Medieval Castles facts

While investigating facts about Medieval Castles In England and Medieval Castles In Europe, I found out little known, but curios details like:

The French have been building a castle for 20 years using medieval techniques and building material, anyone can participate in the project, which will be completed in 2023.

how medieval castles were built?

In medieval castles, stairwells ran clockwise, so attackers coming up the stairs had their sword hands (right hand) against the wall's interior curve which made it hard for them to swing their swords. Defenders had their swords on the outside wall, which meant more room to swing.

What were medieval castles made of?

In my opinion, it is useful to put together a list of the most interesting details from trusted sources that I've come across answering what life was like in medieval castles. Here are 49 of the best facts about Medieval Castles Design and Medieval Castles In Ireland I managed to collect.

what medieval castles looked like?

In 1997 an experiment to build a castle, using only medieval tools began, and twenty one years later they're more than half way finished.
Medieval Castles went up in a clockwise spiral to give defenders a sword fighting advantage
People have been building a medieval castle near Treigny, France, using only medieval techniques and materials, according to an architectural model from the 13th century. They're in their seventeenth year.
Spiral staircases in medieval castles were deliberately made clockwise because it diminished the ability of attackers to properly swing their swords, since right-handed fighters would have had to to contend with the walls while making their striking motions.
That, on 16 november 1949, students in Ghent (Belgium) stormed the medieval castle, lowered the portculis and threw fruit from the walls at the police to protest a new tax on beer. The event is still commemorated yearly by the city as the greatest student prank in its history.
The reason behind spiral stairs being clockwise: In medieval times, they were designed this way in castles, so that attackers running up the stairs had their sword-arm near the center column, while the defenders had more room to swing their sword.
In the final days of WWII, German Wehrmacht soldiers fought alongside US Army troops to defend a medieval castle from the Waffen SS
In 1944, a small militia of 30 men in Luxembourg defended a medieval castle successfully against the onslaught of 250 Waffen SS, killing 18 nazis and forcing the rest to retreat. The castle proved to be a useful Allied watchtower into German territory for months to come.
American and German soldiers teamed up against the Nazis in a battle for a medieval castle

medieval castles facts — What did medieval castles look like?

Why were castles built in medieval europe?

You can easily fact check why were castles built in the medieval times by examining the linked well-known sources.

In 1949 in Ghent, Belgium, students took over a medieval castle and fended off police with fruits and vegetables because they were unhappy with a price increase on beer.

A team of French volunteers is rebuilding an entire medieval castle from scratch and doing it only with medieval instruments. Château de Guédelon is the largest project of its kind in the world. - source

In the early 1900s, rich American robber barons like Hearst would buy entire medieval European castles and transport them, stone by stone, back to America to be rebuilt. They're all over the country now. - source

Early Medieval castles often had small windows which made the interior dark. In the 1200s larger windows began to be included to allow for more light.

Sometimes sharp spikes were set in place in the moats so that invaders that were not turned away by the sewage would still be fought off (or killed) by the spikes.

When were medieval castles built?

It wasn"t until the middle of the Medieval times that fireplaces were invented. Up until then castles were very cold.

How medieval castles were defended?

Medieval castles often had gatehouses that provided access to the castle for its inhabitants but also provided protection against invaders. These gatehouses made it possible to stop unwanted visitors from gaining entry.

The tower of a castle was referred to as a "donjon".

Originally castles were built of wood and earth but stone was later used as it provided more protection from invaders.

There are more than 10,000 medieval castles still in existence today in Europe and in Asia.

When were medieval castles first built?

Guédelon Castle in France is a building project, creating a medieval castle using only 12th - 13th century techniques. Visitors can not only see the castle, but spend time learning about medieval building techniques and join in the construction themselves. (Video in French w/ subtitles)

The moat of a castle was often filled with the sewage from the people living behind its walls. It smelled horrible but the smell was not much of a deterrent. Invaders would wade into the disgusting water to try and reach the castle.

Some of the most famous medieval castles include the Tower of London (England), Château Gaillard des Andelys (France), Castel del Monte (Italy), Alcazar de Segovia (Spain), Kasteel de Haar (Netherlands), Veliki Tabor (Croatia), Edinburgh Castle (Scotland), Burg Eltz (Germany), and Bran Castle, also known as Dracula's Castle (Romania).

Battle of Nations, an international, full-contact, historical medieval competition where people wear real armor and fight with real weapons every year in a castle in Europe

Life in a castle was unlikely as glamorous as people today believe. They were often stinky and very busy places.

How medieval castles were attacked?

Often there were obstacles put in place to defend the medieval castles from potential invaders. These obstacles could include moats, spikes, curtain walls, and lookouts were placed in strategic positions so that invaders could be spotted and the castle occupants warned.

Major sites in Cinque Terre National Park and Cinque Terre include Castello Doria (oldest castle still existing in Cinque Terre), Torre Guardiola (bird-watching observation center), Convento dei Cappuccini (church and convent in Monterosso), Piazzale Papa Innocenzo IV (small piazza with bell tower in Via Dicsovolo), Fossola Beach (pebbly beach near marina in Riomaggiore), Belvedere di Santa Maria (hilltop lookout in Corniglia), and La Torre (medieval lookout in Corniglia).

The Ozark Medieval Fortress, a project designed to construct an accurate replica of a 13th-century French castle in Lead Hill, Arkansas. The Fortress was intended to attract visitors who would pay for the privilege of observing a historical construction site.

Medieval Castle designed circular staircases for defense purposes: The stairs diminished the ability of attackers mounting an upward assault to properly swing their swords, since right-handed fighters would have had to to contend with the walls while making their striking motions.

There is a full sized 13th century castle being built in France, using entirely medieval techniques. Construction began in 1997 and is expected to be completed in the 2020s.

There is a medieval castle in Central Park which houses it’s official weather station

Since 1997, in Burgundy (France) archaeologists, historians, architects and workers have been building an entire medieval castle using only 13th century techniques. The project is scheduled to end in 2025, 28 years after the start of construction. This is a real boon for modern historians

There's a castle being built using only the techniques and materials used in the Middle Ages. When completed in the 2020s, it should be an authentic recreation of a 13th-century medieval castle

The word "castle" is derived from the Latin word "castrum" meaning "Fortified place".

Guédelon Castle in France where they are building a castle using only technologies and techniques available from Medieval time.

The Lord and Lady of a Medieval castle lived in quarters referred to as 'solar chambers".

The drawbridge was invented late in the Medieval-castle era. Simple drawbridges consisted of a log that was removed when not needed. More complex designs used a counterweight to draw the bridge up or let it down.

Medieval people were not as concerned with privacy as we are today and toilets were often just long benches.

These UFC fighters would actually try Medieval MMA and that Misha Cirkunov thinks they should be fighting in a castle... are they using dull swords?!

This is our collection of basic interesting facts about Medieval Castles. The fact lists are intended for research in school, for college students or just to feed your brain with new realities. Possible use cases are in quizzes, differences, riddles, homework facts legend, cover facts, and many more. Whatever your case, learn the truth of the matter why is Medieval Castles so important!