Rothenburg, Germany Rothenburg is the definitive fairy-tale walled city of Europe. Not quite as large as Avila or Carcassonne, when it comes to charm and enchanting walks, Rothenburg easily surpasses its rivals. The walled city and its treasure of architectural masterpieces, among the oldest in Bavaria and Germany, look as if they have been lifted straight out of a story by … [Read more...]
Archives for December 2014
WALLED CITY OF CARCASSONNE
Carcassonne, France Of all of the surviving walled cities in Europe, Carcassonne in Southern France is the undisputed champion. Besting even Avila in Spain and Rothenberg in Germany, there is no other place in Europe, or arguably the world, where the true medieval character of a walled city has been as completely and perfectly preserved as Carcassonne. Standing on top of a … [Read more...]
WALLED CITIES OF THE MEDITERRANEAN (RHODES, VALLETA)
Rhodes, Greece; Valleta, Malta The Knights Hospitaller was the largest chivalrous order in the history of Europe. Except for a brief period during the Crusades when they were temporarily eclipsed by the Templars, they have also been the most important. The Hospitalers, more than any other organization or nation, fought the long, slow retreat against the Ottoman Turks. To … [Read more...]
WALLED CITY OF JERUSALEM
Jerusalem, Israel As walled cities go, Jerusalem may be the most famous, most visited and most blood soaked in history. No fewer than five walls have been constructed over the millennia to defend this holiest of cities, not to mention over a dozen renovations and expansions, with varying degrees of success. The walls of Jerusalem witnessed major fighting on over two dozen … [Read more...]
WALLED CITY OF ARBIL
Arbil, Iraq The old walled city of Arbil, also known as the Arbil Citadel, is one of the world’s oldest relatively intact walled cities, recent renovations notwithstanding. A fortification has stood on the spot since at least the 3rd millennium BC, and it was an important waystation on the vital trade routes of Northern Mesopotamia throughout much of its history. It has also … [Read more...]
FORT TICONDEROGA
Ticonderoga, NY For the better part of two centuries, the border region between Upstate New York and Canada was one of the most bitterly fought-over frontiers in the Americas. British, French and later American forces erected dozens of major fortresses all over the area in an effort to control the various waterways of the region. The greatest of these to survive is Fort … [Read more...]
REAL FELIPE FORTRESS
Lima, Peru The Real Felipe Fortress in Lima is the greatest Colonial-era fortress on the entire west coast of South America. It might even be argued that it is the greatest fortress in the Eastern Pacific. This is due in no small part to Lima’s isolation on the far side of Panama, which insulated Peru from the colonial wars and pirate attacks which ravaged the Caribbean Sea … [Read more...]
CARTAGENA FORTIFICATIONS (FORT SAN FILIPE, FORT SAN SEBASTIAN, CITY WALLS)
Cartagena, Colombia The Port of Cartagena in Colombia was among the most strategic Spanish cities in the New World. It was considered so important, in fact, that the Spanish built not one but two of their largest colonial fortresses here: Fort San Felipe De Barajas and Fort San Sebastian De Pastelillo. From the 17th century onward these two fortifications and the fleets … [Read more...]
SAN MARCOS CASTLE
St. Augustine, FL The Castello De San Marcos is the oldest and one of the strongest fortifications ever built in what is now the United States. It may also be the most embattled fortress in the United States not directly tied to the American Revolution or American Civil War. Historically it is the pride and joy of both St. Augustine, America’s oldest city, and the State of … [Read more...]
FORT SAN JUAN DE ULUA
Veracruz, Mexico While the fortifications of Campeche are collectively more impressive, the Fort San Juan de Ulua in Veracruz is singly the best fortress complex in Mexico and one of the finest in the Gulf of Mexico. Seemingly rising up out of the harbor, Fort San Juan de Ulua was one of the most impregnable fortifications in the New World. As evidence of this, the fort … [Read more...]
