I think part of the Problem is that the english language onlie knows the catagories castle an palace. In Germen there are three catagorys a real medival castle would be called a "Burg" a palace like Versailles would be Called a "Palast" but a "castle" like Neuschwanstein or the Disney castles would be a "Schloss". Which describes a Castle like building which was build only for represantation.
Don't be troubled, it can also be vice versa: once I translated a German text to English (forbidden! I'm German) and a research to find the most fitting word for German 'ruhig' in a certain context took me half an hour. The adjective 'ruhig' in English can mean: quiet, calm, silent, sedate, quiescent, steady. Take your pick...
blagfire Palast and Schloss is pretty much the same though. we borrowed the word Palast from Latin. In medieval times the Palas was the residence house inside the castle where the lord of the castle resided. Later Palast became just a big beautiful building inside a city, like the Italian Palazzo.
praeceptor We have also more than one word there. We have ruhig, leise, still...you just need to get a feeling for the language. The context of the word is what matters.
English isn't lacking here. We just don't have a common special term for non-castles that are specifically castle-like. Having a term for that makes as much sense as having a special world for any other architectural styling of building The addition of an adjective solves the problem simply.
Especial irony: Neuschwanstein itself was an much of a fantasy castle as is Sleeping Beauty's Castle (Disneyland) or Cinderella's Castle (Disneyworld). It was a set built by the ill-fated King Ludwig II so he could play out his fantasies of being a Wagnerian romantic prince. Under that white stone cladding Neuschwanstein is built of steel girders and brick, and has more in common with the Flat-Iron Building than with a classic castle.
Agreed. If he's going to cite Neuschwanstein as a castle, then he really should include places like Schweriner Schloss, Château de Chambord, Burg Hohenzollern, Schloss Moyland, etc. There are a ton of castle-like palaces with defensive fortifications, many of which actually began as real medieval castles. They're all a good deal older and many are arguably as beautiful as Neuschwanstein.
In fact Neuschwastein was a Hi-Tech-Construction of its time. e.g. the frame of the roof was a metal-costruction 2nd only to the Eiffel-Tower...! Fun-fact/-rumor ;-) When president Obama visited Germany, he believed Neuschwanstein was inspired by Disney... ...chancelor Merkel had to tell him it was the other way...! :D
And correct me if im flase but isnt it also called "Schloss Neuschwanstein" in german. And if i translate castle i would say its more like a "Burg". A "Schloss" is also translated as castle but for me it makes more the impression of a palace everytime i see a "Schloss". So i would not mention it in this video, because for me it seems mor like a video about "Burgen" and not about "Schlösser" In a german video he would not even talk about "Neuschwanstein", because everyone knows that its a "Schloss" and not a "Burg". But tranaslated to english my sentence means its a castle and not a castle, so the english language is just failing at this point. That makes him talking so long about "Neuschwanstein" just to say that it is an exception from other castles waht german people just do by calling it a "Schloss" and not a "Burg". Can someone please make them find a new word for "Schloss" or for "Burg" so the other thing can be called cstle and the other thing can not be? If some one does this i will never ever listen again to such a cancercreating pronunciation of "Neuschwanstein".
@Marco Meza Thats what I just learned in this playlist. All dictionaries translate Schloss to castle though - I have been unhappy to call places like Schloss Schönbrunn a "castle" for all my life de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Schloss_Sch%C3%B6nbrunn
Also I would never see Schloss Neuschwanstein as a castle, since it was build from a whiny adult that got drowned in debts cuz he wanted a fancy palace to be a magic princess... prince. But I giggled when he said Neuschwanstein. xD
I really love your passion for castles. I share it with you, and some people just don't get it, but I totally get it, and I find myself getting hyper about it when I watch your videos.
Can zomeone exblain vy ze Germans are zo anal about English sbeakers mispronouncing German vords ven English sbeakers tend to pe zo forgiffing of Germans mispronouncing English vords?
Great video Shad! It is really nice how you express both information and opinion while still keeping them aside a bit for us to form our own opinions (although I very much agree with you).
I tried to see if I could find ya on Deviantart , just couldn't , I am on that site too , this is how you could find me , tall ships / mkps111669 , love to see all the things you've done
Neu-Schwanstein is called in German "Schloss". A "schloss" is a castle (German: Burg), which is mainly the residence of a king, earl, or count and less for defensive purposes. Mostly they evolved from a castle to a "schloss" during the time, when the local "boss" became more powerful and the function as a castle less important. Here in my town (Moers) we have such a former castle which turned into a "schloss", when with the invention of the canons the hole town became a defence system and the castle became just the residence of our count. We also have the word "Palast" (palace) in German, with the same meaning as in the English language. I think there is no good translation for "schloss"?
Neuschwanstein is not considered a castle ("Burg") in Bavaria but a chateau ("Schloss"). It was made using technologies of industrial buildings to build large open spaces inside that would have been impossible with medieval building techniques. It is one of three fairytale chateaus built by Ludwig II. A true fairytale castle was built at about the same time by the Hohenzollern, the Prussian kings, called Burg Hohenzollern (www.burg-hohenzollern.com/).
Hey Shad, greetings from germany! I discovered your channel yesterday and I am amazed of your knowledge. I was always interested in medieval everything and your videos show me a lot of things, details, elements I have never thought of or just didn't know. Your channel helps me a lot to gain more knowledge that I need because I am a writer (That sounds like I am a professionel author, it is just a hobby, nothing too special) and I want to keep things as realistic as possible or necessary. Well, it is fantasy and there are some elements I keep control of, it's my world, my rules, suck it history, or other developments make no sense at all in my world or come faster. But fighting and buildings, living and society, should be more realistic and you help me a lot with that. To sum all this up; thanks for the great content!
PapillonOne me too, everyone, that's why i didn't write "you repeat yourself", but "you repeat yourself *a bit much*" because, imo, his level of repetition is a bit above the "it helps me remember" and it's slowly crossing into "it's kind of wasting his and my time and energy with those 2-3 extra repetitions he does above the "helps me remember" line ;) but yeah, i get the point and like it, it's just a bit overdone imo.
As someone whose three years playing WoW was in many ways still the centerpiece of my existence so far, I have learned to both identify and appreciate passion when I encounter it; and passion for his subject, is something that Shad definitely has.
this was a cool video , I too have a fascination with castles myself , the 2 things I most enjoy from this video , was 1 was the plans of Chillion castle , never seen those before , 2 was your own creative castle that you made , from the visual exterior look , to the actual plans , awesome
+Shadiversity i also appreciate these videos because I am taking a course called Humanities that has a huge emphasis on Art History so this will definitely help out. Your Gothic Architecture video also expanded my perspective and gave me a new appreciation for gothic architecture..
Charles W not quite , most of the palace is designed for a few things. One to have a mere perfect place to worth God as nearly every room has an enormous array of art to show god above all men and above all kings. Second he made it to preserve the artist of his time that he looked up to in music , paintings, plays and so on. There was a lot of purpose to each room and a lot of highly advanced things which were a first for its time. Most did think him mad because he cared so much about the beauties of life and nature instead of the shit most people care about these days like politics. That is the sole reason he was murdered . They wanted someone who was a politician , not a culture capturer
This brings to mind Dragon Age: Inquisition. I'm not a big fan of the gameplay, but I absolutely loved the arquitecture, especially that main castle you get to on the second stage of the game. It seemed very defensible and also had the huge interiors. I spent way more time just looking at it than I should have.
Another idea for your castle design: Could the central keep use a narrowing structure with overlapping walls such that the rooms under the penthouse would get larger on lower floors while the outer rooms got smaller? Similar to how some medieval buildings lean outward, but reversed for those particular inner walls.
