First established by William the Conqueror in the 11th century, it has been successively redecorated, enlarged and rebuilt by monarchs from Henry II, who rebuilt portions of the castle using stone to replace the earlier wood construction, to Queen Elizabeth II. Since then it has been a fortress, a home to medieval chivalry, a prison, a baroque palace and finally a royal residence.
The castle survived the bombs which fell in the First and Second Wars but the main disaster struck in 1992 when a fire started in the Private Chapel. The fire raged out of control for hours, destroyed many
rooms and the next five years were dedicated to remodeling them.
Windsor Castle is now reopened to visitors after the restoration and serves as one of the Queen´s private homes. She continues to spend most of her weekends at Windsor Castle, which is regularly used for Ceremonial and State Banquets.
The Castle contains a significant portion of the Royal Collection of Art and many documents relating to the Royal Family and British Monarchy over a period of almost 250 years.
