Castel del Monte castle in Italy. Castel del Monte. Address, opening hours, how to get there
November 27th, 2013
Castle del Monte (Castel del Monte) rises alone on the secluded hill of Western Murge in the desert area of the city of Andria, province of Bari, at an altitude of 560 meters above sea level. The castle complex received its modern name only at the end of the 15th century; the original name has not been preserved. The castle Castel del Monte was named after the ancient settlement of the same name at the foot of the hill, on which was the small monastery of Santa Maria del Monte. Often the locals of Andria call it the “Crown of Apulia”.
The Middle Ages is a huge historical period associated with large-scale events and significant changes in all spheres of life, both individual states and entire nations of Europe and Asia. This is the time of the fall of the Roman Empire and the Great Migration that began after this, which in the future, for many centuries, will serve as fertile ground for the emergence of countless cultural, linguistic and religious conflicts between the Germanic and Romanesque peoples who previously lived on the territory of the once united empire. “The Dark Ages,” as the famous Italian poet Petrarch rightfully called this era, despite the global upheavals, without which not a single civilization has survived in the history of its development, will also become a time of great transformations.
As never before, the church in the person of the Pope will gain unprecedented power and power, which everyone will have to reckon with, from the inhabitants of remote settlements and residents of enlightened cities to monarchs and kings. This is the heyday of the ideals of monasticism and the unlimited power of the Inquisition, sowing the same horror in the souls of both inveterate heretics and the most devout parishioners. The time of chivalry and incessant clashes, when Christians shed each other’s blood in constant internecine wars, and the time of the Great Crusades, when no less blood was shed by Muslims and crusaders on the battlefields in the struggle for holy Jerusalem. 
Of course, to get even an approximate idea of the Middle Ages, which occupied almost nine centuries in the history of mankind, you will need to be familiar with much more extensive information. But the mention of these several significant events allows us to get an idea of the time and conditions in which the largely mysterious and in its own unique castle of Castel del Monte was built. And in order to better understand the features of the architecture of the castle or its true purpose, and perhaps try to find clues to some of the mysteries that generously shroud Castel del Monte, it is worth paying attention to the direct owner of the castle, whose personality seems just as colorful , how contradictory.
Much can be said about this man, whose lust for power and cruelty knew no bounds, but the mention of just one fact from his turbulent life gives a very clear and visual idea of the ambiguous character and disposition of this person. So, never having deep religious feelings and in every possible way delaying his participation in the next Crusade, this man still managed to achieve the seemingly impossible - to be excommunicated from the church and, despite the papal anathema, to win the Crusade and return to the Christian world Jerusalem. We are talking about none other than the Holy Roman Emperor, ruler of Germany, king of Sicily and Jerusalem, Frederick II of Hohenstaufen.
The construction of the castle is mentioned only in one document that has survived to this day. It is dated January 29, 1240 and it states that the Holy Roman Emperor Empire Frederick II Staufen ( German Friedrich II von Hohenstaufen) orders the governor and the judge Richard de Montefuscolo buy lime, stone and everything you need...
…pro castro quod apud Sanctam Mariam de Monte fieri volumus…
(for the castle we want to build next to the Church of St. Mary on the hill).
However, further from the document it is not entirely clear what is meant - the beginning of construction or some final work. The latest version is supported by another document released by in 1241-1246. - Statutum de reparatione castrorum ( list of fortifications that require repairs). It lists Castel del Monte as an already built castle.
As the site for the future construction of the next castle, Frederick II chooses Apulia, a region that was at that time part of the Kingdom of Sicily (now the region of the province of Bari in southern Italy), where he, in fact, grew up and lived all his childhood and youth. According to the prevailing legend, Castel del Monte (from Italian “castle on the mountain” or “castle of the mountain”) was built on the site of the ruins of the abandoned monastery of St. Mary, or rather, on a small hill in the form of a hill located in the middle of a deserted flat area (in 16 km from the city of Andria), later called Terra di Bari. Hence the origin of the original name of the castle Castrum Santa Maria de Monte, which remained with it for a long time.
