Castle "Miracle of Peace" - Castell del Monte. Castle Castel Del Monte Castle Castel Del Monte on the map of Italy

The unique medieval Castell del Monte is the most famous of many castles built in the 13th century in Italy Friedrich II. He was engaged in strengthening the Adriatic coast of invasion. The castle on Mount began to be built at the beginning of the century, shortly after the return of the emperor to the Kingdom of Sicily from Germany. Friedrich strengthened the northern coastal areas of Sicily. Traces of his board are traced on the adriatic and the ionic coast. In Apulia, he built from scratch or restored the fortress on Gorgano Mountain, in Monte Sant-Angelo, Fiorentino in Lucera, in Melfi, in Bari, Barletta, in Joy-del Coll and other places. Some of them were in areas fortified by the previously Norman founders of the Kingdom of Sicily. In general, considering Sicily Island, Calabria and Apulia, Frederick built or restored about two dozen fortresses during his rule.

The unique medieval castle on the mountain is widely known outside Italy due to its unique octagonal form. This is one of the most mysterious buildings made by order of Friedrich II. The castle, where, perhaps, the emperor never lived, but where, if neither paradoxically, the imagination draws his presence, appears before giving up at an altitude of 540 meters above sea level. In Castell del Monte, the A16 Bari-Kosnos highway leads, with which the main attraction of Pulia will appear on the track of Andria-Barletta in 18 kilometers before gaze. The full name of the castle is Santa Maria del Monte. He was named after the church, an earlier building, now lost.

History Castel del Monte

The construction of the castle began in 1240 and ended in 1249. There is no sufficient information about its initial purpose. Most likely, he was not concealed as a fortress. There are no typical protective structures, such as Rips, adjustable bridges, underground passages, allowing to confirm the defensive hypothesis. However, the walls of both external and internal perimeters are striking with its two and a half meters thick. There are some evidence that the castle was built on the place of an earlier Norman fortress. In any case, its location on the mountain, next to the Roman Trajanovaya Dear, leading from Benevento in Brindisi, filled the gap in the grand chain of castles and fortresses built by Friedrich. Yes, and the location on the top of the only high hill on a huge flat plain is undoubtedly gives it a dominant value.

Architectural features of the castle

From the point of view of architecture, the castle is one of the first examples of the Gothic style in Puglia. This, however, is a special gothic. The whole structure is octagona. The castle is built in the form of an octagon with a diagonal of 56 meters, to each corner of which octagonal towers are attached. The courtyard is also an octagon. The input framed a magnificent arched portal. The main gates supported by the lions are facing the sea to the east. Between the external towers there are gothic windows framed by elegant columns from pink marble with capitals. The window above the main entrance is wider than from other sides, and framed by patterns. Each of the two floors of the castle are located in eight large rooms. Columns from red marble with Corinthian capitals are located in the corners of the rooms, supporting vaulted ceilings, decorated with a patterned ornament. Wide marble steps lead to windows. In some places, fragments of genuine mosaic floor are preserved.

The mystery of the base of the castle is continuously interpreted by all sorts of esoteric, astrological and geometric theories. Numerology and Magico-mystical symbols of "Eight" in Castel del Monte does not give rest to lovers of supernatural theories. The number 8 has a secular, religious and mythological value.

Possible symbolism in the octagonal castle architecture:

• inverted infinity symbol;
• combining the Divine Infinity and Mortality of Man;
• fibonacci sequence sequence element;
• symbol of harmony;
• number of Divine Justice;
• 8 Angels carrying ARS in Islam;
• number of compass directions;
• octave music interval;
• buddhist wheel of life with eight knitting needles Dhamma Chakra;
• magic heavenly number;
• the Great Eight of the Egyptian Mythology of Oguada;

Emperor Friedrich II Gogenstaofen

Amazing the figure of the founder of the castle. Being the grandson of Friedrich I Barbarossa, drowned in 1190 during his third cross campaign to Palestine, the son of Henry VI and his spouse Constance, Friedrich became the king of Sicily at the age of 4. He had a lot of time to improve in the absolute monarchy on his way to the management of the Holy Roman Empire. Being official marriages four times and having connections on the side, he left the world for at least 20 descendants. He was not a typical ruler: he spoke freely on six languages, including Arabic, which was read by Koran, showed interest in medicine, understood in philosophy, wrote poems and honored science.

Friedrich II (Emperor of the Sacred Roman Empire)

Byzantines and Normans have left the magnificent church architecture in Apulia, and Friedrich II added to this Cathedral Altamura. However, its real weakness was the construction of locks, some of which was operated as hunting houses. He built about 200 fortresses in the south of Italy and in Sicily, some of which were so big that they were more like palaces.

Left without proper care from the eighteenth century, the castle was empty, deprived of marble and furniture, and he served in different periods of the shepherd for shepherds, gangsters and refugees. In 1876, without waiting for the final destruction, it was bought by the Italian government. Recovery work was carried out in parallel with proper research and development studies, since 1928 to the eighties of the last century. For its uniqueness, UNESCO included Castell del Monte in 1996 to the list of World Heritage sites. The castle was honored to be accommodated in the Italian euro-value.

