The 9,550-year-old conifer first took root at the end of the last ice age

A tree said to be the oldest on the planet – thought to be nearly 10,000 years old – has been found in Sweden.

Scientists from Umeaa University discovered the spruce on Fulu Mountain in Dalarna province while carrying out a census of tree species there in 2004.

The age of its genetic material was recently calculated using carbon dating at a laboratory in Miami, Florida.

Scientists had believed the world’s oldest trees were 4,000-year-old pine trees found in North America.

The oldest, a bristlecone pine named Methuselah located in California’s White Mountains, is aged 4,768, according to the Guinness Book of World Records.

Cloning

The new record contender, which would have taken root just after the last ice age, was found among a cluster of around 20 spruces believed to be more than 8,000 years old at an altitude of 910m (2,985ft) on Fulu Mountain.

The visible portion of the spruce was comparatively new, but analysis of four “generations” of remains – cones and wood – found underneath its crown showed its root system had been growing for 9,550 years, Umeaa University said.

Umeaa’s professor of physical geography, Leif Kullmann, said the spruce’s stems or trunks had a lifespan of around 600 years, but as soon as one died, a cloned stem could emerge from the root system.

The clones take root each winter as snow pushes low-lying branches of the mother tree down to ground level, Mr Kullmann added.

The discovery of the tree has been surprising, because the spruce had until now been regarded as a relative newcomer in the region.

“Our results have shown the complete opposite, that the spruce is one of the oldest known trees in the mountain range,” Mr Kullmann said.

He explained that 10,000 years ago the spruce would have been extremely rare in the region and that it was conceivable Mesolithic humans might have imported the species as they migrated northwards with the receding ice cap.

The discovery also shows that it was much warmer in the region at the time than had been thought previously, perhaps even warmer than today, he added.

UK PM David Cameron: "We have made our voice heard"

All but two of the EU’s 27 leaders have signed a new treaty to enforce budget discipline within the bloc.

The “fiscal compact” aims to prevent the 17 eurozone states running up huge debts like those which sparked the Greek, Irish and Portuguese bailouts.

To take effect, the pact must be ratified by 12 eurozone states.

UK Prime Minister David Cameron, who with the Czechs refused to sign, said the summit had accepted his ideas for cutting red tape and boosting growth.

On Thursday he had complained that his ideas, contained in a joint letter signed by 12 EU leaders, were being ignored.

But after the talks he said “our letter really did become the agenda for this meeting… We now have a plan that we must stick to in the months ahead”.

The newly reappointed President of the European Council, Herman Van Rompuy, said the British proposals were being taken seriously and he had sought to redraft the summit’s conclusions accordingly.

Critics argue that the fiscal treaty is mainly a political gesture aimed at reassuring taxpayers in Germany, the eurozone’s dominant economy, where there is reluctance to pay for further eurozone bailouts.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel described it as a “great leap”, a first step towards stability and political union.

Germany is reluctant to increase the size of the permanent rescue fund, the European Stability Mechanism (ESM), which comes into force on 1 July.

The leaders put off until the end of March a decision on its size. There are calls to combine the 250bn euros (£209bn; $333bn) left in the temporary bailout fund – the EFSF – with the 500bn-euro ESM.

More budget pain

The fiscal pact emerged at an EU summit in December, where Mr Cameron vetoed plans to change the EU treaties so that greater budget surveillance would be enforced.

The pact may face an early test as both Spain and the Netherlands have admitted they will miss targets for reducing their deficits, BBC Europe editor Gavin Hewitt reports.

Spain, already struggling with painful public sector cuts, wants to negotiate a higher deficit target with the EU. But Brussels made no concessions on Friday.

While there was a change of emphasis at this summit, “from crisis mode to growth mode” in the words of one senior official, growth will be difficult to achieve whilst tough spending cuts are being made, Gavin Hewitt adds.

Whereas in the past even France and Germany broke the EU’s deficit rules the new treaty is aimed at preventing such practices.

Eurozone countries will scrutinise each other’s budgets and the European Court of Justice will be able to check whether nations stick to the rules. It will fine them up to 0.1% of national GDP if they fail to do so.

‘Credibility at stake’

In a speech at the signing ceremony, Mr Van Rompuy said: “This stronger self-constraint by each and every one of you as regards debts and deficits is important in itself.

