One per country

The most famous castle in every country

The single most iconic castle, fortress, palace or ruin in each of the 155 countries on the map: ranked by global fame.

Pick any country and one castle stands above the rest: the one the most languages write about and the most readers look up. This page names that castle for all 155 countries in the atlas, from Great Wall of China in China, the most famous castle on Earth, down to the signature landmark of every smaller country. Together these 155 national champions span the global fame ranking from #1 to #8,297, and 31 of them place inside the world's 100 most famous castles. Among them: 29 castles, 59 fortresses, 47 palaces & châteaux and 20 ruins. Fame is measured the same objective way as the full ranking of all 9,079 castles: how widely each is documented across Wikipedia's languages and how widely it is actually read.

The 10 most famous national castles

Taking one castle per country, these are the ten whose national standout ranks highest in the world.

1. Great Wall of China China · #1 worldwide
2. Machu Picchu Peru · #2 worldwide
3. Palace of Versailles France · #3 worldwide
4. Mycenae Greece · #4 worldwide
5. Alhambra Spain · #7 worldwide
6. Neuschwanstein Castle Germany · #8 worldwide
7. Buckingham Palace England · #9 worldwide
8. Kremlin Russia · #16 worldwide
9. Schönbrunn Palace Austria · #17 worldwide
10. Balmoral Castle Scotland · #18 worldwide

The most famous castle in all 155 countries

Every country in the atlas, alphabetical, with its most famous castle and where that castle places in the worldwide fame ranking. Follow any castle for its photo, founding date and story, or any country for its full map.

