TOP Most Fascinating Castles and Palaces

 

Most Fascinating Castles and Palaces

 The Potala Palace: Tibet's greatest monumental structure

Perched upon Marpo Ri hill, 130 meters above the Lhasa valley, the Potala Palace rises a further 170 meters and is the greatest monumental structure in all of Tibet. In 637 Emperor Songtsen Gampo decided to build this palace on a hill, and the structure stood until the seventeenth century, when it was incorporated into the foundations of the greater buildings still standing today. Construction of the present palace began in 1645 during the reign of the fifth Dalai Lama and by 1648 the Potrang Karpo, or White Palace, was completed. The Potrang Marpo, or Red Palace, was added between 1690 and 1694; its construction required the labors of more than 7000 workers and 1500 artists and craftsman. The Potala Palace was only slightly damaged during the Tibetan uprising against the invading Chinese in 1959. Unlike most other Tibetan religious structures, it was not sacked by the Red Guards during the 1960s and 1970s. As a result, all the chapels and their artifacts are very well preserved.

 Mont Saint-Michel: a Medieval Castle on a Small Island

Mont St Michel France is situated on a quasi-island on the Normandy coast, near Brittany, which at high tide is almost entirely separated from the mainland. Only a narrow causeway, constructed in the 1880s preserves a link to the coast. Beware: the tide comes in quickly - many tourists have drowned attempting to cross the sandy bay. Unlike other castles in France, which began as defensive structures or pleasure palaces, Mont St Michel had its beginnings as a monastery. Today, the Castle attracts over four million visitors a year, far more than most castles in France and has been featured in numerous movies, cartoons, and even video games. 

 Predjamski Castle: Integrated in a Cave

Every castle in the world is unique in some way, no two are the same, but this one --even though it's rather small and humble compared to some-- is probably the only one in the world who is integrated in a cave, precisely the second largest cave system in Slovenia. Its name, Predjamski Grad, literally means "Castle in Front of the Cave." 

The castle wasn't built in one go; first written records exist from 13th century, though the first part (left wing) was probably built in the first half of 12th century. Middle part was added in renaissance, and the right wing was build around 1570. Some things were added and changed later, but since 1990 renovation work is in progress, restoring it to the original 16th century look.

 Neuschwanstein Castle: the Classic Fairytale's Castle

The most famous of three royal palaces built for Louis II of Bavaria, sometimes referred to as Mad King Ludwig, the Neuschwanstein it's a royal palace in the Bavarian Alps of Germany. egun in 1869 and left unfinished at Louis's death in 1886, the castle is the embodiment of 19th century romanticism. In a fantastical imitation of a medieval castle, Neuschwanstein is set with towers and spires and is spectacularly sited on a high point over the Pullat River gorge. 

The construction of the castle was carried out according to a well thought-out plan. The castle was equipped with all kinds of technical conveniences which were very modern, if not to say revolutionary at that time. Running water on all floors. There were toilets equipped with automatic flushing on every floor. A warm air heating system for the entire building. American tourists are already familiar with Neuschwanstein; the sleeping beauty Castle in DisneyLand, was modeled on it.

 Matsumoto Castle: Japan's most fascinating castle

Matsumoto Castle, locally known as Matsumotojo, is one of the most complete and beautiful among Japan's original castles. It is also a good example of a so called "hirajiro", a castle built on the plain rather than on a hill or mountain. Matsumotojo's castle tower and smaller, second turret were built from 1592 to 1614 and were both well defended, as peace was not yet fully secured at the time. In 1635, when no more military threats existed, a third, barely defended turret for moon viewing was added to the castle. 

 Hunyad Castle: were Dracula was held prisoner

Now located in Hunedoara, Romania, the Hunyad Castle was part of Principality of Transylvania, and it's believed to be the place where Vlad III of Wallachia (commonly known as Dracula) was held prisoner for 7 years after he was deposed in 1462. The castle is a relic of the Hunyadi dynasty. It was built in Gothic style, but has Baroque and Renaissance architectural elements. It is a large and imposing building with tall and diversely colored roofs, towers and myriad windows and balconies adorned with stone carvings. 

