Are you fascinated by the castles and palaces of Europe? Curious about the daily life of the European kings and queens, their mistresses, family and their servants?
About their outrageous wealth and display of power? Their madness, weaknesses and courage? And their love life..?
So do I!
On this website, I have gathered stories of famous European palaces, the people that lived there and details of life in a palace.
If you completely want to get into it, I have added some tips on spending the night in a European castle!
DISCLOSURE: I get commissions for purchases made through some of the links in this article.
My name is Jet. I am from the Netherlands, incidentally one of the few European countries that still have a constitutional monarchy.
Want to know more about me, my fascination with royalty, and about this website?
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While Austria was ruled by the holy roman emperor, a char ruled in Russia. Italy was divided into several small city-states and kingdoms where the Doge ruled Venice and a Queen resided in Parma. French was ruled by a lot of Louis', always fighting with the United Kingdom on the other side of the sea.
European Countries that still have a royal family today are Andorra Belgium, Denmark, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, Monaco, Netherlands, Norway, Spain, Sweden and last but not least the United Kingdom. In most of these countries, the monarch has a mere ceremonial role these days.
All these royals left a wide variety of palaces and castles in almost all countries in Europe. Here are some of my favourites.
Sisi's palace on the island of Corfu named after the Greek hero Achilles.
Louis XIV made Chateau de Versailles the centre of political and cultural power of france.
Ludwig II 's palace , based on the opera's by Wagner and named after the "Swan Knight” .
Due to centuries of marriage politics, the royal families that exist today are almost all related to one another. Marriages were political, for love the kings and queens of Europe had to look elsewhere.
I gathered some stories of famous royals, the Royal Mistress, the King’s sister, the maid. What did they do, eat, wear, where did they sleep and what did they do for fun? You can find some of their stories here.
In the menu below, you find stories about the famous king Louis the 14th and Empress Sissi.
Also meet the last mistress of Louis the 15th, the sister of the crown prince of Austria and the children of Marie Antoinette.
Beyond the regal rulers, palaces have been home to servants, visitors, children and mistresses, each with their captivating stories. Read more
Look no further, you will find all the answers here:
When you have the chance, spending the night in a castle will truly make you feel like royalty for a few days!
Many European castles have opened their doors to commoners like us and transformed into a luxury hotel or simple bed & Breakfast. You can also put up your tent in the castle garden and enjoy the scenery from there.
So take your pick and choose your favourite stay; a Scottish castle, German Schloss, French chateau, or Dutch landgoed. Here are some other suggestions: