세계의 역사적인 성의 아름다운 사진들 49

세계의 역사적인 성의 아름다운 사진들 49

 

역사적인 랜드마크를 탐험하는 걸 좋아한다면, 대부분의 성들이 유럽에 몰려 있다는 사실이 별로 놀랍지 않을 거예요. 결국 가장 오래된 석조 건축물도 이 지역에서 발견되고, 모든 걸 고려하면 성 자체는 그렇게 오래되지 않았죠 — 최소한 이집트나 메소포타미아의 고대 문명과 비교하면 말이에요.

하지만 아마 잘 모르는 사실은, 연구에 따르면 성의 수가 가장 많은 건 실제로 영국이 아니라 프랑스라는 거예요. 이 서유럽 국가는 약 4만 5천 개의 성을 가지고 있고, 그다음으로 독일이 약 2만 5천 개를 보유하고 있죠. 그런데 영국이 성으로 그렇게 유명한 데는 이유가 있어요, 영국 왕실 말고도요: 웨일즈만 해도 유럽에서 평방 마일당 성의 밀도가 가장 높아요. 와우.

 

아무도 놀라지 않겠지만, 세계에서 가장 오래된 성도 역시 프랑스에 있어요. 바로 루아르 지역에 있는 샤토 드 두에 라 퐁텐(Château de Doué-la-Fontaine)입니다. 원래 블루아 백작이 목재와 돌로 지은 저택으로 지어졌지만, 나중에는 거대한 석조 요새로 개조되었죠. 오늘날 이곳은 950년경에 건축된 것으로 추정되는 세계에서 가장 오래된 석조 성곽으로 여겨집니다.

물론 지금은 아무도 살지 않아요. 현재 이곳은 고고학 유적이자 야외 역사 유적으로, 지붕이 없고 일부 성벽도 사라졌어요. 관광객으로서 여전히 방문할 수 있지만, 안타깝게도 많은 다른 성들처럼 숙박은 불가능합니다 — 상태가 많이 훼손되어 있기 때문이죠.

 

물론, 만약 단순히 하룻밤 빌리는 대신 실제로 성에서 살고 싶다면 충분히 가능해요. 매물 정보를 보면 전 세계 매물 중 프랑스가 차지하는 비율이 65~70% 정도라고 나와 있고, 이 나라에서는 개인 매매와 이러한 역사적 건물의 복원도 꽤 자유롭게 허용되는 것 같아요. 실제로 몇몇 지역에서는 성을 사는 것이 파리나 뉴욕에서 아파트를 사는 것보다 저렴할 수도 있어요.

이탈리아와 독일도 공공 소유가 아닌 구매 가능한 성이 꽤 있어요. 다만 많은 나라가 엄격한 문화유산 보존법을 가지고 있다는 점을 염두에 두세요. 벽에 못 하나 박는 것조차 정부의 허가가 필요할 수 있어서, 결과적으로 성이 조금 너무 춥거나 조금 너무 더울 수도 있어요 — 옛날 그대로니까, 적어도 사실적이긴 하겠죠.

 

물론, 당신이 왕족이라 조금 더 자유롭게 행동할 수 있다면 이야기는 달라지겠죠. 왜냐하면, 글쎄요, 그 집이 몇 세기 동안 당신 가족의 집이었을 수도 있으니까요. 영국 왕실 같은 경우 말이죠. 놀랄 일도 아니지만, 역사학자들은 세계에서 가장 오랫동안 계속 사람이 살았던 성이 윈저 성이라고 말합니다. 찰스 3세 왕과 카밀라 여왕은 11세기에 윌리엄 정복자에 의해 세워진 이 성에서 살고 있어요. 그래서 아니요, 그들은 버킹엄 궁전에 살진 않아요 — 물론 왕은 거기서 일을 하지만요.

 

하지만 그들이 조상들의 집에서 여전히 살고 있는 유일한 왕실 가족은 아니에요. 스웨덴의 국왕과 왕비는 17세기로 거슬러 올라가는 드로트닝홀름 궁전에 살고 있거든요(궁전의 절반 정도는 일반인에게 공개돼 있어요). 한편 리히텐슈타인, 모나코, 덴마크 왕실도 오랫동안 가족에게 속해 온 역사적인 성이나 궁전에 계속 살고 있어요.

