5
Castle Howard, Yorkshire
One of the grandest private residences in Britain, this beautiful estate has been home to the Howard family for over 300 years.
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Castle Hohenschwangau, Germany
Schloss Hohenschwangau is a 19th-century palace in Germany, which receives more than 300,000 visitors per year.
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Corfe Castle, Dorset
Corfe Castle is a fortification that dates back to the 11th century, designed by William the Conquerer.
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Malbork Castle, Poland
Malbork is the largest castle in the world (surface area), and the largest brick building in Europe.
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Neuschwanstein Castle, Germany
Ludwig II of Bavaria built this castle as a personal refuge. After he died in 1886, Neuschwanstein opened to the paying public and has since had over 60 million visitors.
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Château de Chambord, France
This palace was built to serve as a hunting lodge for François I, and has very distinct French Renaissance architecture. It opened to the public in 2007 and has drawn in more than 700,000 visitors.
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Osaka Castle, Japan
One of Japan’s most famous castles, Osaka has a five-story exterior and an eight-story interior. It was built atop a tall stone foundation to protect its occupants from attackers during the 16th century.
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Hohenwerfen Castle, Austria
This 11th-century castle is surrounded by the Berchtesgaden Alps and the Tennengebirge mountain range. Exterior shots of the castle were used as a French hotel in the movie Just Married.
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Kilkenny Castle, Ireland
Kilkenny was built in 1195 by William Marshal and now serves as a conference and graduation venue.
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Peleș Castle, Romania
This Neo-Renaissance castle is located in the Carpathian Mountains, built between 1873 and 1914.
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Schloss Moritzburg, Germany
Named after Duke Mortiz of Saxony, this palace lies on artificial land and is surrounded by woodlands used for hunting.
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Castillo de Coca, Spain
This castle was built on the site of ancient Cauca, the birthplace of the Roman emperor Theodosius. The castle now serves as a training school for foresters.
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Sleeping Beauty Castle at Disneyland, California
The Sleeping Beauty castle was inspired by Neuschwanstein (#5 on the list) and stands as a landmark in Disneyland.
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Kronborg Castle, Denmark
Built in the 1420s, Kronborg is one of the most important fortifications in Northern Europe. It has been immortalized as Elsinore in William Shakespeare’s Hamlet.
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Alnwick Castle, Northumberland
Alnwick’s interior and exterior was used to film Hogwarts scenes in the Harry Potter films and has roughly 800,000 visitors per year.
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Edinburgh Castle, Scotland
This 12th-century palace is positioned upon the volcanic Castle Rock and has become a recognizable symbol of Edinburgh.
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Highclere Castle, United Kingdom
Highclere is a 19th-century castle that serves as the main filming location for the hit-TV show Downton Abbey.
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Château de Versailles, France
This royal château in France has a whopping 2,300 rooms, 67 staircases, and 5,210 pieces of furniture.
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Prague Castle, Czech Republic
Prague Castle was named the largest ancient castle in the world by the Guinness Book of Records, occupying 70,000 square meters.
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Kylemore Abbey, Ireland
Kylemore was built as a private residence for wealthy London doctor, Mitchell Henry. The estate was sold to the Duke and Dutchess of Manchester in 1909, but they were forced to sell due to gambling debts.
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