Bunratty Castle

Bunratty Castle (Irish: Caisleán Bhun Raithe, meaning "Castle at the Mouth of the Ratty") is a large tower house in County Clare, Ireland. It lies in the centre of Bunratty village, by the N18 road between Limerick and Ennis, near Shannon Town and its airport. The name Bunratty, Bun Raite (or possibly, Bun na Raite) in Irish, means the 'bottom' or end of the 'Ratty' river. This river, alongside the castle, flows into the nearby Shannon estuary. From the top of the castle, one can look over to the estuary and the airport.

Name: Bunratty Castle Location: Bunratty village County: Clare  Country: Ireland Material: Brick  Built: 1475 Restored    1954 Condition: restored and opened to the public

The first dwellings to occupy the site, in 970 were part of a Viking trading camp. In 1250, Norman lord Robert de Muscegros built here the first defensive fortifications, i.e., the earthen embankment with the installed powerful wooden tower. The first stone castle was built later, when the lot was acquired by Thomas De Clare. At this time Bunratty town had grown to a population of 1,000.

Hohenzollern Castle

Majestic castle Hohenzollern, proudly stands on top of a mountain at an altitude of Hohenzollern 855 meters and is located near the settlements and Bisingen Hechingen, in the federal state of Baden-Württemberg. Castle is considered the preserve of the Hohenzollern dynasty,  the dynasty, which towered over the Middle Ages and rule Prussia and Brandenburg until the end of World War II.  

Author A. Kniesel , License

The current castle has undergone three stages of construction. First medieval castle fortress is mentioned in 1267, but it is assumed that it was built earlier, in XI century. In 1423 the castle was besieged by the troops of the imperial cities of Swabia. May 15, 1423, the castle was taken and destroyed. From the first castle remained only written record. 

Dover Castle

Dover Castle is one of the most powerful of castles of Western Europe. Many centuries, it is the guardian of the shortest sea route from England to the Continent. Its location on the shore of the Strait of Pas-de-Calais, between Britain and France gave Dover castle of great strategic importance. For a long time he was considered the "key to England" due to its strategic position on the island.

Attribution: Ron Strutt, License

Castle began to exist immediately before the beginning of our era. Moat protecting the castle, was dug up in the prehistoric Iron Age. After the arrival of the British Isles by the Romans in the 1st century AD on the site 

of the present town of Dover was founded a fortified settlement. Dover began to develop as a Roman port. To do this, in 50 AD, two lighthouses were built: one here and one in the Western Heights. Lighthouse, located on the territory of the castle, has been preserved to this day. In the Anglo-Saxon period, the lighthouse was attached to the church, and he began to serve the bell tower.