In german there are two types of castles. There are Burgen which are first of military structures and there are Schlösser wich were build to look more fancy. Neuschwanstein is not a Burg. It is a Schloss!
N-oy/oi-sch-v-ah-n-st-eye-n. It's a combination of three words: neu (pronounced n-oy, like boy) schwan (sch-v-ah-n) and stein (st-eye-n, rhyming with fine). Said neu-schwan-stein. Neuschwanstein.
I loved the video, but just one thing: As a German I cringe every time you you said Neuschwanstein. You weren't completely off, its just that the a is supposed to be a long vowel. So it's more like Neuschwaanstein. The way you pronounce it would be spelled Neuschwannstein.
also the emphasis is on the second syllable, not on "Neu". The only reason why I could imagine someone stressing the first syllable in this case would be to distinguish it from "Altschwanstein" if that were to exist ;)
To me, what he was saying sounded like Noschvanßtain. How he'd probably pronounce it correctly: noy (as in annoying) shwarn (with the r being silent, it's just there to make you pronounce the a correctly) shtein (st is pronounced like an scht or in english an sht most times). If that doesn't help, google translate, if set to german, pronounces it correctly. I'd also be ok with him just translating the name to new swan stone.
The first few times it sounded like No-Schwein-Stein to me. From swan to pig in a single mangling. ;-) Doesn't take anything away from the content though!
The best existing example of a bridge between a historical castle and a fantasy castle is Raglan in wales. This was a castle with large windows, apartments and fountains and a green and also a huge 100 foot long room for entertaining. It was designed to be comfortable to live in and it did have enough rooms to get lost in. However from the front it had a huge tower with immense walls and a gatehouse with many gates and gun holes to shoot from. It was defensive, but also very comfortable to live in, satisfying both criteria.
Well we in Germany devide betweeb Burgen and Schlösser Schlösser (Singular Schloss) were pretty residences for nobles mostly build after the medival times you could say palaces they werent realy good defended and were not there to fortify or to hold against a siege for example Schloss Nymphenburg in Munic, or Schloss Neu Schwarnstein, or Versails. They were kinda like a sign of how wealthy the owner was and they can be very small but also very big Burgen (singular Burg) on the other hand are what you consider a castle heavy fortified buildings, there as an residence and also hold against a siege
Just came upon this channel, love it. I love the way you present information, you're like that really cringey teacher in High school that everyone knew was lame but everyone loved anyway. Keep up the good work!
I love that 'gap bridger' at the end, especially since that's kinda what I'm here for - picking up some design elements I can use to make something far more on the fantasy castle end of the spectrum look a little more defensible.
Hey Shad. You didn't mention the castel of Hohenzollern, but I assum you've heared of it. I actually think its much more beautifull than Neu Schwanstein and also a bit more realistic (although about as young). I'd love to hear your view on that one.
The Capitol building in Washington D. C. is not a castle, but with regard to the building itself, could it be called a palace from your description? A large building with many rooms used for ceremonies and show. Also meeting houses and rooms for the country's leaders to meet and work together. In fact, at least Kentucky's Capitol building is similarly constructed. But it seems not defensible at the door as evidenced during January 6, 2021. But once the Capitol was fenced off, it was well - defensible.
Nice video :) but i would also add one type of caste is more typical to middle Europe. The jump was not castle -> palace but there was a middle form. In 16-17 centuries many castles were converted to resemble more a palace than a castle but they still have left fortifications and bastions. The fortification part was due to danger from Turkish raids, and dukes fighting the crown so they build large bastions and fortifications. But they also wanted some luxury... so the living quarters were created from converting of older fortification parts of castle.
Its Schwan, not Schwein. I just imagine King Ludwig II sitting in his grotto at Linderhof in a pig-shaped boat. Schloss Neuschwanstein was built inspired by Richard Wagners operas, german heroic sagas and the Wartburg, a real castle. The german "Schloss" is often translated as "castle", though you say "castle" includes the defense function of the building, while the german "Schloss" refers more to a noble residence that may or may not include defensive elements, ranging from a manor house to a posh fortress. The german "Burg", as in Wartburg or Burghausen, means "castle" as a more defensible structure. By the way, I grew up in a place called Schlossberg.
Fun fact: King Ludwig II actually made the workers blow up a part of the mountain Neuschwanstein is standing on in order for the layout to work exactly as planned. Most of the pictures in the castle/ palace show fairy tales, greek mythology etc. I was in there when I was about 8 or 9 years old and it's absolutely gorgeous :D
I got so excited when I saw Neuschwanstein in the thumbnail. I did a 7th grade project on how it should be a wonder of the modern world because of its history behind it and its architecture.
Malborg aka Marienburg is amazing. I've been there about 10 years ago and while it isn't as red as the picture shows here it's still amazing and the biggest castle I've seen so far. Edit: Damn at 11:25 you tell me it's the largest? FUUUCK that means I will never see a bigger one in my life! You crushed my soul.
17:36 Good Design, just add on a large dragon stables and a couple dragon landing areas, and a dragon rest / perch . [ Landing areas are also useful to modern Helicopters, as many of the luxury super yachts have their own helipads :-) ]
Great video, excellent stuff. 'Fantasy' castles are really products of late 18th and early 19th century Romanticism. People see these wonderful, elaborate structures like Neuschwanstein, or other 18th/19th century structures, and the image trickles into popular culture via Disney, D&D, and fantasy literature.
I had the opportunity to walk through Neuschwenstein in person when I visited Munich. Guy that made it ran out of money and never finished it. He was a real recluse and lost his mind. Very inspirational.
+Shadiversity Check Bojnice castle, Slovakia. Very romantic looking castle that also has sort of fantasy look to it, somewhat resmbling Disney's castle.
Great video Shad! Very informative and well explained. I myself, from as far back as I can remember, always found historical militaristic castles the most beautiful and appealing while most fantasy depictions not so much so, but could never quite place my finger on why. Everything explained in this vid has now put it into very clear perspective. Guess I'm just wired to be more boring and practical than most. lol. Really appreciate the work you put into this one. 👍
Great video, it's very informative while entertaining at the same time. If I may offer one little bit of advice for similar videos and that would be context or a point of reference, when you talk about how little actual living space there is in relation to their of many of these castles it would help make your point if you compared them to a building of roughly similar size. As an example, you could say that castle X is Y square feet large and Z number of people lived there, in comparison to (modern) building A that is of similar size but B number of people lived in it. Something like that would really help give people a better idea of just how little living space there was in some of these castles. On the subject of building your own castle, I'm actually reading one of the characters (who happens to be filthy rich) is working on restoring an actual 14th or 15th century castle that she owns. The kick is that she's doing it using historical materials and techniques with workers wearing period clothing as well, the only concession being the wearing of hardhats and safety glasses for safety reasons, of course. But this is all just background stuff and has no actual bearing on the plot of the story what so ever.
Dear, dear Shad! As a German, I have to beg you to speak the "a" in Neuschwanstein longer. And it is more spoken like the a in "bark" or in "Stark" (as well Tony's and Ned's family name). I really really appreciate your videos, but everytime you say Neuschwanstein, the German in me is tortured. :-D Thank you for your awesome, legendary videos! Greetings Gregor. PS.: Machiculations are Maschikulli in German language. Thought you'd like to know! ;)
Great video Shad, you should make a video about the castle you designed and go into the floor plans and your logic behind it, I think it would be really informative to hear the logic you used when you made your own castle. It is a beautiful design, btw.
having the giant tower can some some functions, if the top part was more open up it would work as a watch tower. It can also be a place where you can keep high ranking prisoners held for randsom.
hello shad, i love this channel. there is just a handful of preserved proper medieval castles, almost all preserved castles in europe are more like neuschwanstein, than a medieval castle. thats because german aristocrats used to build stuff like "hunting castles/summer residences" all over the place. after castles lost their military importance, most were deserted being impossible/implausible to maintain, and the stones used to build stuff like bridges and churches. 99% of the preserved castles in europe were built as luxury mansions/estates called "castle someplace/somelastname" as a status symbol sometimes with features like moats and drawbridges, but never really to defend against knights or siege weaponary... i have visited a lot of european castles from all periods of time.
