Grand houses

Grand houses are buildings created to house either the nobility and royalty, or in later eras, those that had made their fortune by various means. Whilst some grand houses are or were palaces, other châteaux, stately homes, manor houses, Schloss and Residenz can be considered as grand houses. Some are or have been owned by monarchies.

Understand
A palace is a grand residence, usually for a head of state. The word comes from the French word palais, which implies that the building is in a city.

A castle is a fortification from the Middle Ages (9th to 15th century) used as a royal or noble residence, especially in Europe and Japan.

Château (plural châteaux) is the French word for a countryside manor or palace; the master residence of a countryside estate. Schloss (traditional spelling Schloß) is the corresponding German word. If these buildings are from the 15th century or earlier, they are likely to be fortified.

A manor is in English law an estate with a manorial court; jurisdiction over an estate.

Today, many palaces and grand houses are used as museums, hospitality venues, diplomatic missions or government premises.

Japan
During the Edo period, the samurai were the Japanese equivalent of European knights. Only samurai were allowed to have walled homes with a gate, while commoners were only allowed to live in much simpler dwellings.



South Korea
Korea was a monarchy until 1910 with a strict caste system. Only the nobility, known in Korea as the yangban (양반), were permitted to have houses with roof tiles, while commoners were only allowed to live in houses with thatched roofs.

Finland


Finland was made a republic on independence, and the Finnish nobility in Swedish and Russian times was rather poor, so the mansions are not as spectacular as in Central Europe or even Sweden. A few mansions are museums, while many are mostly accessible in connection with irregular public events. Some house private and business events, or retreats, and might also welcome individual visitors.



France
France has for most of its long history been a feudal monarchy (see Kingdom of France) with a wealthy noble class known for their great châteaux.

Germany
A Schloss (pre-1998 spelling in Germany and Austria Schloß) is usually a representative building that serves either as the main residence of a minor blue blood or a secondary residence of a higher ranking blue blood whereas a Residenz is the main residence and usually in the capital. Germany was not unified until 1871; and until then had been a collection of small German-speaking states that were frequently at war with one another.



Italy
Italy was not unified until 1871; from the fall of the Roman Empire until then, the Italian peninsula was made up of collection of small city-states that were often at war with one another.



Russia
The Russian Empire was consolidated in the early modern era. The revolutions of 1917 gave rise to the Soviet Union.

The Russian term dacha (дача) is used to refer to holiday homes in the suburban countryside. For ordinary Russian citizens, this is usually nothing more than a simple wooden cottage, sometimes with a small vegetable garden. However, the dachas of the Russian elites often display over the top opulence.

Sweden
In Sweden, the word slott (from German Schloss) is used for a sometimes fortified residence for a king or a local ruler. Palats is used for palace-styled townhouses. Neither word has a fixed definition. Castles and fortresses primarily for defence are called borg (medieval) or fästning (later).

Most castles and fortifications in Sweden were made for the Swedish Empire of the 16th to 18th centuries.

Stockholm quay palace tour includes palaces of royals, nobles and merchants from several centuries.

