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The castle was built by the Venetians in the early 13th c entury. It is among the largest castles in the Mediterranean area. At the south edge of the castle a fortified islet floats. Bourtzi, as it is called, a prison and place of executions during the Turkish Occupation, was built in 1500 and is connected to the Sea Gate of the castle with a paved tiny road.
The fortified early Gothic church from the first half of the 14th century was built on the site of an older building. In the 15th century it was fortified with a wall and a wooden bell tower was built on the grounds in 1657. The single-nave space with a square-ended presbytery and a built-in sacristy has a painted cassette ceiling from 1758, the presbytery is characteristic by its rib vault. The mural paintings date back to the 60s of the 14th century and the creator of at least a part of them is the Master of Ochtiná presbytery. These interior frescoes were discovered in the early 20th century by I. Huszka who was restoring them in 1905. All the paintings, interior and exterior ones, were completely restored between 1983 and 1985 by J. Josefík, L. Székely and I. Žuch.
Within the almost intact medieval church, the murals have a uniquely strong impression and informative value, thanks to their scale and complexity of preservation. Thematically they focus on individual scenes from the Marian and the Passion cycle, but they do not have a uniform concept unlike the upper belt on the nave’s northern wall with a complete depiction of the St. Ladislaus legend.
The Berber families would store their grain and other commodities in granaries such as this fortified structure. The units were ventilated and many had more than one compartment. Each was accessible by a set of very steep and narrow steps. At the back, towards the gate are two examples of the containers used to store commodities. When I visited two or three ground level units had been converted into rental accommodation.
According to local legend, Helfštýn is named after the robber Helfried of Linva, who founded it. The castle was probably built in the last quarter of the 13th century. Around 1320 Vok of Kravař, a member of a prominent Moravian noble family, became the owner of the castle. Helfštýn remained in the possession of the Kravař family for more than a hundred years and underwent far-reaching structural changes during this period. Construction work began on a larger scale in the first half of the 14th century, but the main reconstruction of the castle into a Gothic fortress did not take place until the end of the 14th and the beginning of the 15th century. The Kravařs mainly improved the fortifications of Helfštýn. They replaced the makeshift fortification of the old parkland with a thick stone wall with four bastions, built a prismatic tower over the entrance to the castle itself and secured it with a drawbridge, built a fortified forecourt on the south side and cut the ridge of the hill with a moat carved into the rock.
The era of the Pernštejn family
In 1474, William of Pernštejn took over the castle estate and proceeded to its further reconstruction. In the last quarter of the 15th century,
Helfštýn Castle was enlarged with a thoroughly fortified, extensive farm forecourt (completed in 1480) and another forecourt, which formed a new outpost defending the entire enlarged building. At the same time, the fortifications of the old Kravaře castle were improved with bastions and a new system of towers and gates. The castle's ground plan was definitively given an elongated shape, and in its external form the perfect fortification system significantly overlapped all the other architectural elements.
Renaissance reconstruction
At the turn of the 16th and 17th centuries, the inner core of the castle was rebuilt into a Renaissance residence. The old castle palace was demolished, along with part of its original Gothic fortifications, and a magnificent Renaissance palace was built on the vacant space, in sharp contrast to the extensive system of late Gothic fortifications that surrounded it.
The destruction of the castle
In 1656, quite extensive demolition work was carried out, which, although it did not damage the fortifications of Helfštýn too much, definitively deprived it of the character of a manor house. And thus began the long-term destruction of the castle. The destruction was accelerated in the second half of the 18th century by the Ditrichstein family with demolition works. These attempts culminated in 1817, when part of the inner castle was destroyed by artillery fire.
Present day
The present-day character of the castle is that of a fortress with six gates and a series of 18th-century buildings and ramparts. Since the 19th century, the castle has been presented as a tourist and heritage site. Nowadays it has become a natural cultural centre of the region, with various cultural events taking place here throughout the season
Ter Ham Castle
A fortified Frankish settlement already existed on the forecourt of the present castle in the 8th century. It was built in wood and its only protection was the canals that surrounded it. Gradually, the buildings were replaced by stone structures with ring walls to protect the population from possible attacks.
