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The Complete Pilgrim - Religious Travel Sites

Howard Kramer's, The Complete Pilgrim, Religious Travel Site

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CASTLES

Welcome to The Complete Castle Pilgrim, a guide to the 100 Greatest Castles, Fortresses and Walled Cities around the world. These places, chosen for their historic, military and architectural importance, encompass over two thousand years of defensive fortifications from around the world. Come explore ancient walled cities, medieval castles, colonial fortresses and other amazing military sites, from the historic structures of the Middle East to the mountaintop citadels of medieval Europe to the massive, awe-inspiring megaforts of India and everything in between. Discover what military architectural treasures may be found in your own neighborhood.

 

Ancient Castles & Fortifications

  • Masada Fortress || Masada, Israel
  • Aleppo Citadel || Aleppo, Syria
  • Falak-Ol-Aflak Fortress || Khorramabad, Iran
  • Babylon Fortress || Cairo, Egypt
  • Sant’Angelo Castle || Rome, Italy
  • Hadrian’s Wall || Northern England
  • Great Zimbabwe Enclosure || Masvingo, Zimbabwe
  • Sacsayhuaman Fortress || Cuzco, Peru

Norman & Gaelic Castles

  • Caen Castle || Caen, France
  • Dover Castle || Dover, England
  • Tower of London || London, England
  • Windsor Castle || Windsor, England
  • Warwick Castle || Warwick, England
  • Iron Ring Castles of Snowdonia || Northwest Wales
  • Trim Castle || Trim, Ireland
  • Blarney Castle || Blarney, Ireland
  • Edinburgh Castle || Edinburgh, Scotland
  • Inverness Castle || Inverness, Scotland

Medieval European Castles (Hilltop)

  • Convent of the Order of Christ || Tomar, Portugal
  • Segovia Castle || Segovia, Spain
  • High King’s Castle || Orschwiller, France
  • Castles of the Italian Tyrol || Northern Italy
  • Wartburg Castle || Eisenach, Germany
  • Hohenzollern Castle || Hechingen, Germany
  • Swan Castles || Fussen, Germany
  • Karlstejn Castle || Karlstejn, Czech Republic
  • Bran Castle || Brasov, Romania

Medieval European Castles (Waterside)

  • Loire Valley Castles || Northern France
  • Chillon Castle || Montreaux, Switzerland
  • Rhineland Castles || Northwest Germany
  • Malbork Castle || Malbork, Poland
  • Trakai Island Castle || Trakai, Lithuania
  • Castles of the Serbian Danube || Central Serbia
  • Baba Vida Fortress || Vidin, Bulgaria
  • Bourtzi Castle || Nafplio, Greece
  • Castles of the Ukraine || Western Ukraine

Medieval European Castles (Urban)

  • St. George Castle || Lisbon, Portugal
  • Gravensteen Castle || Ghent, Belgium
  • Salzburg High Fortress || Salzburg, Austria
  • Prague Castle || Prague, Czech Republic
  • Wawel Castle || Krakow, Poland
  • Akershus Castle || Oslo, Norway
  • Kremlins of Western Russia || Western Russia

Middle Eastern Castles & Fortresses

  • Rumelihisari Fortress || Istanbul, Turkey
  • Mamure Castle || Anamur, Turkey
  • Damascus Fortifications || Damascus, Syria
  • Krak des Chevaliers || Homs, Syria
  • Alamut Castle || Qazvin, Iran
  • Bam Citadel || Bam, Iran
  • Castles of Eastern Arabia || Arabian Peninsula
  • Cairo Citadel || Cairo, Egypt
  • Qait Bay Citadel || Alexandria, Egypt
  • Fasilidas Castle || Gondar, Ethiopia
  • Old Fort || Stone Town, Tanzania
  • Casbahs of Morocco || Morocco

