Windsor Castle
Windsor Castle is one of the most famous, still standing, castles in the World. It houses the British royal family and is said to be the largest inhabitated castle with a floor area of over 45,000 square meters! It is one of the official residences of the monarch of Great-Britain. Windsor is located in England, in the county of Berkshire. The castle is almost a 1000 years old. The first castle-like structure was a wooden fort built by William the Conqueror. The excellent defensive features of the location did not go unnoticed with William. The wooden castle was a purely military structure and no civilian uses are known.
Some of the structures still available to admire today are from the period of Henry the II's reign. Henry II improved the defenses of Windsor considerably by replacing the wooden walls with stone walls and square towers. He was also the first person to build a stone keep at the center of the castle structure. In 1216 Henry III repaired damage caused by an assault on Windsor during the First Baron's War, while at the same time strengthening the defences even further.
For quite some time no major changes were performed on Windsor until King Edward III was born in the castle. Not surprising, he was some times referred to as "Edward of Windsor". In 1350 he initiated an ambitious 24-year rebuilding plan by destroying most of the castle. Fortifications were improved once again, Henry II's keep was replaced, and the castle's chapel expanded.
At the time of Richard II's reign St George's chapel was found to be near collapse so restoration work began to prevent this from happening. Yet despite the work done on the chapel it became ruinous 50 years later.
The chapel you see at Windsor Castle today was constructed by King Edward IV. Not so much as a chapel than a small cathedral and mausoleum, it's architecture is an experiment with Perpendicular Gothic. The architectural style has it's roots in 12th century France and is mainly used for religious structures.
Because of increasing political stability in England a shift to more comfort and beauty took place. Windsor was no longer merely a defensive structure, but also a royal palace - a perfect place to receive high ranking officials. Compared to other royal residences like Whitehall, however, Windsor remained a rather dark and medieval place.
Today, Windsor Castle is one of the most popular tourist attractions in the United Kingdom.