why are castles not used any more?

Answer 1

Many are still used as residence.
After the Renaissance and the invention of artillery they became obsolete as defensive devices.

Answer 2

But castles are being used. All the ruling monarchies in Europe have several palaces and castles for both representation/offices and residences. I don't know of any castles or palaces that aren't being used, at least not in my country.

Many remain as private residences of noble families or people with money (today it's popular among corporate big shots to get a mansion or castle), while some are today used for other things - like hotels, conference facilities etc.

For information on royal palaces & castles in use, visit:
http://www.kungahuset.se
http://www.kongehuset.dk/
http://www.kongehuset.no/
http://www.royal.gov.uk/
http://www.koninklijkhuis.nl/
http://www.monarchie.be/
http://www.casareal.es/
http://www.fuerstenhaus.li/

Answer 3

I was wondering the same thing. I've noticed that (particularly in Britain) most of the royal family members live in palaces or large mansions such as Clarence House instead of what is supposed to be grandeur castle like they did centuries ago. And I've heard of wealthy people owning homes/ "mansions" that are just as big or bigger than the palaces and castles in Great Britain.

Oops, I totally forgot about Windsor Castle and a couple others still in use in Great Britain, but still the palaces-still-in-use outnumber them it seems.

Answer 4

Many castles are still in use today, for example the queen uses Windsor castle as one of her official residences, along with Buckingham Palace, and Holyrood Palace. Also she spend her summer holiday at Balmoral castle, in the Highlands.
There are also many great stately homes around Britain which are called castles and they are still lived in, they are however more like mansions than castles, as they were built in a less warlike era so they were designed as homes and not defences.
Many castles have fell into disrepair as the people who owned them have lost a lot of their fortunes and they were dimply to expensive to maintain.

Answer 5

They are, they are tourists sites, and some of them are bed and breakfasts. Castles are still used, I've even heard of people still living in them. I like castles myself, but I've only been in one or two American ones. I don't know if you would count the Smithsonian Castle as one of them, but that's my favorite American Castle. Also there's one in West Virginia, in Berkley Springs that is really nice (the northern part of the state, just south of Hancock, Maryland.) If you don't live in the US, you can always find a castle somewhere, there are famous castles all over Europe.

Answer 6

in fact, some castles are still in use, still occupied, and still hold tourist appeal. The sad fact is that castles are bloody expensive to heat, to maintain, and to keep up. Also castles tend to be located on largish chunks of land, and the tax bill is pretty steep. Unless you are a multimillionaire, it's much less costly and much more comfortable to live in a mere mansion, as opposed to a castle.

Answer 7

Replaced by mansions. No one has to defend their property anymore from raiders and armies, just the occasional burglar. I can also tell you that a castle built today would be even more headache than a castle built centuries ago, because the builder would likely want plumbing, electrical, and HVAC. Could you imagine the extra expense and cost of doing that?! Not to mention running wiring for a security system, phone, and cable TV!!!

Answer 8

Because there whole design and purpose was to defend the "important" from attacks.War of today would make a castle totally useless and therefore why would a castle be built.

Answer 9

That depends on what you mean by 'used', there castles in the UK that are lived in. There are many more however that are not. Castles are costly to maintain, they are cold and draughty. As a means of defense, they are impractical in the world of modern weapons, as they can be destroyed more readily than modern reinforced bunkers, but even modern reinforced bunkers can be destroyed using modern weapons.

Answer 10

Okay, imagine heating not just the room, but the entire WALLS of the room. Every stone had to warm up to the inside of the stone or you would feel cold. Upkeep was hard and there were battle damage.