I need a photo of medieval buildings

[Jeivar]

I have a little project going on, and I need a photo of a medieval setting. A photo, not a drawing. So I'll need a town or a castle or a city from medieval times, and no visible power lines, asphalt, light bulbs or tourists.

My googling has turned up SOME successes, but none of them were terribly satisfying. I would appreciate any suggestions.

[Spiryt]

How medieval they need to be?

Sadly vast amount of preserved building will have later (from 16th century onwards) additions.

Also, how ruined can/can't they be, and will modern reparations, or straight out reconstructions go?

[Ravens_cry]

Look, if you wanted to borrow the time machine, just ask.

[Jeivar]

How medieval they need to be?

Sadly vast amount of preserved building will have later (from 16th century onwards) additions.

Meh. Medieval-ish is fine.

Also, how ruined can/can't they be, and will modern reparations, or straight out reconstructions go?

I'll need something that looks lived in, at least at a glance. Reconstructions are fine.

[WoodStock_PV]

Google for Monsaraz. Medieval city in Portugal.

http://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=...QEwAw&dur=1214

Or you could go with constantinople.. several drawings of it exist. The historical center of Istanbul comes close.

[SnowballMan]

Do they have to be authentic? If not, you might want to consider searching pictures of renaissance fair grounds.

[Ebon_Drake]

Arundel Castle is a favourite of mine. Edinburgh Castle is rather nice too. I suppose I should also mention my local one, Norwich Castle, although it's a bit boxy and it's hard to get a shot of it that doesn't include modern developments - it's in the centre of the city, so that shot's about as good as I could find.

There's also Portchester Castle from where I grew up. It's an old Roman fort that was then re-developed by the Normans. That picture nicely shows the whole layout including the Norman keep and church, but you'd either have to crop out the car park (not an original medieval feature) or google up another shot of it. Edit: and maybe shop out the football pitch too, I don't remember that being there . I suppose you could reduce it down to just a shot of the keep in the top left-hand corner, or find a ground-level shot of it.

[GolemsVoice]

You can look for Rothenburg on google images. Granted, most of the buildings there likely aren't 100% medieval, due to being inhabited today, but it LOOKS pretty good. It's THE picture postcard town for medieval cities in Germany.

[Maelstrom]

Carcassonne still the best example of an intact walled town from those times that I've seen. Here's a quick sample, but google it and you'll come up with plenty of results...

http://www.letrabet.com/carcassonne.htm

[Palanan]

Originally Posted by WoodStock_PV
...Monsaraz. Medieval city in Portugal.

My family did a month-long tour of Portugal and Spain, back when I was a kid. Many, many lovely towns like Monsaraz, and some truly amazing Roman ruins.

Probably my favorite castle from that trip is the Castelo de Almourol, which is on an island in the middle of the Rio Tagus. It's picturesque and often photographed with a moody, isolated feel.

Originally Posted by Ebon_Drake
There's also Portchester Castle from where I grew up. It's an old Roman fort that was then re-developed by the Normans.

*sigh*

Where I live, something is considered "old" if it dates back to the mid-1950s. For the most part I enjoyed my childhood, and wouldn't trade where I grew up...but sometimes, I wish it had featured more castles. And something like historical awareness.

Originally Posted by Ebon_Drake
That picture nicely shows the whole layout including the Norman keep and church....

And the football pitch is a lovely period touch.



.

[Eldan]

No preference for era, purpose, building style? I could probably hop on a bike and do you half a dozen old churches if that helps.

Edit: a lot harder than I thought to find any pictures of the closest old town without any cars in it, but here's a few:

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[Ebon_Drake]

And the football pitch is a lovely period touch.

Yeah, I missed that at first and flew into a small rage when I spotted it. Still, given the sorry state of Portsmouth FC these days, that could very well be where they play their matches down in Division 8 or wherever they are now.

Heh, I made a sports reference. Go me.

[Palanan]

Originally Posted by Ebon_Drake
Yeah, I missed that at first and flew into a small rage when I spotted it. Still, given the sorry state of Portsmouth FC these days, that could very well be where they play their matches down in Division 8 or wherever they are now.

Well, I should say that despite the football pitch and the surrounding encroachment, it's still a gorgeous castle, and I'd feel privileged to spend an afternoon there.

I think I can begin to understand how you feel--I have some strong preservationist instincts myself--and yet, it still looks great to me. I could spend several happy hours just walking the base of the wall on the ocean's edge, if that's allowed.

And as far as photos go...yeah, the football pitch is probably the easiest thing to remove, if you spent a little while with PhotoShop or the like. Looks like there's also a car on the main interior road, not far inside the gatehouse, but also easy to remove.

Seriously...from my side of the Atlantic, it looks pretty darn awesome.

[Eldan]

Oh, if you want castles, Switzerland has a few:

Aarburg:

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Lenzburg:

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Chateau Chillon:

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[IMG]http://www.burgenseite.ch/Waadt/Schloss%20Chillon..%20%285%29.jpg[/IMG

Kyburg:

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Those are all the bigger ones I can think of right now.

[thorgrim29]

look for Mont-Saint Michel and Carcassonne in France

[nitinmittal]

check this page it may be of help
http://www.castlewales.com/life.html

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[Zar Peter]

Eggenburg in lower austria. I think it's the only town in Austria with complete city walls.

[Jan Mattys]

Fenis Castle in Val D'Aosta (Italy)

[Killer Angel]

Briancon got some nice shots.