C’mon, admit it: you’ve thought about it, maybe even dreamt about it. We don’t blame you. Really, when it comes down to it, who wouldn’t want to own his own castle? Sure, the cost of homeowners insurance would be through the roof, but can you imagine driving your Beemer home every day and parking it outside?
It Ain’t Cheap
To be sure, owning a castle is expensive. But it’s probably not nearly as expensive as you think it is. Castles in Scotland, Ireland, and England are available for as little as a million dollars. Most castles range closer to two or three million, but if you’re on a budget, you can buy a fix’er’upper for a mil.
Castles in most parts of Europe, when they are available, run around the same price. Perhaps your best bet, if you want to own a true medieval castle, is to look into buying one in the former East Germany or one of the other former Communist Bloc countries.
Where the Best Deals Are
When the Communists took charge in East Germany following World War II, the government seized the castles, making them the property of the East German government. Following the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989, the East German government sought to give the property back to its former owners or their descendants. Many of the property owners no longer wanted their castles, however (usually because they had fallen into disrepair). Still other owners could not be found. Castles that were not claimed reverted to the government, which has tried (with mixed success) to sell them.
These days, you can buy a castle in eastern Germany, especially in Saxony, for about 1/3 of the price f castles elsewhere. In some cases, the local governments will even GIVE you the castle (that’s right, for free) as long as you demonstrate your intentions and ability to renovate it.
If You Want Something Done Right…
Another option is that you could build a castle. While you wouldn’t be able to say you own a genuine medieval castle, you would at least know that all of the fixtures are up to date, saving you a bundle on homeowners insurance. Unfortunately, it can be tough to find a contractor who has any experience building castles, so the price still hovers pretty close to a million bucks for a small castle. Even do-it-yourselfers can count on spending upwards of half a million.
