ITT True marvels of military architecture: structures that are just ridiculously massive, virtually impregnable, insanely complicated to build and/or aesthetically pleasing.
I've got >100 of the finest castles, fortresses and citadels around the globe, I'll dump a few to see if there's any interest.
>>695742689
damn!
>>695742689
Wtf that's King's Landing? I thought it was cgi
>>695742689
That is fucking dope as fuck.
Lurking
>>695742786
>>695742927
No, part of GoT is filmed in Dubrovnik. And indeed, bits of it are CGI.
>>695743100
>>695742689
pretty yes, not really a marvel of military architecture though
Lurking haaaaaaard
>>695743148
Post more
Love these threads.
>>695743319
i approve, continue thread
One of my favourites.
>>695743100
Jesus Christ that's rad, where is that?
>>695743387
>>695743344
Been there. Picture doesn't do it enough justice. It gives the impression of being 100% impregnable.
Not a marvel but near me and makes me think of Oblivion whenever I go past it. England.
>>695743483
It's in Aleppo, it's still being used in the war right now. That place has been used from pre-firearm till post-nuclear times. Quite impressive
>>695742689
Looks like Novigrad
>>695743483
http://lmgtfy.com/?q=aleppo+citadel
>>695743702
it really does look like an HD mod from oblivion or something
>>695743442
>castle
looks more like monastery
>>695743763
no brothels in this one
>>695743680
I've been there as well. I took this pic. Look at the size of the walls compared to that bus. It's quite impregnable in my opnion, 7 steel gates or something. (apart from starvation or something, like any fortress).
>ridiculously massive, virtually impregnable, insanely complicated to build and/or aesthetically pleasing.
how about just strange/interesting
>>695743762
That's badass, thank you waranon
google "Golconda"
>>695744138
Nice, out of the box.
one from my hometown
Citadelle Laferrière
>>695743762
that's a sweet sandcastle
>>695743148
A little detail. This is also one of my favourites
>>695744318
Goede keus, zuiderbuur.
Fatehpur Sikri, India
Plymouth citadel
>>695744326
Citadelle Laferrière
>>695744674
>>695744735
>>695744310
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bunkers_in_Albania
https://warisboring.com/albania-has-a-bunker-problem-da1ad107a804#.pmp11xqrt
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BL7kttMjJTQ
>24 bunkers for every square kilometre of the country
>>695742689
i'm sorry, which of these are impregnable to a nuclear blast?
>>695744705
Thanks anon, good quality pic of a beautiful fortress, saved.
>>695742689
dubrovnik is a marvel, but when the serbians shelled it from the ocean, it was not so 'impregnable' and only the intervention of the UN saved it from being destroyed.
a lot of the scars have been erased, but during the looting in the suburbs by serbian troops, the world lost irreplaceable treasures and many were destroyed in fires.
it is still one of the most beautiful city centres, to be sure.
protip:
dubrovnik has the absolute best pizza on the face of the earth, bar none (yes, and i'm a new yorker, too, sad to say, lol)
>>695744855
I've been looking for ages for a high res aerial of this one, couldn't find it. I've been there, it's impressive and has a beautiful view on the Taj Mahal.
>>695743100
like say, when cersei blew up the cathedral
thank god THAT was CGI
>>695745274
This is the same castle. Check out the size of that cliff.
>>695744992
Why post that? do you feel like a big shot now?
>>695743483
it's a crusader fortification
never been captured or stormed.
>>695745420
>>695745588
>>695745745
>>695743442
Would appreciate any name of this. Looks awesome, despite not being a castle
>>695745922
>>695746066
>>695746153
/r/ing malbork castle. Can't find any good pics
>>695746203
>>695746268
Gotcha covered bro
>>695742987
>>695744310
>>695744674
>>695745745
>>695746066
Kinda cool when you watch GoT and you think nah the eyrie can't possible exist, then you see this shit. Sure the eyrie takes it to the nth degree and all but we actually built some impressive shit
Stonehaven
>>695746395
>>695743927
Looks like Tintern Abbey
>>695746500
>>695746447
We did indeed...
>>695744985
Didn't that place burn down when Bruce Wayne fucked off Ra's al ghul?
>>695746498
>>695746806
>>695745090
Man I went to Dubrovnik as a kid with my parents, don't remember having any pizza. Croatia in general is a really nice country; been a few times to Istria in the west, bordering Italy.
>>695745932
Cleeve Abbey ruins
Anon was right, some sort of cult/monastery thing
>>695747068
>>695745579
best one so far.
