Bouzov castle is also possible birthplace of the Czech King Jiří z Poděbrad (George of Poděbrady), whose family – the lords of Kunštát – owned this castle from 1396 until the end of the 15th century. At the end of the 16th century almost the whole castle was destroyed by fire. The owners of the castle had not fully reconstructed it, but they tried to sell it. But there was nobody who would like to buy such a “ruin” so they forced Grand Master of the Order of the Teutonic Knights to buy it. In the 19th century the castle was rebuilt by a young Grand Master archduke Eugen of Austria in the style of German Neo-gothic. For the reconstruction was responsible Viennese architect Georg Hauberisser who designed the castle as a symbol of medieval traditions and the Teutonic Knights.

He built a new two-storey palace, demolished and restored the old high cylindrical tower. A magnificent furniture, including chairs, beds, tables and even a ceiling, was moved here from various castles. There were built the moat, walls with battlements, drawbridges and great medieval gates. At the same time was also equipped with very modern features, as it had functional bathroom, practical kitchen and phone. However until today it is not electrified.

Bouzov castle is now considered one of the most popular and most visited monuments in the Czech Republic. The castle was a place of several fairy tales, including Arabela, Fantaghirò, and Before the Fall, so if you want to get to the fairy tale for a while, do not wait and come!

The castle is opened from April to October during weekends and holidays only but daily from May to September and the basic admission is around €8. For further information visit official site of the castle (in Czech only).

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Photo licensed under the Creative Commons, created by tomasz przechlewski

Insights into the history
Gniew Castle was founded in the 2nd half of the 13th century and served as the seat of the Teutonic Knights. In the 15th century castle took possession of the royal family. Later, however, the fortress fell to Prussians, who established the military barracks and armory at the Gniew castle. In the first half of the 20th century the building was damaged by a large fire. About 50 years later, began an extensive reconstruction, and the whole place got back to its original form.

Attractions
Today the castle houses an archaeological museum, where you can see many exhibitions of medieval excavations and archaeological findings. The castle also hosts festivals of various historic characters and many exhibitions. In the vicinity of Gniew Castle you can find another great castle, Malbork Castle, which is the largest Gothic building in the world and the largest brick building in the world.

Practical information
You can visit Gniew Castle almost every day (except of Mondays) from 9:00 to 17:00. Admission is 8 PLN. The museum is open from 15 April to 31 October. You can even accommodate right in the castle complex or try some of the great polish traditional meals in the castle’s restaurant. Very impressive is night walking around the castle.

For further details visit official website of Gniew Castle.

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Photo licensed under the Creative Commons, created by Kristian Dela Cour

Final finishing works were carried out under the guidance of architect Henry Hetzel. From 1529 until 1945 it served to the Protestants. It was destroyed during the World War II and then undergone extensive reconstruction, just like many other monuments in Poland. The interior of the church is furnished with a Gothic, manneristic and baroque furniture. You can see here also several memorial plaques of the leading local families.

This truly monstrous Gothic building has the shape of the cross and features a great nave and huge windows along the entire perimeter. You should visit it early in the morning when the sun is still low – it’s worth to wake up early!

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The first castle on this place was built around the year of 1280 by Count Floris to secure the mouth of the river Vecht. In 1296 the Count was kidnapped, held captive and later killed, the castle was destroyed. A new castle here was built on the ruins by Duke Albrecht in 1370. At this time Muiden Castle was used as an aristocratic residence, served also as a court and state prison.

At the beginning of the 19th century the castle fell into disrepair, and for a while it seemed like the castle will be demolished and sold out for building material. But King Willem eventually didn’t allow demolition, and the castle was restored in 1895. In the years 1948-1972 Muiden Castle underwent reconstruction, which repaired some previous inadequate treatment. Today the castle serves as a national museum and a venue of many cultural events.