“It helps prevent a repetition of the sovereign debt crisis. It will thus also reinforce trust among member states, which is politically important as well.

“The restoration of confidence in the future of the eurozone will lead to economic growth and jobs. This is our ultimate objective.”

The President of the European Commission, Jose Manuel Barroso, called the pact a strong political statement for the EU.

“In the eyes of the world what is at stake is the very credibility of the euro area and of Europe as a whole,” he said.

The pact, he said, enhanced the euro’s permanence “contrary to all the negative prophecies”.
Irish vote

The fiscal compact will now go before national parliaments and, in the case of the Irish Republic, a referendum.

Ireland rejected the Lisbon Treaty in a referendum in 2008, before approving it a year later after obtaining EU concessions, but the success of this fiscal treaty is unlikely to depend on Irish voters.

Irish businessman Declan Ganley, a leading “No” campaigner in 2008, has said he may support the fiscal compact if Brussels offers Dublin better terms in bailing out its banks.

The chances of a “Yes” vote were around 50-50, he was quoted as saying by Reuters news agency.

While the compact only needs to be ratified by 12 of the eurozone states to take effect, any state which fails to back it will lose the right to future bailouts.

An international bailout worth about 85bn euros ($113bn; £72bn) was granted to Dublin in November 2010.

The images of Antony and Cleopatra are less than flattering

Antony and Cleopatra, one of history’s most romantic couples, were not the great beauties that Hollywood would have us believe, academics have said.

A study of a 2,000-year-old silver coin found the Egyptian queen, famously portrayed by Elizabeth Taylor, had a pointed chin, thin lips and sharp nose.

Her Roman lover, played by Richard Burton, had bulging eyes, thick neck and a hook nose.

The tiny coin was studied by experts at Newcastle University.

The size of a modern 5p piece (18mm or 0.7in), the artefact from 32BC was in a collection belonging to the Society of Antiquaries of Newcastle, which is being researched in preparation for the opening of a new Great North Museum.

Clare Pickersgill, the university’s assistant director of archaeological museums, said: “The popular image we have of Cleopatra is that of a beautiful queen who was adored by Roman politicians and generals.

“Recent research would seem to disagree with this portrayal, however.”

The university’s director of archaeological museums, Lindsay Allason-Jones, said: “The image on the coin is far from being that of Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton.

“Roman writers tell us that Cleopatra was intelligent and charismatic, and that she had a seductive voice but, tellingly, they do not mention her beauty.

“The image of Cleopatra as a beautiful seductress is a more recent image.”

The silver denarius coin would have been issued by the mint of Mark Antony.

On one side is the head of Mark Antony, bearing the caption “Antoni Armenia devicta” meaning “For Antony, Armenia having been vanquished”.

Cleopatra appears on the reverse of the coin with the inscription “Cleopatra Reginae regum filiorumque regum”, meaning “For Cleopatra, Queen of kings and of the children of kings”.

The university hopes more forgotten treasures will come to light before the Great North Museum opens in 2009.

The Roman coin is on display in Newcastle University’s Shefton Museum from 14 February.

Obama is due to meet Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Monday

US President Barack Obama has said it would be unacceptable for Iran to have a nuclear weapon, but warned against a pre-emptive strike on the country.

He told The Atlantic magazine he was not bluffing by threatening US action if Iran built a weapon but that an early strike could win Iran sympathy.

Iran says its nuclear programme is purely peaceful, but Israel and the US suspect it of developing weapons.

There has been speculation that Israel might launch a pre-emptive strike.

Correspondents say Washington is deeply alarmed by reports that Israel might take unilateral military action as early as April.

In the interview, Mr Obama said he believed the Israeli government “recognizes that, as president of the United States, I don’t bluff”.

“I also don’t, as a matter of sound policy, go around advertising exactly what our intentions are. But I think both the Iranian and the Israeli governments recognize that when the United States says it is unacceptable for Iran to have a nuclear weapon, we mean what we say.”

Mr Obama re-iterated that “a military component” for dealing with Iran remained an option, as well as sanctions and diplomacy, but warned that a premature attack on Iran might be counterproductive.

