Alnwick Castle

Alnwick Castle in England is an impressive fortified building, located in the Northumberland County, in the city with the same name. Currently, the castle, which was many times renovated, is the residence of the Duke of Northumberland (n. 1956), Ralph Percy, son of Hugh Percy, the tenth Duke of Northumberland and of Lady Elizabeth Montagu Douglas Scott. Percy lives with Isobel Jane Richard, his wife, and their children in Alnwick Castle, occupying only a part. The family permits visiting the impressive building during summer.
Alnwick Castle is the second largest inhabited building of this kind in England, after Windsor Castle, and also the tenth most visited. After the Second World War, as happened with most castles in Europe, the one in Alnwick was used in the educational system, functioning as a school for girls (from 1945 to 1975), as a school of pedagogy, and since 1981 as an additional campus in the St. Cloud State University. Currently, the Duke's house is also an important cultural centre in northern England, the castle hosting various exhibitions and other manifestations of art. Also, history and neoclassical architecture enthusiasts can visit parts of the castle, but only during summer, because that's when the Duke's family decided it could be visited. In the north side of the castle, is flowing the river Aln. There is a ravine that actually separates the building and the entire estate from the city itself. Meanwhile, tourists can enjoy the two parks, the first located in the northern part and known by the locals as "The Pastures" (grasslands) and the second, much larger, located near The Pastures, and known as the Hulne Park .
In fact, Alnwick Castle in England became famous, not necessarily because of its history and its almost perfectly preserved beauty, but because of the series of films "Harry Potter". Many scenes have been shot in the castle and in the surroundings, the outside of the castle being actually the outside of the Hogwarts Castle in the film. With minor modifications, the fortified building became known to the general public and therefore heavily visited by tourists. But here were filmed other films as well, such as "Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves," "Elizabeth" etc.Less