100, which must have been a lifetime’s work for many labourers of the day. In 1078, work commenced on the castle’s oldest structure – the keep, known as the White Tower. Stone castles were just gaining popularity and masons were summoned from Normandy in Northern France, although most of the work was completed by local people. The Tower of London was designed by Gundulf of Rochester, who was actually a Bishop by trade. Nothing like it had ever been seen before – and considering how imposing the Tower is today, it must have been a terrifying symbol of Norman power to the conquered Anglo-Saxons. William the Conqueror built the Tower of London in the 1070s, following the successful Norman Conquest in 1066. The first castle on our list has dominated the skyline of the UK’s capital city for nearly a thousand years. Here are the stories of just four of Europe’s incredible castles. These structures were the equivalent of today’s massive civil infrastructure projects, created to fortify strategic spots, protect against invasion or stamp authority on the land.Īnd from a construction perspective, the stories of how castles were created, developed, lost and restored are fascinating, from ambitious nobles to architectural pioneers and superhuman project managers. But one group of buildings still creates the sense of awe – and even fear – originally intended.Ĭastles are some of the most visually stunning and architecturally impressive buildings ever created.

If you visit the ruins that remain, it can be hard to imagine what life was like for the people who lived in and built these structures. Few buildings survive intact from medieval times.

Medieval abandoned castle