“At a time when there is not a lot of sympathy for Iran and its only real ally [Syria] is on the ropes, do we want a distraction in which suddenly Iran can portray itself as a victim?”
Heckled

Mr Obama is due to meet Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Washington on Monday.

The US president described his relationship with Mr Netanyahu – often depicted as frosty – as “very functional,” despite the two leaders coming from different political traditions.

He said most of their differences were “tactical and not strategic”.

Mr Obama was heckled on the issue of military action against Iran at a Democratic fundraising event in New York on Thursday evening.

An audience member shouted: “Use your leadership – no war in Iran.”

Mr Obama responded, to cheers: “Nobody has announced a war young lady. You’re jumping the gun a little bit there.”

American officials are thought to be seeking to persuade Israel to give sanctions more time to work.

The US has recently tightened its sanctions against Iran, imposing sanctions on the country’s central bank and against three oil companies that trade with Iran.

The European Union has also adopted an oil embargo against Iran.

The UN ratified four rounds of sanctions against Iran between 2006 and 2010 in reaction to its refusal to halt uranium enrichment and co-operate with the International Atomic Energy Association (IAEA).

Andy Murray became the first man to beat world number one Novak Djokovic in 2012 with a straight-sets win in the semi-finals of Dubai Championships.

Murray, seeded third, broke twice in each set to come through 6-2 7-5 in one hour and 22 minutes.

The result saw the Briton avenge January’s epic Australian Open semi-final defeat by Djokovic.

Murray’s final opponent will be Roger Federer, who beat Juan Martin del Potro in straight sets, 7-6 7-6.

“It’s obviously great any time you beat the world number one,” said Murray. “I just tried to do some of the same things I did in Australia.

“I was very close there against one of the greatest players ever, and today I did what I needed to – even though it nearly got away from me at the end.”

Djokovic, the three-time defending champion on an 18-match winning streak in Dubai, started the match strongly and held his first two service games to love.

But Murray kept pace with the five-time Grand Slam winner before an incredible passage of play that saw the Scot reel off seven games in a row from 2-2.

The British number one was serving superbly, dropping just one point behind his first serve on his way to taking the opening set after Djokovic blazed a forehand long to give up the break in game six.

Some characteristically impressive retrieving from Murray brought more errors as Djokovic failed to find his best rhythm, and a second break in game eight wrapped up the set before the Scot raced 3-0 up in the second.

An unexpectedly regulation victory looked on the cards when Murray served for the match, but a double-fault helped Djokovic back into the contest at 5-5.

The large Serbian contingent in the crowd was now in fine voice and a full-blown comeback from the world number one seemed likely, but Murray gathered himself impressively for a final assault.

A quick-fire service game put him back in front before the under-pressure Djokovic finally succumbed, three loose errors handing over his service game for the fourth and final time.

Djokovic said afterwards that he had simply lost to the better player on the day, adding: “Generally I feel good, physically, mentally.

“It’s just the start of the season. There are some 1,000 events (Indian Wells and Miami) coming up which are really important, and I need to get ready.”

The Red Cross says it has been refused permission to deliver aid to the Baba Amr district of the bombed-out Syrian city of Homs, despite earlier getting the go-ahead from the authorities.

ICRC President Jakob Kellenberger said the hold-up was “unacceptable”.

The delay has given rise to opposition allegations that government forces were trying to get rid of evidence of summary killings.

Baba Amr has suffered heavy bombardment by government forces in recent weeks.

The rebel Free Syrian Army (FSA) said on Thursday it was leaving the district in a “tactical withdrawal”.

On Friday the UN human rights office said it had received reports of a “particularly grisly set of summary executions” of 17 people in Homs.

Two French journalists caught up in last month’s shelling and smuggled out of Homs into Lebanon were flown back to a military airport outside Paris.

Edith Bouvier and William Daniels were met on arrival by President Nicolas Sarkozy.

Ms Bouvier was badly injured in the bombardment of a makeshift media centre last week, in which two other journalists were killed.

She was stretchered off the plane and is set to undergo surgery on Friday evening for multiple leg fractures.

The ICRC said it had received the bodies of the two dead journalists, Marie Colvin of Britain’s Sunday Times and French photojournalist Remi Ochlik, and will take them to Damascus.

