The Castles of Bellinzona are a set of three medieval fortifications located in and surrounding the city of Bellinzona, which is located in Canton Ticino, Switzerland. These castles are the only remaining examples in the Alpine region of heavy military architecture, which date from the late Middle Ages. The castles not only guarded the town of Bellinzona, but also the strategic alpine passes that run through the city before entering the Plain of Lombardy: the St. Gotthard Pass, the Nufenen Pass, the Lukmanier Pass, and the St. Bernard Passes. The three castles were of special importance to the Duchy of Milan, which was ruled by the Visconti (1277-1447) and Sforza dynasties (1450-1535), in the Late Middle Ages and Renaissance until they were taken by the Swiss in 1500. Surviving a massive flood in 1515, the castles became the property of Canton Ticino in 1803. UNESCO declared the three castles - Castelgrande, Montebello, and Sasso Corbaro - and their respective defensive walls as a single World Heritage Site in 2000.
This is a companion discussion topic for the original content at https://www.worldhistory.org/Castles_of_Bellinzona/.