Castle Map

One per country

The oldest castle in every country

The oldest documented castle, fortress, palace or ruin in each of the 154 dated countries, from antiquity to the present.

Every country has a first: the earliest site whose founding the sources record. This page names it for 154 countries, from Los Millares in Spain, founded c. 3025 BC, down to the youngest national foundings. 34 national champions date from before the common era, and 93 are medieval or earlier. The years draw on the same documented founding dates as the worldwide age ranking (approximate dates are marked “c.”), and its counterpart by renown is the most famous castle in every country.

Explore them on the interactive map →All ranked by age →

The 10 oldest national champions

Taking one site per country, these are the ten oldest.

  1. Los Millares Spain · c. 3025 BC
  2. Knossos Greece · c. 1900 BC
  3. Aniba Egypt · c. 1900 BC
  4. Kumma Sudan · c. 1858 BC
  5. Royal Palace of Mari Syria · 1800 BC
  6. Amman Citadel Jordan · 1800 BC
  7. Nuraghe Santu Antine Italy · c. 1750 BC
  8. Shaori fortress Georgia · c. 1750 BC
  9. Qal'at al-Bahrain Bahrain · c. 1450 BC
  10. Afyonkarahisar Castle Turkey · c. 1350 BC

The oldest castle in all 154 countries

Every dated country in the atlas, alphabetical, with its oldest site and documented founding year. Follow any castle for its photo and story, or any country for its full map.