 Malbork Castle: World's Largest Brick Gothic Castle

The Castle in Malbork was built in Prussia by the Teutonic Order as an Ordensburg. The Order named it Marienburg, literally "Mary's Castle". The town which grew around it was also named Marienburg, but since 1945 it is again, after 173 years, part of Poland and known as Malbork. The castle is a classic example of a medieval fortress, and is the world's largest brick gothic castle. UNESCO listed the castle and its museum as World Heritage Sites in December 1997.

 Palacio da Pena: Oldest Palace inspired by European Romanticism

The oldest palace inspired by European Romanticism, the Pena National Palace in Portugal stands on the top of a hill above the town of Sintra, and on a clear day it can be easily seen from Lisbon. First built in the 15th century as a palace, it was later reconstructed and donated to the church as a monastery. An earthquake in 1755 ruined most of it, until Prince Fernando acquired it in 1838 rebuilt it. The style of the palace is an eclectic combination of the original and subsequent styles, plus Romantic, Bavarian, and Moorish architecture, plus an English garden.  

 Löwenburg Castle: The Disneyland of the 18th century

Within the Wilhelmshöhe Hill Park which sits on one end of the city of Kassel, there stands what appears to be a medieval castle. However, the Löwenburg or "Lion's Castle" was ordered to be built by the Landgrave Wilhelm IX from Hessen Kassel (1743 -1821), the Walt Disney of his era, over a period of eight years between 1793 and 1801 as a romantic ruin. It was carefully designed by his royal court building inspector Heinrich Christoph Jussow who had gone to England specifically to study romantic English ruins and draw up a plan for the Landgrave's garden folly. Today scholars regard Löwenburg Castle ruins as one of the most significant buildings of its genre, in addition to being one of the first major neo-Gothic buildings in Germany. 

 Prague Castle: World's Largest Ancient Castle

One of the biggest castles in the world, and according to Guinness Book of Records, the biggest ancient castle, Prague Castle is about 570 meters in length and an average of 130 meters wide. The Czech Crown Jewels are kept here, and it was the place where the Czech kings, Holy Roman Emperors and presidents of Czechoslovakia and the Czech Republic have had their offices.

Collection Of Indian Universities web sites

Name of the Institution                                                                                       Website Address

                                                                

Aligarh Muslim University (AMU)                                                                       http://www.amu.ac.in

All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS)                                               http://www.aiims.ac.in

Allahabad University (AU)                                                                                  http://www.allduniv.edu/

Assam Administrative Staff College (AASC)                                                  http://www.assamstaffcol.net

Association of State Training Institutions in India (ASTI)                             http://asti.nic.in/

Banaras Hindu University (BHU)                                                                     http://www.bhu.ac.in

Banglore University                                                                                             http://www.bangaloreuniversity.net

Bengal Engineering College (BEC)                                                                http://www.becs.ac.in

Birbal Sahni Institute of Palaeobotany                                                            http://www.bsip-india.org

Board of Intermediate Education, Andhra Pradesh                                      http://interboardap.nic.in/

Bose Institute, Kolkata                                                                                       http://www.boseinst.ernet.in/

Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE)                                           http://www.cbseindia.org/

Central Hindi Directorate                                                                                   http://hindinideshalaya.nic.in/

Central Institute of Educational Technology (CIET)                                      http://www.ciet.nic.in/

Central Institute of English and Foreign Languages (CIEFL)                    http://www.ciefl.org/

Central Institute of Fisheries Education (CIFE)                                             http://www.icar.org.in/cife/index.htm

Central Institute of Indian Languages (CIIL)                                                  http://www.ciil.org/

Central Institute of Road Transport (CIRT), Pune                                         http://www.cirtpune.com

Central Library, Indian Institute of Technology, Madras                               http://www.cenlib.iitm.ac.in/

Central Marine Fisheries Research Institute (CMFRI)                                 http://www.cmfri.com/

Centre for Cultural Resources and Training (CCRT)                                  http://ccrtindia.org