Well in Germany we actually have two different words for castle to distinguish between structures like Neuschwanstein, which we call "Schloss" and something like the Drachenfels, which is now a ruin but was a "Burg". Where "Burg" is simply the term for a fortified settlement (the real castle), a "Schloss" is a structure from the end of the medieval period until the 20th and was often build upon the remains of a former castle, and really trades security for beauty and comfort (a more noble residence). I thought this could be of interest. :) Thanks for the really great video and best wishes from Germany!
It may be good to know the German terms for castles.This makes it easier to tell apart: Burg = closed, habitable defense structure (Hohkönigsburg, Burg Eltz) Schloss = A residence or palace of the nobility (Schloss Neuschwanstein, Versailles, Residenzschloss Dresden, Schloss Schönbrunn) Festung = Fortress (Franzenfeste, Festung Kufstein, Festung Ehrenbreitstein) (are sometimes also referred to as a "Burg")
I always liked the castle from Disney's *Sword in the Stone*, which combines a much more believable defensive structure and size with a few fantasy elements, including the ludicrously tall tower. Of course, it was also falling to pieces in a way that made its defensive abilities questionable (and the tower itself a danger to the rest of the castle), but that's just another part of the charm.
First of all - I love your castle, mate. Done in 3DS? Also, this video was like crack to me. I mean, omg, so many castles and palaces - Loved it, loved it, loved it! Cheers!
As for how the castle you show at the end, I'd imagine someone might build something like that on three conditions: 1) The person living there is expecting to stay there a long time (so the needs for palace-like features is higher) 2) Though enemy attacks are a big enough concern to necessitate fortifications, the person living there is not expecting an attack by a particularly strong force. 3) They cannot just wipe out these enemies. So, if I were writing a backstory here for such a castle, I would go like this: The kingdom the castle was built in was once a far more vibrant place that fell under darkness. Hordes of enemies (such as undead) swarmed the kingdom. Though weak, their numbers are like locusts and their presence is very widespread. They overran the kingdom and most of the peasants and what-have you fled the kingdom. The king, however, stayed behind out of duty and shame for his failures to defend his kingdom. He's now a very sad person fighting a desperate battle to regain control of his kingdom.
9:56 This is Grand Palace in Bangkok. Actually this building is part of Grand Palace complex which all of these are built inside a protective wall (I guess a thick one) with actual bastions jutted out, these bastions were (I think) intentionally designed to accept defensive cannons (not bigger than 24 or 36 pounders I think). Originally Kings of Siam (Since the founding of Rattanakosin) resided there until King Rama IX era where he preferred Chitladda Villa which began as a dedicated European style palace and is much bigger, AFAIK the only member of Siamese Royal Family still dwells there is Ubonradna Jensen--the eldest daughter to the Late King and big sister to the now King. Did you consider BOTH Grand Palace of Bangkok and The Forbidden City of Beijing as Castles too?
The ruin at 1:04 , Harlech Castle, was the inspiration for one of my favorite books as a child (ok I admit.. I bought a copy also as an adult.. ). Castle by David Macaulay.
I had hoped perhaps you might have mentioned the Alcázar de Segovia in Spain, which is also often noted as inspiring Disney’s Magic Kingdom castle. Fun place to visit.
Something that I always thought Fantasy castles should have is a magic shield of some kind that protected the castle. This would allow them to use thinner walls, have more/bigger windows etc. If this was used in the support it could allow castles to be bigger to. So personally I think that given that magic is avalible for use, fantasy castles are pretty well designed. At least until the magic breaks
Nice video! A note from Sweden: in our country, the castles tended to evolve if the werent abandoned. In my home town Orebro, for,example, you can clearly see the different phases thru the centuries in our castle in the town central. Its belivied that the earliest fortified building was made in the 13th century. The modern "medievial" look it got in the 1800's. My point is: if the building site was still central in terms of strategy and administration, you didnt abandon hugly costly building without reason. You modified it to fit whatever you needed it to be.
Well, they did do that in England also. The Tower of London started out as this one white block thing, and then grew in later centuries into this large fortified place that it is now. Too bad they demolished the 19th century barracks buildings in what is now again the moat, as it would have shown the last stage of actual use of the tower as a military structure, if only as a barracks....
In dutch the word castle (kasteel) has two meanings, an overarching term for big residential buildings with a possible military (not necessary) build in the middle ages until now (like the English word castle). Motte and bailey, and others are included. The second meaning is specific on big residences with the emphasis on the living and ruling aspect. Exemples are Versailles (though the line with a palace is blurred here), Neuschwanstein and Château de Cheverny, Chambord, For those places where defence is of equal emportance as being the residence of a person or a group, the word burcht is used. Examples are Gravensteen (Ghent), Krak de Chevaliers, Nürburg (in Nürburg). This is more or less your use of "Historical Castles" in this video.
As a kid, I got a book about castles from the local library, & my mental image of a "true" (i.e., historical) castle has been shaped by its diagram ever since. A castle is a palace or keep (residence) surrounded by an inner wall, an outer wall, & some sort of obstacle, whether moat or steep mountainside. The idea of the obstacle is to make it difficult for soldiers to scale the walls. Archers atop the walls & towers have a wide field of fire while attackers first have to get through the outer gatehouse to get inside. The gatehouse may consist of 2 gates, with bars to trap invaders inside a high-walled box, while arrows rain down on them from above. Should they get through the outer wall & gatehouse, they're in the outer courtyard, where various commerce takes place in times of peace, but now it's simply another high-walled trap with defenders atop outer & inner walls. Even if the top of the outer wall is captured, the inner wall is taller; & the invaders have to penetrate a 2nd gatehouse. Assuming invaders manage to reach the inner courtyard, they're confronted by the keep, a solid tower with archer's slits & archers up top. Palaces built in place of keeps would still have a keep for the family & townsfolk to retreat to. The book described the inner courtyard as being where the armorer, blacksmith, stables etc were located. I'm wondering after watching this video: what liberties or misinterpretations were in this book? It purported to describe the historical evolution of the castle, & had many diagrams showing plans of castles from early & later periods. I read it in the mid- to latter 70's. I'd appreciate it if +Shadiversity or someone else knowledgeable about the nature of medieval European castles could weigh in on what I read, & how accurate the book was. Coz I literally evaluate every castle I see on-screen according to what I recall.
In German we have a further distinction. A Castle is a Burg, a palace or admin building somewhere out in the country as a residence or derived vorm a castle, a monastery or build as such (Schloß) and a real palace inside a city(Palast). Some of the ones derived from castles have their original purpose still in there name like Schloß Moritzburg or, even stranger, Schloß Burg Stein. By that definition Neuschwanstein is a Palace. That's also in its name, we call it Schloß Neuschwanstein.
