Castles

A castle (from Latin: castellum) is a type of fortified structure built in Europe and the Middle East during the Middle Ages by nobility. Scholars debate the scope of the word castle, but usually consider it to be the private fortified residence of a lord or noble. This is distinct from a palace, which is not fortified; from a fortress, which was not always a residence for nobility; and from a fortified settlement, which was a public defence - though there are many similarities among these types of construction. Usage of the term has varied over time and has been applied to structures as diverse as hill forts and country houses. Over the approximately 900 years that castles were built, they took on a great many forms with many different features, although some, such as curtain walls and arrowslits, were commonplace.

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    Zmigrod Stary Castle (Ruins)

    Despite the research conducted before World War II as in the 50s we failed to find traces of brick in Zmigrod Stary. Zmigrod Stary Castle (Ruins).

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    Zolochiv Castle

    Zolochiv Castle was a residence of the Sobieski noble family on a hill at the confluence of two small rivers in the south-eastern part of Zolochiv, Galicia (now part of Ukraine's Lviv Oblast).

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    Zoloty Potik Castle

    Zoloty Potik castle is an architectural landmark of Polish and Ukrainian national significance in Ternopil Oblast, Western Ukraine built under the Polish rule between the 16th and 17th centuries nearby the urban-type settlement of Zloty Potok (now Zolotyi Potik).

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    Zvolen Castle

    Zvolen Castle s a medieval castle located on a hill near the center of Zvolen, in central Slovakia. The original seat of the region was above the confluence of Slatina and Hron rivers on a steep cliff in a castle from the 12th century, known today as Pusty hrad (meaning "Deserted castle").