The Glorious Story of Castles Carriers of myths and legends, castles strongly mark our imaginations, appearing most often as the pivot of a dark and barbaric period. Reality is different. They are full of mystery and grandeur, emblematic abstractions of the Middle Ages, they testify to medieval civilization.
Known as the setting of "Downton Abbey," Highclere Castle truly was the home of aristocrats and an army of servants, with a rich past to share.
Krásna Hôrka
A hand-colored ride along the Bangor-Conwy-Colwyn Bay railroad filmed from an express train from the London and North Western Railway; Stations, vistas and a tunnel under the Conwy Castle (misspelled in the title) in North Wales.
André Le Notre is certainly the most famous French gardener. He was also a designer, architect, engineer, landscaper and urban planner. He worked for Louis XIV from 1645 to 1700 and designed the gardens of Versailles, Vaux le Vicomte, Chantilly and Fontainebleau, as well as the Tuileries in Paris.
Step inside the most complex heritage rejuvenation project ever to occur in Europe. Norwich Castle is being restored to its former glory - a unique and ambitious plan to return this 900-year-old building to its original Royal Palace design. Curators and craftspeople pore over every detail to ensure its historical accuracy. Will they run out of time, money and endurance before they can unveil one of Britain’s most iconic royal buildings? Filmed every step of the way over seven years, this is the story of a heritage makeover like no other.
For over 100 years the Tudor dynasty ruled over England, and in that time they changed the face of the country. Featuring stunning aerial photography, this fascinating documentary gives us a unique vantage point to understand how this family imposed itself onto the very fabric of the land with battlefields, ruined monasteries, powerful castles and the beautiful symmetry of the era’s grand houses and palaces. Swooping above the landscapes and buildings behind some of Britain’s best-known events – places where Sir Francis Drake, Henry VIII, Shakespeare and Elizabeth I once walked – this beautifully shot programme explores history from a whole new angle.
Filmed over the course of a year in an "upstairs-downstairs" fashion, this fascinating program provides a behind-the-scenes look at life inside Windsor Castle -- the world's largest inhabited castle -- via unprecedented camera access. Highlights include a visit from French President Jacques Chirac; the Queen's arrival for the Order of the Garter ceremony; and the high-profile celebration of Prince Charles and Camilla Parker Bowles's nuptials.
Windsor Castle is a wonderful living example of the power and tradition of the Royal Family. For nearly 1,000 years it has stood as a symbol of the monarchy's strength, it is the largest working castle in the world and is still a cared for home of the Royal Family. But on one fateful day all that was threatened. On the morning of November 20th, 1992, fire broke out in the castle.It was a threat that nearly destroyed a building that centuries of warfare and change had not even dented. The blaze raced through state apartments, the Royal Chapel, St George's Hall, bedrooms and corridors, wiping out almost everything in its path. This is the story of that fire, as told by those who witnessed it and by those for whom Windsor Castle is a home. But it is also the amazing story of the astonishing effort that was made to restore the castle to its former glory and prove that there was life for Windsor Castle after the fire.
I want to remain an eternal mystery to myself and the others ... The myth of King Ludwig II is unbroken even more than 125 years after his death. The 85-minute documentary, released in 2012 with beautiful aerial photographs, provides detailed information on the genesis and background of the royal palaces of Neuschwanstein, Linderhof, Herrenchiemsee and Hohenschwangau.
A collection of Irish legends and sightings, featuring eerie ruins of castles. A moody film, very well narrated by Richard Basehart. Rich in folklore and timeless legends, Ireland possesses a history of supernatural phenomena and in fact, may be the most haunted country in the world. This documentary traces the ghostly paths of the spirits that have roamed the Emerald Isle since the beginning of man. Filmed entirely on locations in Ireland, including the city of Dublin and at many other ghostly places such as Killakee House, St. Michan’s Church, St. Patrick’s Cathedral, Carrickmines, Howth Castle, Malahide Castle, Aillwee Cave (Ballyvaughan), Cliffs of Moher, Kilfenora Cathedral, Glenfesk, Muckross Abbey, Kildemock Church, Castlegregory and many more.
Explore the treasures and histories of eight of England's most splendid homes on your own private tour.
An examination of occultism as practiced in different parts of the world.
The castle of Krogen, built c. 1420, is inside the later castle of Kronborg. Reconstruction of Kronborg gave a chance to study early castles. Models of both are shown.
Spain, 1961. Life in the small village of Torrelobatón, in the province of Valladolid, was turned upside down when the cinematic magic circus of a future Hollywood blockbuster, produced by Samuel Bronston, the rogue mogul of his own film empire, came to town: its inhabitants became participants and witnesses of the shooting of “El Cid,” a film directed by Anthony Mann, starring mythical actors Charlton Heston and Sophia Loren. Those days, legends came alive.
Is this documentary actually about the magnificent palace of Beloeil, owned for generations by the princes of Ligne and about its splendid park? Or is it about those who visit it and those who having fun in its park on a Saturday afternoon? Both actually, because Edmond Bernhard never visits a place without taking an interest in the people present there.
A building lost in the midst of a 5 000 hectare park, that's the equivalent of the surface of Paris, Chambord is the castle of all superlatives. Having required nearly 220,000 tonnes of stone to build, the Chateau de Chambord, in the Loir-et-Cher department, is an architectural gem. 156 metres of facade, it has more than 70 staircases, 282 fireplaces and 426 rooms. The castle commissioned by Francis 1st in the 16th century is also the most mysterious. The majestic monument has its share of mysteries: identity of its architect, influence of the Florentine painter Leonardo da Vinci in its design, location in the middle of marshes in the heart of the forest and even longevity because it has survived through time without being damaged since the beginning of its construction in September 1519.
Take a scenic trip through 1920s North Wales to the sea.
Forteresses imprenables : les secrets des bâtisseurs de l'extrême
Based on the latest technological and scientific advances, this documentary explores the palace's architectural past to resurrect Louis XIV's vanished Versailles. Versailles was an ongoing building site at the time of Louis XIV and continued to be transformed by its successive occupants later on. The Versailles we know today only vaguely resembles the Versailles of the Sun King. Most of its original features and apartments no longer exist. Thanks to the digitisation of thousands of plans, a team of scientists takes us back in time to explore this forgotten past in a new way, through a large-scale reconstruction project to bring back the Versailles of Louis XIV as he designed it, according to his requirements and dreams.