Stirling Castle, Stirling, United Kingdom

Stirling Castle is one of the largest and most important castles, both historically and architecturally, in Scotland. The castle is a great symbol of Scottish Independence and a source of enduring national pride. Its strategic location, guarding what was, until the 1890s, the farthest downstream crossing of the River Forth, has made it an important fortification from the earliest times. Stirling Castle is a Scheduled Ancient Monument, and is now a tourist attraction managed by Historic Scotland.

The legacy of Stirling’s long history is complex. It is first mentioned around 1110, in Alexander I’s reign; he died here in 1124. Throughout the Wars of Independence with England (1296–1356), Stirling was hotly fought over, changing hands frequently. Bloody battles were fought in its shadow – Wallace’s great victory over Edward I at Stirling Bridge (1297), and Bruce’s decisive encounter with Edward II at Bannockburn (1314). Bruce then destroyed the castle to prevent it falling into enemy hands again.

Stirling was the favoured residence of most of Scotland’s later medieval monarchs. Most contributed to its impressive architecture. In James IV’s reign (1488–1513), Scotland was increasingly receptive to Classical ideas spreading across Europe from Renaissance Italy. James spent much time and money making the castle fit for a European monarch, chiefly to impress his queen, Margaret Tudor, daughter of Henry VII of England.

His legacy was continued by his son, James V, equally determined to impress his second bride, Queen Mary of Guise. Their daughter, Mary Queen of Scots, was crowned here in 1543, and Mary Queen of Scots’ own son, the future James VI, was baptised here in 1566. The celebrations culminated in a fireworks display on the Esplanade, the first recorded use in Scotland.

At the castle's heart lies the Inner Close, around which are ranged the most important buildings – the King’s Old Building (built for James IV in 1496), the Great Hall (James IV around 1503), the Palace (James V around 1540) and the Chapel Royal (James VI in 1594). Around the Outer Close are the Great Kitchens (early 16th century) and later Army buildings. The Nether Bailey occupyies the lowest part of the castle rock. It houses 19th-century powder magazines.

References:

Historic Environment Scotland

User Reviews

Dean Stoker (2 years ago)
Man what a castle. Loved it. It's a massive site with lots to explore. Lots of history & the views are amazing. Like Edinburgh Castle without the crush. Worth becoming a member of Historic Scotland as you can get in for free as we did. Would definitely recommend.

Neil Cowan (2 years ago)
Absolutely brilliant experience! Fully intact castle with so much to look around. From interactive touch screen displays to secret rooms and corridors Stirling castle doesn't disappoint! Stunning displays especially in the Royal palace are a must see. The history on offer here is second to none!

Pastyfacedclown (2 years ago)
Visited with my visually impaired mum on Tuesday and we were completely blown away by our experience. We are historic Scotland members, and this wasn’t our first visit to the castle, but it’s been years since we last visited. The man who welcomed us at the ticket office (unfortunately didn’t get his name) was extremely helpful and offered us each an audio tour, except my mums one was specifically for visually impaired people. It was fantastic. It offered directions to specific areas, then proceeded to describe in great detail what was around us. It also pointed out items/details that could be touched. It’s not often my mum points out small details to me! We were extremely impressed with both audio tours, and my mum especially, thouroughly appreciated hers. Also, a quick shout out to the man in costume in the palace. He could not have been friendlier or more helpful if he tried! Our only complaint is that we ran out of time, and missed a few areas thanks to how in-depth the audio descriptive tour was. Guess we’ll just have to go back

James Grant (2 years ago)
I not only enjoyed the castle, but the land around it. Very very nice. The visitor center is worth a visit, and had a nice lunch there as well. Visited for the day on October on a clear day and it was stunning. Not our first visit but would definitely recommend a day out here.

Amy Stein (2 years ago)
Fantastic Castle. The Tapestry exhibit is fascinating and the tapestries are incredible. The kitchen exhibits are amazing. Worth the trip. In the Footsteps of John Muir, An Exhibit by Scottish Photographer Ken Paterson was wonderful. The photos were truly brilliant.

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Lednice Castle

The first historical record of Lednice locality dates from 1222. At that time there stood a Gothic fort with courtyard, which was lent by Czech King Václav I to Austrian nobleman Sigfried Sirotek in 1249.

At the end of the 13th century the Liechtensteins, originally from Styria, became holders of all of Lednice and of nearby Mikulov. They gradually acquired land on both sides of the Moravian-Austrian border. Members of the family most often found fame in military service, during the Renaissance they expanded their estates through economic activity. From the middle of the 15th century members of the family occupied the highest offices in the land. However, the family’s position in Moravia really changed under the brothers Karel, Maximilian, and Gundakar of Liechtenstein. Through marriage Karel and Maximilian acquired the great wealth of the old Moravian dynasty of the Černohorskýs of Boskovice. At that time the brothers, like their father and grandfather, were Lutheran, but they soon converted to Catholicism, thus preparing the ground for their rise in politics. Particularly Karel, who served at the court of Emperor Rudolf II, became hetman of Moravia in 1608, and was later raised to princely status by King Matyas II and awarded the Duchy of Opava.

During the revolt of the Czech nobility he stood on the side of the Habsburgs, and took part in the Battle of White Mountain. After the uprising was defeated in 1620 he systematically acquired property confiscated from some of the rebels, and the Liechtensteins became the wealthiest family in Moravia, rising in status above the Žerotíns. Their enormous land holdings brought them great profits, and eventually allowed them to carry out their grandious building projects here in Lednice.

In the 16th century it was probably Hartmann II of Liechtenstein who had the old medieval water castle torn down and replaced with a Renaissance chateau. At the end of the 17th century the chateau was torn down and a Baroque palace was built, with an extensive formal garden, and a massive riding hall designed by Johann Bernard Fischer von Erlach that still stands in almost unaltered form.

In the mid-18th century the chateau was again renovated, and in 1815 its front tracts that had been part of the Baroque chateau were removed.

The chateau as it looks today dates from 1846-1858, when Prince Alois II decided that Vienna was not suitable for entertaining in the summer, and had Lednice rebuilt into a summer palace in the spirit of English Gothic. The hall on the ground floor would serve to entertain the European aristocracy at sumptuous banquets, and was furnished with carved wood ceilings, wooden panelling, and select furniture, surpassing anything of its kind in Europe.

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