>>695746806
>we did indeed
>>695747284
Lego/duplo style, ok.
>>695747284
Fort boyard
World's largest building in floor space.
>>695748021
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MxRJjzSY_JE
>>695742786
Is the design intended to confuse the enemy so they do not know where to go, while the personnel stationed in the citadel know it inside out?
>>695748216
Nice... Also out of the box, but definitely massive and military.
Any lurkers? Otherwise I'm gonna brush my teeth and knock off
tintagel, cornwall
>>695748192
Best thread this year. No banana, no trap faggots, no your mother will hurr durr sleep. Well done all.
>>695748514
lurking and saving some of these.
>>695744138
>saw the thumbnail
>thought they were AT-ATs
>>695743762
not too fond of the add-in mosque.
>>695748421
I don't think so, I think it's got something to do with ballistics. No straight angles means cannonballs bounce off more easily.
Himeji castle is built by your principle btw, it's a giant maze. The pic is just the inner part
>>695748681
same here
>>695743344
Holy SHIT that looks fucking mean.
Got any Pictures/Manuscripts of the Old Constantinople? That was supposed to be very well defended back in the day, or any pictures of Fort Liege back in the day?
>>695748192
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HJXvCC9bmpw
>>695748990
muh nostalgia
The Citadel in Quebec was so strong America didn't even try to take it because they knew they couldn't.
>>695747068
good choice friend
Il-Kastell or The Cittadello in Malta's twin, Gozo.
Absolutely beautiful place (pic related)
>>695748855
Gotcha covered mate. Constantinople was top notch back in the days
>>695748681
>>695748827
Ah ok, good
>>695748672
Your mother will die in her sleep unless you post a castle
>>695748536
Nice
>>695746066
That ramp sloping up on the right is man-made. The Romans were had the place under siege, but the only way up was called the Snake Pass and is basically impenetrable. So, being Roman, they just built a fuck-off huge ramp up the walls, and it stands to this day. Seriously want to go here.
>>695744735
keep those welsh bitches down Edward.
>>695748855
This is the same one btw.
>>695743344
>>695743472
Thanks for all the contributions guys, saved a couple
>>695749440
>>695749440
>>695749726
Nice one man. Sexy looking forts.
>>695743319
Is this the wizard tower?
>>695749547
This nigga knows his history
Inscriptions, documents and letters written during the 43 years of his reign (604-562 BC.) give an idea of the power and wealth of Babylon. Here are some interesting facts according to the historian Herodotus (Bk 1, 178-186) about Nebuchadnezzar's Babylon:
-In the form of a square, 14 miles on each side, and of enormous magnitude
-The brick wall was 56 miles long, 300 feet high, 25 feet thick with another wall 75 feet behind the first wall, and the wall extended 35 feet below the ground
-250 towers that were 450 feet high
-A wide and deep moat that encircled the city
-The Euphrates River also flowed through the middle of the city. Ferry boats and a 1/2 mi. long bridge with drawbridges closed at night
-"Hanging Gardens"(one of the wonders of the ancient world) and water was raised from the river by hydraulic pumps
-Eight massive gates that led to the inner city and 100 brass gates
-Streets were paved with stone slabs 3 feet square
-The great Tower (Ziggurat) and 53 temples including the "GreatTemple of Marduk." 180 altars to Ishtar
-Golden image of Baal and the Golden Table (both weighing over 50,000 lbs of solid gold.)
-2 golden lions, a solid gold human figure (18 feet high)
-Nebuchadnezzar’s palace was considered to be the most magnificent building ever erected on earth.
>>695744138
I fucking love these
>>695749966
>300 feet high
>25 feet thick
Babylonia was mint, no doubt, but I stopped reading there unfortunately...
>>695745090
True dat. Had a pizza there back in 83... Still remember it.
>>695749966
Babylon was about 1/20th of that size.
You got duped man.
Unless a nuke hit it and destroyed most of the ruins, old texts were bullshitting hard.
i believe this is a digital recreation of harods temple inset onto a picture of jerusalem
>>695744992
there is not much in the world that would take a direct hit from a blast like that. Now, if it was a shockwave, I'm sure a lot of these would be fine.
>>695742689
>nope
>>695749966
>>695750294
> 450 feet high towers
> 100 brass gates
> A guy with a 7 foot dick
Damn I kept on reading
top notch thread. proper enjoyed, better than all the queer shit
>>695750286
>>695750442
You may be right. I haven't really studied any of the archaeology of the area. Just always thought this was awesome scale. Can you direct me to some info plz?
