The Castle of Chapultepec, the National Museum of History
The Chapultepec Castle ©henrivzq/Flick
The Chapultepec Castle is one of the two royal castles and the only castle in North America that has ever hosted kings. Chapultepec is located on the hill with a great view over the city.
Nowadays the castle functions as the National Museum of History. In this place we can observe how the Mexican leaders used to live, what architectural styles they preferred and, especially, how deep is their mark on the walls of the building. The number of tourist reaches new records every year. The choice of famous directors of using the castle as a movie set also contributed to this.
The Chapultepec Castle lies on the Hill of Chapultepec, in the middle of a park with the same name and it is located at the height of 2325 m. The hill was considered as a sacred place by the Aztec civilization, and the locals believed that there was a cave with an entry to the after world.
The Royal Castle of Chapultepec in Mexico city ©lion05/Flick
From a country home to a national museum
Originally, the building served as a country home for the viceroy of the country, then it has been abandoned for a long time. From the year 1833 was used as military academy, when a watchtower has been added to the original building.
The Chapultepec became the residence of the leaders of Mexico in 1864, cand Emperor Maximilian and his wife, moved to the castle. A garden has been built on the roof to the request of the emperor’s wife, Charlota. Emperor Maximilian has also brought many pieces of furniture, art objects and other expensive items to the house, which today can be seen by tourists in their original environment.
One of the rooms in Castle Chapultepec ©henrivzq/Flick
Emperor Maximilian wished to build a straight boulevard between the castle and the town of Mexico. He taught that this way the people will feel him more connected to them. The street was built on the model of the boulevards in Vienna and Paris.
The boulevard ©Pablasso/Flick
After the fall of the Empire the building was abandoned again, and then it was shortly used as Astronomical, Meteorological and Magnetic Observatory. It functioned as a presidential residence for many years, it was also used as an official guest house, but in the mid 20th century the Chapultepec Castle became what is today, the National Museum of History.
The National Museum of History ©Leandro’s World Tour/Flick
The Chapultepec Castle as a tourist attraction
Today, the site operates as a tourist attraction. It is restored to the original form, and you can visit the various room of the castle. In one of the large rooms Elton John use to have exclusive concerts.
The royal castle was immediately esteemed by filmmakers when it made its public appearance. Famous movies were shot in the castle, like “Vera Cruz” in 1954, and it appears as the Capulet Mansion in the “Romeo and Juliet” from 1996.
The Chapultepec Castle ©henrivzq/Flick
