Thursday, September 6, 2012
What I did on my summer vacation
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| Marksburg Castle, the only castle on the Rhine never to have been destroyed. |
But wait, I can hear you saying to yourselves, “Isn’t this blog supposed to be about all things geeky? How is telling me about your river cruise through the center of Europe even remotely geeky?”
I can answer that in one word.
Castles!
Lots and lots of castles!
I mean what could be more geeky than that? I’ve been a sci-fi/fantasy fan for a long time and to this day still play Dungeons and Dragons with my friends, so the chance to actually walk through or even see a real castle up close instead of having to image one in my head is always a special treat. And the opportunity to see more than a dozen of them in one afternoon was just pure Nerd-vana!
On the fifth day of our trip, we sailed down a portion of the Rhine River in Germany where there are some 18 castles lining the banks. We got to stop and explore one of them, Marksburg Castle, the only one of them never to have been destroyed by invaders and thus retains much of its Medieval character. The other castles we just sailed past. But it was a really cool experience I thought I’d share with you through some of the pictures I took of them. Along with the pictures below is a small bit of history about each structure.
Sterrenberg and Liebstein castlesSterrenberg (white structure, left) and Liebstein (darker building right) castles are known as the “Hostile Brothers” because of a family quarrel that took place between the Sterrenberg and Liebstein families who built them. It is believed that the two sons of Sterrenberg and Liebstein initiated the fight over inheritance, but according to our cruise director, local legends say the fight began because the sons were in love with the same woman. |
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Maus CastleMaus Castle, also called Deuernburg or Thurnberg Castle, was one of the most technologically advanced and most splendid installations of its time. The castle got its name from the counts of Katzenelnbogen, who said it was “small like a mouse” and could be eaten by their larger Katz Castle which was just up the river. |
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Rheinfels Castle and FortressThis castle, which sits 370 feet above the Rhine on a cliff, was once five times the size it is today. Like most castles on this river, French invaders destroyed it and it sat vacant for many years until it was eventually bought and converted into a hotel. |
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Katz Castle (Nue-Katzenelnbogen)Known locally as Katz Castle, this fortress’ real name is Nue-Katzenelnbogen and was owned by the same family as Maus Castle. It was completely destroyed by Napoleon and his army in 1806. Ninety years passed before its reconstruction, and in 1989 a Japanese businessman purchased it and expanded the property, turning it into a luxury hotel. |
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The town of OberweselOkay, so this isn't exactly a castle, but the town of Oberwesel, located on the Rhine at the 550 km marker, used to be surrounded by a curtain wall and you can still see the remnants of one of the wall’s guard towers in the picture. But these towers also served a second purpose as flags were flow from it to alert captains of ships sailing the river about traffic coming the other way. |
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Schonburg CastleIn its day Schonburg Castle was one of the few in this region which got passed down to all its duke’s sons rather than just one. To accommodate so many generations of heirs, the castle could house up to 250 people from 24 different families. Locals call this place the “Red Castle” because of the red wall on the great hall which is visible on the left side of the picture. The place was plundered by the French in 1689 and left in ruins for about 200 years. It has recently been turned into a luxury hotel. |
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Gutenfels CastleThis medieval castle was renamed Gutenfels (solid rock) after Wilhelm of Hesse tried unsuccessfully to besiege it in 1504. It’s also one of the only castles on the Rhine that features its own vineyard which has been producing wine for 600 years. Today, this castle, like many others, has been converted into a hotel. |
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Pfalzgrafenstein CastleThis picturesque little castle sits on a rocky island in the Rhine and was one of my favorites. It is unique because unlike most other castles in the world, it was constructed for purely economic reasons and was used as customs house. It has been recently renovated. |
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Stahleck CastleStahleck Castle, whose name means “impregnable castle on a crag,” was built in the 11th century. However no one told the French that because they managed to blow the castle to ruins in 1689. Among the more notable features of this hillside fortress is the water-filled moat, something the other Rhine Castles don’t have. Today it is a youth hostel for the town of Bacharch. |
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Furstenberg CastleFurstenberg Castle was built in 1219 by the Archbishop of Cologne to protect his estate around Bacharach. It was destroyed by the French in 1689 and never rebuilt. |
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Nollig CastleNollig Castle was built around 1300 by the Archbishop of Mainz to control the Rhine and Wisper valley trade routes. Though it looks like a ruin, it’s been refurbished into a private residence, thus proving a man’s home can be his castle. |
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Heimburg CastleLike many other castles on the Rhine, Heimburg Castle served as the collection house for river taxes in the 13th and 14th centuries. But like the nearby castles of Reichenstein and Sooneck, Heimburg also became a retreat for robber barons until Rudolf of Habsburg put an end to the wheeling and dealing. The castle was destroyed by the French in 1689 and restored in the late 19th century. It, too, is one of the few castles still in private hands. |
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Sooneck CastleBuilt by the “robber knights” von Bolanden and von Hohenfels in the mid 1200s, these two lords made their fortune by stealing from travelers and charging excessive tolls. They also randomly raped locals and pillaged nearby towns. |
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Reichenstein CastleBuilt beginning in the 11th century to protect a nearby abbey, Reichenstein Castle was also destroyed by the French in the 1600s and recently converted to a hotel. |
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Rheinstein CastleThis is one of the oldest castles on the Rhine River and it is believed to have been started in the 9th century. It looks like it’s carved out of the stone of the cliff. It never served as a customs house and was actually built as an imperial palace. The castle has gone by many names but earned the name Rhinestone Castle because of its beautiful Romanesque architecture, ivy-covered walls and classic drawbridge. |
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Ehrenfels CastleEhrenfels Castle gets its name from the Ehrenfelser white grape that grows along the hillside where it stands. It was built in the 12th century and destroyed by the French and never rebuilt. |
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MauseturmSometimes called “Mouse Tower,” this 10th-century watchtower is set on a small rocky island and was built as a customs house and guard post for Ehrenfels Castle, which you can see in the background. The name comes from the word “Maut” which means “toll.” However a local legend tells a story of a cruel Archbishop who ruled here and was attacked by a legion of mice after indulging himself while ignoring the pleas for help from his starving people. |
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Klopp CastleBuilt on the site of an old Roman watch tower, Klopp was home to the Archbishop of Mainz in the 10th century. It was blown up by the French in 1713 and the great hall was rebuilt from 1875-79. It is now owned by the town and is the last castle we saw that day. |
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Wow! Your really did your homework. I really appreciate it. Now I can identify the pics I took of each castle. Thanks.
ReplyDeleteThe reason The Marksburg Castle was not damaged or destroyed during World War II was it was the headquarters of the Germans where the enigma codes where stored. The allies had already broken the enigma codes, so by destroying the castle, Germany would have to re calibrate the codes and that would not have been an advantage for the Allies.
Glad I could help! Every picture I took during that vacation through Holland, Germany, Austria and Hungry got copious notes taken about them! Habits of my days as a newspaper reporter!
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