The construction of the castle began in 1240, and the completion of the work dates back to 1250, that is, by a strange (and perhaps purely coincidental) coincidence, the completion of Castel del Monte coincided with the year of the death of Frederick II. Which, even putting aside the feigned mystery, involuntarily suggests some symbolism, because after the death of the emperor, the entire House of Hohenstaufen will soon disappear. And one of the most striking reminders of the great dynasty of South German kings and emperors of the Holy Roman Empire remains the Castel del Monte castle, which has consistently towered over the flat terrain of Apulia for almost 800 years.
According to surviving written evidence, it is known that Frederick II gave preference to the construction of objects and structures exclusively for military purposes. Therefore, it is not surprising that during his reign he managed to rebuild more than 200 castles and fortresses and was mentioned as the founder of only one church in Altamura. There were even legends about the emperor’s passion for defensive fortifications, as if court nobles sometimes begged their ruler to finally take a break and not build so many new castles. But it is not difficult to explain such a sacrifice of the spiritual needs of one’s people for the sake of purely practical military goals; one need only remember the difficult and irreconcilable relationship between the emperor and the Pope.
In those days, the Papal States sought at all costs to protect itself and its possessions from the encroachments of the Holy Roman Empire, and therefore extremely tense relations always remained between each newly elected pope and the emperor. And even the first and second excommunications of Frederick II (in 1227 and 1239) and the nickname of “the real Antichrist”, which was firmly attached to the emperor, are hardly capable of showing the hostility and hatred that they had for each other, perhaps, at that time two of the most powerful rulers in the Catholic world. Therefore, the struggle between Frederick II and Pope Gregory IX for the central part of Italy, which over time developed into an open and fierce confrontation, simply could not help but affect the policies pursued by the emperor. All the more mysterious against the backdrop of the constant wars and uprisings that Frederick II waged and suppressed is his idea of building the Castel del Monte castle, which, in fact, is neither a castle nor a fortress.
The basis of the two-story building of Castel del Monte was taken from a completely non-standard shape of a regular octagon, thanks to which the castle remains the only fortification with such an unusual layout. Moreover, among all the medieval castles of Western Europe. Which, in fact, complicates and often baffles modern researchers who are busy searching for reliable analogues that in the 13th century could have inspired Frederick II to build such an unusual structure for his era. But knowing about the emperor’s good acquaintance with the mentality of the eastern people (especially the Saracens), his tolerance for foreign cultures and religions and his extreme free-thinking, it can be assumed that the prototypes of the future Castel del Monte could have been borrowed by Frederick II from the Muslim world, during his Crusade to the Holy Land.
The Dome of the Rock mosque, built in Jerusalem back in the 7th century AD, is often associated with this version. and also shaped like an octagon. Returning to the castle, it is worth noting that in addition to the octagonal walls 25 meters high, each corner of the castle is adjacent to octagonal towers, whose tops rise above the ground a little higher - 26 meters. As is easy to see, the number of corners and, accordingly, towers of Castel del Monte is eight, but on each of the two floors of the castle there are eight identical halls, and if you look closely at the decoration of the rooms, you can also find a frequent eightfold repetition of the details of the internal ornament.
And as if this repetition of the number 8 seemed small, the courtyard of the castle, which could well have the shape of a circle or square, is also the same octagon. Hence, it is not surprising that there is a strong association of the Castel del Monte castle with the mysterious number 8, which constantly serves as an object of intense interest to historians, adherents of numerology, and ordinary lovers of secrets and riddles.
Due to its external similarity, Castel del Monte is often called the “crown of Apulia”. Indeed, this comparison seems fair, and not only due to the external similarity, but also because Frederick II wore an eight-pointed crown. So the castle and its characteristic shape could serve as a symbol of the emperor’s power, which he wished to capture “in stone.” Strictly speaking, only limestone (base) and marble (columns, decoration of windows and portals) were used in the construction of the castle, but this in no way violates the version of the castle-symbol, but rather, on the contrary, only once again confirms it. Marble as a building material undoubtedly has a lot of advantages, but it is hardly suitable for the construction of such powerful defensive fortifications as castles, fortresses or forts.