On the same forecourt, a first "Stone" was built in the 12th century.
Around 1500, this first castle was demolished and replaced by the present castle.
Over the years, the castle has come into different hands. The last lord of the castle, Jean de Croix, rented it out from 1929 to the most illustrious family of our regions: the Habsburgs. Empress Zita and her retinue stayed here until 1940.
During the Second World War, the huge saddle roof with its conical roofs on the towers, together with part of the upper floor, was demolished. Much damage was also done by the German soldiers who had taken up residence in the castle. The formerly imposing building had lost much of its charm and was abandoned.
In 1957 the castle was sold by the de Croix family to the municipality of Steenokkerzeel. Steenokkerzeel's intention was to use it as a town hall and to convert the surrounding grounds into a walking park. However, this turned out to be financially unfeasible, so the land was parcelled out and the castle was given on a long lease. On 24 April 1964 it was purchased by the then Ministry of National Education and Culture. Since 1970 it serves as a conference centre.
Driving back from Crieff we came across this interesting building sitting next to a field, the B-Listed Monzie Castle Mid Lodge. At first we thought it was a castle but it's a fortified bridge over the Shaggie Burn with a keep (the lodge) tucked into its NE corner (on the far left of the photo)
Source:http://portal.historicenvironment.scot
It is a damn cold winter over here at the moment and after me and Seiren sorta..built a Blankie Fort in IMs, we decided we needed to do a pic in a proper one! So I borrowed this from Rachie!
It is a wide room with two windowns. It overlooks the citadel courtyard and it used buy the garrison commander to follow up the trainings at citadel courtyard.
About 1480 A.D, the Mameluke Sultan Al-Ashraf Qaitbay fortified this place as part of his coastal defensive edifices against the Turks, who were threatening Egypt at that time. He built the castle and placed a Mosque inside it. The Citadel continued to function during most of the Mameluke period, the Ottoman period and the Modern period, but after the British bombardment of the city of Alexandria in 1883, it was kept out of the spotlight. It became neglected until the 20th century when it was restored several times by the Egyptian Supreme Council of Antiquities.
The isle of Wilhelmstein during the sunset. Everything was calm and peaceful.
Isle of Wilhelmstein
Friedrich Wilhelm von Schaumburg-Lippe, who is arguably the most important military scientist of his time, fortified the Isle of Wilhelmstein in the middle of the 18th century. Once the fortress was a cadet school, later it became a state prison, and now it is a museum specializing in the history of the island.
Precista fortified church, Galati
Biserica cu turn fortificat "Adormirea Maicii Domnului" - Precista
Galati - Biserica fortificata Precista
Category: Churches - Orthodox
Period: 1647
Importance: A
LMI code: GL-II-m-A-03066.01
Address: Str. Roşiori 2
Location: municipiul GALAŢI
District: Galati
Region: Moldova
This is the oldest building in Galați. It was consecrated as a place of worship in September 1647 during the reign of Vasile Lupu. The church was dedicated to the Vatopedi Monastery on Mount Athos. It was built from local materials including stone, forest wood, brick and lime, sand from the beaches of the Danube and so on. As well as its typical Romanian church architecture, the monastery has some specific elements of interest such as a bell tower with battlements for observation of the Danube valley and for defense. The tower has two levels and a room to hide assets. There are two ramparts and a door to a balcony. The second floor is fitted with windows and battlements. Another of the church's defences is a reinforced bridge consisting of two parts, one above the nave and one above the altar. The bridge has 28 battlements. The church survived the turbulent periods of Galați's history and was rebuilt and restored in 1829 and again in 1859. From 1953 to 1957, the church was used as a museum. It was restored in the period 1991–1994.
www.monumenteromania.ro/index.php/monumente/detalii/en/Bi...
ro.wikipedia.org/wiki/Biserica_fortificată_Sfânta_Preci...
www.crestinortodox.ro/biserici-manastiri/biserica-precist...
