This article was originally published in the November copy of the Seaside Gazette but is included here for our online readers outside the distrbution area.

When somebody mentions castles, you immediately think of Germany but the land of castles, just by sheer number, is Spain.

The reason being is that Spain was the frontier between the Muslim and Christian world in Western Europe for around 700 years.

There are some that are just a few stones piled upon each other, victims of the passage of time and those on the look out for cheap building materials. Other castles are as majestic as the Alhambra.

Even down here on the Costa Tropical we have one in Salobreña and Almuñécar and forts in La Herradura, Carchuna and El Tesorillo (Taramay) as well as the keep or tower in Vélez Benaudalla, to name a few. If you go further inland, then it would be a crime not to include the Castle de La Calahorra not far from Guadix.

La Alhambra in Granada is just one of the five major castles in Spain, but if we were to list the other four then we would have the following: Castillo de Peñíscola in Castellón, Castillo de Belmonte in Cuenca and the Alcazar in Segovia.

So, where are the comparable castles around Europe… and this selection is by no means definitive:

Edinburgh Castle (Scotland)
Castelo de Óbidos (Portugal)
Bojnice Castle (Slovak Republic)
Château de Chambord (France)
Schloss Neuschwanstein (Germany)
Castello di Miramare (Italy)
Castelul Bran (Romania)
Torre de Belém (Portugal)
Grad Predjama (Slovak Republic)
Castello di Sant’Angelo (Italy)
Castelo de Guimarães (Portugal)
Castello di Sirmione (Italy)
Zamek w Malborku (Poland)
Trakų salos pilis (Lithuania)
Kronborg Slot (Denmark)

Now, most of you have travelled more than  Marco Polo on rollerskates, so you’ve got some castles that you might like to add, so please do so in the comments below!

(Features: Castles in Spain and Europe)