Este Castle, Medieval castle museum in Ferrara, Italy
Este Castle is a brick structure with four corner towers in the center of Ferrara, surrounded by a water-filled moat. Drawbridges connect the building to the surrounding streets and lead inside to courtyards and multi-story galleries.
Bartolino da Novara designed the complex in 1385 for Niccolo II d'Este after an uprising in the city. Later dukes expanded the rooms in the 15th and 16th centuries, adding loggias and reception halls.
The name recalls the Este family, who ruled here for four centuries and transformed the building from a watchtower into a residence. Today the halls preserve frescoes and stucco showing how rooms once served as ceremonial spaces and private chambers.
The museum lies in the center and can be reached on foot from the train station in about fifteen minutes. The halls spread over several floors, so it helps to plan time for breaks between levels.
The Lion Tower preserves passages below the roof where guards once watched the streets through narrow slits. This upper walkway now offers an open view over the rooftops of the old town and the surrounding squares.
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