Castles 🏰
9 castles, châteaux and palaces visited — from the Loire's Renaissance châteaux to Dutch moated fortresses and Versailles. Each with its coat of arms, its story, all my photos, and — where one exists — an archival photo of it beside how it looks now.
Kasteel Heeswijk
A moated medieval castle at Heeswijk-Dinther in Noord-Brabant, first mentioned around 1080 and expanded over the centuries — where a Dutch army once camped in 1672 to defend against the French. Beautifully restored, full of period rooms and collections.
Wikipedia →My photos · 99
Then & Now
Then · c.1892 Now 
Kasteel Helmond
The largest moated castle in the Netherlands, in the town of Helmond — a square 14th-century brick fortress with corner towers around a courtyard, now the town museum.
Wikipedia →My photos · 65
Then & Now
Then · c.1932 Now 
Kasteel Maurick (Vught)
A moated castle in Vught, just south of 's-Hertogenbosch, its origins in the 14th century — set in wooded grounds by the river.
My photos · 19
Then & Now
Then · c.1892 Now 
Palace of Versailles
Louis XIV's colossal 17th-century palace — the Hall of Mirrors, the formal gardens, and the seat of absolute monarchy until the Revolution.
Wikipedia →My photos · 121
Then & Now
Then · c.1870 Now 
Château de Chambord
The largest château in the Loire — a 440-room Renaissance fantasy begun by François I in 1519, with a famous double-helix staircase attributed to Leonardo da Vinci and a roofline like a small city of towers.
Wikipedia →My photos · 28
Then & Now
Then · c.1920 Now 
Château de Chenonceau
The graceful 'Ladies' Château' arching on arches right across the River Cher — built and defended by a succession of powerful women, from Diane de Poitiers to Catherine de' Medici.
Wikipedia →My photos · 87
Then & Now
Then · c.1856 Now 
Château d'Amboise
The royal château above the Loire where French kings held court — and where Leonardo da Vinci spent his last years and is buried, in the chapel of Saint-Hubert.
Wikipedia →My photos · 1
Then & Now
Then · c.1875 Now 
Château des ducs de Bretagne (Nantes)
The moated castle of the Dukes of Brittany in Nantes, where the 1598 Edict of Nantes granting religious tolerance was signed — now the city's history museum.
Wikipedia →My photos · 110
Then & Now
Then · c.1890 Now 
Mont-Saint-Michel
The abbey-island rising from tidal flats off Normandy, a fortified monastery since the 8th century and one of the most dramatic silhouettes in Europe — cut off by the sea at high tide.
Wikipedia →My photos · 73
Then & Now
Then · c.1900 Now