Castell Dinas Bran

AIRVŪZ STAFF NOTE : Dinas Brân is one of the most famous fortifications in the northern part of Wales, United Kingdom. It sits over the town of Llangollen in Denbighshire, believed to be the longest-settled part of the region. Built on the site of an Iron Age hilltop fort, the current structure dates to the 13th century. The castle was essentially abandoned and left in a semi-ruined state following the conquest of Wales by England later that century. The castle features prominently in numerous stories of Welsh mythology.

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"Dinas Bran" is variously translated as "Crow Castle," "Crow City," "Hill of the Crow," or "Bran's Stronghold." The castle first appears in 12th century historical documents as part of a medieval piece entitled "Fouke le Fitz Waryn,"or "The Romance of Fulk Fitzwarine." While this work claimed that the castle, known as "Chastiel Bran," was in ruin as early as 1073, the remains we see today date to the occupation of the princes of Powys Fadog in the mid 13th century. Possibly, the Chastiel Bran mentioned in the romance was a Norman timber castle, but nothing of substance supports this conjecture. However, the encompassing ditch and earthen embankments, which enclose the southern and eastern portions of the stone fortress, do date to the Iron Age. They remind us that this hilltop had strategic value long before the princes of Powys, or the Normans, ventured into the region. Interestingly, the word, "Dinas," has its origins in the Iron Age as well, and is found in the names of Iron Age Hillforts throughout Wales.