Castle of the Masovian Dukes in Ciechanów was built on the turning point of the fourteenth and fifteenth century by Prince Janusz I (1379-1429). The towers located in the four corners of the castle's square formation help to defend the stronghold, and additional 10 metre high defensive walls. Due to dozens of reconstructions and expansions of the castle, the militaristic stronghold transformed into a royal residence. In the fifteenth century, the castle was raised by an additional level and a raised courtyard.
In 1547, the stronghold changed its function into a aristocratic residence. It was the last period of the stronghold's glory. After the Third Partition of Poland, the stronghold became part of Prussia, and was partially deconstructed for cheap building material. In 1818, the castle was owned by the House of Krasiński, in the twentieth century the castle was fully rebuilt.
References:The Château du Lude is one of the many great châteaux of the Loire Valley in France. Le Lude is the most northerly château of the Loire Valley and one of the last important historic castles in France, still inhabited by the same family for the last 260 years. The château is testimony to four centuries of French architecture, as a stronghold transformed into an elegant house during the Renaissance and the 18th century. The monument is located in the valley of Le Loir. Its gardens have evolved throughout the centuries.