I used to work in a castle near where I live, that was built as a manor house for a noble family, but then was converted into a defensive fortification during the War of the Roses. The actual building is massive, with a thick moat, and I frequently got lost inside. It's called "Herstmonceaux" castle.
for Neuschwanstein: In German it's called "Schloss" instead of "Burg" and "Schloss" is often more equivalent to "Chateau" in teh english use than to "castle"... "Schlösser" arent ment as defensive buildings but as representative buildings of the rich, like Schwein, Versailles and Sanssouci
You should do a video on Český Krumlov Castle. It dates back to 1240 but contains a lot of fantasy elements. I believe this is case of the castle evolving into a fantasy style castle over time as it's defenses became obsolete but it would be great to hear your take on it.
I think one of the biggest defining features of fantasy-castles are loads of huge impractical towers. The bigger your towers, the more difficult to build, and the bigger a target. So on real castles, you only build them as high as you need them, to give you a) a strategic view and b) a defensive platform, and rarely c) to be impressive. Also notice, that these requirements were sometimes subject to change, and a lot of medieval castles were annexed, renovated and changed during their lifetime, if only to cope with the advent of firearms in the 14th century (note the main keep of Chillon -- that's a gun platform, actually).
Additional to the video: Most medieval castles were not even made from stone but poor knights usually just had a central living tower made of wood or truss, with a wooden wall around it a bit away (hence most small castles are not even there anymore). -> Cf. Motte-and-bailey castles and the like.
Guide to Pronounce Neuschwanstein close to correct :-) (Don’t want to rip on you just trying to help) Neuschwanstein --> 3 Words Neu Schwan Stein -> new swan stone Neu is pronounced like the middle peace of annoying --> a-nnoy-ing just like the nnoy Schwan is pronounced almost like the English swan. Unfortunately, there is no real Mach for the “schw…” Sch is kind of like if you try to have someone to be quiet. you go: “Hush”. Or like the sh in shoe. W ist like the beginning of the letter v. Like in venom just without the “enom” :-) schw -->shv -->Schwan an like in anomaly / andromedar And then Stein --> like “Einstein” the scientist just that you pronounce the “st” like before the “Sch” Sch-tein --> tein like Constantin Neu -Schwan-Stein hope that made sense :-)
Not sure you already did it, but would be a good video theme: the difference between a castle and a palace, two types of construction that occurred in paralel all over Europe around centuries XIII and XV.
SO...Ive watch about 4 of your vids in a row and found them very interesting and now i know.....you fucking love castles...very much. You love castles so very much... 👍
As someone who’s been to Caernarfon castle dozens of times as a kid it’s pretty easy to get lost in because all the levels, rooms and corridors look the same and the small spiral staircases are really disorienting
A lot of literary fantasy castles are not just palace-castles but also administrative castles. There are descriptions like three floors of bureaucratic offices and one floor of royal palace. This contributes to their size. Fantasy kingdoms are usually a lot more centralized than real medieval kingdoms because modern authors are used to modern nation-states not feudalism. You get basically every government building in 17th century London crammed into the castle. Very few fantasy castles appear to be simple fortified residences.
Seeing how thick some of these castle's walls are its no surprise they managed to survive in such good condition when they were forced to recommission them as a defense point in WW2.
And do you actually do architecture? Because as an architect, I am quite impressed with you knowledge of architecture. I mean, I wouldn't be surprised. What motivated me to get into architecture was my love for castles and cathedrals. But still, I appreciate you actually being educated on the subject. And your accent fits the subject matter perfectly lmao!
I love castles too! Gonna build one when I get rich enough. Your knowledge would be priceless. But before I get money I gonna stick to 3D modelling and looking for a nice hill to live on. You got yourself some great looking 3D castle model. Not asking how much time you spent on it cuz i know it takes a month or three to finish something this big.
Prague castle is the biggest castle in the world. Check also Bouzov castle - its also built as Neuschwanstein as romantic historical replica in 18. century.
I'm really gonna sound like a mangy little git right here, so forgive me, but it would be nice if you had added little labels on all the castle photos. That aside, you knocked another one out of the park with this! Good on ya!
Nice explanation. There are some of the features I didn't realize until I see the video. If you like the castle so much and if you able to understand Japanese, why don't you try the DMM games called Shiro Puro RE? You will like it, especially Neuschwanstein castle, Malbork castle and Camelot castle.
I absolutely love this channel. Your videos are well researched, entertaining, and provide more info then any documentary you get here in the US, and you deliver in 15 min or less! Haha! I love how you always have a somewhat different interpretation on subjects in the ancient-renaissance life. It gives me new ways of thinking of things myself, and I thank you for it. I do have some what of a disagreement on what you said about Palaces. Yes you did say a palace could be a castle, and a castle is not always a palace, but you said a Palace was a place only used for ceremony? While the great hall (as I learned to call it. Im basically saying the throne room) was used for conducting business, and holding outstanding ceremonies, yes, but it was a serious place of authority for the Monarchs that lived there! I thaught the defining feature that makes any building a Palace was a Monarch has to live there? And most monarchs through out history would have to have lived in true castles? Just my two cents. But please keep up the great work like always!
You said "castle" at least 166 times. That's 9 "castles" per minute.
I think this video might be about castles.
Gee i would've never guessed that, thanks for the clarification :PJust kidding hehe
...indeed...
...it might seem so...! :D
its about 0,15 castle/second. I think its about castles
Wait really? I though it was about trench warfare
Not chess?
I think part of the Problem is that the english language onlie knows the catagories castle an palace. In Germen there are three catagorys a real medival castle would be called a "Burg" a palace like Versailles would be Called a "Palast" but a "castle" like Neuschwanstein or the Disney castles would be a "Schloss". Which describes a Castle like building which was build only for represantation.
If only English was as awesome as German.
Don't be troubled, it can also be vice versa: once I translated a German text to English (forbidden! I'm German) and a research to find the most fitting word for German 'ruhig' in a certain context took me half an hour. The adjective 'ruhig' in English can mean: quiet, calm, silent, sedate, quiescent, steady. Take your pick...
blagfire Palast and Schloss is pretty much the same though. we borrowed the word Palast from Latin. In medieval times the Palas was the residence house inside the castle where the lord of the castle resided. Later Palast became just a big beautiful building inside a city, like the Italian Palazzo.
praeceptor We have also more than one word there. We have ruhig, leise, still...you just need to get a feeling for the language. The context of the word is what matters.
English isn't lacking here. We just don't have a common special term for non-castles that are specifically castle-like.
Having a term for that makes as much sense as having a special world for any other architectural styling of building The addition of an adjective solves the problem simply.
Especial irony: Neuschwanstein itself was an much of a fantasy castle as is Sleeping Beauty's Castle (Disneyland) or Cinderella's Castle (Disneyworld). It was a set built by the ill-fated King Ludwig II so he could play out his fantasies of being a Wagnerian romantic prince. Under that white stone cladding Neuschwanstein is built of steel girders and brick, and has more in common with the Flat-Iron Building than with a classic castle.
Agreed. If he's going to cite Neuschwanstein as a castle, then he really should include places like Schweriner Schloss, Château de Chambord, Burg Hohenzollern, Schloss Moyland, etc. There are a ton of castle-like palaces with defensive fortifications, many of which actually began as real medieval castles. They're all a good deal older and many are arguably as beautiful as Neuschwanstein.
Uh, Shad says that Neuschwanstein is a fantasy castle? That's what half the video is about, really...
Neuschwanstein = Noy Schvansch Tyne
He should see Burghausen in Bavaria. Nice castle, one of the largest with actual defensive capabilities.
In fact Neuschwastein was a Hi-Tech-Construction of its time.
e.g. the frame of the roof was a metal-costruction 2nd only to the Eiffel-Tower...!
Fun-fact/-rumor ;-)
When president Obama visited Germany, he believed Neuschwanstein was inspired by Disney...
