Chateaux of Alpes-Maritimes
Musée Picasso
The Musée Picasso, formerly the Château Grimaldi at Antibes, is built upon the foundations of the ancient Greek town of Antipolis. The castle was a residence of the bishops in the Middle Ages (from 442 to 1385). The castle was moved in 1385 to the Monegasque family. In 1608 it became a stronghold of the Grimaldi family and has borne their name ever since. In 1702 it became the town hall of Antibes. From 19 ...
Founded: 11th century / 1966 (museum) |
Location:
Antibes, France
Musée de la Castre
An attack by the Saracens in 891, who remained until the end of the 10th century, devastated the country around current Cannes. The insecurity of the Lérins islands forced the local monks to settle on the mainland, at the Suquet (today the old town). Construction of a castle in 1035 fortified the city by then known as Cannes. The castle was damaged in end of the 16th century and partially demolished in the 18th centu ...
Founded: 1035 |
Location:
Cannes, France
Château Grimaldi
The Château Grimaldi at Cagnes-sur-Mer is built on the site of an earlier fortress occupied by the Greeks and then the Romans. The present castle was built in 1309 by Rainier Grimaldi (Lord of Cagnes and an admiral of France) - a distant ancestor of the present ruling house of Monaco. Later it became the residence of the Governors of the province. Following the French Revolution, it was used as barracks ...
Founded: 1309 |
Location:
Cagnes-sur-Mer, France
Château de Gourdon
Château de Gourdon was built in the 12th century on the foundations of 9th century fort when the counts of Provence organized their border between the county of Vintimille and Provence. From 1598 to 1905 the castle was the residence of the Marquis de Montauroux. The current castle was built in the 17th century, the first stage in 1610 and the second in 1653.
Founded: 12th century |
Location:
Gourdon, France
Château de la Napoule
The Château de la Napoule was constructed in the 14th century by the Countess of Villeneuve. Over the centuries it was rebuilt several times. In the 19th century it was turned into a glass factory. In 1918, it was purchased by Americans, Henry Clews Jr. and Marie Clews (1880-1959), who restored and moved into the castle. They added additional sections in their own personal style, with sculptures by Henry Clews Jr. The ...
Founded: 14th century |
Location:
Mandelieu-la-Napoule, France
Château de Roquebrune-Cap-Martin
Conrad I, Count of Vintimiglia, built the castle in Roquebrune-Cap-Martin in 970 to defend the Western border of his feudal domain from attack by hordes of Saracens that rampaged around the area. Initially the entire village was encompassed by the castle. The keep's military strength was reinforced in the 15th century by the Grimaldi family. In 1808 the castle was sold as a Bien National to five Roquebrune inhabitant ...
Founded: 970 AD |
Location:
Roquebrune-Cap-Martin, France
Château de La Brigue
Château de La Brigue was built by the Ventimiglia family between 1376-1379. In 1543 small bastions were added to the main building. An earthquake partially destroyed the castle in 1546, but it was used to resist a Genoese attack in 1625. The castle was set on fire by the French troops during the French revolution in 1794 and since it has been lying in ruins.
Founded: 1376-1379 |
Location:
La Brigue, France
Château de Carros
Château de Carros is a jewel of 12th century Provençal architecture, characterized by a rectangular main building with four towers in the corners. The first owner was Lord Rostaing de Carros (mentioned 1156), but soon after the castle was moved to the hands of De Placas family who owned it over 600 years. Since 1998 the castle has housed CIAC, International Center of Contemporary Art.
Founded: 12th century |
Location:
Carros, France
Château de Gréolières
Château de Gréolières was mentioned first time in 1047 when it belonged to the Viscounts of Nice. Counts of Provence decided at the end of the 12th  century to enforce eastern part of Provence against the influence of the Republic of Genoa and local nobility. To control the area of Gréolières, the Count of Provence built the new castle around 1220. In 1235 Count of Provence gave the castle to Romée de Ville ...
Founded: 11th century |
Location:
Gréolières, France
Château de Tourrette-Levens
The modest-sized castle Château de Tourrette-Levens dates back to the 12th century. It overlooks the ancient 'salt road'. The castle was buily by Raymond Chabaud whose family owned the estate until 1684. The castle was one of the finest in the region with six towers. Only one tower survives. Today it hosts a museum devoted to entomology.
Founded: 12th century |
Location:
Tourrette-Levens, France
Château de Gilette
Château de Gilette was built at the latest in the 13th century. It stands on a rocky spur overlooking the village. The castle was besieged and conquered several times in the 16th century. The last military action was Battle of Gilette on 18 and 19 October 1793.
Founded: 13th century |
Location:
Gilette, France
Château de Villeneuve-Loubet
Château de Villeneuve-Loubet, property of the Panisse-Passis family, is a superb 13th-century defensive structure, with a pentagonal keep. It was built in the 13th century, at the instigation of the Counts of Provence and Romeo of Villeneuve. Ramparts and parapet walks are punctuated with five round towers and a mediaeval drawbridge. French King Francis I stayed there in 1538 to sign the Truce of Nice with the Emperor Ch ...
Founded: 13th century |
Location:
Villeneuve-Loubet, France
Château Saint-Jeannet
The Château Saint-Jeannet is a notable French castle located about 10km northwest of Nice. Tradition tells that the site was used as a fortress as early the 9th and 10th centuries. However, the earliest known construction on the château hill can only be dated to the 11th century. Written records of a château on the site date to the 13th century. Since that time, it has been effectively destroyed and rebuilt severa ...
Founded: 11th century |
Location:
Saint-Jeannet, France
Featured Historic Landmarks, Sites & Buildings
Photo from Flickr, copyright Dennis Schäffer
Historic Site of the week
Externsteine Stones
The Externsteine (Extern stones) is a distinctive sandstone rock formation located in the Teutoburg Forest, near the town of Horn-Bad Meinberg. The formation is a tor consisting of several tall, narrow columns of rock which rise abruptly from the surrounding wooded hills. Archaeological excavations have yielded some Upper Paleolithic stone tools dating to about 10,700 BC from 9,600 BC.
In a popular tradition going back to an idea proposed to Hermann Hamelmann in 1564, the Externsteine are identified as a sacred site of the pagan Saxons, and the location of the Irminsul (sacral pillar-like object in German paganism) idol reportedly destroyed by Charlemagne; there is however no archaeological evidence that would confirm the site's use during the relevant period.
The stones were used as the site of a hermitage in the Middle Ages, and by at least the high medieval period were the site of a Christian chapel. The Externsteine relief is a medieval depiction of the Descent from the Cross. It remains controversial whether the site was already used for Christian worship in the 8th to early 10th centuries.
The Externsteine gained prominence when Völkisch and nationalistic scholars took an interest in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. This interest peaked under the Nazi regime, when the Externsteine became a focus of nazi propaganda. Today, they remain a popular tourist destination and also continue to attract Neo-Pagans and Neo-Nazis.