Thus, the origin of the number 8 is largely associated directly with the architecture of the Castel del Monte castle. True, there are other assumptions, because the same number can be seen in the ring of Frederick II, decorated with eight petals, and by looking into the history of various cultures and teachings, you can also find your own interpretation of the symbolism of the number 8, as the personification of power, wealth, success or good luck . But let’s finally leave the numbers and move directly to the features of the castle, which could equally well be called a hunting residence, a monument, a kind of observatory, or even a religious building.
When building fortifications in the Middle Ages, paramount importance was always given to the ability of a castle or fortress to withstand any attack and its ability to withstand long sieges. But, turning to the history of Castel del Monte, you can discover a strange feature - ditches were never dug around the castle or even earthen ramparts were poured. In addition, there are no storage facilities in the castle where food supplies should be stored in the event of a siege. On the other hand, taking a closer look at the castle, along with small windows, you can also notice narrow slits of loopholes located along the perimeter of all the towers. This means that the small garrison that could be accommodated in the interior could still count on at least some advantage (besides the impressive walls) during the defense of the castle. But then it becomes completely unclear why the spiral staircases in the towers of Castel del Monte are twisted “in the wrong direction.” According to one of the rules of “castle building”, spiral staircases should rise from floor to floor in a clockwise direction.
This gives castle defenders a better position, as attacking soldiers have to climb stairs and fight in an awkward position. But the thing is that the soldiers going to storm the castle are deprived of the opportunity to deliver the most powerful blows with their main weapons - swords, because this requires swinging from right to left, while the soldiers defending the castle, thanks to the twisting of the stairs and a higher her position will always be slightly to the right. So the non-standard (counterclockwise) direction of the spiral staircases of Castel del Monte would have received at least some justification only if the castle had been besieged by troops consisting exclusively of left-handers. Or, what is more obvious, Frederick II in this way once again emphasized the non-defense purpose of the castle.
Among the emperor's hobbies, falconry occupied a special place, to which he devoted a lot of his free time. And based on his own observations and experiments, Frederick II even wrote a treatise “The Art of Hunting with Birds.” Thus, based on the emperor’s passion for hunting, there is an assumption about the construction of Castel del Monte as a hunting residence. But such an idea is called into question by the extreme luxury and exorbitant richness of the interior furnishings that the castle could boast of at the time of its completion. Another purpose of Castel del Monte is associated with the peculiarities of the orientation of its entrances and windows to the cardinal points.
The main gate of the castle faces exactly to the east, and the spare gates are located strictly in the opposite - western - direction. As for the windows, both external and facing the courtyard, they are arranged in such a way that the rooms of the second floor are illuminated by direct sunlight throughout the year, and the eight halls of the first floor receive natural and, interestingly, light during the summer and winter solstice. , absolutely uniform lighting. This is where the version of the castle as a medieval observatory or a huge astronomical calendar was born.
Supporters of occultism and mysticism make their contribution to the emergence of much more sacred reasons for the construction, as well as the very purpose of Castel del Monte. They are of the view that followers of some secret teachings or societies hidden from the eyes of the uninitiated (to which Frederick II could belong) used the castle to conduct their ritual or religious rites.
Of course, direct evidence of such a version cannot be found, but many tourists, after visiting the castle, often point out the strange and unusual sensations that they experience when they first find themselves inside Castel del Monte. Perhaps people are impressed by the massiveness and impressiveness of the structure or the antiquity of the castle and its centuries-old history, which inevitably takes their breath away. But who knows, whether some mysterious energy is making itself known, which has not yet lost its power and is still stored within the walls of Castel del Monte?
Well, at the end of just a brief acquaintance with the most famous medieval castle in Italy, if we still ignore otherworldly forces, it is worth recalling that Castel del Monte, soon after the death of Frederick II, will serve as a prison for his grandchildren. Then, having lost its former significance and grandeur, after numerous lootings, the castle will lose both its former splendor and its austere beauty. Over the centuries, the octagonal fortress, a monument to the power of the Hohenstaufen family, the hunting residence of the emperor, and the cult-astronomical structure would become a refuge where the local nobility would seek salvation from the plague epidemics that broke out more than once throughout Europe and reached the southernmost regions of Italy.