...chancelor Merkel had to tell him it was the other way...! :D
"Neuschwanstein" is actually pronounced like "noi-shvahn-shtine". Trust me, I'm German. "Schwan" means "swan", so the name means "new swan stone".
Yes. And it's the second syllable, the swan part that is stressed, not the first.
And correct me if im flase but isnt it also called "Schloss Neuschwanstein" in german. And if i translate castle i would say its more like a "Burg". A "Schloss" is also translated as castle but for me it makes more the impression of a palace everytime i see a "Schloss".
So i would not mention it in this video, because for me it seems mor like a video about "Burgen" and not about "Schlösser"
In a german video he would not even talk about "Neuschwanstein", because everyone knows that its a "Schloss" and not a "Burg". But tranaslated to english my sentence means its a castle and not a castle, so the english language is just failing at this point.
That makes him talking so long about "Neuschwanstein" just to say that it is an exception from other castles waht german people just do by calling it a "Schloss" and not a "Burg".
Can someone please make them find a new word for "Schloss" or for "Burg" so the other thing can be called cstle and the other thing can not be? If some one does this i will never ever listen again to such a cancercreating pronunciation of "Neuschwanstein".
There are pronunciation collections on the internet forvo.com/search/Neuschwanstein/ - no need to further call chateau new swan stone "NEW PIG"
@Marco Meza Thats what I just learned in this playlist. All dictionaries translate Schloss to castle though - I have been unhappy to call places like Schloss Schönbrunn a "castle" for all my life de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Schloss_Sch%C3%B6nbrunn
Also I would never see Schloss Neuschwanstein as a castle, since it was build from a whiny adult that got drowned in debts cuz he wanted a fancy palace to be a magic princess... prince.
But I giggled when he said Neuschwanstein. xD
I really love your passion for castles. I share it with you, and some people just don't get it, but I totally get it, and I find myself getting hyper about it when I watch your videos.
Say Noschwensten one more time, I swear
No Schwein Stein. XD
Neuschwanstein?
ich würde vorschlagen:
noy-sh-varne-sh-tine
seriously, if you can't properly pronounce something, DON'T repeat it OVER and OVER and OVER!
Can zomeone exblain vy ze Germans are zo anal about English sbeakers mispronouncing German vords ven English sbeakers tend to pe zo forgiffing of Germans mispronouncing English vords?
+Tomartyr excuseee meee, princess? did WE ever talk? You don't know SHIT how I pronounce my english vocabulary!
Great video Shad! It is really nice how you express both information and opinion while still keeping them aside a bit for us to form our own opinions (although I very much agree with you).
Thanks mate, I certainly try my best ^_^
When it's done I'll be making several videos on it, it's design and a grand tour as well as putting up many hi res imaged on deviant art.
I tried to see if I could find ya on Deviantart , just couldn't , I am on that site too , this is how you could find me , tall ships / mkps111669 , love to see all the things you've done
shad-brooks.deviantart.com/
Benni Bodin Jagell. Agreed
take a shot every time he says castle
im ded now. thanks
Neu-Schwanstein is called in German "Schloss". A "schloss" is a castle (German: Burg), which is mainly the residence of a king, earl, or count and less for defensive purposes. Mostly they evolved from a castle to a "schloss" during the time, when the local "boss" became more powerful and the function as a castle less important. Here in my town (Moers) we have such a former castle which turned into a "schloss", when with the invention of the canons the hole town became a defence system and the castle became just the residence of our count. We also have the word "Palast" (palace) in German, with the same meaning as in the English language. I think there is no good translation for "schloss"?
Neuschwanstein is not considered a castle ("Burg") in Bavaria but a chateau ("Schloss").
It was made using technologies of industrial buildings to build large open spaces inside that would have been impossible with medieval building techniques.
It is one of three fairytale chateaus built by Ludwig II.
A true fairytale castle was built at about the same time by the Hohenzollern, the Prussian kings, called Burg Hohenzollern (www.burg-hohenzollern.com/).
Hey Shad, greetings from germany! I discovered your channel yesterday and I am amazed of your knowledge. I was always interested in medieval everything and your videos show me a lot of things, details, elements I have never thought of or just didn't know. Your channel helps me a lot to gain more knowledge that I need because I am a writer (That sounds like I am a professionel author, it is just a hobby, nothing too special) and I want to keep things as realistic as possible or necessary. Well, it is fantasy and there are some elements I keep control of, it's my world, my rules, suck it history, or other developments make no sense at all in my world or come faster. But fighting and buildings, living and society, should be more realistic and you help me a lot with that.
To sum all this up; thanks for the great content!
you repeat yourself a bit too much imo, otherwise great, perfectly clear, specific, exact, nuanced, and still well explained, with great examples
Repeating helps me to remember some of the facts he's sharing.
PapillonOne me too, everyone, that's why i didn't write "you repeat yourself", but "you repeat yourself *a bit much*" because, imo, his level of repetition is a bit above the "it helps me remember" and it's slowly crossing into "it's kind of wasting his and my time and energy with those 2-3 extra repetitions he does above the "helps me remember" line ;)
but yeah, i get the point and like it, it's just a bit overdone imo.
As someone whose three years playing WoW was in many ways still the centerpiece of my existence so far, I have learned to both identify and appreciate passion when I encounter it; and passion for his subject, is something that Shad definitely has.
Ludwig II really was the 19th century Walt Disney. He even had a ride with boats that looked like swans in one of the caves nearby.
I bet his house is like a castle ! Seriously no matter what you cannot help but appreciate the love he has about these stuff !
I have been inside a few castles myself and it is just amazing how little room you actually have compared Neuschwanstein which I have also visited.
this was a cool video , I too have a fascination with castles myself , the 2 things I most enjoy from this video , was 1 was the plans of Chillion castle , never seen those before , 2 was your own creative castle that you made , from the visual exterior look , to the actual plans , awesome
Coincidentally, I just finished watching your previous castle videos again. These are really interesting videos keep up the great work.
Thanks mate!
+Shadiversity i also appreciate these videos because I am taking a course called Humanities that has a huge emphasis on Art History so this will definitely help out. Your Gothic Architecture video also expanded my perspective and gave me a new appreciation for gothic architecture..
Arguably, Neuschwanstein is a fantasy castle too; the design came out of the fevered fantasies of Ludwig II.
Charles W not quite , most of the palace is designed for a few things. One to have a mere perfect place to worth God as nearly every room has an enormous array of art to show god above all men and above all kings. Second he made it to preserve the artist of his time that he looked up to in music , paintings, plays and so on. There was a lot of purpose to each room and a lot of highly advanced things which were a first for its time. Most did think him mad because he cared so much about the beauties of life and nature instead of the shit most people care about these days like politics. That is the sole reason he was murdered . They wanted someone who was a politician , not a culture capturer
This brings to mind Dragon Age: Inquisition. I'm not a big fan of the gameplay, but I absolutely loved the arquitecture, especially that main castle you get to on the second stage of the game. It seemed very defensible and also had the huge interiors. I spent way more time just looking at it than I should have.
Another idea for your castle design: Could the central keep use a narrowing structure with overlapping walls such that the rooms under the penthouse would get larger on lower floors while the outer rooms got smaller? Similar to how some medieval buildings lean outward, but reversed for those particular inner walls.
18:02 I like the double gate house you put in for your own castle. very effective if an enemy should try and fight their way in.
In german there are two types of castles. There are Burgen which are first of military structures and there are Schlösser wich were build to look more fancy. Neuschwanstein is not a Burg. It is a Schloss!
