Skokloster Castle is a Swedish Baroque castle built between 1654 and 1676 by Carl Gustaf Wrangel.
Skokloster Castle is located on a peninsula of Lake Mälaren between Stockholm and Uppsala.
Skokloster Castle was designed mainly by architect Caspar Vogel, and other architects involved were Jean de la Vallée and Nicodemus Tessin the Elder.
After the death of Count Wrangel in 1676 the castle was never fully completed. The banqueting hall still stands unfinished and many of the tools used in building the house remain.
The much-needed renovation that was made in the 1970s by architect Ove Hidemark constitutes a benchmark in Swedish conservation techniques.
Skokloster’s castle was built entirely in brick tile on a ground of gray stone.
The armory contains the largest collection of personal 17th-century military weapons in the world. Mostly muskets and pistols, but also swords – including Japanese samurai swords – small cannons, pikes and crossbows.
Uppsala Castle is a 16th-century royal castle in the historic city of Uppsala, Sweden.
King Gustav ordered the construction of the renaissance castle in 1549, on the present site on a hill south of Uppsala Cathedral, with the old Archbishop’s Castle being used for building material and subsequently demolished.
Uppsala Castle was seriously damaged by fire in 1702. Reconstruction took many years and was indeed hampered by the remains of the castle being used as a quarry for stone to be used in building Stockholm Palace.
Uppsala Castle was built during the time Sweden was on its way to becoming a great power in Europe.
Uppsala Castle was the administrative center of Uppland and the site of the Hall of State.
Uppsala Castle is the residence of the County Governor of Uppsala County. Dag Hammarskjöld, former Secretary-General of the United Nations, spent his childhood days in the castle when his father, Hjalmar Hammarskjöld, was governor of Uppsala County.
The Uppsala castle is also the site of the Uppsala Art Museum.
The castle façade you see today is faithful to the bright color it was following its reconstruction in 1740.
Akershus Castle and Fortress commenced in the late 1290s under King Haakon V, Facts About Akershus Fortress, No foreign enemy had captured the Akershus Castle
Akershus Castle and Fortress construction started in 1299 by Håkon the Fifth, and completed during the 1300s, located in Oslo, Norway, The Fortress has been at the center of the Oslo’s and Norway’s growth and development for over 700 years
Thun Castle was Built at the end of the 12th century by the Dukes of Zähringen, Thun Castle Facts, Thun Castle is a Swiss heritage site of national significance.
Chillon Castle is an island castle located on Lake Geneva, south of Veytaux in the canton of Vaud.
Chillon Castle Facts
The Chillon Castle is the most visited castle in Switzerland.
The Chillon Castle has been around for over 1000 years.
The Chillon Castle is one of the only Medieval Castles in Europe never captured in a seize.
Lord Byron wrote a famous poem known as ‘The Prisoner of Chillon’ while he was being held captive in the dungeons.
The castle consists of 100 independent buildings that were gradually connected to become the building as it stands now.
The history of the castle was influenced by three major periods: The Savoy Period (12th Century to 1536), The Bernese Period (1536 to 1798), The Vaudois Period (1798 to the present).
The first writing about this castle appeared in 1160.
The Chillon Castle belongs to the State of Vaud and is classified as a Swiss Cultural Property of National Significance.
Chillon Castle is located on a rocky islet on the eastern end of Lake Geneva some 20 miles east of Lausanne and 2 miles east of Montreux.
The dungeons of Chillon Castle are cut directly into the rock that forms the base of the castle’s floor.
Oxford Castle was built in 1071 on earlier Saxon Defences when William the Conqueror took control of England and was victories at the battle of hastings Oxford, he ordered for the castle to be built with a mound, The Castle was left under control of Hereditary constables drawn from the D’Oilly Family.
The Initial castle was made out of earthwork mound and surmounted by wooden palisades, the Motte rises over 60 feet, however, within the next few years Robert d’Oilly built the first stone fortifications, including a stone keep atop the mound.
In the 14th Century, the castle was diminished and the site became primarily used for country administration and as a prison. It saw action during the Anarchy where it was the scene of Matilda’s dramatic escape from King Stephen in the midst of a snowstorm. During the English Civil War, the castle was destroyed.
In the 18th Century, the castle became Oxford’s prison and a new prison complex was built on the site and later expanded in 1876, becoming the HM Prison Oxford. In 1996 the prison closed and was redeveloped into a hotel.
