标签城堡下的文章

科夫堡，英国多塞特 Corfe Castle, Dorset, England (© Ross Hoddinott/Minden Pictures)

Creepy Corfe Castle

Spying the crooked silhouette of Corfe Castle above the rolling, foggy hills of Dorset, you might not guess at the ruin's former palatial beauty—you'll more likely sense its long history of intrigue, and maybe feel a chill down your spine.

Corfe's tale begins with a betrayal. Rumor has it this mound is where the teenage King Edward the Martyr was assassinated, likely by his half-brother and successor Æthelred the Unready, in 978—a century before the original stone structure was built. The castle became a favorite of 13th-century ruler King John—whose luxurious renovations hid a feared dungeon where the calculating monarch starved numerous prisoners. In the mid-1600s English Civil War, noblewoman Mary Bankes—wife of the castle's new lord, who was off fighting the war—doggedly defended it against antiroyalist forces in a 3-year siege. But Mary was given up by members of her entourage and captured, and the castle was toppled into the craggy heap you see now—another betrayal to end its story.

Nowadays the remains of Corfe Castle are preserved as a Scheduled Ancient Monument by the UK—but that status might not be all that's protecting the site. Reports of children's sobs echoing through the air, unexplained flickering lights, and—most notoriously—the headless apparition of a white-clad woman have some believing specters of a millennium past still haunt the ruin.

堡垒山上的珀纳里城堡，法加拉斯山，罗马尼亚 Poenari Castle on Mount Cetatea, Făgăraș Mountains, Romania (© porojnicu/Getty Images)

A castle fit for a count

Peeking out above the trees in the Făgăraș Mountains of Romania is Poenari Castle, an ancient structure whose reputation is steeped in history and legend. In the 15th century this castle was occupied by the notoriously ruthless ruler Vlad III, aka Vlad the Impaler, aka Vlad Dracula. Vlad wasn't a vampire, but he was known for treating his enemies with particular cruelty. His bloody resistance to Ottoman encroachment would make him a national hero and the subject of much folklore, some of it gruesome. These tales are likely what inspired author Bram Stoker to name his fictional vampire Count Dracula.

Poenari Castle continued to be used following Vlad's death in 1476 but was abandoned decades later. It fell into ruin over the centuries, as earthquakes and landslides sent parts of the building down the cliff and into the Argeș River below. Visiting the ruins today requires determination and stamina—it's a 1,480-step climb to the citadel walls, unless you're able to take the form of a bat and fly to the top.

Restormel城堡上空的秋雾，英国康沃尔 Autumn mist above Restormel Castle in Cornwall, England (© Robert Harding/Alamy)

The circular castle of Cornwall

Many generations watched fog roll over this countryside long before the bellicose Norman visitors who built this fortress got the chance. The peninsula of Cornwall has been populated since the Mesolithic period 10,000 years ago, and is one of the traditional Celtic nations—areas of the British Isles and France where the Celts' culture survived Roman, Norman, and other outside influences despite repeated attempts at incursion.

Restormel Castle is one of the best-preserved keeps of its era in the UK, and also stands apart for its rare rotund shape. Built by the conquering Normans in the wake of their 1066 invasion of Britain, it was fortified as a perfect stone circle a hundred years later. Soon it was renovated into a luxurious palace with rudimentary plumbing and coveted hunting grounds. But after centuries of off-and-on use, it fell into disrepair after the English Civil War ended in 1651. It was acquired by the British government in the early 20th century. Open to the public, Restormel is now managed by the English Heritage charity trust.

洛阿雷城堡，西班牙韦斯卡 Castle of Loarre, in Hoya de Huesca, Aragon, Spain (© Sebastian Wasek/Alamy)

Floating in time

The castle of Loarre we show you today is a Romanesque jewel that has remained suspended in time for almost a thousand years near the Spanish side of Pyrenees mountain range. It was built by king of Navarre Sancho ‘the Great’ in the 11th century and there’s no other equal or better preserved fortress of that style in all of Europe.