N-oy/oi-sch-v-ah-n-st-eye-n. It's a combination of three words: neu (pronounced n-oy, like boy) schwan (sch-v-ah-n) and stein (st-eye-n, rhyming with fine). Said neu-schwan-stein. Neuschwanstein.
I loved the video, but just one thing: As a German I cringe every time you you said Neuschwanstein. You weren't completely off, its just that the a is supposed to be a long vowel. So it's more like Neuschwaanstein. The way you pronounce it would be spelled Neuschwannstein.
also the emphasis is on the second syllable, not on "Neu". The only reason why I could imagine someone stressing the first syllable in this case would be to distinguish it from "Altschwanstein" if that were to exist ;)
To me, what he was saying sounded like Noschvanßtain.
How he'd probably pronounce it correctly: noy (as in annoying) shwarn (with the r being silent, it's just there to make you pronounce the a correctly) shtein (st is pronounced like an scht or in english an sht most times).
If that doesn't help, google translate, if set to german, pronounces it correctly.
I'd also be ok with him just translating the name to new swan stone.
Also it's more like 3 words neu Schwan Stein.
But Noschwen-stein is pretty creative.^^ As said before it's neu-schwan-stein, new-swan-stone.
The first few times it sounded like No-Schwein-Stein to me. From swan to pig in a single mangling. ;-)
Doesn't take anything away from the content though!
The best existing example of a bridge between a historical castle and a fantasy castle is Raglan in wales. This was a castle with large windows, apartments and fountains and a green and also a huge 100 foot long room for entertaining. It was designed to be comfortable to live in and it did have enough rooms to get lost in. However from the front it had a huge tower with immense walls and a gatehouse with many gates and gun holes to shoot from. It was defensive, but also very comfortable to live in, satisfying both criteria.
That castle is incredible that you made it would be practical and it is so pretty as well, good work designing it.
Well we in Germany devide betweeb Burgen and Schlösser
Schlösser (Singular Schloss) were pretty residences for nobles mostly build after the medival times you could say palaces they werent realy good defended and were not there to fortify or to hold against a siege for example Schloss Nymphenburg in Munic, or Schloss Neu Schwarnstein, or Versails. They were kinda like a sign of how wealthy the owner was and they can be very small but also very big
Burgen (singular Burg) on the other hand are what you consider a castle heavy fortified buildings, there as an residence and also hold against a siege
Basti K. yeah, in english, I think a schloss is called a chateau, french for castle, but then english isn't very creative
Versailles ist zwar ein Palast aber sonst gut erklärt
As a writer, much of MY inspiration for the castles in my stories come from two sources; history and/or mythology (ex. Norse, Arthurian, Celtic etc.)
Just came upon this channel, love it. I love the way you present information, you're like that really cringey teacher in High school that everyone knew was lame but everyone loved anyway. Keep up the good work!
"castle" count: word used 352 times
yes, i counted
Are you a count of a castle. Do you use your time on these things?
around 19,3 castles per minute. Thank you for the count good man
I love that 'gap bridger' at the end, especially since that's kinda what I'm here for - picking up some design elements I can use to make something far more on the fantasy castle end of the spectrum look a little more defensible.
Fantastic video. Both types of castles are beautiful in different ways.
Hey Shad. You didn't mention the castel of Hohenzollern, but I assum you've heared of it. I actually think its much more beautifull than Neu Schwanstein and also a bit more realistic (although about as young). I'd love to hear your view on that one.
The Capitol building in Washington D. C. is not a castle, but with regard to the building itself, could it be called a palace from your description?
A large building with many rooms used for ceremonies and show. Also meeting houses and rooms for the country's leaders to meet and work together. In fact, at least Kentucky's Capitol building is similarly constructed. But it seems not defensible at the door as evidenced during January 6, 2021. But once the Capitol was fenced off, it was well - defensible.
Nice video :) but i would also add one type of caste is more typical to middle Europe. The jump was not castle -> palace but there was a middle form. In 16-17 centuries many castles were converted to resemble more a palace than a castle but they still have left fortifications and bastions. The fortification part was due to danger from Turkish raids, and dukes fighting the crown so they build large bastions and fortifications. But they also wanted some luxury... so the living quarters were created from converting of older fortification parts of castle.
Its Schwan, not Schwein. I just imagine King Ludwig II sitting in his grotto at Linderhof in a pig-shaped boat. Schloss Neuschwanstein was built inspired by Richard Wagners operas, german heroic sagas and the Wartburg, a real castle. The german "Schloss" is often translated as "castle", though you say "castle" includes the defense function of the building, while the german "Schloss" refers more to a noble residence that may or may not include defensive elements, ranging from a manor house to a posh fortress. The german "Burg", as in Wartburg or Burghausen, means "castle" as a more defensible structure. By the way, I grew up in a place called Schlossberg.
Fun fact:
King Ludwig II actually made the workers blow up a part of the mountain Neuschwanstein is standing on in order for the layout to work exactly as planned. Most of the pictures in the castle/ palace show fairy tales, greek mythology etc. I was in there when I was about 8 or 9 years old and it's absolutely gorgeous :D
I got so excited when I saw Neuschwanstein in the thumbnail. I did a 7th grade project on how it should be a wonder of the modern world because of its history behind it and its architecture.
Malborg aka Marienburg is amazing. I've been there about 10 years ago and while it isn't as red as the picture shows here it's still amazing and the biggest castle I've seen so far.
Edit: Damn at 11:25 you tell me it's the largest? FUUUCK that means I will never see a bigger one in my life! You crushed my soul.
17:36 Good Design, just add on a large dragon stables and a couple dragon landing areas, and a dragon rest / perch .
[ Landing areas are also useful to modern Helicopters, as many of the luxury super yachts have their own helipads :-) ]
I had heard that the Alcazar in Segovia was big inspiration for the Disney castle as well. Great vid!
Great video, excellent stuff. 'Fantasy' castles are really products of late 18th and early 19th century Romanticism. People see these wonderful, elaborate structures like Neuschwanstein, or other 18th/19th century structures, and the image trickles into popular culture via Disney, D&D, and fantasy literature.
I had the opportunity to walk through Neuschwenstein in person when I visited Munich. Guy that made it ran out of money and never finished it. He was a real recluse and lost his mind. Very inspirational.
You didn’t mention burg Hohenzollern in southern Germany . It’s definitely like a fantasy castle.
+Shadiversity Check Bojnice castle, Slovakia. Very romantic looking
castle that also has sort of fantasy look to it, somewhat resmbling
Disney's castle.
Great video Shad! Very informative and well explained. I myself, from as far back as I can remember, always found historical militaristic castles the most beautiful and appealing while most fantasy depictions not so much so, but could never quite place my finger on why. Everything explained in this vid has now put it into very clear perspective. Guess I'm just wired to be more boring and practical than most. lol. Really appreciate the work you put into this one. 👍
Great video, it's very informative while entertaining at the same time. If I may offer one little bit of advice for similar videos and that would be context or a point of reference, when you talk about how little actual living space there is in relation to their of many of these castles it would help make your point if you compared them to a building of roughly similar size. As an example, you could say that castle X is Y square feet large and Z number of people lived there, in comparison to (modern) building A that is of similar size but B number of people lived in it. Something like that would really help give people a better idea of just how little living space there was in some of these castles.
On the subject of building your own castle, I'm actually reading one of the characters (who happens to be filthy rich) is working on restoring an actual 14th or 15th century castle that she owns. The kick is that she's doing it using historical materials and techniques with workers wearing period clothing as well, the only concession being the wearing of hardhats and safety glasses for safety reasons, of course. But this is all just background stuff and has no actual bearing on the plot of the story what so ever.
Dear, dear Shad! As a German, I have to beg you to speak the "a" in Neuschwanstein longer. And it is more spoken like the a in "bark" or in "Stark" (as well Tony's and Ned's family name). I really really appreciate your videos, but everytime you say Neuschwanstein, the German in me is tortured. :-D
Thank you for your awesome, legendary videos!
Greetings
Gregor.
PS.: Machiculations are Maschikulli in German language. Thought you'd like to know! ;)
12:17 Isn't that the Cathedral of the Deep? lol Though that window looks like the entrance to Lothric Castle where you fight the Dancer...
Great video Shad, you should make a video about the castle you designed and go into the floor plans and your logic behind it, I think it would be really informative to hear the logic you used when you made your own castle. It is a beautiful design, btw.
having the giant tower can some some functions, if the top part was more open up it would work as a watch tower. It can also be a place where you can keep high ranking prisoners held for randsom.
hello shad, i love this channel.
there is just a handful of preserved proper medieval castles,
almost all preserved castles in europe are more like neuschwanstein, than a medieval castle.
thats because german aristocrats used to build stuff like "hunting castles/summer residences" all over the place.
after castles lost their military importance, most were deserted being impossible/implausible to maintain, and the stones used to build stuff like bridges and churches.
99% of the preserved castles in europe were built as luxury mansions/estates called "castle someplace/somelastname" as a status symbol sometimes with features like moats and drawbridges, but never really to defend against knights or siege weaponary...
i have visited a lot of european castles from all periods of time.
Your castle design is fantastic!!
Well in Germany we actually have two different words for castle to distinguish between structures like Neuschwanstein, which we call "Schloss" and something like the Drachenfels, which is now a ruin but was a "Burg". Where "Burg" is simply the term for a fortified settlement (the real castle), a "Schloss" is a structure from the end of the medieval period until the 20th and was often build upon the remains of a former castle, and really trades security for beauty and comfort (a more noble residence).
I thought this could be of interest. :)
Thanks for the really great video and best wishes from Germany!
I love that castle that you made. Just aesthetically and functionally beautiful
It may be good to know the German terms for castles.This makes it easier to tell apart:
Burg = closed, habitable defense structure (Hohkönigsburg, Burg Eltz)
Schloss = A residence or palace of the nobility (Schloss Neuschwanstein, Versailles, Residenzschloss Dresden, Schloss Schönbrunn)
Festung = Fortress (Franzenfeste, Festung Kufstein, Festung Ehrenbreitstein) (are sometimes also referred to as a "Burg")
I always liked the castle from Disney's *Sword in the Stone*, which combines a much more believable defensive structure and size with a few fantasy elements, including the ludicrously tall tower. Of course, it was also falling to pieces in a way that made its defensive abilities questionable (and the tower itself a danger to the rest of the castle), but that's just another part of the charm.
First of all - I love your castle, mate. Done in 3DS? Also, this video was like crack to me. I mean, omg, so many castles and palaces - Loved it, loved it, loved it! Cheers!
As for how the castle you show at the end, I'd imagine someone might build something like that on three conditions:
1) The person living there is expecting to stay there a long time (so the needs for palace-like features is higher)
2) Though enemy attacks are a big enough concern to necessitate fortifications, the person living there is not expecting an attack by a particularly strong force.
3) They cannot just wipe out these enemies.
So, if I were writing a backstory here for such a castle, I would go like this:
The kingdom the castle was built in was once a far more vibrant place that fell under darkness. Hordes of enemies (such as undead) swarmed the kingdom. Though weak, their numbers are like locusts and their presence is very widespread. They overran the kingdom and most of the peasants and what-have you fled the kingdom. The king, however, stayed behind out of duty and shame for his failures to defend his kingdom. He's now a very sad person fighting a desperate battle to regain control of his kingdom.
This was lovely to watch, I much appreciate your style of information-delivery. Keep up the good work. Cheers mate. :)
9:56 This is Grand Palace in Bangkok. Actually this building is part of Grand Palace complex which all of these are built inside a protective wall (I guess a thick one) with actual bastions jutted out, these bastions were (I think) intentionally designed to accept defensive cannons (not bigger than 24 or 36 pounders I think). Originally Kings of Siam (Since the founding of Rattanakosin) resided there until King Rama IX era where he preferred Chitladda Villa which began as a dedicated European style palace and is much bigger, AFAIK the only member of Siamese Royal Family still dwells there is Ubonradna Jensen--the eldest daughter to the Late King and big sister to the now King.
Did you consider BOTH Grand Palace of Bangkok and The Forbidden City of Beijing as Castles too?
I love the death corner of your castle between the two gates
The ruin at 1:04 , Harlech Castle, was the inspiration for one of my favorite books as a child (ok I admit.. I bought a copy also as an adult.. ).
Castle by David Macaulay.
Harlech castle is also the inspiration for my pop up cardboard castle. And I visited it today.
Hint..hint... post a picture of your cardboard castle?
That castle at the end is amazing, great work!
I had hoped perhaps you might have mentioned the Alcázar de Segovia in Spain, which is also often noted as inspiring Disney’s Magic Kingdom castle. Fun place to visit.
I love how you mention fantasy castles that are realistic and you show this BIG ASS FORTRESS OF BADASS
Something that I always thought Fantasy castles should have is a magic shield of some kind that protected the castle. This would allow them to use thinner walls, have more/bigger windows etc. If this was used in the support it could allow castles to be bigger to. So personally I think that given that magic is avalible for use, fantasy castles are pretty well designed. At least until the magic breaks
Nice video!
A note from Sweden: in our country, the castles tended to evolve if the werent abandoned. In my home town Orebro, for,example, you can clearly see the different phases thru the centuries in our castle in the town central. Its belivied that the earliest fortified building was made in the 13th century. The modern "medievial" look it got in the 1800's.
My point is: if the building site was still central in terms of strategy and administration, you didnt abandon hugly costly building without reason. You modified it to fit whatever you needed it to be.
Well, they did do that in England also. The Tower of London started out as this one white block thing, and then grew in later centuries into this large fortified place that it is now. Too bad they demolished the 19th century barracks buildings in what is now again the moat, as it would have shown the last stage of actual use of the tower as a military structure, if only as a barracks....
In dutch the word castle (kasteel) has two meanings, an overarching term for big residential buildings with a possible military (not necessary) build in the middle ages until now (like the English word castle). Motte and bailey, and others are included.
The second meaning is specific on big residences with the emphasis on the living and ruling aspect. Exemples are Versailles (though the line with a palace is blurred here), Neuschwanstein and Château de Cheverny, Chambord,
For those places where defence is of equal emportance as being the residence of a person or a group, the word burcht is used. Examples are Gravensteen (Ghent), Krak de Chevaliers, Nürburg (in Nürburg). This is more or less your use of "Historical Castles" in this video.
Chillon = She-own (little w sound). It is a gorgeous castle, inside and out. I've had the great fortune of visiting it and it's well worth a visit!
As a kid, I got a book about castles from the local library, & my mental image of a "true" (i.e., historical) castle has been shaped by its diagram ever since.
A castle is a palace or keep (residence) surrounded by an inner wall, an outer wall, & some sort of obstacle, whether moat or steep mountainside. The idea of the obstacle is to make it difficult for soldiers to scale the walls. Archers atop the walls & towers have a wide field of fire while attackers first have to get through the outer gatehouse to get inside. The gatehouse may consist of 2 gates, with bars to trap invaders inside a high-walled box, while arrows rain down on them from above.
Should they get through the outer wall & gatehouse, they're in the outer courtyard, where various commerce takes place in times of peace, but now it's simply another high-walled trap with defenders atop outer & inner walls. Even if the top of the outer wall is captured, the inner wall is taller; & the invaders have to penetrate a 2nd gatehouse.