Turkey

 * Other Ottoman palaces in Istanbul include the İbrahim Pasha Palace on Sultanahmet Square (now housing the Museum of Turkish and Islamic Arts, this belonged to a 16th century grand vizier of Greek descent who married to the sister of Suleiman the Magnificient, and was the only individual outside the dynasty in the entire Ottoman period who had his Istanbul residence called a "palace"), the Aynalıkavak Pavilion on the Golden Horn (the 17th century), the Linden Palace (the 19th century) and the Yıldız Palace (the 19th and 20th centuries) near Beşiktaş, and the Küçüksu Palace up the Bosphorus on the Asian Side (the 19th century). Most of the latter were country retreats with varying levels of European architectural influence. Elsewhere in the country, the 15th century Old Palace in Edirne (the imperial seat before the throne was moved to Istanbul, but most of which was blown up to avoid capture by the invading Russian army in 1878) and the 19th century Imperial Lodge in İzmit (which was a hunting manor in what should have been wilderness when it was built) are perhaps worth visiting if you happen to be nearby.
 * Other Byzantine palaces in Istanbul are the Great Palace of Constantinople, an archaeological dig site with no interest to the passing visitor, and the Boukoleon Palace, an intact sidewall, partially obscured by ivies, of which stands along an abandoned rail line, in a rough area. Both are south of Sultanahmet Square.
 * Other Ottoman palaces in Istanbul include the İbrahim Pasha Palace on Sultanahmet Square (now housing the Museum of Turkish and Islamic Arts, this belonged to a 16th century grand vizier of Greek descent who married to the sister of Suleiman the Magnificient, and was the only individual outside the dynasty in the entire Ottoman period who had his Istanbul residence called a "palace"), the Aynalıkavak Pavilion on the Golden Horn (the 17th century), the Linden Palace (the 19th century) and the Yıldız Palace (the 19th and 20th centuries) near Beşiktaş, and the Küçüksu Palace up the Bosphorus on the Asian Side (the 19th century). Most of the latter were country retreats with varying levels of European architectural influence. Elsewhere in the country, the 15th century Old Palace in Edirne (the imperial seat before the throne was moved to Istanbul, but most of which was blown up to avoid capture by the invading Russian army in 1878) and the 19th century Imperial Lodge in İzmit (which was a hunting manor in what should have been wilderness when it was built) are perhaps worth visiting if you happen to be nearby.
 * Other Byzantine palaces in Istanbul are the Great Palace of Constantinople, an archaeological dig site with no interest to the passing visitor, and the Boukoleon Palace, an intact sidewall, partially obscured by ivies, of which stands along an abandoned rail line, in a rough area. Both are south of Sultanahmet Square.
 * Other Byzantine palaces in Istanbul are the Great Palace of Constantinople, an archaeological dig site with no interest to the passing visitor, and the Boukoleon Palace, an intact sidewall, partially obscured by ivies, of which stands along an abandoned rail line, in a rough area. Both are south of Sultanahmet Square.
 * Other Byzantine palaces in Istanbul are the Great Palace of Constantinople, an archaeological dig site with no interest to the passing visitor, and the Boukoleon Palace, an intact sidewall, partially obscured by ivies, of which stands along an abandoned rail line, in a rough area. Both are south of Sultanahmet Square.

United Kingdom
The first "grand houses" in the United Kingdom were predominantly residences for the monarchy, nobility, and sometimes prominent religious officials. Alongside the grand houses of these, are those that were built by those that had acquired their wealth either by favour, or by doing exceptionally well in trade or various industries (which developed from the 17th century onward). As well as being residences, the grand houses of some were also intended as a showcase for the artworks which the owners had "collected", or designs they had commissioned.

The peak for grand houses came in the early 20th century, after which many grand houses went into decline. For some the first efforts at tourism and visitor attraction development, were motivated more by pressing economic concerns, than history or preservation!

In older grand houses, you might want to look out for interesting architectural features, such as celing-high carved panelling, long gallerys, and high but elaborately decorated ceilings amongst others. Some grand houses may even have concealed internal passages (more fancifully, to hide those for whom turbulent times were a concern, but more practically as a way for household staff access without causing disruption to residents or guests.)













United States
In the United States, there is no nobility, but there has been a kind of quasi-nobility that has encompassed old landowning families like the Roosevelts, the robber barons of yesteryear and today, the uber-rich bankers; corporate CEOs, and mass-content creators (moguls and stars alike). Many of these people had mansions built in the New York area, including the Hudson Valley and Long Island, in the Los Angeles area, including Beverly Hills, and in Florida. There was also another type of grand house: The houses of large slaveholders in the antebellum (pre-Civil War) South. In both North and South, many of the grand houses are part of larger estates that can in many instances be visited.