4. Château De Coucy, Picardy, France
Built In The 13th Century And Destroyed In 1917
Famed for Europe’s largest keep, towering 55 meters high and 35 meters wide, this medieval fortress symbolized feudal power. It withstood centuries until World War I brought occupation by German forces in 1914.
In a retreat in 1917, the Germans dynamited the keep and towers, an act debated as strategy or vengeance. The outrage led to its designation as a “memorial to barbarity,” with ruins preserved as a poignant reminder of war’s destruction.