10 Disney-like castles you need to know about

Fairytales come in all shape, size and colour. Are you also fond of a good princess tale, handsome prince, fairy godmothers and all? If so, you might have visited the castles at Disneyland. To give you an extra dose of imagination other than the Disney castles we have put together 10 Disney-like castles around the world.

1. Neuschwanstein, Germany

Being less than 200 years old, Neuschwanstein is possibly the most fairytale-esque castle. The construction of this lush was ordered by King Ludwig in 1868. Sadly, he died in the same year when his dream residence was completely constructed. After Prussian took over Bavaria, he retreated into his own fantasy world, constructing fairytale-inspired castles lavishly. The “Sleeping Beauty Castle” which lights up Disneyland draws its inspiration from this castle of Germany.

2. Castle Mont Rouge, North Carolina

It was built by Robert Mihaly as a home and studio. This fancy structure mimics European, Russia, and Middle Eastern architecture constituting minarets, towers, and turrets. After he and his wife divorced, he abandoned the castle without completing the interior of the building. However, there is a rumour that he still visits or uses the place as a studio. Even after being graffitied, vandalized and rotting, this castle still haunts the skyline.

3. Hohenzollern Castle, Germany

The castle could have been home to any of the Grimm brothers’ wicked queens, brave princes, or fairy princesses. The current castle was built on 1454 and renovated in 1819 by the Crown Prince Frederick William, and was finished in 1850. The Crown Prince wanted to restore his ancestral home to its former glory. And today the castle is open in all its majesty today for visitors.

4. Gwrych Castle, Wales

Since the days of fairytales and knights, the lands of Gwrych castle have held a castle since then. Built during the days of the Norman Conquest it looked much less like a regal abode and more like a log cabin. It was destroyed after the English Civil War in the mid-seventeenth century. According to the Gwrych Castle Preservation Trust, the current structure, the stuff of Victorian gothic dreams was rebuilt 1812 and finished in 1822. During WWII the castle was a refuge for Jewish refugees and also a popular site for Renaissance affairs. It was abandoned in the mid-1980s, though efforts were made in the last decades to restore the haunting beauty in the hill.

5. Bannerman Castle, New York

Outside of Disney World, the fairytale castles does exist in America. It was not built in the intention to be a lavish abode, but as a house to one man’s artillery collection and was built by Frank Bannerman VI. According to Atlas Obscura, he was an army surplus supplier selling everything from cannons used at the battle to supplies required to furnish the entire US battalions. Since 90% of the military surplus was provided by him, a place was needed to store it all. So purchasing the castle seemed to be a good idea which was made as his arsenal and summer home as well.

6. Muromtzevo Castle, Russia

The monument to hubris and greatness of Russia is an abandoned castle now. A Russian nobleman got into an agreement with a Frenchman about whose country is best while travelling. The Russian man, Khrapovitsky bragged that he could build a castle in Russia as grand as any in France which resulted in the construction of Muromtzevo Castle. The palace is mostly in the German style with a little addition of French architecture which was not common in Russia.

7. Pidhirtsi Castle, Ukraine

The fairytale of seventeenth luxury was built between 1635 and 1650 by the Italian architect Andrea dell’Acqua for the chief of Polish Crown. The building is very different from the similar buildings of the era. It might be possible that a handsome prince could have wooed his princess from those halls. Sounds romantic, isn’t it? One can see an impressive collection of sculpture and art and maintained English and French gardens.

8. Warwick Castle, United Kingdom

Nested on the banks of the River Avon since 914, the original wood fortress was built by William the Conqueror in 1068. Again it was rebuilt in the 12^th century and served as the main stronghold during the Hundred Year Wars. Until 1978 the place was the private residence of various Earls of Warwick. If you tour the castle and the grounds, one can even catch sight of the ghost of the deceased Sir Fulke Greville in the aptly named Ghost Tower. You can visit this tower and create your own fairytale which comes with as much sparkle and Stardust as the name conveys.

9. Kronborg Castle, Denmark

Kronborg is very much a castle for prince and princesses sited on the edge of Denmark- so close, that Sweden is barely at a stones-throw distant. Danish King Frederick II converted the brick bastion of the 1420s into a Renaissance masterpiece between 1574 and 1585. It is and was the setting for Willam Shakespeare’s tour de force hamlet. In Hamletscenen festival, every summer, actors stride around its spacious interior playing the troubled lead and his doomed love, Ophelia.

10. Chateau de Saumur, France

It gives you a feeling of a perfect, fairytale castle because of the towers leaping into the sky, the drawbridge leading to the grand entrance, the castle checks all the boxes required to meet the perfection of a castle. It’s construction dates back to the 10^th century which remained freshened and finessed throughout all these centuries. Also, it served as a host to a few beasts during that time. Also, Napoleon Bonaparte converted it into a state prison and has seized the French reins. Staring imperiously at its surroundings it is now happily restored to full splendour.

Bottom Line:

You can definitely pay a visit to these castles with a relatively much lower expense. One can get the idea about where the Disneyland castles have drawn their inspiration from depicting the stories of the prince, princesses, chariots residing in beautiful, pointed castles which touches the sky.