The Castle Hunting Project: A Brief & Incoherent Introduction

If you are a medieval history enthusiast like me, then you will surely enjoy visiting and exploring medieval castles as well. Like many churches and palaces, castles and fortresses are our direct link to this fascinating era historians call the Middle Ages.

The sight of a medieval castle never ceases to elicit a response—quite a childish one—within me. I become like a child, excited and eager to hear stories of kings and queens, dukes and duchesses, knights and ladies, from a time far removed from our own.

It is official: I am a medieval history geek, and I am quite proud of it.

Time Travelling

Medieval castles are like time machines. When one crosses the threshold of these structures we have inherited from the Middle Ages, one does not only move through space, but also through time.

That is at least what I feel when I explore historical places such as imposing castles and fortifications. It is like stepping into a different era—like time travelling.

These historical places and landmarks have witnessed the passage of time. If their walls could talk, they would tell amazing and captivating stories. In this way, medieval castles are potent primary sources upon which historical narratives are built.

Exploring Castles in the Netherlands

In the Netherlands alone, there are quite a number of medieval castles that are open to the public. And thanks to my museum pass, I have free access to these imposing and awe-inspiring places.

An idea has occurred to me: I will visit castles and fortifications across the Netherlands, explore and immerse myself in their history, and blog about my experiences and reflections.

I will make a project out of this adventure—a project I would like to call The Castle Hunting Project. And you will read all about it in this blog.

An Amateur Historian

With this project, I am hoping to become a historian, albeit an amateur one. The aspiration is to discover something worth writing about.

In many ways, visiting and exploring historical sites is an excavation project—ethnographic research, if you will—so that I may find something to study.

Will I become a published author? That would be nice, but that is not the objective. The main objective is immersion in a world I find most fascinating.