Castel del Monte

The castle was built from 1240 to around 1250, but probably never completed and there is no proof, that Emperor Frederick II has ever used Castel del Monte.

The castle has an octagonal footprint. At each of the corners there is a tower, also with an octagonal floor plan. The main octagon is 25 meters high, the towers are 26 meters, there have been 5 metres higher originally. The length of the sides of the main octagon is 16.50 meters, that of the towers each 3.10 meters. So the castle is is an octagonal prism with an octagonal tower at each corner.

There are no trenches, or loopholes that suggest it was used as a fortress. Instead, the building was decorated on the main portal.

The function of the castle has been discussed by scholars over and over, Frederick II was responsible for the construction of many castles in Apulia, but Castel del Monte's geometric design is unique. The octagonal floor plan inspired fantastic thoughts. Most now see the castle as a hunting lodge. Some follow the theory that the octagon is a symbol between a square (representing the earth) and a circle (representing the sky). Frederick II may have been inspired by either the Dome of the Rock in Jerusalem or by the Palatine Chapel of Aachen Cathedral. For German historian Carl Arnold Willemsen Castel del Monte was the "Stone Crown of Apulia", a symbol of Frederick II`s power.

It is known that it was used occasionally by Frederick´s (illegitime) son Manfred of Sicily. Manfred´s death in the Battle of Benevento (1266) ended the Hohenstaufen rule in Italy. The castle was turned into a state prison by Charles I of Anjou. Manfred´s sons Azzo and Enzo were kept as prisoner for many years.

Later the castle was abandoned and fell into disrepair. The castle's marble and other ornamentation were looted. Castel del Monte was purchased in 1876 for the sum of 25,000 lire by the Italian State. The restoration process started and was carried out in accordance with the taste of the time. The original state of construction was reproduced with modern materials, so in the end, the exterior of the castle was "like new" again.

In 1996 Castel del Monte was named a World Heritage Site by UNESCO.