Mode of operation of the castle

Opened: from 9:00 to 18:30 - October 1 to March 31, from 10:15 to 19:45 - from April 1 to September 30. Closed to visit from December 25 to May 2. Excursions are 2.5 Euro (for students) and 5 euros (for adults).

Del Monte Castle (Castel del Monte) is lonely towers on the secluded Western Murge hill in the desert terrain of the city of Andria Bari Province, at an altitude of 560 meters above sea level. The modern name of the lock complex received only at the end of the XV century, the initial name was not preserved. Named Castel Del Monte castle was in honor of the one-alone old settlement at the foot of the hill, on which there was a small monastery of Santa Maria del Monte. Often, the locals of Andry are called it "Crown of Apulia".

The Middle Ages is a huge historical period associated with large-scale events and significant changes in all spheres of life, both individual states and entire nations of Europe and Asia. This is the time of falling the Roman Empire and began after this great relocation of peoples, which in the future, for many centuries, will serve fertile soil for the emergence of countless cultural, linguistic and religious conflicts between the German and Romanesque peoples who previously lived in the territory of the once unified empire. The "Dark Century" how it will noticeably call this era, the famous Italian poet Petrarch, despite global shocks, without which no civilization was still in the history of their development, will be the time of great transformations.

More than never before, the church in the face of Pope will gain unprecedented power and the power of which will have to be considered all, from the inhabitants of the deaf settlements and residents of enlightened cities to monarchs and kings. This is the heyday of the ideals of monastics and the limitless power of the Inquisition, which sowing the same horror in the soul, and short-circuited heretics, and the most pious parishioners. The time of chivalry and incessant clashes, when Christians shedding each other's blood in permanent internecine wars, and the time of the great crusades, when the blood of Muslims and the Crusaders spilled in the battlefields in the fight for the sacred Jerusalem.

Of course, to get even an approximate idea of \u200b\u200bthe Middle Ages who occupied in the history of mankind without the small nine centuries, you will need to get acquainted with much more extensive information. But the mention of these several iconic events allows to obtain an idea of \u200b\u200bthe time and conditions in which the mysterious and in its own way the unique castle of Castel del Monte is built. And in order to better figure out the features of the architecture of the castle or its true purpose, and perhaps, and try to find solutions to some secrets, which are generously launched Castell del Monte, it is worth paying attention to the immediate owner of the castle, the personality of which seems to be as colorful As far as contradictory.

About this person, whose authorities and cruelty did not know the borders, you can tell a lot, but also the mention of only one fact from its turbulent life gives a very clear and visual idea of \u200b\u200bthe ambiguous character and the temper of this person. So, never feeding deep religious feelings and pulling your participation in the next crusade in every way, this person still managed to achieve, it would seem impossible - to be excavated from the church and, despite the papal anatheme, to win in the crusade and return the Christian world Jerusalem. We are talking about a room as a friend, as the Emperor of the Sacred Roman Empire, the ruler of Germany, King of Sicily and Jerusalem Friedrich II Gaenstaofen.

The construction of the castle is mentioned only in one document that came to the present day. He dated January 29, 1240 and it states that the Emperor of the Sacred Roman Empire Friedrich II Staugne ( it. Friedrich II VON HOHENSTAUFEN)orders the governor and judge Richard de Montefuscolo. Buy lime, stone and everything you need ...

... Pro Castro Quod Apud Sanctam Mariam De Monte Fieri Volumus ...

(For the castle that we want to build next to the church of St. Mary on the hill).

However, further from the document is not entirely clear what is meant - the beginning of construction or some final work. In favor of the latest version, there is another document released in 1241-1246. - Statutum de Repaire Castrorum (list of fortifications that require fixing). In it, Castell del Monte is indicated as the already built castle.

As a place for the future construction of the next castle, Friedrich II chooses Apulia, the region, which is part of the Sicilian kingdom (now the region of Bari Province in the south of Italy), where he, in fact, has grown and lived all his childhood and youth. According to the recedence, Castel Del Monte (from Ital. "Castle on Mount" or "Mountain Castle") was built on the site of the ruins of the abandoned monastery of St. Mary, or rather, on a small elevation in the form of a hill located in the middle of a deserted plain area (in 16 km from the city of Andria), later called Terra Di Bari. From here and the origin of the initial name of the castle of SASTRUM Santa Maria de Monte, which remained after it for a long time.

The beginning of the construction of the castle is 1240, and the end of work is dated 1250 year, that is, by strange (and possibly a purely random) coincidence, the conclusion of Castell del Monte coincided with the year of the death of Friedrich II. That, even dropping intake mystery, involuntarily suggests about some kind of symbolism, because the entire house of Gajenstaufnes will soon disappear behind the death of the emperor. And one of the brightest reminders of the Great Dynasty of the South Heerman Kings and Emperors of the Sacred Roman Empire remains just the castle of Castell del Monte, invariably towering over the plain terrain of Apulia for almost 800 years.

