P270 - UK - Winsor Castle

Winsor Castle, UK

Windsor Castle, in Windsor in the English county of Berkshire, is the largest inhabited castle in the world and, dating back to the time of William the Conqueror, is the oldest in continuous occupation. The castle's floor area is approximately 484,000 square feet (44,965 square metres).

Together with Buckingham Palace in London and Holyrood Palace in Edinburgh, it is one of the principal official residences of the British monarch. Queen Elizabeth II spends many weekends of the year at the castle, using it for both state and private entertaining. Her other two residences, Sandringham House and Balmoral Castle, are the Royal Family's private homes.

Most of the Kings and Queens of England, later Kings and Queens of Great Britain, and later still kings and queens of the Commonwealth realms, have had a direct influence on the construction and evolution of the castle, which has been their garrison fortress, home, official palace, and sometimes their prison. Chronologically the history of the castle can be traced through the reigns of the monarchs who have occupied it. When the country has been at peace, the castle has been expanded by the additions of large and grand apartments; when the country has been at war, the castle has been more heavily fortified. This pattern has continued to the present day.

溫莎城堡（英文：Windsor Castle），位於英國英格蘭東南部區域伯克郡溫莎-梅登黑德皇家自治市鎮溫莎，是世界上有人居住的城堡中最大的一個。溫莎城堡的歷史可以回溯到威廉一世時期，城堡的地板面積大約有45,000平方公尺（484,000平方英呎）。與倫敦的白金漢宮、愛丁堡的荷里路德宮（Holyrood Palace）一樣，溫莎城堡也是英國君主主要的行政官邸。現任的英國女王伊麗莎白二世每年有相當多的時間在溫莎城堡度過，在這裡進行國家或是私人的娛樂活動。她的另外兩棟宅邸則是皇室的私人住宅，分別是桑德林漢姆別墅（Sandringham House）及巴爾莫勒爾堡（Balmoral Castle）。

有許多英國的國王與王后對城堡的建造與擴展有直接的影響，是他們的要塞、住所與行政官邸，有時甚至是監獄。城堡的歷史也和英國的君主體制有相當密切的關連，跟隨著溫莎城堡的歷史可以追溯到當時統治的英國君主。在和平時期時，溫莎城堡會擴建許多巨大且華麗的房間；在戰爭時期，城堡則會加強防衛，這個模式直到現在仍然不變。

References sources : wikipedia