Chinchón Castle, Chinchón, Spain

Chinchón Castle was preceded by an earlier castle built at the end of the 15th century which was destroyed by commoners in 1521 after a long siege. Chinchón Castle was built on the ruins of this earlier castle in the late 16th century by the third Earl of Chinchón, Don Diego Fernandez de Cabrera.

Chinchón Castle was built as a Renaissance castle with broad rectangular windows as aspects of a palatial building. Its thick walls with sloping foundations and its moat covered by a drawbridge, made that it still looked like a fortress.

At the beginning of the 18th century, during the War of Spanish Succession, the castle was looted and abandoned. One century later it was burned by a Polish brigade fighting for the French during the War of Independence.

In the last part of the last century, Chinchón Castle was home to a famous bodega. At present the castle stands empty, awaiting repairs and a fitting form of use. It can not be visited.

References:

castles.nl

Bengtskär Lighthouse

Towering 52 meters above the sea, Bengtskär lighthouse is the tallest one in Scandinavia. The building started in in 1905 after the shipwreck of S/S Helsingfors and was completed in 1906. The lighthouse was designed by architect Florentin Granholm. On December a special petrol lantern, designed and built in Paris, was brought to Bengtskär and installed atop the tower.

German fleet bombarded Bengstkär in the First World War in 1914. Since the Gulf of Finland was heavily mined, it was not until 1919 that the surrounding seas were declared safe for shipping, that the light was lit again.

After the war the military value of Bengtskär increased as part of the defence system of independent Finland. In Second World War (1941) Soviet Union made a suprise attack to island. After a bloody battle, the small Finnish garrison emerged victorious. Intermittent repairs to the facility continued during the post-war period.

Ciprian Dogaru (5 years ago)
It's closed. You can not visit it.

Cristina Pavelescu (5 years ago)
Likes.the castle.and the small village.

eduardo roca (6 years ago)
Interesting ruins of a castle

Henry Chen (6 years ago)
The gate is closed. The view is fine

Mark Cheptea (6 years ago)
Offers a nice over Chinchon with Madrid in the background. The castle is closed and and the space in front of the gates is an ad-hoc parking location.

Chinchón Castle

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