Centre for Entrepreneurship Development of Karnataka (CEDOK)          http://nitpu2.kar.nic.in/cedok/

Chandigarh College Of Architecture                                                                 http://cca.nic.in

Christian Medical College Vellore                                                                   http://www.cmch-vellore.edu/

Cochin University of Science And Technology (CUSAT)                             http://www.cusat.ac.in

College of Engineering & Technology, Bhubaneswar                                 http://www.cetindia.org/

Commisssion for Scientific and Technical Terminology (CSTT)                              http://cstt.nic.in/

Common Entrance Test (CET) Cell, Karnataka                                            http://cet.kar.nic.in/

Delhi College of Engineering                                                                           http://www.dceonline.net/

Department of Adult and Continuing Education, University of Madras     http://www.universityofmadras.edu/

Department of Biotechnology, Sindhu Mahavidyalaya                                 http://geocities.com/biotechsmv/

Department of Computer Science & Engineering, IITK                                               http://www.cse.iitk.ac.in/

Department of Electronics and Communication Engineering, Karnataka REC     http://www.krec-ece.ac.in/

Department of Electronics, Cochin University of Science & Technology http://www.doe.cusat.edu

Department of Geology, Mohan Lal Sukhadia University                            http://www.geolmlsu.org/

Devi Ahilya Vishwavidyalaya                                                                              http://www.davv.ac.in

Directorate of Distance Education, Jai Prakash University                         http://www.ddejpu.org

District Primary Education Programme (DPEP), Latur                                               http://www.dpeplatur.com

Dr. B. R. Ambedkar Open University (Dr. BRAOU)                                        http://www.drbraou.com

Dr.B.R.Ambedkar Regional Engineering College, Jalandhar                    http://recjal.nic.in/

Educational Media Research Center (EMRC                )                                               http://www.emrchyd.org

Environmental Training Institute, Karnataka State Pollution Control Board            http://eti.kar.nic.in

Facilitation Centre for Industrial Plasma Technologies (FCIPT)                               http://www.plasmaindia.com

Faculty of Management Studies, University of Delhi                                    http://www.fms.edu/

Fr.Muller's Institute of Medical education and  Research  Mangalore      http://www.fathermuller.com 

Footwear Design and Development Institute (FDDI)                                   http://www.fddiindia.com

Gandhigram Rural Institute                                                                               http://www.ruraluniv.org

Government College of Engineering, Pune                                                   http://www.coep.org

Government Medical College and Hospital, Chandigarh                           http://gmch.nic.in

Gujarat Agricultural University                                                                           http://gau.guj.nic.in

Gulbarga University                                                                                             http://www.gulbargauniversity.kar.nic.in/

Guru Gobind Singh Indraprastha University                                                  http://ggsipu.nic.in

Guwahati Medical College and Hospital                                                        http://gmchassam.nic.in

Harcourt Butler Technological Institute                                                           http://www.hbti.edu

Harish Chandra Mathur Rajasthan State Institute of Public Administration (HCMRIPA)                                                                                                                                                                                      http://hcmripa.nic.in/

Haryana Institute of Public Administration (HIPA)                                         http://hipa.nic.in

Himachal Pradesh University                                                                           http://hpuniv.nic.in

Homi Bhabha Centre For Science Education (HBCSE)                              http://www.hbcse.tifr.res.in

Indian School of Mines (ISM)                                                                             http://www.ism-dhanbad.org

Indian Agricultural Research Institute (IARI)                                                  http://www.iaripusa.org/

Indian Agricultural Statistics Research Institute (IASRI)                              http://www.icar.org.in/iasri/default.html

Indian Association for the Cultivation of Science (IACS)                             http://www.iacs.res.in/

Indian Association of Social Science Institutions (IASSI)                            http://iassi.nic.in/

Indian Diamond Institute                                                                                    http://www.diamondinstitute.net

Indian Institute of Advanced Study (IIAS)                                                         http://www.iias.org

Indian Institute of Entrepreneurship                                                                http://iie.nic.in

Indian Institute of Foreign Trade (IIFT)                                                            http://www.iift.edu/

