Fortresses

An imperial fortress city that incorporated cultural elements from the entire Mughal empire, only to be abandoned the year it was finished.

Home of controversial poet priest who penned the words for the Austrian national anthem used in the 1930s.

An eerie former warehouse turned cistern turned movie set.

A 19th-century fortress and collection of artifacts offer a tour of Saudi history.

Built to ward off Napoleon's army, this city-sized abandoned Russian fort is now perfect for urban exploration.

Overlooking a Scottish loch, this beautifully crumbling castle once inspired a poem by William Wordsworth.

What looks like a link in Gondor's early warning system is actually a centuries-old Italian fortress.

A 12th-century fortress containing some of Berlin's oldest buildings.

The remains of the last Bosnian fortress to fall to the Ottomans are still standing.

According to legend a man pooped out the window of this tower to prove that it was straight.

These stairs were built to accommodate royals mounted on elephants.

The ancient remains of this natural fortress can still be found along the Silk Road looking surprisingly preserved.

This fortress in Honduras was built to resist pirates, but its builders had more to fear from the British.

Built in 1869, this now-retired structure looks more like a medieval fortress than a county lock-up.

This beautifully historic Bahrain fortress might not be the most popular attraction around, but that might make it all the better.

This wooden recreation of a 9th century lake village looks as though it was built yesterday (which it relatively was).

This castle-fortress is a living example of the transition from medieval defenses to modern fortifications.