CountryOldest castleFounded
Afghanistan Herat CitadelFortress · 4th century BC 330 BC
Albania Pogradec FortressRuin · 5th century BC c. 450 BC
Algeria LambaesisRuin · 2nd century 123
Angola Fortress of São MiguelFortress · 16th century 1576
Antigua and Barbuda Fort BerkeleyRuin · 18th century 1704
Argentina Pucará de TilcaraRuin · 11th century 1100
Armenia Erebuni FortressRuin · 8th century BC 782 BC
Aruba Fort ZoutmanFortress · 18th century 1798
Australia Fort MacquarieRuin · 19th century 1817
Austria CarnuntumFortress · 1st century 50
Azerbaijan Chirag GalaRuin · 5th century c. 450
Bahrain Qal'at al-BahrainRuin · 15th century BC c. 1450 BC
Bangladesh Hajiganj FortFortress · 17th century 1610
Belarus Brest CastleRuin · 10th century c. 901
Belgium Castle of VêvesCastle · 7th century c. 675
Benin Royal Palace, Porto-NovoPalace & château · 17th century c. 1601
Bhutan Tashichho DzongFortress · 13th century c. 1250
Bolivia Palacio QuemadoPalace & château · 19th century 1853
Bosnia and Herzegovina Klobuk FortressFortress · 9th century c. 850
Brazil Rio Branco PalacePalace & château · 16th century 1549
Brunei Istana Nurul ImanPalace & château · 20th century 1984
Bulgaria StorgosiaRuin · 3rd century c. 300
Cambodia Royal Palace (Phnom Penh)Palace & château · 19th century 1866
Canada Fort AnneFortress · 17th century 1629
Cape Verde Fort Real de São FilipeFortress · 16th century 1593
Chile Pukará de QuitorRuin · 13th century 1300
China Great Wall of ChinaFortress · 7th century BC c. 700 BC
Colombia San Sebastián de UrabáRuin · 16th century 1510
Croatia TiluriumRuin · 1st century c. 50
Cuba Castillo de la Real FuerzaFortress · 16th century 1558
Curaçao Fort Amsterdam (Curaçao)Fortress · 17th century 1634
Cyprus Saranta KolonesRuin · 7th century c. 675
Czech Republic Levý HradecRuin · 9th century c. 850
Democratic Republic of the Congo Fort de ShinkakasaFortress · 19th century 1891
Denmark GamleborgRuin · 8th century c. 750
Dominican Republic Fortaleza OzamaFortress · 16th century 1502
Egypt AnibaRuin · 19th century BC c. 1900 BC
England Maiden CastleRuin · 6th century BC 600 BC
Estonia Varbola StrongholdRuin · 10th century c. 950
Ethiopia Fasil GhebbiFortress · 17th century c. 1650
Faroe Islands SkansinFortress · 16th century 1580
Finland Turku CastleCastle · 13th century c. 1300
France BibracteRuin · 2nd century BC c. 200 BC
Georgia Shaori fortressRuin · 18th century BC c. 1750 BC
Germany HeuneburgRuin · 6th century BC c. 600 BC
Ghana Elmina CastleCastle · 15th century 1482
Gibraltar Moorish CastleCastle · 14th century c. 1350
Greece KnossosRuin · 19th century BC c. 1900 BC
Guatemala Castillo de San Felipe de LaraFortress · 17th century 1644
Guernsey Castle CornetCastle · 13th century 1206
Guinea-Bissau Fortaleza de São José da AmuraFortress · 17th century 1696
Guyana Fort Kyk-Over-AlRuin · 17th century 1616
Haiti La NavidadRuin · 15th century 1492
Honduras Fortaleza de San FernandoFortress · 18th century 1756
Hungary Esztergom CastleRuin · 13th century c. 1225
India Chunar FortFortress · 1st century BC 56 BC
Indonesia Indrapatra FortFortress · 7th century c. 650
Iran Ray CastleRuin · 7th century BC c. 700 BC
Iraq Kirkuk CitadelRuin · 8th century BC c. 800 BC
Ireland Dun AengusRuin · 11th century BC c. 1100 BC
Isle of Man Peel CastleRuin · 11th century 1050
Israel Tower of DavidFortress · 2nd century BC 150 BC
Italy Nuraghe Santu AntineRuin · 18th century BC c. 1750 BC
Japan Yoshinogari siteRuin · 4th century BC c. 400 BC
Jersey Mont OrgueilCastle · 13th century 1204
Jordan Amman CitadelRuin · 18th century BC 1800 BC
Kenya Thimlich OhingaRuin · 15th century c. 1450
Kosovo Fortress of PrizrenRuin · 5th century c. 500
Laos Royal Palace, Luang PrabangPalace & château · 20th century 1909
Latvia Rūjiena FortressRuin · 12th century 1125
Lebanon Fortress of NihaFortress · 10th century 975
Libya Gasr BanatRuin · 3rd century c. 250
Liechtenstein Gutenberg CastleCastle · 12th century c. 1101
Lithuania Vilnius Castle ComplexCastle · 10th century c. 950
Luxembourg TitelbergRuin · 1st century BC c. 100 BC
Madagascar Rova of AntananarivoPalace & château · 17th century c. 1625
Malaysia A FamosaRuin · 16th century 1511
Malta Palazzo FalsonPalace & château · 15th century c. 1495
Mexico National Palace (Mexico)Palace & château · 16th century 1522
Moldova Kalaur CastleRuin · 14th century c. 1375
Monaco Prince's Palace of MonacoPalace & château · 12th century 1191
Mongolia Sangiin KheremRuin · 18th century c. 1750
Montenegro Žabljak CrnojevićaRuin · 10th century c. 950
Morocco Tazouda CastleRuin · 9th century c. 850
Mozambique Fort São CaetanoFortress · 16th century 1505
Myanmar Mandalay PalacePalace & château · 19th century 1859
Namibia SchwerinsburgCastle · 19th century 1890
Nepal Hanuman DhokaPalace & château · 16th century c. 1550
Netherlands Coevorden CastleCastle · 11th century 1024
New Caledonia Fort TerembaFortress · 19th century 1871
New Zealand Larnach CastleCastle · 19th century 1874
Nicaragua Fortress of the Immaculate ConceptionFortress · 17th century 1673
Niger MadamaFortress · 20th century 1931
Nigeria Ancient Kano City WallsFortress · 11th century 1095
North Korea Anhak PalaceRuin · 5th century 427
North Macedonia Samuel's Fortress (Ohrid)Fortress · 4th century BC c. 350 BC
Northern Cyprus Saint Hilarion CastleRuin · 10th century c. 950
Northern Ireland Clough CastleRuin · 12th century c. 1150
Norway SverresborgRuin · 12th century 1182
Oman Rustaq FortFortress · 7th century c. 650
Pakistan Sialkot FortRuin · 2nd century c. 150
Palestine AlexandreionRuin · 1st century BC c. 76 BC
Panama Chagres and Fort San LorenzoRuin · 16th century c. 1590
Paraguay Palacio de LópezPalace & château · 19th century 1892
Peru PikillaqtaRuin · 5th century 500
Philippines Fort San PedroFortress · 16th century 1565
Poland Wawel CastleCastle · 10th century c. 970
Portugal Castle of AlvorCastle · 7th century BC c. 650 BC
Puerto Rico La FortalezaPalace & château · 16th century 1533
Qatar Barzan TowersFortress · 19th century c. 1875
Romania Castrum ArgamumFortress · 7th century BC c. 650 BC
Russia Naryn-KalaFortress · 6th century c. 501
Saint Kitts and Nevis Brimstone Hill FortressFortress · 17th century 1690
Saint Vincent and the Grenadines Fort Charlotte (Saint Vincent)Fortress · 18th century 1763
San Marino Three Towers of San MarinoCastle · 11th century c. 1050
São Tomé and Príncipe São Sebastião MuseumFortress · 16th century 1575
Saudi Arabia Marid CastleCastle · 1st century c. 50
Scotland Broch of GurnessRuin · 5th century BC 500 BC
Sealand HM Fort RoughsFortress · 20th century 1942
Senegal Fort d'EstréesFortress · 19th century 1852
Serbia Diana FortressRuin · 1st century c. 35
Singapore Istana Kampong GlamPalace & château · 19th century c. 1836
Sint Maarten Fort Amsterdam (Sint Maarten)Fortress · 17th century 1631
Slovakia CelemantiaRuin · 1st century c. 75
Slovenia Socerb CastleCastle · 9th century c. 850
South Africa Castle of Good HopeFortress · 17th century 1666
South Korea WolseongRuin · 2nd century 101
Spain Los MillaresRuin · 31st century BC c. 3025 BC
Sri Lanka SigiriyaRuin · 5th century c. 477
Sudan KummaRuin · 19th century BC c. 1858 BC
Suriname Fort Zeelandia (Paramaribo)Fortress · 17th century 1640
Sweden TorsburgenRuin · 1st century c. 50
Switzerland Altenburg CastleCastle · 4th century 370
Syria Royal Palace of MariRuin · 18th century BC 1800 BC
Taiwan Fengguiwei FortRuin · 17th century 1622
Tanzania Old Fort of ZanzibarFortress · 17th century 1699
Thailand Phet FortFortress · 16th century c. 1550
The Bahamas Fort MontaguFortress · 18th century 1741
Timor-Leste Fort BaliboFortress · 17th century c. 1650
Togo Château VialPalace & château · 20th century c. 1940
Tonga Royal Palace of NukuʻalofaPalace & château · 19th century 1867
Tunisia Kasbah of BéjaFortress · 2nd century BC c. 150 BC
Turkey Afyonkarahisar CastleCastle · 14th century BC c. 1350 BC
Ukraine Qutlaq FortressRuin · 1st century BC c. 1 BC
United Arab Emirates Fujairah FortFortress · 16th century c. 1550
United States Montezuma CastleRuin · 12th century c. 1125
Uruguay Fuerte San MiguelFortress · 18th century 1737
Uzbekistan Ayaz-KalaRuin · 4th century BC c. 350 BC
Vatican City Apostolic PalacePalace & château · 16th century 1589
Venezuela Santa Rosa de la Eminencia CastleFortress · 17th century 1677
Vietnam Co Loa CitadelRuin · 3rd century BC 257 BC
Wales Isca AugustaRuin · 1st century c. 75
Wallis and Futuna TalietumuRuin · 15th century c. 1450
Yemen Ghumdan PalaceRuin · 8th century BC c. 800 BC