Indian Institute of Forest Management (IIFM)                                                                                http://www.iifm.org/

Indian Institute of Information Technology & Management (IIITM), Gwalior             http://www.iiitm.ac.in

                                                                

Indian Institute of Information Technology ( IIIT), Kolkata                                            http://www.iiit-c.org

Indian Institute of Information Technology (IIIT), Bangalore                                       http://www.iiitb.ac.in

Indian Institute of Information Technology, Allahabad (IIITA)                                      http://www.iiita.ac.in

Indian Institute of Management, Ahmedabad (IIMA)                                                     http://www.iimahd.ernet.in

Indian Institute of Management, Bangalore (IIMB)                                                        http://www.iimb.ernet.in

Indian Institute of Management, Indore                                                                          http://www.iimidr.ac.in

Indian Institute of Management, Kolkata (IIMC)                                                             http://www.iimcal.ac.in

Indian Institute of Management, Kozhikode (IIMK)                                                        http://www.iimk.org

Indian Institute of Management, Lucknow                                                                      http://www.iiml.ac.in

Indian Institute of Mass Communication (IIMC)                                                            http://www.iimc.ac.in

Indian Institute of Packaging                                                                                             http://www.iip-in.com

Indian Institute of Quality Management (IIQM)                                                               http://www.iiqm.org

Indian Institute of Science (IISC), Bangalore                                                                 http://www.iisc.ernet.in

Indian Institute of Social Welfare and Business Management (IISWBM)                                http://www.iiswbm.edu

Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Delhi                                                                       http://www.iitd.ernet.in

Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Kanpur                                                                    http://www.iitk.ac.in

Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Kharagpur                                                              http://www.iitkgp.ernet.in

Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Madras                                                                   http://www.iitm.ac.in

Indian Institute of Technology, Bombay (IITB)                                                               http://www.iitb.ernet.in

Indian Institute of Technology, Guwahati (IITG)                                                             http://www.iitg.ernet.in

Indian Institute of Technology, Roorkee (IITR)                                                              http://www.rurkiu.ernet.in

Indian National Scientific Documentation Centre (INSDOC)                                     http://www.insdoc.org

Indian Railways Institute of Electrical Engineering (IRIEEN)                                     http://www.irieen.com

Indian School of Mines (ISM)                                                                                             http://www.ismdhanbad.ac.in

Indian Statistical Institute, Bangalore                                                                                              http://www.isibang.ac.in

Indian Statistical Institute, Delhi                                                                                       http://www.isid.ac.in

Indian Statistical Institute, Kolkata                                                                                   http://www.isical.ac.in

Indira Gandhi Institute of Development Research (                                                     http://www.ignou.org

Indira Gandhi Rashtriya Uran Academy (IGRUA)                                         http://civilaviation.nic.in/igrua/indira.htm

Information and Library Network Centre (INFLIBNET)                                                 http://www.inflibnet.ac.in

Institute for Plasma Research (IPR)                                                                                http://www.plasma.ernet.in

Institute for Studies in Industrial Development (ISID)                                                  http://isidev.nic.in

Institute of Chartered Accountants of India (ICAI)                                                         http://www.icai.org

Institute of Child Health and Hospital for Children                                                       http://ich.tn.nic.in

Institute of Company Secretaries of India (ICSI)                                                           http://icsiindia.org/index.asp

Institute of Cost And Works Accountants of India (ICWAI)                                           http://www.icwai.org

Institute of Economic Growth                                                                                            http://ieg.nic.in

Institute of Himalayan Bioresource Technology (IHBT)                                                               http://www.csir.res.in/ihbt

Institute of Hotel Management, Catering Technology and Applied Nutrition           http://www.kar.nic.in/ihmbangalore

Institute of Judicial Training and Research (IJTR)                                                       http://ijtr.nic.in

Institute of Mathematical Sciences                                                                                  http://www.imsc.ernet.in

Institute of Physics (IOP)                                                                                                    http://www.iopb.res.in

Institute of Rural Management, Anand                                                                            http://irma.irm.ernet.in

