15 Real-Life Castles That Are More Beautiful than Hogwarts By Alex Aronson of Cosmopolitan | Once upon a time in a faraway land, there lived a... well you know the story. With fairy tales, it's easy to forget that castles are a thing that actually exists, and not just in mouse-themed amusement parks. They seem like such a magical work of fiction, but let's not forget that real-life people actually lived in castles. And while my brain legit cannot imagine what the modern-day property taxes would be on one of these enormous structures, I'm still over here imagining what my royal quarters would look like. I mean, think of how cool it'd be to at least visit some of these towering abodes during their respective heydays. From the castle that inspired Bram Stroker's