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| Carcassonne, France Originally fortified in the 1st century, B.C., by the Romans, the earliest towers date from the 6th century. This is a stunning castle, quite large, double walled and nearly impregnable when finished. It's in the town of Carcassonne in southwest France. All images ©1993, Jeffrey L. Cooper |
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| San Marino San Marino is the world's oldest and smallest republic. It sits 23 miles square on top of Mount Titano. The fortress has commanding views in all directions, as you can see from these images, including the stitched-together panorama below. All images ©1993, Jeffrey L. Cooper
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| Tallinn, Estonia The old city of Tallinn is around 800 years old. These are the well-preserved walls that encircle the old city, protecting it during it's medieval past. All images ©2000, Jeffrey L. Cooper
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Barbican, Warsaw, Poland The Barbican is a gate in what's left of the old city wall that protected Old Warsaw. The gate was built in 1548 and protected the northern flank of the city. Both images ©2002, Jeffrey L. Cooper
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Ciechanów Castle, Poland Ciechanów Castle, an hour's drive north of Warsaw, was build in the 1420's was also called the Castle of the Moravian Princes. All images ©2002, Jeffrey L. Cooper |
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Thun Castle, Swizterland |
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Florence, Italy OK, so this isn't really a castle, but it has the appearance, and it is a beautiful building. Started in 1254, it started out as a residence for the police, and turned into a jail. It is now the Bargello (or, Justice) Museum. Both images ©1993, Jeffrey L. Cooper |
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| Fort Fincastle, Nassau, Bahamas These are the "outcast" images of the site- the only non-European photos of castles or fortresses. This little fortress is in Nassau, shaped like the bow of a ship. It was built by Lord Dunmore in 1793. Both images ©1996, Jeffrey L. Cooper |
| Festung Hohensalzburg, Salzburg, Austria This picturesque fortress sits on the summit of the Mönchsberg, approximately 400 feet above the Salzach River. You can climb stairs or ride a funicular to the top for a splendid view in all directions. It's square in the middle of downtown Salzburg, so you cannot miss it, even if you tried. The castle was built in 1077, and the present form took shape around 1500. ©1992, Jeffrey L. Cooper |
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| Starý Hrad,
Slovakia Starý Hrad is a 13th century castle that overlooked the Vah River near the Tatras Mountains (a gorgeous, dense, mount-ainous national park). There is a nearby sister castle called Strečno. Due to the heavy winter conditions and icy coldness, I was not able to explore it (temperature was about -8F, or -22C). I was in Slovakia on it's second day of nationhood after splitting from Czech on January 1, 1993. This is near the High Tatras Mountains, not far from the border with Poland. (Thanks to a fellow named Tamás for providing me the details on this castle!) ©1993, Jeffrey L. Cooper |
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