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Marksburg Castle

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Joy S
Joy S
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2 out of 5
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Marksburg Castle

  • August 26, 2007
  • Rated 2 of 5 by Joy S from Manchester, United Kingdom
Marksburg Castle

We visited the Marksburg Castle on the way to Koblenz from Boppard. It is only about  a 10-minute drive from Boppard and you cannot miss it. From a distance (and close up) it looks beautiful, set on top of a hill towering above the little town of Braubach.

The Marksburg was built in 1100 and additionally fortified over the centuries. It is the only Middle Rhine fortress which has not been destroyed or changed in character by restoration during the Romantic period. It was threatened throughout the ages, but was never directly attacked.

It costs 1.50 euros to park in the car park below the castle. It costs a further 4 euros entrance fee.

Unfortunately you are not permitted to just wander around the castle - you have to go as part of a tour. Guided tours take place very frequently but are always in German. Tours in other languages are by special arrangement only and tend to be for large coach parties.

If you ask when you are paying, they can give you a leaflet in English which gives basic information on the castle and summarises what you will see during the tour. My husband and I both speak German so it was fine for us, but I think it would have been a bit of a struggle and quite difficult if you didn't.

The rooms in the castle really do bring to life the Middle Ages. You go up rugged stone steps and along the riders stairway hewn into the bedrock. There are towers and cannons to look at before you go into the inner fortress.

They have a wine cellar and a fascinating 17th-century kitchen. There are lots of cooking utensils in the kitchen and the fireplace is interesting. It is so large that a cow could be grilled there whole. They still use the kitchen area for candle-lit banquets.

You go through a bedroom and into the Great Hall where there is a Medieval toilet fixed into a wall.

The Knights Hall is particularly impressive. It has models of knights in various different suits of armour all through the ages. The guide actually let some of the children try on a knight's helmet which was fun. The display of armour and weapons here is supposed to be one of the best - outside of the Tower of London.

Down in the dungeons they have lots of torture and gruesome punishment instruments.

The tour takes about one hour.

From the castle you get great views of the river below. Outside the castle there is a small gift-shop and a cafe. Once you have finished the tour however there is nothing much else to do. You only need an hour to visit here.

From journal 8 Nights in the Rhine Valley

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