Be it fairy tales, larger than life living or royalty, palaces are something that you
will find common in all three things!
There is something special about them!
Most of them are steeped in history and there is no doubting the majesty that you feel when
you enter one.
And while it was generally not possible to visit these places when they were home to
royals, some of them have been opened to the public today.
Let us take a look at some of the amazing palaces in the world.
12.
Peterhof Palace.
Palaces usually mean royalty and royalty usually means opulence.
And if you believe that to be true, a visit to the Peterhof palace in Russia in a must.
It was an intricately beautiful palace that was built as the sea side residence of the
King.
Sadly though, the Peterhof castle was ruined during the world war II but it has been carefully
restored.
One of the most amazing things about the Peterhof palace are the fountains and perhaps that
is why it is also referred to as the capital of fountains.
If you do happen to visit the Peterhof palace, do not miss the Lower park, the upper garden
and the main palace, as these are the places where you will get to see the most exquisite
of things!
11.
Mysore Palace.
India has had the fortune of having many Kingdoms over the years who took pride in the arts.
And they loved to make monuments!
Almost all cities in India have some special monuments and Mysore is in fact known as the
city of palaces.
But the most magnificent one is the Mysore Palace!
Interestingly, even though the construction of this palace was started by the Wodeyars
in the 14th century, there were many phases of construction that were commissioned by
different rulers before the palace came into its current shape.
The Mysore palace is an interesting example of construction as many architectural styles
like Indo-Saracenic, hindu, Muslim, Rajput and Gothic can be seen on display here!
The beauty of the palace is enhanced by a large garden which is illuminated by more
than 10,000 bulbs during the dasara festival in the month of September.
So obviously, if you are planning a trip, that would be the time to go!
10.
The Pena National Palace.
What is interesting about the Pena palace in Portugal is that it did not start out as
a palace.
In fact, it was built as a monastery in 1493 in the hills of Sintra, and for a long time
it existed peacefully as one King after another took it under their protection.
But then, the Lisbon Earthquake of 1755 shook the monastery by its roots as it suffered
severe damages.
As reconstruction work took place, the ruins were transformed into a palace that is quite
simply, beautiful!
The style used for the construction was romanticism and perched on quite a height, it can be seen
from miles away, especially on clear days!
The palace is an exquisite work of art and is today a UNESCO world heritage site.
9.
Schonbrunn Palace.
When it comes to beautiful cities, Vienna is a name that crops up very often.
And one of the things that adds greatly to the beauty of the city is the Schonbrunn palace,
one of the most popular cultural monuments in the city.
The palace was built between 1696-1712 and there are a mind boggling 1441 rooms in it!
The palace is set with a beautiful sculpted garden in front which enhances its beauty!
The Schonbrunn palace is a very popular tourist site as well.
The majestic palace is an awe inspiring sight for sure!
8.
Summer Palace.
How often have we joked about the lack of space in modern cities?
But if you ever happen to chance upon the Summer palace in Beijing, you will definitely
get a new definition of space.
It is built over an unbelieving area of 2.9 kilometres!
Imagine that!
The Summer palace was built in 1750 as a resting place of the rulers of China and later on
it became their main centre.
There are over 3000 man made ancient structures that can be seen inside the palace.
And as a palace that large would definitely have, there are many gardens and places of
interest that one can visit.
The royal garden is one such and not just the palace, but the natural beauty surrounding
it makes it one of the most visited places in China!
7.
Chateau de Versailles.
It is usually a good idea to not disturb things too much when they are doing good.
But such was the charm of the Chateau de Versailles that it prompted the King of France to shift
his entire capital from Paris to Versailles.
Of course, there were probably other reasons as well, but it doesn’t hurt to exaggerate
a little does it?
The Chateau de Versailles was built originally as a hunting lodge but later on became an
opulent palace.
Sadly though, during the French revolution, many parts of the castle were damaged during
the storming by peasants, but even then visitors can still get a taste of the magnificence
that the King and his court lived in!
The hall of mirrors, State apartments, private apartments and fashionably done up grounds
can still be seen here along with opera de Versailles, which is probably the most amazing
opera houses today!
