Contrary to what popular television and some publications claim, there are no castles in the United States, d'hose buildings —including Hearst Castle in California, which incorporates architectural fragments from grand European residences, Belcourt Castle in Rhode Island, and Dick’s Castle in New York—are not castles. Neither are Cinderella’s Castle at Disneyland nor Mad Ludwig’s Bavarian castle Ncuschwanstein, upon which Cinderella’s Castle was modeled. No matter how persistent their admirers and owners may be and no matter what they arc called, these grand structures must be classified as palaces, palatial residences, stately homes, or mansions. They are not, nor were they ever intended to be, castles in the true sense of the word. Certainly, these fantastic places radiate wealth, personal achievement, and high status. They have housed their owners in remarkable splendor, which few of us can hope to afford. Yet, they were never intended to withstand a siege, center a lordship, or subjugate a population. By christening their fantastic homes as castles, the affluent owners intended to validate their position within social circles and to prove the' were worth’ of the reputations they ambitiously strove to achieve. Just as Henry VIH’s “castles” were actually coastal forts and never intended as private residences, America’s “castles” are more accurately characterized as mansions. And, Neuschwanstein? It was Mad Ludwig’s turreted palace.
World History
