Castles & Palaces

Castles & Palaces

Once the exclusive domain of royalty, the modernized château is on the market for the discerning property buyer with an eye for great and grand historic places. The castles of yore were the high technology of their era: Built on high ground with panoramic views commanding strategic real estate—ports, rivers, trade routes—their crenelated parapets, turrets, ramparts, and arrow-slit windows were designed to withstand prolonged sieges. Contrast that with the 21st-century castle, with its palatial reception rooms, lavish bedrooms, opulent bathrooms, perhaps a spiral staircase, a tower or dungeon converted into a luxury spa, formal gardens with specimen trees, a swimming pool and tennis court.