6.
Palazzo Pitti.
If you have heard of the name Medicis, you probably know that they were basically the
ones through whose hands all money flowed in Florence.
So, if they decided to take up residence somewhere, it was bound to be opulent right?
The palazzo Pitti was once home to the dukes of Tuscany and the King of Italy before the
Medicis took up residence here.
It is located across the Arno from the main sights of Florence and there are splendid
examples of renaissance art here.
Today, the Palazzo Pitti is home to a number of museums like Museo degli Argenti, Museo
delle porcelane and others.
Some of the most magnificent examples of the work of Raphael and Titian can be found here!
Not to mention the splendid Boboli gardens, which is a sight in itself!
5.
Windsor Castle.
When it comes to castles, you usually think of them as abandoned places which have more
often than not been turned into a museum.
Not so for the Windsor castle though as it is the largest inhabited castle in the world.
The royal family have been living here since the middle ages.
The construction of the Windsor castle began in 1070 AD and it has grown and developed
over the years under the many rulers of Britain.
There is a very well maintained garden outside the castle which actually makes the castle
appear very grand.
Oh and if you time your visit carefully, you can also see a change of guards here!
4.
Neuschwanstein Castle.
If there was one name which is associated with fairy tale castles, it is Walt Disney.
The master has brought many fairy tales to life and what makes the Neuschwanstein castle
so much more special is that Walt Disney actually got the inspiration for the Disney castle
from here!
Although the castle is not devoid of its own tragedy as it is.
It was commissioned by King Ludwig II in Bravaria, but he could not sit on the throne here ever
because he passed away before the throne could be installed in the throne room!
The castle in a Romanesque Revival palace located on a rugged hill in Germany.
Interestingly, the palace was paid for by the King’s personal fortune and not the
public funds!
And it also remains one of the most popular tourist destinations as 1.3 million people
walk through the halls of this wonderful castle!
3.
Hawa Mahal.
We all know that patriarchy existed almost everywhere in the world, especially in the
royal households.
Which is why whenever we come across some example of men being thoughtful towards women,
it makes the world look like a much better place.
And one such example is the Hawa Mahal in Jaipur, India.
Apparently, it was constructed in 1799 in such a way as to allow fresh air to come inside
for the benefit of the women of the royal family.
They could also observe the activities on the streets below thanks to the architecture.
Another amazing thing about the palace is that it is pink in colour and is said to resemble
the crown of Krishna, one of the major Gods in India.
Each floor has overhanging windows with intricate lattices and the servants used to throw water
on it to cool the air!
The entire façade of the hawa mahal is pretty intriguing and one can spend a long time staring
at this fascinating building!
2.
Hohenzollern Castle.
If you thought that castles are supposed to be found in fairy tales, a look at the Hohenzollern
castle in Germany might very well make you think that fairy tales can be found in the
real world!
The palace is built on top of a wooded hill and was completely destroyed and restored
twice!
The castle was rebuilt with opulent furnishing right down to the flashy doorknobs which resembled
dogs and peacocks!
The architectural style of the Hohenzollern castle is neo-Gothic and it has turrets and
towers as well which make it a really impressive view!
Being on top of the hills, the castle is at times surrounded by clouds which make it look
just magical!
And if you do visit, you can see the Prussian royal crown and also enjoy a meal at the restaurant
located inside!
1.
Forbidden City.
Ok, so when a palace gets the word city in its name, it has to be huge right?
That is exactly the case with the forbidden city in China which is the world’s largest
palace complex!
The palace spreads over an area of 72 hectares and there are 980 buildings along with 8707
different rooms!
What is interesting to note is that the Forbidden city has been home to 24 different Chinese
emperors.
Once inside, you can find stone animals, rails, arches and dragons!
And of course, being the forbidden city meant that no one was allowed to enter it without
the permission of the royal family and this was changed only in 1912!
There are 10 million tourists who come here every year and it is quite a curious looking
monument which should be experienced by everyone.
We hope that you felt enchanted by these amazing palaces.
And if you have ever had the opportunity to ever visit these palaces and walk through
their halls, do let us know what the experience was like in the comments section below.
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