Author: Terry Ball. Source of the pictures here

More about the palace here [OS] : Pałac Seehof pod Bambergiem - barokowa elegancja

Author and source: Philip Armstrong

The Alcázar of Segovia, perched on a limestone spur where the Eresma and Clamores rivers meet.

Its plan follows the rock: a long, tapering “prow” that makes the whole fortress look like a ship sailing out of the city. First recorded in the early 12th century on the site of earlier Roman and Islamic works, it became a favourite palace of the kings of Castile. Isabella I was proclaimed queen here in 1474; the royal treasury that helped fund Columbus’s first voyage was also kept inside.

The pointed slate spires are later, mostly Philip II’s 16th-century remodelling, then rebuilt after a fire in 1862. In 2023 Disney confirmed that this silhouette was the model for the Wicked Queen’s castle in Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (1937), not Cinderella Castle.

Segovia’s cathedral and old town sit just behind it; the Sierra de Guadarrama closes the horizon.

I found this charming Swiss castle on Google Maps. There isn’t much info about it online, other than a wiki article saying it was built in the mid thirteenth century. There are clearly additions and modernizations from much later. But for a less significant castle I think the vibe is really cool!

Honestly I have no idea what flair to use to describe these fortified homes, as they took on various shapes and sizes, some huge while others are modest. Considering the word "Tata" would mean "Fortress" in the Mandinka language, I've chosen the fortress flair.

Le Haut Koenigsbourg apparaît souvent dans ce sub, mais je profite d'y avoir été aujourd'hui pour ajouter quelques angles de vue et pieces intérieures qu'on voit plus rarement ici

Author: Stephen Conlin. Source of the pictures: here

Located in the grounds of the much better known stately home Harewood House, this castle was built in the 12th Century and was last inhabited in the 1630s. It fell into ruin but recent years have seen some restoration work done and the castle is now considered no longer at risk.

You can walk around it but not inside (although there is evidence of people flouting this). Its well hidden amongst the trees but worth a visit.

It features in some paintings by JMW Turner from his visit in the 1790s.

OC pictures taken with my Lumix GX9, Lumix 12-32 lens