>>695745340
Actually, that's not Dubrovnik, but Girona's cathedral.
With some CGI help, of course.
Bulgaria reporting in. 515
>>695750960
So aesthetically pleasing and intriguing, but one of these could be easily destroyed simply by taking the support pillars out
>>695751004
Dude I support your enthousiasm for this stuff but you don't have to study anything to know that these city stats are just ridiculous. Like any religious scroll btw.
>>695749547
i fucking love the romans.
would love to see what they would do to the muslim hoards.
>>695745090
>thinking dubrovnik has best pizza
>judging by New York "standards"
>not thinking of Italy
ech
>>695743319
What a horrible place for a castle. Imagine how easy it would have been to starve them out.
>>695743442
wow. this is IMPREGNABLE AS FUCK. except it's not. even remotely. you faggot. nice picture tho.
contributing with something from my homeland
>>695751421
Well thank for the support but if I never saw a pyramid and only had ancient writings to go by I would say bullshit to that as well.
>>695751312
>but one of these could be easily destroyed simply by taking the support pillars out
true but the royal naval had the coast pretty much locked down so german ships couldn't attack and as for air raids, well it was an anti air installation so I'm pretty sure people would be glad they were attacking that and not london
>>695744901
Fascinating
Best Castle
>>695751004
google babylon.
I don't think any city aside from modern ones with tens of millions of people has ever even come close to having a 14 mile width. Also with ancient building techniques, a half mile long bridge would only be possible over solid ground, or a bog, as rivers at that width just get too deep.
medieval castle docus coming through
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CboJzrDhoSk
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AsHTxXm90Xk
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLrYzzr8yja6Fv4glws0Sqf3GBLXL_El8W
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NM3SnA4IjHU
>>695751578
>Hey guys! Let's starve the people who can fish from their back yard!
>>695751578
>>695751578
It's right in the middle of the sea. You can't surround it with ships because the water clears with the tides. You can't storm or siege the walls because the water will be back within 12 hours.
>Bran Castle, Romania
>>695751847
Yes!
>>695751578
as this guy >>695752264 says, just wait till high tide to resupply by boat
>virtually impregnable
Vlad the Impaler
If you ever get the chance to go to Slovenia, the small town of Bled is stunning.
Slovenian legend says that good fortune comes to those who marry in the church, but it is mandatory for the spouse to carry his wife all of the 99 steps to the top of the tower.
When i visited Bled dozen of men were carrying sacks of potatoes up and down the stairs to excercise for their wedding.
>>695742689
This thread is fucking awesome.
Thanks for a break in the ocean of shit threads today.
>>695752738
>>695752796
I shit you not, a friend of mine lived there. It was an original castle/mansion once, then it got part of a theme park in The Netherlands and when that place closed down, it was being inhabited by my friend to prevent squatting.
>>695753107
Cherven,medieval Bulgaria
>>695752973
You're welcome mate.
>>695752957
Good background info, thanks
The Achilles heel of all of these fortresses is that they can only store limited amounts of food. A patient enemy could simply surround and blockade the fortress and wait a few months or a year for the inhabitants to starve to death.
Pic is the entrance to the Cheyenne Mountain Complex (headquarters of NORAD), which is build to withstand a direct hit from a 20 megaton nuclear blast.
My castle fortress. Never been conquered.
>>695753433
>Never been conquered.
unlike your anus
>>695743762
>post-nuclear
just you wait
>>695753351
hey another bulgarian here?
>>695753433
White trash confirmed
>>695753122
I know, I live very close to it.
>>695748776
That, and usually the angles created a 360 degree undisrupted line of fire from the fort for the artillery and infantry stationed within.
>>695753714
You guys are gipsy right?
You consider yourself white men?
>>695749294
Nah. They didn't take it because they wanted to leave some horrid place where all the Tories could flee to.
>>695753371
Yeah I know about cheyenne mountain. I watched star gate too.
>>695753371
Apart from the fact that you're posting something that's built in quite a different period of time, you're wrong. Some of these castles, Predjama for example, had extremely elaborate cave and tunnel systems that could resupply the fortress endlessly.
>>695753371
>A patient enemy could simply surround and blockade the fortress and wait a few months or a year for the inhabitants to starve to death.
True, but what people forget about sieges is that they were hard on the attackers as well. You have to remember that during most of human history 'don't shit where you eat' wasn't a thing. In addition to lack of preserved supplies, siege camps were often rife with disease and starvation thus requiring a quick conclusion
not many castles left standing in my country, but heres one of the few.
