The waters of Lake Garda creep into the thick walls of the castle – by design. The castle was built with numerous passageways that allow travel by boat while also keeping the castle defended. Due to this feature, it looks as if the lake is slowly swallowing the castle, giving it another moniker: the Sinking Castle.
Yet this structure has stood for hundreds of years and has defended the old town of Sirmione since its construction. The castle’s name came from the original builders, who chose to decorate the buildings with symbolic and defensive design elements in order to make their status as the owners widely known.
Still Undergoing Reconstruction
The Nesvizh Castle has drawn sharp criticism due to the lengthy reconstruction projects that are still ongoing. This includes structures that have been long-demolished, such as a bell tower. However, the interior of the castle still looks pristine, with gold filigree on nearly every surface, and oodles of examples of beautiful furniture, art, and decorations.
One member of the Radziwill family was Caroline Bouvier, the younger sister of Jackie Kennedy. Due to this marriage, Caroline became a princess, which must have been nice to hold over Jackie's head. But this castle hasn't always been full of fun – in 1939, the Red Army expelled the Radziwill family and made the castle a sanatorium as the park fell into neglect.
Rocca Scaligera Castle – Sirmione, Italy
Found on Lake Garda, Rocca Scaligera is one of Italy's best-preserved castles. It sees more than three hundred thousand visitors a year! The castle has been around since the thirteenth century and is one of the most popular tourist destinations in Italy. It features a notable wet dock, a fortified port built in the fourteenth century, stylistically unique ramparts, and crenelated towers.
The bright tan stone and clear, green waters of the lake under it turn this castle, along with the city accompanying it, into a beautiful scene for visitors and residents alike. As a castle on the water, this structure had to do a lot of things differently.
Hohenzollern Castle – Bisingen, Germany
Hohenzollern is one of the three hilltop castles still owned by Prussian royalty. It could very easily be seen as a real-life Hogwarts, with huge spires and towers, an immense keep, hundreds of outbuildings, and large walls. Yet this neo-Gothic castle is only a few hundred years old, built in the nineteenth century.
Just south of Stuttgart, more than three hundred thousand people visit this castle every year. This perfect example of beautiful neo-Gothic architecture also features the crown jewels of the Prussian King. It is currently the home of the Prussian royal family, though since Prussia doesn't necessarily exist anymore (it's complicated) the family isn't in charge of any state matters.
Nothing Like Some Good Old Fashioned Opulence
The Prussian spirit is alive and well in Hohenzollern Castle. The castle boasts more than 140 rooms, and each one includes unique details that visitors love to notice. These range from intricate marquetry floors, to immense murals that take up entire walls, to gilded, vaulted ceilings.
There are four towers, aligned to bastions, that rise into the air. It houses numerous buried royals, and the Eagle Gate, the main entrance to the castle, is an immense tunnel. While it's never shown up in a Harry Potter film, it was the location for a 2016 thriller-horror film "A Cure for Wellness". A 2017 TV adaptation of "The Worst Witch" also used the castle.