National Geographic recently named its Top Ten Castles of Europe, deeming its list of well-preserved royal wonders as worthy of living up to any traveler’s fairy-tale fantasies.
Those who are familiar with the castle standing on Prague’s Opyš hill know that it is a “complex of gardens, courtyards, lanes, and historic buildings, including St. Vitus Cathedral where Czech kings and queens were crowned.”
What you may not know is that it is also one of the largest castle complexes in the world, measuring “753,473 square feet (about seven football fields)” that has, since the ninth century, been a seat of monarchs and the official residence of the head of state, according to NatGeo.
Neighboring castles Bojnice in Slovakia, Buda Castle in Budapest, and Moszna Castle in Poland also made the list.