A Soapy Mess Destinations

  Predjama Castle  (Slovene: Predjamski grad or grad Predjama, German: Höhlenburg Lueg, Italian: Castel Lueghi) is a Renaissance castle built within a cave mouth in south-central Slovenia, in the historical region of Inner Carniola. It is located in the village of Predjama, approximately 11 kilometers from the town of Postojna and 9 kilometers from Postojna Cave. History The castle was first mentioned in 1274 with the German name Luegg, when the Patriarch of Aquileia built the castle in Gothic style. The castle was built under a natural rocky arch high in the stone wall to make access to it difficult. It was later acquired and expanded by the Luegg noble family, also known as the Knights of Adelsberg (the German name of Postojna). Legend of Erasmus of Lueg Cave of Predjama Castle The castle became known as the seat of the knight Erasmus of Lueg (or Luegg, Luegger), lord of the castle in the 15th century and a renowned robber baron. He was the son of the imperial governor of Tr...

  The Château de Blandy-les-Tours  is a medieval castle in the village of Blandy-les-Tours (Seine-et-Marne, France); it is about 5 km from the château de Vaux-le-Vicomte and 10 km from Melun. The castle is in the middle of the village. Its restoration began in 1992. History It was mentioned in a text in 1216. It belonged to Adam II de Chailly, Viscount of Melun, and consisted of a simple manner; inside of which was a chapel, the only construction made of stone. In the 14th century, the castle was strongly modified with new fortifications and structures of defense: a moat was dug, and a new gate-tower with a drawbridge was included in the enclosing wall. The kings Charles V (1364 - 1380) and Charles VI (1380 - 1422) financed the transformation into a castle for the successive owners of the castle, the counts de Tancarville, Jean II, and his grandson Guillaume IV. A high keep, defended by two drawbridges, was built. The curtain wall was modified by the addition of new towers. Al...

  Eltz Castle  (German: Burg Eltz) is a medieval castle nestled in the hills above the Moselle between Koblenz and Trier, Germany. It is still owned by a branch of the House of Eltz, who have lived there since the 12th century. Eltz Castle, along with Bürresheim Castle and Lissingen Castle, is the only castle in the Eifel region that has never been destroyed. The castle stands on a 70-meter-high (230 ft) rock spur that is bounded on three sides by the river Elzbach, a tributary of the Moselle on the north side of the Moselle. The surrounding Eltz Forest has been declared a nature reserve by Flora-Fauna-Habitat and Natura 2001. Division The castle is a so-called Ganerbenburg, or castle belonging to a community of joint heirs. This is a castle divided into several parts, which belong to different families or different branches of a family; this usually occurs when multiple owners of one or more territories jointly build a castle to house themselves. Only wealthy medieval Europea...

  Later medieval period During Edward II's reign (1307–1327), there was relatively little activity at the Tower of London. However, it was during this period that the Privy Wardrobe was founded. The institution was based at the Tower and was responsible for organizing the state's arms. In 1321, Margaret de Clare, Baroness Badlesmere, became the first woman imprisoned in the Tower of London after she refused Queen Isabella admittance to Leeds Castle and ordered her archers to target Isabella, killing six of the royal escort. Generally reserved for high-ranking inmates, the Tower was the most important royal prison in the country. However, it was not necessarily very secure, and throughout its history, people bribed the guards to help them escape. In 1323, Roger Mortimer, Baron Mortimer, was aided in his escape from the Tower by the Sub-Lieutenant of the Tower, who let Mortimer's men inside. They hacked a hole in his cell wall, and Mortimer escaped to a waiting boat. He fle...

  The Tower of London, officially His Majesty's Royal Palace and Fortress of the Tower of London, is a historic citadel and castle on the north bank of the River Thames in central London, England. It lies within the London Borough of Tower Hamlets, which is separated from the eastern edge of the square mile of the City of London by the open space known as Tower Hill. It was founded toward the end of 1066 as part of the Norman Conquest. The White Tower, which gives the entire castle its name, was built by William the Conqueror in 1078 and was initially a resented symbol of oppression, inflicted upon London by the new Norman ruling class. The castle was also used as a prison from 1100 (Ranulf Flambard, Bishop of Durham) until 1952 (the Kray twins), although that was not its primary purpose. A grand palace early in its history, it served as a royal residence. As a whole, the Tower is a complex of several buildings set within two concentric rings of defensive walls and a moat. There w...