Burg Querfurt – Largest Castle in Central Germany - Querfurt Castle is the largest castle in central Germany and is visible from all directions as it towers over the town of Querfurt. Visitors arriving by car can use one of the free visitors’ parking spaces and are then guided by the tourist signs to the old town, with its Baroque Ackerbürgerhäuser, houses formerly belonging […]
Burghausen Castle – the Longest Castle in the World - Burghausen Castle in Burghausen, Upper Bavaria, is the longest castle complex in the world (1051 m), confirmed by the Guinness World Record company. With its still almost intact ring walls, it runs high above the town of Burghausen along a narrow ridge between the Salzach River and an oxbow lake, the Wöhrsee. The complex is […]
Castle Drachenburg and its Turbulent History - Schloss Drachenburg (“Dragon’s Castle”) is a private villa in palace style constructed in the late 19th century. It was completed in only two years (1882–84) on the Drachenfels hill in Königswinter, a German town on the Rhine near the city of Bonn. Baron Stephan von Sarter (1833–1902), a broker and banker, planned to live there, […]
Eltz Castle – the “Neuschwanstein of the North” - Eltz Castle is a medieval castle nestled in the hills above the Moselle River between Koblenz and Trier, Germany. The castle is surrounded on three sides by the Elzbach River, a tributary on the north side of the Moselle. It is perched on a 70-m (230 ft) rock spur, on an important Roman trade route […]
Frankenstein Castle – Burg Frankenstein - Frankenstein Castle (Burg Frankenstein) is a hilltop castle in the Odenwald overlooking the city of Darmstadt in Germany. Though built in the 13th century, it was not until the 18th century when the famous book changed its status into a favorite tourist target. There is an opinion that this castle may have been an inspiration […]
Heidelberg Castle – a Majestic 800-year-old Ruin - Heidelberg Castle (Heidelberger Schloss) is a ruin in Germany and landmark of Heidelberg. The castle ruins rise majestically over the roofs of the old town, but for five hundred years it was home to the Prince Electors of the Palatinate. Nowadays, the enigmatic castle attracts several million tourists each year. The breathtaking Heidelberg castle stands […]
Hohenzollern Castle – the Crown of all Castles in Swabia - Hohenzollern Castle (Burg Hohenzollern) is the ancestral seat of the imperial House of Hohenzollern. The third of three hilltop castles on the site, it is located atop Mount Hohenzollern, above and south of Hechingen, on the edge of the Swabian Jura of central Baden-Württemberg, Germany. With battlements and towers, this castle looks straight out of […]
Lichtenstein Castle - Lichtenstein Castle (Schloss Lichtenstein) is a privately owned tourist attraction built in Gothic Revival style and located in the Swabian Jura of southern Germany. It was designed by Carl Alexander Heideloff and has been described as the “fairy tale castle of Württemberg.” It overlooks the Echaz valley near Honau, Reutlingen in the state of Baden-Württemberg. […]
Ortenberg Castle - Ortenberg Castle is the main landmark of the Ortenau and is situated above the town of Ortenberg at the end of the Kinzig Valley between Offenburg and Gengenbach. The origins of the Ortenau Castle can be traced back to the 11th-12th century. The castle was built by the House of Zähringen to protect the Kinzig […]
Royal Wanderlust – The Mad King’s Castles - Herrenchiemsee, Linderhof, Schachenhaus and of course Neuschwanstein: Bavaria’s castles and palaces are among the most beautiful in the world. And the best bit: even the journey to get to them (or back again) is almost a royal pleasure itself. Herrenchiemsee Lake: by boat and foot There are few more sublime ways to begin a walking […]
Schloss Favorite Rastatt – the Porcelain Palace - Schloss Favorite is a palace on the outskirts of Rastatt-Förch in Baden-Württemberg, Germany. Schloss Favorite Rastatt is the oldest German “porcelain palace” and the only one to survive almost unchanged to this day. Its opulent interiors, extensive collections and idyllic setting lend it Europe-wide significance. Built by Johann Michael Ludwig Rohrer between 1710 and 1730, […]
Schloss Schwetzingen – the Miniature German Versailles - Schloss Schwetzingen is a palace in the German state of Baden-Württemberg. Schwetzingen was the summer residence of the Electors Palatine Charles III Philip and Charles IV Theodore (of the House of Wittelsbach). It is situated in Schwetzingen, between the electors’ seats at Heidelberg and Mannheim, and is most notable for its spacious and elaborate gardens. […]