Old castles keep secrets. Majestic, saturated with self-esteem, gloomy and magnificent, they attract to themselves, promising to show something special. The most ancient castles amaze with their scale and mastery of decoration.
Man is an endlessly curious creature, and therefore thousands and thousands of tourists visit castles every year around the world. It is not just their desire to look at the life of past years that attracts them. Everyone is trying to make out through the
keyhole what the walls of the buildings remember. Whose fates were decided in them, what matters were accomplished?
Old castles. General Features and Functions
If we consider these buildings outside of eras, we can distinguish the following features that distinguish old castles:
- Location Almost all the castles are located on hills that could be both natural and artificial - it all depended on how lucky the owner was with the land.
- Courtyard. Its existence is due to the need to lead a life and, in which case, to be able to maintain an autonomous existence outside the rest of the world. It included craft workshops, forges, a kitchen and other elements designed to equip life as much as possible.
- Main tower (dungeon). The heart of the castle. By and large, the dungeon was a castle in the castle, as it was in the safest place and was fortified on all sides. It was the home of the feudal lords, at the same time it included food and weapons depots.
- Fortress walls. They surrounded the courtyard, serving both as protection and as an external sign of power. They tried to make them as thick and impregnable as possible.
- Moat. He surrounded the fortress walls, serving as an additional means of defense against those who really wanted to profit from the contents of the castles. Its presence solved two problems at once: it made excavation impossible and deprived potential attackers of coming close to the walls. The ditch for constant filling with water was connected to a nearby body of water. Communication with the outside world was maintained using a drawbridge.
- Goal. They were called upon to control the mass movements of people, animals and vehicles.
Locks as a means of protection
Prototypes of these buildings appeared in Iran, later moved to Ancient Rome, and then moved to Byzantium, where they became very popular due to the fact that they were used as forts.
However, the castles flourished during the Middle Ages, they were used as dwellings of feudal lords and were primarily of a defensive nature. It was then that they came to our usual form. Castles were geographically located on steep hills and hills in order to complicate the possible assault as much as possible. These measures were not associated with the widespread persecution mania of the world at that time. We must not forget that the Middle Ages passed "under the auspices" of feudal fragmentation and unrest, the protection of life in such conditions was paramount.
Locks as a sign of status
Time passed, mores changed, the Middle Ages with its theological dictates and the need to live, looking around, was replaced by the Renaissance, which raised anthropocentrism to a cult. Castles from impregnable fortresses naturally just turned into people's homes. The buildings became lighter, more elegant, more beautiful, each created something of their own, competing with a neighbor as much as possible.
Locks as the center of secrets
Walking along the winding corridors of castles, it is difficult to get rid of the feeling that you are being watched. They keep too many secrets and innuendos. Overthrown monarchs, corrupt servants, miserable love stories - all this excites the imagination and causes goosebumps. Consider some of the secrets of ancient castles?
Tower
The ancient castles with their secrets and ghosts were mentioned - what comes to mind first? Of course, the Tower. This is a London building
served as a prison for those who henceforth had only one road - to the scaffold. Anna Boleyn, the second wife of Henry the Eighth, did not escape this fate. The church did not allow him to divorce, and new love required decisive action. The monarch, who became the prototype of Bluebeard, found a way out - he accused his wife of incest and sentenced to death. Eyewitnesses said that the queen was infinitely calm and majestic, ascending to the chopping block, no tantrums and tears. In turn, her husband, too, "had mercy" - he provided a skilled French executioner and after Anna's death did not put his head on public display, but buried it by placing it under his right hand. Since then, not only in the Tower, but also on the territory of London itself, they have periodically begun to notice the blurry image of a woman in a luxurious dress that holds her head with her right hand.
Mayerling Castle
When you look at this photo, the old castle seems so serene that it is difficult to believe in its dark and tragic history for Austria. It was there, under mysterious circumstances, that the heir to the throne, Rudolph, the only son of Sisi and Franz Joseph, died. Rudolph, according to contemporaries, suffered from depression and temporary clouding of the mind, from which he was "treated" with shock doses of alcohol. On one frosty January day of 1899, he, together with his mistress Maria Vechery, entered Meyerling Castle, never to return. They were found dead after some time - the girl was shot and Rudolph poisoned. There are many versions of what happened: some say that the crown prince persuaded Maria to leave with him and shoot himself after he takes the poison, others that the heir killed her and then committed suicide, while others insist that both were killed by opponents crowns to destabilize the situation in Austria.
Olesky castle
When the old castles of Ukraine are mentioned , this structure is first of all remembered.
Its history is rich in events - even the fact that in the 17th century the father of
Bogdan Khmelnitsky served at the court
, at the same time a tragedy occurred, which is still being spoken about. The owner of the Olesko castle had a beautiful daughter, whose hands persistently, but to no avail, sought young Adam. The mission to receive the blessing of the beloved father was initially doomed to failure, since he only wanted to see the representative of the royal family in his son-in-law. Unable to withstand another refusal, Adam committed suicide in front of everyone. Due to the fact that he became a suicide, they buried him without a Christian rite - according to one version, they buried him near the walls of the castle, and according to another, they simply threw the body into a swamp. The owner’s daughter could not survive the loss and also took her own life. The daredevils, who decide to spend the night in the Olesky castle, argue that two restless souls still roam the structure, breaking the silence with moans.
Woodstock Castle
The most famous ancient castles of the world include Woodstock.
Speaking about the distinguishing features, we can mention the fact that the echo in it is surprisingly distinctly heard 17 times in a row. However, this does not excite the imagination of people. In the XII century, he witnessed a love triangle, two corners of which were represented by the most influential spouses of that time, and a brilliant beauty was the third corner. We are talking about Henry II Plantagenet, Eleanor of Aquitaine and Rosamund Clifford. According to legend, Henry hid his mistress Rosamund in the tower of Woodstock Castle. The path went through a labyrinth that was impossible to blindly overcome. And this measure was justified, for the monarch knew very well that his crowned wife was not only smart, but also extremely vindictive. Despite everything, Eleanor followed her husband and found a beauty. Her decision was inexorable - Rosamund had to die. The choice was given her death from a dagger or poison. Beloved Henry chose the latter and met death in terrible agony - indeed, it is difficult to expect a quick, merciful death from an angry woman. Having heard of the tragedy, Plantagenet went mad with grief and imprisoned an insidious wife forever. He retained the memory of Rosamund until the end of his days and presumably died on the same day as she, but 13 years later. The girl’s spirit is still wandering around the castle, waiting for her king.