 

물론, 요즘 대부분의 사람들(물론 부유층과 엘리트들은)은 사실상 현대식 성이라고 할 수 있는 자신만의 대저택에서 살기를 선택해요. 음, 군사적 포위 공격을 견디기 위해 세운 요새 벽이나 거기 사는 영주, 왕, 여왕, 공작, 혹은 요새 같은 건 없지만요. 그래도 그들에게는 우리 같은 세금 계층이 절대 알 수 없는 독특한 특징들이 꽤 있을 거예요.

개인적으로 저는 성을 방문하는 걸 항상 좋아했어요. 실제로 수세기 전 사람들이 걸었던 돌 위를 걷고 있다는 사실을 아는 것이라든지, 그냥 그 자체의 환상적인 분위기 때문이든, 정말 독특한 경험이거든요. 그런데 여러분은요? 성을 방문해 본 적 있나요? 있다면 어느 성이었나요? 혹은 없다면, 이 리스트에서 가장 가보고 싶은 성은 어디인가요?

 

1.Castle Of Isola Di Loreto, Iseo Lake, Italy.

2.One Of The Most Impressive Defensive Castles- Beaumaris Castle, Wales

3.Bouzov Castle, Czech Republic

4.Hochosterwitz Castle (German- Burg Hochosterwitz)

5.Bojnice Castle, Slovakia.

6.Sommersdorf, Germany. A Remote And Widely Unknown But Picturesque Castle. Mainly 15th Century, Major Restoration Around 1650

7.Edinburgh Castle, Scotland.

8.Château De Pierrefonds, France

9.De Haar Castle In Utrecht, Netherlands

10.Kranichfeld Castle, Germany. First Mentioned In The 12th Century, It Was Transformed Into A Renaissance Style Castle In The 16th Century

11.Le Château De Tonquédec, Fr

12.Braunfels Castle, Germany

13.Spiš Castle, Slovakia

14.Neuschwanstein Castle, Bavaria, Germany

15.Château De Menthon-Saint-Bernard, France.

16.Hopton Castle, South Shropshire.

17.Norman Gate, Peterborough, UK Built 1177-1194 (Some Of The Oldest Working Doors In The Country)

18.This Castle Was Literally Built To Be Impossible To Attack

19.Château De Challain, France

20.Chateau Chenonceau, France

21.Reichsburg Cochem, Germany.

22.Le Château De Villandry Et Ses Jardins Extraordinaires.

23.Reichsburg Cochem, Germany

24.Schloss Anholt - Deutschland

25.Château De Fougères, Brittany, France - One Of Europe's Largest Medieval Fortresses

26.Herstmonceux Castle, East Sussex, England

27.Ruins Of Ogrodzieniec Castle, Poland

28.Castello Aragonese, Italy

29.Château Du Haut-Kœnigsbourg

30.Querfurt Castle. The Typically German Wild Mix Of Structures From 11th To 19th Century. Main Towers From 12th, 13th, 14th Century Resp. A Rarity Is The Large Cruciform Romanesque Chapel Started In 1162

31.Herstmonceux Castle, East Sussex, England

32.Bodiam Castle, Robertsbridge In East Sussex, England

33.Festung Hohensalzburg

34.Château De Trécesson, France

35.'Het Steen', The Stone, Medieval Fortress, Antwerp, Belgium

36.Royal Palace Of Aranjuez, Spain

37.Castle Gravensteen, Gent, Belgium.

38.Beynac Et Cazenac, Dordogne France

39.Hiltpoltstein, Germany. Mostly 13th And 14th Century. Only Entrance Is The White Stair Tower In Front Of It That Had A Drawbridge At The Top Leading Into The Main Castle

40.Dolbadarn Castel, Llanberis

41.Greifenstein Castle, Germany

42.The Plassenburg, Overlooking Kulmbach, Germany

43.Kızkalesi Castle, Mersin Turkey

44.Castle D’oultremont In France

45.Killundine Castle Or Castle Of Dogs. Morvern. Highlands

46.Château De Vincennes, France

47.Richmond Castle In Yorkshire, England, Glowing In The Evening Sun.

48.Aughnanure Castle In County Galway.

49.Larnach Castle, Dunedin, New Zealand