Around the 17th century, the castle suffered the unenviable fate of being abandoned and living out its last days in complete desolation. But, fortunately, after almost 200 years of slow and therefore imperceptible destruction, the abandoned castle will be remembered again. In 1876, following the unification of Italy into a single state, restoration work began at the Castel del Monte castle, and in 1996 the castle will become one of the historical sites protected by the UNESCO World Heritage Fund. (whc.unesco.org/en/list/398)
And although today Castel del Monte has become a historical and tourist attraction, it still serves as a living reminder of the entire Hohenstaufen dynasty, which gave the world such great rulers as Conrad III, Frederick I Barbarossa and Henry VI.
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The Castel del Monte castle is called the “Crown of Apulia” and is considered one of the most mysterious buildings not only in Italy, but throughout Europe. Within these walls, 8 centuries ago, amazing, mystical and possibly terrible things happened, about which much is still unknown.
Castel del Monte (or castle on the mountain) is located in Italy, in the region of Apulia. Its construction was started by order of Frederick II, presumably in 1240. Interestingly, just a year earlier, the financial condition of Spain was so deplorable that Frederick II stopped the construction of several military fortresses. But not Castel del Monte.
A little history
The history of the castle is full of mysterious and unknown things - and even has its own mystical number. The octagonal shape of the building and pool, 8 towers along the edges, 8 halls on the lower floor and 8 on the upper floor. The number 8 can be found countless times in architectural details: in leaves on columns, patterns on vaults. By the way, the magic of the number 8 also spread to the owner of the castle, Frederick II, although only after his death. When, for the restoration of the cathedral in Palermo, they opened the tomb of the king, who died in 1250 (add the numbers), a mysterious ring with an emerald was discovered on his hand, surrounded by gold petals, of which there were... of course, 8.
What to see
From a distance, Nagorny Castle appears round, but if you come closer, its unusual shape becomes visible. Castel del Monte is built in the form of a regular octagon with towers at the corners. In the courtyard there was a pool of the same shape, carved from a single piece of stone - a symbol of the Holy Grail.
Castel del Monte stands alone on a secluded hill; climb to the roof and enjoy panoramic views of the sea from the stone terrace.
It is still unknown for sure why this castle was built. Of course, there is an official version - Frederick II, who was fond of falconry, wanted to use it as a hunting lodge, but it is surprising that Castel del Monte does not have quarters for servants, a separate kitchen, or stables. In a word, everything that definitely should be in a royal hunting residence.
But the castle has many fireplaces, too small for cooking, but suitable for alchemical experiments. Spiral staircases twisted not to the right, as the tradition of that time required, but to the left. Communicating doors that allow you to pass almost the entire castle unnoticed, moving from one room to another. There is also a legend about a secret tunnel almost 18 km long leading to the Ducale di Andria castle.
Practical information
Address: Apulia, Auto Strada Statale, 170 Dir. Website (in English).
You can get there by bus number 6 from Andria (only in the summer season from May to September) or by personal car - there is a parking lot near the castle.
Opening hours: from October 1 to March 31 - from 9:00 to 18:30 (ticket sales until 18:00), from April 1 to September 30 - from 10:15 to 19:45 (ticket sales until 19:15) . The castle is closed from December 25 to January 2. Opening hours for other holidays will be posted on the website.
Tour cost: adults - 5 EUR, students (18-25 years old) - 2.50 EUR. Audio guide - 3.50 EUR.
About the castle
Castle del Monte (Castel del Monte) rises alone on the secluded hill of Western Murge in the desert area of the city of Andria, province of Bari, at an altitude of 560 meters above sea level. The castle complex received its modern name only at the end of the 15th century; the original name has not been preserved. The castle Castel del Monte was named after the ancient settlement of the same name at the foot of the hill, on which was the small monastery of Santa Maria del Monte. Often the locals of Andria call it the “Crown of Apulia”.
Historians believe that Castel del Monte was intended as a hunting residence, but the interior of the rooms was too richly decorated and furnished with luxurious furniture for such purposes.
Castel del Monte is a two-story structure with a flat roof. Externally, the palace is a regular octagon with the length of each side equal to 16.5 meters.
At each corner there is a magnificent octagonal tower. Exactly in the center of the height along the entire perimeter of the castle complex there is a narrow cornice, which serves as a visual separation of the floors. The upper cornice separates the base of the palace and is located at a height of 2 meters.
