Bor Castle was built in the mid-13th century. Švamberk family owned it until 1650. originally a medieval moated castle, it was altered in an extensive late Gothic reconstruction and later in the 18th century to the current appearance. It has been a popular tourist destination since opening to visitors in 2003. Tour begins on the ground floor, next to the ticket office, and includes the diamond-vaulted Švamberk Hall with a display of period costumes and weapons, St Lawrence Chapel, chateau picture gallery, rooms, as well as a climb up 117 steps to a lookout tower.
Château de Niort is a medieval castle in the French town of Niort. It consists of two square towers, linked by a 15th-century building and dominates the Sèvre Niortaise valley.
The two donjons are the only remaining part of the castle. The castle was started by Henry II Plantagenet in the 12th century and completed by Richard the Lionheart. It was defended by a rectangular curtain wall and was damaged during the Wars of Religion. In the 18th century, the castle served as a prison.
The present keeps were the central point of a massive fortress. The southern keep is 28m tall, reinforced with turrets. The northern tower is slightly shorter at 23m. Both are flanked with circular turrets at the corners as well as semicircular buttresses. Each of the towers has a spiral staircase serving the upper floors. The Romanesque architecture is of a high quality with the dressed stones closely jointed.