Tours around Oxford Castles are done by guides who dress up in costumed characters and show you around the Saxon Tower, where you can enjoy a stunning 360° views of Oxford and then descent to the dark atmosphere of the 900-year-old underground crypt. You can even experience the Austere confines of the 18th-century debtors’ tower and the Prison D-Wing and wonder at the mound of the 11th-century motte and the Vaulted Well Chamber of Bailey castle.
The medieval remains of the castle, including the motte and St George’s Tower and crypt, are Grade I listed buildings and a Scheduled Monument.
Oxford Castle Quater does not have its own carpark, Car parks can be found at Westgate Shopping Centre, Oxpens, Worcester Street and Gloucester Green and are all a short walking distance from Oxford Castle & Prison.
Oxford rail station has regular links to all major UK cities, eight minutes walk from the train station to Oxfords Castle
Gloucester Green bus station is located in the heart of Oxford City Centre in George Street. Once on George Street, turn right and then immediately left and bear left around the corner into New Road. Oxford Castle Quarter is on your right-hand side.
There are plenty of bike racks located behind the Oxfordshire County Council building.
Opening Hours
Monday
10:00 AM – 5:30 PM
Tuesday
10:00 AM – 5:30 PM
Wednesday
10:00 AM – 5:30 PM
Thursday
10:00 AM – 5:30 PM
Friday
10:00 AM – 5:30 PM
Saturday
10:00 AM – 5:30 PM
Sunday
10:00 AM – 5:30 PM
Closed: Christmas Day.
Admission
Ticket Type
Price
Adults
£10.95
Children between 5 and 15 years old
£7.75
Under 5 years old
Free Entry
Senior/Student
£9.25
Family ticket
£35.00
All admission tickets get access to the Mound.
Information
Opened: 1073
Function: Castle
Architects: Robert D’Oyly, Daniel Harris
Owner: Oxfordshire County Council
Architectural styles: Medieval architecture, Norman architecture
Materials: Coral rag, Gravel
THINGS TO DO NEARBY
Visit the Ashmolean Museum is an Ancient and modern art and antiquities covering world civilisations, plus fine and applied arts. located only 8 minutes away from Oxford Castle.
Carfax Tower, Landmark 23m-high belltower, once part of a 12th-century church, offering city views from the top. located 6 minutes from Oxford Castle.
WHERE TO STAY IN Oxford
Nearby places to stay as cheap as possible budget under £100/$100/€100:
Central Backpackers Oxford, Museum Hotel Oxford offers accommodation in historic Oxford in a building dating from 1594. The hotel is located a 2-minute walk from Carfax Tower in the centre of Oxford. The University of Oxford colleges is 0.2 miles away. Check Price.
YHA Oxford, This YHA hostel is located in the centre of historical Oxford, next to Oxford Train Station. YHA Oxford offers affordable accommodation, a restaurant serving traditional meals and self-catering kitchen facilities. Check Price.
White House View Guest House, is a 10-minute walk from Oxford city centre and offers a garden and bedrooms with free Wi-Fi and Freeview TV. The guest house is located just off Abingdon Road, in quiet and pleasant surroundings. Check Price.
Nearby places to stay at a budget price over £200+
Macdonald Randolph Hotel, In the heart of Oxford, opposite the Ashmolean Museum, The Macdonald Randolph Hotel offers sumptuous bedrooms and a spa. The Randolph Macdonald is just metres from The University of Oxford Colleges.Check Price.
Old Parsonage Hotel is a boutique hotel set in a building dating back to 1660. It has 2 terraces, a new residents garden library, a restaurant, a bar, and is a 5-minute walk from Oxford city centre. Check Price.
Museum Hotel Oxford, Museum Hotel Oxford offers accommodation in historic Oxford in a building dating from 1594. located a 2-minute walk from Carfax Tower in the centre of Oxford Check Price.
Visiting Oxford? We have other posts that you may enjoy that will be helpful on your trip.
The Alcazaba is the best-preserved Moorish fortress-palace in Spain.
Alcazaba was used as a State prison.
The Alcazaba of Málaga is a fortress-palace built between 1057 and 1063.
Alcazaba takes its meaning from the Arabic, which means ‘citadel’.
Muslim origin of the Alcazaba, its name arises, which in Arabic takes the meaning of ‘citadel’.
It was built by the Hammudid dynasty in the early 11th century.
Airon is a 40 meters depth well which was used to supply water to the residents of the Palace.
Alcazaba was constructed on the ruins of a Roman fortification.