According to the preserved written evidence, it is known that Friedrich II preferred the construction of objects and structures of exclusively military purposes. Therefore, it is not surprising that during his reign, he managed to rebuild more than 200 castles and fortresses and was mentioned as the founder of only one church in AltaMur. There were even legends about the passion of the emperor to defense fortifications, as if the court venture sometimes begged his ruler, finally a break and not to build such a number of new castles. But it is not difficult to explain such a sacrifice to the spiritual needs of your people in favor of purely practical military purposes, it is easy enough to remember the difficult and irreconcilable relationship between the emperor and the Roman dad.

In those days, the papal region, by all means, sought to protect themselves and their possessions from the encroachment of the Sacred Roman Empire, and therefore, an extremely tense relationship was always preserved between each newly elected dad and the emperor. And even the first and second excommunication from the Friedrich II church (in 1227 and 1239) and the nickname of the "real antichrist", firmly entrusted with the emperor, is hardly able to show that hostility and hatred that was powered by each other, perhaps at that time The two most powerful ruler of the Catholic world. Therefore, the struggle of Frederich II and Pope Gregory IX for the central part of Italy, over time, overgrowing into an open and fierce confrontation, simply could not not affect the policies held by the emperor. The mysterious on the background of constant wars and the uprisings, which led and suppressed Friedrich II, looks like his idea of \u200b\u200bthe construction of the castle Castel del Monte, who, in essence, nor the castle, is not a fortress.

As the basis of the two-story building, Castell del Monte was taken by a completely non-standard form of the right octagon, thanks to which the castle remains the only fortification structure with such an unusual layout. Moreover, among all medieval castles of Western Europe. What, in fact, it makes it difficult, and often puts in a dead end of contemporary researchers engaged in finding reliable analogues, which in the XIII century could inspire Friedrich II for the construction of so unusual for their era of the construction. But knowing about the good acquaintance of the emperor with the mentality of oriental people (especially Saracinov), his tolerance to other people's cultures and religions and its extreme freight, it can be assumed that the sobrase of the future Castell del Monte could be borrowed by Friedrich II from the Muslim world, during His cross campaign to holy land.

With this version, the mosque of the rock dome, built in Jerusalem still in the VII century, is often binding. and also having an octagon form. Returning to the castle, it is worth paying attention to that in addition to the octagonal walls of 25 meters high to each of the corners of the castle, octagonal towers are adjacent, whose tops rise above the ground are slightly higher - by 26 meters. As it is easy to notice, the number of angles and, accordingly, the towers Castell del Monte is equal to eight, but also on each of the two floors of the lock there are eight of the same halls, and looking at the decorations of the premises, you can also detect the frequent eight-time repetition of the details of the internal ornament.

And as if this repetition figures 8 seemed small, the inner courtyard of the castle, which could well have a circle or square form, also represents all the same octagon. From here and not surprisingly the emergence of a strong association of Castel del Monte castle with a mysterious figure 8, which constantly serves as an object of increased interest and historians, and adherents of numerology, and ordinary fans of secrets and mysteries.

Because of its external similarity, Castell del Monte castle is often called the "Crown of Apulia". And in fact, this comparison is fair, and not only due to the external similarity, but also because Friedrich II carried that eight-pointed crown. So the castle and his characteristic form could serve as a symbol of the emperor's authority, which he wished to capture "in stone". Strictly speaking, during the construction of the castle, only limestone (base) and marble (columns, finishing windows and portals) were used, but this does not violate the version of the castle-symbol, but rather, even on the contrary, only once again confirms it. Marble as a building material, undoubtedly, has a lot of advantages, but is hardly suitable for the construction of such powerful defense fortifications, as castles, fortresses or forts.

Thus, the origin of the figure 8 is largely binding directly with the architecture of the castle Castell del Monte. True, there are other assumptions, because the same figure can be seen in the Eight Persdet Friedrich II decorated with eight petals, and looking at the history of various cultures and exercises, you can also find your own interpretation of symbolism figures 8, as the personification of power, wealth, success or good luck . But left, finally, the numbers and turn directly to the features of the fixation of the castle, which could be identical to the hunting residence, a monument, a kind of observatory or even a cult structure.

In the construction of fortifications of the Middle Ages, the most paramount importance was always paid to the ability of the lock or fortress to resist any attacks and their capabilities to withstand long sieges. But, by contacting the story of Castell del Monte, it is possible to find a strange feature - Riva never saved around the castle and earth shafts did not even hurt. In addition, in the castle, not finding storage facilities, where in the case of the siege there would be a sack of food reserves. On the other hand, looking at the castle, along with small windows you can see the narrow slits of the boys, arranged around the perimeter of all towers. It means that a small garrison that could accommodate in the interior, still could count on at least some advantage (in addition to the impressive walls) during the castle defense. But then it becomes completely incomprehensible why the screw staircases in the tower of Castel del Monte are spinning "not to the side". According to one of the rules of "clothing", the screw staircases should rise from the floor to the floor in the direction of the clockwise direction.