Country	Most famous castle	World rank
Afghanistan	Darul Aman PalacePalace & château · 20th century	#728
Albania	Rozafa FortressRuin	#375
Algeria	Casbah of AlgiersFortress · 10th century	#155
Angola	Fortress of São MiguelFortress · 16th century	#2,191
Antigua and Barbuda	Fort BerkeleyFortress · 18th century	#8,297
Argentina	Pucará de TilcaraRuin · 11th century	#1,426
Armenia	Erebuni FortressRuin · 8th century BC	#521
Aruba	Fort ZoutmanFortress · 18th century	#3,527
Australia	Fort DenisonFortress · 18th century	#2,261
Austria	Schönbrunn PalacePalace & château · 17th century	#17
Azerbaijan	Palace of the ShirvanshahsPalace & château · 15th century	#460
Bahrain	Qal'at al-BahrainRuin · 15th century BC	#700
Bangladesh	Lalbagh FortFortress · 17th century	#481
Belarus	Brest FortressFortress · 19th century	#285
Belgium	Royal Palace of BrusselsPalace & château · 19th century	#225
Benin	Royal Palaces of AbomeyPalace & château · 17th century	#929
Bhutan	Tashichho DzongFortress · 13th century	#1,188
Bolivia	Palacio QuemadoPalace & château · 19th century	#1,783
Bosnia and Herzegovina	DaorsonRuin	#1,167
Brazil	Palácio da AlvoradaPalace & château · 20th century	#405
Brunei	Istana Nurul ImanPalace & château · 20th century	#214
Bulgaria	TsarevetsFortress · 12th century	#589
Cambodia	Royal Palace (Phnom Penh)Palace & château · 19th century	#408
Canada	Casa LomaCastle · 20th century	#319
Cape Verde	Fort Real de São FilipeFortress · 16th century	#2,307
Chile	Pukará de QuitorRuin · 13th century	#2,758
China	Great Wall of ChinaFortress · 7th century BC	#1
Colombia	Castillo de San Felipe de BarajasCastle · 16th century	#834
Croatia	Diocletian's PalacePalace & château · 3rd century	#46
Cuba	San Carlos de la Cabaña FortressFortress · 18th century	#832
Curaçao	Fort Amsterdam (Curaçao)Fortress · 17th century	#1,469
Cyprus	Kolossi CastleCastle · 13th century	#827
Czech Republic	Prague CastleCastle · 9th century	#23
Democratic Republic of the Congo	Palace of the NationPalace & château · 20th century	#2,016
Denmark	Kronborg CastleCastle · 15th century	#85
Dominican Republic	Fortaleza OzamaFortress · 16th century	#1,067
Egypt	Cairo CitadelFortress · 12th century	#157
England	Buckingham PalacePalace & château · 18th century	#9
Estonia	Kadriorg PalacePalace & château · 18th century	#329
Ethiopia	Fasil GhebbiFortress · 17th century	#302
Faroe Islands	SkansinFortress · 16th century	#2,045
Finland	SuomenlinnaFortress · 18th century	#73
France	Palace of VersaillesPalace & château · 17th century	#3
Georgia	AnanuriCastle · 16th century	#428
Germany	Neuschwanstein CastlePalace & château · 19th century	#8
Ghana	Elmina CastleCastle · 15th century	#200
Gibraltar	Moorish CastleCastle · 14th century	#774
Greece	MycenaeRuin · 14th century BC	#4
Guatemala	Castillo de San Felipe de LaraFortress · 17th century	#2,036
Guernsey	Castle CornetCastle · 13th century	#2,236
Guinea-Bissau	Fortaleza de São José da AmuraFortress · 17th century	#4,671
Guyana	Fort Zeelandia (Guyana)Fortress · 18th century	#4,099
Haiti	Citadelle LaferrièreFortress · 19th century	#293
Honduras	Fortaleza de San FernandoFortress · 18th century	#4,002
Hungary	Buda CastleCastle · 13th century	#82
India	Red FortFortress · 17th century	#26
Indonesia	Merdeka PalacePalace & château	#634
Iran	Alamut CastleRuin · 9th century	#38
Iraq	Ishtar GateFortress · 6th century BC	#43
Ireland	Dublin CastleCastle · 13th century	#212
Isle of Man	Castle RushenCastle · 13th century	#1,665
Israel	MasadaRuin · 1st century BC	#27
Italy	Castel Sant'AngeloCastle · 2nd century	#22
Japan	Himeji CastleCastle · 14th century	#34
Jersey	Elizabeth CastleCastle · 16th century	#1,899
Jordan	Kerak CastleCastle · 12th century	#430
Kenya	Fort Jesus MuseumFortress · 16th century	#484
Kosovo	Fortress of PrizrenRuin · 5th century	#1,321
Kuwait	Seif PalacePalace & château	#3,930
Laos	Royal Palace, Luang PrabangPalace & château · 20th century	#1,940
Latvia	Rundāle PalacePalace & château · 18th century	#253
Lebanon	Beaufort Castle (Lebanon)Castle · 12th century	#167
Libya	Bir HakeimFortress	#800
Liechtenstein	Vaduz CastlePalace & château · 12th century	#180
Lithuania	Trakai Island CastleCastle · 14th century	#202
Luxembourg	Grand Ducal PalacePalace & château · 16th century	#520
Madagascar	Rova of AntananarivoPalace & château · 17th century	#655
Malaysia	A FamosaRuin · 16th century	#674
Malta	Fort Saint ElmoFortress · 16th century	#483
Mexico	Chapultepec CastlePalace & château · 18th century	#197
