11th century castles of Europe
18 European castles and fortresses built mainly in the 11th century — each mapped, dated and ready to explore.
Alcácer do Sal Castle
Ancient salt-town citadel above the river Sado
Castle of Santa Maria da Feira
Fairytale castle bristling with conical-roofed turrets and battlements
Château de Foix
Three-towered castle of the counts of Foix on a rock in the Pyrenees
Château de Saumur
Gleaming white hilltop château above the Loire, painted in a medieval masterpiece
Château des Baux-de-Provence
Ruined clifftop castle carved into the white rock of the Alpilles
Mont-Saint-Michel
An abbey-fortress crowning a tidal island, never taken by the English
Montemor-o-Velho Castle
Long-walled hilltop fortress above the rice fields of the Mondego
Nuremberg Castle
Great imperial castle where the Holy Roman Emperors held court
Reichsburg Cochem
A towered hill castle above the Moselle, rebuilt as a romantic dream
Silves Castle
Great red-walled Moorish castle, capital of the Algarve
São Jorge Castle
Moorish hilltop citadel crowning Lisbon, long a royal palace
Loarre Castle
Spain's great Romanesque fortress, among the oldest castles in Europe
Château de Peyrepertuse
A 'citadel of vertigo' riding a knife-edge ridge in the Corbières
Veste Coburg
A vast hilltop fortress where Martin Luther once took refuge
Château de Caen
One of the largest medieval fortress enclosures in Europe, built by the Conqueror
Wartburg
Hilltop castle where Martin Luther translated the Bible into German
Hohensalzburg Fortress
One of Europe's largest hilltop fortresses, towering over Salzburg since 1077
Walls of Ávila
Spain's perfectly preserved medieval city walls, with 88 towers and nine gates