Tuesday, September 19, 2017

Of Course There Were Castles


The major point of moving down the mid-Rhine region of Europe on a riverboat cruise is the ancient castles that dot the hillsides. Some of the castles are abandoned and in ruins, others are privately owned---one by a Japanese man who paid 25 million Euro(!), and others have been turned into hotels, perhaps charging prices not reflective of their service(?)...some even with parking at the top of the hill!





Most of the days were overcast and trying to get good photos of the castles without the definition of sunshine was a challenge.


They were all sizes and shapes.


Seeing castles from a cruising river ship is certainly the lazy way to experience the history and architecture, but I was able to visit a few castles. They require walking up many stone steps and then navigating lots of cobbles and slate and rock beds. People trip and fall all the time as they look away for a second from their foot placement.  The photo below was the only one I could find where I captured the uneven terrain.  You can see the threshold was smooth, but further in, it was treacherous!


"To reach my bed, I have 158 steps to climb, explained Hermann Hecher, the genial owner of the Burg Reinstein, near Bingen. " And it's really terrible when I forget something. Because then I have to go all the way back down and up again!"  Taken from Castles in the Air, A Journey Down the Rhine.  Hecher, a former opera singer, purchased his castle from Prinzessin Barbara von Hessen und Rhein, Herzogin von Mecklenburg, for the sum of 360,000 Deutschmarks---whatever that translates to today.



This one above is definitely a hotel.  I read that nearly all the castles on the mid-Rhine are not medieval castles, but nineteenth-century reconstructions of medieval castles.  "Most were built in the 13th and 14th centuries to collect customs duties for the Holy Roman Emperor.  Seeing what a good business it was, so-called Raubritter or Robber Barons, build their own castles to get a piece of the action."  This was an area of Jewish merchants and they were especially preyed upon.  By the end of the 17th century, most castles had been destroyed in feuds and wars.  Today more than 60 castles remain.

The stories from this area are haunting like the Grimm Brothers horror tales and romantic like words that were written by Bryon and Shelley.

Die Pfalz constructed by King Ludwig
This castle in the photo above was known for breaking up the pack ice that came down the river in the spring.

Castle maintenance and repair is not for the faint of heart.  The government sometimes will provide a grant or loan, but like agro-tourism, they make money by putting on falconry shows, having butterfly houses, and renting out for weddings.


And as you can see from these photos wine is an important crop.  It is a passion with the Germans and I learned for the first time that Reisling can be dry.  The slate stone upon which the castles are built is important in absorbing the heat of the sun which is important to the vines growing at the upper limit of this wine growing area.  I did not go on a wine-tasting because they are usually unrewarding to me.  If I ever return I will pay for a private tour, which is better.

Yes, the grape harvesting on these steep hillsides is still done by hand, but fewer and fewer are willing to work that hard and small wineries appear to be closing.

Well, thanks for coming along the river with me.  By the way, do you have a favorite castle?

17 comments:

  1. Beeeeautiful pictures, looks like a special way to see castles with spectacular views.
    My favorite castles are the ones perched high on a tree covered hill, the higher the better, terrain and structure.

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  2. I think I've been to at least two of those. How close to Köln were you? Nice pictures.
    Mike

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    1. Yes, we stopped in Cologne for a day and so were in that district.

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  3. Reminds me of taking a lighthouse tour from a boat, only you're seeing castles! The white one does look like something from a fairy tale. Old Mother Hubbard. I have only seen castles in Ireland, some in ruins.

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  4. Beautiful area! I always think about what it was like to build those beauties an the hills and mountains. Couldn't have been easy!

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  5. how cool! castle after castle.

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  6. Castles are beautiful and treacherous, and you helped me relive some of the tours i took. There's no way i would want to own one.

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  7. You did pretty well with the photos by not letting the skies go blank, which is something that I am prone to do.

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  8. You did quite well taking those pictures. I smiled at the thought of having 158 steps to navigate. And I don't think I have a favorite castle. I'll have to think about that one. :-)

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  9. Loved reading this
    you do so good
    at describing and taking pictures :)

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  10. Enjoyed this revisit. I saw them over 20 years ago. They haven't changed. Ha! Such a beautiful place that is. Did you see the Lorelei?

    I'm wondering if you were on the same river cruise as my friends Cub and Carol.

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  11. Thank you for taking me on a trip down the Rhine Castles, though very picturesque, always have a mood of cold and gloominess for me - fortresses of defence.

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  12. I know nothing at all but think they are marfelous.

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  13. My favorite castle is The Franklin Castle in Tahlequah, Oklahoma. I used to walk by it every day on my way home from school. I kid you not, it is in Oklahoma and you must google it. Or click (or cut and paste) this link that I posted on my own blog a while back. http://granan10.blogspot.com/2013/06/i-kid-you-not.html

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  14. P.S. Did you give up on the Words For Wednesday post?

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  15. I loved seeing all of the Rhine castles when we were there, but my favorite was Berg Eltz, just over the hills on the Moselle River.

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  16. We lived in Freiburg in the 70s and explored a lot of the region then. I miss a lot of things about the region, still, so it's nice to see these photos & be reminded it's all still there.

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Take your time...take a deep breath...then hit me with your best shot.