Burg Colmberg is perfectly situated at the meeting point of Germany's two most picturesque car trip routes, the Romantic Road and the Castle Road. The 1,000-year-old hotel that used to serve Franconian kings is now ready to serve you. You can spot it from far as it sits right on …

This Martello Tower was originally built by the British when they were threatened by the armies of Napoleon. It was part of a string of 29 fortresses that ran like a necklace around the British coast. Each was home to a garrison of 25 men – one can imagine the …

As you arrive via helicopter, Spitbank Fort initially looks like a military outpost from a classic strategy game like Red Alert or Total Annihilation. Indeed, when it was built in the 1860s its purpose was military: to defend Britain’s Portsmouth Harbour which was then one of the richest ports in …

For thousands of years, the most popular pastime in Europe was killing your neighbors. England and France win the prize for managing to have a war that lasted for 100 years. Because of a readiness for violence, castles began to sprout all through Europe’s green hills and many survive to …

Built in the 19th Century to stop Napoleon invading England, La Crete Fort still ended up with a French name - which is sort of ironic if you think about it. When the Nazis captured Jersey in World War 2 they naturally used the large fortification for their own military …

If you were a French Celt living in the 2nd Century AD under threat from the Romans you would want to in Les Baux-de-Provence. Set high in the Alpilles mountains on a rocky outcrop with a view of the surrounding plateau, the location has been inhabited for thousands of years. …