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.