Alden Biesen Castle, Rijkhoven, Belgium

The knights of the Teutonic Order originally founded the Alden Biesen commandery in the 11th century, but the current buildings were constructed between the 16th and 18th centuries. It was the headquarters of a bailiwick or province of the Teutonic Order in the region of the Maas and Rhine. On 8 March 1971 the building burnt down and was acquired by the government and restored. In addition to the moated castle, the complex contains a church and gardens.

The castle is used today as a cultural centre and conference centre. Festivals such as the Scottish weekend or the International Story Festival are held there.

References:

Wikipedia

User Reviews

Martijn Tobbackx (2 years ago)
Beautiful historical site. Clean and tidy place

Yolanda Santana (2 years ago)
The floral masters yearly event. My daughter is a master European designer.

Bob Jackson (2 years ago)
Fleurameur floral exhibition.... Very much enjoyed. Inspiring, educational and beautiful designs and creative concepts. So much more than expected.

Sophie's Foodie Files (2 years ago)
The Grand Commandery is founded in 1220 by the German Order of the Teutonic Knights. It is a big domain owned now by Flanders, our Flemish part of Belgium! You can visit the castle with a guide if you like. The domain outside is big & beautiful. On the inside of the grounds , there is also a good visitor information centre & free toilets. There are many walks that begin in the grounds of the castle. We walked one. The castle & grounds are all very well kept & preserved. Worth a day visit! Often, there are events in the day or evenings! There is also an apostelhuis, a lovely restaurant.

Liam Schurmans (2 years ago)
It's so beautiful and peaceful and perfect for a long evening or morning walk. Bilzen Mysteries is also very nice.

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Photo from Flickr, copyright Makser

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Derbent Fortress

Derbent is the southernmost city in Russia, occupying the narrow gateway between the Caspian Sea and the Caucasus Mountains connecting the Eurasian steppes to the north and the Iranian Plateau to the south. Derbent claims to be the oldest city in Russia with historical documentation dating to the 8th century BCE. Due to its strategic location, over the course of history, the city changed ownership many times, particularly among the Persian, Arab, Mongol, Timurid, Shirvan and Iranian kingdoms.

Derbent has archaeological structures over 5,000 years old. As a result of this geographic peculiarity, the city developed between two walls, stretching from the mountains to the sea. These fortifications were continuously employed for a millennium and a half, longer than any other extant fortress in the world.

A traditionally and historically Iranian city, the first intensive settlement in the Derbent area dates from the 8th century BC. The site was intermittently controlled by the Persian monarchs, starting from the 6th century BC. Until the 4th century AD, it was part of Caucasian Albania which was a satrap of the Achaemenid Persian Empire. In the 5th century Derbent functioned as a border fortress and the seat of Sassanid Persians. Because of its strategic position on the northern branch of the Silk Route, the fortress was contested by the Khazars in the course of the Khazar-Arab Wars. In 654, Derbent was captured by the Arabs.

The Sassanid fortress does not exist any more, as the famous Derbent fortress as it stands today was built from the 12th century onward. Derbent became a strong military outpost and harbour of the Sassanid empire. During the 5th and 6th centuries, Derbent also became an important center for spreading the Christian faith in the Caucasus.

The site continued to be of great strategic importance until the 19th century. Today the fortifications consist of two parallel defence walls and Naryn-Kala Citadel. The walls are 3.6km long, stretching from the sea up to the mountains. They were built from stone and had 73 defence towers. 9 out of the 14 original gates remain.

In Naryn-Kala Citadel most of the old buildings, including a palace and a church, are now in ruins. It also holds baths and one of the oldest mosques in the former USSR.

In 2003, UNESCO included the old part of Derbent with traditional buildings in the World Heritage List.

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