Rick Steves' Europe: Medieval Castles

Ancient fortresses offer glimpses of medieval brutality and 19th-century Romanticism

  • By Rick Steves
  • Smithsonian magazine, May 2010
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Neuschwanstein Castle Germany Medieval city of Carcassonne Warwick Castle England Burg Eltz castle Medieval Castles map
Neuschwanstein Castle Germany

(Karl-Josef Hildenbrand / dpa / Corbis)


Germany's Neushwanstein is a textbook-like example of 19th-century Romanticism. In 1869, King Ludwig began building his medieval fantasy on the hilltop not for defensive reasons, but because he liked the view.

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Comments (2)

Thank you Rick Steves and Smithsonian for sharing those magnificent photos with us. Beautiful... Bravo.

Wonderful photo very magnifique bravo!

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