Welcome!
“Every man deserves a castle;
doesn’t matter how big your castle is.”
- Big Narstie
Let’s take a little tour of some European castles! I have ordered them, loosely, from oldest to newest.
First up -
Prague Castle;
Prague, Czech Republic
Prague Castle was built around 880 AD. It holds the Guinness World Record for the largest castle, at 70,000 square meters. It has been added and renovated throughout the years resulting in many different architectural styles, including Romanesque and Gothic.
“If a castle gets destroyed,
you just build a new one. If you wanted me to
I’d build them over and over.
Let’s build them together.”
- Fuyumi Soryo
Here is a coloring page of a similar castle.
2. Killyleagh Castle;
Killyleagh, Northern Ireland
In 1180 a fortification was built on fortress ruins. In 1625 King James I gave this land to James Hamilton (who later became First Viscount Claneboye). Since then it has been the home of the Hamilton family.
This chart helps us with some of the specialty words used for castles.
Here is a princess you can draw-
Arundel, England
Leobendorf, Austria
Built on the remains of a 12th century medieval castle, Kreuzenstein Castle was destroyed in the 30 years’ war. It was intended to be a Wilczek family vault, rather than a place to live. It is currently made from sections of medieval structures purchased from all over Europe, taking 30 years to complete.
Why not try to draw your own castle?
Or you could make a castle card, like this one-
5. Cesis Castle;
Cesis, Latvia
In 1209 Cesis Castle was first built as a stone chapel, and a chapter house. In 1577 Ivan the Terrible laid siege to it. Rather than be captured or killed, 300 people inside committed mass suicide by blowing themselves up with their remaining gunpowder.
“The castle walls remind us that united the Latvian people are invincible.”
- Mayor Rudolf Kaucis
This how-to will help you learn how to draw your own knights -
Heerenberg, Netherlands
Here’s a fun maze to do -
and another castle you can draw -
7. Butron Castle Gatica;
Basque Country, Northern Spain
Found in the Basque area of the country, this fantasy castle goes back to the 14th century. It was rebuilt in 1878 in the Gothic Revival style. It is a protected building of Spain, and is not open to the public inside. It is a modern castle with a fairytale look reminiscent of Bavarian castle models.
Here is a paint by number castle -
Loire Valley, France
A medieval style has a long corridor with doors/rooms on either side.
Renaissance style groups rooms together, to form self contained suites.
Here is yet another way to draw a castle -
King George V built this castle (1858 - 1867) as a birthday present for his wife, Marie of Saxe-Altenburg. It is an example of Gothic Revival architecture. It is currently closed for renovations, with an estimated opening of 2030.
Here is a fun dot-to-dot game -
This 19th century castle sits on 40,000 acres. The Scottish baronial style was rebuilt in 1871 after a major fire. The estate holds the oldest (and famous) deer forest with the same ownership for over 150 years. It has been featured in several movies and tv series, such as Monarch of the Glen, episodes of Miss Marple (Agatha Christie) and Netflix’s series The Crown.
I have enjoyed this small tour of a few European castles. I hope you have also!