‘Green light’

Mr Kellenberger said in a statement that the seven-lorry aid convoy carrying food, medicine and blankets, along with ambulances from the Syrian Red Crescent, would stay in Homs overnight in the hope of entering Baba Amr “in the very near future”.

“It is unacceptable that people who have been in need of emergency assistance for weeks have still not received any help,” he said.

The statement added that the Syrian authorities had earlier given a “green light” for the convoy to enter, and that the problem was not a technical hitch but something more serious.

The convoy had also been hoping to evacuate the wounded.

Mr Kellenberger said that in the meantime the group would help those families that had fled Baba Amr.

But the BBC’s Jim Muir in neighbouring Lebanon says the tone of the statement suggests that the Red Cross is not very confident about getting permission to enter Baba Amr immediately on Saturday either.

Of the 100,000 people who normally live there only a few thousand remain, with the FSA saying it had pulled back to save those still there from an all-out assault.

Many of those still in the district are without power and running low on basic supplies. The ICRC has said it fears there could be many seriously wounded people there.

The opposition Local Co-ordination Committees reported that in Syria as a whole 56 people had died on Friday, of which 32 were killed in Homs and 16 in the nearby town of Rastan.

The UN estimates more than 7,500 people have died in the 11-month anti-government uprising in Syria.

‘No place to hide’

Spaniard Javier Espinosa, one of two other journalists who escaped to Lebanon, described his flight as part of a group of 50 people who crept through the government lines at night.

“There were a group of kids who were terrified… we tried to just shut [quieten] them down … but it was too late and they [government troops] started shooting, so we had to run for our life… to hide,” he told the BBC.

“I guess there were some people who died.”

He also spoke about the suffering he saw while he was in the city.

“We are talking about 20,000 mainly women and old people, civilians, trapped in a very small enclave under constant shelling during the whole day until night,” he said.

“It was very systematic. They start shelling at six o’clock in the morning, they finish at six o’clock pm. So there is no place to hide because there are no shelters, just wait in your house [and hope] that they don’t hit your house. And there is no basic stuff like milk for the babies, like bread, like water.”

Helicopter gunships fired on civilians Wednesday in the besieged neighborhood of Baba Amr as Syria’s intensifying campaign triggered fears among residents that a full-fledged ground invasion could be imminent, opposition activists said.

Baba Amr, in the opposition stronghold of Homs, was also under its heaviest shelling yet and ground troops advanced in al Hakura, an old part of that neighborhood.

While helicopters had flown over the area in previous days, Wednesday marked the first time they fired at people on the ground, opposition activists in Baba Amr said.

Violent clashes between the regime’s army and the opposition’s Free Syrian Army lasted hours, opposition activists said.

At least 23 people were killed Wednesday, including 11 in Homs, according to the opposition Local Coordination Committees of Syria. The toll included three people in Damascus suburbs, three in Daraa, two in Deir Ezzor, two in Idlib, one in Hama and one in Latakia.

The deaths in Homs included a family of five, the group said.

The opposition Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said the family was killed at a roundabout in the neighborhood of Karm al Zaytoun.

A man was killed by a rocket-propelled grenade in the Homs neighborhood of Bab Aldreeb, and another civilian was shot dead in the Inshaat neighborhood, the observatory said.

Numerous neighborhoods in Homs were under attack. Explosions shook al Khalidiya, al Bayada, Karm al Zaytoun, Bab Sbaa and others, an opposition activist said.

Water supplies, electricity and communications were cut and the regime’s battalions had blockaded the neighborhoods, the activist said.

France said it was trying to evacuate two nationals stranded in Homs, in coordination with Syrian authorities and the Red Crescent. “We expect the government of Damascus to meet all the conditions for a safe and rapid evacuation, including an immediate cease-fire on Baba Amr,” French Foreign Ministry spokesman Bernard Valero told.

Syrian state-run news agency SANA, which consistently blames the violence on “armed terrorist groups” reported on violence in Homs, as well. One such “terrorist group” killed a nurse at a hospital, while another attacked a water plant in the Homs countryside, SANA said.

But opposition activists said the violence was perpetrated by the Syrian regime.

A 13-year-old boy was killed by sniper fire in the eastern neighborhood of Deir Ezzor, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said.

An undisclosed number of casualties resulted when rockets fell on the western city of Rastan, the group said.

