castles

14 Stories

French Medieval Castle Has a Quirk: It's Only 26

Guédelon Castle is being built using only tools and materials found in the Middle Ages

(Newser) - Construction is underway at a medieval castle in France's Burgundy region, but not to restore or repair the building. Instead, it's being newly constructed, a project that broke ground just 26 years ago using only tools and materials found in the 13th century. NPR visited Guédelon...

Historic Castle Reopens, Suffers $1.4M Theft

Mary Queen of Scots' priceless rosary among stolen items

(Newser) - Thieves have stolen historic treasures from England's Arundel Castle, including the rosary beads that Mary Queen of Scots carried to her execution in 1587. The thieves gained entry to the castle, occupied for centuries by the dukes of Norfolk, around 10:30pm local time on Friday by smashing a...

'Sorrow Beyond Imagination': Japan's Shuri Castle Burns

Okinawa landmark was a World Heritage Site

(Newser) - A castle first built centuries before Okinawa was annexed by Japan has been devastated by fire. Police say a fire that broke out around 2:30am Friday has destroyed much of Shuri Castle, which was erected under the Ryukyu Dynasty around 500 years ago, the Guardian reports. The wooden structure,...

Airbnb's Newest Rental Will Let You 'Live Like a Lord or Lady'

For $150, 2 guests will get to stay at Highclere Castle, best known as the Downton Abbey estate

(Newser) - The long-awaited Downton Abbey movie is about to hit theaters , and now there's more good news for fans—two of them, anyway. Highclere Castle, the site in Hampshire, England, where the hit show was filmed, is now available on Airbnb for a one-night stay this autumn, and it promises...

The Internet Just Bought an 800-Year-Old Castle in France

For as little as $61 per person

(Newser) - The French castle about 200 miles away from Paris was built in the 13th century, captured twice by the English in the Middle Ages, sacked during the French Revolution, and partially burned down in 1932, the Guardian reports. Now the internet may have saved the Chateau de la Mothe-Chandeniers. According...

Italy Giving Away Castles, With One Little Condition

103 historic properties up for grabs, for free, with a catch

(Newser) - Looking for a challenge, free real estate, and a chance to brush up on your Italian? Italy has a deal for you: The State Property Agency is giving away 103 historic buildings—think farmhouses, convents, school houses, post offices, and even castles—located along cycling paths and eight pilgrimage routes,...

You Can Buy a Castle Where Henry VIII, Anne Boleyn Slept

Slept for about a week-and-a-half, that is

(Newser) - If you’re looking for a castle with a vineyard, a kitchen garden, and oodles of curb appeal, Thornbury Castle should be on your list. So long as you can foot the $10 million asking price , that is. The 16th-century castle's early decades weren't exactly smooth ones. Construction...

Inside the Battle to Keep a Leaky Castle Standing

Duart Castle isn't exactly weather-proof

(Newser) - Tom Hanks' next role: Sir Lachlan Hector Charles Maclean? The Scottish lord has for the last 26 years been dealing with the king of all money pits. Repairs on the 14th-century Duart Castle he inherited have thus far cost just shy of $2 million, reports the New York Times , which...

Castle Restoration Called a 'Heritage Massacre'

Critics outraged at the work in Spain

(Newser) - Remember the botched "restoration" of Spanish fresco Ecce Homo back in 2012? Well, this might top it. Having stood for more than 1,000 years, Matrera Castle in Cadiz was looking a bit worse for wear when officials decided to restore the National Monument three years ago. Now, people...

Floods Leave Castle 'Teetering on the Brink'

Scottish baron forced to flee ancestral home

(Newser) - After more than 450 years overlooking Scotland's River Dee, Abergeldie Castle is on the verge of being washed away by it. Floodwaters have eaten away the riverbank in recent days and the 16th-century castle is now teetering on the edge, Discovery reports. John Gordon, the Baron of Abergeldie, was...

Couple 'Having Sex' Plunges Over Castle Wall

He apparently worked there, and she was a visiting nurse

(Newser) - A French couple fell 40 feet to their deaths from a castle wall while apparently making love, the Independent reports. Naked bodies of the two 31-year-olds were found in a moat that surrounds a castle on the main island of Chausey Archipelago, off the coast of Normandy in the English...

For Sale: Dracula's Castle
 For Sale: Dracula's Castle 
May 12, 2014 4:00 AM CDT

For Sale: Dracula's Castle

Transylvanian property owner seeks bites

(Newser) - A one-of-its-kind property is available for buyers looking for a big stake in the Transylvanian property market: the castle that once housed the inspiration for Bram Stoker's Dracula. Bran Castle, long one of Romania's top tourist attractions, has been owned by everybody from Teutonic knights to Communist governments...

What It's Like to Be Stuck Living in a NY Castle

Phemisters struggle to flip this New York house

(Newser) - You don't even need a cool million to purchase a 36,000-square-foot castle in Upstate New York. Just $895,000 will do. The New York Times today takes a look at this most unusual piece of real estate—and the unusual consequences of a common problem: homes that buyers...

These Castles Were Built for Love
 These Castles Were 
 Built for Love 
TRAVEL
Feb 14, 2010 12:42 PM CST

These Castles Were Built for Love

Going away for Valentine's Day? Check out these castles built by lovers

(Newser) - Aren’t castles romantic? Each of the classy abodes pictured in this photo gallery was built in the name of love, says WebUrbanist.com , so take a gander and read their passionate and, more often than not, tragic back stories.

14 Stories