There are many motivations for creating one’s own castle. Divine inspiration, as a way of cheating death, as a monument to human ability, or simply a compulsive inability to stop building. However, few motivators are as strong as the sorrow of lost love. When Latvian Ed Leedskalnin was jilted by his sweet sixteen the day before their wedding, it was to send him on a mysterious and marvelous path of creation.The Coral Castle, originally dubbed Rock Gate Park by Leedskalnin, is perhaps the most mysterious of all the world’s self-built castles. After his heartbreak, Ed moved to the US and eventually to Florida where he began working on his home and great monument to lost love. Born in 1887 to a family of Latvian stone masons, the 5-foot 100-pound Ed used his inherited skills to move blocks of Oolitic Limestone over 25 feet tall and weighing over 30 tons. This makes some of the stones in the Coral Castle taller than those in Stonehenge and heavier than the heaviest stone in the great pyramid of Giza.The castle contains many wonders including a sundial, a stone rocking chair, a 500-pound heart-shaped stone table, and a 9-ton gate made to spin with just a light touch. Ed was secretive, working on the castle mostly at night, and keeping to a policy of letting no one see his working methods. This led to much speculation that Ledeskalnin used some magical or ancient power to move the giant stones. Perhaps what is more impressive than imagined powers is that this small Latvian man spent his entire life cutting and moving these massive stones as a monument to his lost “Sweet Sixteen.”We explored the Coral Castle on Obscura Day - March 20th, 2010. Photos, stories and more here

Coral Castle is a stone structure created by the Latvian American eccentric Edward Leedskalnin north of the city of Homestead, Florida in Miami-Dade County at the intersection of South Dixie Highway and SW 157th Avenue. The structure comprises numerous megalithic stones, each weighing several tons. It currently serves as a privately operated tourist attraction. Coral Castle is noted for legends surrounding its creation that claim it was built single-handedly by Leedskalnin using reverse magnetism and/or supernatural abilities to move numerous stones weighing many tons and carving them.According to the Coral Castle's own promotional material, Edward Leedskalnin was jilted by his 16-year-old fiancée Agnes Scuffs in Latvia, just one day before the wedding. Leaving for America, he came down with allegedly terminal tuberculosis, but spontaneously healed, stating that magnets had some effect on his disease.Edward spent over 28 years building the Coral Castle, refusing to allow anyone to view him while he worked. A few teenagers claimed to have witnessed his work, reporting that he had caused the blocks of coral to move like hydrogen balloons. The only tool that Leedskalnin spoke of using was a "perpetual motion holder."The grounds of Coral Castle consist of 1,100 short tons of stones in the form of walls, carvings, furniture and a castle tower. Commonly referred to as being made up of coral, it is made of oolite, also known as oolitic limestone. Oolite is a sedimentary rock composed of small spherical grains of concentrically layered carbonate that may include localized concentrations of fossil shells and coral. Oolite is found throughout southeastern Florida from Palm Beach County to the Florida Keys. Oolite is often found beneath only several inches of topsoil, such as at the Coral Castle site.The Coral Castle remains a popular tourist attraction with various pop culture speculations regarding how Leedskalnin was able to construct the structure and move stones that weighed many tons. The Coral Castle site states that "if anyone ever questioned Ed about how he moved the blocks of coral, Ed would only reply that he understood the laws of weight and leverage well." He also stated that he had "discovered the secrets of the pyramids", which of course could be interpreted in either esoteric or engineering terms.

Coral Castle took more than 28 years to fully build, so you can enjoy it for a few hours. Built by Latvian stonemason Edward Leedskalni, Coral Castle is made entirely of coral rock — over 1,100 tons to be exact — and is open seven days a week to visitors from all over the world. It’s a sight for sore eyes and a monument to undying love. Leedskalni built it in honor of his one and only love, so it’s not a bad place to visit for a bit of romance, either.

On the day before their wedding Agnes Scuffs jilted her husband-to-be, Latvian Edward Leedskalnin, on the grounds that he was too poor. Traumatized, Ed left Latvia and, after spells in California and Canada, came to Miami in 1919. It was here that he embarked on a monumental act of lovelorn folly and built this castle of coral. In addition to being a strange and touching testament to one man’s inability to just get over it already, Coral Castle is also a miracle of engineering. Secretive Ed built the castle himself between 1920 and 1940 using only hand tools, a feat that is mind-boggling even before you learn that Leedskalnin was just five feet tall. The mystery: how did he shift tons of rock from Florida City, where he carved it, to Homestead, where he erected it? Totally bonkers, but also quite beautiful, and certainly worth a detour for anyone driving down to the Keys.

Coral Castle is an oolite limestone structure created by the Latvian-American eccentric Edward Leedskalnin. It is located in unincorporated territory of Miami-Dade County, Florida, between the cities of Homestead and Leisure City. The structure comprises numerous megalithic stones, mostly limestone formed from coral, each weighing several tons. It is currently a privately operated tourist attraction. Coral Castle is noted for legends surrounding its creation that claim it was built single-handedly by Leedskalnin using reverse magnetism or supernatural abilities to move and carve numerous stones, each weighing many tons. Plan to see Coral Castle and other attractions that appeal to you using our Homestead vacation app.

For years this phenomenal work of art has fascinated people from all over the world. Coral Castle's creator carved his fantasy world out of stone using nothing but homemade tools. Latvian-American sculptor Edward Leedskalnin took more than two decades to create the Coral Castle. The castle is believed to be made out of coral, however it is carved out of oolite limestone and there was no mortar used. The castle complex comprises of a sundial, a polar telescope, furniture etc. A major tourist attraction, this landmark is an example of the strenuous efforts of Leedskalnin.