In Hama, regime forces carried out a raid and arrest campaign amid sporadic gunfire in several neighborhoods, the LCC said.

Reinforcements for security forces, including tanks, arrived at the Syrian-Turkish border, the LCC said. There were also reports of helicopters flying over some villages in the area, the group said.

In the Damascus suburb of Zabadani, Syrian forces stormed residential buildings detaining males over the age of 13, an opposition activist named Mostapha said.

LeadNews24  cannot independently verify opposition or government reports because Syria has severely limited journalists’ access to the country. But the vast majority of reports by activists inside the country indicate that government forces are killing citizens in an attempt to eliminate those seeking President Bashar al-Assad’s ouster.

Spanish journalist Javier Espinosa managed to get out of Syria and into Lebanon, his newspaper, El Mundo, and an opposition activist said.

A United Nations official said indiscriminate bombardment by government tanks and rocket fire has contributed to “well over 7,500 deaths.”

The United Nations has credible reports that “the death toll now often exceeds 100 civilians a day, including women and children,” Lynn Pascoe told the U.N. Security Council. Pascoe is the U.N.’s undersecretary general for political affairs.

The number Pascoe cited is still less than the 9,000-plus that opposition activists say have died in the nearly year-long government attempt to quell the opposition. At least 104 people were killed Tuesday across Syria, the LCC said.

In Damascus on Wednesday, students from the Zain Abideen school in the Midan neighborhood began demonstrating, chanting for freedom and demanding the regime’s ouster, according to the LCC.

SANA, meanwhile, said a terrorist group stole a cement truck in Hama, while another clashed with customs personnel in Idlib.

Twelve “army and law enforcement martyrs” were buried Wednesday, SANA reported.

“The martyrs’ relatives hailed the role of the Syrian army in maintaining the security and stability of the homeland, expressing confidence of the ability of the Syrian people to overcome the crisis through their unity and rallying around their leadership, asserting that Syria will foil all the conspiracies hatched against it,” the report said.

About 25,000 people have registered as refugees in neighboring countries and 100,000 to 200,000 are displaced within Syria, Pascoe said.

Tunisia — which last year became the first country in the region to oust a longtime ruler — has offered asylum to Syria’s president.

Tunisian President Moncef Marzouki said “closing all exits in front of the Syrian regime” would “worsen its brutality against the revolution of the brotherly Syrian people and, consequently, the likelihood of causing thousands more victims,” the Tunisian state TAP news agency reported.

“If the Syrian president’s departure to another country, including Tunisia, helps bring about a settlement to the political crisis in Syria, Tunisia will be ready to lend its assistance,” Marzouki said, according to TAP.

U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton told the Senate Appropriations Committee that al-Assad could be tried for war crimes.

“I think people have been putting forth the argument, but I also think from long experience that could complicate a resolution of a difficult, complex situation because it limits options to persuade leaders, perhaps, to step down from power,” Clinton said Tuesday.

The pressure on the Syrian regime mounted Tuesday, when the U.N. Human Rights Council met to discuss a report saying Syrian government officials were responsible for “crimes against humanity” against opposition members.

Chuquicamata, Chile

Chuquicamata is an open pit copper mine in Chile. It is the mine with the largest total production of copper in the world – though it is not the largest copper mine. The mine is over 850 meters deep.

Udachnaya Pipe, Russia

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Udachnaya Pipe is a diamond mine in Russia. The owners of the mine plan to cease its operations in 2010 – in favor of underground mining. The mine was discovered in 1955 and is over 600 meters deep.

 

Sink hole, Guatemala

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

In 2007, a 300 foot deep sinkhole swallowed a dozen homes in Guatemala – killing 2 and causing thousands to be evacuated. The sinkhole was caused by rains and an underground sewage flow.

Diavik Mine, Canada

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Diavik Mine is a mine in the Northwest territories of Canada. The mine (opened in 2003) produces 8 million carats or about 1,600 kg (3,500 lb) of diamonds every year.

Mirny Diamond Mine, Siberia

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Mirny Diamond Mine is 525m deep and has a diameter of 1200m. It was the first, and one of the largest, diamond Pipes in the USSR. It is now abandoned. While it was still operational, it would take two hours for trucks to drive from the top to the bottom of the mine.

