Koblenz, Germany - Fortress Ehrenbreitstein

Fortress Ehrenbreitstein - open for tours year round.  There are steps or a chair lift to get up to the fortress. There are two restaurants on the terraces that provide an excellent view.

http://www.loreley-info.com/eng/rhein-rhine/castles/ehrenbreitstein.php

Rhein River - Marksburg Castle and Stolzenfels Palace

Burg Marksburg - This castle has never been destroyed.  It survived through several attacks.  You can take tours! http://www.loreley-info.com/eng/rhein-rhine/castles/marksburg.php

 Stolzenfels Palace - Open for tours. It went through a renovation in 1840s and has become one of the most outstanding examples of German romanticism.
http://www.loreley-info.com/eng/rhein-rhine/castles/stolzenfels.php

If you enjoyed seeing the Rhine Castles and Ruins, take a half hour and watch these three videos describing the Rhine and its castles.  The page will open the first of three videos and there are icons for numbers 2 and 3.  Click the link below to begin.

http://www.loreley-info.com/eng/rhein-rhine/videos/middle-ages-europe-1-3.php

In review, here is a map of the castles, most of them discussed in the last few blog posts.  We traveled from bottom to top.

 A little repeats and then continues south on the Rhine/Rhein.

This has been a grand view of the castles from the river.  Train access runs between the towns as well as the water passage, car and people.

Rhein River, Germany - Lorelei

To start this post, here are two things: notice the rocks in the middle of the river, and then the boat is a ferry with cars that we talked about earlier.  I was shocked that it (the boat and the rocks) was so huge.

 Rock cliffs approaching "Lorelei".

 This is it. The Lorelei is a 433 foot high slate cliff.  The Rhein is about 82 feet deep here and only 371 feet wide. Because it is so deep and narrow, it is one of the most dangerous places on the river.

 There is an 1801 romantic ballad about this place.  Lorelei is a beauty from Bacharach (we saw that town earlier) who wants to take her life because her true love is unfaithful.  The bishop, fascinated by her loveliness and humility, decides to take her to a convent. When she is on the cliff, she looks and sees her true love riding away and in despair throws herself in to the turbulent water below.

Story #2 is written in 1810 as a fairytale.  The woman is distraught Lurley and sits on the rocks combing her long blond hair.  She lures barges in to their destruction.

 This is the statue.  It is difficult to see.

 Here is a closeup. Credit for the photo.

Burg Katz (Cats Castle) built in the second half of the 14th century. It was built to protect the Burg Rheinfels (Next). Napoleon blew it up in 1806.  1896 reconstruction to match the original as closely as possible. In 1989 it was purchased by Japanese and accommodates the hotel Cats Castle.  No tours are available.

 The town St. Goarshausen below Burg Katz.

 Ruin Rheinfels.  Known as a fortress.  It is open for exploration March through mid-November.

The town below Ruin Rheinfels.

 Another view of Rheinfels.  More info: http://www.loreley-info.com/eng/rhein-rhine/castles/rheinfels.php

 Berg Maus.  This is also called Thunberg. It is one of the most modern and technically interesting constructions of the time.  People had the opinion that the castles spied on themselves like cat and mouse. That is how the two castles got their names: Berg Katz and Berg Maus.

 I looked at the map and saw that we had a little time until the next one so I went inside to get warm.

Rhein River, Germany - Ruin Fürstenberg to Berg Schönburg

Ruin Fürstenberg - Built by order from the archbishop of Cologne to provide protection and levy tolls. It is privately owned and there are no tours.

 Bacharach, a town on the river.

Berg Stahleck - Built on orders of the archbishop of Cologne, it was destroyed in the late 17th century and rebuilt in the 20th.  It is now a hostel.  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stahleck_Castle

 Town of Bacharach.  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bacharach

 Toll Station Pfalzgrafenstein.  Built by Ludwig the Bavarian.  Take a river ferry trip and get a guided tour once you are there.  http://www.loreley-info.com/eng/rhein-rhine/castles/pfalzgrafenstein.php

 Burg Gutenfels on the top of the hill is not open to visitors but it is a hotel.  The town along the river is Kaub.

 This shows the Gutenfels on the hill and the toll station in the river.

 Berg Schönburg sits on top of the hill.  No visitors but it is a hotel.  Ferdinand Freiligraph once said that it is "the most beautiful refuge of the Rhine Romanticism."  A hiking path is available from here to Oberwesel.

Oberwesel is considered an impressive evidence of town construction in the Middle Ages.  You can see 16 military towers and an accessible city wall.  For reference, Burg Shöenberg is on the top of the hill on the left (first photo below).

Rhein River, Germany - Castles Rheinstein to Nollig

The next part of the river is pretty exciting.  I took some photos from inside and then bundled up and went to the top desk to take the rest.  I have a map in hand and each time they name the castle, ruin, town, I point and photograph the map.  I will do the first one but will leave the rest out and use them only for my reference with posting.  This leg of the trip will run in several posts and will include the wine fields on the hills and pretty towns.

I think that if they are marked "Burg", they are visitable.  Burg is a castle or fortress (in German).  Towns grew up around them and the whole thing soon became known as Burgs (in some places.

The first castle is Burg Rheinstein.  It was important for it's strategic location, constructed around 1316, fell in to decline, was purchased by Prince Frederick of Prussia and rebuilt.  It has a working drawbridge (STOP, let's go see this) and defense. It is open to the public March through November.

 Burg Reichenstein, also known as Falkenburg.  The town is Trechtingshausen.  Built in 1200s, destroyed, had several owners and then in 1834 was bought by Franz Wilhelm von Barfuss and restoration began.  The Kirsch-Puricelli family purchased in 1899 and finished the restoration.  The current owner is a direct descendant. Open February through December.  Large collection of cast iron plates, hunting trophies, arms, weapons, porcelain and furniture from five centuries.

 Burg Sooneck is located near the village of Niederheimbach.  First mentioned around 1271.  In 1834 the crown prince of Prussia and his brothers bought the completely derelict castle to be a hunting lodge although it was never used as one because of family disputes.  It is open for organized tours. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sooneck_Castle.  Paintings and furniture.

 A few towns along the river.

 Burg Heimburg is privately owned and no tours are offered.

 Sankt Martine Kirche (Catholic Church) in Lorch, Germany.

 Ruin Nollig high on the hill is privately owned and can not be visited.

Castle information is from the tour, wikipedia and http://www.loreley-info.com/eng/rhein-rhine/castles.php.

Tangwick Haa, Shetland Islands - Museum and St. Magnus Bay Views

We stopped at the local museum to learn about the area. There were ruins in the area and views. Flora and Fauna galore!