Get Premium
Dark mode theme is available exclusively for premium users. Learn more about the benefits of subscribing.
No fees, cancel anytime.
Dark Mode 
No fees, cancel anytime 
then open in external browser
and click "Open in External Browser" 
I'm a French artist, and my name is Dimitri "Jahz Design." I graduated as a graphic designer. I have always been interested in history and architectural remains. It was in 2013 when I developed my interest in the urban photography of heritage in disuse. My first exploration was an ancient cemetery of military ships.
I travel the globe looking for forgotten places in urban decay. Today, I want to share with you the most beautiful abandoned castles in the world.
More info: jahzdesign.com | Instagram | Facebook
This post may include affiliate links.
#1
Italy
Final score:
77points
Mark Serbian 5 years ago
This looks like a candidate for a few sheep or goats (or Highland Cattle!) to knock back the landscaping and it would look, like, 250% better!
Joy Kendal 5 years ago
Did artist find no history of owners or any of the occupants. How about insides. Can we see or learn no more?
RELATED:
#2
France
Final score:
77points
Tanya Wade 5 years ago
I thought of a fairytale about a hungry house😁. It’s beautiful, I’d love to live there🥰
#3
France
Final score:
65points
gerard julien 3 years ago
THIS ONE IS NOT ABANDONED ANYMORE : "Château de la Mothe-Chandeniers :
In December 2017, 18,600 members of an online community raised €1,600,000, by paying at least €50 each, to purchase the castle with the aim of restoring it " CHATEAU-63...818a4b.jpg 
gerard julien 3 years ago
" In 1932, a major fire destroyed most of the buildings in the castle."
Load More Replies... #4
France
Final score:
62points
Leighann Parker 5 years ago
Imagine the people that walked through these halls- the property...
#5
France
Final score:
61points
#6
France
Final score:
60points
sharron lynn parsons 5 years ago
From what I have read, it is usually money, repairs constantly !!!
Load More Replies...
Ann Roswell 5 years ago
I dream of having unlimited resources to refurbish these beautiful places!
Helen Haley 5 years ago
Without the foliage, it's so stark. Utilitarian. No real artistic flourishes. Perhaps lower nobility or designed strictly for defense?
#7
Belgium
Final score:
59points
Donald Pardew 3 years ago
The Owner torn it down alright , but they still have pay property tax on it as if it was still there !!!!!
Tammera Gibson 5 years ago
Rapunzel's hair tumble down from the tall tower, a bright gold ribbon against the darkness...
#8
Belgium
Final score:
54points
#9
Portugal
Final score:
53points
#10
France
Final score:
52points
Barbara Vandewalle 5 years ago
I wonder if this part is from the Romans? Those rounded arches could be.
#11
Italy
Final score:
51points
Helen Haley 5 years ago
Not necessarily. You can still see wagon tracks across the plains.
Load More Replies...
Lily Fraser 5 years ago
where is this exactly? it looks almost identical (but not quite!) to a castle near where I used to live called Sammezzano
#12
France
Final score:
48points
Deborah Reissman 5 years ago (edited)
The window coverings are still there. I would love to know the story behind this. Looks like someone left for the winter and never returned.But it also looks like someone may be living there. Look at the second story windows.
YogiMamaK 3 years ago
Yes, the curtains make me think there's some degree of caretaking happening.
Load More Replies...
#13
Italy
Final score:
45points
Tanya Wade 5 years ago
Jahz Design: Your pictures are fantastic! They’ve given me new fodder for my “personal fantasy hour”. Do you have any info on the castles’ histories? The families that owned them? Or specific location? I’d like to look a couple of them up; namely, #1 & #8. Very good job!👍🏽👏🏽👏🏽💗
Donald Pardew 3 years ago
It is soo damn sad to all these places , I guess the people that once owned them either lost their lives or lost their money or both and had to leave it all , all that work , all the joy's ,and hurts of life , history lost . lost !!!
#14
France
Final score:
31points
#15
France
Final score:
26points
Marguerite Janiszyn 3 years ago
Maybe not abandoned but definitely only ruins. The place has no roof and the interior is completely gutted. I thought a fire might of gutted it but it was just neglect. So sad.
As a fellow enthusiast of forgotten architectural gems, you might find it enriching to explore how abandoned castles around the world capture the essence of history frozen in time.
For those intrigued by the interplay of decay and beauty, there's a detailed collection that delves into this captivating subject exploring stunning abandoned castles.
Add New Image
What do you think ?
sharron lynn parsons 5 years ago
Very interesting, it would be nice to see the interior, however, I do understand it is likely unsafe, thanks for showing !!!
Helen Haley 5 years ago
Each of these castles could inspire their own delightful stories. Loves won and lost, secrets kept or revealed. Battles fought all the little joys and tragedies of life. All empty houses or buildings own the bittersweet wisftul, but there is that extra layer of intrigue and romance when it is a castle.
Brandi VanSteenwyk 5 years ago
Thinking of the history and memories lost within the walls of all of these castles breaks my heart. Even more when the interior is also photographed and shown. Homes are ingrained within families. Where did their families go??
Katinka Min 5 years ago
Regular abandoned houses already make me sad, but all this lost beauty and culture is just heart breaking.
AndersM 5 years ago
It breaks my heart to see such beautiful buildings Being left to fall apart. It should be possible to have it for free but sign some co tract that you should renovate it..
Sireyensid 3 years ago
Renovate such building is out of budget for almost everyone. It takes really skilled craftsmen and their rates are quite expensive. materials are expensive too, like cut stones, slates, stained glass ... Some of these materials arn't even produced anymore. It's a shame they're left to die but on the bright side, in France we have a lot of castle, like really a lot. it's ok if a few of them disappear
Load More Replies...
