The most beautiful castles and palaces of Europe are presented here in 240 full-color photographs and illustrations, along with background information, historical facts and entertaining anecdotes. A treasure for lovers of history and architecture alike.
Descriptions of 132 castle and palace hotels in ten countries Austria,ngland, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Portugal, Spain, Scotland, andales include the history of each, facilities and services available,ctivities and excursions in the area, facilities for children and disabledersons, and maps showing the location of each. Annotation c
Throughout the 19th century, European royalty built extraordinary palaces to which they retreated from their "official" lives in St. Petersburg, Paris, Vienna, and elsewhere. This book offers a panorama of these fantastic estates, where leading architects, craftsmen, muralists, garden designers, and naturalists were employed at enormous expense to create a life of unsurpassed luxury. Many of the palaces are now legendary: Ludwig II's famous Neuschwanstein, which dominates the Bavarian Alps; the "Alexandra Cottage" of Peterhof, the gift of Nicholas I to his wife; the lovely Castle of Miramare built for the ill-fated Archduke Maximilian, the short-lived emperor of Mexico. The palaces are "romantic" in every sense, as creations of their time, and as places suffused with nostalgic memory. Author Jérôme Coignard provides a brief overview of each royal family and their palace's architecture and decoration, drawing on contemporary memoirs and letters. Marc Walter's color photographs are accompanied by period interior views, watercolors, and family photographs. With information on visiting hours and directions to each of the palaces, this book offers a private tour through the last courts of Europe.
From Guinevere to Game of Thrones, from Dracula to Disney fairy tales, castles have captured the imagination of humankind for centuries. This exceptional bucket list travel guide takes the reader to the 100 most amazing castles across the globe, revealing their intriguing histories and must-see treasures. Explore the British Isles’ most storied palaces, the graceful chateaux of France, Germany’s mountaintop manors, the exotic castillos of Spain and Portugal, Asia’s ornate imperial forts and more. In addition, readers will find out where to play king for a day at castle hotels, learn which strongholds were featured in favorite films, and discover American beauties close to home. Featuring stunning photography, fascinating details and helpful travel tips, this volume is sure to inspire the next storybook adventure.
Presents original maps, plans and archive illustrations alongside hundreds of photographs, showing ruins and surviving castles in their glory. This work includes descriptions of hundreds of special buildings, from remote ruins in isolated settings to imposing piles in towns and cities.
After 40+ years of writing about Europe, Rick Steves has gathered 100 of his favorite memories together into one inspiring, award-winning collection: For the Love of Europe: My Favorite Places, People, and Stories. Join Rick as he's swept away by a fado singer in Lisbon, learns the dangers of falling in love with a gondolier in Venice, and savors a cheese course in the Loire Valley. Contemplate the mysteries of centuries-old stone circles in England, dangle from a cliff in the Swiss Alps, and hear a French farmer's defense of foie gras. With a brand-new, original introduction from Rick reflecting on his decades of travel, For the Love of Europe features 100 of the best stories published throughout his career. Covering his adventures through England, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, the Netherlands, Spain, and more, these are stories only Rick Steves could tell. Wry, personal, and full of Rick's signature humor, For the Love of Europe is a fond and inspirational look at a lifetime of travel. Winner of the 2022 Society of American Travel Writers' Lowell Thomas Travel Journalism Award: Best Travel Book, Silver
Built to last, built to impress, built with style and grandeur - it is all the more remarkable when the most ostentatious of buildings fall into disrepair and become ruins. From imperial residences and aristocratic estates to hotels and urban mansions, Abandoned Palaces tells the stories behind dilapidated structures from all around the world. From ancient Roman villas to the French colonial hill station in Cambodia that was one of the final refuges of the Khmer Rouge, the book charts the fascinating decline of what were once the homes and holiday resorts of the most wealthy. Ranging from crumbling hotels in the Catskill Mountains or in Mozambique to grand mansions in Taiwan, and from an unfinished Elizabethan summerhouse to a modern megalomaniac's estate too expensive ever to be completed, the reasons for the abandonment of these buildings include politics, bankruptcy, personal tragedies, natural and man-made disasters, as well as changing tastes and fashions. With 150 outstanding colour photographs exploring more than 100 hauntingly beautiful locations, Abandoned Palaces is a brilliant and moving pictorial examination of worlds we have left behind.