Inter University Consortium for Department of Atomic Energy Facilities (IUC-DAEF), Calcutta                                                                                                                                                                                          http://www.iuc.res.in

International Institute for Population Sciences (IIPS)                                                   http://www.iipsindia.org

Jadavpur University                                                                                                             http://www.jadavpur.edu

Jamia Millia Islamia                                                                                                            http://jmi.nic.in

Jawaharlal Institute of Postgraduate Medical Education & Research (JIPMER)    http://www.jipmer.edu

Jawaharlal Nehru Centre for Advanced Scientific Research (JNCASR)                  http://www.jncasr.ac.in

Jawaharlal Nehru Technological University (JNTU)                                                    http://www.jntu.ac.in

Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU)                                                                                  http://www.jnu.ac.in

Kalmathada Pujya Shri Virupaksha Sivacharya Ayurved Medical College, Raichur,                                                                                                                                                                                             http://www.ayurvediccollegemanvi.org

Kendriya Hindi Sansthan                                                                                                   http://hindi.nic.in

Kendriya Vidyalaya Sangathan                                                                                         http://www.kvsangathan.org

Kidwai Memorial Institute of Oncology (KMIO)                                                               http://www.kar.nic.in/kidwai

Lakshmibai National Institute of Physical Education (LNIPE)                                   http://www.lnipe.edu

Lal Bahadur Shastri National Academy of Administration(LBSNAA)                        http://www.lbsnaa.ernet.in

Madras Institute of Development Studies (MIDS)                                                         http://mids.tn.nic.in

Maharaja Sayajirao University of Baroda (MSUB)                                                         http://www.msub.edu

Mahatma Gandhi State Institute of Public Administration, Punjab (MGSIPAP)       http://www.mgsipap.org

Makhanlal Chaturvedi Rashtriya Patarkarita Vishwavidyalaya, Bhopal                    http://www.makhanlaluniversity.org

Manipal Academy of Higher Education                                                                           http://manipal.edu 

Malaviya Regional Engineering College                                                                        http://recjai.nic.in

Mehta Research Institute of Physics & Mathematical Physics                                   http://www.mri.ernet.in

Mission Reach                                                                                                                     http://www.missionreach.org

Medical College Trivandrum                                                                                             http://www.mctrivandrum.com 

MIT Accreditation of Computer Courses (DOEACC)                                                    http://www.doeacc.org.in

Mohan Lal Sukhadia University, Udaipur                                                                       http://www.mlsu.org

Motilal Nehru Regional Engineering College, Allahabad (MNREC)                         http://mnrec.nic.in

National Academy of Customs, Excise and Narcotics (NACEN)                               http://personal.vsnl.com/nacen/home.html

National Board of Examinations                                                                                       http://www.natboard.org

National Cadet Corps (NCC), Karnataka and Goa                                                      http://www.kar.nic.in/ncc

National Civil Defence College, Nagpur                                                                         http://ncdcnagpur.nic.in

National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT)                          http://ncert.nic.in

National Institute for Small Industries Extension Training (NISIET)                         http://www.nisiet.com

National Institute of Educational Planning and Administration (NIEPA)                  http://www.niepaonline.org

National Institute of Financial Management (NIFM)                                                     http://www.nifm.org

National Institute of Hydrology, Belgaum                                                                       http://www.angelfire.com/bc/nihhrrc

National Institute of Hydrology, Roorkee                                                                        http://www.nih.ernet.in

National Institute of Industrial Engineering (NITIE)                                                      http://www.nitie.edu

National Institute of Pharmaceutical Education and Research (NIPER)                 http://www.niper.nic.in

National Law School of India University                                                                         http://www.nls.ac.in

National Law University, Jodhpur                                                                                     http://nlujodhpur.nic.in

National Research Centre for Mushroom (NRCM)                                                      http://www.nrcmushroom.com

National Resource Centre for Value Education                                                            http://valueeducation.nic.in

National Tuberculosis Institute (NTI), Bangalore                                                         http://ntiindia.kar.nic.in

Navodaya Vidyalaya Samiti                                                                                                http://navodaya.nic.in