Becca Gizmo the Squirrel 5 years ago
I love every one of these. My favorite house ever is the house in Locke and Key.
Jo Choto 5 years ago
How sad that these are abandoned. They could be museums or public spaces of some kind. Such beautiful architecture gone to waste.
gerard julien 3 years ago (edited)
many of them already are museums, art centers, hotels, city halls etc...but you can't save them all : "The French word château has a wider meaning than the English castle: it includes architectural entities that are properly called palaces, mansions or vineyards. The number of castles in France is estimated to about 45,000, a bit more than 1 for France's 36,000 communes. (French communes are analogous to civil townships and incorporated municipalities in the United States and Canada, Gemeinden in Germany, comuni in Italy, or municipios in Spain.) " https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_castles_in_France
Load More Replies... Christine Myers 5 years ago
I love them all. I wish I could buy them and fix them up. Back to beautiful and wonderful. I would think that their countries would want to preserve their history.
gerard julien 3 years ago
let's compare : the Dordogne region : Dordogne : area : 3,500 sq mi (9060 km2) New Jersey : area : 8,722.58 sq mi (22,591.38 km2) DORDOGNE : 67 chateaus, forts and 339 manors.
Load More Replies... gerard julien 3 years ago (edited)
the photographer is french : CASTLE : "large building or series of connected buildings fortified for defense, fortress, stronghold" (late Old English), in this sense from Old North French castel (Old French chastel, 12c.; Modern French : château), from Latin castellum "a castle, fort, citadel, stronghold. CHATEAU : is a manor house or residence of the lord of the manor, or a fine country house of nobility or gentry, with or without fortifications, originally, and still most frequently, in French-speaking regions. "The word château is a French word that has entered the English language, where its meaning is more specific than it is in French. The French word château denotes buildings as diverse as a medieval fortress, a Renaissance palace and a fine 19th-century country house. When clarification is needed in French, the term château fort is used to describe a fortified castle, such as the Château fort de Roquetaillade." So nothing wrong with him calling them " castles " . Thank you very much !
Load More Replies... sharron lynn parsons 5 years ago
Very interesting, it would be nice to see the interior, however, I do understand it is likely unsafe, thanks for showing !!!
Helen Haley 5 years ago
Each of these castles could inspire their own delightful stories. Loves won and lost, secrets kept or revealed. Battles fought all the little joys and tragedies of life. All empty houses or buildings own the bittersweet wisftul, but there is that extra layer of intrigue and romance when it is a castle.
Brandi VanSteenwyk 5 years ago
Thinking of the history and memories lost within the walls of all of these castles breaks my heart. Even more when the interior is also photographed and shown. Homes are ingrained within families. Where did their families go??
Katinka Min 5 years ago
Regular abandoned houses already make me sad, but all this lost beauty and culture is just heart breaking.
AndersM 5 years ago
It breaks my heart to see such beautiful buildings Being left to fall apart. It should be possible to have it for free but sign some co tract that you should renovate it..
Sireyensid 3 years ago
Renovate such building is out of budget for almost everyone. It takes really skilled craftsmen and their rates are quite expensive. materials are expensive too, like cut stones, slates, stained glass ... Some of these materials arn't even produced anymore. It's a shame they're left to die but on the bright side, in France we have a lot of castle, like really a lot. it's ok if a few of them disappear
Load More Replies... Becca Gizmo the Squirrel 5 years ago
I love every one of these. My favorite house ever is the house in Locke and Key.
Jo Choto 5 years ago
How sad that these are abandoned. They could be museums or public spaces of some kind. Such beautiful architecture gone to waste.
gerard julien 3 years ago (edited)
many of them already are museums, art centers, hotels, city halls etc...but you can't save them all : "The French word château has a wider meaning than the English castle: it includes architectural entities that are properly called palaces, mansions or vineyards. The number of castles in France is estimated to about 45,000, a bit more than 1 for France's 36,000 communes. (French communes are analogous to civil townships and incorporated municipalities in the United States and Canada, Gemeinden in Germany, comuni in Italy, or municipios in Spain.) " https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_castles_in_France
Load More Replies... Christine Myers 5 years ago
I love them all. I wish I could buy them and fix them up. Back to beautiful and wonderful. I would think that their countries would want to preserve their history.
gerard julien 3 years ago
let's compare : the Dordogne region : Dordogne : area : 3,500 sq mi (9060 km2) New Jersey : area : 8,722.58 sq mi (22,591.38 km2) DORDOGNE : 67 chateaus, forts and 339 manors.
Load More Replies... gerard julien 3 years ago (edited)
the photographer is french : CASTLE : "large building or series of connected buildings fortified for defense, fortress, stronghold" (late Old English), in this sense from Old North French castel (Old French chastel, 12c.; Modern French : château), from Latin castellum "a castle, fort, citadel, stronghold. CHATEAU : is a manor house or residence of the lord of the manor, or a fine country house of nobility or gentry, with or without fortifications, originally, and still most frequently, in French-speaking regions. "The word château is a French word that has entered the English language, where its meaning is more specific than it is in French. The French word château denotes buildings as diverse as a medieval fortress, a Renaissance palace and a fine 19th-century country house. When clarification is needed in French, the term château fort is used to describe a fortified castle, such as the Château fort de Roquetaillade." So nothing wrong with him calling them " castles " . Thank you very much !
Load More Replies... You May Like 86 Photography Hacks To Take Your Photos To The Next Level Most Famous Female Photographers Of The World 64 Of The Most Famous Photographers In History
Aivaras Kaziukonis
Justina Čiapaitė
Viltė Domkutė
Related on Bored Panda
