STORIES YOU WON’T READ ELSEWHERE BUT WE NEED FINANCIAL SUPPORT. IF YOU WON’T HELP WE CLOSE Please contact Michael Walsh for easy transfer details keyboardcosmetics@gmail.com

Though they’re very real, castles are still the stuff of dreams and legends. From the glories of King Arthur in Camelot to the fairy tales of Beauty and the Beast, Snow White and the Seven Dwarves, and of course Cinderella, a castle always plays a starring role. Then the castles from our legends found homes in Disney parks all over the world.

Cinderella Castle is the centrepiece of the Magic Kingdom and the iconic logo of the Walt Disney Company. And it would not be farfetched to think that a man as creative as Walt Disney dreamed up Cinderella Castle on his own, but that would be incorrect. Even Disney had his influences.

One of those influences just happens to be a 12th-century Spanish castle called Alcazar de Segovia, one of the nation’s most famous castles. It is located in the historic town of Segovia in central Spain’s Castile and Leon region, about 60 minutes northwest of Madrid.

According to Touropia, the castle sits atop a rocky crag above the confluence of the Eresma and Clamores rivers in Segovia. Built originally as an Arab fort, the castle has been home to royalty, prisoners, and soldiers in its long history. In fact, Spain’s Queen Isabella I was crowned in the Alcazar de Segovia in 1474, 18 years before she sponsored Christopher Columbus on his attempt to reach the East Indies.

But Alcazar de Segovia is different from other castles in one unique way. Most castles and fortresses have been founded upon spots which offer a natural defensive advantage, according to an article on Exploring Castles. The Alcazar of Segovia is particularly special in that it was built upon a large rock promontory, which is shaped rather like the bow of a ship.

The Walt Disney Company has said that Cinderella Castle was ‘inspired by the great castles of Europe,’ reports Exploring Castles, but it has never specifically said Alcazar de Segovia was the direct inspiration. But from there, urban myth takes over.

Legend holds that in 1937, during the creation of the Disney animated classic Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, the Wicked Queen’s castle was modelled after the Alcazar de Segovia. Fast forward to the 1960s, Disney Imagineers were looking for perfect castles to model the planned Cinderella Castle for the new Walt Disney World theme park. The lead architect, Herbert Ryman, was said to be fascinated by European architecture, and that the Alcazar de Segovia was indeed the chief inspiration for the now iconic castle in Orlando. Just one look at the real castle’s glorious turrets or towers, and it’s not hard to link the two.

Segovia is about a 60-minute drive northwest of Madrid. Another option is high-speed rail, which can get you the same distance in half the time. There is at least one train running between Madrid and Segovia every hour.

$60 DONATIONS IN TWO WEEKS – EUROPE RENAISSANCE CANOT SURVIVE

keyboardcosmetics@gmail.com

The castle is now a museum and completely open to the public. Tour options vary. A full tour includes a visit to the palace, the military museum, and the Tower of Juan II. Many options include a day tour from Madrid, which will take care of your transportation to and from Madrid as well as entry to the castle. Note that visiting the Tower of Juan II includes climbing a 153-step spiral staircase. Rewarding views from the top are said to be worth the work. Source

HELP US TO REACH OTHERS. FORWARD THIS STORY TO 3 FRIENDS

Donate: It is the generosity of our supporters and members that makes our vital work possible. As the storm clouds of crisis and the pain of injustice and persecution loom over our people, the potential and importance of our work grows day-by-day. There is no George Soros figure out there for nationalists, so we can only do what good people like you help us to do. Thank you for your faith and your generous commitment: contact Michael Walsh euroman_uk@yahoo.co.uk