The ‘Torre del Cristo’ was created by the people of Malaga, used as a point of entrance to the neighbourhood and is currently occupied by houses.
In 1279 the city was conquered by Muhammed II Ben al-Ahmar and became part of the Nasrid kingdom.
[su_button url=”https://www.isolatedtraveller.com/european-cities/malaga/” style=”flat” background=”#000000″ size=”6″ wide=”yes” center=”yes” radius=”0″ icon=”icon: arrow-circle-right”]Explore the city of Malaga[/su_button]
Saint Catalina Castle is known as Castle of Santa Catalina is a Spanish castle, styled in Moorish revival, built-in 1932 and overlooks the city of Jaén. Saint Catalina’s Castle is now known as one of the best castle hotels in Europe.
The old fortress that was built on the Cerro de Santa Catalina was made up of three fortifications, the old fortress the Alcázar Viejo was built during the reign of King Alhamar and the new fortress the Abrehui Castle and the Alcázar Nuevo, which was built-in the 13th Century by Fernando III, out of the three fortresses, only the Alcázar Nuevo survived, the other fortresses were torn down in the mid 20th century as part of the Parador Nacional de Turismo, state-owned hotel. which was built in their place and is now known as one of the best castle hostels in the World.
On top of the hill where the castle is situated, there’s a monument cross that recalls the cross that Ferdinand III had built there and on the foot of the cross, there is an engraving in the rock, that says “Sonnet to the Cross” which was written by the poet Almendros Aguilar.
Napoleon’s Troops turned the fortress into a stronghold, which they went on to control over the province from the castle, used the castle fortresses as storage facilities and a fifty-bed hospital. to this day the changes made by the Napoleon’s Army are still visible. There are six towers which defend the castle. The Torre del Homenaje stands at 40 meters height, next to it, is the Torre de las Damas, known as the ladies towers, which protects the entrance to the castle gates. The two defensive towers, one which houses the chapel of Santa Catalina and the Torre de la Vela is a watchtower, both had flat roofs which were lit to signal other defensive ports in the surrounding area. The Torre de las Troneras, which is known as the Embrasure Tower and was used as a latrine since the middle ages.
A number of excavations were carried out to reveal the hidden and forgotten secrets about the castle, it revealed that the castle was a palace or even a royal household quarters inside the Arab fortress and even showing traces of different transformations the castle went throughout the centuries.
The stunning Medieval Arabic Castle is currently being used as a tourist attraction, which has a visitors center that recreates large part of its evolution and the history of Jaén and the castle itself offers the perfect phenomenal views of the province and the city of Jaén.
The castle is reachable via the ring road on the west side of Jaén.
By Car: from Barrio Peñamefecit to the castle the journey should take around 16 minutes, 6.3 km away.
By Train: the nearest train station is the Jaén train station, located 20 minutes drive or 1 hour and 15 minutes by foot.
By Foot: the Catedral de Jaén is 3.3 km away from the castle, the journey should take 53 minutes. the Iglesia de la Magdalena is situated 3.0km from the castle, the journey will take 48 minutes by foot.
Opening Hours
Monday
10:00 AM – 6:00 PM
Tuesday
10:00 AM – 6:00 PM
Wednesday
10:00 AM – 6:00 PM
Thursday
10:00 AM – 6:00 PM
Friday
10:00 AM – 6:00 PM
Saturday
10:00 AM – 6:00 PM
Sunday
10:00 AM – 3:00 PM
Please note during holidays and other special occasions opening hours may vary
More Photography’s
Castillo de Jaén Photography By flickr user: Aivark
jaen castle of santa catalina view Photography By flickr user: damian entwistle
The Castle of Santa Catalina Photography By flickr user: ccpixel
Location
Address: Cerro Santa Catalina, s/n, 23003 Jaén, Spain
Latitude: 37.767373
Longitude: -3.799535
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Inverness Castle is situated on view Pl and Castle road overlooking the River Ness, its known as the red sandstone castle, built in 1836 by Architect William Burn, the castle is currently still in use as a court house and no public access is allowed e.g. tourists however the Drum Tower houses an exhibition of the castle history and history of Inverness.
The first Inverness Castle was built in the 11th century however it was partially destroyed by King Robert I of Scotland and was later replaced in the 1548 castle with a tower which was built by George Gordon, who was the 4th Earl of Huntly and was later taken over by the Clan Munro and clan Fraser, who were supported by Mary Queen of Scots in 1562.
