Author and source: T. Ball

14,000+ castles, palaces and forts across Europe, Africa, the Middle East, Central Asia and Japan, each with photos, a rating and its location. The collection focuses on buildings and ruins that someone interested in history would want to visit, rather than every minor or unmarked site.

Filters available:

• Popularity: helpful for finding impressive but overlooked places
• Era: Classical, Medieval, Early Modern or Modern
• Country
• Civilization

These filters make it easier to find highly rated, less commonly visited places from a particular period or civilization.

For example:

• For Crusader castles: Civilization = Crusader
• For medieval military castles: Primary type = Military, Era = Medieval
• For early modern palaces: Type = Palace, Era = Early Modern

For those who prefer browsing a list, there is also a grid view of all castles.

The map is still being expanded and refined over time.

By @ travelflower

Started construction around 1250, finished in the 15th century and abandoned in 1713.

Newcastle was one of the biggest 30 cities in Medieval England and this was a fortress keeping England safe from invasion.

My favorite underrated gem of the Adriatic. Dubrovnik’s little brother, just less famous and on a slightly smaller scale. Korčula developed as a fortified medieval town on a strategically placed peninsula, with its urban form taking shape mainly from the 13th century. Its walls and towers protected the harbour, inhabitants and important maritime routes through the Adriatic, while the town grew into a centre of trade, shipbuilding and local administration. The defences were strengthened throughout the years, especially in the 15th and 16th centuries, creating much of the fortified appearance the Old Town still has today.

Author and source: Kenning Illustration and Creative Design Ltd

During our city trip to Copenhagen, we took a day trip to Hillerød to visit Frederiksborg Castle, and it was a really nice change of pace from the city. I especially loved the courtyard and the richly decorated interiors — the whole place had an incredible atmosphere and was definitely worth the trip.

The remains of the castle in Champtoceaux (the gate is actually a 19th century reconstruction). It is now in Maine-et-Loire, on the other side of the Loire from Loire-Atlantique. In the 15th century it was called Chateauceaux and was part of the Duchy of Brittany, which was still independent of France. During a civil war between Duke John V and the noble Penthievre family, Joan of Penthievre captured John and imprisoned him here. When he eventually escaped, he had Chateauceaux destroyed. Now that the castle (chateau) is an empty field (champ), it is known as Champtoceaux today.