German Castles

I'll conclude my "Long Goodbye" series by looking at the thing I'll miss the most (outside of people): castles.

I love antiquity, and reminders of it abound in Europe. Within 10 miles of my home, one finds ample evidence of settlements going back 2,000 years. It's amazing, and I'm reminded of the contrast when I'm in America- the USA is just so new. (Of course, people have lived there for thousands of years, too, but their cultures didn't leave the same sorts of traces behind.)

Looking through time, I have a particular love of Medieval history and architecture. It's so prevalent and accessible here. I'll miss many facets of it- from cathedrals to half-timbered homes (like in Idstein or Schiltach) to the focus of today's post, castles.

The next few paragraphs are from my series on German history.

Near the beginning of the Holy Roman Empire, we started to see those wonderful fortifications: castles. They became increasingly prevalent from about 1000AD. At one point, there were ~20,000 castles in Germany- the most in Europe (that’s one castle every 7 square miles)!

Castles were popular for obvious reasons. They protected people and goods from harm, and could oversee and protect important lands/strategic spots. Gunpowder (in Europe from 1300s) and artillery advances gradually made them obsolete in subsequent centuries (though still effective in Napoleon’s time- some castles were destroyed by his army, ~1800).Today, there are four types of castles: real, restored, ruined, and romantic (this delineation is my own and subject to criticism).

• Real: the castle exists today in a ‘natural’ state, perhaps expanded over the centuries (as most castles were) but never destroyed or appreciably altered for other purposes. (Marksburg is an example)
• Restored: the castle exists today but was destroyed and rebuilt (often in more modern styles or in accordance with fashions of the era); it has a degree of original authenticity but has been substantially changed. (Cochem is an example)
• Ruined: the castle was destroyed or abandoned and has decayed naturally, often helped by residents using the stone for other projects. (Eppstein is an example)
• Romantic: the castle was built after the age of fortification and never intended for use as a stronghold. (Neu Schwanstein is an example)

Today, only 20% of castles in Germany have roofs, 40% are in a state of ruin, and 40% have only ground-level foundations (if that!). In fact, some have disappeared; we know about them only through literature. Castles were expensive to upkeep; when they became obsolete, they were abandoned, auctioned off, used as local quarry, etc.

For a more in-depth introduction to these structures, check out Medieval Castles or Marc Morris's Castle.

In the pandemic, we made seeing castles a priority- it was easy to socially distance and enjoy these structures of old. In Pandemic Tourism, I provide a few resources for locating the nearby structures. We've seen over 20 in our region; I link to many of them below, providing a map for those interested.

 

Hohenstein

Sonnenberg

Eppstein

Königstein

Münzenberg, Friedberg, and Bad Vilbels

Runkel 

Drachenburg

Manderscheider Burgen

Cochem

Eltz (& Cochem)

Frankenstein

Auerbach

Rodenstein

Wertheim & Mespelbrunn

Ehrenfels & Rhein Castles (and again here)

Like ruined abbeys, ruined castles in particular fill me with peace. These mighty structures are now destroyed, delapidated, or repurposed. It's a testament to the flitting nature of life, and turns the attention to what really matters.