Great Blue Hole, Belize

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Great Blue Hole is an underwater sinkhole off the coast of Belize. The hole is 1,000 feet across and 400 feet deep. It was formed as a limestone cave during the last iceage.

 

Bingham Canyon Mine, Utah

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Bingham Canyon Mine is a copper mine in the Oquirrh mountains, Utah. The mine is 0.75 mile (1.2 km) deep, 2.5 miles (4 km) wide. It is the world’s largest manmade excavation.

 

Monticello Dam, California

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Monticello Dam is a dam in Napa County, California, United States most noted for its large circular spillway with a rate of 48,400 cubic feet per second.

Kimberley Diamond Mine, South Africa

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Kimberley Diamond Mine (also known as the Big Hole) holds the (disputed) title of being the largest hand-dug hole in the world. From 1866 to 1914 50,000 miners dug the hole with picks and shovels, yielding 2,722 kg of diamonds. Attempts are being made to have it registered as a world heritage site.

Darvaza Gas Crater, Turkmenistan

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

In 1971, geologists discovered a massive underground deposit of natural gas on this site. Whilst excavating the hole to tap the gas, the drilling rig collapsed leaving a massive hole. To prevent poisonous gasses from escaping, the hole was allowed to burn. It continues to burn to this day and has done so without ceasing.

Scientists had carried out DNA scan and other tests on the creature and the results had left everyone dumbstruck with awe. Tests revealed a creature unknown to mankind. It has skeleton that looks similar to a lizard, its teeth do not have any roots like that of humans and it can hold its breath and stay underwater for a long time. The bulged rear part of the brain meant that it must have been intelligent.

But the interesting part of the story is that the farmer who had killed the baby alien had mysteriously died. He was burnt to death in his car at the side of a road. UFO expert Joshua P. Warren says that the temperature at which the car burnt was higher than normal fire. This led to rumors that the farmer was killed by the guardians of the so-called baby alien seeking revenge. UFO expert Jaime Maussan believes that the story is not a hoax. Farmers had found another similar creature but it ran away when they approached.

There are frequent UFO sightings and reports of mysteriously appearing crop circles in the area where the creature was found. Although the news was first covered by the Mexican TV channel in 2007, the first pictures and videos of the sinister looking creature were published by the website www.bild.de

Others believe that the story is a complete hoax. The creature is no-alien but an under-developed baby monkey. There are similar creatures that look like alien but were later identified.

Below Skeleton of a squirrel-monkey: (via National Geographic)

Below Skeleton of a Tamarin: (via coyotter)

The fearless creature can be a monkey fetus or a baby that had been first skinned off it’s fur and later “fitted” into the trap in the peculiar position since there is no way a creature that small can get caught in such a huge animal trap in that way.

Royal palace in the Bavarian Alps of Germany, the most famous of three royal palaces built for Louis II of Bavaria, sometimes referred to as Mad King Ludwig, who grew up nearby at Hohenschwangau Castle. And my favourite and most beautiful of all!

PALACE OF VERSAILLES

The Palace of Versailles was the official residence of the Kings of France from 1682 until 1790. It was originally a hunting lodge, built in 1624, by Louis XIII. It  was expanded by Louis XIV beginning in 1669. He used it as a little lodge as a secret refuge for his amorous trysts with the lovely Louise de la Valliere and built a fairy tale park around it.  Jules Hardouin Mansart, the king’s principal architect, drew the plans to enlarge what was turning more and more into a palace from A Thousand and One Nights. The terrace that overlooked the gardens was removed to make way for the magnificent Hall of Mirrors, the Galarie de Glaces. It is here from which the king radiated his power and where the destiny of Europe was decided over a century. The French classical architecture was complemented by extensive gardens.

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CHENONCEAU

Chenonceaux, small agricultural community in the department of Indre-et-Loire in northwestern France,18 miles east of Tours. Located on the Cher River. Chenonceaux is best known as the site of the 16th-century Chateau de Chenonceaux, which is situated on the north bank of the river.
In 1515 Thomas Bohier, revenue collector for King Francis I, began the construction of the Chateau de Chenonceaux. Unfinished at the time of his death, construction of the chateau was completed by Bohier’s wife and son. In 1535, however, Francis I took the estate in payment of debts. King Henry II, son of Francis I, gave the chateaux to Diane de Poitiers, duchesse de Valentinois, who extended the structure by a bridge across the Cher. Catherine de Medicis, widow of Henry II, forced Diane de Poitiers to deed the chateaux to her. Catherine de Medicis constructed the gallery above the bridge and the stables known as the Batiment-des-Dames. The chateau became her favorite residence, and it was there that her son Francis II and Mary, Queen of Scots, were married in 1560.

