Coral Castle – Virtual Tour

Coral Castle is a set of oolite limestone structures created by the Latvian-American Edward Leedskalnin (1887–1951). The structural compositions comprise of numerous megalithic stones, mostly limestone, each weighing several tons.

The grounds of Coral Castle consist of about 1,000 tons of stones in the form of walls, carvings, furniture, and a castle tower. Mistakenly believed to be made of coral, it is made of oolite, which is found throughout southeastern Florida.

The stones are fastened together without mortar. The craftsmanship is so elegant that the stones are connected only by using their weight to keep them together.

Among the features and carvings is a two-story castle tower that served as Leedskalnin’s living quarters, a sundial, a Polar telescope, an obelisk, a barbecue, water well, a fountain, celestial stars and planets, and pieces of furniture.

The furniture pieces include a heart-shaped table, a table in the shape of Florida, twenty-five rocking chairs, chairs resembling crescent moons, a bathtub, beds, and a throne.

With few exceptions, the objects are made from single pieces of stone that weigh on average 14 tons each.

Books, magazines, and television programs speculate about how Leedskalnin was able to construct the structure and move stones that weigh many tons. Leedskalnin claimed that he had

“discovered the secrets of the pyramids.”

Coral Castle is noted for the stories surrounding how the many stones, each weighing many tons, were move and carve single-handedly by Leedskalnin.

Edward Leedskalnin spent more than 28 years building Coral Castle, refusing to allow anyone to view him while he worked.

Leedskalnin charged visitors twenty-five cents but never told anyone who asked him how he made the castle. He would simply answer:

“It’s not difficult if you know how.”

When asked why he had built the castle, Leedskalnin would vaguely answer it was for his “Sweet Sixteen.” In Leedskalnin’s publication, he implies his “Sweet Sixteen” was more an ideal than a reality. Leedskalnin became ill in 1951 and died at the age of 64.

Edward Leedskalnin

Edward Leedskalnin (1887 – 1951) was a Latvian immigrant to the United States and self-taught engineer who single-handedly built the Coral Castle. Leedskalnin was also known for developing theories of magnetism.

Leedskalnin became interested in the general theory of magnetism. His four pamphlets addressed the interaction of electricity, magnetism, and the body.

Coral Castle

Museum: Coral Castle
Previously: Rock Gate and Rock Gate Park
City: Miami
State: Florida
Country: United States
Built: 1920
Location: 28655 S Dixie Hwy, Homestead, FL, United States

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Coral Castle

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“If you don’t build castles in the air you won’t build anything on the ground.”
– Victor Hugo

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Photo Credit: Carol M. Highsmith / Public domain; Ebyabe / CC BY-SA (creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0); Ebyabe / CC BY-SA (creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0)