It provides advocates of the locks a better position, as the attacking soldiers have to rise along the stairs and at the same time fight in an uncomfortable position. And the thing is that the soldiers walking on the storming of the castle are deprived of the opportunity to apply the strongest blows with their main weapons - swords, because for this it is necessary to miss the right to left, while soldiers protecting the castle due to the twistedness of the stairs and higher on It will constantly be somewhat right. So there is a non-standard (counterclockwise) the direction of the screw stairs Castell del Monte would get at least some excuse, only if the castle was deposited by troops consisting exclusively from the left-hander. Or, more obviously, Friedrich II in such a way once again stressed the unknown destination of the castle.

Among the hobbies of the emperor, the falcon hunt was held a special place, which he devoted a lot of his free time. And on the basis of their own observations and experiments, Friedrich II even wrote a treatise "The Art of Hunting Birds". So, based on the Emperor's passion to the hunt, an assumption is arising about the construction of Castell del Monte as a hunting residence. But in question, such a thought put the extreme luxury and the exorbitant wealth of the inner situation, which the castle could boast to the moment of completion. Another appointment of Castell del Monte is associated with the features of the orientation of its inputs and windows on the sides of the world.

The main goal of the castle goes exactly to the east, and the spare are located strictly in the opposite - Western direction. As for the windows, both external, so emerging in the courtyard, then they are equipped in such a way that the premises of the second floor are illuminated by direct sunlight throughout the year, and the eight rooms of the first floor during the summer and winter solstice are obtained natural and what is interesting , absolutely uniform lighting. From here, a version was born about the castle as a medieval observatory or a huge astronomical calendar.

In the appearance of much more sacred causes of construction, as well as the very purpose of Castell del Monte, they make supporters of occultism and mysticism. They adhere to the point of view that followers of any secret teachings or societies hidden from the eyes of the uninitiated (to which Friedrich II could belong to), used the castle to conduct their ritual or religious rites.

Direct evidence of such a version, of course, not to find, but many tourists after visiting the castle often indicate those strange and unusual sensations that they experience, first being inside Castell del Monte. Perhaps, the massiveness and impressiveness of the structure or antiquity of the castle and his centuries-old history, from which the Spirit should capture the spirit from which the spirit should be captured. But who knows whether a certain mysterious energy does not give himself about himself, who has not yet lost its strength and still stored in the walls of Castell del Monte?

Well, at the end of only a brief acquaintance with the most famous medieval castle of Italy, if they still distract from the otherworldly forces, it is worth recalling that Castell del Monte shortly after the death of Friedrich II will serve as a prison for his grandchildren. Then, losing the former value and greatness, after numerous looting the castle will lose both the former shine, and its strict beauty. Over the centuries, the octagonal fortress, a monument of the power of the genus Gogyenstaufnes, the Hunting residence of the emperor, the cultant-astronomy structure will become a refuge, where the local one will know will seek salvation from the epidemics of the plague, more than once flashed throughout Europe and achieved to the southern regions of Italy.

Approximately from the XVII century, the castle will comprehend the unenviable fate to be abandoned and lived its last days in complete launch. But, fortunately, almost 200 years later slow and therefore, imperceptible destruction about the abandoned castle will again remember. In 1876, a restoration work will begin with the Castel del Monte in the Unified State in the castle, and in 1996, the castle will enter the number of historical facilities protected by UNESCO World Heritage Foundation. (whc.unesco.org/en/list/398)

And although today Castel del Monte castle has become a historic and tourist attraction, it continues to live alive reminding the whole Dynasty of Gagenstaufnes, who presented the world of such great rulers as Konrad III, Friedrich I Barbarossa and Heinrich VI.

In 1459, the fortress went to the possession of a notable Italian family of Señora Ferranta Aragon. And in 1656 the castle last served as a residence for the plagis of native families of Italy, which raged in the city of Andria. And after some time, Castel Del Monte was empty and only in the XIX century turned into a house of shepherds, local robbers and marauders. During this period, the castle was plundered, precious marble materials were sodished from the walls, and rich sculptures were sold.

In 1876, the strengthening was transferred to the possession of the notable family of Carafa, which took his restoration and reconstruction.

Currently, Castel Del Monte Castle is a medieval architecture monument and is open to attend everyone's tourists.

sources
http://www.castlesguide.ru/italy/monte.html.
http://www.allcastles.ru/italy/castel-del-monte
http://itlm.ru.

Italy would remind you from the castles to you, but let's say English, too, like it looks like today. The original article is on the site Inforos Link to an article with which this copy is made -

Castell del Monte is one of the most famous and visited apoard places; It would be more included in the UNESKA list of world cultural heritage sites. The Romanesque cathedrals of Apulia just entered the struggle for entering this list, and therefore most of these cathedrals can be viewed in silence and proud loneliness. Castell del Monte is filled with tourists, as, however, and Matera. Surprisingly, people are blindly trusted by uncle and auntons from UNESCO that they are ready to drag into a coop, not paying attention to the masterpieces under the side)))

Once upon a courtyard decorated the statues of ancient and medieval masters, but the castle after the destruction of the Gajenstaufen family and up to the end of the Bourbon monarchy were blindly cleared; Some statues were even in a cater. So now in the courtyard you can see several bas-reliefs (high, my camera has not mastered), two portals - entrance to the first floor room, as well as three windows of the second floor.

