Lauria Castle

Castiglione di Sicilia, Italy

 The Lauria castle in Castiglione di Sicilia was built by Roger of Lauria. It dates back to the 12th century.

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Address

Via Edoardo Pantano 46, Castiglione di Sicilia, Italy
See all sites in Castiglione di Sicilia

Details

Founded: 12th century
Category: Castles and fortifications in Italy

Rating

4.2/5 (based on Google user reviews)

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Basilica della Collegiata (42,4 km)
Palazzo Corvaja (15,1 km)
Messina Cathedral (51,2 km)
Palazzo Duchi di Santo Stefano (14,6 km)

User Reviews

S. Mai (5 months ago)
The castle is very beautiful with a magnificent view. Please don't trust navigation to drive up, cause the street gets very narrow. It's better to walk the last meters to get to the castle. Once you are up there, you can take a guided tour for free (you should give them a donation). We did a tour and our guide, a 13 years (!) old boy, did an incredible great job. If you want a unique experience hopefully he will be your guide, because he was really AWESOME and knows pretty much about the castle and its history (and his English is quite good). The castle is worth a visit!!
Bart Vdh (2 years ago)
The inside is not so impressive. But the views from up there are stunning
Christopher Sammut (2 years ago)
Nice village, however not much going on there. Mist hoses are abandoned
marie cousens (2 years ago)
Steep hill but worth the view. Tiny castle at the top but free entry and personal guide. Good find.
Keller Rongey (3 years ago)
Absolutely stunning view across a masssive valley. The man working in the Castillo was was one of the most genuinely kind and friendly people I’ve encountered on the island. He even refused my tip.
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Historic Site of the week

Glimmingehus

Glimmingehus is the best preserved medieval stronghold in Scandinavia. It was built 1499-1506, during an era when Scania formed a vital part of Denmark, and contains many defensive arrangements of the era, such as parapets, false doors and dead-end corridors, 'murder-holes' for pouring boiling pitch over the attackers, moats, drawbridges and various other forms of death traps to surprise trespassers and protect the nobles against peasant uprisings. The lower part of the castle's stone walls are 2.4 meters (94 inches) thick and the upper part 1.8 meters (71 inches).

Construction was started in 1499 by the Danish knight Jens Holgersen Ulfstand and stone-cutter-mason and architect Adam van Düren, a North German master who also worked on Lund Cathedral. Construction was completed in 1506.

Ulfstand was a councillor, nobleman and admiral serving under John I of Denmark and many objects have been uncovered during archeological excavations that demonstrate the extravagant lifestyle of the knight's family at Glimmingehus up until Ulfstand's death in 1523. Some of the most expensive objects for sale in Europe during this period, such as Venetian glass, painted glass from the Rhine district and Spanish ceramics have been found here. Evidence of the family's wealth can also be seen inside the stone fortress, where everyday comforts for the knight's family included hot air channels in the walls and bench seats in the window recesses. Although considered comfortable for its period, it has also been argued that Glimmingehus was an expression of "Knighthood nostalgia" and not considered opulent or progressive enough even to the knight's contemporaries and especially not to later generations of the Scanian nobility. Glimmingehus is thought to have served as a residential castle for only a few generations before being transformed into a storage facility for grain.

An order from Charles XI to the administrators of the Swedish dominion of Scania in 1676 to demolish the castle, in order to ensure that it would not fall into the hands of the Danish king during the Scanian War, could not be executed. A first attempt, in which 20 Scanian farmers were ordered to assist, proved unsuccessful. An additional force of 130 men were sent to Glimmingehus to execute the order in a second attempt. However, before they could carry out the order, a Danish-Dutch naval division arrived in Ystad, and the Swedes had to abandon the demolition attempts. Throughout the 18th century the castle was used as deposit for agricultural produce and in 1924 it was donated to the Swedish state. Today it is administered by the Swedish National Heritage Board.

On site there is a museum, medieval kitchen, shop and restaurant and coffee house. During summer time there are several guided tours daily. In local folklore, the castle is described as haunted by multiple ghosts and the tradition of storytelling inspired by the castle is continued in the summer events at the castle called "Strange stories and terrifying tales".

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