Laufenburg is a castle located in the municipality of Langerwehe in the state of North Rhine-Westphalia. The castle was first mentioned in historical records in the 13th century and is believed to have been built in the 12th century. It is a typical example of a medieval hill castle, with a rectangular keep and a surrounding wall with four corner towers.
Throughout its history, Laufenburg has been owned by a number of noble families, including the Lords of Heinsberg and the Dukes of Jülich. In the 20th century it was restored after been damaged in the World War II. Today it has an restaurant.
The Royal Palace was built in the first half of the 19th century as the Norwegian residence of King Charles III, who also reigned as king of Sweden and otherwise resided there, and is the official residence of the present Norwegian monarch. The crown prince resides at Skaugum in Asker west of Oslo. The palace has 173 rooms.
Until the completion of the Royal Palace, Norwegian royalty resided in Paleet, the magnificent town house in Christiania that the wealthy merchant Bernt Anker bequeathed to the State in 1805 to be used as a royal residence. During the last years of the union with Denmark it was used by the viceroys of Norway, and in 1814 by the first king of independent Norway, Christian Frederick.