One of the first floor portals:

Inside the castle is empty - everyone was stolen to us. Naked walls are decorated with portals from coral limestone, fireplaces and columns.

These were all photos of the first floor, then follows the second.

You can still get out of the windows and try to consider at close range those of the courtyard that the bottom is clearly visible.

Actually, all.
From Castell del Monte I had contradictory impressions. On the one hand, it was so much written by smart people (and read stupid, i.e. me) that reality disappointed. To drag into such a distance, to attach bus schedules - and all this for bare walls. But, on the other hand, if I missed the monument to UNESCO, then my hops would have learned all the rest of my life))) From the third party, from the fortresses seen on the trip (Bari, Tranki, Barletta, Melfi) Castel del Monte turned out to be The most interesting.

In any case, more than an hour there is nothing to look here (I arrived at 12-15, and I left 15-00), so pick it yourself a right pair of buses "there and here." If I assumed that the strike in the coming Friday would be so serious, I would still risen my skins, I would give a visit to Castell del Monte and shouted the program so that at least to conversion to get. But what is done, then done.

Perhaps the weather affected my mood. In the photos you see the sun, but this is all deception))) Although it was above 20 degrees, and really shouted the sun, but at the same time a blowing cold wind blew, and I was in one shirt. It was the most hurricane wind, because of which we were on the eve of several times landed at Bari Airport. In the following days, the jacket had always been taken, as in the morning and in the evening was cool.

Next time, we are running on Andriy (run forward, sorry for the pun, I will say that Andria can be skipping right if the vacation is short), look into the cathedral and the small church of Sant-Agostino.

Something we long ago did not pay your attention to the castles, and then there are so many of them that ... I just won't tell you about everyone. Think only: in France today they are more than 600, but it used to be even more - about 6000! In Spain, their more than 2000, and 250 are safe and preservation. And there is also England, Germany, the Czech Republic, and even the same Poland, where one of the biggest brick castles of the world rushes - Marienburg Castle. In the Kaliningrad region, the ruins of the ancient castles will come out everywhere, and in one of them - Shakin, the busy "medieval ideas" is played with the most real "Knight's Khrenovukha", beer and fried herring. And each, by the way, unique, because they were built in different places, at different times and from different materials. And the funds of their builders had too different. For example, Bolomaris Castle in England was built in just some 18 months, from 1278 to 1280, and all because there were 400 bricklayers and 1000 minaries over him, and more than 2,000 people worked there. And now let's see what caused such an oral to feed: grains on half liters per person per day (1800 hectoliters for half a year!), And also meat, beer, salt fish. So it is not surprising that the castle of the Father - King Henry, his son - Richard The lion's heart paid for the past 12 years!

This is what the castle of Castell del Monte, located on a low hill in the middle of the plains and flowering fruit gardens.

Well, and so it looks from above.

There were castles-fortresses and castles for living, "royal castles" and castles belonging to senites, which are still known and castles filled with secrets. And here about one of these castles and today our story will go. And it is called this castle Castel del Monte that in Italian means "castle on the mountain" or "Mountain Castle".

Preserved to this day it is very good, and not surprising. He was never subjected to the siege, no one lived in it, the villagers who could disassemble him on the stones, there was no one.

There is a castle in southern Italy, just 16 km from the city of Andria, so it does not imagine labor. Well, it is interesting in the first place that this is the memory of the emperor Friedrich II Gogyenstaofen, which contemporaries called who "crusader without a cross and without a hike", while others (it is clear that first of all it was its court poets and the courtesy themselves !) Lovely magnificent "miracle of the world."

Image of Friedrich II from his book "De Arte Venandi Cum Avibus" ("On the art of hunting birds"), the end of the XIII century. (Vatican Apostolic Library, Rome)

Constructed it (if you compare with the same bomber) for quite a long time, from 1240 to 1250. Hordes of the Mongols ruined the fields and cities of Europe, blood flowed everywhere, and then the people shed themselves to themselves, prevented the lime and not so much and hurried to build a stone. The usual lining on the harness of two bulls was 2.5 tons, but they could drive up with such a car, no more than 15 km per day, so it is not difficult to imagine how much time and time has taken transportation to the plain of one building material. The architect of the castle is unknown (although it is possible that Frederick himself participated in construction). At first, the castle was given name Castrum Sancta Maria de Monte by the name of Maria del Monte located there. But nothing left of him, so it is impossible to assert this. It is believed that this is one of the most prominent castles of the era of the Emperor Friedrich II. There is a castle and one more name - "Corona of Apulia", which is in a certain way associated with its form. Here you need to say that the emperor Friedrich was known to contemporaries as one of the most educated people of the time that he could speak Greek and Arabic, well, and, of course, wrote and spoke on Latin and invited poets and artists to his court from the West and from the east. With his courtyard, mathematical competitions were held in which the famous Fibonacci mathematician took part, and maybe it somehow affected the strict architectural form of the castle.

The entrance to the castle was clearly intended only for people, and not for horses and it is at a time when everything to know only riding. Even women.

