German Fairytale Castles – Plan Your Visit
If visiting medieval fairytale castles is your dream, then a trip to Germany should be high on your list. There are estimated to be at least 20,000 of them! People from all over the world (61 million of them to…
Burg Eltz – Plan Your Visit
Set upon a high rock in a valley above the Mosel River between Trier and Koblenz lies Burg Eltz. Located in the state of Rhineland-Palatinate, it is one of only three castles that survived untouched by wars on the left…
Burg Hohenzollern – Plan Your Visit
Upon Berg Hohenzollern, an isolated outcropping of the Swabian Alps, sits the fairytale fortress, Burg Hohenzollern. The ancestral seat of the imperial House of Hohenzollern is located 31 miles south of Stuttgart in the state of Baden-Württemberg. There have actually…
Reichsburg Cochem – Plan Your Visit
Perched atop a hill high above the charming town of Cochem on the Mosel River is Reichsburg Cochem - the Imperial Castle. The castle is the largest castle on the Mosel River and is surrounded by vineyards (side note: the…
Schloss Lichtenstein – Plan Your Visit
Schloss Lichtenstein ("shining stone") was built right into the side of a cliff at the northwestern edge of the Swabian Alps. The castle marks an architectural shift from classic to Gothic Revival. Located in the state of Baden–Württemberg in southern…
Schloss Mespelbrunn – Plan Your Visit
Tucked away in the scenic Spessart forest stands Schloss Mespelbrunn. This late-medieval, early-Renaissance castle is one of the most famous Wasserschlosser (or moated castles) in Germany. At the edge of Bavaria, the castle is found between Frankfurt and Würzburg...
Schloss Herrenchiemsee – Plan Your Visit
King Ludwig II was known to have had a bit of a fascination with the French monarchy. He had been a long-time admirer of their absolute power – something that had always eluded him. Schloss Herrenchiemsee was a window into…
Schloss Linderhof – Plan Your Visit
As a child, King Ludwig II had visited Königshäuschen, his father’s hunting lodge tucked away in the Bavarian Alps. Five years into his reign, King Ludwig began expansion into what he called Schloss Linderhof. It was to be the smallest…
Schloss Neuschwanstein – Plan Your Visit
King Ludwig II’s Schloss Neuschwanstein was the epitome of a fairytale castle. It was a Romanesque Revival style castle with towers and turrets. It was set precariously upon a hillside atop the ruins of the medieval fortresses...
Schloss Hohenschwangau – Plan Your Visit
Above the village of Hohenschwangau (“Upper Swan County”) sat three medieval castle ruins. Schloss Schwanstein (“Swan Stone Castle”) was the former home of the Knights of Schwangau. King Maximillian II, the father of future King Ludwig II, purchased the ruins…
