Top 7 Oldest Castles in The World Still Standing

Since the dawn of time, the castle has become not just a place to stay but also a center of public administration. And because of that, castles have become what remains of the history of the past that must be preserved.

It is also not surprising that most occupiers will destroy any castle that remains to remove the trails of their history from the world.

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As you can see from the infrastructure of castles, most of them were built with huge walls as functioning to fortress the castle from invading enemies. In most cases, all of them were built from a tiny little fortress until it became this very huge structure.

For most castles that are still present out there, the government will spend huge money in order to maintain the stability and structure of the castle so that the whole place will remain intact for the whole world to see.

Here we would like to share with you the top 7 oldest castle out there that still stands. Hopefully, it remains like this in the future so that the younger generation can appreciate the history behind it.

7. Alcázar

The word Alcázar originated from the Arab fortress that was built in the Roman empire. The earliest notation states that the castle existed since 1120 when the city was conquered by King Alfonso VI.

Under the rule of King Alfonso VIII and his wife Eleanor from England, this castle became their main residence and they started building the castle as what you see now. In 1882, this castle slowly came back to its original state.

Later in 1896, King Alfonso XIII decided to give this castle to the Ministry of Defence to turn it into a training camp.

6. Rochester Castle

The Rochester Castle was constructed in the 1080s after William II requested Gundulf, priest of Rochester to build a stone castle in Rochester so that he can have the power to control the flow of the very crucial river nearby.

This very castle is the earliest one ever built from stone in England since most of the castles before this were constructed using wood.

In 1127, the great priest of Canterbury start constructing his own castle residence and it became one of the biggest and best-preserved castles in England. Not to mention that it is also the most sustained in the whole of Europe. The castle was repaired from time to time since the 19th century and is still open to the public under the care of the English.

5. Hohensalzburg Castle

This very fortress, Hohensalzburg Castle was built in 1077 by Gebhard I from Helffenstein who happens to be the great priest at the time. Despite the Priest of Gebhard being banished and impeached, his next successor managed to complete the construction of the castle.

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During the rule of the Roman empire, many big priests of Salzburg continued to expand the castle for their own interest and power. Later in the 1500s, the great priest, Leonard von Keutschach managed to complete the building of the castle as you see today.

4. Windsor Castle

Despite the presence of the royal residence in Windsor during the Saxon empire in the 9th century, the construction of the first castle started in 1070 after the invasion of Norman to England by William the Conqueror.

Ever since the rule of King Henry I, Windsor Castle was used by the English king as a place to rule and it became the oldest castle ever resided in Europe.

The original castle was built from wood but slowly and surely most of them were replaced with rocks for better fortification. When Henry II was still in power, he built his own fancy castle and after that, King Edward III made it even better.

Windsor Castle is still owned by the Royal family of Britain and it has become a hotspot for many tourists.

3. Warwick Castle

The Warwick Castle was the first building to ever be constructed on this landmark in 1068 by William the Conqueror. Starting from 1260, the castle was constantly being revamped with rocks by every next generation of Earl of Warwick.

For the following century, many generations of Earls of Warwick added something to its original structure, and in 1350, Caesar's Tower was followed by Guy's Tower in 1395.

In 1978, the Greville family has owned the castle for 374 years before it was sold to the Tussauds Group(media and entertainment company) for the price of $1.7 million.

2. Reichsburg Cochem

Reichsburg Cochem or Cochem Castle is one of the oldest castles that still stands today. It is believed that the castle was first built back in the year 1000. The earliest documentation of the castle was in 1051 when Richeza, the eldest daughter of Ezzo and former Queen of Poland gave the castle to his nephew Palatine.

In the year 1151, the castle officially became the royal palace after King Konrad III lived in the castle by force. Some parts of the castle were damaged due to the attack in 1688 by King Louis XIV and his army.

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But the castle was later repaired by a businessman, Louis Fréderic Jacques Ravené in 1868.

1. Citadel Aleppo

Citadel Aleppo is the biggest and oldest castle that still remains today. The castle is located on top of the hill of the ancient city of Aleppo. It was officially announced as one of the World Heritage Sites by UNESCO in 1986.

The usage of the hill of Citadel started back in 3000 BC but the majority of the structures were built during the Ayuubid dynasty in the 12th century. Unfortunately, the fort was heavily damaged due to the Syrian civil war that is currently ongoing.

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