The fact is that Castel del Monte has the appearance of the right octagon with a height of 25 m, in the corners of which the towers fall, also constructed in the form of octagons with a height of 26 m. The length of each side of the main octagon is 16.5 m, and the length of the side of the octagonal small The towers are 3.1 m. The main entrance to the lock is east or is located between two towers. Another entrance is directly opposite the first.

This castle looked like this in 1898.

Although Castell del Monte is called a castle, this construction in the exact meaning of this word is not a lock. He has no RVA, shaft, no lifting bridge. There are no rooms for supplies or stable, no kitchen. The entrance to it is decorated as the portal of the Gothic Cathedral. And it is completely incomprehensible to his functional destination. It was suggested that it was possible, he had to become a hunting residence of the emperor, but his inner quarters, according to a number of researchers, were too richly decorated and furnished for a simple "hunting house".

The entrance resembles the portal of the cathedral.

Purely constructive Castell del Monte is a two-storey structure of a stone having a flat roof. Exactly on half of its heights around the perimeter there is a small cornice that divides floors. The second eaves, which separates the base of the building, is located at an altitude of about 2 m. Since the "castle" has the form of an octaphrian, then its courtyard has the same form of the correct octagon.

We enter his courtyard ...

... We look up and see the right octagon!

The whole building of the castle looks like one single monolith, so that is essentially it is. It is built from polished limestone blocks, but here are the columns, framing the castle windows and its portals are made of marble. On the outer wall there are two windows - with one arch on the first floor and with two on the second. But for some reason one window of the second floor, coming to the north, has three arches.

The castle plan is also a mystery. Well, why not connect all the premises? Why was it like that?

And now we count a little and find out that the whole building is associated with the figure eight, and it is in numerology a symbol of peace and infinity, and is between the world of heaven and land. All this smokes the most real occult. And Friedrich was very inclined to him. And in general he was a big rationalist. For example, he denied the divine origin of the stigmatics of Francis of Assisi - the case for a Christian is unprecedented, and on the grounds that they say they appeared on his palms, and Christ could not nail to the cross in this way, since the dice of the palm did not durable and did not stand Would be the weight of his body! Truly divine stigmas would have to appear on the wrists, between the radiation and elbow bones!

External windows of the first and second floors.

16 of the inner premises of the castle have the form of the right trapezium, the number of eight on each floor. At the same time, in angular turrets there are wardrobes, toilets and leading, screw staircases. Interestingly, these stairs are not twisted to be right, as it would be accepted in the fashion of those years for defense purposes, and to the left, like a snail shell. And it is known that Friedrich himself was not.

Staircase for left-handed?

There are three portals of the first floor in the courtyard of the castle, but besides them, at the level of the second floor there are also three doors that were supposed to go on a ring wooden balcony, which until today was not preserved. There are in the walls overlooking the courtyard, and small windows. Thus, light penetrates its interior and through external, and through the inner wall. There was no teeth on the walls, neither around the perimeter of the turrets was also provided and ... the question arises, and how do people who have to live in this castle would be removed if necessary to protect it?

Second floor window. Inside view.

Although all the rooms, both on the first and the second floors, have the same shape, are still different from each other, they are still distinguished by the location of the entrance doors. Two rooms of the first floor have exits outside the castle through East and Western portals, but they have no exits in the courtyard, although there are doors to other halls. That is, from the hall number 2, you can't get anywhere through the courtyard in the hall number 3, although only the wall shares them. You need to go into the courtyard, go to the hall number 4 and already get into the hall number 3! But from the room number 4 you can freely forgive in the room 5,6,7,8. That is, in addition to the passing rooms, which have 2-3 doors, there are such in the castle, in which only one door is poured. And 4 such halls - again two each of the floors. Each of these 4 rooms have a fireplace and a move in the toilet, located in the adjacent tower. Toilets are arranged in such a way that they were well ventilated through the outstands in the walls and even - oh, the miracle of the then architecture and construction art, they could wash with water from the tanks on the roof. There is a hall, which is usually called throne. Its window is east and is located above the main portal. However, it does not have a fireplace or toilet.

Typical gothic crusher arch.

And now the most interesting thing: these are the same windows in the walls of the first and second floors. Through them, in each room on the second floor, the direct sunlight will surely penetrate twice a day all year, but on the first floor it happens only in the summer. That is, what happens? The top of the castle is essentially a huge sundial, and the first floor can be the calendar at all. That is, all this castle, there is nothing but a giant astronomical device? Quite possible. Documents of its construction has not been preserved. Rather, there is one document of January 29, 1240, in which the Emperor of the Sacred Roman Empire of Friedrich II Staufen orders the Governor and the judge of Richard de Montefussol to buy a lime, stone and everything you need for construction. There is another document from 1241-1246. - "List of fortifications requiring repair." But in it Castell del Monte is already specified as a built, not under construction. There is no confirmation of the fact that Friedrich II at all ever had ever been to this castle or used him as his hunting residence. And in 1250, Friedrich II generally died and the castle passed to his sons.

