Friday, September 04, 2026

History Highlights

Hohensalzburg Fortress: The Great White Stronghold That Never Fell

Fly into Salzburg, or simply round a corner in its old town, and one thing dominates everything: a vast white fortress riding the crest of a green hill, floating above

Cesky Krumlov Castle: The Fairy-Tale Fortress in the River’s Loop

Some castles overwhelm you with size, and some seduce you with setting. Cesky Krumlov belongs firmly to the second kind. It does not sprawl across a mountain or crown a

Prague Castle: A Thousand Years of Bohemian Power Above the Vltava

There are cities where the castle is a museum you visit and then leave behind, a stop between lunch and the train. Prague is not one of them. Here the

Karlstejn Castle: The Sacred Treasure-House of Emperor Charles IV

Among the wooded hills southwest of Prague, above a bend in a quiet river, rises one of the most magnificent castles in central Europe: Karlštejn. Its towers climb the steep

The Pena Palace of Sintra: Portugal’s Fairy-Tale Palace of Colors

High on a wooded peak above the town of Sintra, near Lisbon, stands one of the most extraordinary buildings in Europe: the Pena Palace. Painted in vivid reds and yellows,