The Chateau of Chambord

Chambord, chateau, park, and village in the department of Loire-et-Cher in central France. The chateau of Chambord was a retreat for French kings, especially Louis XIV  It was under his auspices that French dramatist Moliere’s Monsieur de Pourceaugnac and Le bourgeois Gentilhomme were first produced there.

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Linderhof

Ludwig II built this secluded hunting lodge, it was known as the Kings Hut. Ludwig decided that this will be a New Versailles. It was planned as a modest villa  but had become a splendid Rococo palace in the ornate French style.  Linderhof is the smallest of the three royal castles, and the only one which was completely finished. (1878).

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Tower of London

Castle building was an essential part of the Norman Conquest; when Duke William of Normandy invaded England  in 1066 his first action after landing was to build a castle.After his coronation in Westminster Abbey on Christmas Day 1066, William ordered the construction of a castle in London for his triumphal entry. nitially the Tower had consisted of a modest enclosure built into the south-east corner of the Roman City walls, but by the late 1070s, with the initial completion of the White Tower, it had become the most fearsome of all. Nothing had been seen like it in England before. It was built by Norman masons and English (Anglo-Saxon) labor drafted in from the countryside.  It was intended to protect the river route from Danish attack, but also and more importantly to dominate the City physically and visually.The White Tower was protected to the east and south by the old Roman City walls (a full height fragment can be seen just by Tower Hill underground station), while the north and west sides were protected by ditches as much as 750m (25ft) wide and 3.40m (lift) deep and an earthwork with a wooden wall on top. It is important for us today to remember that the functions of the Tower from the 1070s until the late 19th century were established by its Norman founders. The Tower was never primarily intended to protect London from external invasion, although, of course, it could have done so if necessary. Nor was it ever intended to be the principal residence of the kings and queens of England, though many did in fact spend periods of time there. Its primary function was always to provide a base for royal power in the City of London and a stronghold to which the royal family could retreat in times of civil disorder.

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Leeds, Kent

Leeds Castle, acclaimed as the most romantic castle in England, is located  in south-east England, built on two adjacent island in the river Len.Leeds Castle was originally a manor of the Saxon royal family possibly as early as the reign of Ethelbert IV ( 856-860). The first castle was an earthwork enclosure whose wooden palisade was converted to stone and provided with two towers along the perimeter. This is now vanished. Traces of arches in a vault thought to be Norman were found at the beginning of this century. Around 1119 Robert Crevecoeur started to build a stone castle on the site, establishing his donjon where the Gloriette now is. Stephen, Count of Blois, and his cousin the Empress Matilda contested the crown of England. In 1139 Matilda invaded England with the help of his brother Robert, Earl of Gloucester, who held Leeds castle, but Kent was loyal to king Stephen and following a short siege he took control of the castle.The castle came into the possession of Edward I (1278) . He rebuilt much of the castle as it stood at the beginning of his reign, and enlarged it, providing an outer stone curtain round the edge of the larger island, with cylindrical open-backed  flanking towers and a square-plan water-gate on the south-east. The gatehouse at the south-west, a single tower pierced by an arched passage was improved.Henry VIII, the most famous of all the owners of Leeds Castles, expended large sums in enlarging and beautifying the whole range of buildings. At the same time, he carefully retained the defenses of the castle for he often had cause to fear invasion from either France or the Spanish . The king entrusted the work of alteration to his great friend Sir Henry Guidford.Leeds has been constantly inhabited and rebuilt since then. Most of the castle today is the result of the nineteenth-century reconstruction and addition.

