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Amazing Castles and Mansions From Around the World

The Alcázar of Segovia (literally "Segovia Castle") is a stone fortification, located in the old city of Segovia, Spain. It is one of the most distinctive castle-palaces in Spain by virtue of its shape - like the bow of a ship. The Alcázar was originally built as a fortress but has served as a royal palace, a state prison, a Royal Artillery College and a military academy since then.

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Neuschwanstein Castle is a 19th century Bavarian castle. Located in Germany, near Hohenschwangau and Füssen in southwest Bavaria, the castle was built by Ludwig II, King of Bavaria, as a retreat and as an homage to Richard Wagner, the King’s inspiring muse.

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Schloss Moritzburg is a Baroque Germanic castle in the small town of Moritzburg in the German state of Saxony. It is located close to the city of Dresden. It was built from 1542–1546 as a hunting lodge for Duke Moritz of Saxony.

Photo by Jmbgermany

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Castles Built by People Clueless About Castles:

“I was not a builder, I had never handled a mason’s trowel, I was not a sculptor. The chisel was unknown to me; not to mention architecture, a field in which I remained totally ignorant.”
- Postman Cheval

Tarodi Var, Sopron, Hungary
Curious Expeditions recently posted on Tarodi Var, a self built castle in the Hungarian countryside. Yet Tarodi Var is not alone. Scattered throughout the world, there are a small handful of castles made by non-architects, constructed without a team of workers, and with very little money.

All the castles presented below were built by a single person, with occasional help from family members or friends. Raised rock by rock from the ground, these castles are the result of unfaltering vision, pure will, and a lifetime effort to make literal the phrase “a man’s home is his castle.”

Without further ado, Curious Expeditions presents the 15 best self built castles in the world.

1. Facteur Cheval’s Perfect Palace, Hauterives, Southern France

Perhaps the most famous of these feats of outsider architecture is the Palais Ideal. Facteur Ferdinand Cheval was “an uneducated, unskilled mailman who was moved to build the palace of his childhood imagination after stumbling across one beautiful stone in the road.” “From that moment,” he says in a letter from 1897, “I did not sleep day or night.”

La Palais Ideal, Hauterives, Southern France

“Cheval told no one about his plan fearing they would think he had lost his mind. For 15 years Cheval was a mailman by day and an architect by night, building his palace of stones and intricately carved concrete with little available light and no assistance.”

Started in 1879 and finished in 1912, it took over 10,000 days, 93,000 hours, and 33 years of toil. The palace shows a mix of inspirations including the Bible, Neuschwanstein, a Hindu sanctuary, and a sandcastle. Cheval wanted to be buried in his palace, and when French authorities forbade it, he built himself a magnificent vault in the local cemetery at the age of 80.

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World's Coolest Castles:

Edinburgh Castle

Scotland knows how to build a castle. Up on a hill. When I think "Castle" I think of the Edinburgh Castle, up on a spooky hill, with lightning striking, and the kids from Scooby-Doo solving a mystery.

Below: At Edinburgh Castle, they fire a cannon every day at 1 PM to remind people that cannons are fun.

Ashford Castle

This castle looks awesome. It's from the 13th century. In case you can't imagine the 13th century, those were the times when they didn't even have text messaging. To send a text message they needed to send some dude with a bugle (i.e. ringtone), then he'd read the king's proclamation off a piece of parchment.

Below: See how cool this castle looks on the lake in Ireland? Now it's not so cool because it's a super luxury hotel. Though it WOULD be cool if every night one of the most obnoxious guests was beheaded.

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