The courtyard of Castel del Monte is shaped like the building itself. The height of the structure on the inside of the courtyard is 20.5 meters, only the corner towers proudly jut into the sky. On the roof of the castle there is a neatly laid out paved terrace in the shape of a herringbone, which offers stunning panoramic views of the sea.
The façade of the central entrance faces the east. There is a second emergency entrance on the western wall. The building is built of polished limestone, and only the round columns, decorative window frames and facades are made of high-quality marble. Each of the external walls has two windows, the first has a single arch, the second has a double arch. A striking decoration of the northern side on the second floor is a single window with three arches. The interior apartments are shaped like a regular trapezoid. The castle has only 16 full rooms - eight on each floor. Despite the fact that all apartments have a similar shape, they differ in the location of the doors. The two large halls of the Castel del Monte have exits on both sides of the building and connect with neighboring halls, while they do not have an entrance to the courtyard. In addition to the passage rooms, the fortress also has end rooms with one door into the corridor. The most striking of these rooms is the Throne Room.
The corner towers serve as wardrobes, bathrooms and spiral staircases. Moreover, the arrangement of the Castel del Monte latrines proves the high level of sanitary standards in the civilized society of the Middle Ages. All toilets were well ventilated through vents made in the walls and flushed with water from tanks installed on the roof. An interesting fact is that the stairs do not traditionally twist to the right, but to the left, similar to the physiology of nature, as, for example, a snail’s shell twists to the right.
There is a legend that the romantic and mysterious Castel del Monte has a secret eighteen-kilometer underground tunnel to the Ducale di Andria castle, and a four-kilometer passage to the Castello di Canosa fortress.
Story
The Castel del Monte castle was built by the Holy Roman Emperor Frederick II, who thought out a bright and original design for the fortress. Historians still argue about the timing of construction of the complex. According to some documents, it becomes clear that the decree of Frederick II was issued in 1237 and states the construction of a new castle in Santa Maria di Monte.
From other documents it appears that the king's decree dates back to 1240 and encouraged the restoration of the fortress, previously built by Lombard Robert Giscard and his son Roger Norman in 1073.
In any case, Castel del Monte acquired its modern appearance under Frederick II and has similarities with other fortifications of this era, designed for protection against external enemies, such as Barletta, Bari, Brindisi, Cosenza, Gioia del Colle, etc.
In 1266, in a war for dominance over the territories of Sicily and Naples, Frederick's son Manfred was defeated and killed. This brought an end to the rule of the Swabian dynasty in Italy. The winner of the Battle of Benevento, Charles of Anjou, imprisoned Manfred's minor children - Friedrich, Heinrich and Enzo - in the castle, where they spent 33 years. After this, Castel del Monte was used from time to time for wedding ceremonies.
In 1459, the fortress came into the possession of the noble Italian family of Lord Ferrante of Aragon. And in 1656, the castle last served as a residence for noble families of Italy fleeing the plague, which was raging in the city of Andria. And after some time, Castel del Monte was empty and only in the 19th century it became the home of shepherds, local bandits and marauders. During this period, the castle was looted, precious marble materials were stripped from the walls, and the rich sculptures were sold.
In 1876, the fortification came into the possession of the noble Carafa family, which began its restoration and reconstruction.
Currently, the Castel del Monte castle is a monument of medieval architecture and is open to all tourists.
Information for tourists
Tour time: ~30 min
Working hours:
March - September from 10.45 - 19.45. October - February 09.45 - 18.45, closed on Christmas and New Year.
Castel del Monte is one of the most famous and visited places in Apulia; Indeed, it is included in the UNESCO list of World Cultural Heritage Sites. The Romanesque cathedrals of Apulia have just entered the competition for inclusion in this list, and therefore most of these cathedrals can still be viewed in silence and splendid isolation. Castel del Monte is filled with tourists, as is Matera. It’s amazing that people trust the men and women from UNESCO so blindly that they are ready to trudge into the wilderness, not paying attention to the masterpieces nearby)))
Once upon a time, the courtyard was decorated with statues of ancient and medieval masters, but the castle was constantly plundered after the destruction of the Hohenstaufen family and until the end of the Bourbon monarchy; some statues even ended up in Caserta. So now in the courtyard you can see several bas-reliefs (high, my camera couldn’t handle it), two portals - entrances to the premises of the first floor, as well as three windows on the second floor.