Once finished, in 1070, it became an unbreakable bastion that played a crucial role in the “Reconquest” of the Aragonese territories occupied during the Arab invasion three centuries before, since it was in the battle frontline and mounted on a rocky hill that made it impregnable. From there Sancho’s grandson troops took back the city of Huesca and managed to advance near Zaragoza. And once the battleground had moved further in the south, the castle became a monastery, was expanded two times and surrounded finally by an outer wall to protect the population settled at its feet.

Today, Loarre is a protected national monument that can also be visited. And actually 100,000 people do it every year. If you like epic cinema, you will surely recognize this place, as it has served as stage in several films, like for instance 2005’s “Kingdom of Heaven” directed by Ridley Scott.

罗卡马杜尔，法国 Rocamadour, France (© Rrrainbow/Getty Images)

A city, a cliff, a canyon…and cheese

Gazing down the lush Alzou river valley at the vertically-oriented village of Rocamadour, you won't be surprised some regard the medieval French town as a holy site: Its beauty alone is mystical. The gorges of southwestern France are home to numerous striking historic hamlets built along and atop their steep edges. But Rocamadour is special as a stop for thousands of pilgrims on the Way of Saint James, a UNESCO-recognized traditional route through France and Spain that still draws journeyers both pious and secular. The town's cliff-top sanctuary and the black-painted Madonna statue within have been purported to have healing powers. If you're drawn to more earthly sources of good health, though, Rocamadour also lends its name to a delicious, locally crafted goat cheese.

As we end on that cheesy note, why not test your dairy IQ with today's quiz?

伊夫城堡，法国马赛 Château d'If in Marseille, France (© Boris Stroujko/Shutterstock)

A prison fit for a count

Château d'If, off the coast of Marseille, France, was built beginning in 1524 as a fortress by King Francis I because of the tiny island's steep cliffs and strategic location. While the 'château' never gained notoriety defending the ancient port (since it was never attacked), it did become famous as a prison. Surrounded by treacherous currents—like Alcatraz in San Francisco—it gained a reputation starting in the late 16th century as a dumping ground for powerful political and religious prisoners. As far as official records go, none of the prisoners condemned there ever escaped.

However, there is one famous tale of an escape from the château by one Edmond Dantes, the titular hero of the 1844 Alexander Dumas novel 'The Count of Monte Cristo.' And though he is a work of fiction, you can visit Edmond Dantes' cell on the lower level of the prison. The nearly perfectly preserved castle is just a short ferry ride from the docks of the old port of Marseille.

A monster view in Scotland

People love a good mystery. Maybe that's why we've been fascinated by mythical creatures like the Loch Ness monster for nearly 1,500 years. We're looking at Urquhart Castle, a ruin founded in the 13th century, with Loch Ness behind it. As the legend goes, on August 22, 565, an Irish priest named Columba confronted 'Nessie' and commanded the 'water beast' away. Since then, people have claimed to spot, or even photograph the Loch Ness monster, as well as Bigfoot, the chupacabra, the yeti, and other creatures around the world. This subculture practices cryptozoology—the study of hidden animals. Are any of these beasts real? Probably not, but why spoil the fun?

The old guard at Old San Juan

This photo shows a different side of Castillo San Felipe del Morro on the coast of Old San Juan in Puerto Rico. Spanish colonists had the fortress built to control entry to the harbor of the settlement they called 'Ciudad de Puerto Rico’'—which, translated to English, means 'rich port city.' Castillo del Morro was held by Spain from 1539 to 1898, when the United States seized control after the Spanish-American War. Today it's a World Heritage Site and a major attraction for visitors to this, the oldest part of one of North America's oldest capital cities.

In September 2017, Puerto Rico was devasted by the landfall of Hurricane Maria, which wreaked havoc the landscape, people, and livelihoods of this US territory. One thing the people of Puerto Rico have encouraged since that terrible natural disaster is to come visit. With an economy based heavily on tourism, it's a way to rebuild the island's economy and to see some amazing colonial sites, as well as the bounty of its tropical Caribbean environment.

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