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Blois

Dominating the Loire River, the royal castle of Blois is not only one of the most prestigious Renaissance monuments in France but also a brilliant illustration of the evolution of the French architecture from the Middle ages to the 17th century.About the middle of the 10th century, the name of Thibaud I is recorded Count of Blois, he was the founder of the family who remained in power until 1230.  Blois became the most important town in the region.  The first stone castle was built to protect the town dates back to that period.  An independent bastion surrounded the castle, and followed the line of the headland on which it was erected. The numerous medieval remains still exists. The best preserved medieval tower is situated on a terrace overlooking the Loire.While the Franco-Anglo was (named the Hundred Years War) raged in the real, an event took place that determined the future of the county of Blois, the ancient fortress became a royal castle. At the end of the 14th. century, the county of Blois was sold to Prince Louis of Orleans, son of the king of France Charles V.  He lived in the castle for 25 years attracting a small court of scholars and poets. His grandson, Louis XII became king of France in 1498 and decided to move to Blois, in this way, the small town became a royal town and the capital of the Kingdom.Under Louis XII and Francis I the town of Blois grew considerably. But after the disaster of Pavia in 1525, Francis I never returned to Blois and his successors only paid short visits to the town. According to French and Gothic tradition, the initials and emblems of the owners of the place are sculptured in the stone: fleur de lis for the king and ermine spots for the queen, Anne de Bretagne. The equestrian statue of the king crowns the main entrance of the castle. The emblem of the king, the salamander, is sculptured eleven times in high relief on the Francis I facade.  The staircase, which was at the center of the facade before Gaston d”Orleans began to modify the castle is a masterpiece. When the Italianate straight flights of stairs appeared in the Loire Valley after the Gothic period, the shape of the spiral staircase in a protruding octagonal cage was considered rather ordinary. The staircase, with its three floors of balconies looking on to the Court of Honor, is perfectly suitable for the display of more and more sumptuous ceremonies.

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Nymphenburg

The  former summer residence of the rulers of Bavaria is located in the west part of the city in the middle of one of Munich’s most beautiful parks. Five generations of Wittelsbach rulers were involved in the construction of this Baroque castle.
The building of Nymphenburg Castle  began in the reign of the Elector Ferdinand Maria: overjoyed by the birth of his son and heir, Max Emanuel, he had the central section built for his wife in the style of an Italian villa (Agostino Barelli, 1664-74). In about 1700, Max Emanuel commissioned Enrico Zuccali and Antonio Viscardi to extend the castle by adding galleries and pavilions.The central section owes its present appearance to the efforts of Josef Effner, who in 1715, designed the pilasters, arched windows and busts that now grace the exterior. A few years later, the south section of the castle was added to serve as the court stables. As a counterpart, the orangerie was added to the north.Central section: Stone Hall (Steinerner Saal; 1755-57) with ceiling frescoes by J. B. and F Zimmermann (Homage to the Goddess Hora); the Rococo stucco work is based on designs by Cuvillies.

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Mont St. Michael

Le Mont-Saint-Michel, rocky, cone-shaped islet in  northwestern France, in the Gulf of Saint-Malo, connected by a causeway with the mainland. The islet, celebrated for its Benedictine abbey, has small houses and shops on its lowest level. Above these stand the monastic buildings, many of which date from the 13th century and are considered outstanding examples of Gothic architecture. The entire islet is crowned by the abbey church, about 73 m (about 240 ft) above sea level.The first chapel on this site was founded in 708 by Aubert, Bishop of Avranches , after the Archangel Michael has appeared to him in a dream. The Archangel Michel appeared here in the year 708. The Abbey takes the name of Mont saint Michel. The oratory, consecrated in 709 was served by a community of canons. It apparently survived the Norman invasions, but the observance of the rule became very relaxed. In 966 Richard I, Duke of Normandy, established there the Benedictine monks from St. Wandrille Abbeyunder the direction of Abbot Maynard, who began the reconstructions of the church and other buildings. The church was burnt in 922 and rebuilt on a larger scale by Abbot Hildebert II from 1023, at the time of the monastic reforms in Normandy carried out by Richard II and William of Volpiano. Mont Saint-Michel was built in a strong rock that measures 84 meters height. It is pure granite and is so hard that has resisted the passage of time.Mont Saint Michel was built as a medieval castle.  It has two large towers to defend the entrance to the castle. St. Michael is a surety for freedom and thus this sanctuary also became a symbol of the allied landing in Normandy during the Second World War.