One of the first floor portals: 
The castle is empty inside - everything was stolen before us. The bare walls are decorated only with coral limestone portals, fireplaces and columns. 
These were all photographs of the first floor, followed by the second.
You can also lean out of the windows and try to see from close range those details of the yard that are difficult to see from below. 
That's all.
I had conflicting impressions from Castel del Monte. On the one hand, so much has been written about him by smart people (and read by stupid people, that is, me) that the reality was disappointing. To trudge so far, to guess bus schedules - and all this for the sake of bare walls. But, on the other hand, if I had missed the UNESCO monument, then I would have methodically eaten away my bald spots for the rest of my life))) On the third hand, of the fortresses seen on the trip (Bari, Trani, Barletta, Melfi), Castel del Monte turned out to be the most interesting.
In any case, there is nothing to see here for more than an hour (I arrived at 12-15 and left at 15-00), so choose the right pair of buses “back and forth”. If I had imagined that the strike next Friday would be so serious, I would still risk my baldness, skip the visit to Castel del Monte and rearrange the program so that at least I could get to Conversano. But what's done is done.
Perhaps the weather affected my mood. In the photographs you see the sun, but this is all a lie))) Although it was above 20 degrees, and the sun was really shining, a piercing cold wind was blowing, and I was only wearing a shirt. It was the same hurricane-force wind that caused us to land at Bari airport several times the day before. in the following days I always had to take a jacket, since it was cool in the morning and evening.
Next time we’ll take a walk around Andria (looking ahead, forgive the pun, I’ll say that Andria can definitely be skipped if your vacation is short), we’ll look into the cathedral and the small church of Sant’Agostino.
The castle is located in Puglia, near the city of Andria. According to assumptions, it was erected on the site of a destroyed fortress. True, no trace of her was ever found. In 1240, King Frederick II gave the order to build a castle on the site of the fortress. Construction lasted exactly ten years. After the completion of construction, the ruler unexpectedly dies. From that moment all the secrets began. Until now, no one knows who built the castle and how it was used in people's lives. It is known that Frederick was friends with the leader of the Teutonic Order. Some documents indicate that even the emperor himself was a member of the order and was one of the masters. The structure has no practical significance; it was built under the influence of the Templars. It is unlikely that practical minds will understand its essence; it is better to think philosophically here.
If you look closely at the structure, you can pay attention to the octagons located on the floors of the castle. The octagon is in an intermediate position between the square, the sign of the earth, and the circle, which represents the sky. The Templars always built such buildings for themselves. There are eight trapezoid-shaped rooms on the first and second floors. The towers can be reached by spiral staircases that rotate counterclockwise. This is contrary to all other buildings of past centuries, in which the stairs turned clockwise. All rooms of the castle are built like a labyrinth; it is completely unclear which of them you will find yourself in next time. What is also surprising is that there is not a single living space in the castle, there are empty bare rooms around.
Inside the castle, in the courtyard there is an octagon-shaped pool carved from a single piece of marble. It was used for the secret “Tear of God” ritual performed by members of the Templar Order. Under the pool there was a system of rainwater tanks. This is one of the first examples of ancient sewers that have survived to this day. The entire interior was simply filled with objects that resembled figure eights. Even in the stucco on the walls there are a lot of references to the number eight. Why exactly "8"? The thing is that this number symbolizes infinity and connects heaven and earth.
If we consider the castle from the mystical side, then it was used as a secret temple, as a place that helped to get in touch with heavenly forces. Even the entrance to the structure is located on the side of the rising sun. Judging by the entire architecture and location, the sun plays one of the main roles. At noon, it casts a shadow in such a way that its outline completely follows the proportions of the castle. During the summer solstice, rectangular shadows appear, cast so that the castle is exactly in the middle. There are two lions on the entrance columns, looking directly at the sunrise points.
If we consider the practical side of using the lock, everything is simple. Scientists have found that Frederick II was very fond of falcon hunting. He even wrote a whole book about these birds with his own drawings. It is likely that Castel del Monte was used as a hunting castle or for important events.