Far Eastern Castles & Fortresses

  • Derawar Fort || Derawar, Pakistan
  • Red Forts || Northern India
  • Chittorgarh Fortress || Chittorgarh, India
  • Coastal Forts of Maharastra || Central India
  • Forts of Rajasthan || Northwest India
  • Great Wall of China || Northern China
  • Hwaseong Fortress || Suwon, South Korea
  • Himeji Castle || Himeji, Japan
  • Matsumoto Castle || Matsumoto, Japan
  • Feudal Castles of Kyushu || Southern Japan

 Gunpowder Fortresses

  • Star Fort || Bourtange, Netherlands
  • Kronborg Castle || Elsinore, Denmark
  • Gripsholm Castle || Mariefred, Sweden
  • Suomenlinna Fortress || Helsinki, Finland
  • Peter and Paul Fortress || St. Petersburg, Russia
  • American Coastal Forts || Eastern Seaboard of America
  • Sydney Fortifications || Sydney, Australia
  • Western Front Fortifications || Eastern France & Benelux

Colonial Empire Fortresses

  • Fortaleza de Hacho || Ceuta, Morocco
  • Colonial Forts of Africa || African Coast
  • Portuguese Atlantic Trade Forts || Atlantic Islands
  • Bermuda Fortifications || St. Georges, Bermuda
  • Spanish Forts of the Caribbean || Caribbean Islands
  • British Forts of the Caribbean || Caribbean Islands
  • Campeche Fortifications || Campeche, Mexico
  • Fort San Juan de Ulua || Veracruz, Mexico
  • San Marcos Castle || St. Augustine, Florida
  • Cartagena Fortifications || Cartagena, Colombia
  • Real Felipe Fortress || Lima, Peru
  • Fort Ticonderoga || Ticonderoga, New York

Walled Cities

  • Arbil || Arbil, Iraq
  • Jerusalem || Jerusalem, Israel
  • Akko || Akko, Israel
  • Walled Cities of the Mediterranean || Mediterranean Islands
  • Carcassonne || Carcassonne, France
  • Rothenburg || Rothenburg, Germany
  • York || York, England
  • Avila || Avila, Spain
  • Walled Cities of Northern Italy || Northern Italy
  • Dubrovnik || Dubrovnik, Croatia
  • Kairouan || Kairouan, Tunisia
  • Harar || Harar, Ethiopia
  • Baku || Baku, Azerbaijan
  • Itchan Kala || Khiva, Uzbekistan
  • Pingyao || Pingyao, China
  • Quebec || Quebec City, Canada

THE COMPLETE AMERICAN PILGRIM – NOW AVAILABLE ON AMAZON

THE COMPLETE PILGRIM

Welcome to The Complete Pilgrim(TM)! This site, created by Howard Kramer, is a combination travel blog and online guide to the world's greatest sites of religious interest (with some historic and recreational places thrown in for good measure). All written content has been originally researched and produced and is provided free for public research and enjoyment. Thank you for visiting!

Site of the Week

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WITTENBERG CASTLE CHURCH

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Photo of the Week

BASILICA OF ST. DENIS

Last month, I visited one of the most fascinating churches I have ever been to, the almost completely ignored Basilica of St. Denis in the northern suburbs of Paris.  Almost every French monarch is buried here, and almost nobody goes here.  Here are some pics I took:

Basilica of St. Denis

Tomb of Clovis

Tomb of Clovis

Tombs of Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette

Tombs of Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette

Tomb of Louis XIV The Sun King

Tomb of Louis XIV The Sun King

Royal Tombs

Royal Tombs

The Crypt

The Crypt

 

 

 

 

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Contact Us

Have a comment, a great photo or a religious site you'd like to nominate for the weekly spotlight? We would love to hear from you. Email us at hkramer@thecompletepilgrim.com.

About the Author

Howard Kramer is the creator and author of The Complete Pilgrim. He first took an interest in religious sites in his early twenties when traveling through Italy after college. In the two decades since he has traveled to more than two dozen countries and almost every state, visiting and photographing hundreds of the world’s greatest churches, synagogues and other places of religious interest. Howard has been writing about religious sites for the better part of the last decade, and The Complete Pilgrim is the culmination of years of his work and passion.

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