Cool Pictures and Information of These 5 Castles That Reside on Islands (25 Pics)

Trakai Island Castle, Lithuania

Construction began sometime in the late 14th century by Kęstutis of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, and around 1409 major works were completed by his son Vytautas the Great.

The Polish-Lithuanian army defeated the main threat to the Grand Duchy of Lithuania in 1410, and for hundreds of years the castle saw no major military need.

Between the 15th and 17th centuries, the castle was used as a summer residence and even a prison. By the time of the wars between the Grand Duchy of Lithuania and Muscovy in the 17th century, the castle was damaged in battle and not reconstructed.

During the late 19th century, the castle was surveyed and preparations for reconstruction began in 1888. The Imperial Russian Empire partially restored some of the castle ruins in 1905. Then, during World War I, the Germans brought in their specialists who also made several attempts to restore the castle. Between 1935 and 1941, Lithuanian and Polish preservationists worked on the project, but the work stopped when WWII grew into a bigger conflict. After the war, a major reconstruction project was begun in 1946 with the final bit of reconstruction finished in 1961. The castle was specifically reconstructed in a 15th-century style.

Loreto Island, Italy

This island castle is in the middle of Lake Iseo.

Originally the island was home to a monastery as far back as the 15th century.

After it changed ownership a few times, a Neo-Gothic castle was built on the island in 1910, giving it a classic look.

The island is privately owned and strictly off limits to tourist.

McDermott's Castle, Ireland

The Mac Diarmada kingdom ruled this area for nearly 600 years, from the 10 century to the 16th century. They built the original castle in the 12th century.

It suffered a fire from a lightning bolt around 1184. After repairs, it was involved in 1235 in the conquest of Connacht by Richard Mór de Burgh, 1st Baron of Connaught. The castle came under siege, first by a raft-mounted catapult, and then by fire ships. Cormac MacDermott, King of Moylurg, was forced to surrender.

The McDormetts retook the castle not long after, but lost it for good in 1586. Seeing no military benefit in upgraded cannon warfare, it was left to disarray and fell to ruins with varying people inhabiting it only for refuge. It was fully abandoned by the 1700s.

In 1800, the King family bought the island and built the now left standing castle as a summer home. All the wood was burned to the ground in a fire during WWII.

Boldt Castle, New York State, US

Millionaire George Boldt, the general manager of the Waldorf-Astoria Hotel in New York City and manager of the Bellevue-Stratford Hotel in Philadelphia, owned and built a summer cottage on the Island in the late 1800s.

In 1900, he decided to expand the summer retreat with a massive masonry project to make it one of the most impressive private residences in the US.

The 4 year incomplete project came to a crashing halt after George Boldts wife died in 1904. He never returned to the island, and left the near half completed project to suffer from weather through the years.

It say idle for 73 years before The Thousand Islands Bridge Authority acquired Heart Island and the nearby yacht house in 1977 for the massive sum of $1. Yes, one dollar. Imagine buying your own island in the middle of Saint Lawrence River in New York State, US for just $1. The purchase was done so the new owners could complete construction, restore as much as possible, and turn it into a unique tourist attraction. The Thousand Islands Bridge Authority in fact spent $15 million over the course of 20 years completing what we see today. They also do a lot of work annually. All proceeds from the tourism go back into maintaining the island, which was part of the contract upon purchase in 1977.

Schwerin Castle, Germany

Located in the city of Schwerin's main lake, Lake Schwerin, the first castle appeared on the island around 973 AD. Closer resembling a fort, the property received upgrades in the 12th century. By the 16th century, more major upgrades were done to the castle on the island. Between 1560 and 1563, key structures were rebuilt such as the chapel and key walls.

In the 17th century, plans again were made to completely rebuild the castle. In 1617 architect Ghert Evert Piloot began work on the new castle. The Thirty Years War interrupted construction, which did not commence again until 1635. The structure saw numerous changes, but was never formally completed for the next 2 centuries. Then, in 1845, a brand new major construction project began which is the finished product we see today. Additions were also made in 1857.

The current design was a major project, conceived by renowned historical German architects Gottfried Semper, Friedrich August Stüler, Georg Adolf Demmler and Ernst Friedrich Zwirner.

Today it serves as the residence of the Mecklenburg-Vorpommern state parliament and is open to tourists. It is constantly maintained and used by members daily.