Eastern European Castles

Roumeli Hissar - on the Bosporus

This mighty medieval fortress guarded the narrow portion of sea linking the Mediterranean Sea with the Black Sea. Built in the mid-15th century, it was used to protect Constantinople and inspire fear in the local populace.

Turkish architects altered the walls as the development of gunpowder artillery made narrow window slits for launching arrows, obsolete. This was very much a military structure, with large barracks and little evidence of rooms used for feudal residential functions.