Moldova	Soroca FortFortress · 15th century	#1,017
Monaco	Prince's Palace of MonacoPalace & château · 12th century	#173
Mongolia	Sangiin KheremRuin · 18th century	#7,831
Montenegro	Fortifications of KotorFortress	#786
Morocco	Aït BenhaddouPalace & château · 11th century	#21
Mozambique	Fort São SebastiãoFortress · 16th century	#3,727
Myanmar	Mandalay PalacePalace & château · 19th century	#975
Namibia	Duwisib CastleCastle · 20th century	#3,531
Nepal	Singha DurbarPalace & château · 19th century	#1,286
Netherlands	Royal Palace of AmsterdamPalace & château · 17th century	#181
New Caledonia	Fort TerembaFortress · 19th century	#5,650
New Zealand	Larnach CastleCastle · 19th century	#1,669
Nicaragua	Fortress of the Immaculate ConceptionFortress · 17th century	#3,478
Niger	MadamaFortress · 20th century	#3,987
Nigeria	Ancient Kano City WallsFortress · 11th century	#3,876
North Korea	Pyongyang CastleCastle · 6th century	#2,413
North Macedonia	Skopje FortressFortress	#667
Northern Cyprus	Saint Hilarion CastleRuin · 10th century	#846
Northern Ireland	Hillsborough CastlePalace & château · 18th century	#551
Norway	Akershus FortressFortress · 13th century	#154
Oman	Al Alam PalacePalace & château · 20th century	#983
Pakistan	Lahore FortFortress · 12th century	#217
Palestine	Hisham's PalaceRuin · 8th century	#825
Panama	Chagres and Fort San LorenzoRuin · 16th century	#1,365
Paraguay	Palacio de LópezPalace & château · 19th century	#679
Peru	Machu PicchuFortress · 15th century	#2
Philippines	Malacañang PalacePalace & château · 18th century	#332
Poland	Malbork CastleCastle · 13th century	#28
Portugal	Belém TowerFortress · 16th century	#40
Puerto Rico	Castillo San Felipe del MorroFortress · 16th century	#784
Qatar	Zubarah FortFortress · 20th century	#4,477
Romania	Bran CastleCastle · 14th century	#42
Russia	KremlinFortress · 15th century	#16
Saint Kitts and Nevis	Brimstone Hill FortressFortress · 17th century	#1,200
Saint Vincent and the Grenadines	Fort Charlotte (Saint Vincent)Fortress · 18th century	#7,114
San Marino	Three Towers of San MarinoCastle · 11th century	#764
São Tomé and Príncipe	São Sebastião MuseumFortress · 16th century	#3,440
Saudi Arabia	Ajyad FortressRuin · 18th century	#685
Scotland	Balmoral CastlePalace & château · 14th century	#18
Sealand	HM Fort RoughsFortress · 20th century	#1,819
Senegal	Fort d'EstréesFortress · 19th century	#7,179
Serbia	Belgrade FortressFortress · 1st century	#275
Singapore	The IstanaPalace & château · 19th century	#1,131
Sint Maarten	Fort Amsterdam (Sint Maarten)Fortress · 17th century	#4,675
Slovakia	Spiš CastleRuin · 12th century	#101
Slovenia	Predjama CastleCastle · 13th century	#175
South Africa	Castle of Good HopeCastle · 17th century	#511
South Korea	GyeongbokgungPalace & château · 14th century	#62
Spain	AlhambraPalace & château · 13th century	#7
Sri Lanka	SigiriyaRuin · 5th century	#24
Sudan	KummaRuin · 19th century BC	#4,123
Suriname	Fort Zeelandia (Paramaribo)Fortress · 17th century	#1,316
Sweden	Stockholm PalacePalace & château · 18th century	#114
Switzerland	Habsburg CastleCastle · 11th century	#124
Syria	Krak des ChevaliersCastle · 11th century	#50
Taiwan	Fort Zeelandia (Taiwan)Fortress · 17th century	#366
Tanzania	Sultan's Palace, ZanzibarPalace & château · 19th century	#2,649
Thailand	Grand PalacePalace & château · 18th century	#72
The Bahamas	Fort MontaguFortress · 18th century	#4,867
Timor-Leste	Palácio de LahanePalace & château · 19th century	#7,511
Togo	Château VialPalace & château · 20th century	#6,666
Tonga	Royal Palace of NukuʻalofaPalace & château · 19th century	#1,348
Tunisia	Ksar Ouled SoltaneFortress · 17th century	#1,215
Turkey	Topkapı PalacePalace & château · 15th century	#19
Ukraine	Livadia PalacePalace & château · 20th century	#258
United Arab Emirates	Al-Jahili FortFortress · 19th century	#2,270
United States	Fort SumterFortress · 19th century	#110
Uruguay	Cerro FortressFortress · 19th century	#3,304
Uzbekistan	Ark of BukharaFortress · 5th century	#523
Vatican City	Apostolic PalacePalace & château · 16th century	#44
Venezuela	Palacio Federal LegislativoPalace & château · 19th century	#2,701
Vietnam	Imperial Citadel of Thăng LongFortress · 11th century	#393
Wales	Caernarfon CastleCastle · 13th century	#148
Wallis and Futuna	TalietumuRuin · 15th century	#5,827
Yemen	Dar al-HajarPalace & château · 18th century	#1,658

Browse castles in all 155 countries → · See all 9,079 ranked by fame →

Frequently asked questions