Falkenberg Castle was founded probably between 895-898 AD, but not mentioned before 1154. In 1294 Aldsassen monastery bought it. In 1428 the monks successfully defend the castle against the Hussite invasion. During the Thirty Years' War in 1648 Hans Christoff von Königsmarck (Swedish-German soldier) conquered the castle and left it in ruins.
After been decayed for centuries, Friedrich-Werner Graf von der Schulenburg, a German diplomat and ambassador in Moscow, bought the castle as his retirement real estate. Following images from old paintings, he rebuilt the castle from 1936 – 1939. Schulenburg was part of the Operation Valkyrie, the failed assassination of Adolf Hitler. He was executed shortly after in 1944. The Gestapo confiscated the castle in World War II and arrested prisoners from the Flossenbuerg concentration camp. After the war, the Schulenburg family assumed ownership of the property.
Since its grand opening in 2015, visitors are invited to explore the castle’s museum and spend a night in the castle hotel. The castle also features a unique restaurant and a large knight’s hall for events.
The Walls of Constantinople are a series of defensive stone walls that have surrounded and protected the city of Constantinople (today Istanbul) since its founding as the new capital of the Roman Empire by Constantine the Great. With numerous additions and modifications during their history, they were the last great fortification system of antiquity, and one of the most complex and elaborate systems ever built. They were also the largest and strongest fortification in both the ancient and medieval world.
Initially built by Constantine the Great, the walls surrounded the new city on all sides, protecting it against attack from both sea and land. As the city grew, the famous double line of the Theodosian Walls was built in the 5th century. Although the other sections of the walls were less elaborate, they were, when well-manned, almost impregnable for any medieval besieger.