Osaka Castle is one of the five beautiful Hirajiros that Japan is home to. It is beautifully white, gilded with colors, and the sprawling castle grounds are full of traditional cherry blossom trees, making the public park a popular destination when the trees bloom. The bloom’s Hanami festival is home to food vendors, taiko drummers, fireworks, and much good cheer.
The castle is one of the more important spots in Japan’s long history. It was built in the fifteen hundreds and was the setting for the unification of Japan in the sixteen hundreds, which led to the Shogunate and samurai era.
Kronborg Castle – Helsingor, Denmark
One of the most famous plays of all time, "Hamlet", was set in Kronborg Castle – though William Shakespeare called it Elsinore. Nestled on the border between Denmark and Sweden, the castle was an important stronghold between the sixteenth century and the eighteenth century.
First built in the fourteen hundreds, it began as a fortress (known then as Krogen) for King Eric VII, controlling the entrance to the Baltic sea. King Frederic II, between 1574 and 1585, transformed the fortress into a magnificent Renaissance castle. A fire destroyed much of the castle in 1629, but King Christian IV had it rebuilt.
Modern Interior With a Classic Exterior
The castle consists of four wings surrounding a courtyard, and a Great Hall – the largest of its kind in Northern Europe – is used for banquets. The interior also boasts royal apartments, a large ballroom that has been updated with modern aesthetics, and a “Little Hall,” full of tapestries portraying a hundred Danish kings.
There is also a chapel that has been used as an army barracks, a gymnasium, and a fencing hall. Numerous famous actors have played Hamlet in the castle of his history, including Laurence Olivier, Derek Jacobi, David Tennant, and Jude Law.
In Honor of the Architect
Inside Osaka Castle are nineteen scenes from the life of Toyotomi Hideyoshi, the original architect of the castle. There are also Panorama vision screens showing scenes from the Summer War of Osaka, during which an army of two hundred thousand men attacked the city of Osaka and the castle. Despite being severely outnumbered, the defenders won the day.
Fires have plagued the castle, including in 1660, when lightning struck a gunpowder warehouse, which set the castle on fire after an explosion. In 1955, the movie "Godzilla Raids Again" had the titular monster destroying the castle as it pins Anguirus against it.
Prague Castle – Prague, Czech Republic
While several castles on this list may have had their foundations laid long ago, few have older constructions than Prague Castle. Building this fortress began in approximately 870 A.D. It served as a house for Bohemia's kings and is still the home of the Czech Republic's president to this day.
It's even in the Guinness Book of World Records, as the largest coherent castle complex in the world – it occupies almost seventy thousand square meters. The structure is one of the most popular Prague tourist attractions, bringing in over 1.8 million visitors annually. Due to the age of the building, it doesn't stick to one certain style, but it's classified as Baroque and Mannerism.