Jaap van 't Veen's photos with the keyword: fortaleza

Acrocorinth was the fortified acropolis (“upper city”) of both Ancient and Medieval Corinth. It was built on a steep, rocky hill 575 meters high at the highest peak. Acrocorinth is a typical example of castle architecture built in successive phases. Three successive defensive walls lead via an equal number of gates to the interior, covering 240.000 square meters. The ruins of the temple of Aphrodite (5th-4th century BC), several Christian churches, a Byzantine underground cistern, mosques, fountains etc. still survive. The perimeter walls have a length of 3.000 meters, making it the largest fortress in the Peloponnesos. The first phase in the history of the walls dates to the 7th-6th century BC, which was a time of prosperity for the city of Corinth. In 146 BC the walls were destroyed by the Romans. Substantial efforts at fortification were made in the Middle Byzantine period (8th-12th century). In the year of 1210 the castle was taken by the Franks. Over the following centuries numerous repairs and improvements were made, by both the Franks and the Palaeologi, at a time when the city of Corinth seems to have moved inside the castle. Works were also carried out by the Ottoman conquerors and by the Venetians, who reinforced parts of the walls during the second Venetian occupation (1687-1715). More recently, there was a German garrison stationed there during World War II invasion of Greece from May 1941. Nowadays Acrocorinth is not only a particularly interesting archaeological site. Most of the current towers and walls are medieval, but built on ancient foundations. Due to its location it also offers uninterrupted panoramic views across Ancient Corinth , the new coastal city of Corinth and the Corinthian Gulf.

During our visit of the Hohensalzburg we were most impressed by the Fürstenzimmer , located in the main building. These Prince’s Chambers, consisting of the Golden Hall, the Golden Chamber and the archbishop’s bedchamber. The furnishings in all of these rooms are original and have remained unchanged since 1501/1502. We were a little bit unlucky as in one of the rooms were restorations work was in progress. Archbishop Leonhard von Keutschach had the magnificent state apartments installed, which were primarily used for representative purposes and for festivities. The Golden Hall was richly decorated and indicates that Hohensalzburg was not only a refuge in times of crisis, but frequently also a residence up to the 16th century. The Golden Hall has four massive marble pillars and one 17 meters long beam, supporting the ceiling. The Golden Chamber and the bedchamber both have stunning gothic wood carvings. The Golden Chamber has benches along the walls, decorated with grapes, foliage and animals. The smallest room is the Archbishop’s bedchamber with even a private bathroom. It has also a richly decorated tile stove. The ceilings of the three rooms are coffered, each coffer being adorned with gold buttons, symbolizing the stars in the sky.

Fortress Hohensalzburg - more than 900 years old - is a completely walled castle. It towers high above Salzburg (PiP1), on the top of the Festungsberg . With a length of 250 meters and a width of 150 meters, it is one of the largest medieval castles in Europe and looks more or less like a small village (PiP2). Hohensalzburg was built in 1077 on behalf of archbishop Gebhard and has been inhabited by the prince-bishops of Salzburg for centuries. In 1462, the castle was fortified with four towers. Under archbishop Leonhard von Keutschach the fortress was extended from 1495 until 1519. Since the middle of the 17th century, no large-scale changes have taken place. Hohensalzburg was only besieged once during the German Peasants’ War (1524-1526). But it has never been captured by foreign troops and has therefore been preserved in good condition. During the Napoleonic Wars, the last prince-bishop fled to Vienna and the castle was abandoned without resistance. Hohensalzburg also served as a prison for a long time. Bishop Wolf Dietrich von Raitenau was imprisoned here until his death. He lived at the height of Salzburg's salt wealth and helped the city to build many beautiful buildings. However, he had a 'secret' wife and 15 children. When he had built the beautiful Mirabell Castle with gardens for that woman and children, the Pope in Rome thought it was enough and had the bishop imprisoned in Hohensalzburg. Until the Second World War, the fortress was a prison. It is now primarily an event venue and one of the city's main tourist attractions. A number of artists live in Hohensalzburg and the buildings are also home to three museums. From the fortress one has a wonderful view of the historical city of Salzburg and its surroundings (PiP3). For me the highlight of my visit were Princes’ Chambers .