Assuming invaders manage to reach the inner courtyard, they're confronted by the keep, a solid tower with archer's slits & archers up top. Palaces built in place of keeps would still have a keep for the family & townsfolk to retreat to. The book described the inner courtyard as being where the armorer, blacksmith, stables etc were located.
I'm wondering after watching this video: what liberties or misinterpretations were in this book? It purported to describe the historical evolution of the castle, & had many diagrams showing plans of castles from early & later periods. I read it in the mid- to latter 70's.
I'd appreciate it if +Shadiversity or someone else knowledgeable about the nature of medieval European castles could weigh in on what I read, & how accurate the book was. Coz I literally evaluate every castle I see on-screen according to what I recall.
ruclips.net/video/RFvDV5j3Q5s/видео.html
ruclips.net/video/ZBn7f3H-eqM/видео.html
I hope this helps.
In German we have a further distinction. A Castle is a Burg, a palace or admin building somewhere out in the country as a residence or derived vorm a castle, a monastery or build as such (Schloß) and a real palace inside a city(Palast). Some of the ones derived from castles have their original purpose still in there name like Schloß Moritzburg or, even stranger, Schloß Burg Stein. By that definition Neuschwanstein is a Palace. That's also in its name, we call it Schloß Neuschwanstein.
I used to work in a castle near where I live, that was built as a manor house for a noble family, but then was converted into a defensive fortification during the War of the Roses. The actual building is massive, with a thick moat, and I frequently got lost inside. It's called "Herstmonceaux" castle.
Except in the 1600s it was rebuilt a Manor House.
for Neuschwanstein: In German it's called "Schloss" instead of "Burg" and "Schloss" is often more equivalent to "Chateau" in teh english use than to "castle"... "Schlösser" arent ment as defensive buildings but as representative buildings of the rich, like Schwein, Versailles and Sanssouci
You mean... exactly what he said in this video?
I Love how you throw in the local austrian castles from my area in between :)
You should do a video on Český Krumlov Castle. It dates back to 1240 but contains a lot of fantasy elements. I believe this is case of the castle evolving into a fantasy style castle over time as it's defenses became obsolete but it would be great to hear your take on it.
Shads own castle looks so good. Immediately opens minecraft
I always thought Disney castle was inspired by Lichtenstein . Nice to finally know where the original inspiration came from. Great video as always!
I think one of the biggest defining features of fantasy-castles are loads of huge impractical towers. The bigger your towers, the more difficult to build, and the bigger a target. So on real castles, you only build them as high as you need them, to give you a) a strategic view and b) a defensive platform, and rarely c) to be impressive. Also notice, that these requirements were sometimes subject to change, and a lot of medieval castles were annexed, renovated and changed during their lifetime, if only to cope with the advent of firearms in the 14th century (note the main keep of Chillon -- that's a gun platform, actually).
Additional to the video: Most medieval castles were not even made from stone but poor knights usually just had a central living tower made of wood or truss, with a wooden wall around it a bit away (hence most small castles are not even there anymore).
-> Cf. Motte-and-bailey castles and the like.
Guide to Pronounce Neuschwanstein close to correct :-)
(Don’t want to rip on you just trying to help)
Neuschwanstein --> 3 Words Neu Schwan Stein -> new swan stone
Neu is pronounced like the middle peace of annoying --> a-nnoy-ing just like the nnoy
Schwan is pronounced almost like the English swan. Unfortunately, there is no real Mach for the “schw…”
Sch is kind of like if you try to have someone to be quiet. you go: “Hush”.
Or like the sh in shoe.
W ist like the beginning of the letter v. Like in venom just without the “enom” :-)
schw -->shv -->Schwan an like in anomaly / andromedar
And then Stein --> like “Einstein” the scientist just that you pronounce the “st” like before the “Sch”
Sch-tein --> tein like Constantin
Neu -Schwan-Stein
hope that made sense :-)
Anyone who loves castles should visit Carcassonne, it has everything we like in castles and it is nicely conserved.
Loved your castle design.
Not sure you already did it, but would be a good video theme: the difference between a castle and a palace, two types of construction that occurred in paralel all over Europe around centuries XIII and XV.
Was that Bunratty Castle I saw at one point? Wonderful building, that, with nicely restored interiors.
SO...Ive watch about 4 of your vids in a row and found them very interesting and now i know.....you fucking love castles...very much. You love castles so very much... 👍
As someone who’s been to Caernarfon castle dozens of times as a kid it’s pretty easy to get lost in because all the levels, rooms and corridors look the same and the small spiral staircases are really disorienting
A lot of literary fantasy castles are not just palace-castles but also administrative castles. There are descriptions like three floors of bureaucratic offices and one floor of royal palace. This contributes to their size. Fantasy kingdoms are usually a lot more centralized than real medieval kingdoms because modern authors are used to modern nation-states not feudalism. You get basically every government building in 17th century London crammed into the castle. Very few fantasy castles appear to be simple fortified residences.
Seeing how thick some of these castle's walls are its no surprise they managed to survive in such good condition when they were forced to recommission them as a defense point in WW2.
This is really intresting. I love the Neuschwanstein castle and I use it for inspiration for my fantasy books. :)
And do you actually do architecture? Because as an architect, I am quite impressed with you knowledge of architecture. I mean, I wouldn't be surprised. What motivated me to get into architecture was my love for castles and cathedrals. But still, I appreciate you actually being educated on the subject. And your accent fits the subject matter perfectly lmao!
Shad, you should do a compare European and Asian castles. I would like to hear your thoughts on those.
I love your castle's design. Doesn't seem tiring to do a full tour in it.
1:30 Also, is this Water Seven?!
I love castles too! Gonna build one when I get rich enough. Your knowledge would be priceless. But before I get money I gonna stick to 3D modelling and looking for a nice hill to live on. You got yourself some great looking 3D castle model. Not asking how much time you spent on it cuz i know it takes a month or three to finish something this big.
Prague castle is the biggest castle in the world. Check also Bouzov castle - its also built as Neuschwanstein as romantic historical replica in 18. century.
Warwick castle has a decent amount of space, but still much smaller than most people think. I visited in 2008.
Geat Video, but you pronunciation of Neuschwanstein is really gruesome.
I'm really gonna sound like a mangy little git right here, so forgive me, but it would be nice if you had added little labels on all the castle photos. That aside, you knocked another one out of the park with this! Good on ya!
Nice explanation. There are some of the features I didn't realize until I see the video.
If you like the castle so much and if you able to understand Japanese, why don't you try the DMM games called Shiro Puro RE? You will like it, especially Neuschwanstein castle, Malbork castle and Camelot castle.
I absolutely love this channel. Your videos are well researched, entertaining, and provide more info then any documentary you get here in the US, and you deliver in 15 min or less! Haha! I love how you always have a somewhat different interpretation on subjects in the ancient-renaissance life. It gives me new ways of thinking of things myself, and I thank you for it. I do have some what of a disagreement on what you said about Palaces. Yes you did say a palace could be a castle, and a castle is not always a palace, but you said a Palace was a place only used for ceremony? While the great hall (as I learned to call it. Im basically saying the throne room) was used for conducting business, and holding outstanding ceremonies, yes, but it was a serious place of authority for the Monarchs that lived there! I thaught the defining feature that makes any building a Palace was a Monarch has to live there? And most monarchs through out history would have to have lived in true castles? Just my two cents. But please keep up the great work like always!
Thank you and thanks for your thoughts on palaces. Interestingly, sometimes royals didn't live in their palaces but in country estates.