Netaji Subhas Institute of Technology                                                                            http://www.nsit.ac.in

Networking of Social Scientists                                                                                        http://agrieconet.nic.in

Osmania University                                                                                                             http://www.osmania.ac.in

Pondicherry Engineering College                                                                                    http://www.pec.edu

Pondicherry University                                                                                                        http://www.pondiuni.org

Post Graduate Institute of Medical Education and Research (PGIMER), Chandigarh          http://pgimer.nic.in

Punjabi University                                                                                                                http://www.universitypunjabi.org

RAI UNIVERSITY, RAIPUR                                                                                                 http://www.raiuniversity.edu

Raja Gandhi Proudyogiki Vishwavidyalaya                                                                    http://www.rgtu.org

Rajiv Gandhi University of Health Sciences                                                                   http://kar.nic.in/rguhs

Regional Engineering College, Durgapur                                                                     http://recdgp.nic.in

Regional Engineering College, Hamirpur                                                                     http://recham.ernet.in

Regional Engineering College, Kurukshetra                                                                                http://reck.nic.in

Regional Engineering College, Tiruchirappalli (RECT)                                                              http://rangoli.rect.ernet.in

Regional Engineering College, Warangal                                                                     http://recw.nic.in

Regional Institute of Technology, Jamshedpur                                                            http://ritj.nic.in

Saha Institute of Nuclear Physics                                                                                    http://www.saha.ernet.in

Sanjay Gandhi Post Graduate Institute of Medical Sciences, Lucknow                   http://www.sgpgi.ac.in

Sardar Patel College Of Engineering (SPCE)                                                                               http://www.spce.edu

Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel National Police Academy, Hyderabad                                              http://www.svpnpa.gov.in

Science and Engineering Research Council (SERC)                                                 http://serc-dst.org

SGS Medical College & KEM Hospital, Mumbai                                                           http://www.kem.edu

Sher-i-Kashmir Institute of Medical Sciences                                                                               http://www.skims.org

State Institute of Education Technology, Hyderabad                                                    http://siethyd.nic.in

State Institute of Education Technology, Kerala                                                            http://sietkerala.nic.in

State Institute of Education Technology, Orissa                                                           http://sietorissa.nic.in

State Institute of Education Technology, Patna                                                             http://sietpatna.nic.in

State Institute of Education Technology, Pune                                                              http://sietpune.nic.in

State Institute of Education Technology, Uttar Pradesh                                              http://diksha.nic.in

State Institute of Public Administration and Rural Development (SIPARD)             http://sipard.nic.in

Sukhdev College Of Business Studies, Delhi University                                            http://www.cbsdu.org

Tamil Nadu Dr. M.G.R. Medical University                                                                      http://www.tnmmu.ac.in

Tamil Nadu Universities                                                                                                    http://www.tnuniv.ac.in

Tamil Nadu Veterinary and Animal Sciences University (TANUVAS)                        http://www.tanuvas.com

Tata Institute of Fundamental Research (TIFR)                                                            http://www.tifr.res.in

Tata Institute of Social Sciences (TISS)                                                                          http://www.tiss.edu

Tata Memorial Centre                                                                                                         http://www.tatamemorialcentre.com

Technical Education & Industrial Training, Punjab                                                      http://www.nic.in/dte_punjab

University of Kerala                                                                                                             http://www.keralauniversity.edu

University of Mumbai                                                                                                           http://www.mu.ac.in

University of Pune                                                                                                                www.unipune.ernet.in

University of Roorkee                                                                                                          http://www.rurkiu.ernet.in

University Department of Chemical Technology (UDCT), University of Mumbai    http://www.udct.org

University of Agricultural Sciences                                                                                   http://uasbng.kar.nic.in

University of Delhi                                                                                                                http://www.du.ac.in

University of Hyderabad                                                                                                     http://www.uohyd.ernet.in

V.V.Giri National Labour Institute                                                                                      http://www.vvgnli.org

Veermata Jijabai Technological Institute (VJTI)                                                            http://www.vjti.ac.in

Visva-Bharati, Santiniketan                                                                                                http://www.vbharat.ernet.in