>>695753988
OP only said
>marvels of military architecture
Never said they had to pre-modern
>>695753714
;)
>>695753915
We need some few gas chambers for this gipsy scum, the rest are pure white men my man.
>>695754030
Plus the big thing was the fighters typically were also farmers, so they had to go home to tend the crops, and it was hard as fuck to convince someone to miss a planting season. That was a huge deal in the medieval seige tactics, you only got your leaves for 3 months, then they go home weather or not you tell them to stay.
If I had the money I would be living in a castle in the top of a fucking mountain.
I dont think Neuschwanstein Castle has been posted yet. God tier castle.
>>695744567
A little detail to Dun Aengus. These are the ancient cheval de frise surrounding the fort. Pretty effective I'd say, wouln't like to run through that
>>695754392
tacky
the first amusement park
>>695742689
Dubrovnic is beautiful as are most of the old towns of Croatia>>695742927
Any good Portuguese fortresses besides the Pena Palace?
This thread is 10/10 ffs
>>695754356
>Levies
You know these guys.
>>695742927
know whats better than CGI?
Using real cities
>>695754392
Holy moly, this is magnificent
>>695754353
All Bulgarians I know are coffee like looking with milk
Can see this castle from my work. Not really that impressive though. Except that it is in Alabama.
>>695753988
>>695754276
I was OP and I stand corrected, regarding the period of time bit
>>695742689
Does this image not look like a pizza with slices missing to anyone else?
>>695754455
awesome
>>695754613
Oh man you are either looking at the wrong bulgarians or they are just like that. Many of us are white as fuck.
>>695754627
someone recently bought and renovated it after decades of homeless crackheads living there.
>>695754627
probably the best castle in Alabama
Pirate fortress
>>695742689
You do realize that you are in /b right?
>>695745090
It wasn't built to resist modern artillery. Medieval fortresses are completely useless against 17+ century artillery. It isn't a coincidence that fortresses aren't used anymore.
>>695742689
>no farms within the city walls
>marvels of military architecture
I hope you are kidding.
>>695753433
wow ive never seen one of those without a Trump 2016 sign!
>>695755022
Yes, so?
>>695752594
>This kills the Pentagram
>>695754030
A valid point, although I still think it would be easier for the attacker since they could put forces on rotations with some leaving to get food and some staying. Having more open space to work with and spreading out forces over a larger area would also help improve hygiene and reduce the spread of disease.
>>695754392
Also, really useful mid-game wonder in Civ V.
Call me a faggot, but this thread really makes me want to start a new MC build
TRUMPPPPPPP TRUMPPPPPPPPPPPP
>>695743319
Walking up that place takes forever, and it's wonderful if you look past the usually tremendous amount of obnoxious tourists.
Time to time, it felt like Anor Londo.
>>695749294
Lol, frenchfags lost it to the brits.
>>695754719
Captcha issues?
>>695742689
not as impressive as many but i like it.
>>695744735
I was hoping the instant I seen this thread, that this fucker would be in here. Lovely place to walk around.
>>695755237
10/10 kek
I'm in a library rn and I actually lol'd at that
Mont Saint-Michel
>>695746203
I've been there, it's cool as shit. The castle goes into a cave system that's fairly large.
>>695754392
Beautiful, but no defensive value.
Awesome thread
Welp, I'm about to cum...
not a castle nor a citadel, i know, but still magnificent tho
>>695755714
It was the British who built it.
>>695755325
>leaving to get food and some staying.
yeah foraging parties were a thing, only problem is armies eat a lot of food requiring you to travel further and further leaving the men vulnerable to attack and also it wasn't uncommon to burn your own fields or stock the produce in a fort of some kind.
>Having more open space to work with and spreading out forces over a larger area
again, same problem as above, vulnerable to attack, and also spreading your encirclement too thin could lead to people just charging through.
Don't get me wrong though, I see your point, I would rather being attacking than on the inside
>>695756321
yep not really a castle, just a mansion, still pretty
>>695743387
holy fucking shit i live 5 minutes away from that please stop following me
>>695754392
I've been there. It's extremely underwhelming as they barely finished a small portion of it before the guy who was funding it died, so nobody gave a shit anymore.
It's so small.
>>695742786
Looks like an image from Google maps that is meant to be in 3D but is displaying flat.
OP here, I'm off to bed, thanks for all the input folks.
>>695755578
>>695754896
>>695754367
Except you guys.
Palmerstons folly forts, we're built to protect my home city from French invasion by see and land.
By the time they were built around 1860 they were outdated and unnecessary.