Frederick though was a knight, but did not like to fight. He sought his negotiation goals. Therefore, his biographers had to resort to frank fakes. For example, on this miniature depicting the battle of Gilo (1241), Friedrich depicts on the left in the helmet with the crown, although in fact he did not participate in it. New Chronicle Giovanni Villani. (Vatican Apostolic Library, Rome)

This was the right point of saying that "nature on children rests." If Friedrich successfully confronted two dads, he was broadening from the church three times, without the war, he was able to return to Christians to Jerusalem, signing the agreement on the transfer of holy places of Palestine to the Sultan al-Kamil, the son of His Manfred died and without achieving the throne of Sicily and Naples, and his Young children: Friedrich, Heinrich and Enzo His winner Carl Anjui sharpened in this castle for a whole 33 years. And then this castle was also abandoned at all and it was only occasionally used for wedding ceremonies, and a local one was saved there from the plague.

Such "heads" in the architecture of that time were used very often.

In 1876, the castle was acquired by the state, restored and was put in order., And 1996, UNESCO made it to the World Heritage List, so that he was following him, they are put in order, and the flow of tourists does not weaken to him!

Layout of the castle Castell del Monte company AEDES ARS.

P.S. No opportunity to just take and go to see this castle? Then at your service ... Layout on a scale of 1: 150, which is going from small bricks! That is what people have reached now - they offer such original "prefabricated models". You can judge about the picture. The manufacturer is the Spanish company Aedes ARS, well, and the photo of the collected castle of the castle, we kindly provided the firm "shipyard on the table".

Majestic Castel Del Monte is one of the most famous sights of the Italian region of Apulia. Moreover, it will not be an exaggeration and a statement that it is one of the most mysterious castles in the world.

Unlike other mystical places, an amazing castle is not hidden from a curious eye over the mountains and forests. On the contrary, he is noticeable from afar. You are going on the freeway and you see, here he, handsome, rises on top of the hill. And it does not matter that the name of the structure is translated as "Castle on Mount", literally perceive the name of Castel del Monte is capable only one who has not seen the real mountains in life. Built on the castle at the very place where Mary del Monte monastery was located until the thirteenth century, from here and the first name of the structure, which today few people remember - Castrum Sancta Maria de Monte.

In the photo: View of Castell del Monte

Today, a folk crowd does not run out to Castel del Monte. For this, thanks to the magical world of cinema and Italian director Matteo Garrone in particular, because it was in the unusual halls of this monumental structure that he settled the characters - the king, which rubbed Bloch, and the princess that the eccentric dad was married to the cannient. What is curious, until the twentieth century, the castle was in an abandoned state, and the shepherds spent the night. Today, the architectural structure is on the care of UNESCO, as a result, it was laundered and put in order, only the interior decoration of the halls was preserved - the same Matteo Garrone had to hastily fill the space of the premises brought into the castle requisite.

In the photo: Filming "Scary Fairy Tales"

Garrone chose Castell del Monte to film the fairy tales of Naples Jambattists Basil for no accident, because the place is mysterious to the impossibility. Although located in 16 kilometers from the city of Andria Castell del Monte and wears the honorable title of one of the most famous medieval castles in the world, in its essence the lock is not.

Frame from the film "Terrible fairy tales", Princess and King on the roof of the castle

The fact is that in understanding the normal person of the Middle Ages, the castle could be built only for one of the two goals. The goal is the first, it is the main - defense and control of the terrain. In this case, one or another Senor erected a small fortress, as a rule, on the top of the mountain, helped to reflect the attacks of the enemy, and at the same time, and generally influence the situation in the region. The second task is a fortified place to stay. Sometimes the locks grow up to the sizes of cities, take, for example, and their powerful walls again allowed to restrain the hordes of enemies.

But the Castel del Monte for defense is not intended at all. Where are the fortress walls and ditch with water? Where at least some decent protective fortifications? For life, this place also seems unsuitable. Of course, another Walter Scott in his "Ivanho" wrote that the concepts of "comfort" in the Middle Ages did not exist, but this castle and on medieval standards were far from the dwelling senior. Well, that all the halls inside are connected to each other, but most importantly, there is no place for the stable and there is no kitchen. So, most of all the lock is similar to a sort of ancient art object, built ideas for, similar houses sometimes design modern architects who have received an absolute card blanche for the implementation of their creative designs in a compartment with an unlimited budget.

This association is very relevant, if you know about who built Castell del Monte. I built a castle on the mountain itself Emperor Friedrich II Staufen - the legendary person in all respects. He not only managed to win the title of Emperor of the Sacred Roman Empire from competitors and head the sixth crusade, but also was considered one of the most educated people of his time. He knew Greek, Latin and Arabic languages, founded the university in Naples, where they taught not only Christians, but also Jews with Arabs, and this, by the way, the top of the tolerance for medieval standards. From the Christian prejudices, Friedrich II as a whole was very far, here are the indicative examples: the emperor insisted that the physicians study the anatomy on the corpses, and Friedrich treated the warmth to Fibonacci and even satisfied mathematical tournaments.

