Castles, Palaces, & FortressesLists about those impossibly beautiful, enormous, impenetrable homes and military safehouses all Americans gotsta see while on vacation, because we sure don't have them here.
Updated September 10, 2019 31.2K votes 2.8K voters 90.5K views
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Vote up the castles that put the Disney castle to shame.
List of the most beautiful castles in the world, as ranked by castle and architecture enthusiasts. It’s not that common to come across a castle in your daily life. What once used to be a common structure for royalty,government officials, and the very, very wealthy has now being a rarer place of residence. The castles that still stand today are very often relics from hundreds of years ago. Many castles have become ruins due to lack of funding to rebuild and keep up appearances. The castles that still stand in all their former well-maintained glory are often major tourist attractions, luring in millions of visitors from all over the world.
The castles on this list are among the most striking-looking, well-kept castles left standing in the world. These castles have long histories, with some being used as fortresses during wars and battles and others as private residence for the wealthiest families in the world. Some of these castles sit in the midst of water, while others are on top of the hills.
What are the most beautiful castles in the world? The castles on this list are prominent attractions in their respective countries,from Japan to France.
The Château de Chenonceau is a French château spanning the River Cher, near the small village of Chenonceaux in the Indre-et-Loire département of the Loire Valley in France. It is one of the best-known châteaux of the Loire valley.The estate of Chenonceau is first mentioned in writing in the 11th century. The current château was built in 1514–1522 on the foundations of an old mill and was later extended to span the river. The bridge over the river was built (1556-1559) to designs by the French Renaissance architect Philibert de l'Orme, and the gallery on the bridge (1570–1576) to designs by Jean Bullant.
