we think of magical places across Europe, like the forests of Germany and the cobblestone streets of France. What we probably don't think of are rows and rows of half-finished, abandoned castles ...

European castles are some of the world’s most iconic and historically significant structures, many dating back to the Middle Ages. They were primarily built for defense against enemy invaders ...

Photo by J. Irmišová et al. (2025.) Hidden beneath the floorboards of one of Europe’s oldest castles, a vanilla pod sat buried in a mixture of dirt and rubble. While it might not seem like ...