Burg Eltz castle, forested hill, morning mist, Wierschem, Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany

Evolution of a castle

After centuries of glowups and makeovers, Braunfels Castle seems to have landed on its signature look. When it was built in the 1200s, it stood as a practical medieval fortress. A few centuries later, major expansions lent it a Gothic character, and in 1679, the castle was largely wrecked by fire and rebuilt with Baroque flair. Finally—amid a fad for medieval revivalism—its ruling prince ordered major additions in the 1840s, harmonizing the castle's varied historic components into a unified neo-Gothic style.