The wonderful sea stacks known as The Needles that rest just next to Haystack Rock along Cannon Beach, Oregon. Enjoy!
Dunster Castle is a former motte and bailey castle, now a country house, in the village of Dunster, Somerset, England. The castle lies on the top of a hill called the Tor, and has been fortified since the late Anglo-Saxon period. After the Norman Conquest of England in the 11th century.
Harbour wall in Lamberts Bay, fortified with giant concrete structures called "dolosse". The Atlantic Ocean can be quite rough at times…
Happy Wednesday, everyone!
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Semur-en-Auxois was once a fortified town, and some tall towers and the main wall still remain and surround the inner part of the town.
Submitted: 22/10/2025
Accepted: 25/10/2025
In Camargue Southern France. View taken from marsh and nature around the city.
Vue sur les remparts fortifiés et portes de la ville Médiévale d'Aigues-Mortes
The last my photo from this beautiful town, then we continued our journey towards the Dolomites :)
Muggia is an Italian town in the region of Friuli-Venezia Giulia on the border with Slovenia. Lying on the eastern flank of the Gulf of Trieste, Muggia is the only Italian port town in Istria. The town's architecture is marked by its Venetian and Austrian history, and its harbour hosts a modern 500-berth marina for yachts (Porto San Rocco). Muggia originated as a prehistoric fortified village (castelliere), around 8th-7th century BC. The territory was conquered in 178–177 BC by the Romans, who created here a settlement. In 1420 it became part of the Republic of Venice and in 1797, Muggia became part of the Austrian Empire. After World War I and the dissolution of Austria-Hungary, the town was annexed to the Kingdom of Italy and incorporated into the Province of Trieste. Muggia provides many evident traces of its Venetian traditions and origin, as showed by the dialect, the gastronomic traditions, the gothic-venetian style of some houses, the loggias, the ogive arches, the ancient coats of arms on the façades but mostly the main square, a true Venetian "campiello".
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To już ostatnie moje zdjęcie z tego uroczego miasteczka i pojechaliśmy dalej, w stronę Dolomitów :)
Muggia - miejscowość we Włoszech na półwyspie Istria, w regionie Friuli-Wenecja Julijska, w prowincji Triest. Jest jedynym włoskim miastem portowym na półwyspie Istria. W architekturze miasta dominują wpływy weneckie i austriackie, zaś w porcie znajduje się nowoczesna przystań dla jachtów z 500 miejscami postojowymi (Porto San Rocco). Muggia powstała jako prehistoryczna ufortyfikowana wioska (castelliere) około VIII-VII wieku p.n.e. Obszar ten został podbity w latach 178–177 p.n.e. przez Rzymian, którzy stworzyli tutaj osadę. W 1420 r. Muggia stała się częścią Republiki Weneckiej, a w 1797 r. weszła w skład Cesarstwa Austriackiego. Po I wojnie światowej i rozpadzie Austro-Węgier miasto zostało przyłączone do Królestwa Włoch i włączone do prowincji Triest. W Muggii można znaleźć wiele śladów weneckich tradycji i kultury, o czym świadczą dialekt, tradycje gastronomiczne, gotycko-wenecki styl niektórych domów, loggie, ostrołuki, starożytne herby na fasadach, ale przede wszystkim główny plac, prawdziwe weneckie „campiello”.
Senglea is a fortified city in the South Eastern Region of Malta. It is one of the Three Cities in the Grand Harbour area
The fortified early Gothic church from the first half of the 14th century was built on the site of an older building. In the 15th century it was fortified with a wall and a wooden bell tower was built on the grounds in 1657. The single-nave space with a square-ended presbytery and a built-in sacristy has a painted cassette ceiling from 1758, the presbytery is characteristic by its rib vault. The mural paintings date back to the 60s of the 14th century and the creator of at least a part of them is the Master of Ochtiná presbytery. These interior frescoes were discovered in the early 20th century by I. Huszka who was restoring them in 1905. All the paintings, interior and exterior ones, were completely restored between 1983 and 1985 by J. Josefík, L. Székely and I. Žuch.
