Castel del Monte Castle

The architectural monument of the XIII century is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. One of the most famous and mysterious castles in the world.

The mystery of Castel del Monte is that it is still unknown exactly for what purpose it was built by Emperor Frederick II. This building is not a castle in the full sense: it does not have a moat, a shaft and a drawbridge, there are no rooms for supplies, stables, a separate kitchen. Historians suggest that the building was conceived as a hunting lodge, but for this it is too richly decorated inside.

The architectural form of the castle is also interesting. It is a regular octagon. At the corners of the castle there are towers, also built in the form of octagons. The height of the main octagon is 25 meters, and the height of the towers is 26 meters. Exactly at half the height along the entire perimeter there is a small cornice separating the floors. The main entrance of the castle faces east.

The castle is built so that sunlight penetrates it at a certain time of day depending on the time of year. In this regard, scientists believe that the upper floor of Castel del Monte is a huge hourglass, and the first floor is a solar calendar. The castle can be considered as a single astronomical device.