r/interestingasfuck • u/The_Love-Tap • 22h ago

Germany has more castles than the United States has McDonald’s. This is the Eltz castle, located in Wiershem. It has been owned and occupied by the same family for 33 generations over 800 years

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u/marshalist 21h ago

It's due to the fact that castles were an obsolete technology before Columbus was born. But really it's a comparison category not a slight at the US castle or McDonald's building prowess.

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u/Sganarellevalet 21h ago edited 21h ago

After the middle ages "Castle" also often design large a aristocratic residence, either converted from a medieval keep or not, plenty where still being built until the modern era.

Most still inhabited castles are renaissance buildings or later, the castle in the pic clearly had significant modifications in the last few centuries to be turned into a residence.

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u/obliqueoubliette 21h ago

Columbus was born in 1451. Castles were still viable defenses until his early childhood

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u/marshalist 21h ago

Obsolete doesn't mean useless. How many were built in the 15th century? How many were built in the new world since then?

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u/IronVader501 21h ago

Depends on what you count as a castle?

The classic definition of "fortified seat of a noble"? Or generaly permantly fortified position?

The castle in the image received this look during its last major revonation and expansion in the 16th Century (~1550 iirc). Castle-construction of the classic type (just with more modern defensive-layouts) was still very very common by then.

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u/IndependentLog6441 20h ago

Fortified walls became obsolete, but not opulent residences, many of these castles were just palaces even if they were defences earlier, many built later had no pretence of being about defence.

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u/marshalist 20h ago

Would it be fair to say that the US has more opulent residences than MacDonald's or than Germany has castles.

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u/IndependentLog6441 20h ago

Eeek... honestly when it comes to taste and class, I don't think you'd find many opulent residences in the USA at all. Is that mean?