Windsor Castle, in Berkshire, England

2. Chateau de Versailles, Pairs, France

3. Odescalchi Castle, Rome, Italy

4. Bran Castle, Romania

5. Leeds Castle – Lent, England

6. The Gothic Wawel Castle – Poland
The Gothic Wawel Castle in
Poland is made up of a number of structures built around a central
courtyard. During the early 16th century King Sigismund I the Old and
his wife invited myriad renowned artists including Italian architects
and sculptors to redo the castle into a Renaissance palace, transforming
it into a much copied castle throughout Central and Eastern Europe.

7. The Heidelberg Castle – Heidelberg, Germany
The Heidelberg
Castle in Heidelberg, Germany had a tortured past, having been hit by
lightening twice, and damaged by both wars and fire. Its ruins are among
the most important Renaissance structures north of the Alps.

8. Sanssouci Castle – Germany
Some call Sanssouci Castle
Germany’s Versailles. Unlike Versailles, however, Sanssouci, in Potsdam,
is decorated in the Rococo style and is much smaller. The palace was
designed to provide a private getaway for Frederick the Great, King of
Prussia, in the mid-1700s, as the name Sanssouci, which translates
loosely as “without cares” or “carefree, ” indicates.

9. Dunluce Castle – North Ireland
Dunluce Castle, the site of
Jackie Chan’s “The Medallian” and several historic battles, sits on
basalt rock 100 feet above the sea in Northern Ireland.

10. Bratislava Castle – Slovakia
Bratislava Castle, in Slovakia,
houses four towers and spectacular views of the Danube River. The castle
burned in 1811 and remained ruined until 1953 when a massive
reconstruction was initiated. Today, the castle is a museum and tourist
attraction.

11. The château de Rambouillet – Paris, France
The château de
Rambouillet, about thirty miles outside of Paris, France, is the summer
residence of the Presidents of France. The first G6 summitt took place
in this palace.

12. The Biltmore House – Asheville, North Carolina, USA
The
Biltmore House, in Asheville, North Carolina, is America’s largest
privately owned home. Built by the Vanderbilt family, this 250-room home
resembles a French chateau. It houses original art from masters such as
Renoir, 16th-century tapestries, Napoleon’s chess set, a library with
10,000 volumes, 65 fireplaces, an indoor pool, bowling alley, and
priceless antiques.

13. Castle on the Hudson, Manhattan
Though many of these castles
are far away, these next few are closeby. Pictured above, Castle on the
Hudson is within thirty minutes of Manhattan, overlooking the Hudson
River on sprawling acres of manicured gardens and grounds. It was
originally a private home and is now a hotel with a 5-star restaurant.

14. Boldt Castle – Alexandria Bay, New York, USA
The 120-room
Boldt Castle, in Alexandria Bay, New York, sits in the 1000 Islands
Region of the St. Lawrence River. It is a “monument of love on Heart
Island of George C. Boldt for his wife Louise,” the castle Web site
reports. George halted construction on the castle in 1904 when his wife
died of tuberculosis.

15. OHEKA Castle in Cold Spring Harbor, Long Island
OHEKA Castle
in Cold Spring Harbor, Long Island was built by financier and
philanthropist Otto Hermann Kahn on a 400-plus-acre plot for an
estimated $110 million dollars in today’s currency, according to the
OHEKA Web site. This French-style, 109,000-square-foot, 127-room estate
is the second-largest private residence in America. During the roaring
’20s, Kahn used the chateau as a summer home where he hosted lavish
parties with royalty, heads of state and Hollywood stars.

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یکشنبه 28 شهریورماه سال 1389 ساعت 11:30 ق.ظ