Pieter Hooft Corneliszoon
The most famous inhabitant of the castle was known Dutch writer, poet and historian Pieter Corneliszoon Hooft, who lived at the castle in the years 1609-1647. He was also a Knight in the Order of Saint Michael. Hooft used to invite other well-known artists here with whom he enjoyed and worked. The interiors of the castle are just surviving from this period. At the end of the 17th century Muiden Castle was integrated into a new and enlarged earthwork fortress .

The castle is now open to the public all year round with guided tours only. From April to November it is open from monday till saturday from 10:00 till 17:00. On Sundays from 13:00 till 17:00. Then from November till April only on weekends from 13:00 till 16:00. No photography is allowed inside the castle.

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Although the Apulian countryside is literally dotted with trulli buildings, most fairy houses can be found in the town of Alberobello, which was, due to its unique structures, included in UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1996. Hundreds of trulli houses are stuck next to each other in the winding streets. They survived in an almost authentic state, for which we can thank to the Italian conservationists. Already in 1909, Trulli was declared as a protected monument.

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Currently fairy houses serve mainly to tourists – as small shops and pubs, but sometimes as a romantic and rather expensive little hotels and guesthouses. Renting the renovated and modernly equipped Trulli for two to four people outside the main season cost €600 a week (during the holidays up to €800).

Lots of houses are also on sale, at the lower prices. However, in the state before the general reconstruction.

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Gothic bridge with baroque statues achieves a length of 109.75 m and the width of 6.25 m. It stands on the six pillars of granite blocks and has seven arches – six circular (from the original Gothic structure) and one segment. There were originally two bridge towers, but unfortunately, none of them has been preserved.

The bridge is decorated with sandstone sculptures from 18th century.

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Just in 1885, the ruins of the castle has been bought by the city of Ghent and started a renovation project. Despite the criticism of people that Gravensteen Castle is not worth repairing, the reconstruction was finally completed. The newly built houses were removed and the walls and dungeon were restored to their original condition.

Currently, this monument attracts more and more tourists each year.

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It was back in the 12th century when the Bojnice Castle was first constructed. Back then it was nothing more than a wooden fort. However, within the next century, the wood would be replaced by stone. And in 1302 the first private owner, Máté Csák, with take control of the castle after it was given to him by none other than King Ladislaus V of Hungary. A century later it would be reverted back to King Matthias Corvinus later bequeathed to his illegitimate son.

Bojnice castle, Slovakia by Krondol

After the death of King Matthias the castle and all of the lands were sold to the Zapolya before finally falling under control of the wealthy Thurzos family back in 1528. It was under the control of the Thurzos family that Bojnice Castle, as well as many castles throughout Slovakia were reconstructed for the very first time. However, the current reincarnation of this picturesque castle can only be accredited to John Palffy, who completely reconstructed the castle back at the end of the 19th century.

Inspired by the beautiful castles of France, John Palffy undertook the passionate reconstruction of the Bojnice Castle. Every single aspect of the reconstruction was overseen by John and by 1908, when the construction was finally completed, the Bojnice Castle became one of the most beautiful castles in all of Slovakia; possibly the world. Over the centuries, the Bojnice Castle has been the inspiration of countless storybooks and fairytales.

Castle Bojnice, Slovakia by Pufacz

John Palffy’s heirs fought over control of the castle and much of its contents, and as a result much of the historic works that were once contained within the walls of the castle, were either destroyed or sold off. The property and all the surrounding land was then transferred to Ján Baťa in 1939 before being confiscated by the government of Czechoslovakia back in 1945.

It was while the Castle was under Czechoslovakia control back in 1950, that much of the castle was destroyed as a result of a huge fire. It was then that it was decided that the Bojnice Castle was to be restored to its previous glory and turned into a museum which was specialized in housing and presenting documents and other collections of the region.

On account of its beautiful and charming design, it is often considered to be a true fairytale castle. As a result it has been featured in countless movies over the last couple of decades and is also home to the annual Castle Fairytale Festival as well as the International Festival of Ghosts and Spirits. Today more than a quarter of 1 million people visit the Bojnice Castle every single year.

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