In the photo: Engraving with the image of Friedrich II

He had an emperor and a tendency to the writer: his peru is attributed to an essay of a falcon hunt, and in his yard he created the Sicilian school of poetry. At the same time, like all progressive people of their time, Friedrich II was a fan of a wide variety of mystical teachings, studied astronomy and astrology. With the personal life of the emperor, too, everything was interesting, he earned a reputation as a blue beard, because he was married four times, however, his last marriage with the permanent mistress Bianca Lunchia did not recognize the church. Children Friedrich II finished the great set - 20 legitimate, bastards for obvious reasons no one scrupulously calculated.

Castell del Monte Friedrich II built from 1240 to 1250, that is, in the last decade of his life. The name of the architect is unknown, but many historians do not believe without reason that they were the emperor himself - the intricate design turned out to be in the end. The fact is that, like many medieval mystics, Friedrich was obsessed with a number eight, which symbolizes infinity, and it can be traced in the lock structure constantly.

Start standing with the fact that the castle, if you look at it from above, is the right octagon, and an octagonal tower is erected on every corner of the building. The inner courtyard of the castle with its form also repeats the octagon. In the castle there are only two floors, the roof is flat, and the main entrance to Castel del Monte looks strictly to the east, because, as they thought to the Middle Ages, the benefit of the news came to us from the east.

In the photo: windows overlooking the courtyard of the castle

On each floor of the castle - 8 rooms, all of them are connected to each other, so that Castell del Monte can be easily bypass around the perimeter. The rooms are made in the form of trapez, and the windows are burned in the walls. Toilets, wardrobes and screw staircases are located in angular turrets. With stairs, by the way, in the castle, a separate story - usually in all the locks they are "spinning" to the right, as it is optimal for the defense of the object, but in the Castell del Monte them, on the contrary, "wrapped" to the left, that is, as it makes them Nature, because it is left to the left of the shells of mollusks or a snail shells.

In the photo: Stairs in Castel del Monte

All castle rooms are absolutely the same, the rooms differ from each other only by the location of the doors and the number of windows. The elements of the decor again dominates the number eight: on the capitals of the columns - on eight leaves, on bas-reliefs in the rooms - eight leaves or colors of clover.

Still from entertaining, in the windows of the second floor twice a day are falling straight rays of sunlight (with the first floor this rule works only in the summer), so many people suggest that the mysterious castle is nothing but a huge sunshine, and at the same time astronomical Device. In addition, twice a year during the summer and winter solstice, sunlight is evenly distributed between all the rooms of the first floor. This, of course, is also no coincidence, here are many historians and suggest that the first floor of Castell del Monte is a peculiar analogue of the solar calendar.

Here it would be possible to calm down, but here you have another adulter reason for reflection - twice a year, April 8 and October 8, the sun's rays pass through the windows of the castle in the courtyard in such a way that they fall strictly to that part of the wall, where in the days of Friedrich II was cut out some bas-relief, now lost. Well, and that everything becomes quite difficult, it is worth remembering that October in the thirteenth century was considered the eighth month of the year.

Frederick II died, did not have time to complete the construction of the castle, the building Castel del Monte was completed, but did not finish the inner finish to the end. After the death of the emperor in Europe, there were legends that Friedrich did not die, but disappeared in an unknown direction in order to reform the church and establish the universal fraternity and peace. This sees a certain symbolism, because the octagon, repeated in the structure of Castel del Monte, symbolized the transition from the world of living in the kingdom of the dead, and at the same time the union of the sky from the ground.

Everything is very simple - the square was considered a symbol of the Earth, the circle is the symbol of the sky, and the octagon is an intermediate figure, which denoted as unity and the transition. However, the scientists are far from mysticism believe that the repeated use of the octagon is simply sending to the dome of the rocks in Jerusalem, because the dome over the cornerstone of Friedrich II saw during his crusade.

Encrypted in Castel del Monte and biblical symbolism. The fact is that in the castle exactly five waterborns and five fireplaces, many are associated with the phrase of the Baptist of John from the Gospel of Luke: "I am baptized in water into repentance, but going for me stronger than me; I am not worthy to incur shoes it; He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and Fire. " So, it is easy to assume that Castel del Monte was for Friedrich II an analogue of the temple, erected by his personal project, and this fully corresponds to the ambitions of the emperor.

By the way, this hypothesis confirms another curious detail. If you carefully look at the entrance to the castle, then you can see an encrypted giant letter F. Be inside the Tomb of Friedrich II - Associations with Pyramids would be inevitable, and so Castell Del Monte seems to be a kind of personal portal of the emperor, erected by his plan and in his honor. At least when you stand in the courtyard of the castle and, crumpled, look at the sky, sharpened in the octagon of powerful, isolated from the limestone of the walls, the feeling of involvement in the medieval magical tradition occurs even in the most accurate materialists. Yes, and the energy of this place is special, in the style of the most "terrible fairy tales" Matteo Garron.

Did you like the material? Join us on Facebook

Julia Malkova - Julia Malkova - Founder of the project site. In the past, the chief editor of the Elle.ru online project and the chief editor of the site Cosmo.ru. I'm talking about traveling for your own pleasure and pleasure readers. If you are a representative of hotels, tourism office, but we are not familiar, you can contact me by email: [Email Protected]