Nesvizh Castle

Azay-le-Rideau Castle

Located on an island in the middle of the Indre river in the town of Azay-le-Rideau in the French departement of Indre-et-Loire, this château was built between 1518 and 1527 and is considered one of the foremost examples of early French renaissance architecture. This relatively small château is divided into two sections, the main central body and a wing at right angles to it, and displays a blend of architectural styles. The château's most prominent feature is the grand central staircase, the escalier d'honneur. Its design is thought to have been inspired by the staircase of the Château de Châteaudun, which it resembles. Azay-le-Rideau's staircase rises in straight flights rather than in a spiral, as was more usual at this time, and is the oldest surviving staircase of this kind in France.

Donaustauf Castle

The castle is built on the site of a Celtic fort dating to around 500 BC. Between 914 and 930 AD, Bishop Tuto of Regensburg had a castle built here to defend the area from Hungarian invasion. The ruined hill castle is located on a hill spur overlooking the River Danube by the market village of Donaustauf in the Upper Palatine county of Regensburg in the south German state of Bavaria.

Belogradchik Fortress

The Belogradchik Fortress (also known as Kaleto - "the fortress" from Turkish kale) is an ancient fortress located on the north slopes of the Balkan Mountains, close to the northwestern Bulgarian town of Belogradchik. The Kaleto Fortress was originally built by the Romans and later expanded by the Byzantines, Bulgarians and Turks. Most of what you see today was completed in the 1830s. The rock formations in the area served as a natural protection, as fortified walls were practically only built from the northwest and southeast.

The Castle Of Durbuy

Featured in today's new puzzle, the castle of Durbuy, located in the town with the same name, in the province of Luxembourg in the Wallonia region in Belgium, is a private residence of the Count d´Ursel, since the 18th Century. The current castle dates back to the 17th century and was built on the ruins of the former castle, that castle was first built in 889. The castle was destroyed many times but every time it was restored or rebuilt. The castle is still private property and is not open to the public.

Gutenberg Castle

Today we're visiting Gutenberg Castle in Balzers, Liechtenstein. The castle began its existence as a medieval church and cemetery on a hilltop. In the early 12th century, the fortification of the church structure had slowly began with the addition of a ring wall, forming a simple, roughly circular keep. Several additions followed, in particular the creation of the main tower as a vertical extension of the existing keep. At the turn of the 15th century, the castle underwent extensive new construction works as part of an initiative by Holy Roman Emperor Maximilian I. During the 17th and 18th century, the castle lost most of its military purpose and was damaged by several fires. It received a substantial restoration between 1905 and 1912. Today the castle is open to visitors all year round.

The Power House

The Power House was built to hold a generator to supply Heart Island in the Saint Lawrence River with power, and now is more of a museum of how electric power was obtained in the early 1900. It's located near Boldt Castle - a major landmark and tourist attraction in the Thousand Islands region of the U.S. state of New York. Originally a private mansion built by American millionaire George Boldt, it is today maintained as a tourist attraction.

Heidelberg Old Town And Castle

In this fun new puzzle we're vising Heidelberg, a university town in Baden-Württemberg situated on the river Neckar in south-west Germany. A scientific hub in Germany, the city of Heidelberg is home to several internationally renowned research facilities adjacent to its university, including four Max Planck Institutes. Modern Heidelberg can trace its beginnings to the fifth century. The village Bergheim ("Mountain Home") is first mentioned for that period in documents dated to 769 AD. The "old town", featured in this jigsaw game, situated on the south bank of the Neckar is dominated by the ruins of Heidelberg Castle, 80 metres above the Neckar on the steep wooded slopes of the Königstuhl (King's chair or throne) hill. The castle is a mix of styles from Gothic to Renaissance. The castle is surrounded by a park, where the famous poet Johann von Goethe once walked.

Schloss Schonbuhel

Schloss Schönbühel is a castle dating from the early 12th century. The castle is in located the Lower Austrian town of Schönbühel-Aggsbach, below Melk on the right bank of the Danube. It was built in the early 12th century by Marchwardus de Schoenbuchele as a defensive fortress.

Egeskov Castle

Located near Kværndrup, in the south of the island of Funen, Denmark, Egeskov Castle is Europe's best preserved Renaissance water castle (a castle or stately home whose site is entirely surrounded by water-filled moats). The castle structure was erected by Frands Brockenhuus in 1554. The castle consists of two long buildings connected by a thick double wall, allowing defenders to abandon one house and continue fighting from the other. The architecture includes depressed and round-arched windows, round-arched blank arcading within the gables, and a double string course between the high cellar and the ground floor. Surrounding the castle is an old park divided into a number of gardens featuring fountains, a gravel path and topiary figures.

Linderhof Palace

Linderhof Palace is located in southwest Bavaria near Ettal Abbe, Germany. Although Linderhof is much smaller than Versailles, it is evident that the palace of the French Sun-King Louis XIV was its inspiration. It is the smallest of the three palaces built by King Ludwig II of Bavaria. The building was designed in the style of the second rococo-period. The gardens surrounding the palace are considered one of the most beautiful creations of historicist garden design, designed by Court Garden Director Carl von Effner.

Castle Verwolde

Dating back to 1776, Castle Verwolde in Laren (Holland) is located in gorgeous surroundings in a large private country estate. On its estate there is a tree, said to be the thickest tree in the Netherlands ( "de dikke boom van Verwolde"). For 200 years, Castle Verwolde was inhabited by various generations of the same family. In summer, guided tours of this castle are organized for tourists.

Scaligero Castle of Sirmione

The Scaligero Castle is a fortress from the Scaliger era (The Della Scala family, whose members were known as Scaligeri ,was the ruling family of Verona and mainland Veneto (except for Venice) from 13th to 14th century, for a total of 125 years) located in Sirmione (a comune in the province of Brescia, in Lombardy, northern Italy). Thanks to its strategical geographical location as a border outpost, Sirmione became a crucial defense and control garrison for the ruling nobles, retaining this function until the sixteenth century. The massive fortress is totally surrounded by water and from the drawbridge, a staircase leads to the walkways above the walls, providing a marvelous view of the harbour.