What do you think about when you see a castle? It’s just another building or pile of rocks like the last one, it’s a nice place for a picnic, or maybe it’s something touristy to do while visiting Europe? For me, castles were going to be just that, something fun to see when visiting a friend in Germany.

That was until I took that first trip to Germany in 1990 and I saw a castle up close for the first time and I was mesmerized. Since then I have been fascinated with castles, almost to the point of an obsession. They have occupied most of my free time; visiting them, photographing them, and studying them. Every castle has its own personality, its own feel, and its own reason for being.

When I set out to visit a castle, it is an all day exciting event which begins with the ride to the castle, anticipating what I will see and discover long before I arrive. Then it happens, off in the distance sometimes still miles away, I catch that first glimpse of the castle. A feeling of awe starts to build and my mind starts to race. Thoughts of knights and legends of old start to spring forth.

Once I arrive at the castle and start to explore, my mind fills with a rush of questions. Why was this castle built? Who lived here? Why did they choose this specific location for the castle? What historical role did the castle play in charting history? I wonder if it is haunted? How did they build it? How did it evolve through the centuries? How well does it use the natural landscape around it in its defenses? And if it is a ruin, what caused its downfall and what did the towers and walls look like when it was still in tact?

As I explore more and more of the castle, the focus shifts to the unique architectural features of the castle I am visiting. Why did they choose to have towers built into the curtain wall and no central keep? Why did they build the chapel on the side of the castle most vulnerable to attack? How many people could defend this castle against a siege? Why do the spiral staircases always go up in a clockwise direction? Why does the bottom of the tower project out further than the top and at a wider angle than the rest of the tower?

Now almost 20 years later and over 100 castles visited and counting, I know the answers to most of the questions that I have wondered about. Norman castles, concentric castles, fairytale castles, hilltop castles, border castles, toll castles, coastal castles; they are all out there waiting to be discovered. They all have their own stories to tell.

Come and explore them with me..........

Great-Castles

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Ron Lyons Jr. has reviewed 4 countries.