13 abandoned castles around the world and the history behind them

Bannerman Castle once acted as arms storage for Frank Bannerman, a Scottish munitions dealer in New York City. Bannerman and his wife eventually built a glamorous, castle-like home on the property, located on Pollepel Island on the Hudson River, and resided there during the summer.

Bannerman's name can still be seen on its walls despite a powder explosion in 1920, several fires, and changes in ownership. Visitors can tour the island via passenger boat or kayak.

Gwrych Castle was built in the early 1800s as the home of Lloyd Hesketh Bamford-Hesketh. It is said that Queen Victoria visited once before taking the throne.

It had a total of 128 rooms, including 28 bedrooms, an outer hall, an inner hall, two smoke rooms, a dining room, a drawing room, a billiards room, an oak study, and a range of accommodations for servants. During World War II, it housed 200 Jewish refugees, and was later open to the public as a theme park complete with a zoo.

The castle was bought several years ago with the intention of being converted into an opera house and luxury hotel, but the plan never materialized.

Legend has it that Don Mariano Ledesma Lacson, a sugar baron who owned plantations in the 20th century, built the mansion in memory of his wife who died while pregnant with their 11th child, according to Atlas Obscura.

The building is said to have been intentionally set on fire by the US military to prevent the Japanese from using it as a base during World War II, but its walls are still standing.

Parts of Heidelberg Castle date back to the 1300s, but Prince Elector Ruprecht III turned it into a royal residence that was in use for 400 years, until 1764, which is when the castle was struck by lightning and mostly destroyed.

Heidelberg locals started using its stones to build their own homes until Count Charles de Graimberg began conserving the ruins in 1800. The castle is still mostly abandoned today, but is available as a wedding venue.

The O'Flahertys, an Irish Gaelic clan, controlled a swath of land outside Oughterard and built Aughnanure Castle around 1500. Their motto was "Fortune favours the strong." 

Now owned by the Office of Public Works due to financial difficulties faced by Roderick O'Flaherty, the ruins contain the remains of a banquet hall, a watch tower, and a dry harbour. Guided tours are available.

While the castles at the Virginia Renaissance Faire aren't actually from medieval times, they do sit abandoned in the middle of a swampy forest. From 1996 to 1999, the Faire tried to immerse visitors in medieval food, architecture, and entertainment, but the climate proved too muggy and swampy to attract enough people to be profitable. The event relocated and left the original site abandoned. Ruins of castles, towers, and a town square have since been overrun by the surrounding forest.

Surrounded by a nearly 3,000-foot wall, Fasil Ghebbi was a fortress-city in the 16th and 17th centuries containing palaces, castles, a library, and churches. The Ethiopian emperor Fasilides lived there, and it remained the center of the Ethiopian government until 1864, according to UNESCO. The city was damaged due to mishandled conservation efforts between 1930 and 1936, but UNESCO began repairs and proper conservation work in the 1990s, which is ongoing.

Champollion Palace, built in 1899 and situated in today's downtown Cairo, used to be the home of Prince Said Halim Pacha until he was exiled after World War I for associating with the Ottomans, according to Cairo Scene. It then became Nasriya School, an elite boys high school, but the wear and tear from students resulted in its closure and it remains abandoned.

Earl Thomas of Lancaster, a baron of King Edward II, built Dunstanburgh Castle as a symbol of defiance to the king in 1313. Their relationship had deteriorated, so he built the fortress to protect himself. Its size and grandness were also seen as a snub to the king.

His military rebellion did not succeed and he was executed in 1322. John of Gaunt gained possession of the castle, but it was captured and put under siege during the Wars of the Roses, a series of English civil wars over control of the throne, and never recovered its former glory. 

The castle is now a tourist attraction managed by the National Trust that offers "ghost walks" and wildlife observation.

Much of Criccieth Castle's history remains a mystery, but it's estimated to have been built around the 13th century by Llywelyn the Great, Prince of Gwynedd. It is then said to have been used as a prison until 1404, most notably inhabited by Llywelyn's son Gruffydd, who was imprisoned there by his half-brother Dafydd.

The castle was burned down in the 15th century during the last major Welsh rebellion against the English. It's now open to the public as a tourist site.

Carew Castle is situated along the Carew River in Wales. While there were manors on the land dating back to the 1100s, the castle that remains partly intact today was built by Sir Nicholas de Carew, a high ranking officer, in the 13th century. After various owners were executed for treason or imprisoned by various monarchs, the castle was abandoned around 1686.

The National Park Authority began restoring the castle in 1983, which is now a full-fledged tourist site with a visitors center. The land also has a large population of bats, rendering the area a Site of Special Scientific Interest.

Pidhirsti Castle was built for Stanislaw Koniecpolski, a Polish military commander, in the 17th century. The castle itself was designed by Italian architect Andrea del Aqua, and its defenses were designed by the French Guillaume de Beauplan. It contained an art and weapons collection and hosted balls that were attended by European royals.

New owners in the 1800s didn't maintain the castle — it was vandalized and fell into disrepair, eventually becoming a sanatorium for tuberculosis patients, according to Discover Ukraine. A 1956 fire also caused major damage. Restoration efforts began in 1997, and now parts of the castle host events and art showings.

Sammezzano Castle was built on the grounds of a royal palazzo from the 17th century that belonged to Ximenes of Aragon, a Spanish nobleman, according to Atlas Obscura. Marquis Ferdinando Ximenes Panciatichi rebuilt the entire site in 1853. After his death, the castle became a luxury hotel, but it went out of business and was left abandoned in the 1990s.

An organization called the FPXA Committee is working to restore it, though much of its stunning architecture and colorful design, including a cavernous hall dubbed "The Peacock Room," remains intact.

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