Within the almost intact medieval church, the murals have a uniquely strong impression and informative value, thanks to their scale and complexity of preservation. Thematically they focus on individual scenes from the Marian and the Passion cycle, but they do not have a uniform concept unlike the upper belt on the nave’s northern wall with a complete depiction of the St. Ladislaus legend.
The village of Calvignac is built on a rocky spur called the Rocher de la Baume in a loop of the Lot river. Its positioning was an ideal surveillance site. It was fortified and has retained some of its vestiges from years past
Absolutely delighted to announce that this photo along with two others were commended in this years Scottish Landscape Photographer of the Year.
IN ENGLISH BELOW THE LINE
Una corona muralis és un tipus de condecoració (i després decoració simbolica heraldica) consistent en una corona en forma de muralla. Aquí ho construiren de veritat.
El monestir romanic de Sant Miquel de Fluvià no és molt conegut, però força interessant. Fou fundat el 1045, tot i que la església data del 1066. Era una dependencia de St. Miquel de Cuixà, i cap al s. XVII, a St. Pere de Galligans. Continuà com a monestir fins el 1835.
S'en conserva la magnifica església i campanar romanics, fortificats molt després, al s. XV. Com a part de la fortificació, s'excavà un fossat entorn l'església, esbentrant el claustre romanic pel bell mig. Actualment s'ha excavat i restaurat parcialment tant el claustre com el seu fossat destructor. El campanar mostra el que semblen impactes de projectils de setge a la part superior, pel que sí que sembla que serví com a fortificació, potser durant la guerra civil catalana.
www.monestirs.cat/monst/aemp/ae49fluv.htm
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A "corona muralis" or walled crown is a Roman condecoration and latter a heraldic element of a lot of city coats-of-arms. Here they really crowned with walls this apse.
The Romanesque monastery of Sant Miquel de Fluvià is not very well known, but quite interesting. It was founded in 1045, although the church dates from 1066. It was a dependency of St. Miquel de Cuixà abbey, and towards the s. XVII, of St. Peter of Galligans abbey. It continued as a monastery until 1835.
The magnificent Romanesque church and bell tower are the main remains of the abbey, fortified much later, in the XV Century. As part of the fortification, a moat was dug around the church, splitting and destroying the Romanesque cloister. Currently, both the cloister and its destructive moat have been excavated and partially restored. The bell tower shows what appear to be impacts from siege projectiles at the top, so it does seem to have served as a fortification, perhaps during the Catalan Civil War.
Udai Singh II, a maharaja of the kingdom of Mewar, founded the city of Udaipur and transferred the capital of his realm here in XVI century. At that time he initiated construction of a fortified palace on top of a hill above the Lake Pichola.
Удай-Сингх II, махараджа княжества Мевар, основал город Удайпур в XVI веке и перенёс сюда столицу своего государства. Он тогда же и начал стрительство укреплённого дворца на холме над озером Пичола.
januari 2006
Durbuy is a small town in the Ardennes. They claim to be the smallest city in the world....... I have my doubts about that.....
Found inside fortified city wall of Carcassonne
Inhabited since the Neolithic period, Carcassonne is located in the Aude plain between historic trade routes, linking the Atlantic to the Mediterranean sea and the Massif Central to the Pyrénées. Its strategic importance was quickly recognized by the Romans, who occupied its hilltop until the demise of the Western Roman Empire. In the fifth century, it was taken over by the Visigoths, who founded the city. Its strategic location led successive rulers to expand its fortifications until the Treaty of the Pyrenees in 1659.
The city is famous for the Cité de Carcassonne, a medieval fortress restored by the theorist and architect Eugène Viollet-le-Duc in 1853 and added to the UNESCO list of World Heritage Sites in 1997.[1] Consequently, Carcassonne relies heavily on tourism but also counts manufacture and wine-making as some of its other key economic sectors. Source: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carcassonne
"Stoning prophets and erecting churches to their memory afterwards has been the way of the world through the ages. Today we worship Christ, but the Christ in the flesh we crucified." - Mahatma Gandhi