In 1725 General George Wade extended and reinforced the castle after the initial early Jacobite Uprisings, In 1745 second major Jacobite Uprising began, and Clan Ross defended the castle against Jacobite’s, Clan Ross was supported by the British Government however the castle fell to the Jacobite troops under Bonnie Price Charlie, who destroyed the castle with explosives. The current Red stone fortress can be dated back to the 11th century, which was designed by architect William Burn however the castle is still surrounded by parts of its original bastion wall.
Brief History of Inverness Castle
One of the first major wars the Inverness castle was a part of was the wars of Scottish Independence, In 1296, the first war of Scottish Independence started when King John Balliol defied Edwards I’s demands for homage and the first battle was won by the English in Dunbar and the English garrison was built at Inverness Castle. A number of different Scottish Faction tried to overthrow the English prompting renewed hostilities and in 1308, Robert the Bruce retook the castle under the Scottish rule.
In 1410 the town was attached by Donald, Lord of the Isles and gave permissions to Alexander Steward, the Earl of Mar to rebuild the castle in 1412, As James the first wanted to stamp his authority on his northern magnates, specificity Alexander MacDonald, who was the Successor of Donald, Lord of the Isles. Alexander was arrested and imprisoned with a number of other lords and later released in 1429, Alexander, Lord of the Isles returned to Inverness with a big army and burnt the town to the ground however only a few months later Alexander submitted to James in 1429 and was imprisoned once again and James IV in 1493 ended the power of the MacDonalds In Inverness.
In 1508, Inverness Castle was given to Alexander Gordon, Earl of Huntly, it was still in the Gordon’s Family in 1562, when George Gordon, earl of Huntly defied Mary queen of Scots entrance into the castle, which encouraged a large number of forces to storm the castle. In after this situation the family kept the castle under their control.
During the Wars of the Three Kingdoms Inverness castle was part of number of actions, In 1644 it was controlled by Covenanter troops, who were given the task to defend the area against the Royalist General James Graham, Marquis of Montrose. The troops were successful defending the castle against the royalist in 1644 to 1645 and after the Battle of Auldearn on May 1645, Inverness was close to being captured however the Garrison managed to withstand the forces and Montrose withdrew.
After the Charles the first execution in January 1649, The Forces of Prince Charles the second seized Inverness Castle In February 1649 however they withdrew from the siege as the Covenanter army, led by David Leslie left the castle, The defeat of Montrose at the battle of Carbisdale in 1650 and the betrayal at Ardvreck castle ended the Campaign.
Prince Charles Stuart had arrived at Eriskay in the Outer Hebrides, and had raised an army to invaded England in November 1745, using the same road network that was built by the English to suppress the Highlands, by the end of the year the Price reached Derby having manoeuvred around the Government armies but retreated back to the Scottish Highlands shortly after. During the Second Battle of Falkirk in 1747, he was victories over the Government forces who was tracking him. Later in the Spring the Price renewed his campaign, the three assaults he launched was against the three forts of the Great Glen, fort George, known as Inverness Castle, which fell to the rebels and so did Fort Augustus, the Jacobie’s withdrew from Fort George and ignited a number of explosions around the site, which you can still damage done to the forts, The defeat of the Jacobite’s at the Battle of Culloden, ended the rebellion.
The Fort George, known as Inverness Castle today, was destroyed by the Jacobite’s however it was later rebuilt in new location, at Ardersier, which was eleven miles north east of Inverness and was named Fort George, the previous Fort George was renamed to Inverness Castle and was in poor condition up-to the mid Nineteenth century, until it was rebuilt to be a sheriff courthouse and country hall, which was style in Neo-Norman Style.
Inverness Castle Photography by flickr user: Dave Conner
By Car: You can find a number of cheap car parking spaces in Inverness, which are next to Inverness Castle, closest car park is castle street car park and raining street car park, for me details visit: parkopedia
By Bus: any bus that goes into Inverness town centre then a few minutes walk.
By Train: Inverness Castle is only a 15 minute walk from Inverness Train Station
Opening Hours
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Monday
11:00 AM – 6:00 PM
Tuesday
11:00 AM – 6:00 PM
Wednesday
11:00 AM – 6:00 PM
Thursday
11:00 AM – 6:00 PM
Friday
11:00 AM – 6:00 PM
Saturday
11:00 AM – 6:00 PM
Sunday
11:00 AM – 6:00 PM
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Closed on 25th December: Christmas Day and 1st of January: New Year’s Day.
