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Founded: 13th centuryCategory: Castles and fortifications in France
Historical period: Late Capetians (France)
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The Château de Miral overlooks the confluent of the Runes River and Tarn River. It belonged in the 13th century to the Cahbrieres family and from the 14th century to the Malbosc family.
Its keep was built towards the end of the 13th century as the seat of the Malbosc-Miral family. Its ramparts defended access to the upper Tarn valley. From the 14th to the 16th centuries, the Lords of Malbosc-Miral constructed their residence and outbuildings around the keep.
At the time of the French Revolution, the last proprietor, Charles, Count of Altier was guillotined with his son in 1794 and the castle was sold for 34,719 livres in 1796. The castle began to decline into ruins. Restoration work on the castle began in 1980.
Dating from the 13th century, the castle was closely related to the history of the disorders and wars in Gévaudan over five centuries. The fortifications include a massive square keep with a high round tower on one side, an assortment of buildingss and defensive works. Mullioned windows in the old seigniorial residence and the interior murals in the vault and the western building date from the Renaissance. The military architecture of 13th and 14th centuries is evident from the use of a natural defensive site with a double enceinte. It was an important local seigniory which exploited nearby silver mines. The castle has carved and painted decorations, one of the few civil buildings in this area to have preserved them.
References:Trenčín Castle is relatively large renovated castle, towering on a steep limestone cliff directly above the city of Trenčín. It is a dominant feature not only of Trenčín, but also of the entire Považie region. The castle is a national monument.
History of the castle cliff dates back to the Roman Empire, what is proved by the inscription on the castle cliff proclaiming the victory of Roman legion against Germans in the year 179.
Today’s castle was probably built on the hill-fort. The first proven building on the hill was the Great Moravian rotunda from the 9th century and later there was a stone residential tower, which served to protect the Kingdom of Hungary and the western border. In the late 13th century the castle became a property of Palatine Matúš Csák, who became Mr. of Váh and Tatras.
Matúš Csák of Trenčín built a tower, still known as Matthew’s, which is a dominant determinant of the whole building.