Browse castles in every country → · See all dated castles ranked by age →

Frequently asked questions

Which country has the oldest castle?

By documented founding year it is Spain: Los Millares, founded c. 3025 BC. 34 countries have a national oldest from before the common era, and in 93 of the 154 countries listed the oldest entry is medieval or earlier.

What is the oldest castle in Germany?

The atlas's oldest dated site in Germany is Heuneburg, a ruin founded c. 600 BC. Earlier structures may have existed: this is the oldest with a documented founding year.

What is the oldest castle in France?

The atlas's oldest dated site in France is Bibracte, a ruin founded c. 200 BC. Earlier structures may have existed: this is the oldest with a documented founding year.

What is the oldest castle in England?

The atlas's oldest dated site in England is Maiden Castle, a ruin founded 600 BC. Earlier structures may have existed: this is the oldest with a documented founding year.

What is the oldest castle in Japan?

The atlas's oldest dated site in Japan is Yoshinogari site, a ruin founded c. 400 BC. Earlier structures may have existed: this is the oldest with a documented founding year.

How is a country's oldest castle decided?

By the documented founding year in each landmark's Wikidata record (inception, P571), or the Wikipedia lead where Wikidata has none, usually the first fortification on the site. A country's earliest dated entry is its national oldest; undated landmarks are never guessed. 1 country has no dated entry yet and is left out here.