Medieval castles were well-fortified buildings in which the nobility lived: nobles, barons, kings. Castles were erected both in Europe and in the Middle East. Now we use the word "castle" to denote reliable fortifications and fasteners.
Contrary to popular belief, castles were not only defensive, but also offensive. The first castles were erected by the nobles in the 9th-10th centuries, when the Carolingian empire fell apart. With the help of impregnable castles, they tried to control the region around them. Let's look at the 10 most enduring medieval castles that are very difficult to destroy.
1
Crac de Chevalier
The Crusaders built this castle far from their native lands, and it has stood the test of time. This iron fortress was so powerful that it served as a model for future medieval castles.
To build a castle in a place surrounded by enemies everywhere, you need to build an impregnable and formidable fortress. Crac de Chevalier is just such a structure. It still stands on the territory of modern Syria and is well preserved. At first it was inhabited by the Kurds, and then there was a knightly hospital.
Even nature could not destroy this fortress. A powerful earthquake in 1170 damaged him, but the castle was quickly restored.
2
Königstein Fortress, Germany
The fortress is one of the largest in Europe and has played an important role in the history of Saxony. Although rulers were inside the castle, they often found themselves helpless during the war. For example, Prince Frederick Augustus II had no other option but to simply observe from the side the surrender of his army during the Seven Years War. He himself remained safe in the Königstein fortress.
The fortress was not of great strategic importance in military operations, but it contained valuable artifacts and art objects that remained safe. Koenigstein was home to some and a prison to others. Later, the fortress was converted into a prison. By the way, there is a very informative article on the most terrible prisons in the world on our site thebiggest.ru.
3
Fort Mehrangarh, India
Mehrangarh Fort is one of the most impressive medieval castles in the world. From the side, the construction looks impregnable. The fort was built in 1460 by Rao Jodhoy. Next to it is the city of Jodhpur, over which the huge walls of the castle tower. It is located 400 meters above sea level.
Inside the castle, its rich inhabitants could enjoy numerous rooms with rich decoration with wonderful patterns on the walls. But this fort was considered damned. In its place there once lived a hermit who was kicked out of the hill to begin the construction of the fortress. The old man cursed the fortress, wishing to suffer from a lack of water. True or not, this region experiences severe drought every four years.
4
Murud-Janjir Fortress
Perhaps this is the strongest and most impregnable naval castle in the world. It is located on an island near the village of Murud. It is possible to get there only by sea - there are no other ways. This means that potential enemies must try very hard to reach the walls of the fortress.
Three powerful guns were installed in the walls of the fortress, which terrified the ships. They had names: Chavri, Kalalbangda and Landa Kasam. They had great range and power and were able to sink the most powerful ships.
5
Masada Fortress
Masada Fortress in the desert is one of the most formidable in the world and one of the most popular tourist sites in Israel. Not far from the fortress there is access to the Dead Sea and it is located on the edge of the Judean desert. The fortress was so strong that Jewish rebels managed to restrain the Roman legions during the siege.
The fortress itself was built on a hill, more than 100 meters above sea level. The Romans had no other way than three narrow winding passages. All the siege weapons of the Romans were in full view. Jews fiercely resisted, but ultimately the fortress fell. The advanced armaments of the Romans did their job, but not a single Jewish rebel surrendered. Before the capture, they all committed suicide.
6
Osaka Castle
Osaka Castle is one of the most famous medieval castles in Japan. Its walls were seen by courageous samurai and great emperors. Many wars were able to survive this fortress. In the Sengoku era, Hideyoshi Toyotomi, the man who united Japan, built the castle.
The castle occupies 6 hectares and has on its territory various defensive structures, including high towers, strong gates and many loopholes. Toyotomi built it as opposed to another Azuchi castle. When in 1614 the army attacked the castle, exceeding the number of defenders by 20 times, they managed to repulse the attack largely thanks to the impressive walls of the castle.
7
Malbork Castle
Malbork Castle is the world's largest brick castle and one of the few that have not been destroyed in its history. He was besieged many times, but never captured. It was the headquarters of the Teutonic Knights. Even after the defeat of the Teutonic knights in 1410 by the Polish troops, they simply retreated to Malbork and were completely safe. Poland was not ready for a long and difficult siege of the castle. By area it is the largest castle in the world.
8
Fort Devagiri-Daulatabad
Before the invention of the guns, no one could have hoped to capture the fort of Devagiri-Daulatabad. This fortress had a very well-thought out defense system.
Firstly, the fort is located on a hill, surrounded by a deep moat and three levels of walls. Even if you manage to go through the walls, you will have to cross the network of tangled tunnels, and then go over the bridge, which is laid over an abyss with a depth of about 100 meters. The bridge is so narrow that only two people could pass on it at a time. A large army can cross it for hours, trying to evade numerous traps and fighting off the defenders.
There is only one entrance in the castle, and there is no other exit. It was designed in such a way that an army unfamiliar with the plan simply went crazy, running through the mazes, trying to find a nonexistent exit. Few medieval castles have so many ingenious tricks to defend against attack.
9
Fort Numansia
Fort Numansia was so strong that the Roman army took 20 years under the sizzling Spanish sun to capture it. They never managed to break through his defense, just the defenders ran out of food supplies. It is amazing why the Romans with their advanced technologies of that time were not able to capture it. The defenders never surrendered, preferring to commit suicide.
Now, excavations are being carried out at this place, learning more and more new facts about the heroism of the inhabitants of this region.
10
Hohensalzburg Castle
It is located at a height of 50 meters and is one of the largest medieval castles in Europe. The castle itself was 250 meters high and 150 meters wide. He was attacked only twice in history. The first was during the German-peasant uprising, when ordinary peasants rebelled and tried to capture the castle, but could not. Napoleon tried to do this next. The defenders themselves surrendered to him without a fight, so the castle was never captured.
Posted by: sergej1984