>>695756814
awesome thread, i'll finish with my personal favorite
Great thread, guys. All the best.
>>695756962
Here's a view of one of them with the mouth to the harbour it was protecting.
Three were built in the sea.
>>695757144
it's a restaurant and hotel now right?
Got lost in this motherfucker drunk in the middle of the night. Camping nearby. Went in with a lighter and it went dead. Took me hours to get out.
Fort Pickens FL
>>695755390
I offer an alternate suggestion
Go visit places like these in person. Beats minecraft hands down
>>695753433
Actually loled.
Thanks and dubs.
Hold the kraut out a few months from Norway.
Disclaimer: The boys holding the fort was 14-18 yrs old
>>695757085
very nice
>>695755336
How old is that site? Not just the ruins on the surface.
Gaziantep is one of the oldest tin mines, possibly one of the first in the Bronze Age.
>>695750911
>>695752318
>>695753086
A disappointingly tiny glorified villa, cramped like hell and festering with shrieking children and dirty kebab tourists, nearby streets ravaged by offensively tawdry Dracula merchandise.
Hunedoara is where you'll find a REAL Romanian castle.
>>695757486
>>695757085
One more from OP, forgot to post it earlier
>>695750960
>mother base
>>695757265
That's right.
I believe it has 5* accommodation and a spa.
>>695757585
This gypsy knows what's up.
>>695743100
This is being used as a fortress right now in syria
>>695758016
>gypsy
Well, speaking of castles...
>>695743442
Pretty sure that is an English abbey. If so I think henry viii burned them down
>>695754140
That's tsaravets right?
I went to tarnovo a few times and always went walking up about there.
I was so excited about the little lizards as we don't have reptiles in my country.
I went following one and accidentally knocked a rock while walking and it fell and crushed his head.
Felt like an awful cunt
>>695754392
How many immigrants are put up in that?
>>695758650
Cam you cucks imagine how Impressive and daunting these would have been to rock up to in their prime?
Everybody living in wooden shacks of shit and you walk up to city gates like >>695744855
>>695745745
why do you even need a wall there?
>>695742987
sucks shit if you work there and have to commute from the countryside
Meanwhile in Africa
>>695759449
We wuz kings
>>695752318
I know what you did there
>>695759138
>you walk up to city gates like
you'd probably be more pissed you have to get searched and pay goddam gate tax again for the 20th time this month but yeah
>>695759726
wtf is happening
Kamieniec Podolski
https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/d4/Kamianets-Podilskyi_map_1691.jpg
Edinburgh Castle
>>695744138
Red Sand Forts/Maunsall Sea Forts, off the coast of Whitstable where I live, built to protect the Thames in WW2 from invading submarines etc.
>>695744901
There are at least half million of those in the country, they are everywhere
I've been there
kind of nice ...
>>695743149
look at the fucking wall around the docks you twat
>>695750911
This is literally the most welcoming pic I've ever seen
>>695744318
hows gintse feesten?
>>695753988
A smart attacker could send out search parties to locate the exits of those tunnels and blockade them as well. Or simply burn down whatever village is producing the food that resupplies the fortress.
>>695761019
>wall around the docks
yeah not like every major port city had one
http://i.imgur.com/eLJs1Bt.jpg
fort antwerp, 30ish of these starforts in a circle around the main city, all connected through tunnels for ressupply
germans took em in about 3 hours with glider elite paradrop units due to blitzkrieg and these basically being ww1 forts
>>695752264
>put siege weapons on floating rafts
>???
>profit
>>695759768
peasant problems
This is where Hamlet takes place.
![eLJs1Bt[1].jpg](https://i.imgur.com/uXzPR3U.jpg "eLJs1Bt[1].jpg")
>>695761478
oops forgot picture and linked it for some reason, im really high you guys and thought this was reddit for a second
>>695761107
Commander /b/ at work
>>695743387
hey, that's a dutch castle.
i know where that is, i've seen it before
>>695761512
>siege units fire
>rafts topple.
>>695755390
no thats fucking dope do it
>>695753371
You are an idiot, sieges were massively expensive and the casltes function was to take longer to get in then the coffers of the attacking army were deep
castles could easily be stocked for weeks on any normal day and if a siege was expected they could stock up to last for months and months, no royalty could afford that... hence they would leave and save the trouble.
Ive read about a siege where every day in the morning the castle would fire a pigs head to the attackers with a catapult, to prove they still had plenty of meat to butcher and thus could still last months.
the attackers left after 1 week of siege, because it was deemed not economical.
Good thread op
